Rian De Villiers
Associate Professor and NRF-rated researcher  Â
Department of Science, Mathematics & Technology Education
University of Pretoria
South Africa
Biography
Prof de Villiers has been a lecturer at the University of Pretoria since 2002. He holds a PhD, MSc, BSc(Hons) and a Higher Education Diploma (HED).Prof de Villiers is a South African National Research Foundation (NRF) -rated researcher and he was involved in various international collaborative research projects from 2002 to 2013. His research expertise is in the fields of inter- and intra-continental teacher migration, teacher training in life sciences education, controversial topics in life sciences, and community-based service-learning. His topical work on teacher migration has been some of the most quoted studies in the Faculty of Education. In 2002 he was awarded one of the most prestigious grants of its kind in the world – the Commonwealth Academic Fellowship.
Research Interest
He is involved in various research projects, some of which involve international affiliations. His research focus areas are inter- and intra-continental teacher migration studies, teacher training in life sciences education, values and beliefs in the life sciences classroom, and community-based service-learning.
Publications
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Mpeta M, De Villiers JJ, Fraser WJ. Secondary school learners’ response to the teaching of evolution in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Journal of Biological Education. 2015 Apr 3;49(2):150-64.
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De Villiers R. The animal experimentation controversy: ethical views of prospective teachers. Perspectives in Education. 2012 Sep 1;30(3):88-97.
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Mthethwa-Kunene E, Onwu GO, de Villiers R. Exploring biology teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge in the teaching of genetics in Swaziland science classrooms. International Journal of Science Education. 2015 May 3;37(7):1140-65.
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Kavai P, De Villiers R, Fraser W, Sommerville J, Strydom N. Animal organ dissections in high schools: is there more than just cutting?. African Journal of Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education. 2015 May 4;19(2):143-55.
