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Palgrave Macmillan

Science Education and Curriculum in South Africa

  • Book
  • © 2017

Overview

Authors:
  1. Oscar Koopman

    1. Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Kuils River, South Africa

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  • Explores the significance of power in the historical development of physical science curriculum in South Africa
  • Research suggests that Physical Science as a school subject was designed neither to liberate nor to empower the black learner, but that it acted as a form of policing and exercising social control
  • Author uses a phenomenological approach to explore scientific thinking in relation to life experience, learning, and curriculum design

Part of the book series: Curriculum Studies Worldwide (CSWW)

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Table of contents (8 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xix
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Phenomenology as a Method in Education Research

    • Oscar Koopman
    Pages 1-24

  3. Physical Science: A Science for Government or a Science for Life?

    • Oscar Koopman
    Pages 25-43

  4. My Becoming and Unbecoming: Life as a Child, Learner and University Science Student

    • Oscar Koopman
    Pages 45-69

  5. I Am Ready for This New Curriculum: The Lived Experiences of a Physical Science Teacher

    • Oscar Koopman
    Pages 71-95

  6. Do Teachers also See What Chemists See When They Teach Chemistry?

    • Oscar Koopman
    Pages 97-114

  7. What Can Science Teachers Learn from the Wine Expert?

    • Oscar Koopman
    Pages 115-139

  8. Harnessing the Full Use of the Senses in the Science Classroom

    • Oscar Koopman
    Pages 141-163

  9. Can a Phenomenological Approach Enhance Learning in Science in South Africa?

    • Oscar Koopman
    Pages 165-180

  10. Back Matter

    Pages 181-187
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Keywords

About this book

This book explores the impact of the socio-historical, political, and economic environment in South Africa, both during and after Apartheid. During this time, the South African education system demonstrated an interest in a specific type of knowledge, which Koopman refers to as ‘a science of government’. This ‘science of government’ leaves the learners with a blurred understanding of science that is disconnected from external nature and human nature, and is presented as a series of abstract concepts and definitions. The book also investigates the dialectical tensions between the science curriculum and the role of the teacher as an active implementer of the curriculum. The book draws on the work of various phenomenological scholars, namely Edmund Husserl, Martin Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, and Max van Manen to discuss these tensions. 

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Authors and Affiliations

  • Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Kuils River, South Africa

    Oscar Koopman

About the author

Oscar Koopman is Lecturer in Chemistry at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa. Koopman has found his home in phenomenology by exploring what it means to be a science teacher in contemporary South Africa, given the long history of apartheid and apartheid education in the country. 

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Science Education and Curriculum in South Africa

  • Authors: Oscar Koopman

  • Series Title: Curriculum Studies Worldwide

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40766-1

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: Education, Education (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and the Author(s) 2017

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-82177-1Published: 23 June 2018

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-40766-1Published: 01 November 2016

  • Series ISSN: 2731-6386

  • Series E-ISSN: 2731-6394

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XIX, 187

  • Number of Illustrations: 3 b/w illustrations, 2 illustrations in colour

  • Topics: Curriculum Studies, Learning & Instruction, History of Education

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