An investigation of the pedagogical orientations of Grade 8 Chemistry teachers in Orchestrating Practical Demonstrations at schools in Oshikoto Region, Namibia

Abstract

The use of practical work is ubiquitous in almost every science classroom globally. It is advocated for by the Namibian National Curriculum for Basic Education [NCBE] for a country to become a knowledge-based society which should be achieved through engaging learners in hands-on practical activities. Regardless of the calls from the NCBE for learner-centred practical work, teachers in the Oshikoto Region resort to enacting practical demonstrations. This mixed methods study investigated the pedagogical orientations of teachers in Oshikoto Region when orchestrating grade 8 chemistry demonstrations. The study involved two phases. During Phase I, quantitative data were collected through a questionnaire survey that was administered to 87 Grade 8 Physical Science teachers. Phase II involved the collection of qualitative data by means of class observations and semi-structured interviews of 10 teachers purposefully selected from a pool of 87 teachers who completed the questionnaire. The findings revealed that 56.3% (49 out of 87 teachers studied) in the Oshikoto Region exhibited a preference for teacher-orchestrated demonstrations rather than entrusting practical activities to learners. Contextual factors such as a lack of resources to conduct practical work, insufficient curriculum time allocated for practical lessons and large class sizes were considered to influence this preference. The results further showed that through teacher-orchestrated demonstrations, teachers regularly applied certain pedagogical actions. These included inviting learners to make a prediction, asking learners to explain their observations, and facilitating a class discussion after the demonstration. This suggests that although demonstrations were teacher-orchestrated, teachers interacted with learners through these actions to ensure that they were cognitively engaged. Therefore, the study recommended that the NCBE should allocate more timetable time for practical work in science classrooms, science teachers should be engaged in continuous professional development on practical work and they should also be encouraged to make use of readily available materials to do practical work in the absence of the traditional, practical work equipment.