Part of the theoretical architecture for this study is based on the SECTIONS model (Bates & Poole 2003) which is an improvement of the Bates (1995) ACTIONS model that addresses decision making in the use of instructional technology/pedagogical resources in the classroom. I am for interaction and user-friendliness – the nature of interaction between teachers, students and the textbook;. O is for the types of organizations that this resource requires and the barriers that need to be eliminated to maximize the use of the textbook;.
Data reliability was enhanced through multiple data generation methods (Creswell & Poth 2018). The interview schedule also sought to gather in-depth information about teachers' favorite textbooks and their use of the textbooks and related challenges. It also explored teachers' views on the nature of CAPS geography textbooks, which they used to access textbook quality.
Findings
The first part of the questionnaire collected data on the biographical and professional profiles of teachers in the schools, how the geography textbooks were selected for purchase and what were the preferred textbooks by the teachers. During class teaching, in what is commonly called the normative 3-part lesson, the selected textbook was used in all parts: introduction, development and conclusion of the lessons. For example, in the sub-discipline of map work, which has been shown to be challenging for geography teachers and students across SA (as evidenced by the cadastral results), teachers would inform students of these additional textbooks, but students would be required to purchase them independently of the school for their own use.
Some teachers explained how they managed not to buy any textbooks other than a sample copy of the CAPS textbooks for years. Despite the centrality of textbooks to teacher pedagogy, teachers complained widely about the challenge of not having CAPS textbooks for their students and the impact of this shortage on the nature of their pedagogy and the timely completion of the 11th and 12th grade curriculum. The shortage of geography textbooks is related to the price of CAPS textbooks and the status of the subject.
The quintile system, as explained by I 4 KZN, fails to recognize that there are students from socio-economically disadvantaged areas who attend schools in areas which are socio-economically advantaged and these students are unable to access a textbook purchased by the school due to the school's ranking translates into a lower LTSM budget that is used to purchase textbooks. For example, I 2 KZN stated “some of the grade 12 content has moved into the grade 11 syllabus” and also “in the previous curriculum, there was a focus on activities rather than content” (I 3 KZN). Despite the above articulations by teachers that they were selecting and using texts based on the 'readability' aspects of the textbook, there were overwhelming challenges expressed by the majority of Geography teachers, which focused on different qualitative aspects of the content in many of the textbooks. as stated above.
Given the many challenges faced by geography teachers using textbooks, there was a general perception that some CAPS geography textbooks are limited in quality in several ways. Where visual elements were present in many textbooks, some teachers commented on the poor resolution of images and the mismatch between diagrams and relevant content. In addition, some textbooks contained examples/illustrations that were not relevant to life in South Africa, causing teachers to feel that students were at risk.
It was therefore clear that the teachers required textbooks to contain two aspects to improve the readability of the textbook among ESL learners: a detailed glossary and an index, which would help learners understand new Geographical concepts.
Discussion
This teaching approach of relying heavily on the geography textbook, from the introduction to the end of the lesson, has not changed over the years from apartheid to democracy. Despite this reliance on textbooks, the limited availability of CAPS geography textbooks for teachers and students was a significant challenge due to LTSM budgets for schools that depended on the Department for Basic Education (DBE) quintile classification of schools. . This sharing of textbooks between students and the borrowing of textbooks between classes were attempts by teachers to manage limited textbooks on a micro level, despite the high student-to-textbook ratio.
Omariba (2012) reported in a textbook study that completing the syllabus in time is essential for adequate preparation for the exit examination. For example, Bryce found that 'most of the low performing schools are located in the low socio-economic neighbourhoods'. The DBO is obliged to provide a textbook to each learner to ensure compliance with section 29(1)(a) of the Constitution.
Interestingly, teachers chose textbooks to use based on the readability of the textbook (Kasule 2011), with the textbook being 'simple'. Omariba 2012) and caveats such as student needs, ease of use of textbooks and the cost (Bates & Poole 2003) of the educational resource. The teachers articulated several challenges they experienced with the quality of the current CAPS textbooks, which is cause for concern as these textbooks have passed a screening process by the DBE. The quality of the local CAPS textbooks was related to several issues, especially that CAPS textbooks were devoid of content.
The CAPS textbooks have been approved at the national level, and Blaut notes that thanks to the screening process by the Department of Education, the textbook is "a vetted social statement of what is considered valid and acceptable to enter the child's mind." Apparently this is not the case with some of the CAPS textbooks, given the criticism from the local teachers.
Recommendations and Conclusions
Lee and Catling (2016:12) reported that geography textbooks should include: "the voice of the author, which should be evident in the subject context, focus on geography content and its selection, including the use of 'real life case studies', the determination of challenging tasks which involve reading and interpreting text, graphs and maps and thoughtful design of the book and its layout But there is a need to move away from the normative lens of the vulnerability of these provinces to how they can be driven to foster resilience , as Cutter's later work showed.Locally, this will be in attempts to creatively address the lack of geography CAPS textbooks in the classroom, which arguably compromises the quality of teaching and learning.
Resilience related to the use of Geography CAPS textbooks can be developed through a multiple, multi-level reimagining of the textbook in an attempt to avoid some of the challenges. They were critical of the textbooks and they obtained several textbooks for content, they were well aware of the poor quality of content in some of the textbooks and used others to supplement the content knowledge for learners. Macro level: The SA government does not regulate the cost of the textbooks on their approved list, it is a change at the macro level that is needed: for government intervention together with publishers.
The buck does not stop with textbook approval via a screening of the textbooks by the government because the bottleneck is the price of the geography textbooks, a point I raised 10 years ago in another textbook study (Manik 2008). Meso-level: Schools need to reinvent their role in providing access to textbooks for their geography students by exercising their agency and. Creative scheduling of the geography periods for the same class could thus alleviate this perceived challenge.
This lens should seek to address as many of the current challenges of CAPS Geography textbooks and teachers' use of the textbooks with inventive strategies as some geography teachers demonstrate resilience in their attempts to make up for the lack of quantity and quality of current CAPS Grade 11 Geography textbooks. and 12th grade. This, of course, does not relieve either the textbook publishers or the government, who will have to revise the Grade 12 textbooks due to the quality concerns mentioned above in light of the challenges reported by the teachers. .
Schools should purchase multiple copies of course texts for their libraries to put on reserve for students to use when they have time: during class, mornings and afternoons. Teachers also need to motivate school management to help with innovative ways to meet their discipline requirements. Therefore, if there are insufficient funds to purchase an entire set of CAPS textbooks, schools should rather purchase a few copies for the library rather than wait several years until there is adequate funding for an entire set of Geography textbooks. .
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