Department of Curriculum Studies

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Browsing Department of Curriculum Studies by Author "Amweenye, Fares Frans"

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    A contextual analysis of the implementation of a curriculum at a teacher education institution
    (Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2023-12) Amweenye, Fares Frans; Le Grange, Lesley ; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Curriculum Studies.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study explored the presence or absence of a constructivist epistemology Namibia adopted to underlie her education system at all levels including teacher education. An epistemology is central in any study programme for it informs the teaching-learning views and actions. Conducted at University of Namibia’s satellite campus, the study sought the meaning and role accorded it in informing English teacher education instruction as well as the grounds established to enable its application. The thesis employed a case study along with the qualitative design entrenched in an interpretative constructivist worldview and engaged an analysis of leading policy texts on education to situate the written position of the epistemology as an underlying theory. To narrow the scope of the study, it embraced interactive semi-structured interviews with eleven senior student teachers and seven teacher educators from an area of English (with an exception) purposely selected to extract their experiences and views pertaining to a constructivist pedagogy centred on their academic involvement with its reception and application. Bernstein’s theory of pedagogical discourse and practice offered a framework for analysing the study’s outcomes.The outcomes of the study revealed an absence of an explicitly defined epistemology and a low status assigned to it in steering the educational practices. Data generated through documentary analysis unearthed incompatibility between basic education and teacher education policy documents, a development that culminated into incongruence, discord and contradiction. Similarly divergence emerged among teacher education programmes in their subscription to the underpinning theoretical framework. Similar revelations were also exposed by interview generated data. At the level of description, the findings indicated an aspiration towards a pedagogical organisation and progression featuring a weak framing over the governing rules concerning the interpersonal social relations of educators and students. The attempts to weakly frame the rules pertaining to selection, sequence and pace also existed. The success on these would have enabled students into the role of active participants with educators acting as facilitators. Contrarily the implementation level signified educators shifting into a dominant position of authority and control into the above rules turning the pedagogy towards teacher-centredness which dislodged students from the centre of the education to the periphery that fostered passivity and further bred the mechanistic view of education. Whilst this could be interpreted as of ensuing educator dominance into this pedagogical encounter they also became disempowered to guarantee instructional perspectives and approaches in line with the expected invisible pedagogy as they lost authority over the regulative rules concerning text, time and evaluative criteria that came to feature the pedagogical practices strongly. The effective and meaningful implementation of the envisioned epistemology became furthermore negatively impacted by the contextual classroom conditions not tuned into the grounds capable of enabling its smooth application.The study recommends a revamp of the epistemology’s current lower position in informing study programmes; an imminent overhaul of the disconnected approach out of which its current state ostensibly originated and the conceited efforts to address constraining structural and contextual factors perceived to impact its clearer meaning and comprehension and effective implementation.