INTRODUCTION
Rational 2
Significance of this study 4
This choice is based on the aim of the study to explore the relationship between 11th grade EGD teachers' understanding of AD and their AD practice. Table 11 highlights the factors that shape the nature of the relationships between teachers' understanding of AD and their AD practice.
Overview of chapters to follow 6
The shift from Technical Drawing (TD) to EGD 7
- What is Assembly Drawing? 12
Scholars’ views on teaching practice that promotes learning in EGD/TD 13
Their aim was to strengthen and improve the teaching skills of teachers in Engineering Graphics Drawing and improve the students. imagination and design ability. Branoff and Dobelis (2012) conducted a study at North Carolina State University to measure students' ability to model objects based on assembly drawings.
What do EGD teachers need to know to engage in their practice? 18
Kelly (2006) calls propositional knowledge 'knowledge-from-practice' and practical knowledge 'knowledge-in-practice'. According to Zeidler (2002), teachers' understanding is shaped by their learning style, subject matter knowledge (SK), teaching training received, as well as the professional activities in which teachers engage.
Competencies required by EGD teachers to teach AD 23
Conceptual framework 24
Conclusion 25
The pace of the lesson and learning is hampered by the teachers' practice of drawing on the board. In other words, the nature of the interface evolves in accordance with the contextual factors that influence, or promote, teachers' understanding of AD and their practice of AD.
METHODOLOGY
Philosophical assumption underpinning this study 26
Therefore, the interpretivist paradigm focuses on the subjective experiences of people, on how people construct their social world with shared meanings and how. As Maree (2013) explains, the interpretivist paradigm assumes that reality is not objectively determined, but rather socially constructed.
Research Approach 27
The foregoing ideas imply the need to investigate or explore situations through the lens of the participants rather than that of the researcher. To access such insights, there had to be room for flexibility at every stage of the research.
Research Design 28
Additionally, these case study categories differ in the purpose and intent of the study (Stake, 2000; Creswell, 2013). Therefore, a case study approach can offer an in-depth understanding of how different aspects of a case are interrelated.
Location of the Study 33
uThukela district has a population of approximately 714 918 people and there are 35 schools in this district. There are thirteen schools offering EGD in this district, all of which are part of the sample.
Data Collection Methods 35
- Gaining access 35
- Questionnaire 36
- Focus group interview 37
- Observation Schedule 38
- Post-Observation Interviews 39
Second, analysis of the responses to the questionnaire helped select the sample for the second phase of data collection. A pilot study serves to increase the reliability, validity and feasibility of the questionnaire (Cohen et al., 2011). Copies of the questionnaire were delivered personally to fifteen grade 11 EGD teachers in their respective schools in uThukela district.
The purpose of the focus group interview was to sample the respondents' answers by asking each of them the questions in the same order, thereby increasing the comparability of the answers (Cohen et al.,. In light of the above-mentioned ideas, an observation schedule was designed with the help of university researchers.
Sampling 40
The post-observation interviews were therefore used in the study to clarify, supplement and support what had been observed in the classroom and to provide further information that could not be obtained through observation alone.
Data Generation Plan 41
The questionnaires were hand delivered to schools in Uthukela district to give me the opportunity to personally explain the purpose of the study to the participants and obtain their informed consent to participate in this study. Thus, repeatedly viewing and checking the video recording serves as a means of data validation. The audio portion of the video recordings was transcribed and sent to participants for member review as explained in the section.
Three of the participants from phase 2 were purposively selected, based on the analysis of questionnaire responses. In Phase 4, data from research questions 1 to 2 were (re)collected and assembled to first establish whether an interface exists between grade 11 EGD teachers' understanding of AD and their practice of AD, and then to describe the interface's Grade.
Data Analysis Methods 43
Each of the three teachers' teaching portfolios, consisting of tests, assignments, homework, and classroom exercises, was also subjected to document analysis to determine their practices regarding AD. Content analysis, according to Cohen et al. 2011), is a systematic set of procedures for rigorous analysis, explanation, and verification of the content of written data. The answers were read several times before coding of the open-ended questions could begin.
According to (Cohen et al., 2000) analysis of qualitative data involves organizing, accounting and explaining the data in terms of each participant or the participants' conceptions of the phenomenon under investigation, while noting patterns, themes and categories and regularities . This was followed by open source coding by carefully examining the data using the questionnaire items from our interview.
Research Vigour 45
- Validity 45
- Credibility 46
- Member Checking 46
- Reflexivity 46
- Triangulation 46
As stated by Amerson (2011, p. 428) "construct validity can be achieved by using multiple sources of evidence, maintaining an arrangement of evidence, and having a key informant check the draft of the case study report, or through member control". In order to ensure credibility of my study, data was collected to ensure detailed description of the settings, participants and themes of my study, as recommended by Creswell & Miller (2000, p. 128). According to (Carlson, 2010), member checking involves taking the interview transcript back to the participants and asking them to verify the accuracy of the parts they contributed.
Through this process, participants are given the opportunity to expand, explain or confirm aspects of the interview in order to ensure that their views, experiences and perceptions are accurately captured during the interview. Furthermore, the results of the data collected and analyzed and the findings of this research will be open to criticism by other academics and researchers in this field of study.
Limitations of this study 46
To prevent bias and improve credibility in this study, data were collected through a questionnaire, focus group interviews, observation of AD lessons, and pre- and post-observation interviews.
Conclusion 47
Content analysis of the text from the questionnaire and focus group interview reveals that grade 11 EGD teachers' understanding of AD can be divided into two key components; specifically what it entails and the skills involved. To answer the third research question (Is there an interface between Grade 11 EGD teachers' . understanding of AD and their practice of AD? If so, what is the nature of the interface?) I drew on Singh-Pillay's (2010) notion of AD. interface. Second, it wanted to explore whether an interface existed between these teachers' understanding of AD and their practice of AD, and then to describe the nature of the interface if it did exist.
A deep understanding of the content and how to teach it is essential to improving teachers' skills. Thesis Title: An Exploration of the Interface between Grade 11 Engineering Graphics and Design Teachers' Understanding of Assembly Drawing and Their Practice: A Case Study of uThukela District, KwaZulu-Natal.
PRESENTATION OF FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
Part A: Topology of who engages with AD in uThukela District 49
If we look at the history of all teachers prior to their tertiary studies, an examination of the. One teacher is involved in both assessing the NSC EGD exam scripts and monitoring the CASS portfolios of EGD teachers. Subject knowledge refers to the teacher's understanding of the subject content he/she teaches (Gudmundsdottir, 1987, p. 6).
I am currently involved in a research project entitled “Exploring the Interface between Grade 11 Engineering Graphics and Design Teachers' Understanding and Practice of Assembly Drawings: A Case Study of uThukela District, KwaZulu-Natal”. The aim of the research is to understand how 11th grade EGD teachers perceive AD and its impact on their teaching style.
Research question one 56
- What AD entails and the skills involved 56
- Summary 58
Research question two 59
- Findings from questionnaire and focus group interviews on Grade 11 EGD
- Chalk and talk 59
- Lecture methods teacher demonstration 63
- Demonstrations and learner hands on activities/projects 66
- Summary 69
- Is there an interface 70
- The nature of the interface 72
- Summary 74
Conclusion 75
To answer the first research question (What is the understanding of AD by the 11th grade EGD teachers?) I engaged in content analysis of data from the questionnaire and focus group interviews. Data from the questionnaire, focus group interviews and classroom observation were used to answer the second research question (What is AD practice by EGD grade 11 teachers?). Data from the previous two research questions were juxtaposed and data from the questionnaire, focus group interview and observation were (re)aggregated to determine if any interface/interfaces existed between the 11th grade teachers.
My findings confirm that interfaces exist between teachers' understanding of AD and their practice of AD. The nature of the interface is shaped by teacher qualifications, teacher professional activities regarding EGD, training received in implementing the EGD CAPS curriculum, the teachers' CK/SMK, resources and support received from the school.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Implications of this study 78
- Reflective practice 78
- Professional development 78
Substantial improvements in the quality of teaching and learning are more likely if teachers make a concerted effort to reflect on their practice. Reflection on action clarifies or establishes a clear link between teacher knowledge and classroom practice and allows the teacher to explore the factors that facilitate or hinder the adoption of KPPK in the classroom. By engaging in reflection teachers can re-examine their personal conceptions of AD teaching and learning that seem to have an impact on how they teach, which also influence their students' approach to learning and in turn others affect learning outcomes (Ohemeng-Appiah, 2014). .
If change is to be sought at the grassroots level, there is a great need for tertiary teacher education institutions to offer pre-service teacher preparation programs in IGO. In the absence of an effective IGO teacher preparation program, tertiary institutions have an obligation to provide ongoing professional development programs for in-service teachers to upgrade or strengthen their content knowledge, specifically conceptual knowledge in IGO.
Recommendations 79
- Curriculum implementation 79
- Professional development 79
The DBE needs to pay more attention to the training it offers teachers for curriculum implementation. Based on the findings of this study, I decided to propose a teacher professional development intervention (PDI) program to improve teaching and learning of AD in uThukela district. It is also hoped that this PDI program will create connections between EGD teachers in the district and thus develop professional learning communities.
According to Guskey (2002), the PDI program has five outcomes: improving teachers' CK or SMK, changing teachers' classroom practices, changing teachers' attitudes and beliefs, developing professional learning communities, and changing student learning outcomes. CK/SMK on AD, levels 3 and 6 are aimed at changing the practice of teachers in the classroom, levels 4 and 6 are aimed at changing the learning outcomes of students, and level 5 is designed to cause a change in the attitudes and beliefs of teachers as a guide to the development of professional learning communities among these teachers.
Recommendations for further research 81
Conclusion 81
Proceedings of the annual international conference of the Association for the Education of Teachers in Science. Hulten (Eds) Technology Education in the 21st Century: Proceedings of the PATT 26 Conference Stockholm, Linkoping University. Learners, educators, schools and institutions are in no way identifiable from the results of the research.
Singh-Pillay, located at the University of KwaZulu-Natal's School of Education, Science and Technology cluster, Edgewood campus. Singh-Pillay, located at the University of KwaZulu-Natal's School of Education, Science and Technology cluster, Edgewood campus. Do you feel sufficiently trained to meet the demands placed on you with regard to teaching and assessing in this work area?
The pace of the lesson and learning is in line with the KZN DBO work provided to teachers.
