Volume 13, Number 2

The Pedagogical Nexus in Teaching Electricity Concepts in the Grade 9 Natural Sciences and Technology Classroom

  Authors

Asheena Singh-Pillay and Siyanda Masuku, University of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

  Abstract

This study examines the pedagogical approaches employed by Grade 9 Natural Sciences (NS) and Technology (Tech) teachers when teaching electricity concepts in South African classrooms, in KwaZulu Natal. Research indicates that learners' conceptual understanding and misconceptions of electricity directly correlate with teaching quality and teachers' pedagogical content knowledge. The study explores how the pedagogical practices across both subject’s impact student learning, to identify strategies for teaching these cross-cutting concepts and improve electricity education outcomes. Mavhunga’s Topic Specific Pedagogical Content Knowledge framed this study theoretically. Data was generated using individual interviews, lesson observations and document analysis. Participants were purposively selected. The finding illustrates a clear nexus in teachers' pedagogical practices when teaching electricity in Natural Sciences (NS) and Technology at the Grade 9 level. This connection manifests through multiple teaching strategies, including chalk-and-talk, discussions, demonstrations, hands-on activities, projects, and digital technologies such as simulations and YouTube videos.

  Keywords

Electricity, natural sciences, technology, pedagogy, nexus