South African Teachers’ Perceptions of the Primary Geography Curriculum: An Exploratory Study

Year 2015, Volume: 5 Issue: 2, 137 - 150, 31.08.2015

Di Wılmot , Pat Irwın

Abstract

There is a dearth of research on primary school Geography in
South Africa. With no Annual National Assessments (ANAs) being done in the
subject, little is known about the quality of geographical learning and
teaching in South African primary schools. This article begins to address this
shortcoming. More specifically, it responds to the need for empirical research
on Geography in primary schooling in the developing-world context of South
Africa, where large scale education transformation has taken place since 1994.
An overview of the national school system is given followed by a discussion of
the major inefficiency characterising the South African school system, namely
the low quality of learning and teaching in many schools. Our main contention
is that the focus of research has been on understanding and addressing systemic
factors associated with low learning outcomes in literacy and numeracy, with
little attention being paid to Geography. Drawing on the findings of an
exploratory qualitative study using semi-structured interviews, we provide
tentative insights into primary Geography from the perspective of teachers. We
conclude with some propositions for a future research agenda.

Keywords

South African schooling, Geography curriculum, teaching and learning, social sciences, primary schooling, teachers’ perspectives, quality education

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