Assessing the implementation of environmental education school policy in Buffalo City Metro Education District South Africa
- Authors: Damoah, Benjamin
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Environmental education , Environmental policy -- South Africa , Education and state -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/21602 , vital:51703
- Description: Environmental Education (EE) is essential for addressing environmental challenges.The advantages of EE are undeniable; it might be used to address specific environmental concerns and their implications, as well as to modify behaviours that lead to environmental catastrophes.EE strengthens people's resilience to climaterelated hazards. Global environmental issues have heightened interest in educational policy outcomes and their implications for economic growth and social citizenship. It is worth noting that an effective EE policy has a significant influence on the development of learners' environmental literacy. This study assessed the implementation of environmental education school policy in the Buffalo City Metro Education District, South Africa. This study adopted the pragmatism paradigm of Mixed Method Research(MMR). Concurrent triangulation, which is a design that employs a single data collection technique in which quantitative and qualitative data gathering and analysis are carried out independently yet concurrently, was used for this study. The target population of this study involved 60,412 teachers, 1,770,289 learners in 5205 public schools, and 1 Pro-EE civil society organisation in the Eastern Cape province. This was narrowed down to over 268 public and independent schools, teachers, and principals within the enclave of the Buffalo Metropolitan education district. The study adopted stratified purposeful and simple random probability sampling. In this technique, the sampling frame of the study was divided into strata or groups (principals, teachers, learners, and CSOs) and a sample was purposefully selected from each stratum (Migiro & Magangi, 2011). The stratified purposeful random sampling techniques draw data from 10 principals, 175 teachers, 1500 learners, and 1 CSO. Structured questionnaire; Implementation of EE Policy Questionnaire (IEEPQ) whose reliability co-efficient value using Cronbach Alpha was 0.74, semi-structured interview and documents were the instruments used to collect data for this study. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics of percentage, mean, and standard deviation for the quantitative data while the thematic approach of sorting, coding, transcribing, and categorization was used for the qualitative data. The study revealed the following. When asked whether teachers had studied environmental education in tertiary institutions as part of their professional training, the majority of the teachers'respondents, 108, representing 61.7percent, disagreed with this view. On the flip side, a handful of teachers 67, (38.3percent) agreed with the view of having had some sort of EE knowledge during their professional training as teachers. With regards to the view that learners learn environmental issues through other subjects, most of the learner respondents, 1316 representing 87.7percent, agreed with this view. On the contrary, a minority of the respondents 184 (12,3percent) had a dissenting opinion. This indicates that most learners in school learn about environmental concerns through other traditional subjects. The study established that EE content is manifest in teachers' and learners' textbooks, teaching methods, and co-curricular activities. However, the study identified lapses in how teachers and learners integrate EE into their day-to-day practices. Therefore, the implementation of the EE policy seems to be an exercise in futility. The absence of a policy guideline document has made teachers and school administrators incapacitated in the implementation of EE school policy. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, 2022
- Full Text:
- Authors: Damoah, Benjamin
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Environmental education , Environmental policy -- South Africa , Education and state -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/21602 , vital:51703
- Description: Environmental Education (EE) is essential for addressing environmental challenges.The advantages of EE are undeniable; it might be used to address specific environmental concerns and their implications, as well as to modify behaviours that lead to environmental catastrophes.EE strengthens people's resilience to climaterelated hazards. Global environmental issues have heightened interest in educational policy outcomes and their implications for economic growth and social citizenship. It is worth noting that an effective EE policy has a significant influence on the development of learners' environmental literacy. This study assessed the implementation of environmental education school policy in the Buffalo City Metro Education District, South Africa. This study adopted the pragmatism paradigm of Mixed Method Research(MMR). Concurrent triangulation, which is a design that employs a single data collection technique in which quantitative and qualitative data gathering and analysis are carried out independently yet concurrently, was used for this study. The target population of this study involved 60,412 teachers, 1,770,289 learners in 5205 public schools, and 1 Pro-EE civil society organisation in the Eastern Cape province. This was narrowed down to over 268 public and independent schools, teachers, and principals within the enclave of the Buffalo Metropolitan education district. The study adopted stratified purposeful and simple random probability sampling. In this technique, the sampling frame of the study was divided into strata or groups (principals, teachers, learners, and CSOs) and a sample was purposefully selected from each stratum (Migiro & Magangi, 2011). The stratified purposeful random sampling techniques draw data from 10 principals, 175 teachers, 1500 learners, and 1 CSO. Structured questionnaire; Implementation of EE Policy Questionnaire (IEEPQ) whose reliability co-efficient value using Cronbach Alpha was 0.74, semi-structured interview and documents were the instruments used to collect data for this study. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics of percentage, mean, and standard deviation for the quantitative data while the thematic approach of sorting, coding, transcribing, and categorization was used for the qualitative data. The study revealed the following. When asked whether teachers had studied environmental education in tertiary institutions as part of their professional training, the majority of the teachers'respondents, 108, representing 61.7percent, disagreed with this view. On the flip side, a handful of teachers 67, (38.3percent) agreed with the view of having had some sort of EE knowledge during their professional training as teachers. With regards to the view that learners learn environmental issues through other subjects, most of the learner respondents, 1316 representing 87.7percent, agreed with this view. On the contrary, a minority of the respondents 184 (12,3percent) had a dissenting opinion. This indicates that most learners in school learn about environmental concerns through other traditional subjects. The study established that EE content is manifest in teachers' and learners' textbooks, teaching methods, and co-curricular activities. However, the study identified lapses in how teachers and learners integrate EE into their day-to-day practices. Therefore, the implementation of the EE policy seems to be an exercise in futility. The absence of a policy guideline document has made teachers and school administrators incapacitated in the implementation of EE school policy. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, 2022
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Teachers’ perception of the integration of environmental education into grade 12 curriculum in East London Education District
- Authors: Damoah, Benjamin
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Environmental education
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/16528 , vital:40728
- Description: The study focuses on teachers’ perception of the integration of environmental education into grade 12 curriculum in East London education district. This study is based on empirical research. The theoretical framework of the study is based on Opportunity to Learn (OTL). The concept of OTL was formulated by international Association of Achievements (McDonnell, 1995).OTL is multiplicity of factors that create the conditions for teaching and learning, such as curricula, learning materials, facilities, teachers and instructional experiences. The research study is supported by national and international literatures based on environmental education and integration of environmental education as a component in the school curriculum, and policy documents. The study adopted qualitative research approach, using phenomenological method and interpretivism paradigm respectively. The empirical data was collected from one high school in Mdantsane Township in East London education district. The study sample consisted of 6 high school teachers. Data was collected through semi- structured interviews. According to the findings of the research, grade 12 teachers expressed disparities in their perceptions of environmental education as an integrated component into their subjects. Most of the subject teachers focused on the aspect of knowledge acquisition. According to South African education system, environmental education (EE) has been integrated into all subjects. Although there is environmental education in the GET and FET phase curriculum respectively, however it is not integrated evenly in all subjects. Some subjects like Life sciences, geography have more environmental content than other subjects. Teachers suggested that the approach adopted to integrate environmental education into the school curriculum was not favourable because teachers claimed that what is to be taught as environmental education in the various subjects is not indicated explicitly in the CAPS document. The CAPS document prescribes EE integration into all subjects which makes the teaching of EE a collective responsibility. The main actors of EE integration implementation are themselves a constraint to the success of the integration. The teacher is confronted with many challenges in the process of environmental education integration. This includes lack of teaching and learning resources, time and large class size. The role of teachers in the implementation of environmental education in developing an environmentally literate citizenry is of great significance. The responsibility of the government in ii developing a curriculum with clear goals and content, developing teachers’ capacity in the teaching of environmental education and provision of teaching and learning materials needs to be taken seriously by the government in educational plans and programs. Topics for future research on the integration of EE into grade 12 curriculums were suggested in order to improve on teaching and learning of environmental education
- Full Text:
- Authors: Damoah, Benjamin
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Environmental education
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/16528 , vital:40728
- Description: The study focuses on teachers’ perception of the integration of environmental education into grade 12 curriculum in East London education district. This study is based on empirical research. The theoretical framework of the study is based on Opportunity to Learn (OTL). The concept of OTL was formulated by international Association of Achievements (McDonnell, 1995).OTL is multiplicity of factors that create the conditions for teaching and learning, such as curricula, learning materials, facilities, teachers and instructional experiences. The research study is supported by national and international literatures based on environmental education and integration of environmental education as a component in the school curriculum, and policy documents. The study adopted qualitative research approach, using phenomenological method and interpretivism paradigm respectively. The empirical data was collected from one high school in Mdantsane Township in East London education district. The study sample consisted of 6 high school teachers. Data was collected through semi- structured interviews. According to the findings of the research, grade 12 teachers expressed disparities in their perceptions of environmental education as an integrated component into their subjects. Most of the subject teachers focused on the aspect of knowledge acquisition. According to South African education system, environmental education (EE) has been integrated into all subjects. Although there is environmental education in the GET and FET phase curriculum respectively, however it is not integrated evenly in all subjects. Some subjects like Life sciences, geography have more environmental content than other subjects. Teachers suggested that the approach adopted to integrate environmental education into the school curriculum was not favourable because teachers claimed that what is to be taught as environmental education in the various subjects is not indicated explicitly in the CAPS document. The CAPS document prescribes EE integration into all subjects which makes the teaching of EE a collective responsibility. The main actors of EE integration implementation are themselves a constraint to the success of the integration. The teacher is confronted with many challenges in the process of environmental education integration. This includes lack of teaching and learning resources, time and large class size. The role of teachers in the implementation of environmental education in developing an environmentally literate citizenry is of great significance. The responsibility of the government in ii developing a curriculum with clear goals and content, developing teachers’ capacity in the teaching of environmental education and provision of teaching and learning materials needs to be taken seriously by the government in educational plans and programs. Topics for future research on the integration of EE into grade 12 curriculums were suggested in order to improve on teaching and learning of environmental education
- Full Text:
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