Does Formal Environmental Knowledge Inform the Everyday Practices of Senior Secondary Biology Learners in Lesotho?

Abstract

This paper explores the link between formal environmental knowledge encapsulated in the University of Cambridge International Examination Curriculum and learners’ ability to translate this knowledge into  everyday practices in Lesotho. The paper reports on research undertaken in three secondary schools in Lesotho based on an interpretive paradigm. Data was collected through questionnaires, followed by focus group interviews with learners. The findings suggest that learners have sound theoretical knowledge and awareness of environmental problems, but are not action competent with regard to such problems. In the context of this study, formal knowledge therefore does not inform everyday practices. Possible reasons for this may be due to a de-contextualised curriculum and a teaching and learning environment where ‘action competence’ is not nurtured.