Consequently workers in the field of invasion science widely acknowledge the need to inform the public about the subtleties surrounding the movement and control of invasive alien species, where some biodiversity can be bad or good, depending on our immediate relationship with those particular organisms. They are either oblivious, or perceive nature as being under threat, rather than as threatening in itself. The paradox that some biodiversity that has been moved across the planet by human trade could actually be harmful is unknown to many people. Our changing relationship with the biosphere is one of many anxieties that human society currently confronts. These include but not limited to plastic education curriculum, synergised policies in fostering a circular plastic economy, overriding political will, innovative waste management systems, inclusive independent monitoring of plastic wastes, robust laws and effective enforcement strategies that are needed to promote better environmental ethics, mitigation and a sustainable environment. The emerging agreement amongst global policy-makers, educators and scientists is that environmental challenges, such as this, require, now more than ever, renewed ways of effective knowledge production and decision-making in tackling, holistically the menace of mismanaged plastic wastes and pollutions. This work is necessitated because of the dire need in bridging the knowledge gap locally by adaptively reviewing possible challenges and opportunities for South Africa in meeting up the mandate of addressing this global threat. This has hampered the local capacity, manpower, knowledge and understanding direly needed for mitigating these challenges. Hence, demonstrating a knowledge gap on this imperative issue, the inadequate and limited frameworks needed in assessing, evaluating and re-evaluating the menace of plastic pollution and entrainments into consumable water and wastewater treatment plants. A literature review, for the last 40 years, demonstrated the scanty studies on the economic, social, health and cost implications of plastic entrainment into fresh water (sources of drinking water) and wastewater systems in South Africa. Compared with global trends, most studies undertaken on plastic pollutions in water bodies across South Africa have generally been limited to marine and coastal waters.
Pervasive plastic wastes, pollution and detrimental environmental ethics are a serious threat in South Africa. The findings of this analysis suggest that textbooks should be modified to sufficiently reflect practices at a higher level of student autonomy in order to improve the 21st-century learners’ scientific literacy in South African high school science. The analysis revealed that the science practices reflected in the textbooks were predominantly teacher-directed with only limited opportunity for student-engagement in the science practices.
A Science Practice Continuum Rubric (SPCR) was developed for the coding of the textbooks. The analysis applied an adapted validated conceptual framework of the eight science practices that have been identified by the National Research Council. The research reported in this article explored the extent to which these science practices are represented in South African Grade 12 Physical Sciences textbooks using qualitative content analysis.
These “practices” of science describe the behaviour in which real-life scientists engage while they investigate and construct model and theories about the natural and human world. In a publication of the National Research Council (NRC) entitled “A Framework for K-12 Science Education,” emphasis is placed on students experiencing inquiry-based practices and not merely learning about them. Textbooks remain an important resource in the hands of science teachers in ensuring that curricular aims and educational reforms are realised in school science.
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