Research

Curriculum Change

Curriculum Change

This umbrella project focuses on curriculum change in science and maths teaching and how it can contribute to poverty alleviation and gender equity, with researchers in three countries working on different issues adding understanding of this.

Teams in South Africa, Pakistan and Rwanda each run separate projects based on their national priorities and reform contexts, but share a focus on understanding and developing teaching practice in maths and science education in the context of curriculum change.

 

Research and key findings

Researchers in South Africa are focusing on understanding barriers to the effective implementation of reform in maths and science education. They are interested in the nature of the problems encountered by disadvantaged schools in trying to implement reform-oriented policies and how some of these might be addressed. They are doing this by looking at some reasons for ongoing lack of access to understanding of key mathematical ideas, which in turn restricts access to further education and work opportunities, within a sample of schools.

In Pakistan the research has emphasised gender equity as an issue of social justice in the context of curriculum change in maths education. Action research has aimed at raising gender awareness among maths teachers as an important element of introducing the pedagogy of problem solving. It aimed to enable teachers to become aware of the assumptions and biases reflected in classrooms that mean they could be gender-biased.

In Rwanda, the emphasis has been on collaboration with secondary school maths and science teachers to improve teaching approaches that enhance learners' critical thinking, problem solving and argumentation skills.

Lead contact details

Prof. Hamsa Venkatakrishnan, University of the Witwatersrand, hamsa.venkatakrishnan@wits.ac.za

Research team

University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

  • Prof Hamsa Venkatakrishnan
  • Mike Mhlolo
  • Corin Mathews
  • Jacques du Plessis
  • Audrey Msimanga

The Aga Khan University, Pakistan

  • Anjum Halai

Kigali Institute of Education, Rwanda

  • Alphonse Uworwabayeho