Implementation of computers in schools: a case study of five schools in the Makana and Somerset East districts
- Authors: Prince, Gilbert Leslie
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Educational technology , Educational technology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Education, Elementary -- Computer-assisted instruction , Computer-assisted instruction -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Computer managed instruction -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Internet in education -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1562 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003444 , Educational technology , Educational technology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Education, Elementary -- Computer-assisted instruction , Computer-assisted instruction -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Computer managed instruction -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Internet in education -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: This case study attempts to explain the implementation of Information Communications Technology (ICT) in primary schools, specifically mentioning the integration of computers into the curriculum. To begin with, the implementation of ICT from an international perspective is explored and subsequently some international and African ICT policies in education are also identified and discussed. Nationally, ICT policies from four provinces in South Africa are examined and analyzed. Provincially, the ICT Projects Coordinator in the Eastern Cape Department of Education (ECDoE) was interviewed to obtain a provincial perspective of ICT in the Eastern Cape. From local schools’ perspective, four primary schools and one secondary school in the Makana and Somerset East Districts were visited and the ICT coordinators at these schools were interviewed. The results reveal that the previously disadvantaged (PD) schools were not utilizing their computers effectively. This is due to a number of factors, including a lack of funds to maintain the computers; unskilled or under skilled teachers in ICT; and under resourced computer facilities. The previously advantaged (PA) schools, on the other hand, have well-resourced computer laboratories, adequate maintenance plans as well as skilled teachers in ICT that enable these schools to effectively integrate the use of computers into the curriculum. Key words: Information communications technology, implementation, integration, previously advantaged, previously disadvantaged, curriculum, primary school, secondary school.
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- Date Issued: 2007
Implementation of learner-centred education by Grade 4 BETD in-service teachers in selected Namibia schools
- Authors: Amakali, Amram
- Date: 2007
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1849 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004457
- Description: Before independence Namibia's education system was predominantly teacher-centred. Soon after its independence Namibia embarked on education restructuring and transformation. A new education system, leamer-centred education, was introduced to cater for the needs of all Namibian learners. It was seen as an effective antidote to the stifling teacher-centred practices of the previous education system. A new programme, the Basic Education Teacher Diploma (BETD) was introduced to prepare teachers to teach in a leamer-centred approach. Research has, however, indicated that many Namibian teachers have a somewhat shallow or naIve understanding oflearner-centred education. This small-scale case study, conducted in Oshikoto region, focuses on two Grade 4 teachers. The study examined the two teachers ' perceptions and experiences oflearnercentred education and the teaching strategies they use to develop learners' understanding. The study uses a qualitative approach in its exploration of teachers ' lived experiences of becoming learner-centred. The data emerging from this case study identify a number of misconceptions and understandings of leamer-centred education and its implementation. The findings suggest that teachers ' misconceptions are caused by a lack of deep understanding about the epistemology and theory of learning which underpins Namibia's reform policies and principles.
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- Date Issued: 2007
Implementation tensions and challenges in donor funded curriculum projects: a case analysis of environmental and population education projects in Lesotho
- Authors: Monaheng, Nkaiseng ̕Mamotšelisi
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: National Curriculum Development Centre (Lesotho) Curriculum planning -- Lesotho Environmental education -- Lesotho Economic assistance -- Lesotho Technical assistance -- Lesotho Sustainable development -- Lesotho
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1568 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003450
- Description: This study aims to capture the challenges and tensions that arise in donor funded curriculum projects in Lesotho. Through an interpretive case study research design I investigated these challenges and tensions in two projects relevant to Education for Sustainable Development, namely the Lesotho Environmental Support Project (LEESP) and the Population/Family Education (POP/FLE) projects which are donor funded curriculum projects funded by DANIDA and UNFPA respectively. A review of donor funded curriculum projects in the field of environmental education/Education for Sustainable Development was undertaken to provide background and a theoretical context for the study. It highlighted different challenges and implementation tensions experienced by other similar projects in other countries. At the heart of such projects lies a particular political economy, which is based on development assistance to poor countries. Such development assistance is constructed around concepts of need, participation and innovation, and donor-recipient relationships. It is structured around a system of governance and management that normally uses logical framework planning as its main methodology. This political economy has shaped the two donor funded projects that were considered in this study, and has shaped many of the tensions and challenges identified in the study. To investigate the two projects, data for this study was generated through in-depth interviews, document analysis and focus group interviews, with people who had been involved with the projects at the national level. The data generation process did not involve the schools where the projects were ultimately implemented, as it was seeking to identify how local institutions such as the National Curriculum Development Centre could support better synergies between donor funded initiatives and the local context. The findings of the study revealed the ambivalent nature of donor initiatives, and identified that the political economy and donor-recipient relations influence the projects. Aspects such as the design and management of projects, the processes associated with introducing innovation in educational ideas and paradigms, pedagogical issues, and staff contributions and ownership were identified as some of the key tensions that existed in the projects. Other factors such as poor capacity levels of local staff, non-alignment with existing structures, inadequate sustainability mechanisms and the difficulty of the envisaged integration of new paradigm thinking (methods and approaches) into the existing curriculum framework were also significant tensions, given the positivist history of the Lesotho curriculum. The study recommends the need to establish mechanisms for working with donors to tackle the tensions that arise in such projects within longer-term donor assistance. It proposes that government should expedite the development of policy on donor coordination. Both donors and the NCDC need to put mechanisms in place to allow for debate and discussions on innovations brought in by the donors in relation to local needs. The study further recommends that in cases where more than one donor exists, the NCDC and the donors should work towards developing synergies between the different initiatives to avoid duplication and overlap. Finally, there is a need for projects to use bottom-up approaches for the design and formulation of projects to ensure ownership.
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- Date Issued: 2007
Improving the levels of cooperation between members of the school management teams
- Authors: Klaas, Andile Jeffrey
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: School management teams -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:9539 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/681 , School management teams -- South Africa
- Description: Schools are directly placed under the care of the school governing bodies and school management teams that manage their day-to-day activities. These school management teams are expected to transform their schools into functioning and effective schools. The sad reality though, is that they are confronted with a huge task of improving cooperation between themselves in order to realise their dream of achieving their shared organizational goals. This interpretive study explores members of the management staff’s subjective experiences and their social world, to provide meaning and understanding of the levels of cooperation among them, and how this can be improved. The main outcomes of the study include: o Promoting conditions that are favourable to the establishment of collaborative practices between members of the management teams. o Fostering cooperation to ensure the development of sustainable capacity and increased energy to solve problems and transform their schools.
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- Date Issued: 2007
Investigating grade 10 geography teachers' implementation of a learner-centred approach in selected Namibian schools
- Authors: Angula, Adelheid
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Geography -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia Student-centered learning -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1851 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004459
- Description: Geography, more than other subjects in the curriculum, plays a central role in general education in equipping learners with skills and competencies needed for modern living and global citizenship. A learner-centred education in Namibia was adopted to provide more opportunities for learners to develop the required skills and competencies irrespective of their different cultural background. This small-scale case study investigated three Grade 10 geography teachers' understanding and implementation ofa learner-centred approach to gain insights into how leamer-centred education is being implemented in the context of Geography. The research design adopted a qualitative approach within an interpretative orientation. Data were collected through interviews, classroom observations and documentary analysis. The research was conducted at three selected schools in Oshikoto Region with three Grade 10 geography teachers The findings revealed, firstly, that teachers have a limited understanding of the key ideas ofLCE, such as, prior knowledge, role of questioning, and social interaction in learning; use of resources and the types of assessment activities which comply with the aims of LCE. Seconclly, the findings revealed that the policy documents, such as syllabuses, that are being used by the participants are not in line with the tenets ofLCE. Thirdly, teachers appeared to have limited subject knowledge, as revealed by their lack of understanding of how to translate the aims and assessment objectives into their daily lessons. The study therefore raises some possibilities for improving the implementation of LCE in the selected schools if the gaps as identified by this study are reduced.
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- Date Issued: 2007
Investigating the implementation of continuous assessment at the lower primary phase in a Namibian school
- Authors: Hamukonda, Paulina
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Education, Elementary -- Namibia Educational tests and measurements -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1592 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003474
- Description: Many Namibian teachers experience difficulties in actualising the principles of learner-centred education, one of which being continuous assessment. Continuous assessment serves important formative purposes. That is, it can inform education stakeholders and help improve learners’ progress in the teaching and learning environment. Although a great deal is known about continuous assessment in general, not much is yet known about how Namibian lower primary teachers actually understand and implement continuous assessment in the classroom. This study investigates the assessment practices of three Grade Three teachers in a school in Oshana Region of Namibia. The study found that although the teachers who participated in the investigation have a reasonably sound knowledge of continuous assessment in theory, they lack implementation skills. They were unable to effectively transfer what they know to what they actually do. This study found that as much as training of teachers is important, the ongoing professional development of teachers is more appropriate for enhancing a complex understanding of issues related to learner-centred education that will help them to manage continuous assessment more effectively.
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- Date Issued: 2007
Investigating the implementation of continuous assessment by grade 7 Social Studies teachers in the Oshana education region
- Authors: Matheus, Hilya
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Educational tests and measurements -- Namibia Social sciences -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1593 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003475
- Description: Since independence in 1990, Namibia’s Ministry of Education Sport and Culture has focused on curriculum and assessment reforms. The introduction of Continuous Assessment (CA) for appraising learners’ achievement was considered to be a very important aspect of teaching and learning. This study focused on the implementation of CA in schools. The study explores how the selected grade 7 Social Studies teachers understand and implement CA. This study was conducted in the Oshana region of Namibia. Four grade 7 Social Studies teachers participated from two different schools. This study was done through a case study to gain insight into the implementation of CA in schools. Semi-structured interviews, observations and document analysis were the research methods used to collect the data. The findings indicate that these teachers have a theoretical understanding of what CA implies and what role it plays and are aware of assessment strategies. However these theoretical perspectives are not translated into practice. This implies a limited understanding of CA and reflects a gap between the teachers’ theoretical understanding of CA and its practical implementation. The study also identified various systemic factors that hamper the implementation of CA, which include overcrowded classrooms, increased teachers’ workload by CA, shortages of resources such as textbooks and lack of professional development. The nature of pre-service teacher education the participants went through, professional development programmes that are given to teachers as in-service training and a lack of guidelines in the syllabus on how to approach continuous assessment are clearly evident in the findings as factors that contribute to the teachers’ gap between theory and practice. The study concludes that even though a number of workshops on continuous assessment were conducted, the teachers still could not implement it as expected. The study findings inform my professional context as an Advisory Teacher and that of my colleagues. Therefore it made me realize what the teachers’ needs are and what kind of support they require.
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- Date Issued: 2007
Local food choices and nutrition : a case study of amarewu in the FET consumer studies curriculum
- Authors: Kota, Lutho Siyabulela
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Continuing education -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Curricula Education -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Curricula Ethnoscience -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Indigenous peoples -- Study and teaching -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Nutrition -- Study and teaching -- South Africa--Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1666 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003549
- Description: This case study examines the introduction of Indigenous Knowledge (IK) in the Consumer Studies curriculum of Further Education and Training (FET). The research is centred on the use of enquiry methodologies involving learners observing parent demonstrations of the making of ‘amarewu’ and other activities centred on the propositional knowledge dealing with fermentation in the Consumer Studies curriculum. The research involved a review of curriculum documents, participant observation of a demonstration of local food practices related to ‘amarewu’ and learner research activities and interviews to review the developing learning interactions. The learning activities were focused on the learners’ researching the cultural and nutritional value of ‘amarewu’ and included an audit of food consumed in the community. What transpired from this study was that working with IK in the curriculum is possible. The inclusion of IK is not only possible but desirable and has exciting possibilities for relevance in contemporary education. The active involvement in parent demonstration engaged the learners in IK in their mother tongue, therefore indigenous knowledge has relevance. The curriculum concepts also enhanced the engagement by giving rise to more relevant knowledge and a respect for cultural matters. Intergenerational capital and subject concepts also enabled learners to engage with local nutritional problems and to come up with practical solutions. This study demonstrates how IK intergenerational capital in combination in combination with curriculum concepts (subject knowledge capital) can enhance relevance and the learners’ real engagement with local health and nutritional problems. Not only did the learners have culturally valued knowledge, but also knowledge that has a practical grasp of the problem and that they could use to engage relevant issues. These two views of knowledge join in learning and can be used to address health issues. I therefore recommend connection of cultural knowledge and conceptual knowledge to strengthen the revitalisation of cultural heritage, thus equalising it to the modern patterns of life and enhancing meaningful curriculum orientation.
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- Date Issued: 2007
Making visual literacy meaningful in a rural context: an action research case study
- Authors: Mbelani, Madeyandile
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Visual literacy -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Case studies Education -- Research -- Case studies Education -- Research -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Rural schools -- Research -- Case studies Rural schools -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1668 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003551
- Description: This thesis reports on a collaborative action research case study into the teaching of visual literacy to Grade 10 learners in a rural high school in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Visual literacy is one of the critical aspects that have been incorporated in the teaching of English First Additional Language as required by the National Curriculum Statement (Grade 10-12), which has been implemented in Grade 10 as from 2006. With the aim of improving learners’ performance in visual literacy I designed a visual literacy unit that consisted of lesson plans running over 7 periods in 10 school days. In implementing the unit the learners were first grouped and then exposed to visual grammar and visual texts and then they critically viewed such texts and designed their own. Data was collected daily in the form of individual learner journals, researcher’s journal/diary, and copies were kept of activities done by learners (individually or in groups). Also, two teachers were invited as non-participant observers to each visit a lesson. Learner focus groups were conducted and critical friends were interviewed, tape recorded and transcribed. A camera was used to take still photographs to show learner activities in groups and during group presentations. The data revealed that visual literacy could be taught meaningfully in a rural high school as the learners could identify, cut, paste and discuss elements of visual language and they finally designed their own advertisements in groups. In the analysis of data the following factors emerged as hindrances for successful teaching of visual literacy in a rural high school: lack of resources; learners’ lack of a foundation in visual literacy from Grades 7-9; and problems revolving around time management and pacing. As action research comes in spirals, this research represented the first one and the researcher found the study an eye opener and a foundation to build on in the second spiral (that is not part of this research).
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- Date Issued: 2007
Motivation of teachers for the implementation of the further education and training certificate (Grades 10-12)
- Authors: Treu, Paul Matthew
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Motivation in education , Teaching , Educational change -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:9549 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/623 , Motivation in education , Teaching , Educational change -- South Africa
- Description: Educational change in South Africa has been met with stern resistance and educators are faced with enormous difficulty in implementing new policies and curricula. Educators who have been deskilled over the years are now all of the sudden required to think ‘outside the box’ and to undergo a complete mindset change regarding the implementation of the new Further Education and Training curriculum. The new challenges educators have to cope with, heavily impacts on their day to day working conditions and subsequently their motivation. Due to the increased awareness and concern with regards to the level of educators’ motivation, this research study is based on the research question, namely how motivated educators were for the implementation of the new Further Education and Training curriculum and secondly, to explore guidelines to enhance their motivation. In an attempt to provide answers to the research problem, a qualitative research design was adopted for this research and was undertaken in two phases. In Phase 1, the data gathering consisted of semi-structured group interviews. The data was then coded into themes, sub-themes and categories and served as the basis for the interpretation of how motivated educators were for the implementation of the new Further Education and training curriculum. Four main themes emerged from the data analysis; Teachers expressed distrust in the Department of Education; Negative expectations of FET are based on the inadequate training teachers received; Teachers are de-motivated and display a low morale; Few aspects contribute to a positive attitude. Phase 2 offered recommendations, derived from the findings of Phase 1, to enhance the motivation of educators for the implementation of the new Further Education and Training curriculum. It was evident from the data analysis that educators were experiencing difficulties in coping with the heavy demand being placed on their shoulders to effectively implement the new curriculum. They displayed negative feelings towards the Department of Education who expected them to implement change within a limited time-frame. The conclusion was reached that educators are in desperate need for motivational strategies and support to enhance their emotional well-being, motivation and self-efficacy.
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- Date Issued: 2007
Nguni fermented foods: working with indigenous knowledge in the Life Sciences: a case study
- Authors: Hanisi, Nosipho
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Life sciences -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa -- Case studies Environmental education -- South Africa -- Case studies Fermented foods -- Case studies Fermentation Indigenous peoples -- Case studies Nguni (African people) -- Social life and customs. Xhosa (African people) -- Social life and customs. Ethnoscience
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1957 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008372
- Description: This study examines learning interactions around indigenous ways of knowing associated with fermented grain foods (the making of umqombothi) and the concept of alcoholic fermentation in the Grade 11 Life Sciences curriculum. As an environmental education study it also investigates the cultural significances of the fermented grain food and how learners might make better lifestyle choices. The inclusion of indigenous ways of knowing in the Life Sciences curriculum (FET band) created spaces and opportunities for the use of both knowledge's in sociocultural context and the structured propositions of the learning area in order to construct knowledge. This stimulated learners' understanding of fermentation and also led to a valuing of social context as well as the cultural capital embedded in the indigenous ways of knowing. The study suggests that parental involvement contributed to this valuing of intergenerational ways of knowing. Learners also deliberated how colonial interpretations of Nguni culture and the religious beliefs of Christians had served to marginalise and foster a widening urban rejection of isiXhosa cultural practices related to fermented foods. In their learning and discussion, learners developed new insights and respect for isiXhosa fermentation practices (ukudidiyela) that bring out the food value and nutrition in the grain. The data illustrates that lesson activity that drew on relevant Learning Outcomes and Assessment Standards to integrate Indigenous Knowledge practices in a Life Sciences learning programme, served to enhance learner understanding of alcoholic fermentation. They also document a revaluing of cultural heritage and learners bringing up the problem of alcohol abuse in the community. Curriculum work with Indigenous Knowledge thus not only assisted learners to grasp the science but to use this alongside a valued cultural knowledge capital to deliberate and act on a local concern.
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- Date Issued: 2007
Psychosocial barriers to learning in a deprived environment
- Authors: Mack, Esmé Judy
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Students -- South Africa -- Port Alizabeth -- Social conditions , Children with social disabilities -- Education -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Learning disabilities -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:9481 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/551 , Students -- South Africa -- Port Alizabeth -- Social conditions , Children with social disabilities -- Education -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Learning disabilities -- South Africa
- Description: Many secondary schools in deprived environments are characterized by teenage pregnancies, drug and alcohol abuse, crime, high dropout rates, gangsterism and low pass rates. Teachers are confronted on a daily basis with learners who are exposed to barriers to learning. The purpose of this study is in line with the formulated problem, namely to: investigate the various dimensions of the relationship that exists between psychosocial barriers to learning and environmental deprivation; provide guidelines based on the findings of the research and present them as recommendations for teachers to support learners from a deprived environment who experience barriers to learning. A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and interpretative research design was utilized to provide acceptable answers to the research problem. A literature study regarding psychosocial barriers to learning was done to explain the concept along with concepts related to environmental deprivation. This study was conducted in two phases: Phase 1 presented an exploration of the problem in the form of a single openended question: What hindrances to learning are you experiencing in your specific physical and social environment? Eight focus group interviews with learners were undertaken at a secondary school in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality. A purposive sampling method was used. Data collection took place through open-ended interviews and Tesch’s model was used to analyse the data. After the research investigation was completed the researcher and an independent coder analyzed iv the results from the transcriptions of a voice-recorder. Guba’s model of data verification was used to ensure the trustworthiness of the data. Ethical measures were adhered to during the study. The research findings were evaluated for educational purposes. Consensus was reached between the researcher and the independent coder with regard to the identification of themes, categories and sub-categories. Phase 2 generated recommendations from the findings of Phase 1 to assist the teachers in dealing competently with learners from deprived environments. The following four themes emerged from the results which led to various conclusions: 1. A deprived home situation (relationships, abuse, no privacy, and poverty) generates barriers to learning. Neglect: no interest and a don’t care attitude of parents, no parents at home, rejection and no communication have a negative effect on the learners. Physical, sexual, alcohol and drug abuse in the home situation influence the learners negatively. No privacy: sexual behaviour of parents and overcrowding have a decisive effect on the learners. Poverty: factors such as unemployment, cannot afford school fees, no electricity and no breadwinner make the learner feel desperate and despondent. 2. A deprived school situation (social relationships, physical factors, no resources, racism and distances to school) creates barriers to learning. The following features of social relationships were identified as contributing factors to poor social relationships at school, namely: peer pressure: drugs, dropping out of school, unsafe school environment; relationships with teachers: no respect for teachers and teachers who degrade learners. The following physical factors have a detrimental effect on a learner’s progress: broken windows and roofs, lack of water, electricity and lights, the state of the school grounds, ablutions and big classes. Schools with no resources such as libraries and counselling centres contribute to the poor performance of the learners. Racism, language issues and no mixing of races are contributing factors to barriers to learning. The long distances to school, the cost of transport and the fact that they do not have time for homework affect the learners as hindrances to learning. 3. A deprived environment (with factors such as HIV/AIDS and TB, a community not conducive to learning, unsafe communities and overpopulation) causes barriers to learning. HIV/AIDS and TB, taking care of parents, tiredness, illnesses and discrimination are seen as factors that hamper learning. A community that is not conducive to learning, with a don’t care attitude and that is not very helpful, causes barriers to learning. Unsafe communities, where crime is rampant, with ineffective police services and overpopulation, where noise and loud music are the order of the day, have a negative effect on learning. 4. Learner-related factors (early pregnancies and the susceptibility of youth) create barriers to learning. Teenage pregnancies are detrimental to education where the mother must baby-sit, and is not studying, as well as sexual abuse and rape, are factors that contribute to school dropouts. Cigarettes, drugs, alcohol, taverns, discos, taxis and gangs were identified as factors contributing to learner delinquency. The conclusion was reached that learners in deprived environments are exposed to psychosocial barriers to learning. Recommendations in this regard were proposed to assist the teacher in understanding these learners and the barriers that they are exposed to on a daily basis.
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- Date Issued: 2007
Relating indigenous knowledge practices and science concepts : an exploratory case study in a secondary school teacher-training programme
- Authors: Mandikonza, Caleb
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Ethnoscience -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Zimbabwe Science -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Zimbabwe Teachers -- Training of -- Zimbabwe
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1918 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007321
- Description: This study reports research on how student teachers in Science at Mutare Teachers' College in Zimbabwe worked with indigenous knowledge practices in relation to science concepts in the secondary school syllabus. The study was conducted among first-year science students and involved them in developing science learning activities for a peer-teaching process that was part of their course. The research was undertaken during a review ofthe college syllabus and as a study to inform the Secondary Teacher Training Environmental Education Programme (ST²EEP). The research design involved the researcher in participant observations and interviews with rural people to document indigenous knowledge practices and to develop materials for the students to work with in the lessons design part of the study. The student teachers used the documented practices to generate learning activities and lesson plans to teach the science concepts they had identified. A peer review session and focus group interviews followed the lesson presentations. Findings from the research point to the rural community being a repository of diverse indigenous knowledge practices. Student teachers showed that they had prior knowledge of both indigenous knowledge practices and science concepts when they come to class. Student teachers were able to relate indigenous knowledge practices and science concepts in ways that have the potential to enhance the learning of science in rural school contexts that lack laboratories and science equipment. The scope of the study does not allow for anything beyond tentative conclusions that point to the need for further work to be undertaken with student teachers and for the research to be extended to teaching and learning interactions in schools. Recommendations are also made for further resource-based work to be undertaken within the forthcoming St²eep implementation phase in 2007.
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- Date Issued: 2007
Reviewing the use of environmental audits for environmental learning in school contexts: a case study of environmental auditing processes within a professional development course
- Authors: Hoffmann, Patricia Anne
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Environmental auditing -- Study and teaching -- South Africa -- Case studies Environmental education -- South Africa -- Case studies Sustainable development -- Study and teaching -- South Africa -- Case studies Professional education -- South Africa -- Case studies Teachers -- Training of -- South Africa -- Case studies Educational change -- South Africa -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1746 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003630
- Description: This case study focuses on the use of environmental audits for learning, by teachers participating in the Schools and Sustainability professional development course in Durban, South Africa. It reviews ways in which audits were choreographed and used for lessons within school contexts. It explores ways in which audits shaped meaning-making interactions and environmental learning processes. This is an interpretive case study, characterized by a moderate realist perspective. Data were generated through interviews with teachers, field observations, photographs, document analysis, and group interviews with learners. Data were analyzed using the general comparative method. The research takes place in the context of educational transformation in South Africa. Some of the challenges accompanying the shift to Outcomes Based Education seem to be associated with naïve interpretations of constructivism and a view of reality as socially constructed and relative. This seems to have influenced ways in which audits are being undertaken in school contexts. This study argues that a realist orientation to auditing may be a more useful process for engaging with the world and enhancing the way learners perceive and respond to environmental risk. Ideas about reality-congruence and the interacting processes of involvement and detachment are of central importance in understanding processes of knowledge construction and meaning making in this study. The study draws on the work of Elias (1987) and Latour (1999) to shed light on the significance of auditing processes in which a close engagement with reality, coupled with a measure of detachment, can lead to the construction of a more reality-congruent account and a more realistic assessment of the environmental issue in focus. Key findings of the study suggest that the effectiveness of environmental auditing as a pedagogical process was influenced by the teachers’ intentions, knowledge and skills, choreography of the audit, nature of the teaching and learning interactions, and ways in which teachers and learners engaged with the findings. The study recommends that auditing activities should be carefully structured and mediated by teachers to be meaningful and to enable learners to identify environmental issues, gather data, engage in critical reflection and deliberate appropriate responses for social and environmental transformation.
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- Date Issued: 2007
Self-efficacy and the recognition of prior learning
- Authors: Rudman, Neville
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Accreditation (Education) -- South Africa , Universities and colleges -- Accreditation -- South Africa , Experiential learning -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:9536 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/689 , Accreditation (Education) -- South Africa , Universities and colleges -- Accreditation -- South Africa , Experiential learning -- South Africa
- Description: The Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), a mechanism grounded in the educational transformational policies of the African National Congress to redress the historical legacy of Apartheid, is a relatively new (and often contested) concept in South Africa. This research endeavors to investigate the effect of a module, which forms part of a B.Ed (upgrade) programme and is based on the processes and principles of RPL, on students’ (in-service teachers’) self-efficacy and their skills in terms of the development and execution of work schedules and lesson plans (the RPL-focus of the module). The methodology includes the gathering of quantitative and qualitative data through the administering of pre- and post- self-efficacy questionnaires, assessment of the portfolios of evidence produced by the students, and the feedback obtained from the focus-group interviews. The data indicate a statistically significant improvement in the participating students’ self-efficacy and draw attention to the negative issue of context in previously disadvantaged South African schools. The significance of this research lies not only in the interrogation of an innovative approach to dealing with RPL issues in an academic programme, and its possible influence on teacher self-efficacy, but also in its contribution to the academic debate about the RPL process which is currently taking place both locally and internationally.
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- Date Issued: 2007
Social learning processes in a citrus farming community of practice
- Authors: Downsborough, Linda
- Date: 2007
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1878 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005859
- Description: Learning takes place in a number of ways. Situated learning for example, tries to shift the focus from the individual as a learner to the learner participating in the social world and from learning as a strictly cognitive process to a more encompassing view of social practice. The overall aim of this research was to gain a deeper understanding of the ways in which learning takes place in and between members of a citrus farming community, in other words it was to investigate the social learning processes. The research was undertaken in Patensie, a citrus farming community of the Gamtoos River Valley, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Data was generated through the use of interviews and informal discussions with participants together with document analysis, such as minutes of meetings. I also made observations of the learning interactions that were evident and also the interactions that were evident in the area as a whole. The data was analysed in two phases, the first involved reading across the interview transcripts and organizing the data under broad themes while the second phase made use of an analytical framework, a Community of Practice perspective to further analyze and engage with the data. I drew quite strongly on the ideas of situated learning, Communities of Practice and the notion of Legitimate Peripheral Participation (Lave & Wenger, 1991) as a means to understand, interpret and describe the social learning processes. The research highlighted that in this case study, citrus farmers learn in a number of sociological ways, for example through intergenerational learning (in the family), learning from each other in a Community of Practice, learning from private consultants and extensions officers as well as from other organizations and institutions. It also considered how farmers' learning had influenced land use practice in the area. This brought to the fore an emerging partnership with a conservation agent based on providing economic incentives to farmers to engage in sustainable landuse practices. It is hoped that this research may inform future educational endeavours by shedding light on the social learning processes and by drawing attention to key aspects of learning that may previously have been overlooked in research.
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- Date Issued: 2007
Stakeholders' perceptions of parents' involvement in the governance of a Namibian rural school
- Authors: Niitembu, Martha M
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: School management and organization -- Namibia Education -- Parent participation -- Namibia Education and state -- Namibia Rural schools -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1770 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003655
- Description: The issue of decentralisation has been one of the top priorities of the Namibian education system since independence in 1990. One of the decentralisation aims was to enhance parental involvement in education by establishing School Boards. However, School Boards and the role of parents in school management have been considered ineffective for several years which led to the promulgation of Education Act 16 of 2001 in which the roles of School Boards are strengthened and clarified. This study sought to investigate School Board members’ perceptions, understanding and experiences of parents’ involvement in school governance more specifically after the implementation of the Education Act of 2001 in 2003. This study is an interpretive case study of one combined rural school in the Ohangwena educational region of Namibia. This research employed three data collection techniques, namely semi-structured interviews, observation and document analysis. The main findings of this study reveal that there is a lack of joint understanding and shared vision between educators and parents in the School Board. This problem underpins other more symptomatic problems, such as lack of accountability in the matter of school finances, differences in understanding the roles of School Board members and lack of parents’ motivation from the school management. The study further reveals the ineffectiveness and insufficiency of the training provided in the past. It highlights some of the challenges that hinder the effective involvement of parents in rural school governance, such as poor educational background among parents, poor knowledge of the English language and poor understanding of educational issues. However the findings also acknowledge parents’ participation and their full involvement in decision-making. The findings show that the new School Board elected in terms of the Education Act of 2001 has been more effective than previous School Boards and has reached a number of achievements such as being instrumental in solving disciplinary problems, purchasing school assets and renovating classrooms. Recommendations for practice and for further research are made.
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- Date Issued: 2007
Teacher motivation in a South African school
- Authors: Kovach, John C
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Teacher morale -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Teachers -- Professional ethics -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Teacher-administrator relationships -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Educational leadership -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1790 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003675
- Description: This study explores and attempts to shed light on what motivates teachers and how teacher motivation is affected by a principal's leadership style. The worldviews of pragmatism and critical realism were used as the basis for exploring teacher motivation in a South African school. A primary school in the Eastern Cape of South Africa was chosen for the case study. Three data gathering tools, a leadership questionnaire, teacher survey, and interviews were used to generate data on teacher motivation and the interaction between leadership style and teacher motivation. In regards to teachers, religion, social justice, and self-efficacy were all identified as motivators. The principal was strongly charismatic in her leadership and along with transformational and social justice leadership played a major role in influencing teacher behaviors. Self-determination theory was identified as helping to explain different levels of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and thereby to better understand varying degrees of teacher motivation. There are many difficulties in South African education and around the world in general and this study is premised on the belief that if teacher motivation can be studied and advanced there will be an improvement in education and learning. This thesis was limited in its scope and ability to fully explore the different levels of ontology as outlined by the critical realist and this is identified as a possible future course of action for not only studying teacher motivation but getting to the 'heart of the matter'.
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- Date Issued: 2007
Teachers' perspectives on the implementation of life orientation as a learning area
- Authors: Panday, Dhevina
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Life skills -- Study and teaching , Teachers -- South Africa -- Attitudes , Education -- South Africa -- Curricula
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:9551 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/590 , Life skills -- Study and teaching , Teachers -- South Africa -- Attitudes , Education -- South Africa -- Curricula
- Description: The aim of this research project then was to investigate a particular dimension related to the implementation of the Life Orientation learning area within a particular rural primary school in the Kwa-Zulu Natal region. Since the teacher has been identified as a key role player in the successful or unsuccessful implementation of a new curriculum, the primary focus was on the teacher per se. Fullan’s emphasis (1991:117) on teachers’ thoughts (what they think) and actions (what they do), raises two subsequent questions, namely What do teachers at this particular school do with regard to the implementation of the (new) Life Orientation learning area? and What do these teachers think about the implementation of the (new) Life Orientation learning area? In this study, I focused on the second question, namely What do teachers think about the implementation of the (new) Life Orientation learning area? Within the context of this study, it is assumed that the teachers’ thoughts also include their opinions, viewpoints, attitudes and beliefs about the implementation of the Life Orientation curriculum. The term ‘perspective’ has thus been used as encompassing term and the main research question defined as What are teachers’ perceptives about the implementation of the (new) Life Orientation learning area?.
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- Date Issued: 2007
Teenage pregnancies as a management issue in township schools in George
- Authors: Sethosa, Grace Sibongile
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Teenage pregnancy -- South Africa , Sex instruction for teenagers -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:9543 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/678 , Teenage pregnancy -- South Africa , Sex instruction for teenagers -- South Africa
- Description: This study investigates the causes, consequences and possible solutions of teenage pregnancy. It indicates that socio-economic factors play an important role in the occurrence of teenage pregnancies. In addition the study suggests that a range of factors, including, cultural norms and individual needs, impact on the childbearing decisions of teenage females. The study demonstrates that the most important negative consequences of teenage pregnancy include dropping out of school, unemployment, single parenthood and higher levels of poverty. An important finding of the study is that policies and programmes aimed at reducing teen pregnancy rates, and eliminating the negative consequences experienced by teen mothers and their children, are unlikely to be fully effective unless they realistically address socio-economic imbalances faced by many young women in South Africa.
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- Date Issued: 2007