An exploration into the school related factors that causes high matriculation failure rates in Physical Science in public high schools of Alexandra Township
The exploratory study investigated school related factors responsible for high matriculation failure rates in physical science in public high schools of Alexandra Township in South Africa. The target population included all Further Education and Training (FET) science educators and learners in Alexandra Township. An extreme-case sampling method was used to select a sample of two schools. Data was collected through two different closed questionnaires, one for educators (n=10) and the other for learners (n=250). The results were analyzed using mainly descriptive statistics. The results, according to the views and opinions of educators and learners showed that the main causes of high failure rates are poor educator qualifications, outdated teaching methods, massive workloads, high levels of absenteeism and acute deficiencies in aspects related to: resources, subject content, classroom management skills, proficiency in language of instruction and assessment, motivation and perseverance. Recommendations for practice and policy are suggested.
Exploring effects of incorporating English language in secondary school science education : a case of secondary school physical sciences learners in Mpumalanga Province
This study investigated the effects of incorporating English language teaching in Physical Sciences education. The sample was selected from Physical Sciences Grade 10 learners in a school in Mpumalanga Province and comprised an experimental group who were taught through a workbook that incorporated language teaching in science lessons and a control group who were taught via the normal textbook prescribed by the Department of Basic Education. Preand post-tests were administered to both groups and a sample of learners participated in a focus group interview. Two educators were also individually interviewed. The results revealed that incorporating language teaching in science lessons not only improves learners’ academic performance but also their comprehension skills, and encouraged the application of learner-centred methods of teaching. The study recommends that Physical Sciences textbooks include English language activities with the view of incorporating language teaching in Physical Sciences content lessons. Key Terms: Science Education, Language of Science, First Additional Language, English language, Second Language, Physical Sciences, Language of Learning Teaching, Medium of instruction.
Analysis of Macro and Micronutrients in Soils from Palestine Using Ion Exchange Membrane Technology
Ion Exchange membrane technology (IEM) is a method that allowed a single extraction process and a single subsequent measurement of different elements that are available in soil. The values of the available forms of the different macro- and micronutrients obtained by IEM extraction were compared with the values of the soluble form obtained by conventional extraction methods. In surface soil sample, the concentrations of available potassium, nitrate, phosphate, iron and boron were 37.7 mg kg–1, 17.5 mg kg–1, 3.6 mg kg–1, 171.0 μg kg–1, and 4.2 μg kg–1 respectively were greater than that of soluble forms of the same elements which were 7.0 mg kg–1, 9.2 mg kg–1, 0.4 mg kg–1, 109.0 μg kg–1, and 1.9 μg kg–1 respectively.