An exploration of the way in which values and valuing processes might strengthen social learning in water stewardship practices in South Africa
- Authors: Barnes, Garth
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Integrated water development -- South Africa -- Case studies , Water conservation -- South Africa -- Case studies , Water-supply -- Moral and ethical aspects -- South Africa , Environmental education -- South Africa , Social learning -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1975 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1012940
- Description: This qualitative study, focussing on the way in which values and valuing processes might strengthen social learning in water stewardship practices in South Africa, is located within the broader global narrative that describes the scale of human impact on our Earth systems and that is setting humanity on a trajectory that threatens to place us beyond the safe operating spaces called planetary boundaries. For humanity to live within planetary boundaries – one of which is global freshwater use –will take a new way of relating to the environment called Earth stewardship, which calls for a new ethic of responsibility towards Earth systems. It is at the local level of stewardship within a global approach to water resources management called integrated water resources management that this qualitative study is contextually bound. Two case studies, located in the catchment management forums (CMFs) of the Upper Vaal catchment of Gauteng, South Africa, are used in an exploration of the way in which values and valuing processes might strengthen social learning in water stewardship practices in South Africa. The meta-theory of critical realism is used to help explore this relationship between values, practice and social learning. The study uses document analysis, interviews and observation of selected water stewardship practices to identify held and assigned values, and valuing processes and their influence on social learning, and the framing and de-framing processes that occur in social learning oriented towards water stewardship practices. The study differentiates between held and assigned values and identifies a strong altruistic-held values tendency that characterises forum participants who practice water stewardship in the two case study sites. Most water stewardship practice, identified in the case study sites, manifests as compliance activities in the public – or forum – space, while private-sphere environmentalism is mostly left to the confines of the individual’s private household. Lastly, the CMFs seem to have the potential to provide a space for social learning that is not yet maximised. Drawing from these key findings, the study’s major recommendation is that forums that facilitate learning, either using the current CMF structure or creating new opportunities, need to be provided as a conduit for social learning and reflexivity to make the existing boundaries between private and public forms of water stewardship more porous. This social learning may expand social practice and thus strengthen social change processes that expand water stewardship practices.
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An investigation into the nature of grade 4 learners’ evolving mathematics learning dispositions: a case study of 3 learners participating in an after school mathematics club
- Authors: Hewana, Diliza Ronald
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- Case studies , Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- Psychological aspects , After-school programs -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Students -- Attitudes -- Case studies , Education, Elementary -- South Africa -- Grahamstown
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1983 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013140
- Description: Through a qualitative case study approach this research investigated the nature of three Grade 4 learners’ mathematical learning dispositions. It further explored how these dispositions evolve within the context of their participation in a weekly after school mathematics club over time. Of particular significance the research drew on the dispositional frameworks of Kilpatrick, Swafford and Findell’s (2001) and Carr & Claxton (2002) and pointed to ways in which these framework can be usefully brought together to provide a richer picture of learning dispositions. Kilpatrick, Swafford and Findell’s (2001) framework of mathematical proficiency involves five interrelated strands of which productive disposition is the fifth strand and largely underresearched (Graven, 2012). This strand is defined as ‘the tendency to see sense in mathematics, to perceive it as both useful and worthwhile, to believe that steady effort in learning mathematics pays off, and to see oneself as an effective learner and doer of mathematics’ (Kilpatrick, Swafford and Findell, 2001, p. 131). Carr & Claxton (2002) similarly argue for the importance of learning dispositions and point to the importance of resilience, playfulness and resourcefulness as three key indicators. The research outlines findings of the three case study learners in terms of data obtained from a questionnaire and interview about students’ learning dispositions. The interview asked learners various questions including for example, complete the sentence ‘Maths is…’, describe an effective learner of mathematics and say what you do if you don’t know an answer. The instrument was first administered orally and learners were asked to write their answers (in May 2012) and a year later it was administered as an interview by the club facilitator (in May 2013). While there is the limitation of comparison due to the different ways in which learners responded in 2012 (written) and 2013 (oral) the shifting nature of responses in certain respects provides some indication of shifts towards increasingly productive dispositions. Additionally the research analysed detailed transcripts of video recordings of several club sessions over a five-month period. Findings suggest ways of extending dispositional frameworks and that learners have restricted dispositions particularly in terms of sense making and resourcefulness across time. The findings also suggest shifts in dispositions over time especially in terms of seeing steady effort as paying off.
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An investigation into understanding of academic literacies of students registered in Early Childhood Development courses
- Authors: Hackmack, Karin Erna
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Academic writing -- Study and teaching -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Discourse analysis , Information literacy -- Study and teaching (Higher) , Information literacy -- Social aspects , Early childhood education -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Education -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africa -- Grahamstown
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1996 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013548
- Description: Purpose and research questions- This research was based on students enrolled on courses at Rhodes University's Centre for Social Development, an Institute delivering Early Childhood Development courses in the Grahamstown area. Having provided the students with access to a career path and its courses, it was imperative to assist the students to develop a standard of academic literacy comparable to that of in-service education students, in the Intermediate and Senior Phases. This study was influenced by Gee's (2004) definition of literacy as 'mastery over a discourse'. Gee (1990) termed discourse as the socially accepted way of thinking, believing and being. The study therefore investigated the enablers which assisted students to produce academic texts. This was achieved by finding out how the students and the course facilitators construct academic literacy; in other words what their discourses were regarding academic literacy. In order to ascertain this information, the students and the course facilitators were asked what reading and writing the students had done prior to enrolling on the course, what they had brought to the course, what the students and the course facilitators thought comprised a successful academic assignment, and how the students were supported in their academic literacy during the course. Data was gathered through interviews with both students and course facilitators, analysis of course assignments, and assessment reports written by the course facilitators. This data was analysed, looking for discourses on similarities and contradictions. Critical Discourse analysis was used to investigate the discourses that the course facilitators and students were using. Findings: It was evident from the data that the autonomous view of literacy was predominantly used. The course facilitators and, to a limited extent, the students, saw literacy as a set of technical skills that needed to be mastered. The students and course facilitators did not take into account that literacy is a social practice, and that literacy occurs within a particular social context and cultural context. The course facilitators tended to hold a deficit discourse related to the perception of inferior education under Bantu Education, which was seen as an inhibiting factor to academic literacy and academic success. The discourse of second language was also an issue that both the course facilitators and the students noted which prevented students' academic literacy. Christie's (1985) Received Tradition of Literacy, which focused on the forms and functions of literacy, was a discourse that both the students and the course facilitators ascribed to. Conclusions and recommendations: The course facilitators' and students' discourses were very similar, both being embedded within the autonomous and deficit models of literacy. It is recommended that course facilitators become cognisant with the models of academic literacy and that they become aware of the various discourses evident on the course and articulate these discourses for themselves. Furthermore they should assist the students by clearly articulating and unpacking the course requirements regarding academic literary.
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An investigation of a mathematics recovery programme for multiplicative reasoning to a group of learners in the South African context : a case study approach
- Authors: Mofu, Zanele Abegail
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Multiplication -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- South Africa -- Case studies , Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- South Africa -- Case studies , Learning -- Research -- South Africa , Mathematics -- Study and teaching -- Evaluation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1991 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013333
- Description: This thesis describes an intervention using the Mathematics Recovery programme in a South African context with a small sample of Grade 4 learners. The study uses a qualitative case study approach. The data collection included video recorded one-to-one oral interviews with the learners. I used the Learning Framework in Number (LFIN) developed by Wright, Martland, Stafford and Stanger (2006) to profile the learners using pre and post intervention interview data and to determine their levels of multiplicative reasoning. The analysis showed the positive impact of the Mathematics Recovery programme on the improvement of multiplicative reasoning. The study contributes to the use of Mathematics Recovery programmes in South Africa from both a teacher and teacher educator perspective.
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An investigation of stakeholder participation and learning in two schools within the Seychelles Eco-School programme
- Authors: Emilie, Shane Antonio
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Environmental education -- Seychelles Schools -- Environmental aspects -- Seychelles Education, Primary -- Parent participation -- Seychelles Education, Secondary -- Parent participation -- Seychelles Student participation in administration -- Education (Primary) -- Seychelles Student participation in administration -- Education (Secondary) -- Seychelles Student participation in curriculum planning -- Education (Primary) -- Seychelles Student participation in curriculum planning -- Education (Secondary) -- Seychelles Education, Primary -- Seychelles Education, Secondary -- Seychelles
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1969 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011961
- Description: The aim of this study was to investigate stakeholder participation and learning in the Seychelles Eco-School programme within a primary school context and a secondary school context. Findings from each Eco-School have been presented in two case studies with the goal to explore and describe how teachers, students, parents and organizations are participating and learning in the Eco-School programme. Six elements of school community were used to deepen understanding of the participatory and learning processes in each Eco-School, namely, leadership, management and administration, curriculum planning, teaching and learning, resource use and management, management of physical surrounds of the school and networks and partnerships. Some of the contextual variables in each Eco-School that were constraining and enabling stakeholder participation and learning in the programme have also been explored within this study. Data in this study was generated from historical documents analysed, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and field notes. Data was also generated from questionnaires completed by organizations involved in the programme at each Eco- School. Data was analysed in two phases, the first phase involved reading across data generated from the methods mentioned above to organize the data under broad themes in relation to the elements of school community. The second phase of analysis involved the use of the conceptual framework of situating learning in a community of practice to interpret and discuss the participatory and learning processes across the two cases. The study showed that in each Eco-School there is a community of practice with the active involvement of teachers and students and the occasional involvement of parents and organizations. Students and adults are learning as they engage together in classroom and field-work interactions, environmental projects, environmental activities to commemorate environmental theme days, environmental campaigns and co-curricular activities through the practices of each Eco-School community. It was also discovered that students and adults are making different contributions in the Eco-School community based on their level of participation in the programme. It is hoped that the findings in this research contribute information regarding community participation in environmental education programmes like the Seychelles Eco-School programme. In addition, findings will inform the Seychelles Government and its partners to consider the possibility of enhancing school and community partnerships to respond to some of the challenges of participation and learning in the Eco-School programme.
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An investigation of Wikipedia translation as an additive pedagogy for Oshikwanyama first language learning
- Authors: Hautemo, Aletta Mweneni
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Kuanyama language -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Computer-assisted instruction , Kuanyama language -- Machine translating -- Namibia , Language and languages -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Computer-assisted instruction , Computer-assisted instruction -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia , Information technology -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia , Educational technology -- Namibia , Wikipedia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1982 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013139
- Description: The integration of Information and Communication Technology in the indigenous language classroom lags behind compared to other subjects. In many ways, indigenous language teachers find it difficult and to some extent, impossible to integrate ICT into their classroom activities. The focus of this study is to explore the ways in which ICT could be used as a learning tool in an Oshikwanyama First Language classroom. I investigated the use of Wikipedia translation as an additional teaching and learning tool. I concentrated on the impact that ICT tools have on learning, and the motivation it has on learners to learn Oshikwanyama. This qualitative case study was conducted in an urban school in northern Namibia. The adoption of ICT at the school is good as there is a full-fledged computer lab with unlimited wireless internet access. This was a requirement for the project to enable the participants to work online. I purposefully chose higher-level learners (Secondary phase) for this study. I conducted a survey with them on their access to and use of ICT devices in their daily lives, and thereafter conducted a basic computer workshop and a Wikipedia translation project with them. My research findings show that although the use of ICT is part of the learners’ lives, most of the communication through ICT devices is done in English not Oshikwanyama. Wikipedia translation offers a stimulating learning platform for learners to learn Oshikwanyama and English at the same time and this improved their performance in both languages. Furthermore, the Wikipedia translation, which was done collaboratively, gave learners the confidence to work with other learners to create knowledge. Lastly, Wikipedia translation motivates learners to learn Oshikwanyama and use it in their daily ICT interaction.
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Examining the nature of the relationship between learners' conceptual understanding and their mathematical dispositions in the context of multiplication
- Authors: Ndongeni, Siviwe Lungelwa
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Multiplication -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- South Africa , Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- South Africa , Problem solving in children , Multiplication -- Ability testing
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1987 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013217
- Description: The focus of this study is to explore three key aspects of learners’ multiplicative proficiency: the nature of learners’ conceptual understanding of multiplication, the nature of learners’ numeracy dispositions (in the context of learning multiplication), and the relationship between conceptual understanding and productive dispositions in the context of multiplication. The study used a qualitative case study approach to gather rich data in relation to these. In the study a purposively selected sample of six Grade 4 learners was used from the same school: two high, two average, and two low performers. Kilpatrick, Swafford, and Findell (2001) define conceptual understanding as a functional grasp of mathematical ideas and its significant indicator is being able to represent mathematical situations in different ways and knowing how different representations can be useful for different purposes. They then refer to productive disposition as the ‘tendency to see sense in mathematics, to perceive it as both useful and worthwhile, to believe that steady effort in learning mathematics pays off, and to see oneself as an effective learner and doer of mathematics’ (p.131). Individual interviews were conducted using Wright, et al.’s (2006) instrument for exploring the nature of students’ conceptual understanding of multiplication. Wright, et al. (2006) argue that the topics of multiplication and division build on the students’ knowledge of addition and subtraction, and also multiplication and division provide foundational knowledge for topics such as fractions, ratios, proportion and percentage, all of which are core and essential areas of mathematical learning typically addressed in the primary or elementary grades. Researchers agree that learners have to be exposed to various strategies so that they are able to see that there is a difference between additive reasoning and multiplicative reasoning. In order to classify learners’ conceptual understanding of multiplication an analysis of the data was done and learners were allocated levels according to the Wright, et al. (2006) levels of achievement. For the classification of learner dispositions, the data was analysed in terms of the elements of productive disposition as defined by Kilpatrick, et al. (2001) and Carr and Claxton (2002). The key findings of the study indicate that for conceptual understanding most of the learners depended on using concrete materials in solving multiplication and they also used basic strategies and methods. The findings for productive dispositions were that most of the learners saw themselves as competent in doing multiplication but the aspect of sense making and steady effort was less developed. The findings for the relationship between conceptual understanding and productive disposition were that both strands have a mutual relationship in which one helped the other to develop.
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Foundation Phase teachers’ responses to curriculum change in South Africa over the past two decades: a case study of two schools
- Authors: Nakaonga, Ruth
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Curriculum change -- South Africa , Educational change -- South Africa , Education, Primary -- South Africa , Teachers -- South Africa -- Attitudes
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2002 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1015648
- Description: South Africa has experienced three significant curriculum reforms since 1994. The first of these replaced the ‘apartheid’ curriculum with C2005 based largely on Outcomes Based Education. In the second stage C2005 gave way to the National Curriculum Statements, a simplified version of C2005. Finally, the NCS was replaced with CAPS. This research study investigates the perceptions, attitudes and experiences of teachers implementing these curriculum changes. It focuses in particular on Foundation Phase in 2012, the year in which CAPS was implemented in that phase. It took the form of an interpretive case study, using qualitative data generating and analysis techniques. Principals and selected teachers of two primary schools in Grahamstown – an ex-Model C school and a performing ‘township’ school - were the respondents of the study. Data were generated chiefly through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, supplemented by document analysis and observation. The findings revealed that the teachers in this study are frustrated and angry about the frequency of curriculum change in South Africa. Respondents are particularly critical of OBE and the NCS. While they welcome the need for a departure from ‘apartheid’ curricula, they feel the pedagogical underpinning of the NCS – with its emphasis on learner-centredness – disempowered them as teachers. Hence, they welcomed CAPS which seems to return to content – rather than skills and attitudes – and re-instates the teacher as the chief giver of knowledge and manager of learning.
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Investigating how problem solving skills can be developed using a collaborative learning environment
- Authors: Sonne, Anita
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- South Africa , Social learning , Active learning , Problem solving in children , Educational equalization -- Research -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1977 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013017
- Description: This thesis examines whether problem solving strategies develop and improve through working in a collaborative environment and, if so, how. The study explored the way peer-topeer discussions which are focussed on finding solutions to mathematical problems might shape learners' attitudes and participation in mathematical problem solving. I use the Vygotskian (1978) socio-cultural perspective where the process of learning takes place within the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). Polya's problem solving heuristics (Polya, 1973) and Kilpatrick's "Instructional Triangle" (Kilpatrick, Swafford & Findell, 2001) provided the analytical framework for the study. Seven grade 7 learners from a Ex-Model C school, volunteered to participate in the study. The data gathering process involved an initial problem solving assessment, a written questionnaire, observations and video recordings of the seven learners during a series of after school problem solving sessions and post intervention learner interviews. The study showed that group discussion can have a positive impact on learners' problem solving in several respects: My key findings point to: Mathematical communication does play a role in development of problem solving strategies. A more knowledgeable other, with regards to Vygotsky's (1978) ZPD and Kilpatrick et al's (2001) instructional triangle is a critical factor in the development of problem solving strategies. All five strands of Kilpatrick et al., (2001), strands for mathematical proficiency are required for correct solutions to be calculated. At times Polya's (1973) steps for problem solving move at a rapid pace and are difficult to notice. These steps develop at different speeds for different people.
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Learning pathways for improving rehabilitation practices in the mining industry : two cases of coal mining and borrow pits
- Authors: Mphinyane, Andani
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Coal mines and mining -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa , Environmental education -- South Africa , Sustainable development -- South Africa , Coal miners -- Education (Continuing education) -- South Africa , Borrow pits -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1989 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013271
- Description: This research investigates cases of learning pathways for improving rehabilitation practices for key occupations in the mining industry. The study is set up as a partnership research programme between Rhodes University Environmental Learning Research Centre in South Africa, and the South African Qualification Authority, focussing on workplace learning and sustainability practices. This research programme seeks to understand the implications of the move to a knowledge society, with its emphasis on knowledge building over time, particularly in and for the environmental sector. The research was conducted as a qualitative case study that made use of semi-structured interviews, document analysis, visual photographs and observations as instruments of data gathering. Participants were sampled from two case studies, one in Limpopo province and the other one in Mpumalanga Province, who are directly involved in rehabilitation practices and related education and training programmes. The study makes use of career stories from the key occupations to provide insight into workplace learning pathways to inform education and training in the mining industry. A series of analytical statements captures some of the main findings on early education histories, career choices, learning pathway decisions and experiences related to sustainable practices and some complexities related to learning pathways. Environment and sustainability education is a cross-cutting issue in the NQF; and it pertains to the mining sector, especially to rehabilitation practices, which form the focus of this study as little is known about learning pathways associated with these sustainability practices. Insights from the study should enable the sector to enhance rehabilitation training for key occupations and at the same time encourage lifelong learning contributing towards sustainable development.
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Learning pathways of key occupations relevant to sustainable development in Makana Municipality
- Authors: Mohanoe, Elma Nthabiseng
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Makana Municipality , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Municipal government -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Environmental education -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Sustainable development -- Study and teaching -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Vocational qualifications -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Organizational learning -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Educational equalization -- South Africa -- Grahamstown
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1990 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013322
- Description: This study presents results to be contributed to the field of Environmental Education. It is a new arena for qualifications development and implementation in the South African Education and Training system. The study is located in the context of a joint research programme focusing on understanding issues of articulation and learning pathways development for sustainable development, established between the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) in partnership with Rhodes University, Environmental Learning Research Centre (ELRC). Phase 1 of the SAQA/ELRC research showed that researching workplace learning requires an understanding of learning pathways, if it is to be meaningful. It is for this reason that this research in phase 2 focuses specifically on learning pathways in the context of a local municipality in Makana. Using a case study research approach and qualitative data, this study investigated learning pathways for three occupational categories at different levels in the Makana Municipality: 1) key managerial occupations; 2) key supervisory occupations; and 3) key workers occupations relevant to sustainable development and how they are shaped and experienced. It also identified system and structural factors influencing articulation and access issues relevant to progress in learning pathways relevant to these key occupations. The study was designed using a case study research. Primarily, qualitative research techniques were employed to generate data, including observations, interviews and document analysis. The study used inductive, abductive and retroductive modes of inference to interpret and analyse data, using critical realist and systems perspectives. The findings on worker learning pathways show that there is a discrepancy between the Training Policy and the Environmental Training and Education Strategy of Makana Municipality. The issue of complexity in learning pathways and social structural factors such as inequality emerged as factors that strongly influenced learning pathways for workers. Learning pathways for workers involved in sustainable development practices hardly existed or simply did not exist. Interesting transitions associated with learning pathways such as from home, to work or no schooling in the case of the workers, showed a pattern of emergence. These showed that learning pathways are not accessible and equally available to everyone as can often erroneously be assumed. The findings on supervisor learning pathways show diverse complexities as well as related issues, when compared to the worker’s learning pathways. Issues such as overlapping of study and work emerge as influential to supervisor learning pathways. Lack of support is, however, an influencing factor, but in a different context compared to the workers, and mainly focuses on lack of bursaries, highlighting training policy issues. This aspect was found to also relate to lack of proper resources in order to enable them to learn and do their job better; an issue raised by the workers too. This challenge of lack of support in various forms posed a barrier to learning pathways. Findings related to the manager’s learning pathways show a noticeable gap between the workers, supervisors and managers. The manager’s generally have higher education qualifications related to sustainable development, and in certain cases managers have had exposure to international training related to sustainable development. Factors such as ample opportunities for learning, mentoring, association on professional bodies, and decision making powers influenced the manager’s learning pathways. It was also notable that while managers receive occupationally directed training, it is not necessarily sustainable development related. In theory, the results highlighted a need to understand systems as a whole and how their integration is important in influencing learning pathways. There were also underlying mechanisms and structures identified which needed to be unravelled and understood as these were found to influence learning pathways in this study. The study highlighted critical insights in understanding how learning pathways in a local municipality context (the case of Makana Municipality) are constructed by both systems and structural factors in the workplace, while also identifying ways in which agency of those engaged in learning for sustainable development in workplaces is enabled and /or constrained by such factors. It also showed the persistence of deep-seated inequalities of opportunity, especially for workers, to access and participate in sustainable development learning pathways.
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Master's Degree studies at Rhodes University : access and postgraduate readiness
- Authors: Stephenson, Sandra Lisa
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Rhodes University Universities and colleges -- Graduate work Recognition of prior learning Graduate students Corporate culture
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1967 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011783
- Description: This mixed method, grounded theory study aimed to explore access to Master's level study at Rhodes University, a small, traditional South African university established in 1904, over the ten year period 1999-2008. It also sought to capture the essence of 'postgraduate readiness': the generic (non-certificated) attributes which academics expect graduates to possess in order to undertake Master's degree study. While the majority of students enter Master's level via the formal route (which at Rhodes is an Honours or 4-year bachelor's degree), a significant number are admitted based on the recognition of prior learning (RPL), a practice which is encouraged in South African higher education national policy as a means of widening access and also of acknowledging that learning can take place in ways other than 'formally'. The findings show that while RPL is well defined nationally at the undergraduate level, the concept of RPL at the postgraduate level is vague and largely left to institutional discretion. No national, and few institutional, guidelines are available on which to base the assessment of potential Master's degree students who do not have Honours degrees. Interviews with Deans, supervisors and policy makers at Rhodes indicated that while there is institutional support for admitting alternative access candidates, there is a general perception of deficit compared to those entering the Master's with formal qualifications. However, the statistical findings showed no significant difference in success rates or time taken to completion between students with and without Honours degrees. In addition, comments from supervisors with extensive experience of alternative access students praised the diversity and rich life experience which such students brought to their studies and their peers. The study concludes that an institutional culture characterized by resistance to change, risk and externally imposed regulations at Rhodes has resulted in weak implementation of the University's RPL policy, little marketing or publicizing of alternative access routes to postgraduate study, and low numbers of RPL enrolments at the Master's level. A framework for the assessment of potential Master's candidates - both RPL and formal admissions - for use at Rhodes University and potentially also at other higher education institutions, is proposed in conclusion.
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Raising student teachers’awareness around issues of professional conduct : an action research project
- Authors: Chishimba, Felix Nkalamo
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Teachers -- Training of , Teachers -- Professional ethics , Teachers -- Professional relationships
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2012 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1016338
- Description: The teaching profession, like many other professions, has rules and regulations that guide the conduct of its members. Teachers and those who aspire to take up teaching are expected to conduct themselves and discharge their duties in an impeccably professional manner. However, there is concern especially among education authorities regarding unprofessional conduct of some of those employed in schools and colleges. This action research study is a response to this concern. Its goal was to explore issues of professional conduct as part of the induction process of new members entering the teaching profession, and to thereby develop a better understanding of how best to raise student teachers’ awareness around professional conduct issues. The study used a qualitative research framework located in the interpretive paradigm. Three theoretical frameworks informed the design and subsequent analysis of the findings, namely, Burn’s transformational leadership, Mezirow’s transformative learning and Kolb’s theory of experiential learning. Two cycles of workshops around issues of professional conduct were conducted over a period of four weeks with a sample of 40 pre-service student teachers: final year students enrolled in the college’s three year Diploma in Education programme, all members of a science education class. Data collection strategies used were semi-structured interviews, observation and the use of reflective journals, among others. Analysis of the data involved identification of emerging themes and patterns. Initial findings indicate that prior to the commencement of the cycles of action research, participants appeared to have a limited understanding around issues of professional conduct, but that this changed as they participated in the workshops. The data of the study suggest that further steps need to be taken to establish optimal ways of incorporating professional conduct issues into the college’s teaching curriculum.
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Reading clubs as a literacy intervention tool to develop English vocabulary amongst Grade 3 English second language learners at a school in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape
- Authors: Tshuma, Sibhekinkosi Anna
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Literacy programs -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Group reading -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Children -- Books and reading -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Books and reading -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Second language acquisition Action research Social interaction -- South Africa -- Grahamstown
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1965 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011755
- Description: This study is part of a larger research programme that seeks to contribute towards an understanding of South Africa's complex literacy landscape and formulate strategies that may address these particularly in the Foundation Phase. It is a case study of one public primary school in Grahamstown where isiXhosa is used as a medium of instruction until Grade 3, after which the medium of instruction changes to English. This transition is not helped by the little reading that happens in the language at the FP. The learners under study are Grade 3 isiXhosa first language speakers, learning English as a First Additional Language (FAL) with limited exposure to the language. Through a qualitative participatory action research process, the study investigated the extent to which a reading club in general and a responsive reading programme in particular, might develop learners' English vocabulary at this particular school. The value of reading clubs as a vehicle for second language learning as well as the importance of considering learner needs in the development of the reading programme are key contributions this study makes. The study draws on social constructivism as a theoretical framework based on the principle that learning is a social acitvity. Vygotsky (1978) states that language learning (LL) takes place through interactions in meaningful events, rather that through isolated language activities. The process is seen as holistic, that is, each mode of language supoorts and enhances overall language development. Furthermore, LL develops in relation to the context in which it is used, that is, it develops according to the situation, the topic under discussion and the relationship betwwen participants. Language also develops through active engagement of the learners. The role of the teacher or a more competent other is then seen as that of a facilitator in a learning context in which learners are viewed as equally capable of contributing to their learning through learning from and with each other (Holt and Willard-Holt, 2000). Vygotsky's theory of social interaction has been influential in highlighting the important role of social and cultural contexts in extending children's learning. The preliminary results of this study point toward the importance of the learning environment, particularly an informal environment in second language development. The results also highlight the need for learners (a) to be provided with opportunities to engage with meaningful and authentic texts, (b) to be allowed to make their own book choices, (c) to participate in large group, small group and individual activities to enable them to engage with a variety of texts, and (d) to confront vocabulary in a variety of ways through multiple texts and genres.
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Sediment linkages in a small catchment in the Mount Fletcher southern Drakensberg region, South Africa
- Authors: Mzobe, Pearl Nonjabulo
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Soil erosion -- South Africa -- Mount Fletcher , Soil conservation -- South Africa -- Mount Fletcher , Soil degradation -- South Africa -- Mount Fletcher , Food security -- South Africa , Wetland management -- South Africa -- Mount Fletcher , Watersheds -- South Africa -- Mount Fletcher
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:4879 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013224
- Description: Soil erosion is a persistent problem that requires continued control efforts as agricultural land loses productivity and communities dependent on the land become increasingly vulnerable to decreased food security. The negative effects of soil erosion in Khamopele River catchment, in the Mount Fletcher southern Drakensberg region of South Africa, are manifest in extensive gullying and wetland loss. Soil erosion has resulted in siltation in a recently constructed dam and the alteration of aquatic habitats. This research was undertaken to identify the sources of eroded sediment in the small upper catchments of the Mzimvubu River catchment to inform broader catchment management strategies. The scale of erosion was quantified using field surveys of gully extent and form. Environmental magnetic tracing techniques were used to determine the sources of eroded sediment in Khamopele River and upper Tina River catchments. The radionuclide ¹³⁷Cs was used to determine soil loss over a 55 year period in Khamopele River catchment. The Landscape Connectivity framework was used to describe the sediment source, pathway and sink interactions at sample area level. Results indicated that historical and contemporary land management practices such as uncontrolled grazing, grassland burning and furrows promoted soil erosion in the catchment. Soil erosion was most pronounced in the Taung sample area where there was extensive gullying, tunnelling and subsurface erosion. Environmental magnetic tracing results indicated that there were clear differences in source areas. Despite its prevalence in the area, gully erosion was not shown to be a major source of sediment to downstream sinks. Topsoil and hillslope derived sediment were shown to be mobile in the catchment, suggesting that sheet erosion processes were dominant in the catchment. Radionuclide tracing studies showed that at least 20 cm of soil had been eroded from the Khamopele River catchment surface since 1956. This research has shown that it is possible to distinguish source areas of erosion in the catchment by matching catchment mineral magnetic signatures to those in sink areas. This means that rehabilitation projects can use resources efficiently as the areas needing the most attention can be identified.
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Social learning in community based natural resource management project (CBNRM) : a case study of Chipembere gardening project in Zimbabwe.
- Authors: Mukwambo, Robson
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Social learning -- Zimbabwe , Social learning -- Case studies , Vegetable gardening -- Zimbabwe , Economic development projects -- Zimbabwe
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2014 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1016363
- Description: This investigation of social learning processes in the Chipembere gardening project was conducted in Rockvale village one in Sebakwe communal area in the Midlands province of Zimbabwe. In essence, the study sought to explore how the Chipembere gardening project as a community-based natural resource management initiative (CBNRM), was reflecting and supporting social learning processes of change. It also sought to enrich and deepen an organizational understanding of social learning and to generate ideas and draw recommendations that could be used to strengthen learning in other CBNRM projects. The research was undertaken as a qualitative case study with data generated through semi-structured interviews with individuals and groups. It also included an analysis of project documents and an extended period of participant observation on site and in the gardening activities. Data were indexed and coded for generating analytical memos that were used to extract and represent the scope of social learning interations within the developing project. The study found that within the Chipembere gardening project a wide range of learning interactions were significant in shaping the developing project. Furthermore, these interactions were earmarked as the major drivers of social learning processes within the project. The study concluded that the social learning interactions amongst the gardeners in the Chipembere community garden were instrumental in fostering change that enhanced community livelinhoods and wellbeing.
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Teachers' perceptions of behavioural problems manifested by Grade 11 and 12 learners in three Namibian schools
- Authors: Akawa, Ester Anna Nelago
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Education, Secondary -- Namibia School children -- Namibia -- Attitudes Learning disabilities -- Social aspects Behavior disorders in children -- Education (Secondary) -- Namibia Children with social disabilities -- Education (Secondary) -- Namibia Emotional problems of children -- Education (Secondary) -- Namibia Teachers -- Job stress -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1962 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1010868
- Description: In Namibia today few learners with behavioural and learning problems are within special schools as most are placed within the mainstream school system. Placing these learners within the mainstream system is part of the policy of Inclusive Education (IE) because it argues that this would benefit these learners and also save resources. IE is concerned with addressing barriers to learning and behavioural problems are regarded as one of these barriers. IE argues for a series of new approaches to the diagnosis and response to learners with behavioural problems. This poses challenges for teachers in mainstream schools. Teachers are at the forefront of this situation as they are usually the first to observe and experience the behavioural problems in the schools and are expected to respond appropriately. They find this situation both challenging and problematic. This research explores a sample of teachers’ perceptions of learners’ behavioural problems. To collect in-depth information, this study followed a qualitative approach with a case study design. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews, supplemented with observation and document analysis. The study consisted of fifteen respondents: three principals, three teacher counsellors and nine teachers from the three selected schools. This study illuminates the types of behaviour that teachers encounter, the impact of these behaviours, the factors seen as contributing to these behaviours, and how teachers and the school system deal with these behaviours. In addition the study applies Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model (1992) to explain how the behaviours manifested by Grade 11 and 12 learners, and identified as problematic by teachers, are part of an interconnected nested social system. The results from the study indicate the manifestation of behavioural problems to be common occurrences in secondary schools are evident, amongst others, through fighting, bullying, substance abuse, truancy, and disrespect of teachers and authority. The teachers pointed to the prevalence of these problems as well as the serious impact such problems have on these learners, their fellow learners, and on the teachers. The teachers identified a complex array of what they saw as contributing factors located within the school, peer groups, family and home circumstances, the local community, as well within the national education policy, the economy and society. The study points to some specific, as well as broader, lessons and opportunities for action both for those managing the education system at the national level and for schools and teachers.
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Teachers’ understanding and implementation of inclusive education in an Eastern Cape primary school
- Authors: Mcconnachie, Karola
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Inclusive education -- South Africa , Special education -- South Africa , Education (Primary) -- Government policy -- South Africa , Alcoholism -- Social aspects -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1984 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013150
- Description: Since 2001 the South African Department of Basic Education has been working towards implementing Inclusive Education over a twenty year period. This is in accordance with international trends in education. This study set out to investigate the implementation of Inclusive Education in a South African context by conducting a case study at an Eastern Cape no‐fee‐paying primary school. It looked at how the government policy, as set out in Education White Paper 6 (EWP6) (DoE, 2001), is understood and being implemented by teachers at the Welcome Primary school. The study further investigated the introduction of the National Strategy on Screening, Identification, Assessment and Support (SIAS strategy) (DoE, 2008a) to gain insight into how teachers identify and assess barriers to learning in an ordinary primary school. In addition it looked at emerging factors that could impact on the implementation of this policy. With 16 years teaching experience in ordinary and private schools and 19 years experience in a special needs school as a teacher, head of department and then principal, I have personal experience of the crisis in the Eastern Cape Department of Basic Education. This awareness provided the impetus and interest in researching Inclusive Education policy implementation. It is my view that only when we begin to grapple with the problems right at the source of the education crisis within the majority of the no‐fee‐paying schools that informed decisions about policy and policy implementation can be made. As I am able to understand and converse in isiXhosa, I was able to observe and experience the implementation of EWP6 and the SIAS strategy in a school that is an isiXhosa‐medium ordinary primary school and similar to the majority of ordinary public schools in the district. A qualitative research approach based within an interpretive paradigm using the case study method was used for this study. Semi‐structured interviews, detailed field notes as well as documents generated by meetings and education conferences helped me to investigate and refine my research goals. The research found that the implementation of EWP6 and the SIAS strategy posed a major challenge for the Department of Basic Education, and highlighted the significant gap between ordinary primary schools and special needs schools. However, the fact that there is a partial engagement with the process of providing inclusive education, does present some measure of hope for a better future for those learners that have experienced the injustice of exclusion from education and society. The Eastern Cape Department of Basic Education will have to ‘catch up’ to other provinces in its delivery of every child’s constitutional right to education in an inclusive school environment. Factors emerged from the study that showed that the assessment of learners’ barriers to learning with the resultant support needs was a relatively new concept, as teachers tended to rely on traditional classroom tests and simple informal classroom assessments to assess the learners. Teachers expressed a good verbal knowledge of learners with support needs but found it very challenging to put this verbal knowledge into a written document. In addition there was inadequate support from the District Based Support Team to implement the SIAS strategy. This study showed that the medical model of assessment was still being adhered to in the research district with little evidence of a move to a social model of assessment in terms of the SIAS strategy. In addition, factors emerged indicating the serious impact that alcohol abuse has on children and the society in which they live. The evidence of increasing numbers of children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) in a single educational district is a matter of grave concern from an educational and financial perspective. It is my contention that this is a matter of national urgency and that the Department of Basic Education must confront the escalating problem of alcohol abuse and the resultant challenges of a large number of learners with serious barriers to learning that need to be included in the education system.
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Teaching writing to Grade 5 English language learners in two Grahamstown East schools, South Africa : a case study
- Authors: Julius, Lukas Homateni
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: English language -- Study and teaching (Primary) -- South Africa -- Grahamstown English language -- Written English English language -- Composition and exercises -- Study and teaching (Primary) English language -- Ability testing Teacher effectiveness -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Teachers -- Rating of -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Written communication Second language acquisition
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1971 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011989
- Description: The majority of learners in South Africa are not native speakers of English, yet English is the dominant language of learning and teaching (LoLT). South African teachers, therefore, have the challenge of ensuring that their learners' literacy skills in English are adequately developed so as to facilitate learning in other curricular areas. This study investigated the way in which two Grade 5 teachers employed at different primary schools in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa taught writing to their English first additional language (EFAL) learners. English is the LoLT at both schools. A qualitative interpretive approach was used to identify factors that shape the ways these teachers handle the teaching of writing. The theoretical framework was informed by Borg's model of teacher cognition (2003) Shulman's conception of teacher knowledge (1987). Data collection methods consisted of interviews, classroom observations and document analysis. In-depth interviews, comprising two semi-structured interviews, two post-lesson informal conversational interviews and one stimulated recall interview were conducted with each teacher. Five of each teacher's writing lessons were observed and audio and video recorded. Samples of learners' written work were also collected. Analysis of the data reveals that the two teachers' beliefs, their experiences as learners themselves and subsequently as teachers, impacted on their pedagogy, as did other contextual factors (including the support they received from subject advisors, time management, and the number and range of learners in their classrooms). It was found that both teachers focused primarily on ensuring that their learners completed their written work so that it could be marked and graded in response to demands from their superiors, rather than on engaging deeply with the processes of writing (brainstorming, drafting, revising etc). Not only does this run counter to the writing pedagogy recommended in the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS), but it also denies learners the scaffolding needed to help them develop the self-regulation skills needed to become independent writers. These findings demonstrate the need for assisting teachers to shift away from focusing only on learners' performance (testing and grading) towards a stronger emphasis on the process of writing. This would require that teachers develop a deeper understanding of the process/genre approaches to teaching writing advocated by CAPS.
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The importance's of the physical analogue clock in mediating learning of analogue clock time in Grade 4 learners
- Authors: Metelerkamp, Roger Gregory
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Clocks and watches , Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Elementary) , Time measurements -- Study and teaching (Elementary)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1986 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013169
- Description: My research topic concerns how learners use the analogue clock (as a human tool) to make meaning of clock time. This study is informed by a Vygotskian socio-cultural framework to learning and development based on the concept that human activities take place in cultural contexts and is mediated by tools. In this qualitative study I report on the learners meaning making of analogue clock time using the physical clock. This study was carried out at a South African primary school through an intervention programme after school. The research employed a case study method. It involved a purposeful sample of 4 learners (n=38) from the grade four class group based on their response to a baseline assessment task. The selected sample of learners included learners across the ability spectrum to gain rich insight into how learners make meaning of analogue clock time. Data collection and analysis was done through an interpretive approach. The video-taped interviews and intervention programme was my main instrument of data collection. Other research instruments included document analysis of responses to baseline assessment tasks. These research tools yielded the data collected and also allowed for triangulation. My research topic explored how the learners make meaning of analogue clock time. In particular the two-way movement of how the learners use the physical tool namely the analogue clock to develop meaning and how the clock mediates clock knowledge in return. The findings of the study suggest that learners’ find it difficult to conceptualise analogue clock symbols and signs, in particular, in Afrikaans the half hour concept, in relation to the two hands. The physical analogue clock is also important to support and extend clock knowledge in solving time-related problems. This shows the power of the analogue clock to mediate meaning making of clock time in young learners. Because of its potential to improve teaching and learning analogue clock time in primary school it is therefore recommended that the analogue clock time be further researched in South Africa.
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