The Influence of the View of Nature on Biology Education in Zimbabwe, a Minor Field Study
The purpose of this thesis is to look into the teaching methods and content in Zimbabwean biology education, and the possible influences that the teachers’ view of nature have on this education. The study was performed in and around Mutare in eastern Zimbabwe with eleven observations and six interviews in primary and secondary schools, corresponding to years four to nine in the Swedish compulsory school. My study shows that the teachers’ view of nature is in many parts similar to the Swedish view of nature, but differ in a closer connection to religiosity and in a more every-day-life relation to nature. This is reflected in several of the concepts that view of nature consist of. The view of nature is influencing the content in biology partly. Since science hold universal concepts which are the same all around the world, the view of nature does not influence the scientific parts of biology, but have influence on where the emphases in the education is put. The results show no direct influence of the view of nature on teaching methods, but indirectly influenced by the choice of content.
A Preliminary Survey of Environmental Awareness in Some Secondary School Pupils in Zimbabwe
For sustainable development to be effective there must be appropriate environmental education strategies which provide people with the necessary knowledge and attitudes and skills. This paper is based on exploratory research to establish the level of environmental knowledge, attitudes towards environmental issues, environmental activities and problem-solving skills of secondary school pupils in determining appropriate strategies for sustainable development. The methods used to obtain information include a questionnaire, a review of secondary sources including policy documents and the various syllabuses which contain aspects of environmental education, and interviews with officials at the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education. The questionnaire was administered to 555 Form 1 and Form 4 secondary school pupils at 8 secondary schools, 4 rural schools in Chirumanzu District, Midlands Province, and 4 urban schools in Harare. The questionnaire was designed to ascertain the knowledge, attitudes, activities and problem solving skills of pupils as regards a wide range of environmental issues in Zimbabwe. The research attempted to identify differences, if any, between Form 1 pupils and Form 4 pupils, and between those living in a rural environment and those living in an urban environment. The results revealed that although there was a relatively high level of environmental knowledge amongst the pupils, understanding and analysis of this knowledge was considerably lower, as were skills of solving environmental problems. Environmental activities such as tree planting were quite widespread. Form 4s scored much higher than Form Is, and generally, rural pupils did better than urban pupils. The interviews confirmed that there is no official policy on environmental education in Zimbabwe. The research concludes with a series of recommendations to enhance the status of environmental education, especially in secondary schools, in Zimbabwe, and to ensure that future generations possess the necessary knowledge, attitudes and skills to enable them to participate effectively in the sustainable development of Zimbabwe's natural resources.
Concept design of solar cell satellite dish
Solar panels are devices that consist of solar cells that convert light into electricity. They are called solar on the Sun or “sol” because the Sun is the strongest light source that can be utilized. Solar panels are often called photovoltaic cells, photovoltaic can be interpreted as “light-electricity”. Solar cells or PV cells depend on the photovoltaic effect to absorb the Sun’s energy and cause currents to flow between two opposing charged layers. The purpose of this study is to analyze the satellite dish using solar panels, so this tool is a signal search tool that uses solar energy to run to carry out its functions. As we know that many places or areas that are still often experiencing power outages so that it can hamper and interfere with community activities. Therefore, this research wants to facilitate the public, especially the current generation who need electricity every day so that when there is a power outage, the satellite dish will utilize solar energy as its main source. This research uses a satellite dish as an intermediary to produce electrical energy with the help of solar energy and is collected into a high-voltage battery in the form of electricity, so that it becomes a source of electricity.