The relationship between leadership, communication, engagement and effective performance in secondary schools
- Authors: Gibbs, Marilyn Dawn
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Educational leadership -- South Africa , School management and organization -- South Africa , Performance contracts in education -- South Africa , Education, Secondary -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/7186 , vital:21294
- Description: The ineffective performance of school operational teams in secondary schools in South Africa reflects in many negative aspects, from team operations, disengaged educators, ineffective leadership and communication and low performance in the teaching and learning domains. The purpose of this study is not only to contribute to the body of knowledge in this educational management field, but by examining the enabling factors that drive the high performance level of these school teams, these could assist with operation that utilises more of their human capital potential. By examining these high performance factors utilising a diagnostic tool, gaps could also be identified. To achieve this purpose, the objective was to develop a theoretical conceptual model and a school analytical tool that could holistically analyse and identify the strengths and weaknesses within each school. The purpose was to identify the enabling factors that create and drive the high performance of school operational teams in secondary schools This fingerprinting or profiling of the school could thereby allow for more cost effective interventions to be implemented within each school context. The aligned diagnostic and interventions addressing the gap enabling factors, assists in the school improvement and strategic plan for the school. At present, many schools do not have the resources or skills to conduct reliable and valid self, team and needs-assessments, therefore school improvement plans and strategic plans are often not using site-based analytics. By conducting these, a more focused and scientifically based, as well as cost effective intervention, could be implemented resulting in a more effective result in best practice. The three focus areas examined in the literature study in the field of educational management and school improvement, were leadership, engagement and communication. Initially the literature study indicated, thirteen independent and mediating variables around these key areas, which formed the foundations for the development of the design and development of the survey instrument. The thesis was based on a number of theoretical frameworks from which the conceptual model was devised. The dependent variables included literature based metrics for factors of Organisational Commitment and Employee Engagement, as well as the percentage Grade 12 pass rate obtained from the average performance over the last three years at the school. All the variables were hypothesised, defined and operationalised in the design of the school analytical tool for assessing the effective performance of the school operational teams. Independent and mediating variables included: Educator Team Competencies, Perceptions of leadership, Culture Alignment, Innovation potential, Employee experience, Fairness, Hybrid leadership environment, Trust, Support, Communication as well as Infrastructure, Leader-Member Exchange and Perceptions of Learner engagement. This predominantly quantitative research study examined the effective performance levels of school operational teams utilising an ecological systems theory approach. The School Analytical Tool comprised 71 items which were subjected to validity and reliability tests. Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Cronbach Alpha coefficients were conducted on the measuring instrument. Data was collected from school operational teams which included principals, educators and administrators from twenty-nine different secondary schools, in different contexts and across three regional areas in South Africa. A total of 413 respondents participated and a response rate of 40% was achieved. Ethical permission was obtained from all the relevant parties prior to commencement of the research study. After the proposed conceptual model was devised, structured equation modelling (SEM) was used to test the hypothesised significance of the relationships between the variables in the integrated model. Two sub-models were identified: Human (Individual/Team) Sub-Model A and System (Organisation/School) Sub-Model B. These were measured by two indices, the Team Performance Index and the School High Performance Work Index respectively. These measures showed different linkages to the Educator Employee Engagement and Organisational Commitment metrics. From the SEM, three models were tested for goodness of fit criteria with version 3 showing a reasonably good fit with a RMSEA (0.056 CI 95%: 0.054-0.058), with a CFI (0.86) and a normed Chi squared of 2.24. The objectives of this thesis were therefore achieved in developing a statistically and theoretically validated conceptual model for enabling factors that drive effective school operational teams, as well as a school analytical tool (SAT) that could identify gap factors for school profiling. The practical application of school profiling utilising the SAT was also indicated by analysing a high and low performing school from different regions in South Africa, indicating the ability to identify weaknesses and strengths of the school operational teams within different contexts.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Gibbs, Marilyn Dawn
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Educational leadership -- South Africa , School management and organization -- South Africa , Performance contracts in education -- South Africa , Education, Secondary -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/7186 , vital:21294
- Description: The ineffective performance of school operational teams in secondary schools in South Africa reflects in many negative aspects, from team operations, disengaged educators, ineffective leadership and communication and low performance in the teaching and learning domains. The purpose of this study is not only to contribute to the body of knowledge in this educational management field, but by examining the enabling factors that drive the high performance level of these school teams, these could assist with operation that utilises more of their human capital potential. By examining these high performance factors utilising a diagnostic tool, gaps could also be identified. To achieve this purpose, the objective was to develop a theoretical conceptual model and a school analytical tool that could holistically analyse and identify the strengths and weaknesses within each school. The purpose was to identify the enabling factors that create and drive the high performance of school operational teams in secondary schools This fingerprinting or profiling of the school could thereby allow for more cost effective interventions to be implemented within each school context. The aligned diagnostic and interventions addressing the gap enabling factors, assists in the school improvement and strategic plan for the school. At present, many schools do not have the resources or skills to conduct reliable and valid self, team and needs-assessments, therefore school improvement plans and strategic plans are often not using site-based analytics. By conducting these, a more focused and scientifically based, as well as cost effective intervention, could be implemented resulting in a more effective result in best practice. The three focus areas examined in the literature study in the field of educational management and school improvement, were leadership, engagement and communication. Initially the literature study indicated, thirteen independent and mediating variables around these key areas, which formed the foundations for the development of the design and development of the survey instrument. The thesis was based on a number of theoretical frameworks from which the conceptual model was devised. The dependent variables included literature based metrics for factors of Organisational Commitment and Employee Engagement, as well as the percentage Grade 12 pass rate obtained from the average performance over the last three years at the school. All the variables were hypothesised, defined and operationalised in the design of the school analytical tool for assessing the effective performance of the school operational teams. Independent and mediating variables included: Educator Team Competencies, Perceptions of leadership, Culture Alignment, Innovation potential, Employee experience, Fairness, Hybrid leadership environment, Trust, Support, Communication as well as Infrastructure, Leader-Member Exchange and Perceptions of Learner engagement. This predominantly quantitative research study examined the effective performance levels of school operational teams utilising an ecological systems theory approach. The School Analytical Tool comprised 71 items which were subjected to validity and reliability tests. Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Cronbach Alpha coefficients were conducted on the measuring instrument. Data was collected from school operational teams which included principals, educators and administrators from twenty-nine different secondary schools, in different contexts and across three regional areas in South Africa. A total of 413 respondents participated and a response rate of 40% was achieved. Ethical permission was obtained from all the relevant parties prior to commencement of the research study. After the proposed conceptual model was devised, structured equation modelling (SEM) was used to test the hypothesised significance of the relationships between the variables in the integrated model. Two sub-models were identified: Human (Individual/Team) Sub-Model A and System (Organisation/School) Sub-Model B. These were measured by two indices, the Team Performance Index and the School High Performance Work Index respectively. These measures showed different linkages to the Educator Employee Engagement and Organisational Commitment metrics. From the SEM, three models were tested for goodness of fit criteria with version 3 showing a reasonably good fit with a RMSEA (0.056 CI 95%: 0.054-0.058), with a CFI (0.86) and a normed Chi squared of 2.24. The objectives of this thesis were therefore achieved in developing a statistically and theoretically validated conceptual model for enabling factors that drive effective school operational teams, as well as a school analytical tool (SAT) that could identify gap factors for school profiling. The practical application of school profiling utilising the SAT was also indicated by analysing a high and low performing school from different regions in South Africa, indicating the ability to identify weaknesses and strengths of the school operational teams within different contexts.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Integrated leadership : a leadership approach for school management teams
- Hendricks, Clarence Nowellin
- Authors: Hendricks, Clarence Nowellin
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Educational leadership -- South Africa , School management and organization
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DEd
- Identifier: vital:9575 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1018610
- Description: School managers currently face major challenges of finding innovative ways to improve the quality of teaching and learning and ultimately student outcomes. This might be because contemporary leadership models promote either requisite curricular expertise or requisite leadership qualities or requisite norms and values which impact notably on teaching and learning. This study examined to which extent School Management Teams (SMT’s) contribute to the quality of teaching and learning when utilizing an integrated leadership approach in primary schools.The extent to which integrated leadership contributes to the quality of teaching and learning is investigated through an exploratory mixed method approach. Case studies in six different schools were conducted through both qualitative and quantitative research methods to obtain data regarding the thirty-six participants’ integrated leadership qualities. Data was gathered through focused group interviews, observations and a questionnaire. The Annual National Assessment results for two consecutive years (2010 and 2011) of grade three and six learners for literacy and numeracy were collected to determine the relationship between integrated leadership and quality teaching and learning and the extent to which integrated leadership impacted on student outcomes.The findings revealed that SMT’s confused integrated leadership with the utilization of qualities from a range of leadership styles each seeking to fit the purpose of an activity, and then claim they are employing an integrated leadership approach. Integrated leadership on the contrary is one leadership model with different qualities and when utilised as a complete package, in a unified manner, has the potential to have a significant impact on the quality of teaching and learning and ultimately student achievement. The findings also indicated that the majority of SMT members are either not utilising integrated leadership or occasionally utilise some of the integrated leadership qualities. This might be one of the main reasons for unsatisfactory academic performance in schools. Integrated leadership thus, when implemented in its totality at all times, possesses all the qualities to have a significant impact on the quality of teaching and learning nationally and internationally.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Hendricks, Clarence Nowellin
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Educational leadership -- South Africa , School management and organization
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DEd
- Identifier: vital:9575 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1018610
- Description: School managers currently face major challenges of finding innovative ways to improve the quality of teaching and learning and ultimately student outcomes. This might be because contemporary leadership models promote either requisite curricular expertise or requisite leadership qualities or requisite norms and values which impact notably on teaching and learning. This study examined to which extent School Management Teams (SMT’s) contribute to the quality of teaching and learning when utilizing an integrated leadership approach in primary schools.The extent to which integrated leadership contributes to the quality of teaching and learning is investigated through an exploratory mixed method approach. Case studies in six different schools were conducted through both qualitative and quantitative research methods to obtain data regarding the thirty-six participants’ integrated leadership qualities. Data was gathered through focused group interviews, observations and a questionnaire. The Annual National Assessment results for two consecutive years (2010 and 2011) of grade three and six learners for literacy and numeracy were collected to determine the relationship between integrated leadership and quality teaching and learning and the extent to which integrated leadership impacted on student outcomes.The findings revealed that SMT’s confused integrated leadership with the utilization of qualities from a range of leadership styles each seeking to fit the purpose of an activity, and then claim they are employing an integrated leadership approach. Integrated leadership on the contrary is one leadership model with different qualities and when utilised as a complete package, in a unified manner, has the potential to have a significant impact on the quality of teaching and learning and ultimately student achievement. The findings also indicated that the majority of SMT members are either not utilising integrated leadership or occasionally utilise some of the integrated leadership qualities. This might be one of the main reasons for unsatisfactory academic performance in schools. Integrated leadership thus, when implemented in its totality at all times, possesses all the qualities to have a significant impact on the quality of teaching and learning nationally and internationally.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
Knowledge and knowers in Educational Leadership and Management (ELM) Master’s Programmes in South Africa
- Authors: Kajee, Farhana Amod
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Educational leadership -- South Africa , Teachers -- Training of -- South Africa , Education, Higher -- South Africa , Master of education degree -- South Africa , Knowledge, Theory of , Educational sociology -- South Africa , Education, Higher -- Aims and objectives -- South Africa , Legitimation Code Theory (LCT)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/60698 , vital:27819
- Description: This dissertation examines the knowledge and knower practices in the Master’s in Educational Leadership and Management (ELM) coursework programmes at South African public universities. This study was prompted by my growing awareness of problems and tensions in the field of ELM generally, and at the level of programme design of the M Ed degree in particular. Many of these had been identified by a national audit of coursework M Eds in ELM (CHE, 2010), and this study sought to find a way of theorising these with a view to improving both course design and teaching. To this end I employed Maton’s Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) which enables critical engagement with knowledge and knowers in programmes, how they are positioned, and how this positioning may be problematic. Hence my first research question sought to discover and critique what counted as knowledge in these programmes and why, while the second asked how knowers were positioned, and why this had come to be the case. LCT has its roots in the work of Bernstein and Maton, whose preoccupation with curriculum was/is driven by a sense of social justice: if we can understand how and why the curriculum is organised and presented in a particular way, it becomes possible to re-imagine teaching and learning, making it accessible to a broader, more inclusive body of learners. The study also drew on critical realism as an underlabourer. This philosophy provided a nuanced understanding of ontology, encouraging and enabling me, as researcher, to unearth causal mechanisms driving the status quo. Only seven South African universities currently offer the coursework option of a Master’s degree in ELM, compared to thirteen when the audit was conducted in 2010. Six of the universities agreed to take part in the study. Data was gathered through content analysis of the six course outlines and interviews with individual co-ordinators or academics centrally involved in the programmes. Through the development of a translation device I was able to establishing that a knower code was dominant in the programmes. Using this point as my departure, I interrogated the knowledge practices and found that different types of knowledge were being privileged across the programmes, with some having a practical/professional leaning and others a more academic/theoretical orientation. The resultant tension does, I argue, restrict knowledge building and helps to account for the fact that the field is generally considered to be under-theorised. The fact all of these programme are registered with the same national qualifications authority, ostensibly following the same national guidelines for Master’s degrees is worrying. The study attempts to find underlying, historically significant reasons for this unevenness. An analysis of the programmes revealed a leaning towards supportive pedagogical approaches. While all programmes promote a cultivated gaze their purposes are not always the same. While a hegemonic practices potential for opening counts as knowledge, cultivated gaze can enable transformation, it can also encourage that can impede real change and empowerment. The study has the up much needed debate on what is meant by a Master’s in ELM, what and what kinds of knower are envisaged.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Kajee, Farhana Amod
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Educational leadership -- South Africa , Teachers -- Training of -- South Africa , Education, Higher -- South Africa , Master of education degree -- South Africa , Knowledge, Theory of , Educational sociology -- South Africa , Education, Higher -- Aims and objectives -- South Africa , Legitimation Code Theory (LCT)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/60698 , vital:27819
- Description: This dissertation examines the knowledge and knower practices in the Master’s in Educational Leadership and Management (ELM) coursework programmes at South African public universities. This study was prompted by my growing awareness of problems and tensions in the field of ELM generally, and at the level of programme design of the M Ed degree in particular. Many of these had been identified by a national audit of coursework M Eds in ELM (CHE, 2010), and this study sought to find a way of theorising these with a view to improving both course design and teaching. To this end I employed Maton’s Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) which enables critical engagement with knowledge and knowers in programmes, how they are positioned, and how this positioning may be problematic. Hence my first research question sought to discover and critique what counted as knowledge in these programmes and why, while the second asked how knowers were positioned, and why this had come to be the case. LCT has its roots in the work of Bernstein and Maton, whose preoccupation with curriculum was/is driven by a sense of social justice: if we can understand how and why the curriculum is organised and presented in a particular way, it becomes possible to re-imagine teaching and learning, making it accessible to a broader, more inclusive body of learners. The study also drew on critical realism as an underlabourer. This philosophy provided a nuanced understanding of ontology, encouraging and enabling me, as researcher, to unearth causal mechanisms driving the status quo. Only seven South African universities currently offer the coursework option of a Master’s degree in ELM, compared to thirteen when the audit was conducted in 2010. Six of the universities agreed to take part in the study. Data was gathered through content analysis of the six course outlines and interviews with individual co-ordinators or academics centrally involved in the programmes. Through the development of a translation device I was able to establishing that a knower code was dominant in the programmes. Using this point as my departure, I interrogated the knowledge practices and found that different types of knowledge were being privileged across the programmes, with some having a practical/professional leaning and others a more academic/theoretical orientation. The resultant tension does, I argue, restrict knowledge building and helps to account for the fact that the field is generally considered to be under-theorised. The fact all of these programme are registered with the same national qualifications authority, ostensibly following the same national guidelines for Master’s degrees is worrying. The study attempts to find underlying, historically significant reasons for this unevenness. An analysis of the programmes revealed a leaning towards supportive pedagogical approaches. While all programmes promote a cultivated gaze their purposes are not always the same. While a hegemonic practices potential for opening counts as knowledge, cultivated gaze can enable transformation, it can also encourage that can impede real change and empowerment. The study has the up much needed debate on what is meant by a Master’s in ELM, what and what kinds of knower are envisaged.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
An analysis of the implementation of the Teaching Development Grant in the South African Higher Education Sector
- Authors: Moyo, Mtheto Temwa
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Education, Higher -- Aims and objectives -- South Africa , Government aid to higher education -- South Africa , Education, Higher -- South Africa -- Evaluation , Education, Higher -- Social aspects -- South Africa , Educational leadership -- South Africa , Educational equalization -- South Africa , Education, Higher -- Economic aspects -- South Africa , Teaching Development Grant (South Africa)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/62225 , vital:28141
- Description: The South African government has attempted to address various transformation and efficiency challenges in the system through the steering mechanisms at its disposal. This study analyses the implementation of one of these mechanisms, the Teaching Development Grant (TDG), which is designed to enhance student learning through the improvement of teaching and teaching resources at South African universities. Since the inception as an earmarked grant ten years ago, a total of R5.5 billion has been allocated for the TDG. The study thus sought to answer the question: What are the factors enabling and constraining the use of the TDG to enhance teaching and student success at South African universities? A total of 275 TDG progress reports and budget plans were analysed alongside other TDG documentation such as TDG payment letters to universities and institutional submissions that universities made on the use of the TDG for the 2008 TDG Review. The TDG criteria and policy over the years were also included as data. The analysis used Archer’s (1995; 1996) morphogenesis/stasis framework, which is concerned with how change does or does not happen over time. Archer’s analytical dualism was used to identify the interplay of structural, cultural and agential mechanisms shaping the emergence of and practices associated with TDGs in order to make sense of the events and experiences in the data. One of the main findings of the study was that the historically-based differentiated nature of the South African higher education landscape constrained the implementation of the TDG. The stark resource differences in the sector has meant that the TDG has not fully translated into system-wide gains. In the initial years of TDG implementation from 2004 to 2013, most institutions did not use the TDG for teaching development initiatives per se, but rather spent the bulk of the funds on infrastructure and equipment. Such resource gaps have persisted and continue to compromise the academic enterprise at affected universities. The data also showed that universities which have access to additional funding other than state funding have been able to augment and advance their own funds and were thus able to at least partially counter late payments of the TDG, fluctuations in allocations, and the short-term nature of TDG budgets and inadequate allocations. This enabled relatively straightforward implementation of the teaching and learning enhancement programmes at these universities, while there were ongoing implementation difficulties at the universities with the lowest success rates, the very institutions the grant was most targeted to address. The study showed that the shortage of appropriate teaching and learning staff constrained the nature and type of interventions. Historically Disadvantaged Institutions in particular struggled to attract and retain the much-needed expertise. This emerged from multiple structural constraints such as geographical location, conditions of work, inefficient human resources systems, lack of access to financial resources for competitive packages, and instability in governance and management structures at some universities. Emerging from the data in the study is the fact that staffing challenges remain one of the core constraints in the implementation of the TDG. In particular, the data indicated that teaching and learning staff hired on the basis of TDG funds were generally hired as part-time or contract staff. This meant that their academic qualifications and experience in teaching development were limited and, in many cases, it meant that the posts were not filled at all. In some cases, the fluctuating budgets meant that some projects had to be downscaled or abandoned altogether. The study found that many of the interventions that were implemented had tenuous links to teaching and learning and, even where there were such links, these interventions were often based on fairly a-theoretical, common-sense understandings of what would develop teaching. In many universities, there was little evidence of institution-level planning of interventions aimed at fundamentally addressing the need for teaching development. The limited access to teaching and learning expertise across the sector was mirrored in the uneven distribution of expertise in administration, financial management, institutional planning and human resource divisions, which had implications for the establishment of monitoring systems and implementation processes of the TDG. The lack of strong systems and policies encouraged cultures that did not value transparency, accountability or compliance to the TDG policy. The role of corporate agency in the form of leadership and ownership of projects emerged as a key enabler in the implementation of the TDG. All of these structures shaped the ability of institutions to spend the TDG and in some cases millions of Rands in funds were not spent and so were withheld. The study found that the inability of some universities to spend was exacerbated by the problem of a lack of alignment between the DHET financial year and the academic year. Although the TDG has made a notable contribution to the advancement of teaching and learning (T&L) nationally, this study revealed that the blunt implementation of the TDG across the sector constrained the gains. In particular, the practice of withholding unspent funds focused only on the symptoms of underspending and not on the structural, cultural and agential mechanisms that led to such under-expenditure. The withheld funds were redirected by the government for national projects but as all universities including the well-resourced Historically Advantaged Institutions (HAIs) had access to these withheld funds this translated into a regressive distribution of the TDG. Limited capacity within DHET to direct, manage and monitor the grants has also had a constraining effect on their use and the secondment of a teaching and learning expert to the department was seen to be a significant but short-term enablement in this regard. The findings of how the TDG implementation has emerged in the South African higher education sector are particularly important at this point in time as the TDG together with the Research Development Grant will be reconfigured into a new grant called the University Capacity Development Grant as from 2018. This study provides significant insights into the structural, cultural, and agential enablements and constraints of this new grant being able to drive changes in the sector. The findings also provide insights into the implementation of other earmarked grants. , Boma la South Africa layesera kuthetsa mavuto omwe amadza posintha ndi kulongosola zinthu kudzera mu njira zosiyanasiyana. Kafukufukuyu akuunikira imodzi mwa njirazi yotchedwa Teaching Development Grant (TDG) yomwe inakonzedwa polimbikitsa maphunziro kudzera mukagwiritsidwe ntchito ka zipangizo zophunzitsira ndi zophunzirira za makono m’sukulu za ukachenjede ku South Africa. Ndalama zapafupifupi R5.5 billion ndi zomwe zaperekedwa kuti zigwiritsidwe nchito mu ndondomekoyi kuchokera pa nthawi yomwe inakhazikitsidwa; zaka khumi zapitazo. Kafukufukuyu anayesera kuyankha funso loti: Ndi zinthu ziti zomwe zimalimbikitsa kapena kubwezeretsa m’mbuyo kagwiritsidwe ntchito ka (TDG) polimbikitsa kuchita bwino kwa aphunzitsi ndi ophunzira m’sukulu za ukachenjede? Zikalata zosonyeza makhonzedwe a ophunzira, ndondomeko za kayendetseredwe ka chuma, zikalata za malipiridwe ndi zikalata zopezeka m’sukulu zaukachenjedezi zokhudzana ndi njira ya TDG zomwe zakhala zikugwiritsidwa ntchito zaka khumi zapitazi zinatengedwanso ngati uthenga wofunika koposa. Kauniuniyu anatsalira njira yotchedwa ‘Archer’s (1995/1996) Morphogenesis/Status Framework’ yomwe imafotokozera momwe kusintha kumachitikira pena kulepherekera. Njira younikira ya Archer: yothandizira pofufuza momwe kayendetsedwe ka bungwe, chikhalidwe komanso anthu oyendetsa bungwe amathandizira poonetsera momwe TDG imakhalira inagwiritsidwa ntchito poyesera kumvetsa zochitika komanso zopezeka mu kafukufukuyu. Chimodzi mwa zotsatira za kafukufukuyu n’chakuti kagwiritsidwe ntchito ka TDG kamabwezeredwa m’mbuyo ndi momwe sukulu za ukachenjede ku South Africa zidapangidwira. Kusiyana kwa usiwa wa zipangizo m’sukuluzi kudapangitsa kuti njira ya TDG isaonetse zipatso kwenikweni. Mu zaka zoyambirira itangokhazikidwitsa (2007 - 2013), sukulu zambiri sizidagwiritse ntchito TDG polimbikitsa kaphunzitsidwe. M’malo mwake ndalama zankhaninkhani zidagwiritsidwa ntchito pa zomangamanga ndi kugulira zipangizo. Usiwa wa zipangizowu ulipobe ndipo ukusokoneza mbali ya maphunziro m’sukulu zokhudzidwazi. Kafukufukuyu anasonyezanso kuti sukulu zomwe zimalandira thandizo lowonjezera pa lomwe zimalandira ku boma zakhala zikuyesetsa kuthana ndi vuto lopereka mochedwa ndalama za mundondomeko ya TDG ndi dongosolo la m’mene ndalamazi zigwirire ntchito. Izi zinawachititsa kuti asapeze mavuto ambiri polimbikitsa ndondomeko za kaphunzitsidwe ndi kaphunziridwe pomwe ena amavutika nazo. Enawa n’kukhala sukulu zomwe sizimachita bwino, zomwenso thandizoli lidalunjika pa izo kuti zithandizike. Kafukufukuyu anasonyeza kuti kuchepa kwa aphunzitsi kudapsinja zochitika zokhudza njirayi. Sukulu zosachita bwino kuchokera kalezi zidavutika kupeza ndi kusunga ogwira ntchito ake. Izi zimakhala choncho kaamba ka zifukwa zosiyanasiyana monga komwe sukuluyo ili, malamulo a ntchito, kupanda ukadaulo kwa oyang’anira antchitowa, kutalikirana ndi njira zina zopezera ndalama komanso kusakhazikika kwa anthu m’maudindo. Zina zotulukanso mu mfundo zotoledwazi zinaulula kuti vuto lina lalikulu linali ogwira ntchito. Polimbikitsa njira ya TDG, zimatanthauza kuti aphunzitsi omwe azilembedwa azikhala osakhazikika pa sukuluzi kapena a kontarakiti. Izi zimatanthauza kuti maphunziro ndi luntha lawo zimayenera kukhala zochepera. Mwanjira ina, tikhonza kunena kuti ogwira ntchitoyi panalibe. Nthawi zina, kusinthasintha kwa ndondomeko zachuma madongosolo ena kusiyidwa kapena kuchitika mosalongosoka. Kafukufukuyu anasonyezanso kuti zambiri mwa mfundo zomwe zinayikidwa kuti zigwiritsidwe ntchito zinali zosathandiza kwenikweni polimbikitsa maphunzirowa. Ndipo komwe mfundozi zinakhazikitsidwa, zinali chabe kufotokozera zinthu zodziwika kale ndi kale zokhudza zomwe zingalimbikitse uphunzitsi. M’sukulu zambiri za ukachenjede, pali umboni wochepa wa mfundo zomwe zinaikidwiratu ndi cholinga chopititsa patsogolo uphunzitsiwu. Kusowa kwa ukadaulo pa maphunzirowa kunaonekanso makamaka m’madera monga a oyendetsa sukuluzi, oyang’ana za chuma, olongosola malo onse komanso oyang’anira antchito. Panalibe kugawana anthuwa mofanana. Izi zidakhudza kwambiri kalondolondo ndinso kayendetsedwe ka TDG. Kusowa kwa ndondomeko zabwino ndi malamulo okhazikika kunalimbikitsa chikhalidwe cha chinyengo ndi kusatsatira mfundo za mundondomekoyi popereka utsogoleri ndi umwini ndiye unali wofunika polimbikitsa ndondomekoyi. Madongosolo otere anathandiza kuti sukulu zigwiritse ntchito njira ya TDG ndipo pena ndalama mamiliyoni zibwezedwe. Kafukufukuyu anaonetsa kuti kulephera kwa sukulu zina kugwiritsa ntchito ndalama kunachitika kaamba kosazindikira malire a chaka cha DHET ndi chaka cha maphunziro. Ngakhale njira ya TDG yathandizako kagwiritsidwe ntchito ka zipangizo zophunzitsira ndi zophunzirira, kafukufukuyu wasonyeza kuti mavuto omwe anaoneka mu ndondomeko ya TDG aphimba ubwino wake. Monga, m’chitidwe wobweza ndalama zosagwira ntchito unalunjika pa kulephera kugwiritsa ntchito ndalama zonse osati pa ubale pakati pa kayendetsedwe ka bungwe, chikhalidwe ndinso anthu oyendetsa bungwe. Ndalama zotsarazi zinalowetsedwa ku zitukuko zina ndi boma. Koma poti sukulu zonse za ukachenjede kuphatikizapo HAI zinapeza mwayi wa ndalamazi, izi zimabweretsa kulowa pansi kwa dongosolo la TDG. Kulephera mu DHET kutsogolera, kuyendetsa ndi kulondoloza thandizo kwadzetsanso mavuto pa kagwiritsidwe ntchito kake ngakhalenso kutumizidwa kwa katswiri pa kaphunzitsidwe kunaoneka ngati kofunika kosathandiza kwenikweni chifukwa kudali kwa nthawi yochepa. Zotsatira za kafukufukuyu (zokhudza maphunziro a ukachenjede ku South Africa) ndi zofunika kwambiri makamaka nthawi ino pomwe TDG pamodzi ndi RDG (Research Development Grant) zikhale kuunikiridwanso ndi kupanga thandizo latsopano lotchedwa University Capacity Development Grant kuyambira m’chaka cha 2018. Kafukufukuyu waunika mozama kayendetsedwe, chikhalidwe komanso oyendetsa zithandizo komanso mavuto kuti thandizo latsopanoli likathe kubweretsa kusintha. Zotsatirazi zaunikiranso kayendetsedwe ka zithandizo zina zomwe zikufuna kuchitika.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Moyo, Mtheto Temwa
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Education, Higher -- Aims and objectives -- South Africa , Government aid to higher education -- South Africa , Education, Higher -- South Africa -- Evaluation , Education, Higher -- Social aspects -- South Africa , Educational leadership -- South Africa , Educational equalization -- South Africa , Education, Higher -- Economic aspects -- South Africa , Teaching Development Grant (South Africa)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/62225 , vital:28141
- Description: The South African government has attempted to address various transformation and efficiency challenges in the system through the steering mechanisms at its disposal. This study analyses the implementation of one of these mechanisms, the Teaching Development Grant (TDG), which is designed to enhance student learning through the improvement of teaching and teaching resources at South African universities. Since the inception as an earmarked grant ten years ago, a total of R5.5 billion has been allocated for the TDG. The study thus sought to answer the question: What are the factors enabling and constraining the use of the TDG to enhance teaching and student success at South African universities? A total of 275 TDG progress reports and budget plans were analysed alongside other TDG documentation such as TDG payment letters to universities and institutional submissions that universities made on the use of the TDG for the 2008 TDG Review. The TDG criteria and policy over the years were also included as data. The analysis used Archer’s (1995; 1996) morphogenesis/stasis framework, which is concerned with how change does or does not happen over time. Archer’s analytical dualism was used to identify the interplay of structural, cultural and agential mechanisms shaping the emergence of and practices associated with TDGs in order to make sense of the events and experiences in the data. One of the main findings of the study was that the historically-based differentiated nature of the South African higher education landscape constrained the implementation of the TDG. The stark resource differences in the sector has meant that the TDG has not fully translated into system-wide gains. In the initial years of TDG implementation from 2004 to 2013, most institutions did not use the TDG for teaching development initiatives per se, but rather spent the bulk of the funds on infrastructure and equipment. Such resource gaps have persisted and continue to compromise the academic enterprise at affected universities. The data also showed that universities which have access to additional funding other than state funding have been able to augment and advance their own funds and were thus able to at least partially counter late payments of the TDG, fluctuations in allocations, and the short-term nature of TDG budgets and inadequate allocations. This enabled relatively straightforward implementation of the teaching and learning enhancement programmes at these universities, while there were ongoing implementation difficulties at the universities with the lowest success rates, the very institutions the grant was most targeted to address. The study showed that the shortage of appropriate teaching and learning staff constrained the nature and type of interventions. Historically Disadvantaged Institutions in particular struggled to attract and retain the much-needed expertise. This emerged from multiple structural constraints such as geographical location, conditions of work, inefficient human resources systems, lack of access to financial resources for competitive packages, and instability in governance and management structures at some universities. Emerging from the data in the study is the fact that staffing challenges remain one of the core constraints in the implementation of the TDG. In particular, the data indicated that teaching and learning staff hired on the basis of TDG funds were generally hired as part-time or contract staff. This meant that their academic qualifications and experience in teaching development were limited and, in many cases, it meant that the posts were not filled at all. In some cases, the fluctuating budgets meant that some projects had to be downscaled or abandoned altogether. The study found that many of the interventions that were implemented had tenuous links to teaching and learning and, even where there were such links, these interventions were often based on fairly a-theoretical, common-sense understandings of what would develop teaching. In many universities, there was little evidence of institution-level planning of interventions aimed at fundamentally addressing the need for teaching development. The limited access to teaching and learning expertise across the sector was mirrored in the uneven distribution of expertise in administration, financial management, institutional planning and human resource divisions, which had implications for the establishment of monitoring systems and implementation processes of the TDG. The lack of strong systems and policies encouraged cultures that did not value transparency, accountability or compliance to the TDG policy. The role of corporate agency in the form of leadership and ownership of projects emerged as a key enabler in the implementation of the TDG. All of these structures shaped the ability of institutions to spend the TDG and in some cases millions of Rands in funds were not spent and so were withheld. The study found that the inability of some universities to spend was exacerbated by the problem of a lack of alignment between the DHET financial year and the academic year. Although the TDG has made a notable contribution to the advancement of teaching and learning (T&L) nationally, this study revealed that the blunt implementation of the TDG across the sector constrained the gains. In particular, the practice of withholding unspent funds focused only on the symptoms of underspending and not on the structural, cultural and agential mechanisms that led to such under-expenditure. The withheld funds were redirected by the government for national projects but as all universities including the well-resourced Historically Advantaged Institutions (HAIs) had access to these withheld funds this translated into a regressive distribution of the TDG. Limited capacity within DHET to direct, manage and monitor the grants has also had a constraining effect on their use and the secondment of a teaching and learning expert to the department was seen to be a significant but short-term enablement in this regard. The findings of how the TDG implementation has emerged in the South African higher education sector are particularly important at this point in time as the TDG together with the Research Development Grant will be reconfigured into a new grant called the University Capacity Development Grant as from 2018. This study provides significant insights into the structural, cultural, and agential enablements and constraints of this new grant being able to drive changes in the sector. The findings also provide insights into the implementation of other earmarked grants. , Boma la South Africa layesera kuthetsa mavuto omwe amadza posintha ndi kulongosola zinthu kudzera mu njira zosiyanasiyana. Kafukufukuyu akuunikira imodzi mwa njirazi yotchedwa Teaching Development Grant (TDG) yomwe inakonzedwa polimbikitsa maphunziro kudzera mukagwiritsidwe ntchito ka zipangizo zophunzitsira ndi zophunzirira za makono m’sukulu za ukachenjede ku South Africa. Ndalama zapafupifupi R5.5 billion ndi zomwe zaperekedwa kuti zigwiritsidwe nchito mu ndondomekoyi kuchokera pa nthawi yomwe inakhazikitsidwa; zaka khumi zapitazo. Kafukufukuyu anayesera kuyankha funso loti: Ndi zinthu ziti zomwe zimalimbikitsa kapena kubwezeretsa m’mbuyo kagwiritsidwe ntchito ka (TDG) polimbikitsa kuchita bwino kwa aphunzitsi ndi ophunzira m’sukulu za ukachenjede? Zikalata zosonyeza makhonzedwe a ophunzira, ndondomeko za kayendetseredwe ka chuma, zikalata za malipiridwe ndi zikalata zopezeka m’sukulu zaukachenjedezi zokhudzana ndi njira ya TDG zomwe zakhala zikugwiritsidwa ntchito zaka khumi zapitazi zinatengedwanso ngati uthenga wofunika koposa. Kauniuniyu anatsalira njira yotchedwa ‘Archer’s (1995/1996) Morphogenesis/Status Framework’ yomwe imafotokozera momwe kusintha kumachitikira pena kulepherekera. Njira younikira ya Archer: yothandizira pofufuza momwe kayendetsedwe ka bungwe, chikhalidwe komanso anthu oyendetsa bungwe amathandizira poonetsera momwe TDG imakhalira inagwiritsidwa ntchito poyesera kumvetsa zochitika komanso zopezeka mu kafukufukuyu. Chimodzi mwa zotsatira za kafukufukuyu n’chakuti kagwiritsidwe ntchito ka TDG kamabwezeredwa m’mbuyo ndi momwe sukulu za ukachenjede ku South Africa zidapangidwira. Kusiyana kwa usiwa wa zipangizo m’sukuluzi kudapangitsa kuti njira ya TDG isaonetse zipatso kwenikweni. Mu zaka zoyambirira itangokhazikidwitsa (2007 - 2013), sukulu zambiri sizidagwiritse ntchito TDG polimbikitsa kaphunzitsidwe. M’malo mwake ndalama zankhaninkhani zidagwiritsidwa ntchito pa zomangamanga ndi kugulira zipangizo. Usiwa wa zipangizowu ulipobe ndipo ukusokoneza mbali ya maphunziro m’sukulu zokhudzidwazi. Kafukufukuyu anasonyezanso kuti sukulu zomwe zimalandira thandizo lowonjezera pa lomwe zimalandira ku boma zakhala zikuyesetsa kuthana ndi vuto lopereka mochedwa ndalama za mundondomeko ya TDG ndi dongosolo la m’mene ndalamazi zigwirire ntchito. Izi zinawachititsa kuti asapeze mavuto ambiri polimbikitsa ndondomeko za kaphunzitsidwe ndi kaphunziridwe pomwe ena amavutika nazo. Enawa n’kukhala sukulu zomwe sizimachita bwino, zomwenso thandizoli lidalunjika pa izo kuti zithandizike. Kafukufukuyu anasonyeza kuti kuchepa kwa aphunzitsi kudapsinja zochitika zokhudza njirayi. Sukulu zosachita bwino kuchokera kalezi zidavutika kupeza ndi kusunga ogwira ntchito ake. Izi zimakhala choncho kaamba ka zifukwa zosiyanasiyana monga komwe sukuluyo ili, malamulo a ntchito, kupanda ukadaulo kwa oyang’anira antchitowa, kutalikirana ndi njira zina zopezera ndalama komanso kusakhazikika kwa anthu m’maudindo. Zina zotulukanso mu mfundo zotoledwazi zinaulula kuti vuto lina lalikulu linali ogwira ntchito. Polimbikitsa njira ya TDG, zimatanthauza kuti aphunzitsi omwe azilembedwa azikhala osakhazikika pa sukuluzi kapena a kontarakiti. Izi zimatanthauza kuti maphunziro ndi luntha lawo zimayenera kukhala zochepera. Mwanjira ina, tikhonza kunena kuti ogwira ntchitoyi panalibe. Nthawi zina, kusinthasintha kwa ndondomeko zachuma madongosolo ena kusiyidwa kapena kuchitika mosalongosoka. Kafukufukuyu anasonyezanso kuti zambiri mwa mfundo zomwe zinayikidwa kuti zigwiritsidwe ntchito zinali zosathandiza kwenikweni polimbikitsa maphunzirowa. Ndipo komwe mfundozi zinakhazikitsidwa, zinali chabe kufotokozera zinthu zodziwika kale ndi kale zokhudza zomwe zingalimbikitse uphunzitsi. M’sukulu zambiri za ukachenjede, pali umboni wochepa wa mfundo zomwe zinaikidwiratu ndi cholinga chopititsa patsogolo uphunzitsiwu. Kusowa kwa ukadaulo pa maphunzirowa kunaonekanso makamaka m’madera monga a oyendetsa sukuluzi, oyang’ana za chuma, olongosola malo onse komanso oyang’anira antchito. Panalibe kugawana anthuwa mofanana. Izi zidakhudza kwambiri kalondolondo ndinso kayendetsedwe ka TDG. Kusowa kwa ndondomeko zabwino ndi malamulo okhazikika kunalimbikitsa chikhalidwe cha chinyengo ndi kusatsatira mfundo za mundondomekoyi popereka utsogoleri ndi umwini ndiye unali wofunika polimbikitsa ndondomekoyi. Madongosolo otere anathandiza kuti sukulu zigwiritse ntchito njira ya TDG ndipo pena ndalama mamiliyoni zibwezedwe. Kafukufukuyu anaonetsa kuti kulephera kwa sukulu zina kugwiritsa ntchito ndalama kunachitika kaamba kosazindikira malire a chaka cha DHET ndi chaka cha maphunziro. Ngakhale njira ya TDG yathandizako kagwiritsidwe ntchito ka zipangizo zophunzitsira ndi zophunzirira, kafukufukuyu wasonyeza kuti mavuto omwe anaoneka mu ndondomeko ya TDG aphimba ubwino wake. Monga, m’chitidwe wobweza ndalama zosagwira ntchito unalunjika pa kulephera kugwiritsa ntchito ndalama zonse osati pa ubale pakati pa kayendetsedwe ka bungwe, chikhalidwe ndinso anthu oyendetsa bungwe. Ndalama zotsarazi zinalowetsedwa ku zitukuko zina ndi boma. Koma poti sukulu zonse za ukachenjede kuphatikizapo HAI zinapeza mwayi wa ndalamazi, izi zimabweretsa kulowa pansi kwa dongosolo la TDG. Kulephera mu DHET kutsogolera, kuyendetsa ndi kulondoloza thandizo kwadzetsanso mavuto pa kagwiritsidwe ntchito kake ngakhalenso kutumizidwa kwa katswiri pa kaphunzitsidwe kunaoneka ngati kofunika kosathandiza kwenikweni chifukwa kudali kwa nthawi yochepa. Zotsatira za kafukufukuyu (zokhudza maphunziro a ukachenjede ku South Africa) ndi zofunika kwambiri makamaka nthawi ino pomwe TDG pamodzi ndi RDG (Research Development Grant) zikhale kuunikiridwanso ndi kupanga thandizo latsopano lotchedwa University Capacity Development Grant kuyambira m’chaka cha 2018. Kafukufukuyu waunika mozama kayendetsedwe, chikhalidwe komanso oyendetsa zithandizo komanso mavuto kuti thandizo latsopanoli likathe kubweretsa kusintha. Zotsatirazi zaunikiranso kayendetsedwe ka zithandizo zina zomwe zikufuna kuchitika.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Challenges of instructional leadership in historically disadvantaged schools in South Africa
- Authors: Tshazibana, Vukile Shadrack
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: School management and organization -- South Africa , Educational leadership -- South Africa , Children with social disabilities -- Education -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: vital:9565 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1016059
- Description: The research presented in this thesis investigates challenges faced by principals in historically disadvantaged schools in terms of their role as instructional leaders facilitating the implementation of curriculum policies. The study consists of two parts. The first study sampled 25 school principals, 80 teachers and 11 department of education officials from the Uitenhage and Port Elizabeth education districts in the Eastern Cape. Data obtained in the first study were generated by administering a pen-and-paper questionnaire and individual interviews to selected participants. The second study employed an online questionnaire that was open to principals, teachers and departmental officials in all provinces of South Africa in order to generate data over as wide a geographic range as possible. Mixed methods were used to analyse the qualitative and quantitative data from the two studies. Thematic analysis techniques were employed to categorise qualitative data and the quantitative data were subjected to analytical techniques to provide descriptive and inferential statistics. The data revealed that school principals view themselves as change agents who should be in the forefront of change and curriculum implementation, and that they believe that they know what is expected of them in this regard. However, they recognise that they are not adequately prepared for the task of instructional leadership. The data also suggest that teachers have expectations that principals should be trained in instructional leadership and work closely with departmental officials in order to provide guidance and leadership at school level to address their professional needs. Problems related to capacity and skills of subject advisors and other district officials were revealed by the study. These issues are generally and informally recognised, but have not been formally raised within the Department of Education. The findings of the study also highlight the fact that, after nearly two decades in the new political dispensation, there are still vast differences within the South African schooling system between school types. These differences are most evident between ex-Model C schools and historically disadvantaged ex-DET schools, and it is recognised that principals in ex-DET schools need support tailored to their particular circumstances and context. The findings in this study support the notion that much needs to be done in South Africa in terms of empowering school principals; especially those from historically disadvantaged schools. The data provide insights into some of the constraints of local context, which enables better understandings of the challenges of instructional leadership in historically disadvantaged schools. These understandings should be of value when considering strategies to support principals in their role of instructional leaders.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Tshazibana, Vukile Shadrack
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: School management and organization -- South Africa , Educational leadership -- South Africa , Children with social disabilities -- Education -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: vital:9565 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1016059
- Description: The research presented in this thesis investigates challenges faced by principals in historically disadvantaged schools in terms of their role as instructional leaders facilitating the implementation of curriculum policies. The study consists of two parts. The first study sampled 25 school principals, 80 teachers and 11 department of education officials from the Uitenhage and Port Elizabeth education districts in the Eastern Cape. Data obtained in the first study were generated by administering a pen-and-paper questionnaire and individual interviews to selected participants. The second study employed an online questionnaire that was open to principals, teachers and departmental officials in all provinces of South Africa in order to generate data over as wide a geographic range as possible. Mixed methods were used to analyse the qualitative and quantitative data from the two studies. Thematic analysis techniques were employed to categorise qualitative data and the quantitative data were subjected to analytical techniques to provide descriptive and inferential statistics. The data revealed that school principals view themselves as change agents who should be in the forefront of change and curriculum implementation, and that they believe that they know what is expected of them in this regard. However, they recognise that they are not adequately prepared for the task of instructional leadership. The data also suggest that teachers have expectations that principals should be trained in instructional leadership and work closely with departmental officials in order to provide guidance and leadership at school level to address their professional needs. Problems related to capacity and skills of subject advisors and other district officials were revealed by the study. These issues are generally and informally recognised, but have not been formally raised within the Department of Education. The findings of the study also highlight the fact that, after nearly two decades in the new political dispensation, there are still vast differences within the South African schooling system between school types. These differences are most evident between ex-Model C schools and historically disadvantaged ex-DET schools, and it is recognised that principals in ex-DET schools need support tailored to their particular circumstances and context. The findings in this study support the notion that much needs to be done in South Africa in terms of empowering school principals; especially those from historically disadvantaged schools. The data provide insights into some of the constraints of local context, which enables better understandings of the challenges of instructional leadership in historically disadvantaged schools. These understandings should be of value when considering strategies to support principals in their role of instructional leaders.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
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