The Influence of the View of Nature on Biology Education in Zimbabwe, a Minor Field Study

• Main Author: Sterve, Hanna
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Linköpings universitet, Institutionen för utbildningsvetenskap 2002
• Subjects: Education; Natursyn/ View of Nature; Zimbabwe; undervisning /Education; undervisningsmetoder /Teaching methods; biologi /biology; Minor Field Study; MFS,; Pedagogik
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-1546

The purpose of this thesis is to look into the teaching methods and content in Zimbabwean biology education, and the possible influences that the teachers’ view of nature have on this education. The study was performed in and around Mutare in eastern Zimbabwe with eleven observations and six interviews in primary and secondary schools, corresponding to years four to nine in the Swedish compulsory school. My study shows that the teachers’ view of nature is in many parts similar to the Swedish view of nature, but differ in a closer connection to religiosity and in a more every-day-life relation to nature. This is reflected in several of the concepts that view of nature consist of. The view of nature is influencing the content in biology partly. Since science hold universal concepts which are the same all around the world, the view of nature does not influence the scientific parts of biology, but have influence on where the emphases in the education is put. The results show no direct influence of the view of nature on teaching methods, but indirectly influenced by the choice of content.