Page 73 - EDUCON 2022 Book of Abstracts

Aim: Since the aim of this study was to establish the views of student
teachers on the use of mother tongue as a medium of instruction to
teach mathematics.
Methodology: A qualitative approach was adopted for this
investigation. About three primary schools with a population of three
hundred learners and ten teachers were involved in the study.
Results: Learners do not seem to easily understand the concept, and
there are fewer learning materials that are meant to promote such
activities. Schools find it difficult to begin Education for Sustainable
Development projects within their environments. To achieve
sustainability, there is a need to move away from a curriculum,
educational tendencies and practices that do not engage primary
school learners about education for sustainable development.
Implications: This research will contribute to understanding on how
changes may be implemented in educational systems and emphasise
the importance of future developments based on the sustainable
development goals 4, 11 to 13.
Keywords: Curriculum change, environmental education, Education
for sustainability, Implementation, project

11. Set, B., The influence of cultural taboos on the mediation of
scientific concepts in a Namibian bilingual grade 4 science class
Background: The need to meet the demands of education in the 21st
century has seen Namibia move, after democracy in 1990, from a
segregationist educational system to an inclusive one in a bid to
develop students’ capacities to think critically particularly in
mathematics and science. However, Namibia continues to lag behind
other African countries in achieving success on benchmarked tests of
math and science.
Aim: The study investigates the impact of cultural taboos on learners’
acquisition of concepts relating to sexual reproduction and excretion.

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