Experience of female learners in Grade 12 Physical Science classes in the selected rural and urban schools of the Capricorn District in Limpopo Province, South Africa: improving theory and practical offering

Abstract

The experience of female learners in Physical Sciences classes is a topic that has been neglected by researchers in the past. However, with the advent of feminist movements, the topic has gained momentum. There are numerous factors that affect female learners‘ experiences in Physical Sciences classrooms. These include teachers, parents, peer involvement, and the availability of resources in schools. This study reports on the experiences of female learners in Grade 12 Physical Sciences classes in rural and urban schools within the Capricorn District of the Limpopo province in South Africa, with an intention to improve theory and practical offerings. To this end, the researcher used the Feminist Science Theory to frame the study. The study was guided by the interpretivist paradigm within qualitative research, which entails the adoption of a phenomenological research design to investigate the experiences of female learners in Physical Science classrooms. A purposive sampling strategy was used to recruit twelve Grade 12 female learners from four schools (three from rural private schools, six from rural public schools, and three from urban public schools) who were enrolled in Physical Sciences in the Capricorn District of the Limpopo Province. Data was collected through open-ended interviews, observations, and document reviews. The main finding of the study is that female learners’ experiences in their Physical Sciences classes are largely negative. The causes include a lack of resources, lack of support from parents, teachers and peers, lack of correlation of theory into practice, poor performance, and an unmanageable workload. This study makes the following recommendations: Workshops should be conducted to provide parents with information on how to support their female learners during their grade 12 year. Additionally, the government should provide teachers with resources such as laboratories to aid teaching. The Limpopo Provincial Department of Education should build laboratories for all schools that are currently without laboratories. Female role models should be invited to schools regularly to motivate learners. It is important to note that the negative experiences of female learners, as observed within the Capricorn South District, is not a generalisation, but a notable finding within the selected study population.