Exploring the use of Technology textbooks in medium- and well-resourced school contexts in South Africa

Abstract

This study explored how Technology teachers in medium- and well-resourced schools use commercially prepared textbooks in their classrooms. A qualitative-interpretive design was used with a purposively selected sample of four schools from a city in the Gauteng province, South Africa. Data were analysed according to the conceptual framework of didactical transposition, focusing on textbook content, activities, context and teaching strategies. It was found that teachers in well-resourced schools adapt textbooks by adding content, thus expecting a higher standard from textbook content, and preferring learners to work individually, while teachers in medium-resourced schools follow textbooks without adapting them, therefore accepting the standard set by the textbooks. It is recommended that teachers in both contexts be assisted by specialists to interpret the curriculum so as to be sure how they are expected to use textbooks to improve their classroom practices.

Keywords:

• technology education
• textbook use
• adapting textbooks