Exploring teachers’ implementation of knowledge and skills beyond a School-University partnership
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Date
2022
Authors
Moeti, Pakiso James
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
School–university partnerships have been shown to be effective in developing the knowledge and skills of participating teachers. Understanding what teachers do in classrooms with these knowledge and skills, including after the end of the partnership, and factors that affect this, is vital in the assessment of the long-term impact and sustainability of such partnerships, but is largely unexplored. This qualitative case study describes the experiences of 16 participants who taught mathematics and physical sciences within a school–university partnership, ways in which they implemented the knowledge and skills they gained through this partnership, and their perceptions of threats to, and conditions for, successful implementation of this knowledge and skill beyond the partnership period. The investigation drew data from two sources: semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. The data were analysed using an interpretivist paradigm that allowed for a iterative and process-oriented research approach. The knowledge produced was analysed and interpreted using Kram’s framework of mentoring and complex systems theory. The findings suggest that the teachers developed content and pedagogical knowledge, and curriculum management and assessment skills, and are using a variety of approaches to implement these beyond the partnership period. Certain individual and institutional factors that threaten, and teacher traits and school conditions that are conditional for this implementation, were identified. Based on the findings, the study makes several recommendations for future school–university projects.
Description
Thesis (Ph.D.(Higher Education Studies))--University of the Free State, 2022
Keywords
Teachers, knowledge and skills development, knowledge and skills implementation, mathematics and science, school–university partnership, SPP