GEOGRAPHY TEACHING APPROACHES AND SCIENCE PROCESS SKILLS

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INTRODUCTION

Chapter one aims to provide an overview of the problem investigated. The chapter sets out the problem that was examined and emphasises the essential nature of the problem. Furthermore, the chapter also highlights the scope, objectives and hypotheses of the study. Some concepts are defined and explained and a brief discussion on the research methodologies which were used to collect data is also given. Lastly, the chapter ends by setting out the programme of the study.

RESEARCH OUTLINE

The problem investigated in the study, the aims and objectives of the study and the questions investigated are outlined in this section. The section also lists the hypotheses and concludes
with a brief discussion on the research methodology for the study.

Hypotheses

A hypothesis (cf. 2.5.2.7 and 4.5.2) is a prediction, a statement of what specific results or outcomes are expected to occur (Fraenkel and Wallen 1996: 18). A hypothesis can also be defined as a tentative prediction of the results of the research findings (Gay and Airasian 2000: 71). Hypotheses state the researcher’s expectations with regard to the relationship between the variables of the research problem (Ary, Jacobs and Razavieh 1990: 94; Gay 1992 66; Gay and Airasian 2000: 71 and Van Dalen 1979: 196-197). The researcher formulated the hypotheses stated below in anticipation of the outcomes of this study.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The questions and hypotheses outlined above are important because they could be linked to poor teaching of secondary school geography and a high failure rate in the subject in the Free State Province. For example, Table 1.1 which follows below, indicates Grade 12 learners’ performance in geography in 1998 and 1999 (Appendix 2).

CHAPTER ONE ORIENTATION
1.1 INTRODUCTION
1.2 GENERAL BACKGROUND OF THE PROBLEM
1.3 RESEARCH OUTLINE
1.3.1 The Problem Investigated in this Study
1,3,2 Questions Investigated
1.3.3 Aims and Objectives
1.3.4 Hypotheses
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDy
1.5 RESEARCH METHODOLOGy
Literature Survey
Empirical Investigation
Quantitative Empirical Study
Qualitative Empirical Investigation
CONCEPTS AND DEFINITIONS
Inquiry Teaching
Inquiry Learning
1.6.3 Science Process Skills.
1.6.4 Basic Science Process Skills
1.6.5 Integrated Science Process Skills
1.6.6 Outcomes
1.6.6 Outcomes-based Education
1.7 DEMARCATION OF THE STUDy.
1.8 CHAPTER OUTLINE
1.9 CONCLUSiON
CHAPTER TWO GEOGRAPHY TEACHING APPROACHES AND SCIENCE PROCESS SKILLS
2.1 INTRODUCTION
2.2 TEACHING APPROACHES IN GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION
2.2.1 The Holistic Approach
2.2.2 The Descriptive and the Problem-solving Approaches
2.2.3 Thematic Approach
2.2.4 The Interdisciplinary Approach
2.3 GEOGRAPHIC INQUIRY
2.3.1 Inductive Inquiry
2.3.2 Deductive Inquiry
2.4 REASONS FOR INQUIRY AS A STRATEGY OF TEACHING AND LEARNING GEOGRAPHy
2.5 SCIENCE PROCESS SKILLS
Basic Science Process Skills
Observation
Classification
Communication
Measurement.
Prediction
Inferences
2.5.2 Integrated Science Process Skills
Identifying Variables
Constructing a Table of Data
Plotting a Graph
Describing Relationships between
Variables
Acquiring and Processing Data
Analysing Investigations
Constructing Hypotheses
Defining Variables Operationally.
Designing Investigations
Experimenting
CRITIQUE OF SCIENCE PROCESS SKILLS
CONCLUSiON
CHAPTER THREE THE NATURE AND STRUCTURE OF GEOGRAPHY AND ITS IMPLICATIONS ON THE APPLICATION OF OUTCOMES-BASED GEOGRAPHY TEACHING
3.1 INTRODUCTION
THE NATURE OF GEOGRAPHy
THE STRUCTURE OF GEOGRAPHy
3.3.1 The Substantive Structure of Geography
3.3.2 The Syntactical Structure of Geography
3.4 REASONS FOR A PARADIGM SHIFT TO OUTCOMES-BASED EDUCATION CURRICULUM 2005
3.7.1 The General and Training Band
3.7.2 Further Education and Training Band
3.7.3 Higher Education and Training Band
THE NATURE OF OUTCOMES-BASED EDUCATION
SHORTCOMINGS OF OUTCOMES-BASED EDUCATION CRITICAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOMES
3.9 NATURAL SCIENCES LEARNING AREA’S OUTCOMES THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH  SCIENCE PROCESS SKILLS
3.10 THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE CRITICAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL
OUTCOMES AND THE NATURAL SCIENCES LEARNING AREA’S
OUTCOMES ON THE TEACHING OF GEOGRAPHy
3.11 CONCLUSiON •
CHAPTER FOUR THE APPLICATION OF SCIENCE PROCESS SKILLS TO THE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF GEOGRAPHY
4.1 INTRODUCTION
THE NEED TO APPLY SCIENCE PROCESS SKILLS TO
THE TEACHING OF GEOGRAPHy
PIAGET’S THEORY OF LEARNING AND SCIENCE PROCESS SKILLS
The Sensorimotor Stage
The Preoperational Stage
Egocentrism
Conservation
Centring
Reversibility
Transductive Reasoning
Concreteness
Animism
The Concrete Operational Stage
Seriation
Transi tivi ty
Class Inclusion
Formal Operational Stage
Propositional Reasoning
Hypothetico-deductive Reasoning
Combinatorial Reasoning
Proportional Reasoning
4.3.5 Application of Science Process Skills to the Teaching of Geography
4.4 BASIC SCIENCE PROCESS SKILLS AND THE TEACHING OF GEOGRAPHY
4.5 INTEGRATED SCIENCE PROCESS SKILLS AND THE TEACHING OF GEOGRAPHY
4.4.1 Observing as a Process Skill Applied to the Teaching of Geography
4.4.2 Measuring as a Process Skill Applied to the Teaching of Geography
4.4.3 Inferring as a Process Skill Applied to the Teaching of Geography
4.4.4 Classifying as a Process Skill Applied to the Teaching of Geography.
4.4.5 Predicting as a Process Skill Applied to the Teaching of Geography.
4.4.6 Communicating as a Process Skill Applied to the Teaching of Geography
4.5.1 Defining Variables Operationally as a Process Ski ll Applied to the Teaching of Geography
4.5.2 Hypothesizing as a Process Skill Appl ied to the Teaching of Geography
4.5.3 Manipulating and Controll ing of variables as a Process Skill Applied to the Teaching of Geography
4.5.4 Acquiring and Processing Data as a Process Skill Applied to the Teaching of Geography
4.5.5 Interpreting Data as a Process Skill Applied to the Teaching of Geography
4.5.6 Experimenting as a Process Skill Applied to the Teaching of Geography
4.6 BASIC SCIENCE PROCESS SKILL AND THE TEACHING OF MAPWORK
4.6.1 Observing as a Science Process Skill Applied to the Teaching of Mapwork
4.6.2 Measuring as a Science Process Skill Applied to the Teaching of Mapwork
4.6.3 Inferring as a Science Process Skill Applied to the Teaching of Mapwork
4.6.4 Classifying as a Science Process Skill Applied to the Teaching of Mapwork
4.6.5 Predicting as a Science Process Skill Applied to the Teaching of Mapwork
4.6.6 Communicating as a Science Process Skill Applied to the Teaching of Mapwork
4.7 CONCLUSiON
CHAPTER 5 REVIEW OF THE DATA PROCESSING PROCEDURES AND THE DESCRIPTION OF STATISTICAL TECHNIQUES APPLIED
INTRODUCTION
DATA COLLECTION TECHNIQUES
DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURE
Permission to Conduct Research in the Free State
Department of Education
The Pilot Study
POPULATION AND RESEARCH SAMPLE
Geography Teacher Sample
Geography Learner Sample
ARRANGEMENT FOR CONDUCTING INTERViEWS
CONSTRUCTION OF QUESTIONNAIRES
The Content Validation of the Questionnaires
Instructions for the Complete of the Questionnaires
PROCEDURES FOR ANALYSING QUESTIONNAIRE DATA
Descriptive Statistics
Factor Analysis
Frequency Tabulation
Measures of Central Tendency
Inferential Statistics
CONCLUSiON
CHAPTER 6 RESULTS OF THE EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION
INTRODUCTION
DESCRIPTIVE STATiSTiCS
Biographical Data Analysis
Biographical Data for Geography Teachers
Biographical Data for Geography Learners
Data Analysis for Inquiry Teaching Methods.
Geography Teachers’ Perception of their Application
of Inquiry Methods to the Teaching of Geography
Teacher Application of the Inquiry Teaching Methods
According to Geography Learners’ Responses
Data Analysis for the Application of Science Process Skills to the
Teaching of Geography
Factor Analysis
Basic Science Process Skills
Integrated Science Process Skills
INFERENTIAL STATiSTiCS
Sample Mean Differences
One-way ANOVA for Inquiry Teaching Methods
One-way ANOVA for Basic Science Process Skills
One-way ANOVA for Integrated Science Process Skills
INTERViEWS
Interview Data Analyses
Interview Results
Difficulties Geography Teachers Experience When
Developing Inquiry Teaching
Suggested Solutions to Difficulties Geography
Teachers Experience When Developing
Inquiry Teaching
Difficulties Learners Experience When They are
Involved in Inquiry Learning
Suggested Solutions to Difficulties Learners
Experience When They are Involved
in Inquiry Learning.
Problems That Learners Experience When Science
Process Skills are Applied to the Teaching of
Geography
Suggested Solutions to Problems That Learners Experience
When Science Process Skills are Applied to the Teaching
of Geography
Problems That Teachers Experience When Applying
Science Process Skills to the Teaching of Geography
Suggested Solutions to Problems That Teachers Experience
When Applying Science Process Skills to the
Teaching of Geography
CONCLUSiON
CHAPTER 7 SUMMARISED FINDINGS, IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
7.1 INTRODUCTION
7.2 SUMMARISED FINDINGS OF THE STUDY
7.2.1 Summarised Findings and Implications of literature Survey
7.2.2 Summarised Findings and Implications of Questionnaire Survey
7.2.3 Summarised Findings and Implications of Interviews
7.2.4 Summarised Findings and Implications of Factor Analysis RECOMMENDATIONS
7.3.1 Incorporation of Science Process Skills in OBE Training
7.3.2 Provisioning of Self-instructional Material
7.3.3 Encourage Teacher Improvement of their Qualifications
7.3.4 Introduction of Geography Experiments in the Classrooms
7.3.5 Teacher Knowledge of Science Process Skil ls and the Teaching of These PROBLEMS EXPERIENCED WITH THIS STUDy
7.4.1 Problems Experienced with the literature Study
7.4.2 Problems Experienced during Empirical Research LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDy FUTURE RESEARCH
7.7 CONCLUSiON
Bibliography

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A STUDY OF THE APPLICATION OF SCIENCE PROCESS SKILLS TO THE TEACHING OF GEOGRAPHY IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN THE FREE STATE PROVINCE