The post 1994 curriculum changes and history teachers’ assessment practices in the secondary schools of the Motheo in the Free State Province

Abstract

The new educational dispensations implemented in South Africa since 1998 brought successive and rapid changes in teaching and assessment. This qualitative research aimed to investigate the impact of curriculum changes on the history teachers’ assessment practices, and to develop a model that will ensure smooth curriculum implementation. The research design followed the intrinsic case study, in which interviews and document analysis were used to collect data. Purposive sampling was used to identify five grade 10 to 12 history teachers. Face-to face semi-structure interviews were used to provide the researcher with detailed information regarding the research question. The interview question centred on the experiences of the history teachers during the 1998, 2002 and 2011 curriculum changes with reference to how they affected their assessment practices. Copies of relevant documents were collected from interview sites. Subjective data analysis was applied to obtain useful information about the teachers’ understanding of curriculum changes and their experiences, perceptions, attitudes and beliefs about the impact of curriculum changes on assessment practices. Research found that the two curricula introduced between 1998 and 2002, namely OBE/C2005 and RNCS respectively, led to confusion, frustration, and resentment among many history teachers as pre-training was not adequate. Thus, other teachers continued with traditional teaching and assessment methods and ignored calls for more learner-centred and constructivist teaching and assessment strategies. Against that background the researcher recommended that curriculum implementation should be preceded by thorough planning and preparations, including adequate training of teachers, dealing with the concerns of implementers, providing support and effective monitoring. A combination of curriculum implementation models can also ensure that the process is successful.