Enhancing the pedagogical practice of South African Physical Sciences teachers in inquiry-based teaching through empowerment evaluation
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21589868 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Umesh Ramnarain (0000-0003-4548-5913, University of Johannesburg, corresponding author), Umesh Dewnarain Ramnarain (University of Johannesburg, Science and Technology Education, Johannesburg, South Africa), Clive Rudzirai (University of Johannesburg, Science and Technology Education, Johannesburg, South Africa) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 42 |
| Issue | 10 |
| Pages | 1739-1758 |
| Publication date | 2020-07-02 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Science Education, Part B (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2154-8455 • E-ISSN: 2154-8463 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/09500693.2020.1778810 |
| OpenAlex | W3043619384 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 23 |
Scientific inquiry has been advocated as a common curriculum goal in school science education in South Africa, and also throughout the world. In South Africa, the introduction of inquiry-based instruction in a reformed science curriculum has met with serious challenges, such as the under-preparedness of in-service teachers. The purpose of this study was to capture, portray and develop the pedagogical practice of Physical Sciences teachers in inquiry-based teaching using an empowerment evaluation approach. The study is a multiple case study in inquiry-based teaching of three Physical Sciences teachers in South Africa using a mixed methods design. Empowerment evaluation is the use of evaluation concepts, techniques, and findings to foster improvement and self-determination. Underlying an inquiry-based pedagogy is the assumption that science education is not merely about knowing-acquisition, but understanding how scientific knowledge is generated, evaluation of knowledge claims and conducting scientific research. Data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews, a pedagogical orientation instrument, and classroom observations. The findings reveal that through empowerment evaluation, teacher practices in the classroom shifted towards an inquiry-based approach. The empowerment evaluation approach thus offers a viable and sustained form of professional development that is likely to empower teachers in assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating what they do
Curriculum · Empowerment · Mathematics education · Pedagogy · Political science · Preparedness · Professional development · Science education · Sociology · Teacher education · Teaching method · Education and Critical Thinking Development · Psychology · Science Education and Pedagogy · Teacher Education and Leadership Studies
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |