Educators' conceptualisation of implementation of Curriculum and assessment policy statement at grade nine in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa

Abstract

This study sought to investigate how teachers in Grade 9 conceptualize and implement the Natural Science Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) in KwaZulu Natal. In South Africa, there have been major curriculum changes since the dawn of democracy in 1994. These changes have been criticized by various stakeholders in the education sector, including unions, parents and teachers. Since 1994, the curriculum has been revised constantly to address the concerns raised by the society. This study therefore sought to develop an understanding of what influences educators in their endeavors to implement Natural Science CAPS in Grade 9 classrooms. The study further aimed at understanding, from the educators’ perspectives, how policy implementation challenges their traditional ways of teaching and learning. This study adopted a qualitative research design. Focus groups interviews, observations and documentary analysis were used as method of data collection to answer the research questions. Purposive sampling was used to select 9 teachers from six different schools in three districts in the Province of KwaZulu Natal (KZN), namely Zululand, uThungulu and uMzinyathi to participate in the study. The findings reveal that the participants are knowledgeable about the CAPS principles and they all use prescribed principles in their planning, albeit in different ways.The study reveals that workshops and in-service training organized by the Department of Basic Education were useful in preparing teachers to implement CAPS even though the period of training was insufficient.