LEARNER INTERVIEW (SCHOOL Q)

KEY: ‘I’ means “Interviewer”; ‘All’ means “All or Most of the learner interviewees in the group at once”; ‘L’ means “Learner interviewee” numbered from 1 upwards e.g. L1 or L2

I: Alright……good morning once more All: Morning sir

I: You answered the questions I gave you and I have marked them…….analysed them and I saw some interesting answers which I want to discuss with you …BEEPING

SOUND…….(INTERRUPTION FROM THE SCHOOL’S INTERCOM SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENTS)……….remember……I am actually recording what we are talking

about……. (FURTHER INTERCOM ANNOUNCEMENTS)……….Alright….so when you are answering try to rise up your voices because I am trying to record your voices using my cell phones. Err……. On question number 5, the question reads as follows…..err: “…the beam balance was very sensitive……..the balance was very sensitive”…and…. Most of you……many of you chose a certain (interesting) meaning of this word….

(INTERRUPTIONS FROM LEARNERS THAT ARE JUST WALKING IN FROM OUTSIDE AND INTERVIEWER PAUSES)…… I will start once more. I said that I gave you a

questionnaire which you answered, isn’t so? Then I marked the (answers to that questionnaire)….and I analysed your answers. So I will try to interview you on those answers you produced. So when you are answering questions I ask you now, please raise up your voices because I am trying to capture your voices using my cell phones…Okay? Question number 5 talks about the word sensitive…….Err….Is this word actually familiar to you? Have you used it before?

All: Yes!

I: What does it mean actually….? All: (mumbling inaudibly)

L1: Precious

I: It means precious? L1: Yes!

I: Where do you normally use this word in everyday life? Eh?

L2: Some people use it in……… (Inaudible)……something about precious

I: So it means precious? What about you? (Interviewer referring to another learner)….Eh what does it mean to you?

L2: It’s about emotions, actually……(inaudible)

I: Uhhmmm?... some of you chose the meaning “ getting spoilt easily” in their answers. Do you agree with them? Ehhh?

All: ….Yes! No! …… (Mixed opposing answers)

I: But why say it means “getting spoilt easily”? Is it similar? L1:It is…..! (Learner reaffirming her answer)

All: Yes!

I: Where in Physical science?

L3: When you talk about how to measure something…. You know where it says…….to measure with a scale……

I: Uhmm! And other people, where do you encounter this word? …..oh, you still talking (referring to L3) are you referring to a scale? Or you are just reading the answer from the paper?

L3: No! It’s something that I..I…I know! Something I have encountered.

I: Uhhmm……! And now question number 6……the question says (Reading from question

paper):

The teacher felt that the learners’ interpretation of experiment was valid.

You know this word valid……..you have met it before…? Have you used it before…sir (Pointing at learner L4)

L4: Yes I: Where?

L4: In writing a scientific experiment…..you say it is valid.

I: Eeehm! What about other people? Where have you used this word before?

L5: In a cell phone…..when you put a pin number it says valid and when it is wrong it says invalid

I: Ehmmm. It says invalid

All: Yes….! (Many learners mumbling with interest and their teacher walks in and sits at the

back of the class)

I: Ahhaa……! Let’s look at another word……..question number 15……..question 16 says that:

The experiment was designed to prove that the brass rod would contract when cooled. Okay, this word “contract” ……what is the meaning of this word….again?

All: Yes!

I: What does it mean?

L6: Attracting, shaping……. (Signalling with his hands to show squeezing effect)

I: Ehhh……? Let’s say you have something like this and it is cooled……what does it do? L5: It means solidifying or become smaller

I: It means solidifying, becoming smaller……ehhee….what about in the science context, in a classroom like this, what will be the meaning of this word? Will it be different?

All: Nooo! Yes!

I: So what does this word mean in science? Is its meaning the same in everyday life and in class?

All: ….(inaudible mumbles)………

All: Yes! I: Where?

L7: In life Science they talk about it……. I: And in Physical Science?

L8: ……..When you fill up a balloon with air, and you rub it to become smaller…… I: ……..But it doesn’t show that it becomes smaller when you rub it, does it?

L1: ….It does….

I: Okay…..Let’s look at question number 20…….question number 20 reads as follows: By convention, electric current flows from the positive terminal to the negative terminal of a battery

Have ever met this word before? All: Yes

I: Where……yes, sir….(pointing to one learner)…..you are quiet, sir, why? L9: …..about conventional current flow…

I: …..conventional current……okay

L10: I’ve met this word before in social sciences about special conventions meaning a norm which is accepted by certain people or a norm which is common in society.

I: Interesting… and in Physical Science…?

L10: It does have the same meaning to the sciences….. I: What about everyday life?

L11: It means an agreement… I: Oh, an agreement?

L12: Something that is agreed upon, everyone accepts it.

I: And your teacher, did he explain this word…….let’s talk about the Physical science meaning…..

L13: …….when we talked about the conventional flow of current…. I: So did he explain the meaning of the word?

L14: Ya…convention… it means changing

I: It means changing….? So that’s how he explained it? L14: Ya!

All: …(Learners glancing at their teacher seated behind them and smiling)…. I: Don’t look at him! (Learners laugh and the teacher walks out of the classroom) L14: That is actually my understanding of the word!

I: No problem, I just wanted to know whether the teacher explains the words or not so that I can see where to pick up the meaning of the word. Okay, let’s look at another interesting one, question number 23 which says:

Have you met this word before? All: Yes! No! Never!

I: Okay, Never or Yes? Those who say they have used it before? L15: ……in Life science….

I: What were you talking about in Life science? L15: The uterus wall disintegrating…..

I: Ohhh, the uterus wall disintegrating! What about in Physics, you seem to be running away from Physics. You mention Social Science………So what does this word mean in Physics for those who say they have met this word before.

L15: It means to breakdown

I: …To breakdown. Many of you said it means to ‘disappear’. Did your teacher explain it? L10:I personally, I was never taught this word by any science teacher……it’s something I relate to integrate….which means to bring together…..so the opposite would be to

disintegrate…..and in Physical science I remember in the reaction of magnesium the teacher

said that it was disintegrating in the acid I: So….it does disappear…?

L10: …Ehhh, it does disappear, eventually… I: So it disappears?

L10: Yes…

I: Those were the FIVE words that I wanted us to discuss. Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen. I am done!