This qualitative, single high school case-study conveniently sampled eight natural
sciences teachers and, after conducting lesson observations and document analysis,
interviewed all participants to obtain their perceptions about the effectiveness of inquirybased
teaching in motivating learners to specialise in sciences. The major finding was
that most participants were sceptical about inquiry-based teaching. Participants from a
behaviourist epistemology did not believe that learner motivation resulted from inquirybased
teaching while those from an eclectic epistemology preferred a complementary
use of both approaches. The few participants oriented towards inquiry acknowledged the
link between learner motivation and inquiry-based teaching but faced the challenge of
limited time to prepare all the apparatus and procedures required for inquiry-based
teaching. This researcher recommends employing laboratory assistants to assist
teachers with setting up apparatus for inquiry-based lessons, trimming some content to
reduce overload in the Annual Teaching Plans (ATP), and in-service training on inquirybased
teaching to develop learner interest in sciences.
Hierdie kwalitatiewe gevallestudie het agt natuurwetenskap onderwysers betrek en na
leswaarnemings en dokumentanalise, is onderhoude met die deelnemers gevoer om hul
sienings te bekom oor die bydrae van die ondersoek-gebaseerde konstruktivistiese
benadering as ’n strategie om leerders te motiveer om in wetenskap-verwante vakke te
spesialiseer. Die belangrikste bevindings was dat die deelnemers logiese positivistiese
en eklektiese benaderings verkies; dat hulle skepties is oor ondersoek-gebaseerde
onderrig en dat hulle nie leerder motivering aan onderwysbenaderings koppel nie. Daar
was egter enkele deelnemers wat wel ondersoekend onderrig het en wat leerder
belangstelling in wetenskap aan ondersoek-gebaseerde onderrig gekoppel het. Op
grond van die data wat verkry is, beveel hierdie navorser aan dat laboratoriumassistente
aangestel moet word om onderwysers by te staan met die opstel van apparaat vir
ondersoek-gebaseerde lesse; dat spesifieke modelle van ondersoek in die “CAPS”-
dokument ingesluit word; dat inhoud afgeskaal moet word om oorlading in die jaarlikse onderrigplanne (ATP) te verminder, en dat voor- en indiensopleiding aan onderwysers oor ondersoek-gebaseerde onderrig verskaf word as ‘n manier om die belangstelling van
die leerders in die wetenskappe te prikkel.
Lesisifundo socwaningo esenziwe esikoleni esisodwa samabanga aphakeme lwakhetha
othisha beSayensi Yemvelo (NS) abayisishiyagalombili ukuze kwazakale ukuthi
bayibona kanjani indlela yokufundisa iSayensi ngophenyo (inquiry-based teaching)
ehlose ukukhuphula intshisekelo yabafundi kwiSayensi. Ngemuva kokubona othisha
beSayensi befundisa, lomcwaningi wahlaziya incwadi eziphathelene nokufundiswa
kohlelo lwe CAPS, waphinde wenza izingxoxo nabothisha. Okumqoka okutholakale
kuloluphenyo kube ukuthi iningi lababambe iqhaza, abakhuthalela ukufundisa ngendlela
egxile kuthisha (logical positivism) bangabaza ukuthi abafundi bafunde bephenya njalo
abakubonanga ukuxhumana kwenzindlela zokufundisa nokunyuka kwentshiseko yabafundi ezifundweni ze Sayensi. Ababambiqhaza abahlanganisa indlela yokufundisa
egxile kuthisha ne ndlela yokufundisa ngophenyo (eclectic) bakholelwa ukuthi indlela
yokufundisa egxile kuthisa nendlela yokuthi abafundi bafunde bephenya, kuyomela
zisetshenziswe zombili. Kwatholakala ingcosana yabothisha eyenelisa ukufundisa
isayensi ngendlela yophenyo eyayisezingeni eliphansi njalo yaqinisekisa ukuthi bukhona
ubudlelwano phakathi kwendlela zokufundisa nokunyusa intshiseko yabafundi kwi
Sayensi. Ngokolwazi olutholakele, lolucwaningo luncome ukusebenzisa abasizi
basemagunjini okusebenzela ososayensi ukusiza ukuhlela amalungiselelo okwenza
uphenyo lwezifundo, nokuhlinzekwa kwezindlela eziqondile zokuphenya izincwadi
zikaCAPS, kanye nokunciphisa okunye okuqukethwe, kwehliswe umthwalo kuhlelo
lokufundisa lonyaka (i-ATP), ukuqeqeshwa kothisha kwi ndlela yokufundisa iSayensi ngokuphenya ukuze kuthuthukiswe intshiseko yabafundi.
