Technology Teachers’ Understanding of and Attempt to Integrate Indigenous Technology in Their Lessons

Abstract

The South African Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) technology Grades R–9 includes indigenous technology under its third aim, to appreciate the interaction between people's values, technology, society, and the environment, and the sub-aim emphasises that students learn how indigenous cultures use specific materials and processes to satisfy needs and become aware of indigenous intellectual property rights. This implies the need to integrate indigenous technology into the teaching of technology, which technology teachers are not doing in their lessons. Hence, this qualitative interpretive study explored technology teachers’ understanding of and attempt to integrate indigenous technology into their lessons. The integration of indigenous technology into technology lessons could make the teaching of technology more relevant in the South African school context. Twelve Grade 7 technology teachers from Mpumalanga were conveniently selected to participate in the study. The findings reveal that technology teachers understand indigenous technology but struggle to integrate it into their lessons.