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Exploring the Nature, and Teachers’ Understanding, of the National Curriculum Statement (NCS, Grades R – 12): Navigating the Changing Landscape of Science Education Through the Curriculum Assessment and Policy Statement (CAPS) in Post-Apartheid South Africa

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Complexity and Simplicity in Science Education

Abstract

According to Penuel et al. (2014), “curriculum materials and knowledge about curriculum purposes and structures are valuable tools that teachers often draw upon to organize instruction and facilitate student learning […]” (p. 751). Despite the emphasis of the post-apartheid government of South Africa on the significance of science and mathematics education as key areas of knowledge competence and human development (Reddy et al., 2012, p. 620); poor performance of South African learners in the sciences has been reported (TIMSS, 2016; Reddy et al., 2016) The South African Department of Education (DoE, 2009; DBE, 2011) and the South African Department of Basic Education (DBE, 2018) has partly linked the underachievement of South African learners in the sciences to/with issues bordering on the curriculum. The issue of challenges pertaining to curriculum is not peculiar to South Africa. Erstad and Voogt (2018) examined global issues and challenges with respect to the twenty-first century curriculum. In like manner, the Levine Institute (2016) reported about difficulties implementing a Global Ed K12 Curriculum in the United States of America (USA).

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Notes

  1. 1.

    In South Africa, the term ‘learner’ is mostly used rather than ‘students’ in the primary and secondary schools while the term ‘educator’ is also used to refer to their teachers.

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  1. University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Julius Ajayi Eyitayo

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    David Geelan

  2. School of Education, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia

    Kim Nichols

  3. Arts, Education and Law Group, Griffith University, Mt Gravatt, QLD, Australia

    Christine V. McDonald

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Eyitayo, J.A. (2021). Exploring the Nature, and Teachers’ Understanding, of the National Curriculum Statement (NCS, Grades R – 12): Navigating the Changing Landscape of Science Education Through the Curriculum Assessment and Policy Statement (CAPS) in Post-Apartheid South Africa. In: Geelan, D., Nichols, K., McDonald, C.V. (eds) Complexity and Simplicity in Science Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-79084-4_2

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