Towards The Development Of A Quality External Support Framework For The Further Education And Training (Fet) Phase Physical Sciences Teachers In The Lejweleputswa District- Free State Province

Abstract

South Africa has experienced a number of education reforms such as Curriculum 2005 (C2005), National Curriculum Statement (NCS) and Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) since 1994. All these curriculum changes were intended to improve the education system of the country. The changes presented challenges to both physical sciences teachers and learners. Some of these challenges addressed the volume of the content and time constraints, the nature and level of the content as well as assessment and progression between grades. All these curriculum changes were new to teachers hence the need to empower them through an appropriate educator development programme that dealt with educational reforms in order to boost their teaching confidence. This was a sequential explanatory mixed methods research. A hundred questionnaires were randomly sent to 60 secondary schools. Forty-six questionnaires were returned. The researcher conducted three focus group interviews, which were comprised of seven (7) physical sciences teachers in each group. She also interviewed one physical sciences subject advisor. The quantitative research revealed that teachers attended subject-specific workshops, organised during and after hours, they have improved their educational qualifications, and in some instances, teachers have managed to form collaborations with peers, where they planned lessons together. They also seemed very comfortable with the new system of discussion of examination memoranda before marking. However, teachers also felt challenged by a lack of funds to buy science equipment, inadequate supply of science textbooks, low learner interest in science, lack of opportunities for science teachers to share ideas, and inadequate time to teach science. These findings were corroborated by the findings from qualitative research, which indicated ways in which these teachers feel they can be empowered, through involvement of external stakeholders. Interviews revealed that even though teachers attend training sessions, professional support of physical sciences teachers is still inadequate. Teachers still feel they are not receiving the in-school support as they should, and there is a lack of science equipment in schools. Above all, they feel that the content is overloaded. The subject advisor felt disempowered due to a high workload. He could not visit physical sciences teachers in their classrooms to offer support in curriculum delivery. As a result, the performance of teachers did not improve because they felt neglected. The study recommends that the physical sciences’ content should be streamlined, so as to allow teachers to be fully trained in new topics. Teachers should be responsible for their own development, in their own settings and if there is an external expert involved in developing physical sciences teachers, the professional development programmes should be regularly evaluated and improved. The results of the study were used to develop a model of external support that will improve performance in physical sciences.