An Examination of Pre -Service Teacher Knowledge of Subject Matter and Its Effects on Curriculum Selection and Instructional Decision Making

The findings of the study indicated variable knowledge of South Africa by teachers and the presence of teacher misconceptions about Africa in general and South Africa in particular. The study supported a schema-based theory of knowledge representation and the theory of constructivism. Those teachers that proved to be less knowledgeable about the topic concerned preferred the more focussed article and presented a less critical approach to teaching. The highly knowledgeable teachers were not constrained by the information presented in the articles, were flexible in terms of teaching methodology and presented more critical thinking in their approach to teaching. All the teachers had a positive attitude towards the teaching of content related to South Africa in the U.S., but felt ill-prepared and inadequate to teach the topic. Another finding that emerged from this study pertained to the double role played by media as a source of information and misinformation for the teachers.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Education

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2015

Author dc:creator

• Pakade, Joyce Noluvuyo Nombekela

Contributors dc:contributor

• Cox, C. Benjamin

• Education, Social Sciences

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

(MiAaPQ)AAI9990210

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/80445