The experience of social sciences secondary school teachers on the changing curriculum:a case study of Mankweng cluster Capricorn District in Limpopo Province

Abstract

This study aimed at exploring the experiences of Social Sciences teachers in secondary schools with regard to the implementation of the evolving curriculum policies in schools. In order for the study to be successful, a comprehensive literature review was done, and not only teachers, but also Curriculum advisors and circuit managers were selected and interviewed for the researcher to gain insight of the daily experiences in schools as they work with teachers on daily basis. The interviewees were from the Capricorn District in Mankweng circuit. The researcher used data collection instruments in a form of questerviews and individual interviews. The instruments were guided by the objectives of the study. The sampling was made in this cluster taking into cognisance its vastness, since it consists of 5 circuits which are Mankweng Circuit, Kgakotlou Circuit, Mamabolo Circuit, Lebopo Circuit and Dimamo Circuit. The total number of schools in all the circuits is 62. The study focused on the chosen high schools which comprised 2 schools per circuit and a minimum of 2 and maximum of 4 teachers per school were interviewed. One circuit manager and curriculum advisor were also interviewed in the study. The study’s findings revealed that there is a lack of thorough training. This is in spite of the fact that the department hosts a series of briefings which do not seem to achieve the expected outcomes due to the limited time allocated. In the view of teachers, training serves as a cornerstone for the implementation of the curriculum policies. Findings also showed that teachers were overloaded due to low enrolment as many children prefer schools with a good infrastructure which many rural schools lack. Poor enrolment results in limited teachers who are overloaded as they end up having to teach many subjects. Since teachers are partners in education, the study made recommendations that teachers be given enough training to overcome implementation challenges. Teachers should also further their studies in order to improve their knowledge regarding curriculum changes. The universities should also serve as partners in empowering teachers with policy developments. Lastly, teachers should be assessed more often on curriculum policies to avoid the incorrect implementation of policies