Plantkunde-onderrig in Gautengse skole : ’n opwindende uitdaging?

Abstract

Positiewe gesindheid by onderwysers en leerders kan ’n lewenslange belangstelling in plante aanwakker. Tog word Plantkunde wêreldwyd as ’n ongewilde vak gereken. Studies in die Verenigde State van Amerika en elders het getoon dat leerders die vak as vervelig beskou. In die literatuur word plantblindheid, soösentrisme en soöchauvinisme wyd hiervoor geblameer. In hierdie studie is daar deur onderhoude met onderwysers en vraelyste aan leerders gepoog om te bepaal wat die status van Plantkunde in sekondêre skole in Tshwane, Gauteng is. Lewenswetenskappe-onderwysers was baie positief oor hulle vak, maar van die deelnemers het negatiewe houdings teenoor die Plantkunde-inhoud geopenbaar. Onderwysers was dit eens dat leerders, met enkele uitsonderings na, nie van plantstudies hou nie en hierdie bevinding is gestaaf deur die vraelyste wat die leerders ingevul het. Verskeie struikelblokke wat die onderrig van Plantkunde bemoeilik, is geïdentifiseer. Krathwohl, Bloom en Masia se klassifikasie van die affektiewe domein en die holistiese benadering tot Lewenswetenskappeonderrig is gebruik om die bevindings in perspektief te plaas.

A positive attitude in teachers and learners can create a life-long interest in plants. Worldwide, Botany is seen as an unpopular subject and studies in the United States of America and elsewhere have shown that learners find the subject boring. Plant blindness, soöcentrism and soöchauvinism are widely blamed for this situation. In this study, the status of Botany in secondary schools in Tshwane, Gauteng, was investigated, using interviews with teachers and learner questionnaires. Life sciences teachers are positive about their subject, but some of the participants revealed negative attitudes towards the Botany content. The teachers agreed that the learners, with a few exceptions, did not like plant studies and this finding was confirmed by the questionnaires that were completed by the learners. A number of challenges, increasing the difficulties of teaching Botany were identified. Krathwohl, Bloom and Masia’s classification of the affective domain and the holistic approach to Life Sciences education were employed to provide perspective to the findings.