In an effort to pursue and achieve quality and equity in science education, the South African National Curriculum Statement stipulates that learners should be accorded an opportunity to acquire and apply knowledge and skills in meaningful ways. Accordingly, the curriculum promotes knowledge in both local and global contexts. The study investigated how teachers’ knowledge of learners’ socio-cultural backgrounds is invoked in enacting various teaching and learning approaches that bring relevance of science to learners. Three science teachers from three township high schools were observed teaching while incorporating learners’ socio-cultural practices, experiences and beliefs when teaching the topics reproduction, nutrition and healthy diet. The teachers were interviewed after each lesson via a closed-ended protocol. Science local curriculum documents and lesson plans were also analysed. A total of five lesson observations and five post-lesson interviews per teacher were analysed using the constant comparative method. The findings revealed that teachers use probing and open-ended questions, argumentation in groups, authentic problem-solving activities and resources, examples, experiences and language familiar to learners. Such practices promote class and group interaction, develop critical and analytical thinking skills in learners and promote conceptual understanding. The research findings provide insights into how certain science topics can be taught in meaningful ways to socio-economically and culturally diverse learners, which can contribute to the current debate on relevant education in a country faced with huge diversity.

为了追求和实现科学教育的质量和公平，《南非国家课程声明》规定，应为学习者提供以有意义的方式获得和应用知识和技能的机会。因此，该课程在本地和全球范围内促进知识的发展。该研究调查了教师在制定各种将科学与学习者联系起来的教学方法时，如何利用教师对学习者的社会文化背景的认识。在教授生殖，营养和健康饮食等主题时，观察了来自三所乡镇高中的三名理科教师的教学，同时结合了学习者的社会文化实践，经验和信念。每节课结束后，通过封闭式协议对老师进行采访。还分析了当地的科学课程文件和教学计划。使用恒定比较方法对每位老师进行的五次课堂观察和五次课后访谈进行了分析。调查结果表明，教师使用探究性和开放性问题，分组辩论，真正的解决问题的活动和资源，实例，经验和学习者熟悉的语言。这种做法促进了班级和小组的互动，发展了学习者的批判性和分析性思维能力，并促进了概念理解。研究结果为如何以有意义的方式向社会经济和文化差异的学习者教授某些科学课题提供了见识，这可以促进当前在一个面临巨大多样性的国家中有关教育的辩论。