How is the science concept of force conveyed in a physics grade 9 textbook in South Africa? A cultural historical analysis.

Abstract

South African school children tend to perform poorly in international mathematics and science benchmarking
tests such as Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Various reasons underpin poor
performance, but in this paper, we concern ourselves with curriculum challenges in science by analysing a
science topic from a Grade 9 science textbook, the most significant tool for delivering curriculum outside of a
teacher. Adopting the model designed by Morris et al. (2016), we analyse a single topic, force, from two science
textbooks to ascertain if the abstraction of the topic is explicated and whether it is linked to any real-world
application. Our findings indicate that the science concept of force in the textbooks that we analyse is presented
in problematic ways that require teachers to elaborate on concepts outside of the text, which may not be possible
when such content knowledge is unfamiliar.