Integrating Indigenous Knowledge in Life Sciences: Affordances for enhancing Grade 11 learners’ understanding of Fermentation

Abstract

Thirty-two years into democratic liberation, the integration of indigenous knowledge (IK) remains a curriculum priority within South African Life Sciences education. However, less is known about the affordances that IK integration offers for teaching and learning in specific Life Sciences topics. Hence, this study explored how the integration of IK into Grade 11 Life Sciences lessons supported learners’ understanding of fermentation. The work was guided by Situated Learning Theory (SLT) and employed a qualitative case study approach. The participants were drawn from 42 Grade 11 Life Sciences learners from a school in Capricorn South District within Dimamo circuit, South Africa. Data were collected through participant classroom observations and documents reviews and analysed using categorical aggregation. The findings revealed that drawing on IK helped learners make sense of fermentation concepts, with caregivers also playing a notable role in shaping this understanding. The study recommends that future research emphasise cooperative learning strategies, embed IK more systematically within the curriculum to create authentic learning contexts, and further examine the influence of caregivers.