An investigation of socio-ecological issues and risks and capabilities in the 'my future is my choice' HIV and AIDS programme : a case in northern Namibia
- Authors: Tjiveze, Wakaa
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: My Future is My Choice (Program : Namibia) , HIV infections -- Social aspects -- Namibia , AIDS (Disease) -- Social aspects -- Namibia , AIDS (Disease) -- Study and teaching -- Namibia , AIDS (Disease) -- Risk factors -- Namibia , AIDS (Disease) -- Moral and ethical aspects -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2050 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017769
- Description: The HIV and AIDS crisis can be presented as a socio-ecological issue, with an ever-increasing impact on both human beings and the environment. Teaching about socio-ecological issues and the consideration of individual capabilities has become crucial within HIV and AIDS education programmes. Issues of deforestation, land degradation and other environmental problems have worsened since the advent of HIV and AIDS, especially in developing countries. The My Future is My Choice (MFMC) programme has been identified as an important HIV and AIDS education initiative that caters for young people in Namibian secondary schools (Grades 8-12). One of the themes within the programme (Facing HIV and AIDS) is highlighted in this study. This study was constituted as a case study of one school in rural Omuthiya, in the Oshikoto region. The study investigated the opportunities for the integration of a focus on socio-ecological issues and risks, within the MFMC education programme. The study also investigated the way in which the program develops learners‟ capabilities to respond to HIV and AIDS related socio-ecological issues and risks/vulnerabilities. The study also presents the constraints and enabling factors influencing the implementation of the programme. This study used a qualitative, interpretive case study methodology. The research methods included the analysis of eight documents and nineteen semi-structured interviews, with the Programme Coordinator, the Programme Facilitator, the School Principal and with the programme participants. The analysis also included two focus group discussions with a group of learners; and two classroom observations; and the learners' submissions (reflection sheets). Convenience sampling was used, and ethical issues were taken into consideration throughout the study. The study revealed the following as key findings: The aims and objectives of the HIV and AIDS education programme can enhance and constrain the development of capabilities, as well as opportunities and challenges for the integration of a focus on socio-environmental issues and risks as additional learning content. Teaching and learning methods that are participatory and rooted within the learner centered approach can make the integration of HIV and AIDS inherent socio-environmental issues and risks into the MFMC education programme possible. The values and beliefs inherent within the MFMC education programme stand as opportunities for the successful development of capabilities in the education programme. The study concluded by recommending that capabilities within the MFMC programme be developed through teaching learners about their rights, respect for human dignity, and the right to health and to living the life free from discriminatory practices, as a moral entitlement of each and every individual. While teaching learners about their right to health and the importance of healthy diets, this study found that the programme could include learning about food production and handling practices for the benefit of those living with HIV and AIDS, while caring for the environment. Another recommendation was that future research should consider actively involving young people in decision-making with regard to the programme, as this will allow them to choose and decide on what knowledge and skills they need and want to acquire. The study further explained that this will promote the programme participants‟ sense of agency, and their freedom to choose what they value being and doing as an important element in enhancing learner capabilities. Ultimately, this will also enable the learners to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge they need in order to respond to the socio-ecological problems they face in their communities.
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- Date Issued: 2015
Conceptions of academics concerning the nature and purpose of teaching portfolios in higher education
- Authors: Champion, Eunice Nomava
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Portfolios in education , Lecture method in teaching , College teaching , College teachers
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:9591 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1021175
- Description: The purpose of this study was to explore the conceptions of academics at the NMMU concerning the nature and purpose of teaching portfolios in higher education. The study was guided by the following research question: What are the conceptions of academics concerning the nature and purpose of teaching portfolios in higher education? A case study, involving academics at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU), was used to answer the research question. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods research design was employed to collect data from an electronic questionnaire consisting of Likert-scale type of responses and open-ended questions, followed by two focus group interviews with academics that had prior experience in the development of a teaching portfolio. Forty-five academics responded to the questionnaire sent to all the academics at the NMMU, providing a broad perspective on the conceptions of NMMU academics regarding the nature and purpose of teaching portfolios. The two focus group interviews were conducted with six and eight academics respectively who was purposively chosen for their prior experience with the development of teaching portfolios. The aim of the focus group interviews were to elaborate on the data generated by the questionnaire. The quantitative data gathered by the questionnaire was statistically analysed, generating descriptive statistics of the Likert type response statements. The transcripts of the focus group interviews were thematically analysed. The conceptual framework that initially guided the formulation of the sub-research questions was amended to include the themes that emerged from the thematic analysis of the data, namely: the portfolio development process, the uses of and purposes for developing teaching portfolios, the attitudes of academics towards teaching portfolios, and the benefits gained from the development of teaching portfolios. The findings of the study revealed that of the participants find work overload and additional responsibilities as major constraints and collaboration among peers as the most helpful factor in the development of a teaching portfolio. The findings further revealed that the majority of the participants identified items to be included in a teaching portfolio that would enable them to use the portfolio in the development of their teaching. A mixture of attitudes towards teaching portfolios was identified. Some academics (in particular those who have prior experience in the development of portfolios) displayed a positive attitude towards teaching portfolios, while participants reported a negative attitude towards teaching portfolios by most of their colleagues (mostly those who have not developed a portfolio yet). The negative attitudes do seem to overpower the positive attitudes towards teaching portfolios. The challenge to the NMMU would therefore be to get academics to make use of the initiatives provided by the NMMU to assist them with the teaching portfolio development process. Four recommendations that may serve as guidelines to assist in the successful implementation of teaching portfolios at the NMMU were made, based on the findings of the study. Although the results of this study cannot be generalized to other higher education institutions, they do provide insights in the conception of the academics regarding the nature and purpose of teaching portfolios at the NMMU that can be of benefit to other higher education institutions.
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- Date Issued: 2015
Developed teacher leadership in a township high school : an interpretive case study
- Authors: John, Daisy Mary
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Educational leadership -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School management and organization -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Teacher participation in administration -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Teacher effectiveness -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2052 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018548
- Description: South Africa’s future success depends on a number of national priorities, amongst them the transformation of its education system. Education is the best route to follow to alleviate poverty and many other social ills. One way to overcome some of the complex challenges and crises that we face in South African schools is to pay attention to issues of leading and leadership, including the leadership of teachers. This study is done with the hope that research into teacher leadership will be one of the answers to the crisis in education. It should become a beacon of hope for all educationists who passionately want progress in the youth of South Africa. What better way than to ‘Awaken the Sleeping Giant’ of teacher leadership, borrowing the term from Katzenmeyer and Moller (2009). This study was designed as a case study, the purpose of which was to find out about the enactment of teacher leadership in an Eastern Cape township high school as well as the enhancing and hindering factors to this enactment. This study was done as a replication study of a similar study done by a group of 11Master’s students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2010. Similar to the original study, this case study was located within the interpretive paradigm and drew on school profiling, survey questionnaires, a focus group interview, selfreflective journals and individual interviews for its methods of data collection. The study was framed by distributed leadership while Grant’s (2008; 2012) Model of teacher leadership was adopted as the analytical tool. It emerged from the data that the three teacher leaders, my primary participants, exhibited teacher leadership across all four zones of Grant’s (2008) Model. The first zone was leadership in the classroom where all three teacher leaders showed leadership to varying degrees. Zones Two to Four are about leadership beyond the classroom into the school and beyond. In Zone Two, the zone where teachers work with each other and the learners outside the classroom, substantial levels of leadership were enacted by the three teacher leaders. Zone Three, where leadership is exhibited in whole-school development, the three primary participants showed distinct leadership qualities as well. The fourth zone, which is about interaction with neighbouring schools, also revealed that all three teacher leaders demonstrated active leadership on a regular basis. Findings further revealed that there were only a few inhibiting factors to the leadership of teachers at the case study school, including limited resources and infrastructure as well as insufficient support and acknowledgement from the relevant stakeholders when leadership initiatives were made, either successfully or otherwise. However, the enhancing factors superseded the inhibiting factors. A functional committee culture guided by a shared vision existed in the case study school together with an ethos of trust which enabled the staff to work collaboratively. Though there was certainly room for improvement in leadership practices at this case study school, the enactment of teacher leadership in this school illustrated a strong case of ‘developed’ teacher leadership (Muijs& Harris, 2007) within a dispersed leadership framing (Gunter, 2005)
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- Date Issued: 2015
Developing and using an assessment instrument for spatial skills in Grade 10 geometry learners
- Authors: Cowley, Jane
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Geometry -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Geometry -- Evaluation. , Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Secondary)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2025 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017336
- Description: This qualitative investigation took the form of a case study and fell within the interpretive research paradigm. The Mathematics Chair at the Education Department of Rhodes University launched the Mathematics Teacher Enrichment Programme (MTEP) in 2010 in order to combat poor Mathematics performance of learners in the lower Albany district of the Eastern Cape. The challenge that the participating MTEP teachers faced was a lack of time available to implement new teaching ideas. This was because most of their time was spent catching up “lost” or untaught concepts in the classroom. To address this problem, the Catch-Up Project was launched, whereby selected Mathematics teachers in the area taught lost concepts to Grade Ten learners during afternoon classes in an attempt to improve their fundamental Mathematics knowledge. In order to establish which sections of Mathematics were more difficult for the learners in this programme, bench mark tests were administered biannually. Whilst these tests certainly identified deficient areas within their Mathematics knowledge, the poorest performance areas were the sections of the syllabus which were spatial in nature, such as Space and Shape and Geometry. However, a more in depth assessment tool was required to establish which specific spatial skills the learners were not able to employ when doing these Geometry tasks. To this end, the Spatial Skills Assessment Tasks (SSAT) was developed. It consisted of traditional text book type Geometry tasks and real-world context tasks, both of which were used to assess six spatial skills deemed crucial to successfully facilitate learning Geometry. The case study took place in two of the schools which participated in the Grade Ten Catch-Up project. The case was focused on Grade Ten learners and the unit of analysis was their responses to the SSAT instrument. The learners that participated all did so on a strictly voluntary basis and great care was taken to protect their wellbeing and anonymity at all times. The results of the SSAT instrument revealed that the real world context tasks were in general far more successfully answered than the traditional text book type questions. Important trends in learner responses were noted and highlighted. For example, geometric terminology remains a huge challenge for learners, especially as they study Mathematics in their second language. The ability of the learners to differentiate between such concepts as congruency and similarity is severely compromised, partly due to a lack of terminological understanding but also due to a perceived lack of exposure to the material. Concepts such as verticality and horizontality also remain a huge challenge, possibly for the same reasons. They are poorly understood and yet vital to achievement in Geometry. Recommendations for the development and strengthening of spatial skills support the constructivist approach to learning. Hands on activities and intensive sustained practice over a period of a few months, in which both teachers and learners are actively involved in the learning process, would be considered most beneficial to the long term enhancement of these vital spatial skills and to the learning of Geometry in general.
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- Date Issued: 2015
Educating children presenting with autistic spectrum disorders: exploring parents' experiences
- Authors: McGrath, Wanita
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Autistic children -- Education , Autistic children
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/10265 , vital:26647
- Description: According to Pienaar and Raymond (2013, p.10) learners with disabilities have historically experienced the most serious exclusion from learning. The worldwide call for inclusive education prompted South Africa to develop the White Paper 6 (WP6) (2001, p.18) which clearly states that for Inclusive Education to be successfully implemented in South Africa, there has to be an acknowledgement that all children and youth can learn. The implementation of WP6 therefore not only benefits learners with special educational needs, but all South African learners by implementing "a more flexible system of education that focuses on removing barriers to learning and creating learning-friendly environments" (Pienaar and Raymond, 2013, pp. 10-11). However, a great disparity exists in what is proposed in official documents such as WP6 and what parents of children with barriers to learning actually experience within schools. This phenomenological study employed memory work, drawings and focus group discussions with four purposively selected parents to explore parents’ experiences of the education of their children who are on the Autistic Spectrum. Bronfenbrenner’s Eco-systemic perspective was used to make meaning of the data. The findings show that parents find the education of their autistic children as a stressful and isolating experience because of an unprepared education system. Despite the challenges, the participants also find their experiences to be a journey of personal growth and fulfilment. The study therefore recommends that schools should engage parents of autistic children more actively in order to make inclusion of such children effective. Teachers who are expected to practice inclusivity in schools should be adequately prepared to work with children presenting with ASD through a collaborative effort of the Department of Health and the Department of Education.
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- Date Issued: 2015
Educators'perceptions on the contribution of South African Democratic Teachers' Union to teacher professional development
- Authors: Kwayiba, Xolile Lawrence
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Teachers' unions Teachers -- In-service training -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Teachers -- Training of -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/6081 , vital:29489
- Description: The purpose of the study was to investigate the educators’ perceptions on the role of the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) in teacher professional development. The study also investigated the Union’s perceived challenges in contributing to teacher professionalism in South Africa, their perceived professional priorities and perceived expectations of teachers. The research genre used for this study was the interpretivism or constructivism paradigm. The qualitative methodology was used and case study employed as the research design of the study. The findings of this study were that SADTU were perceived as militant activists. Their activities were perceived as often very disruptive to education and their role appeared to be more politically focused than educational. They promoted and protected teacher labour rights and interests. However, they had no programme, nor the expertise nor the resources to respond to teachers’ professional development needs. The perceptions about them were that they had minimal or negligible contribution to teacher professional development. SADTU conducted training, but with nothing of value to teacher professional development. The unethical, unconstitutional and professionally non-developmental cadre deployment of SADTU leadership compromised the Union. Another finding was the important role of appropriate continuous professional development programmes in the improvement of the teachers’ own professional development, in the improvement of classroom practices and eventual enhanced learner performance. Inclusive to professional development are educationally good skills and values to colleagues, learners and parents both at school and out of school. Recommendations for SADTU were the: development of a clear programme on Teacher Professional Development; mobilisation of SADTU members towards restoring and enhancing the dignity of the teaching profession; engaging politically in curriculum policymaking to form inclusive professional associations; ending cadre deployment for senior management posts by SADTU leadership; establish development centres for critical maths and science, computers skills and other subjects and resuscitation of teacher colleges.
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- Date Issued: 2015
Enabling autism educators to identify and address challenges using participatory action research
- Authors: Kok, Mandie
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Autistic children -- Education -- South Africa , Learning disabled children -- Education -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/7881 , vital:24318
- Description: Teachers in the field of autism education encounter multiple professional challenges in their roles as educators. Autism spectrum disorder presents with a broad range of symptoms, which places additional demands on the teacher expected to meet all the learners' needs. Insufficient teacher education and training, coupled with limited access to resources and a lack of support from the Department of Basic Education can lead to teachers feeling overwhelmed and powerless to adequately address work-related challenges. This study employed a participatory action research methodology and sought to identify challenges and develop solutions in the field of autism education. Furthermore, the goal of this study was to find ways of making use of existing resources to better meet the teachers' needs, as well as reconsidering the classroom environment in order to better meet the learners' needs. The cyclical nature of a participatory action research approach allowed the participants to renegotiate the research goals throughout the study. Data were generated through the use of open-ended group interviews, observation and written critical self-reflections. From the data, six themes emerged. First, the participants reported feeling empowered as a result of creating and sharing their personal reflections. Next, they identified the lack of support for teachers as a professional challenge. The participants also indicated that more flexible teaching strategies were required in the field of autism education. Another challenge was that teachers were uncertain of their legal rights within the field of ASD education. Poor communication between parents and teachers was identified as an important issue. Finally, it emerged that the classroom environment had a significant impact on the learners' behaviour. These findings led to the conclusion that teachers in the field of autism education should be supported and the challenges they face acknowledged and addressed by their employers as well as by the Department of Basic Education and the institutions responsible for educating and training new teachers. Finally, recommendations for possible solutions and further research were presented, based on the data generated during the study.
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- Date Issued: 2015
Engaging within zones of proximal development on Facebook : the case of using Facebook to support learning and mentoring on a NQF Level 5 environmental education, training and development practices learnership
- Authors: Chetty, Preven
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Social media -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africa , Internet in education , Online social networks , Organizational learning , Employees -- Training of , Group work in education
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2024 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017335
- Description: This study focuses on two roll-outs of a, year-long National Qualification Framework (NQF) level 5, environmental education learnership in South Africa and attempts at enhancing collaborative learning at workplaces using a familiar social networking site called Facebook. This study uses the Facebook group sites created for the workplace course component of the course as one of the means of data collection. Additional interviews and focus groups with learners and administrators on both Environmental Education Training and Development Practices (EETDP) courses also informed the study. The study is located within the context of the rise of the information age, its effects on socio-ecological landscape at large and ways of using social networking sites in order to facilitate scaffolding and meaning making within zones of proximal development for environmental education learnerships. It also looks at the model of apprenticeship and workplace based learning as it is broadly located at the nexus of the SAQA-led academic inquiry into workplace based learning and professional development. It was found that the use of Facebook on the EETDP learnership allowed for collaborative learning to take place between peer to peer interactions as well as between tutors and learners. It was also noted that scaffolding processes requires both technical assistance and strong instructional input from course tutors. One of the most important findings in terms of collaborative learning and engaging within the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) was that learners were able to communicate more effectively and freely with both fellow learners and tutors on course after participating on the Facebook group sites. The study offers recommendations on how a social networking platform like Facebook can be utilised effectively for environmental education. The study recommends that scaffolding of workplace based tasks and concepts needs to be better integrated with the course and in both online and offline interactions between learners. It also illustrates how social networking sites can become powerful tools for creating meaning making when combined with course work.
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- Date Issued: 2015
Environmental citizenship in citizen science: a case study of a volunteer toad conservation group in Noordhoek, South Africa
- Authors: Van Wyk, Sheraine Maud
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Toad NUTS (Noordhoek, South Africa) , Environmental education -- South Africa -- Noordhoek , Environmental education -- Citizen participation , Social learning -- South Africa -- Noordhoek , Toads -- Conservation -- South Africa -- Noordhoek , Toads -- Conservation -- Citizen participation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2048 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017359
- Description: The endangered Western Leopard Toad (Amietophrynus pantherinus) is endemic to the winter-rainfall parts of the Western Cape, areas which are also favoured for human settlement. Residents in the Noordhoek area witnessed many toads being killed on roads during their annual migration to breeding ponds. Concerned citizens mobilised a volunteer group to mitigate this threat to the species. Toad NUTS (Noordhoek Unpaid Toad Savers), a well-established and successful citizen science group is explored as a case study of how environmental citizenship emerges in a citizen science group. This research has three research goals. Firstly to probe the enabling and constraining factors shaping the Toad NUTS practices, secondly to investigate the learning dynamics in the citizen science group and thirdly to understand how participation in citizen science develops environmental citizenship. Practice architectures theory (Kemmis & Grootenboer, 2008) was used to explore how cultural-discursive, economic-material and social-political arrangements shape the practices of the Toad NUTS group. The Toad NUTS group was identified as a community of practice, therefore Lave and Wenger’s (1991) communities of practice theory was used to better understand the social learning processes within the group. The Global Citizenship Education international policy document was used to capture the aims of citizenship education as it relates to environmental issues and identifies the competencies that citizenship education initiatives should develop. The practices of the Toad NUTS group were investigated for evidence of the goals and competencies identified in the Global Citizenship Education policy documents of environmental citizenship. Data was generated through documentary research, surveys, a questionnaire, semi-structured interviews and observations. The data was stored, organised and analysed using NVivo data management software in three phases corresponding to the three research goals. With respect to Goal 1, the evidence suggested that there are various shaping arrangements of cultural-discursive, material-economic and social-political configurations which influence Toad NUTS practices. Volunteers must learn to navigate these arrangements in order to successfully implement conservation strategies. The shaping features identified were the WhatsApp group communication system used by volunteers; public awareness and education strategies; equipment, material and funding required for implementing the group’s practices; power balances and exchanges between stakeholders in the conservation field; bureaucratic processes and scientist-lay person exchanges. Very important for facilitating social-political connections to various stakeholders, is the membership Toad NUTS enjoys on the Western Leopard Toad Conservation Committee. With respect to Goal 2, four interconnected components of learning were investigated. These were: learning as belonging, learning as doing, learning as meaning-making experience and learning as becoming. Members learn by doing things together like training, patrolling and deliberating problems in the field. They learn by exploring what is collectively known from past and unfolding experiences. Evidence showed that learning deepens as Toad NUTS members perceive their praxis as meaningful and their identities evolve as their knowledge and experience grows. This strengthens members’ sense of belonging and identification with the Toad NUTS group. In time the group develops a reputation and the wider community acknowledges the expertise and knowledge that resides with the group. With respect to Goal 3, it was found that volunteers who have a predisposition for environmental citizenship are more likely to join a citizen science group. Although volunteers care about nature and want to make a difference, it is after gaining access to the embedded knowledge and knowledge processes of the citizen science group that they realise meaningful sustainable solutions to the issue(s) that the project is concerned with. It was found that knowledge paired with reasoned practice enables the agency of volunteers to bring about positive and meaningful change in the local environment. If facilitated carefully, citizen science can make positive contributions to the field, in this instance, conservation, while allowing volunteers to exercise environmental citizenship engaging in participative governance with regard to the project.
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- Date Issued: 2015
Exploring Grade 12 biology teachers' perceptions and experiences of the dissemination and utilization of Examiners' reports in the Khomas region of Namibia: a case study
- Authors: Bezuidenhoudt, Anthea
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Biology -- Examinations -- Namibia , Biology -- Study and teaching -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2021 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017332
- Description: Teachers’ perceptions are that currently dissemination in schools is ineffective and must change. The tensions that surround the dissemination of the reports are late arrival of Examiners’ reports which clash with preparation of learners for the first term examinations. Furthermore, the time the Examiners’ reports get into teachers’ hands are late and thus result in teachers rushing through it to incorporate the recommendations given in it in the second term or in some instances teachers do not attend to it at all. The number of copies of the Examiners’ reports provided to schools appears to be inadequate. HODs still having to duplicate reports before disseminating them add to their work load and further delay dissemination of the reports to individual subject teachers. Although the teaching and learning approach in Namibian classrooms should be based on LCE, dissemination of the actual physical reports are currently restricted to teachers only with them only verbally communicating feedback given in the reports to their learners. Support in dissemination of Examiners’ reports from peers and superiors in the majority of the schools appear to be lacking. Changes would like to be seen in the timing the Examiners’ reports are available at schools, the number of hard copies provided to schools and exploring and embarking on alternative ways of disseminating the reports. The percentage of utilization of the Examiners’ reports is relatively high, yet still not the optimum. A reasonable number of Namibian learners are disadvantaged and not exposed to a source of information that can make their Biology learning more efficient because some of their teachers are not using Examiners’ reports in their teaching. The main reason for non-utilization of the reports by Biology teachers is a result of inefficient dissemination at individual schools. The argument being that if the reports are not given to the teachers they and especially novice teachers will not know about the existence of this useful teaching and learning resource. Examiners’ reports are an important and systematic impartial source of high quality data on learning in the Namibian education system. Therefore, effective dissemination and utilization of the reports must be advocated and strengthened. DNEA and the Khomas regional office should embark on tapping into available development in information technology by doing research into the possibility of disseminating the Examiners’ reports electronically. A pilot in this regard should be conducted in the Khomas region as a measure to ensure dissemination can become more efficient in the future. To ensure that teachers optimally utilize the Examiners’ reports, they should be provided to schools when the school first term commences. The Khomas regional office should strengthen their involvement in utilization by arranging annual workshops where the content of the reports can be discussed to ensure that the feedback given in the reports can aid in developing and strengthening Biology teachers’ subject content knowledge as well as pedagogical content knowledge. Optimal utilization of Examiners’ reports can enable mediation in learners which can ensure effective learning and mastery of Biology by learners which can ultimately lead to an improvement in pass rate in Biology. Therefore, appropriate support to aid teachers’ professional development can enhance maximum utilization. Furthermore, an area for future research could be to give the Examiners’ reports to learners to determine the impact it has on their learning.
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- Date Issued: 2015
Exploring lecturer experiences of the use of ICT in blended learning : a case study at a South African university
- Authors: Ntlabathi, Siyanda
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Blended learning -- South Africa , Information technology -- South Africa , Education, Higher -- Technological innovations , Computer-assisted instruction -- South Africa , Internet in education -- South Africa , Educational technology -- South Africa , Critical realism
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2044 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017355
- Description: ICTs have had a tremendous impact on our educational environment. There have been a huge number of developments and support in implementation of ICT in Higher Education teaching and learning, also referred to as e-learning. Similarly there appears to be quite a number of research conducted on the use of ICTs in blended learning settings worldwide and as well as in South Africa. Very little research however, has focussed on the experiences of lecturers with e-learning, specifically as it relates to Learning Management Systems (LMS). In trying to meet the requirements of its academic programmes and be in line with new developments worldwide, the University which is the focus of this study pilot projected the use of an LMS in a blended learning approach which integrates face-to-face classes with Blackboard, an ICT-based system or tool. Following the implementation of the pilot project, this study explores the experiences of lecturers in their blended learning environments at this university in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The research design was that of an interpretative paradigm within a qualitative research approach in a case study methodology. Purposive sampling of six lecturers from departments within faculties across two campuses was done. The data was gathered through interviews, a follow-up questionnaire and document analysis was employed. Using Critical and Social Realism as meta-theories the study employed aspects of Activity Theory as substantive theory to understand particular experiences of blended learning environments and identify conditions which enable and constrain engagement in these environments so as to explore potential lessons to inform the kind of educational support which could be offered to facilitate uptake of the LMS.
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- Date Issued: 2015
Horns of dilemma : Department head and subject teacher : a case study of Heads of Department in a public secondary school, northern Namibia
- Authors: Naundobe, Robert Natukondye
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: High school department heads -- Namibia , High school teachers -- Workload -- Namibia , Teacher effectiveness -- Namibia , Educational leadership -- Namibia , Conflict of interests
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2043 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017354
- Description: The accountability and responsibilities of school leaders have intensified greatly over the past decades and school leadership has become a strong focus of research. Meanwhile, Bush (2003) asserts that “school leaders [experience] tensions between competing elements of leadership, management and administration” (p. 7). This study uses observations, questionnaires, interviews and document analysis to unpack the perceptions of four Heads of Department (HoDs), the principal, and eight teachers on the tensions inherent in balancing the responsibilities of department head and subject teacher for HoDs in public secondary school. The study goes beyond the mere task of influence in its attempts to unpack how the leadership and teaching practices of HoDs may, or may not, be in conflict with each other. Using distributed leadership as a theoretical framing and drawing in particular on the work of Spillane and colleagues (2001; 2004), the study examines the roles HoDs enact; the challenges HoDs encounter in enacting their responsibilities as department head and subject teacher; and the strategies HoDs employ to combat the emerging challenges. The study found that the roles of HoDs are extensive and stretch across the classroom, the department, the whole school and beyond. However, the majority of these roles are biased in favour of management systems and processes and opportunities for leadership are rare. The many and extensive management responsibilities of the HoDs limit both their classroom teaching as well as their agency as leaders. The weight of their management work thus restricts their leadership, resulting in an authorised form of distributed leadership (Grant, 2010). The data also revealed that HoDs struggle to balance the responsibilities of department head and subject teacher due to both inter-role and intra-sender conflict. However, the study also found that the HoDs strategically adopt a range of strategies to assist them in doing their work, these include: compensatory teaching; delegation; and planning and prioritizing.
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- Date Issued: 2015
Improving reading ability and academic performance through working memory training
- Authors: Mukheibir, Adrienne Jayne
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Reading -- Ability testing , Short-term memory , Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/4840 , vital:20716
- Description: This dissertation is based on the results of a study that used a working memory (WM) adaptive computer programme known as Jungle Memory to determine whether training WM would have a positive impact on learners with reading difficulties, which would ultimately lead to an improvement in their overall academic performance. A pragmatic paradigm has been used, involving a mixed methodology that allowed for a postpositivistic as well as a constructive approach. The first section of the investigation involved the quantitative component, where specific variables (performance levels of the sample of learners) were determined. Thereafter, empirical measures were used to determine if these specific variables increased once the WM intervention programme had been completed. Concurrently, in the qualitative component, the sample group (namely the teachers working with these learners) provided qualitative information to verify if any changes in the participants were observed after the intervention. The participants included 30 boys who attend an ex Model C School in the Eastern Cape where I teach, all of whom had been identified as experiencing various reading difficulties and were receiving remedial assistance. The boys were placed into three groups according to specific criteria: Group A had all been diagnosed as having ADHD and were being treated pharmaceutically for the disorder; Group B all had significant ADHD symptoms but were not receiving any pharmaceutical assistance to alleviate these symptoms; and Group C displayed no significant ADHD symptoms. Five boys from each subgroup formed the Experimental group and the other five formed the Control group in each stratum. The participants' class-based teachers involved in the qualitative component of the study provided information-rich data regarding any notable progress made by each participant. Each participant took part in a battery of pre-assessment tests to determine their general level of academic performance. These assessments included the following well-known standardised tests in South Africa: the Young Group Reading Test, the Essi Reading Test, the Essi Spelling Test and the Vassi Mathematics Proficiency Test. The participants from all three Experimental Groups then took part in the eight week intervention programme, Jungle Memory, while the Control groups continued with their regular remedial programme. At the end of the eight weeks, all the participants were re-assessed using the same standardised tests.The findings from this study revealed that the participants from all three strata of the Experimental group showed significant improvements in the quantitative postassessment results and twelve of the fifteen also showed significant improvements in the comments made by the teachers in the qualitative component. The majority of the participants from the Control groups however, made very little progress in both components, and these small improvements were probably due to other variables such as maturity, incidental WM improvements through observing their peers, or familiarity with the tests.
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- Date Issued: 2015
Investigating a way of teaching transformation geometry in grade 9 applying van Hiele’s theory and Kilpatrick’s model : a case study
- Authors: Geja, Nokuzola Hlaleleni
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Hiele, Pierre M. van , Kilpatrick, Jeremy , Transformations (Mathematics) , Geometry -- Study and teaching (Secondary) , Geometry -- Mathematical models , Educational tests and measurements
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2066 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020601
- Description: Transformation geometry has been neglected in our schools because teachers are often not proficient enough to teach it, as it was not part of the syllabus during their training. The study investigates effective ways of teaching transformation geometry in grade 9, applying van Hiele’s theory (1986) of geometry teaching and learning and Kilpatrick’s model of mathematical proficiency. The teaching programme activities require consistent use of physical manipulatives by the teacher for effective teaching, learning and understanding of geometric concepts. The type of study is a case study. Data collection tools are: - baseline evaluation, teacher & learner interviews (pre & post programme intervention) and observation (pre & post) during the implementation of the teaching programme. Results were analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively. My research findings show some improvement of learner performance after the application of the programme. Baseline evaluation shows that some learners attained below and above 30%. Interviews showed that some learners had problems before the implementation of the programme and some problems were eliminated by the use of the programme activities and learning progression was evident. Learner performance showed that learners had acquired some knowledge and critical thinking and reasoning skills, reflection skills, communication through LOLT improved, commitment to activities of the programme and teaching practice had improved. Learner performance showed that a learner can be in two different levels at the same time. Consistent use of manipulatives resulted in effective teaching and learning of geometry in grade 9. The results of this research support other researchers’ views of teaching geometry using van Hiele’s theory (1986) and Kilpatrick et al. (2001). Shaw (2002) argues that teaching geometry with manipulatives enhances conceptual understanding by the learner. In my opinion, it also promotes immediate intervention by the teacher as soon as the learner picks an incorrect object. The project enhanced and improved levels of communication between the learner, teacher and others in the classroom.
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- Date Issued: 2015
Investigating how a peer teaching programme could shape the mathematical experience of the participating tutors
- Authors: Lubasi, Justin Mwandamena
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Secondary) , Peer teaching , Mathematical ability
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2039 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017350
- Description: This case study, involving six Grade 10 learners, investigates how a peer tutoring programme could shape the mathematical experience and disposition of the participating tutors. The study is grounded in an interpretive paradigm and data was collected in four sequential phases. The Mathematics Dispositional Functions Inventory (MDFI) instrument was completed by the tutors prior to commencement of the tutoring programme. The tutoring sessions then took place over a three week period during which time each tutor kept a reflective journal. Semi-structured interviews were then conducted, after which each tutor completed the MDFI instrument again in order to track any potential changes in their mathematical disposition. The study found that the participating tutors showed an improved mathematics disposition after the peer tutoring experience. Not only was the peer tutoring programme an empowering experience for the tutors, it also had a positive influence on both the tutors’ self-confidence as well as their perceived mathematical ability.
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- Date Issued: 2015
Investigating quality in Education through the use of an active learning framework : the case of an intervention in the Namibian Environmental Studies curriculum
- Authors: Jacobs, Nicola Clara
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Environmental education -- Study and teaching -- Activity programs -- Namibia -- Windhoek , Active learning -- Namibia -- Windhoek , Education -- Evaluation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2058 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1019803
- Description: The study was conducted to explore the relationship between active learning processes emerging from the use of O’Donoghue’s (2001) active learning framework and a series of education quality indicators proposed by Nikel and Lowe (2010). To achieve this aim a professional educational intervention was conducted encouraging the use of this active learning framework in the Namibian Environmental Studies Curriculum, in order to strengthen educational quality within the Environmental Studies Curriculum. The research was conducted in the Windhoek region at the school where I am currently teaching. Four teachers took part in this study, including myself in the role of a participantobserver. The active learning framework was used to guide us in the planning and presentations of environmental learning lessons. The study was conducted within the interpretive paradigm and was qualitative in nature as well as focusing on a quantitative aspect to analyse some of the data (learners’ written work). Qualitative data were generated through individual interviews, focus-group discussions, lesson observations and document analysis. The key findings of the study were that: a) prior to the intervention with the active learning framework the teachers who took part in the study did not ask learners to explore environmental issues in the environment or to respond to particular environmental issues; b) active learning processes have the potential to facilitate the exploration of environmental issues in the environment, and responses to particular environmental issues. Active learning also have the potential to strengthen all aspects of education quality indicated in Nikel and Lowe’s (2010) quality model, namely effectiveness, efficiency, equity, relevance, responsiveness, reflexivity and sustainability; c) the active learning framework encouraged teachers to use a variety of situated learning approaches, such as the collaborative method, the cooperative method, the problem-solving method and the enquiry method, in order to strengthen the educational quality in Environmental Studies classrooms; and d) teachers find the active learning framework useful as a tool for planning and presenting environmental learning lessons. The findings of the study have the potential to inform curriculum developers, materials developers and educators with an interest in improving education quality through environmental learning processes within the Environmental Studies Curriculum in Namibia. Furthermore, Nikel and Lowe’s education quality indicators provided an informative and comprehensive understanding of education quality and provided a useful tool in evaluating and reflecting on education quality as well as my own work as a teacher.
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- Date Issued: 2015
Investigating the effects of using a science writing heuristic approach in first year mechanical engineering laboratory report writing at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
- Authors: Papu, Kholisa Zizipho
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Technical writing -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/3011 , vital:20386
- Description: The extent to which writing can be used to promote learning from laboratory activities has received limited attention in engineering contexts in South Africa. In this study the Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) approach and aspects of academic literacies approach were used to develop laboratory report writing among first year mechanical engineering students. The intervention utilised a modified report writing template for engineering practical sessions which focused on argumentation, conceptual understanding, critical thinking and language literacies. Quantitative and qualitative data were generated via pre-post-analysis of the modified practical report template, Cornell Critical Thinking Test, questionnaires, as well as focus group interviews with students; and individual interviews with staff, on their perceptions of the SWH. The sample (n=56 matched pairs) was divided into three groups through convenience sampling. Group 1 (n=15) utilised an online intervention, Group 2 (n=20) utilised a paper-based intervention and Group 3 (n=21) utilised a standard paper-based laboratory report template. Statistically significant differences with large effect sizes were obtained between group scores from pre- to post-tests in terms of argumentation and language. No differences between the pre-post-test changes in terms of group conceptual scores (n= 91) were found and there was a drop in scores from pre- to post-test in terms of critical thinking (n= 56). Overall, the data indicates that the SWH approach improved students‟ argumentation and language literacies with large effect sizes. Focus group interviews revealed that students believed that the SWH approach made them “think deeper” and that they preferred the intervention (SWH) over the traditional approach. The apparent unawareness of the academics concerned in terms of argument-based inquiry provides a possible answer for their use of assessment strategies focused only on concepts. Focus group interviews revealed that students believed that the SWH approach made them “think deeper” and that they preferred the intervention (SWH) over the traditional approach. The apparent unawareness of the academics concerned in terms of argument-based inquiry provides a possible answer for their use of assessment strategies focused only on concepts.
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- Date Issued: 2015
Investigating the inclusion of environmental learning in the Life Science Grade 10 curriculum : a case study of three Namibian schools
- Authors: Joseph, Cecilia Namuhuya
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Life sciences -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia -- Omusati , Environmental education -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia -- Omusati , Curriculum-based assessment -- Namibia -- Omusati , Pedagogical content knowledge , Educational tests and measurements -- Namibia -- Omusati
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2033 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017344
- Description: This study was carried out to investigate how Grade 10 Life Science teachers in three schools in the Omusati region of Namibia are including Environmental Learning (EL) in terms of the curriculum policy. A qualitative approach was used to generate data through document analysis, interviews and classroom observations to investigate the application of the policy of including environmental learning in classroom curriculum practice. The research was primarily directed towards examining constraints and enabling factors in the context of the three schools that participated in the study. The study revealed that teaching strategies for the inclusion of environmental learning were not widely evident, suggesting disparities between the policy of enabling environmental education through the inclusion of environmental learning across the curriculum. It was notable that teacher knowledge and interest in environmental education influence how they include environmental learning and that assessment practices narrow the scope of environmental learning in ways that do not include critical thinking and problem solving skills. The study concludes that despite diverse constraints inhibiting inclusion, the evidence suggests that the inclusion of environmental learning in Namibia’s Life Science curriculum can enable environmental education. The above main findings are used to make recommendations toward strengthening environmental content knowledge of teachers and to improve assessment practices. It was also noted that some of the environmental learning constraints could be transformed into enablers with more teacher support and by making a better link between environmental learning theories and practices. This will involve a redirection of the curriculum documents as well as the provision of other learning support materials to support environmental learning. The study has enabled me to conclude that what is happening should be encouraged so that it continues and is strengthened although the implementation of environmental learning is not as clear as the policy had mapped out.
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- Date Issued: 2015
Investigating the reasons for the high failure rate in the subject mathematics as part of the national certificate (NCV) at Port Elizabeth College
- Authors: Dolley, Ziyaad
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: School failure -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Mathematics -- Study and teaching -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Teachers -- Training of -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/9011 , vital:26456
- Description: Over the past years the FET Colleges sector has been plagued by high failure rates in mathematics and science as part of the National Curriculum (Vocational) course. This study sought to investigate the possible reasons for the high failure rates in NCV mathematics at Iqhayiya Campus of PE College. The purpose of the research was to elicit these possible reasons from students who currently are doing the NCV mathematics course at the Iqhayiya Campus. This study follows a mixed method design using both quantitative and qualitative results. Quantitative data were gathered by means of questionnaires submitted to students doing NCV mathematics at the Iqhayiya Campus. A Likert scale was used to evaluate the questionnaires. The qualitative data for this study was collected through researcher questions in focus group interviews. The study concludes with recommendations to the management of PE College, the Department of Higher Education and all relevant role players.
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- Date Issued: 2015
Parental involvement in school governance: a case study of a secondary school in Okahandja, Namibia
- Authors: Shikwambi, Victoria
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Parent-teacher relationships -- Namibia -- Okahandja , Education -- Parent participation -- Namibia -- Okahandja , School management and organization -- Namibia -- Okahandja , School boards -- Namibia -- Okahandja
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2047 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017358
- Description: Since Namibia gained independence parents have increasingly been seen as equal partners in the education process. The Education Act 16 of 2001 provides for the democratic participation in schools by parents, learners and other education stakeholders through the introduction of regional Education Forums and School Boards in schools Parental involvement in school governance has been widely researched and has become a ‘hot topic’ worldwide, including in Namibia. This study investigated and described parental involvement through the School Board in school governance in a secondary school in Otjozondjupa region, Namibia. The study was conducted within a qualitative, interpretive paradigm. The study employed three data collection tools namely, semi-structured interviews, document analysis and observation. The School Board was made up of parents of different classes and backgrounds, i.e. employed, unemployed, professionals and business persons and with different levels of educational background. These members create a network that represents the voices of parents from different social groups, with different levels of social capital. The different levels of social capital shape the nature of the contributions and interactions on the Board. The study found that in spite of the frequency of interaction between the School Board, parents and the community the School Board is still in a dilemma as it is unable to connect with its prominent source of potential support, such as the business community, due to an outdated view that the school is well-off based on its historic status of privilege. With respect to communications with parents the focus tends to be on the negatives of learners’ behaviour or performance and the task of the parents in this regard. Broadening the agenda of the collaboration to include positive aspects of the child would add to the motivation of parents and open possibilities for new forms of collaboration. The school lacks a well-coordinated system for utilizing the available resources as well as community expertise for the benefit of the school. On the strength of the findings, one of the recommendations is for a more structured program and strategy for the Boards various interactions with the community and parents.
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- Date Issued: 2015