**7.3 The effects of the shift of the curriculum from old NCS (grade 10: 12) to new CAPS curriculum**

This section discusses the effects of the changes in the coverage of EE/ESD topics from the old NCS (Grade 10–12) to CAPS. It answers the research sub-questions, which is, "*To what extent are environmental education/education for sustainable development topics being covered in teaching and learning documents used by teachers and learners in Geography Grade 12 curriculum?"* This section discusses general and specific results based on the breadth and depth of EE/ESD coverage in both curricula as seen in **Tables 4** and **5**.


#### **Table 5.** *Environmental impact topics and content found in the grade 12 subjects.*

When comparing the content breadth structural differences between old NCS (Grade 10–12) and CAPS were evident. As seen in **Tables 4** and **5** CAPS documents were easier to analyse, where the work schedule showed the topics to be covered and it was easier for the EE/ESD topics to be identified compared to the old NCS (Grade 10–12). However, in Geography there was a notable decrease in the depth of EE/ESD content coverage in CAPS when compared to old NCS (Grade 10–12).

In sum, the overall structural presentation of the content in CAPS was clearer than in old NCS (Grade 10–12). The researcher also realised that in some of the CAPS documents, the description and clearer specification of content to be covered in a particular time make it easier for teachers to follow a specific time frame for the topics to be taught and teachers are exposed to clear EE/ESD topics to be covered during the year. From the analyses, it was revealed that CAPS is pitched at the micro-level, where the teacher is the implementer of a developed programme. This is in contrast with the old NCS (Grade 10–12) where the policy was developed at the macro-level and focused on meeting the LOs and ASs. This implies that CAPS provides more structural Geography content support to both novice and experienced teachers because of its prescriptive nature. From analysis of the two curricula, it appears that CAPS was the ideal policy as it was easier for stakeholders to implement compared to the old NCS (Grade 10–12) in the teaching and learning of EE/ESD topics in Geography.

A second example of the decrease in Geography, wherein old NCS the coverage of EE/ESD topics was in LO 2: The development of knowledge and understanding, and LO 3: The application of knowledge and skills. Firstly, the content involved learners being expected to demonstrate a fundamental knowledge of physical and human processes and the patterns which result from them, as well as the interactions between humans and the environment at local and national scales. Secondly, Geography seeks to understand human-environment interactions. Likewise, the environment and the availability of resources in regions and places shape human activities and lifestyles, and ultimately their well-being. In addition, it is concerned about how people depend on, adapt to, and modify environments, and considers the consequences of human actions. In summary, the Geography content involves learning about climate and weather, fluvial processes and landforms, people and places and needs as seen in **Table 5**. On the other hand, in CAPS only topics such as environmental impacts of


#### **Table 6.**

*Showing coverage of EE/ESD topics in geography examinations.*

#### *Effects of the Changes of Curriculum on the Coverage of Environmental Content in Geography DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.104988*

development and energy management, human-environmental interactions and social impact and environmental quality and quality of life were covered.

Geography had the following EE/ESD topics which were found in the policy documents: impact of climate change, loss of biodiversity, land degradation, drought, river pollution, air pollution, health hazards caused by mines, soil destruction, improper solid waste disposal, poverty, the negative impact of human activities on wildlife, food security, effects of berg winds on veld fires, negative effects of overpopulation in urban areas, water pollution in the Vaal River, environmental impact of cyclones, high levels of pollution in the outskirts of towns, soil erosion and overstocking. The difference in the coverage between old NCS and CAPS in this subject was that old NCS covered Learning Outcome 1 and 2 that taught learners about the development of knowledge and understanding and Learning Outcome 3 which facilitated the application of knowledge and skills. However, CAPS covered these specific topics, understanding climate change and changing weather patterns, sustainable development principles and practices. Furthermore, CAPS covered urbanisation and land use management and sustainability, management of natural resources.

It is evident that the shift of the curriculum from old NCS to CAPS enhanced the coverage of EE/ESD topics in the new CAPS curricula for Geography as shown in **Table 6**.

In Geography, past examination papers from 2006 to 2015 revealed that the following EE/ESD topics were covered: these are the impacts of climate change, loss of biodiversity, land degradation, drought, river pollution and air pollution, health hazards caused by mines, poverty, negative impacts of human activities on wildlife and food security. The following topics were also identified: effects of berg winds on veld fires, negative effects of overpopulation in urban areas, water pollution in the Vaal River, environmental impact of cyclones and high levels of pollution in the outskirts of towns, soil erosion and overstocking. The information on the past examination was sourced from the DBE website http://www.education.gov.za/ in 2022. In Geography, the coverage of environmental impact topics in the past examination papers shows an average of 11% over the ten years under research.

## **7.4 Coverage in the policies and examinations of EE/ESD between RNCS and CAPS**

In Geography was observed that the Old NCS and CAPS policies were **not aligned,** and the reason was that in the old NCS only themes and LOs were written while in the CAPS curriculum only the actual content to be taught was stipulated. The vertical alignment of policy and examination content in old NCS and CAPS revealed that the policies and examination content were aligned. Further analysis revealed that both policies had similar EE/ESD topics such as tropical storms causing floods, climate change, soil degradation, water and air pollution, environmental dangers of berg winds' negative impact on human beings, etc. In addition, old NCS also covered topics such as deforestation, negative impact on urban growth, etc. The shift in the curriculum increased the coverage of EE/ESD topics in the examinations. This contrasts with the results on policies that revealed that the content in old NCS was more than that of CAPS. This is shown in **Table 6**, which reveals extensive coverage of EE/ ESD topics in 2008. It cannot go without notice that in 2012, under CAPS, the breadth of environmental impact topics was the highest when compared to the other years, with 2011 and 2015 recording the lowest percentages in summative assessment. It was also noted that Geography, when compared with the other eleven subjects analysed,

had the widest coverage of environmental impact topics in both the old NCS and CAPS curricula. When comparing the topics, the old NCS had the widest range of environmental impact topics compared to CAPS. Overall, the shift in the curriculum in Geography decreased content coverage in CAPS policy while it increased environmental impact coverage in the actual Grade 12 examinations when compared to the old NCS. The shift from old NCS to CAPS, therefore, improved Geography EE/ESD topics coverage in practice.
