CREATING CLIMATE CHANGE AWARENESS IN SOUTH AFRICAN SCHOOLS THROUGH PRACTICAL CHEMISTRY DEMONSTRATIONS - Volume 5 - Number 4 - 2012

Oct 15, 2026

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A paper aligned with South Africa’s National Curriculum Statement for Life Sciences and Physical Sciences explains how a lecture-demonstration, “A Pollutant’s Tale,” was used to build climate change awareness among school learners. The session was delivered to 981 learners and 25 educators in Western Cape, spanning advantaged and disadvantaged areas. Learners’ post-demonstration attitudes toward science and understanding of concepts were assessed via questionnaires, and educators’ views and evaluations on promoting positive science attitudes were discussed. The outreach strengthened engagement with chemistry and science generally.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

1. Introduction

2. Climate change in the South African curriculum

Volume 5, Number 4, 2012 CREATING CLIMATE CHANGE AWARENESS IN SOUTH AFRICAN SCHOOLS THROUGH PRACTICAL CHEMISTRY DEMONSTRATIONS Suthananda N Sunassee, Ryan M Young, Joyce D Sewry, Timothy G Harrison, Dudley E Shallcross Abstract: In accordance with the requirements for the National Curriculum Statement for both Life sciences and Physical sciences and the importance of community engagement in Higher Education in South Africa, this paper described the use of the lecture-demonstration ‘A Pollutant’s Tale’ to create climate change awareness amongst school learners. ‘A Pollutant’s Tale’was performed to a total of 981 school learners and 25 educators from both advantaged and disadvantaged areas of the Western Cape province of South Africa. Both learners and educators were asked to complete their respective questionnaires after the demonstration. The learners’attitudes towards science and the learning of science concepts after the demonstration were described. The educators’ views, perceptions and evaluations on using such demonstrations to promote positive attitudes towards science were also discussed. Both the learners and their educators thoroughly enjoyed the demonstration of‘A Pollutant’s Tale’and they were also made aware of the causes and effects of climate change on our environment. More importantly, this outreach initiative has helped to spark an interest in the learners’minds not only about chemistry but about science in general. Keywords: Community engagement; demonstrations; climate change; outreach; science awareness; disadvantaged schools 1. Introduction Science and technology in South Africa are facing a bleak future with a severe shortage of scientists and students attracted to careers in science. Only a small proportion of school learners in South Africa earn university entrance qualifications in mathematics and physical science, with 75% of all schools in the country producing only 13% of science passes at grade 12 level [1,2] . In the 2003 Trends in International maths and science Study (TIMSS) for grade 8 learners, South Africa scored the lowest in science out of the 50 participating countries and was shown to have a wide range in the quality of its schooling system [3] . Factors contributing to this problem are mainly the prevalence of unqualified science teachers in South Africa, coupled with the lack of exposure of learners to practical work in schools [4,5] . The pressure on the South African Government to provide quality in mathematics and science teaching has continued since former President Mbeki’s speech at the opening of Parliament in 2005, in which he emphasised the importance of mathematics and science education [6] which has more recently been reiterated by the current South African leader, President Zuma [7] . Science education should serve two purposes: (i) to educate those who would like to pursue a career in science and technology and (ii) to inform ‘the other 98%’of the population, who will encounter scientific concepts in their everyday lives and through health and well-being in particular, require a modicum of skills in this area to prosper [8,9] . Community engagement features as one of the core functions of higher education in South Africa [10] and, accordingly, since the late 1990’s the Department of Chemistry at Rhodes University has been actively involved in promoting science and education in the local and surrounding communities of Grahamstown, South Africa [11,12] . The community engagement has incorporated various forms namely [12]: • Hosting schools to do practical work in the undergraduate chemistry teaching laboratories at Rhodes University to give learners exposure to a practical environment [12] which they seldom or never encounter at school.4 • Both theoretical and practical interactive workshops for teachers to improve their pedagogical content knowledge. • A mathematics and science club that runs every Saturday aimed at learners of grades 7-12, the majority

FAQs

How was climate change awareness created in the study?

The study used the lecture-demonstration “A Pollutant’s Tale” to engage school learners and support climate change awareness through practical chemistry.

Who participated in the demonstration and how were outcomes measured?

The demonstration involved 981 learners and 25 educators in the Western Cape. Learners and educators completed questionnaires afterward, and their responses were used to describe attitudes and evaluations.

Why is climate change education emphasized in the South African curriculum?

The curriculum requirements link science learning to responsible environmental behaviour, sustainable futures, and understanding risks and benefits related to environment and health, including topics connected to climate change.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Putri