ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to find out whether Basic Education Teacher Diploma In service Training (BETD INSET) graduate teachers practiced and encouraged active learner participation in their classrooms. Further, the study attempted to find out the factors that might be hindering active participation of learners in the instructional process. Two research approaches were used to collect data, namely interviews and observations of the BETD INSET graduate teachers’ classroom prac...
ABSTRACT The vocabulary levels that children acquire during the early years of development play a significant role in their reading and overall academic success. Reading is perceived as one of the major challenges in Namibian schools. This study investigated the Otjiherero and English vocabulary levels of grade 1 Otjiherero speaking learners in the Khomas region. The researcher also investigated the differences in vocabulary levels for boys and girls. A quantitative research design was emplo...
ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to identify and examine the antimicrobial properties of Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) isolated from fermented milk collected from Ohangwena, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, Zambezi and Kavango regions. Traditional fermented milk in Namibia are produced by spontaneous fermentation using traditional utensils. In this study, thirty homesteads from six regions that produce and process fermented milk were selected and interviewed using semistructured questionnaires. Oma...
Abstract This study is based mainly on quantitative data collected from 347 school children in grades 8, 9 and 10 from three high schools in Windhoek, Namibia. Three schools were randomly selected which represented different scales of fees - low, medium, high – which reflects the range of financial background of the pupils. The study also used qualitative data collected from seven counsellors and social workers from different government and NGOs in Windhoek. The major objective of the stud...
Abstract As a result of the ever increasing population growth, the demand on food is expected to rise significantly. In order to meet this increase in food demand, alternatives (PGPR and biocontrol bacteria) to environmentally damaging chemical augmenters can be utilized for the production of agricultural crops. This study was conducted to isolate and screen rhizospheric bacteria from grasses along the Kavango River for plant growth promoting and biocontrol abilities. Once validated, bacteri...
Abstract Performance-Based Accountability Systems (PBAS) in education seek to improve learning achievements of all learners and to reduce achievement gaps amongst learners from diverse backgrounds through improved classroom instructions. Such a system however does not exist in the Namibian primary education system despite the fact that learning achievements are still low. The purpose of this study was to seek an indepth understanding of the perceptions of primary school principals, teachers,...
ABSTRACT This study titled Structural changes observed in the German language as used in Namibia: A study on the basis of texts from the Allgemeinen Zeitung analyses and examines the structural changes in German Language as it is used in Namibia. The German language found its way to Namibia during the German colonial times (1884 – 1915). After independence in 1990, English became the sole official language of Namibia. Nowadays, Namibia is a multilingual country, in which German, Afrikaans ...
ABSTRACT This study gauged primary school teachers’ perceptions of the English Language Proficiency Programme (ELLP) that was implemented from 2011 to 2015. The English Language Proficiency Programme (ELPP) was developed by the National Institute for Educational Development (NIED) because of the findings that “many Namibian teachers and student teachers had a low level of [English language] proficiency” (Ministry of Education [MoE], 2010, p.1).This study examined the views and percepti...
ABSTRACT According to the National Examiners’ Report for ESL for 2007 to 2011, Namibian students performed poorly in the Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate Ordinary level (NSSCO) ESL examinations. The poor performance of Grade 12 learners in the ESL NSSCO examinations in the Omusati education region (OER) has been noted in the DNEA reports. The number of ungraded ESL learners in 2011 final examination at the NSSCO level at one of the selected senior secondary schools in this study was re...
ABSTRACT This study was undertaken to determine the knowledge and practice of learner-centred methods of teaching by Physical Science Teachers in the Omusati Education Region. The study addressed the following questions: a) What is the Physical Science Teachers’ understanding of the concepts learner-centred education (LCE) and learner-centred methods of teaching? b) What type of training have the Physical Science Teachers received to facilitate the use of learner-centred methods of teachin...
ABSTRACT The primary goal of this study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of Grades 2 and 3 multigrade teachers, learners and their parents with regard to multigrade teaching. Secondly, the study aimed at developing an intervention programme for multigrade teachers for effective teaching. Key theories and models of multigrade teaching served as cornerstones for this study. This research was a qualitative study embedded within an interpretive case study. Data were collected from ...
ABSTRACT This study investigated the extent to which Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) was applied in grade 11 and 12 mathematics classrooms in secondary schools in the Gobabis area. It also sought to determine the types of contexts used and the underlying pedagogical strategies for the use of contexts as well as the factors that hindered the effective implementation of CTL of mathematics in grade 11 and 12 classrooms in the Gobabis secondary schools. Answers to the following questions ...
ABSTRACT This study sought to identify the challenges fourth grade learners encounter in reading English second language, with refer to six primary schools in Ohangwena region. The study specifically focused onchallenges that hamper learners in reading English second language, the learners’ abilities in phonological awareness, their knowledge of alphabet, and the reading instructional methods teachers’ use when teaching reading to English as a second language in Grade 4. The study used a...
ABSTRACT Teaching and learning Natural Science for conceptual understanding requires appropriate and effective teaching approaches and inquiry-based learning activities. The problem of teaching and learning Natural Science for deeper understanding is global and Namibia is not an exception. The Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture’s reports on the National Standardised Achievement Tests (SATs) results of Grade 7 Natural Science showed that learners scored under basic achievement category...
Abstract The Namibian government, through Ministry of Basic Education, Arts and Culture chose ICDL training as a pathway for equipping teachers with basic ICT literacy skills. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of ICDL literacy training on Zambezi Region teachers and their use of ICTs in their classroom practices. An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was used for this study and targeted teachers who received ICDL training between 2007 and 2011. Purposive sampli...