This study explored science teachers’ views of the nature of science (NOS) and the implications on their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). The study follows a qualitative approach and uses a single case study design that followed 11 science teachers. The study uses PCK for science teaching as a framework, where the participants were requested to complete the views of NOS questionnaire (VNOS-D+) and each was observed two times in their science classrooms. Furthermore, the study highlights the importance of teachers’ PCK in teaching science. The study found that the majority of the participants reflected informed views of NOS. Although the majority of the teachers had a good understanding of the goals and objectives of science education and their solid content knowledge. They had poor knowledge of learners’ understanding of science, choice of instructional strategies, and choice of assessment techniques for scientific literacy.

The impact of climate change on agriculture in South Africa is a key factor that contributes to food insecurity. While this topic is covered in the Agro-ecology unit in Grade 10, it is important to determine the most effective way to teach it to learners. That is important because teaching methods utilized in Agricultural Sciences are envisaged to improve learners’ performance on the impact of climate change on food security. This study quantitatively compared teaching methods (i.e., Lecture, Demonstration, and Project-based) and their impact on learners’ performance in Agro-ecology. Each teaching method was tested on each group of 15 learners, which resulted in 45 learners per school, and the total number of participants was 180 when four schools were combined. A pre-experimental and post-test research design was employed to identify effective teaching methods for Agro-ecology among Grade 10 learners in Limpopo and Eastern Cape provinces. Analysis of covariate was used to test the hypothesis that (1) learners’ content knowledge on climate change and food security would differ with teaching methods, (2) the project-based and demonstration teaching methods would improve learners’ content knowledge because the project-based and demonstration methods are more practical, and learners learn better through these methods. The results showed that learners in the project-based and demonstration groups had significantly higher scores than those in the lecture (p < 0.05). The findings suggest that incorporating project-based teaching methods in secondary schools can improve learners’ performance and skills in Agricultural Sciences.

The study explored science teachers’ perceptions of Scientific Investigations (SI) and their classroom practices in South Africa. An explanatory sequential design using qualitative and quantitative approaches was used. Qualitative data were collected first using interviews and classroom observations, followed by quantitative data using a questionnaire. Qualitative data were thematically analysed, whereas quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics: percentages; and inferential statistics: t-test; Analysis of Variance (ANOVA); and Honest Significant Differences (HSD) Tukey. Three themes emerged from qualitative data: different perceptions of SI, challenges in teachers’ skills, and resource challenges in schools. Quantitative results show teachers from differently resourced schools had diverse perceptions of practical work, inquiry, and SI (ANOVA, p=.04). These perceptions included confining hands-on activities to practical work, and limiting inquiry to oral questioning. Teachers’ challenges in facilitating SI included inadequate skills and a lack of resources. These findings have far-reaching implications for learners’ science achievements and policymakers.

Epistemic agency is increasingly recognised as an important focus in teacher education, yet little is known about how it is enacted when pre-service teachers (PSTs) reflect on learner struggles in Physical Sciences. This qualitative case study investigated how Physical Sciences PSTs enacted epistemic agency through reflective engagement with learner struggles. Situated in a final-year Classroom Research in Physical Sciences module, the study involved 73 PSTs’ written reflections and follow-up semi-structured interviews with eight participants. Data were analysed thematically, guided by the lens of epistemic agency. Findings revealed enactments of critical noticing, representational critique, and responsible pedagogical reasoning, with teacher noticing as a cross-cutting mechanism. The study concludes that structured reflection fosters epistemic virtues and recommends explicit integration of learning struggles and noticing practices in teacher education.

Sustainable living implies protecting our natural resources without compromising the needs of the next generations. Education has the power to transform humans’ perspectives and behaviour, which in turn, inculcates sustainable practices in all aspects of their lives. The United Nations (UN) called for education for sustainable development (ESD) as a global initiative towards transforming education for sustainability. This initiative catalysed this comparative study on teacher education policy and linked curricula between South Africa and Sweden. The major focus of this study is to compare policies and curricula in science and technology teacher education in South Africa and Sweden. The study illuminates and explores the status quo regarding ESD in the participating universities in South Africa and Sweden. Aspects of sustainability are investigated through document analysis of: the legislative teacher education policies; school science and technology curricula; and sampled modules for relevant institutional science and technology teacher education curricula. University subject experts conducted the analysis of policy documents and university curricula, using an agreed analytic tool. The data analysis reveals similarities and differences in policies and curricula with regard to ESD. The study recommends a rethink and reform of the content and methodology modules offered to initial teacher education students.

This study is a critical inquiry on how teacher education programmes respond to the contemporary Anthropocene era and associated challenges. Theoretically, the study is framed within critical inquiry framework. Data is generated through comparative analysis of four teacher education programmes in South Africa and Sweden: University of Gothenburg, Karlstad University, University of the Witwatersrand and University of Limpopo. The analysis is anchored around these four aspects: essence of the programme, views of knowledge, goals and learning outcomes and core competence emphasised. Although there are some varieties, findings indicate that across the four programmes, there is an emphasis on: mastery of content, subject specialisation, theoretical knowledge, teaching methods/didactical competence, assessment and leadership competence. While these knowledge and skill areas remain vital, we argue that there is an inevitable need to challenge and even demystify education at large, and teacher education in particular, in today's precarious Anthropocene era. Given impending catastrophe, we argue that it is high time for teacher education to pose and address these existential questions pertaining to Anthropocene and prepare teacher trainees accordingly.