The incorporation of the USA ‘Science Made Sensible’ program in South African primary schools : a cross-cultural approach to science education

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dc.contributor.author De Villiers, Johannes Jozua Rian
dc.contributor.author Plantan, Tiffany
dc.contributor.author Gaines, Michael
dc.date.accessioned 2016-10-11T11:05:11Z
dc.date.issued 2016-01
dc.description.abstract The Science Made Sensible (SMS) programme began as a partnership between the University of Miami (UM), Florida, USA, and some public schools in Miami. In this programme, postgraduate students from UM work with primary school science teachers to engage learners in science through the use of inquirybased, hands-on activities. Due to the success of the SMS programme in Miami, it was extended internationally. The SMS team (two Miami Grade 6/7 science teachers and two UM postgraduate students), 195 learners, and five South African teachers at two primary schools in Pretoria, South Africa, participated in this study. A quantitative research design was employed, and learners, teachers and UM postgraduate students used questionnaires to evaluate the SMS programme. The results show that the SMS team was successful in reaching the SMS goals in these South African schools. More than 90% of the learners are of opinion that the SMS team from the USA made them more interested in the natural sciences and fostered an appreciation for the natural sciences. All the South African teachers plan to adopt and adapt some of the pedagogical strategies they learned from the SMS team. This article includes a discussion about the benefits of inquiry-based learning and the similarities and dissimilarities of USA and South Africa’s teaching methods in the science classrooms. en_ZA
dc.description.department Science, Mathematics and Technology Education en_ZA
dc.description.embargo 2017-06-30
dc.description.librarian hb2016 en_ZA
dc.description.uri http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/redc20 en_ZA
dc.identifier.citation De Villiers, JJR, Plantan, T & Gaines, M 2016, 'The incorporation of the USA 'Science Made Sensible' programme in South African primary schools : a cross-cultural approach to science education', Education as Change, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 239-258, DOI : 10.17159/1947-9417/2016/553 en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn 1682-3206 (print)
dc.identifier.issn 1947-9417 (online)
dc.identifier.other 10.17159/1947-9417/2016/553
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/2263/57093
dc.language.iso en en_ZA
dc.publisher Routledge en_ZA
dc.rights © 2016 The Authors. This is an electronic version of an article published in Education as Change, vol. 20, no.1, pp. 239-258, 2016. doi : 10.17159/1947-9417/2016/553. Education as Change is available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/redc20. en_ZA
dc.subject Learners en_ZA
dc.subject Teachers en_ZA
dc.subject Postgraduate students en_ZA
dc.subject Natural sciences en_ZA
dc.subject Hands-on en_ZA
dc.subject Inquiry-based learning en_ZA
dc.subject South Africa (SA) en_ZA
dc.subject United States (US) en_ZA
dc.subject Science made sensible (SMS) en_ZA
dc.title The incorporation of the USA ‘Science Made Sensible’ program in South African primary schools : a cross-cultural approach to science education en_ZA
dc.type Postprint Article en_ZA


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