Bachelor of Education Honours in Science Education
Education, Training and Development - Schooling
Purpose and Rationale
Qualification Description
Purpose
The purpose of this qualification is to prepare learners for research-based postgraduate studies in Science Education. It is designed to consolidate and deepen a learner's knowledge and to develop research capacity in the methodology and techniques of the field. It aims to cultivate an innovative, socially responsible, reflective, and reflexive researcher who can demonstrate a critical understanding of contemporary, historical, and socio-political issues, as well as scholarly research in Science Education. The qualification equips learners to read and write critically and to design and implement a research process relevant to the field of study. The Exit Level Outcomes and associated assessment criteria are intended to prepare learners for a high level of theoretical engagement and intellectual independence in addressing the challenges in Science Education.
Upon completion, learners will be able to:
- Reflect critically on contemporary theories in Education, with a focus on Science Education.
- Engage in disciplinary discourses related to contextual issues in socially responsible ways.
- Identify and compare various research paradigms and methodologies.
- Conduct independent research/inquiry in Science Education culminating in a research treatise.
Rationale
The Bachelor of Education Honours in Science Education aims to meet the professional development needs of teachers by emphasizing researcher development in Science Education. Given the current challenges in the South African educational landscape, it is essential for teachers to critically address educational concerns and be capable of generating new knowledge through research. Therefore, nurturing teachers as researchers is crucial for improvement both within classrooms and in the broader educational context. This qualification seeks to promote a culture of research, scholarship, and innovation by providing teachers with the skills to enhance their ability to identify, conduct, and develop research-based solutions to the challenges encountered in Science Education.
Outcomes
- Reflect critically on contemporary theories in Education in general, and in the field of Science Education, in particular.
- Engage in disciplinary discourses related to contextual issues in socially responsible ways.
- Identify and compare various research paradigms and methodologies.
- Conduct independent research/inquiry in Science Education culminating in a research treatise.
Assessment Criteria
Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1:
- Articulate theoretical perspectives on professional identity formation and re-formation.
- Interrogate the evolving nature of scientific knowledge.
- Identify and explore the influence of differing world views on the teaching and learning of science.
- Describe science as a human enterprise.
Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2:
- Engage in critical discussions on the impact of differing world views in relation to mainstream science.
- Identify and suggest ways to integrate appropriate examples from African Indigenous Knowledge and Technology in the teaching and learning of science.
- Critically examine gender issues in science and ways to address the under-representation of females.
- Suggest ways to mediate the transition of learners from the culture of home to the culture of classroom science and vice-versa.
Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3:
- Identify and develop conceptions of various world-views or paradigms.
- Critically engage with one's own world-view and identities as a researcher.
- Develop an awareness of traditional and participatory approaches based on their paradigmatic origins.
- Provide a critical appraisal of the methods of science such as the theory-laden nature of observations, inductive reasoning, falsificationism, and the myth of the "scientific method".
Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4:
- Systematically and practically carry out various research steps, including ethical clearance, instrument design and refinement, data collection, analysis, and synthesis.
- Write up and present research findings commensurate with standards expected for research in education.
- Collect and analyse data.
Integrated Assessment:
- Use a variety of formative assessment strategies (e.g. assignments, seminar presentations, contribution to discussion forums, short tests) to develop learners' literacy and research skills.
- Develop comprehension and interrogation of key themes/concepts in each module.
- Employ a developmental approach for formative assessment to enable learners to engage with theoretical perspectives and understandings.
- Build learners' capacity to develop proficiencies in designing their research proposal, carrying out the research, writing up the thesis, and overall preparation for final exams (if applicable).
Qualification Details
- Type
- Honours Degree
- NQF Level
- 08
- Min. Credits
- 120
- SAQA Source
- More Information
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