THE IMPLEMENTATION OF CASE STUDIES TO PROMOTE THE SELFDIRECTED LEARNING ABILITIES OF GRADE 10 LIFE SCIENCES LEARNERS

Abstract

In our current knowledge- and information-driven society, it is of the utmost importance that school learners develop self-directed learning (SDL) abilities. This paper explores the implementation of case studies to promote the SDL abilities of Grade 10 Life Sciences learners. In this quasi-experimental study, a quantitative research design was used. The research was conducted at three schools in the Tshwane South District in Gauteng. Two of the schools formed part of the experimental group and the third school was part of the control group. Both the experimental and control groups completed a standardised SDL Instrument before and after a six-week period. During the intervention, case studies were implemented in the Grade 10 Life Sciences curriculum of the experimental group. The Life Sciences teachers in the control group continued using traditional teaching methods. The results indicated that the implementation of case studies developed the SDL abilities of Life Sciences learners in the experimental group in contrast to the control group. Although the experimental group’s SDL abilities improved after the implementation of case studies in general, it is important to note that the “learning motivation” as well as the “planning and implementation” improved more than the “selfmonitoring” and “interpersonal communication” SDL domains.