Papers by Rüdiger Laugksch
The development and validation of an instrument for establishing the perceived INSET needs of tea... more The development and validation of an instrument for establishing the perceived INSET needs of teachers of Mathematics, Physical Science, and Biology in Limpopo province, South Africa, and their pertinent demographic details are described. The instrument was modified from the Science Teacher Inventory of Needs (STIN-3) developed by previous workers. STIN-3 was adapted for use in the educational context of Limpopo province in collaboration with important stakeholders in Mathematics, Physical Science, and Biology education at the provincial and national level. The stakeholders commented on the appropriateness or otherwise of items, suggested additional items, and assessed the clarity of items and instructions for completing the questionnaire. An English Second Language expert inspected the instrument to make its language demands appropriate for the target audience. The resulting Science Teacher Inventory of Needs for Limpopo Province (STIN-LP) was pilot-tested on 132 teachers in the su...
A survey of the scientific literacy of selected high-school leavers at the secondary/tertiary edu... more A survey of the scientific literacy of selected high-school leavers at the secondary/tertiary educational interface in South Africa revealed that taking Physical Science in grade 12, in contrast to Biology, plays a more significant role in the achievement of scientific literacy by these students. An explanation for this result was sought by comparing Physical Science and Biology students' scores on the three subtest comprising the Test of Basic Scientific Literacy, which was originally used in the scientific literacy classification. Students with Physical Science possessed a better understanding and awareness of all three dimensions of scientific literacy than students taking Biology. This result suggests a number of mechanisms through which Physical Science impacts on the achievement of scientific literacy: (a) the greater number of topics placed in an historical context in the Physical Science syllabus in comparison to Biology; (b) the greater, more obvious connection between ...
South African Journal of Education, 2001
A survey of the scientific literacy of selected matriculants at the secondary/tertiary educationa... more A survey of the scientific literacy of selected matriculants at the secondary/tertiary educational interface revealed that taking Physical Science in grade 12, in contrast to Biology, plays a more significant role in the achievement of scientific literacy by these students. An explanation for this result was sought by comparing Physical Science and Biology students'scores on the three subtest comprising the Test of Basic Scientific Literacy, which was originally used in the scientific literacy classification. Students with Physical Science possessed a better understanding and awareness of all three dimensions of scientific literacy than students taking Biology. This result suggests a number of mechanisms through which Physical Science impacts on the achievement of scientific literacy: (a) the greater number of topics placed in an historical context in the Physical Science syllabus in comparison to Biology; (b) the greater, more obvious connection between technology and syllabus ...
South African Journal of Education, 2005
The development and validation of an instrument for establishing the perceived INSET needs of tea... more The development and validation of an instrument for establishing the perceived INSET needs of teachers of Mathematics, Physical Science, and Biology in Limpopo province, South Africa, and their pertinent demographic details are described. The instrument was modified from the Science Teacher Inventory of Needs (STIN-3) developed by previous workers. STIN-3 was adapted for use in the educational context of Limpopo province in collaboration with important stakeholders in Mathematics, Physical Science, and Biology education at the provincial and national level. The stakeholders commented on the appropriateness or otherwise of items, suggested additional items, and assessed the clarity of items and instructions for completing the questionnaire. An English Second Language expert inspected the instrument to make its language demands appropriate for the target audience. The resulting Science Teacher Inventory of Needs for Limpopo Province (STIN-LP) was pilot-tested on 132 teachers in the su...
South African Journal of Education, 2000
We describe predictors of scientific literacy of first-time entering matriculants at the five uni... more We describe predictors of scientific literacy of first-time entering matriculants at the five universities and technikons in the Western Cape. A multivariate logistic regression model is used in determining which combination of student background variables best predicts the scientific literacy of the students sampled. Background variables used in this study consist of demographic, socio-economic, and educational ones. Students were classified as scientifically literate on the basis of writing an 110-item Test of Basic Scientific Literacy. The data structure suggested a separate logistic regression model for white and Indian students (n = 2203), and for coloured and African students (n = 1276). Variables common to both models were indicators of cognitive science knowledge (i.e., science subject combination), interest in science, and what we presume to be general indicators of home environment. Science club membership, and motivation and family structure, were further variables that w...
As part of an effort to monitor the transformation of classrooms within Limpopo Province, South A... more As part of an effort to monitor the transformation of classrooms within Limpopo Province, South Africa, an instrument was developed to assess students' perceptions of their learning environments. The developed questionnaire, the Outcomes-Based Learning Environment Questionnaire (OBLEQ), was designed to measure the impact of the Curriculum 2005 initiative on the learning environment of science outcomes. This exploratory study involved the collection of data from 2,638 learners in 50 classes in 50 schools. These data were analyzed to determine the validity and reliability of the OBLEQ. The factor structure of the OBLEQ indicated that students respond to the Investigation and Involvement scales in similar ways, so that these two scales have been combined to yield a total of six scales. The internal consistency reliability estimate for each of the six scales was comparable with those found in studies of similar instruments. There were statistically significant associations between student attitudes and all six scales of the OBLEQ at the individual level and for four scales at the class level. Findings also suggest that students would generally prefer a more favorable learning environment than the one they perceive to exist, a finding that replicates findings of research in Western primary and secondary schools. The questionnaire appears promising for showing the capability and success of educators in Limpopo Province in implementing outcomes-based education. An appendix contains a sample from the questionnaire. (Contains 35 references.)
Research in Science Education, 2014
This article describes the development and validation of an instrument that can be used to assess... more This article describes the development and validation of an instrument that can be used to assess students' perceptions of their learning environment as a means of monitoring and guiding changes toward social constructivist learning environments. The study used a mixed-method approach with priority given to the quantitative data collection. During the quantitative data collection phase, a new instrument-the Social Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (SCLES)-was developed and used to collect data from 1,955 grade 9 science students from 52 classes in 50 schools in the Western Cape province, South Africa. The data were analysed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the new instrument, which assessed six dimensions of the classroom learning environment, namely, Working with Ideas, Personal Relevance, Collaboration, Critical Voice, Uncertainty in Science and Respect for Difference. Two dimensions were developed specifically for the present study in order to contextualise the questionnaire to the requirements of the new South African curriculum (namely, Metacognition and Respect for Difference). In the qualitative data collection phase, two case studies were used to investigate whether profiles of class mean scores on the new instrument could provide an accurate and "trustworthy" description of the learning environment of individual science classes. The study makes significant contributions to the field of learning environments in that it is one of the first major studies of its kind in South Africa with a focus on social constructivism and because the instrument developed captures important aspects of the learning environment associated with social constructivism.
PUB TYPE Reports Research (143) Speeches/Meeting Papers (150) EDRS PRICE EDRS Price MF01/PC01 Plu... more PUB TYPE Reports Research (143) Speeches/Meeting Papers (150) EDRS PRICE EDRS Price MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Cultural Relevance; *Educational Environment; Educational Innovation ; Foreign Countries; *Outcome Based Education; Parent Participation; Poverty; Rural Schools; Secondary Education; Secondary School Teachers; Teacher Attitudes; Teaching Conditions; Test Construction IDENTIFIERS *South Africa; Student Support Services
Public Understanding of Science
We describe the construction of a paper-and-pencil Test of Basic Scientific Literacy (TBSL) speci... more We describe the construction of a paper-and-pencil Test of Basic Scientific Literacy (TBSL) specifically designed for high-school leavers entering technikon and university in South Africa. The `true-false-don't know' scientific literacy test-items are based on a pool of 472 items developed previously from selected literacy goals recommended by the AAAS in Science for all Americans. Test-items were pilot-tested on 625 technikon and university students and were included in the 110-item TBSL on the basis of item discrimination, item difficulty and student feedback. The TBSL consists of three subtests based on Jon Miller's three constitutive dimensions of scientific literacy: the nature of science (22 items); science content knowledge (72 items); and the impact of science and technology on society (16 items). About 260 South Africa-based members of various South African professional science and engineering associations participated in setting a performance standard for each ...
Learning Environments Research, 2005
... 2000). Research in science education: Time for a health check? Studies in Science Education, ... more ... 2000). Research in science education: Time for a health check? Studies in Science Education, 35, 126. Tashakkori, A., & Teddlie, C. (Eds.) (2002). Handbook of mixed methods in social & behavioral research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. R ¨UDIGER LAUGKSCH ...
Education (AARE), 2007
In this study, we developed and validated a questionnaire to assess teachers' perceptions of thei... more In this study, we developed and validated a questionnaire to assess teachers' perceptions of their actual and preferred school-level environment, investigated whether teachers involved with outcomes-based education perceive the school-level environment differently from those who are not, and investigated factors in the school-level environment (such as resources and staff freedom) linked with a school's likelihood of successfully implementing outcomes-based education. The study involved modifying and validating an existing questionnaire to make it suitable for assessing the school-level environment in South Africa, as well as adding to the School-Level Environment Survey (SLEQ) the scales of Familiarity with OBE and Parental Involvement. Analysis of data collected from 403 teachers provides evidence for the validity and reliability of the new SLEQ-SA. MANOVA for repeated measures revealed a statistically significant (p < 0.01) difference between teacher perceptions of their actual school environment and the one that they would prefer for all seven SLEQ-SA dimensions. When MANOVA was used to examine whether teachers involved in OBE perceive their school-level environments differently from those who are not, statistically significant differences emerged for two of the seven school-level environment scales, with teachers involved with OBE perceiving significantly more Familiarity with OBE and Work Pressure. The constraints faced by teachers are wide ranging and include a number of factors such as a lack of material resources and large class sizes. The results provide valuable information to policy-makers, principals and researchers that potentially could help to guide the implementation of outcomes-based education.
Learning Environments Research, 2006
In this study, we developed and validated a questionnaire to assess teachers' perceptions of thei... more In this study, we developed and validated a questionnaire to assess teachers' perceptions of their actual and preferred school-level environment, investigated whether teachers involved with Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) perceive the school-level environment differently from those who are not, and investigated factors in the school-level environment (such as resources and staff freedom) linked with a school's likelihood of successfully implementing OBE. The study involved modifying and validating an existing questionnaire to make it suitable for assessing the school-level environment in South Africa, as well as adding to the School-Level Environment Survey (SLEQ) the scales of Familiarity with OBE and Parental Involvement. Analysis of data collected from 403 teachers provides evidence for the validity and reliability of the new SLEQ-SA. MANOVA for repeated measures revealed a statistically significant (p < 0.01) difference between teacher perceptions of their actual school environment and the one that they would prefer for all seven SLEQ-SA dimensions. When MANOVA was used to examine whether teachers involved in OBE perceive their school-level environments differently from those who are not, statistically significant differences emerged for two of the seven school-level environment scales, with teachers involved with OBE perceiving significantly more Familiarity with OBE and Work Pressure. The constraints faced by teachers are wide ranging and include a number of factors such as a lack of material resources and large class sizes. The results provide valuable information to policy-makers, principals and researchers that potentially could help to guide the implementation of OBE.
Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 2007
... [CrossRef] View all references) and Kiley and Mullins (20033. Kiley, M. and Mullins, G. 2003,... more ... [CrossRef] View all references) and Kiley and Mullins (20033. Kiley, M. and Mullins, G. 2003, August. ... The sample is an opportunistic one, but bears comparison with a similar‐sized heterogeneous sample used in the earlier study by Meyer et al. ...
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Papers by Rüdiger Laugksch