THE UNDERLYING FACTORS OF OUT-OF-FIELD TEACHING: A SPOTLIGHT INTO MECHANICAL TECHNOLOGY SUBJECT IN THE NORTHWEST PROVINCE, SOUTH AFRICA

This qualitative study unpacked the underlying factors of out-of-field teaching in the Mechanical Technology (MT) subject in the North West Province, South Africa. The MT subject is a specialised subject that needs deeper teaching for learners to be exposed to its practical links. However, the instructional practices of MT in the education district where this study was conducted, are hampered by the influx of out-of-field teachers, thus denying the learners greater opportunity for skills acquisition. A sample of eight MT teachers was purposefully and conveniently selected for the study. The pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) notion was used as an underpinning framework, where classroom observations and face-to-face interviews with the teachers were used as data collection tools. The findings reveal that the MT teachers are being converted to teach MT and that results in a surface content delivery. This is exacerbated by the improper selection of teaching tools and strategies because teachers are not well-conversed with the subject. The study recommends that the Department of Education should avoid absorbing teachers who are inadequately trained for MT and start a serious recruitment process. This will ensure that content mastery is enhanced which would allow teachers to select adequate teaching tools and strategies.