Investigating teachers’ post-pandemic management of mathematics content coverage in Grade 3
- Authors: Damaske, Inge Gerda
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020- Influence , Mathematics Study and teaching (Elementary) South Africa City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality , Elementary school teachers South Africa City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality , Educational technology , Curriculum planning
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/463691 , vital:76432
- Description: This study investigated how teachers managed and continue to manage mathematics content coverage in Grade 3 during the COVID-19 pandemic and now post the pandemic. In particular my study sought to understand technologies that teachers may have drawn on during the pandemic in support of curriculum coverage and those that they continue to use. In addition, the study began with a detailed documentary analysis of all available documentation provided to schools and teachers about the management of teaching and curriculum coverage during the pandemic as this provides understanding of the policy and guidelines context in which teachers were working. Thus, in this research I investigated the research questions: i) How have teachers managed the stipulated curriculum coverage in Grade 3 mathematics during the pandemic? and ii) How are teachers continuing to manage this post the pandemic. This included identifying how much and what type of support teachers were given from various stakeholders in the primary education system. Here the levels of support from school principals, governing bodies and more importantly the Department of Basic Education were analysed. This research, situated within an interpretative paradigm, was guided by the sociocultural theory inherent in the concerns-based adoption model. The levels of use within the concerns-based adoption model were adapted to suit the South African context of the study. Participants of the study were 18 teachers from different quintile schools within the Tshwane South District. Key findings included that the Department of Basic Education (DBE) provided a range of documents aimed at adjusting content coverage in response to the altered school calendar during the pandemic. Notable adjustments, particularly in the Annual Teaching Plans (ATPs) of 2020, revealed discrepancies in allocated school days and modifications in content areas such as numbers, operations, geometry, measurement, and data handling. The reduction in the number range and fluctuations in measurement components were observed. Despite the provision of guidelines, the study notes challenges in maintaining continuity and optimal learning, with indications of non-compliance with provided ATPs. The study further found that teachers in different quintile schools adopted diverse strategies for mathematics content coverage during the pandemic. Quintile 5 schools, often well-resourced, reported effective remote teaching using tools like PowerPoint and MS Teams. In contrast, teachers in quintiles 3 and 4, more impacted by school closures, employed varied methods, including extra lessons. Surprisingly, teachers in well-resourced private schools reported gaps in learners' mathematical knowledge, emphasizing the flexibility they have in curriculum coverage. Technology played a pivotal role in facilitating remote teaching during the pandemic, with tools like WhatsApp, MS Teams, and Zoom being widely used, where available. The study underscored the impact of technology on curriculum coverage, especially in well-resourced schools. Grade 3 teachers expressed challenges in meeting unrealistic expectations for curriculum coverage, citing gaps in learners' understanding. The study highlighted a discrepancy between the resources provided by the DBE and the actual needs on the ground, signalling a need for policymakers to become more understanding to the situations in schools. The lack of support from the DBE prompted teachers to become flexible, adapting teaching strategies and supporting each other to navigate the challenges posed by the pandemic. The study concludes by noting the evolving mindset of teachers, transitioning through different levels of Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM), ultimately showcasing their resilience and adaptability in managing curriculum coverage with the available resources. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Primary and Early Childhood Education, 2024
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- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
The implementation of tourism curriculum in secondary schools in Fort Beaufort Education District, Eastern Cape Province: implications for sustainable tourism
- Authors: Mbilini-Kuze, Bukiwe Nomonde Constance
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Education, Secondary -- Curricula , Curriculum planning
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/24728 , vital:63536
- Description: This study examined the implementation of Tourism curriculum in Secondary Schools in Fort Beaufort Education District in the Eastern Cape. The study arose from a concern that despite the Government of the Eastern Cape organizing workshops to facilitate the implementation of Tourism curriculum for secondary school teachers, research has shown that teachers have not improved their classroom practice. It discussed the concept of Tourism curriculum implementation and highlighted problems militating against curriculum implementation at secondary school level. The researcher adopted the mixed method methodology which is embedded in the post-positivist research paradigm. The post-positivist research paradigm explains the way things are and views objectivity as an ideal that can never be achieved, however research should be conducted with greater awareness of subjectivity. By combining qualitative and quantitative methodologies, it assisted the researcher to strike a balance and avoid being subjective on issues of teacher capacity, teaching strategies and assessment, availability and use of resources and support and monitoring. The research methods used in this study include questionnaires, interviews, document analysis and observations. The findings of the study showed that there are limitations in the implementation of Tourism curriculum because of lack of capacity of School management Teams and teachers who are implementing NCS Tourism. Although the teaching strategies and assessment are stipulated in the curriculum document teachers are not using appropriate methods and assessment. Moreover, there are crucial resources and facilities provided by SMTs and the Department of Education to implement Tourism curriculum, inadequate compared to those provided for other subjects. Moreover there are limitations in terms of support (including training) and monitoring systems which are in place to enable the implementation of NCS Tourism. Possible areas for future research were highlighted and recommendations were made, for example the researcher recommends teachers to be trained adequately in order to effectively implement the Tourism curriculum. Teachers should be encouraged to use new learner-centred teaching strategies and resources should be provided in all secondary schools through the combined effort of the government, Fort Beaufort Education district and the School Management Teams (SMTs). Support and monitoring systems should be in place for proper implementation of Tourism curriculum. Tourism industries should contribute through provision of instructional materials and teachers as implementers of the curriculum should be involved in decision-making and curriculum planning. The government should employ enough teachers qualified to teach Tourism. On the other hand subject advisors should be adequately trained to enable them to provide relevant support to teachers in Fort Beaufort secondary schools. All stakeholders should be involved in fostering skills and capacities at local level to develop sustainable Tourism and local development in an integrated way. The study identified a possible an alternative model for the implementation of Tourism curriculum. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, 2012
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- Date Issued: 2021-04
Implementation of classroom action research in Zimbabwean teacher education colleges: implications for teacher education curriculum
- Authors: Banda, Wilson
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Action research in education , Education -- Research , Curriculum planning
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Education)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/10604 , vital:35632
- Description: It was the purpose of this study to interrogate the implementation of classroom action research (CAR) in identified Zimbabwean teachers’ colleges to provide the basis for future policy directions and related day-to-day CAR practice. The study leaned on the progressive educationists’ stance that teaching is an intricate profession that has more to it than mere technical skills. Teaching is viewed as a lifelong profession that requires pre-service teachers to be capacitated with CAR skills and competencies to ensure that they systematically, intentionally and critically consider a myriad of learner related psychosocial factors in their tour of duty. In that way teachers are made to appreciate why they should teach the way they teach, without necessarily turning them into some kind of public intellectuals, philosophers or theorists. The study utilised the mixed methods research approach in tune with the adopted pragmatism paradigm. The research paradigm draws on the strengths of both empirical data and the theoretical sentiments drawn from the respondents. The study used the concurrent triangulation design, rooted in the post-positivist research paradigm that integrates concurrent procedures in the collection, analysis and interpretation of research data. It was guided by three theoretical frameworks, namely, the experiential learning theory, the curriculum implementation framework and the living educational theory. The theories have a strong bearing on reflective practice and they acknowledge the subjectivity of truth. The study’s purposive sample comprised of sixty-four teacher educators and seventy-six preservice teachers. Several research instruments were utilised to solicit the requisite CAR implementation quantitative and qualitative data. These were questionnaires, interview schedules, focus group discussions and documents. The Statistical Packages for Social Sciences were used to summarise the solicited data through graphical representations and related frequency tables depicting descriptive statistics such as range, mean and mode. Qualitative data were analysed using content analysis through emerging themes, iv related to the sub-research questions. The study established that although the bulk of the teacher educators had the requisite professional qualifications, maturity and experiential background, more curricular and organisational reconstruction was required to improve on the status quo. For instance, solicited data demonstrated that the lecturers’ appetite for educational research was low. Furthermore, the teacher educators’ CAR skills and competencies were compromised by the research component’s inadequate contact time. In addition, it was instituted that the teachers’ colleges produced student teachers who lacked sound grasp of the CAR process. The mediocrity was attributed to a series of teacher educator and student teacher factors which were exacerbated by several other organisational and administrative impediments. Overall, the study concluded that teacher educators were incapacitated to effectively deliver CAR, owing partly to the nature of teacher educator preparation they got and the watered down professional induction. It further revealed that it was wrong to assume that all lecturers had operational capacity to effectively teach and supervise CAR projects. Furthermore, the study recommended that the teacher educators’ capacity in CAR needs enhancement. Identified CAR implementation strategies need further reconstruction and enforcement.
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- Date Issued: 2016