Analysing the curriculum philosophy of equipping learners with values, and its conceptualisation for integration into life sciences teaching in South African schools
Abstract
Value(s) as a concept is abstract with an elusive nature because it does not have physical presence. The motivation for this study resulted from the ambiguity of the National Curriculum Statement Grades R-12 (NCS) regarding a curriculum philosophy of ‘equipping learners with values’ during classroom teaching. Against the backdrop of four curricular transformations, the NCS is the currently used policy statement in South African schools. Therefore, the purely qualitative study was underpinned by the Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) as a theoretical framework. Textural data in form of words, phrases, sentences, excerpts, quotations, or entire passages from four policy documents were analyzed using the Bowen (2009) approach to document analysis. The Manifesto on Values, Education, and Democracy (MVED) provided the framework for deductive and inductive approaches to analysis. What the curriculum philosophy connotes was confirmed, and how it may be conceptualized for integration into classroom Life Sciences teaching was proposed.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright of their work, with first non-exclusive publication rights granted to Journal of Education. Authors agree that any subsequent publication of the article will credit the Journal as the site of first publication and provide a link to the Journal website. Authors contributing to Journal of Education agree to publish their articles under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, allowing third parties users to copy, distribute and transmit an article as long as the author is attributed, the article is not used for commercial purposes, and the work is not modified or adapted in any way, and that in the event of reuse or distribution, the terms of this license are made clear. Note: Authors who may need to comply with the particular open access requirements of their funding bodies can apply to JoE for a more liberal licence, such as Creative Commons CC BY.
