Out of the frying pan…?: Case studies of the implementation of Curriculum 2005 in some science classrooms

Abstract The paper begins by pointing to the enormous challenges posed by the implementation of Curriculum 2005 in South Africa, but also the intrinsic value of its intentions. A theoretical framework to guide research and implementation is briefly summarised. The scope of some current research being undertaken in mathematics and science classrooms in secondary schools in Mpumalanga, which includes surveys and case studies, is outlined. Part of this large-scale study is then presented in the analysis of eighteen video-taped science lessons from nine secondary schools in Mpumalanga that participated in the case studies. The findings are interpreted in terms of the metaphor of “out of the frying pan”, where the frying pan is symbolic of the old syllabus and way of doing things. For the most part, it was found that the specified outcomes of Curriculum 2005 are not being met. Finally some of the implications of the case studies, viewed through the lens of a theoretical framework for implementation of the streamlined version of Curriculum 2005, are explored.