Facilitating reflection in post-graduate writing practice
- Authors: Naidoo, Nadasen Arungasen
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Academic writing , Report writing , Academic writing -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africa , Written communication -- Study and teaching -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DEd
- Identifier: vital:9473 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/688 , Academic writing , Report writing , Academic writing -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africa , Written communication -- Study and teaching -- South Africa
- Description: University teaching staff are employed because of their knowledge in their particular disciplines. Many do not have a qualification to teach at a higher education institution upon commencement of their academic career. In that group there are few who have the research experience required to assist at postgraduate level. This should be developed as one of the three core activities of higher education, in which they have to be involved. This study is the result of a problem that I encountered as a higher education practitioner. In keeping with my being a practitioner researcher within an action research paradigm, this report is written mainly in the first person. The study reports on how my personal theories grew over a period resulting in the need to constantly improve my own practice. These personal theories culminated in the development of an instrument (ADaM), to assess writing. ADaM was used primarily to facilitate reflection in post-graduate writing practice. In this study, there were three sets of workshops comprising 13 practical sessions each, where lecturers engaged with the process of reading, writing, computer-mediation and, to a limited extent, with the concept of mentorship. The purpose was to answer the research question: Can a writing assessment instrument be used to sensitise staff teaching post-graduates to reflect on the complex nature of producing and assessing academic writing? At two points during the 13 practical sessions, data was gathered through semistructured interviews. The data has been analysed using a form of grounded theory referred to as remodeled grounded theory. Since the analysis traversed both the quantitative and qualitative paradigms of research, it was necessary also to place the study within the third paradigm, referred to as mixed methods research. The analysis has been presented via a series of relationships generated first by open coding, then axial coding and concludes with selective coding. In addition, the comments of an independent coder were used to validate the analysis. In accordance with classic grounded theory, it was only after the analysis of the data and the emergence of a substantive theory that I referred to existing theory in the penultimate chapter as validation of my findings. The findings from the study, together with existing literature, allowed me to conclude that “Creating an awareness of writing assessment sensitises academics to their roles as HE practitioners particularly in the areas of writing and mentorship in post-graduate supervision”.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Naidoo, Nadasen Arungasen
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Academic writing , Report writing , Academic writing -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africa , Written communication -- Study and teaching -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DEd
- Identifier: vital:9473 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/688 , Academic writing , Report writing , Academic writing -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africa , Written communication -- Study and teaching -- South Africa
- Description: University teaching staff are employed because of their knowledge in their particular disciplines. Many do not have a qualification to teach at a higher education institution upon commencement of their academic career. In that group there are few who have the research experience required to assist at postgraduate level. This should be developed as one of the three core activities of higher education, in which they have to be involved. This study is the result of a problem that I encountered as a higher education practitioner. In keeping with my being a practitioner researcher within an action research paradigm, this report is written mainly in the first person. The study reports on how my personal theories grew over a period resulting in the need to constantly improve my own practice. These personal theories culminated in the development of an instrument (ADaM), to assess writing. ADaM was used primarily to facilitate reflection in post-graduate writing practice. In this study, there were three sets of workshops comprising 13 practical sessions each, where lecturers engaged with the process of reading, writing, computer-mediation and, to a limited extent, with the concept of mentorship. The purpose was to answer the research question: Can a writing assessment instrument be used to sensitise staff teaching post-graduates to reflect on the complex nature of producing and assessing academic writing? At two points during the 13 practical sessions, data was gathered through semistructured interviews. The data has been analysed using a form of grounded theory referred to as remodeled grounded theory. Since the analysis traversed both the quantitative and qualitative paradigms of research, it was necessary also to place the study within the third paradigm, referred to as mixed methods research. The analysis has been presented via a series of relationships generated first by open coding, then axial coding and concludes with selective coding. In addition, the comments of an independent coder were used to validate the analysis. In accordance with classic grounded theory, it was only after the analysis of the data and the emergence of a substantive theory that I referred to existing theory in the penultimate chapter as validation of my findings. The findings from the study, together with existing literature, allowed me to conclude that “Creating an awareness of writing assessment sensitises academics to their roles as HE practitioners particularly in the areas of writing and mentorship in post-graduate supervision”.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
A multiple case study of parent involvement with grade 8 learners of mathematics
- Authors: Govender, Vasuthavan Gopaul
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Education, Secondary -- Parent participation , Parent-teacher relationships , Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Secondary)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DEd
- Identifier: vital:9556 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/511 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1011913 , Education, Secondary -- Parent participation , Parent-teacher relationships , Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Secondary)
- Description: The learning of mathematics is a worldwide concern. International studies over the last decade place South African learners amongst the lowest achievers. Although various initiatives have been tried there does not seem to be any improvement. In the USA and UK initiatives include the involvement of parents and these have been implemented with great success. One of the parent involvement programmes from the USA, the Family Maths Programme has been in South Africa since 1996. This programme has been successful in South Africa but is confined to parents of grades 4-7 children. However, there is no programme for parents of high school learners. As grade 8 is usually the first high school year in South Africa, this study focuses on parents of grade 8 children and their involvement in their children’s mathematics learning. It consists of an initial survey of grade 8 parents’ (from an urban school) mathematical backgrounds and experiences and their involvement in their children’s education. Using key points from the survey and elements from the literature review and other sources, the researcher designed a parent assistance programme for mathematics which was conducted with three groups of parents of grade 8 children from the same high school. Each group of parents was exclusive and the same set of procedures was applied to each group, making this study a qualitative multiple case study, within the interpretive research paradigm. The parent-assistance programme consists of a parents’ workshop and completion of journals over a 7-week period. Parents documented their interactions with their children in structured journals, a process known as participant journaling. After this journaling period, parents and children were surveyed on this interaction by means of follow-up questionnaires. This was followed later in interviews with the parents and mathematics teachers, separately. After the completion of all three case studies parents and children participated in focus group discussions to discuss and share experiences of the programme. The interrogation of the data, on two levels, suggests parents’ and children’s perceptions of mathematics were likely to be positively influenced. The data also suggest that children were likely to become more confident and to improve in mathematics.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
- Authors: Govender, Vasuthavan Gopaul
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Education, Secondary -- Parent participation , Parent-teacher relationships , Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Secondary)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DEd
- Identifier: vital:9556 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/511 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1011913 , Education, Secondary -- Parent participation , Parent-teacher relationships , Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Secondary)
- Description: The learning of mathematics is a worldwide concern. International studies over the last decade place South African learners amongst the lowest achievers. Although various initiatives have been tried there does not seem to be any improvement. In the USA and UK initiatives include the involvement of parents and these have been implemented with great success. One of the parent involvement programmes from the USA, the Family Maths Programme has been in South Africa since 1996. This programme has been successful in South Africa but is confined to parents of grades 4-7 children. However, there is no programme for parents of high school learners. As grade 8 is usually the first high school year in South Africa, this study focuses on parents of grade 8 children and their involvement in their children’s mathematics learning. It consists of an initial survey of grade 8 parents’ (from an urban school) mathematical backgrounds and experiences and their involvement in their children’s education. Using key points from the survey and elements from the literature review and other sources, the researcher designed a parent assistance programme for mathematics which was conducted with three groups of parents of grade 8 children from the same high school. Each group of parents was exclusive and the same set of procedures was applied to each group, making this study a qualitative multiple case study, within the interpretive research paradigm. The parent-assistance programme consists of a parents’ workshop and completion of journals over a 7-week period. Parents documented their interactions with their children in structured journals, a process known as participant journaling. After this journaling period, parents and children were surveyed on this interaction by means of follow-up questionnaires. This was followed later in interviews with the parents and mathematics teachers, separately. After the completion of all three case studies parents and children participated in focus group discussions to discuss and share experiences of the programme. The interrogation of the data, on two levels, suggests parents’ and children’s perceptions of mathematics were likely to be positively influenced. The data also suggest that children were likely to become more confident and to improve in mathematics.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
An investigation into masculine-atypical behaviour : a study among Moi university students Western Kenya
- Authors: Simiyu, Catherine Kituko
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Sex role -- Kenya , Masculinity -- Kenya
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DEd
- Identifier: vital:9530 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/851 , Sex role -- Kenya , Masculinity -- Kenya
- Description: We are presented with a situation in which ‘the male identity is a fragile and tentative thing with no secure anchorage in the contemporary world’ (Brittan, 1989:3). However, empirical evidence surrounding the commonly perceived contemporary crisis of masculinity fails to support any overall crisis of masculinity thesis (Edwards, 2006:16). Instead, the different perceptions of the crisis tend to rest on at least one of the three propositions pointed out by Edwards (2006:17): Firstly; masculinity as a set of values, practices or dispositions may be suffering a crisis in so far as it is being undermined and devalued, or, moreover that masculinity per see is now to a greater or lesser degree equated with a series of negative rather than positive associations and connotations. Secondly; masculinity may be in crisis due to its perceived tendency to implore into femininity, whether through an undermining of any gender role distinctions or through feminization of some forms of masculinity as, for example, in the case of the rise of contemporary consumerist, fashion conscious or sexually uncertain masculinities such as metrosexuality. Thirdly, the crisis of masculinity may relate to the sense that masculinity in terms of the male sex role is itself ipso facto crisis-inducing. In this sense, masculinity is not in crisis, it is crisis. This study was based on the second proposition. In the patriarchal Kenyan society where gender roles are fairly traditional, and the male person perceived superior to the female and male things valued above female things, the aspect of feminization of masculinity is not just new but indeed strange. This investigation was intended to find explanations for the feminizing behaviour by males. The sex role paradigm developed in the 1970s explains acquisition of masculinity through socialization, sex role learning and social control. These mainstream theories of learning gender were explored in the assumption that they form the basis for the contemporary theories, and further, although much had changed with the times, a large part of the society still perceived gender roles from this traditional viewpoint. The masculine crisis theory and the constructionist views of gender constituted the theoretical framework of the study. This was due to the researcher’s acknowledgement that individuals were active participants in the construction of their own gender identity, and that there was likelihood for the individuals to deviate from the social expectations of what masculinity means and should be. As a result they could construct a masculinity that did not reflect normality, hence portraying a crisis. Data relating to the respondents’ perception of and reasons for feminine behaviour among young male adults was gathered from young males, young females, and both male and female parents through questionnaire and interview methods. Information about the home environment of the respondents was also necessary to help explore environmental factors that contribute to gender construction. In addition, observation was used to obtain information to dispute, confirm or complement the findings from the other mentioned methods. An exploratory-descriptive qualitative type of research was undertaken at Moi University, Eldoret in Kenya, where the feminization of masculinity was observed. 100 male students chosen through both purposive and simple systematic sampling responded to the open-ended questionnaire which contained perception-eliciting items. A discussion with two focused groups of seven female students each, from the same institution obtained their opinion on the subject of cross-gender behaviour of their male colleagues. Selection of the females was based on willingness to participate. An in-depth interview with two male and three female parents of young male adults whose selection was upon availability, was done on a one-on-one basis to capture the view of adults (likely reasons for, and attitudes) on the matter of feminine behaviour among boys. Data was qualitatively processed and analyzed, taking into account issues of dependability and accuracy. Explanations, findings and conclusions were made, based on the fairly rich data. Overall, the researcher concluded that an interplay between various factors in the young males’ environments, including peers, media, parents and the general dynamics of society (including the feminist movements) explained the feminization of the masculine identity. All these were perceived as influenced by the postmodern movement that had transcended boundaries, thanks to modern communication techniques, to reach the initially very traditional societies. The researcher acknowledged the irreversibility of the clock of time and behaviour trends, hence suggested inclusiveness of this group of males for overall society development, but against the backdrop of responsible guidance and understanding. The study was seen as significant, both for education as an institution that empowered individuals for social function, as well as for peaceful coexistence for the society at large. Conclusively, a redefinition of ‘masculinity’ and a change in the current social attitudes about masculinity and femininity was recommended. Hopefully this was a step towards enhancing an understanding of behaviour dynamics in the largely changing social systems which, in the same vein, remained the touchstone for behaviour formation, modification and prediction not only in Kenya, but Africa as a whole.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
- Authors: Simiyu, Catherine Kituko
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Sex role -- Kenya , Masculinity -- Kenya
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DEd
- Identifier: vital:9530 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/851 , Sex role -- Kenya , Masculinity -- Kenya
- Description: We are presented with a situation in which ‘the male identity is a fragile and tentative thing with no secure anchorage in the contemporary world’ (Brittan, 1989:3). However, empirical evidence surrounding the commonly perceived contemporary crisis of masculinity fails to support any overall crisis of masculinity thesis (Edwards, 2006:16). Instead, the different perceptions of the crisis tend to rest on at least one of the three propositions pointed out by Edwards (2006:17): Firstly; masculinity as a set of values, practices or dispositions may be suffering a crisis in so far as it is being undermined and devalued, or, moreover that masculinity per see is now to a greater or lesser degree equated with a series of negative rather than positive associations and connotations. Secondly; masculinity may be in crisis due to its perceived tendency to implore into femininity, whether through an undermining of any gender role distinctions or through feminization of some forms of masculinity as, for example, in the case of the rise of contemporary consumerist, fashion conscious or sexually uncertain masculinities such as metrosexuality. Thirdly, the crisis of masculinity may relate to the sense that masculinity in terms of the male sex role is itself ipso facto crisis-inducing. In this sense, masculinity is not in crisis, it is crisis. This study was based on the second proposition. In the patriarchal Kenyan society where gender roles are fairly traditional, and the male person perceived superior to the female and male things valued above female things, the aspect of feminization of masculinity is not just new but indeed strange. This investigation was intended to find explanations for the feminizing behaviour by males. The sex role paradigm developed in the 1970s explains acquisition of masculinity through socialization, sex role learning and social control. These mainstream theories of learning gender were explored in the assumption that they form the basis for the contemporary theories, and further, although much had changed with the times, a large part of the society still perceived gender roles from this traditional viewpoint. The masculine crisis theory and the constructionist views of gender constituted the theoretical framework of the study. This was due to the researcher’s acknowledgement that individuals were active participants in the construction of their own gender identity, and that there was likelihood for the individuals to deviate from the social expectations of what masculinity means and should be. As a result they could construct a masculinity that did not reflect normality, hence portraying a crisis. Data relating to the respondents’ perception of and reasons for feminine behaviour among young male adults was gathered from young males, young females, and both male and female parents through questionnaire and interview methods. Information about the home environment of the respondents was also necessary to help explore environmental factors that contribute to gender construction. In addition, observation was used to obtain information to dispute, confirm or complement the findings from the other mentioned methods. An exploratory-descriptive qualitative type of research was undertaken at Moi University, Eldoret in Kenya, where the feminization of masculinity was observed. 100 male students chosen through both purposive and simple systematic sampling responded to the open-ended questionnaire which contained perception-eliciting items. A discussion with two focused groups of seven female students each, from the same institution obtained their opinion on the subject of cross-gender behaviour of their male colleagues. Selection of the females was based on willingness to participate. An in-depth interview with two male and three female parents of young male adults whose selection was upon availability, was done on a one-on-one basis to capture the view of adults (likely reasons for, and attitudes) on the matter of feminine behaviour among boys. Data was qualitatively processed and analyzed, taking into account issues of dependability and accuracy. Explanations, findings and conclusions were made, based on the fairly rich data. Overall, the researcher concluded that an interplay between various factors in the young males’ environments, including peers, media, parents and the general dynamics of society (including the feminist movements) explained the feminization of the masculine identity. All these were perceived as influenced by the postmodern movement that had transcended boundaries, thanks to modern communication techniques, to reach the initially very traditional societies. The researcher acknowledged the irreversibility of the clock of time and behaviour trends, hence suggested inclusiveness of this group of males for overall society development, but against the backdrop of responsible guidance and understanding. The study was seen as significant, both for education as an institution that empowered individuals for social function, as well as for peaceful coexistence for the society at large. Conclusively, a redefinition of ‘masculinity’ and a change in the current social attitudes about masculinity and femininity was recommended. Hopefully this was a step towards enhancing an understanding of behaviour dynamics in the largely changing social systems which, in the same vein, remained the touchstone for behaviour formation, modification and prediction not only in Kenya, but Africa as a whole.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
Inclusive education : a model for in-service teachers
- Authors: Williams, Evelyn Elizabeth
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Inclusive education -- South Africa , Teachers -- In-service training -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DEd
- Identifier: vital:9512 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/643 , Inclusive education -- South Africa , Teachers -- In-service training -- South Africa
- Description: It is clear that the concept of inclusive education implies that learners experiencing barriers to learning should, wherever possible and with suitable support, be educated with others in a regular school setting and through a regular curriculum. It is assumed that suitable facilities, resources and assistance, where needed, will be available. An adaptable curriculum that accommodates the specific learners who experience barriers to learning is also essential for inclusive education. The focus on providing equal educational opportunities for learners experiencing barriers to learning means that the traditional roles and responsibilities in education will inevitably change. Teachers have to modify their views of themselves, their teaching methods and the roles that they have to play during the implementation of inclusive education. Teachers will have to be adequately trained to effectively and confidently provide appropriate education to learners experiencing barriers to learning. The primary goal of the study is to explore the experiences, perceptions and needs of teachers regarding inclusive education. The secondary goal is to develop a training model to equip in -service teachers better for inclusive education. The research process was structured by the application of a qualitative research approach within a theory generative design, utilising five steps of theory generation in order to reach the objectives of the study. The qualitative approach was selected, as it is exploratory in nature. Founded in this exploratory research, a central concept was identified, with the aim of developing a model to assist teachers in implementing inclusive education. ABSTRACT (xvii) The research was conducted in two phases. The first section of the research comprised an exploration of the experiences, perceptions and needs of teachers regarding inclusive education. It embraced several decisions relating to data collection and analysis processes, such as defining the population and selecting the sample procedure and the data collection method, namely personal interviews with teachers, in order to determine their experiences, perceptions and needs. Concepts in the transcripts were categorised into themes and sub-themes and were verified by a literature review. A central concept was identified ( of the theory-generative research design) that can be further analysed in the second section of the research. The second section of the research was based on the findings of the research and the work of Chinn and Kramer (1995) in order to develop a training model to assist teachers in implementing inclusive education. The following additional steps of model design were employed: - Step Two : Concept definition and classification - Step Three : Construction of relationship statement - Step Four : Description and evaluation of the model - Step Five : Model operationalisation After data analysis was completed, the research established that the participating teachers were not in favour of inclusive education and therefore perceived it negatively. They also viewed themselves as not suitably equipped to work in inclusive settings. They were also discontented and experienced an intense feeling of incompetence. The researcher identified the in teachers as the central concept, which served as the foundation of the design of a model for teachers with regard to inclusive education. The essential criteria of the concept were identified and linked to each other by means of relationship statements. The model was described and evaluated according to the five criteria of clarity; simplicity; generality; accessibility; and significance, as proposed by Step One revitalisation of competence Chinn and Kramer (1995). The researcher also reflected on the limitations inherent to this research study and presented guidelines and recommendations for the operationalisation of the model in practice, to guide future research and in-service training programmes.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
- Authors: Williams, Evelyn Elizabeth
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Inclusive education -- South Africa , Teachers -- In-service training -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DEd
- Identifier: vital:9512 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/643 , Inclusive education -- South Africa , Teachers -- In-service training -- South Africa
- Description: It is clear that the concept of inclusive education implies that learners experiencing barriers to learning should, wherever possible and with suitable support, be educated with others in a regular school setting and through a regular curriculum. It is assumed that suitable facilities, resources and assistance, where needed, will be available. An adaptable curriculum that accommodates the specific learners who experience barriers to learning is also essential for inclusive education. The focus on providing equal educational opportunities for learners experiencing barriers to learning means that the traditional roles and responsibilities in education will inevitably change. Teachers have to modify their views of themselves, their teaching methods and the roles that they have to play during the implementation of inclusive education. Teachers will have to be adequately trained to effectively and confidently provide appropriate education to learners experiencing barriers to learning. The primary goal of the study is to explore the experiences, perceptions and needs of teachers regarding inclusive education. The secondary goal is to develop a training model to equip in -service teachers better for inclusive education. The research process was structured by the application of a qualitative research approach within a theory generative design, utilising five steps of theory generation in order to reach the objectives of the study. The qualitative approach was selected, as it is exploratory in nature. Founded in this exploratory research, a central concept was identified, with the aim of developing a model to assist teachers in implementing inclusive education. ABSTRACT (xvii) The research was conducted in two phases. The first section of the research comprised an exploration of the experiences, perceptions and needs of teachers regarding inclusive education. It embraced several decisions relating to data collection and analysis processes, such as defining the population and selecting the sample procedure and the data collection method, namely personal interviews with teachers, in order to determine their experiences, perceptions and needs. Concepts in the transcripts were categorised into themes and sub-themes and were verified by a literature review. A central concept was identified ( of the theory-generative research design) that can be further analysed in the second section of the research. The second section of the research was based on the findings of the research and the work of Chinn and Kramer (1995) in order to develop a training model to assist teachers in implementing inclusive education. The following additional steps of model design were employed: - Step Two : Concept definition and classification - Step Three : Construction of relationship statement - Step Four : Description and evaluation of the model - Step Five : Model operationalisation After data analysis was completed, the research established that the participating teachers were not in favour of inclusive education and therefore perceived it negatively. They also viewed themselves as not suitably equipped to work in inclusive settings. They were also discontented and experienced an intense feeling of incompetence. The researcher identified the in teachers as the central concept, which served as the foundation of the design of a model for teachers with regard to inclusive education. The essential criteria of the concept were identified and linked to each other by means of relationship statements. The model was described and evaluated according to the five criteria of clarity; simplicity; generality; accessibility; and significance, as proposed by Step One revitalisation of competence Chinn and Kramer (1995). The researcher also reflected on the limitations inherent to this research study and presented guidelines and recommendations for the operationalisation of the model in practice, to guide future research and in-service training programmes.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
"Speak American"! or language, power and education in Dearborn, Michigan: a case study of Arabic heritage learners and their community
- Authors: Ayouby, Kenneth Kahtan
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Arabic language -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- Michigan -- Dearborn , Education and language -- Michigan -- Dearborn
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DEd
- Identifier: vital:11015 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/369 , Arabic language -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- Michigan -- Dearborn , Education and language -- Michigan -- Dearborn
- Description: This study examines the history and development of the “Arabic as a foreign language” (AFL) programme in Dearborn Public Schools (in Michigan, the United States) in its socio-cultural and political context. More specifically, this study examines the significance of Arabic to the Arab immigrant and ethnic community in Dearborn in particular, but with reference to meanings generated and associated to Arabic by non- Arabs in the same locale. Although this study addresses questions similar to research conducted on Arab Americans in light of anthropological and sociological theoretical constructs, it is, however, unique in examining education and Arabic pedagogy in Dearborn from an Arab American studies and an educational multi-cultural perspective, predicated on/and drawing from Edward Said’s critique of Orientalism, Paulo Freire’s ideas about education, and Henry Giroux’s concern with critical pedagogy. In the American mindscape, the "East" has been the theatre of the exotic, the setting of the Other from colonial times to the present. The Arab and Muslim East have been constructed to represent an opposite of American culture, values and life. Through the agency of conflation, Arab (and Muslim) Americans are accordingly lumped together with people from abroad, making for their status as permanent outsiders. Thus, if the American Self represents an ideal, the inhabitants of this oppositional world of Arabs and Islam (an Anti-world) represent an Anti-self. A source of fear and object of hate and prejudice, this Anti-self is the object of derision and anything connected with it (e.g. language, customs, religion, etc.) becomes suspect and is devalued by association. This document has two objectives: First, to present an historical account of this context, and, secondly, to shed light on how and why things that are associated with Arab Americans in Dearborn are devalued. This is achieved by addressing the developments of meanings (of actions and symbols) in their American context, and how they have shaped (and still shape) the local culture's depiction of and understanding of Arab (and Muslim) Americans. Therefore, Arab American issues of language, culture and societal interactions should be understood as constituting a stream of American life, which represent a dimension of the total American experience, past and present, that is best understood through the paradigm of American studies. Viewing this experience as a cultural whole rather than as a series of unrelated fragments (e.g. immigration waves and settlement patterns, religious and state affiliations, assimilation and preservation debates), Arab American culture and issues begin to shine through as an organic and holistic experience whose characteristics are shared with other groups, suggesting research on this community is equally generalisable to others. ii As an academic work, this document promotes an understanding of the Arab American experience from an interdisciplinary point of view through focusing on the phenomenon of language in the community with emphasis placed on the AFL experience at school. Therefore, it is a broadly-framed outlook that permits, in an introductory way, a view of the richness of the Arab American experience, particularly in Dearborn, Michigan, as part of the American experience. Data were collected using two surveys, one for AFL students at a high school, and another was administered to adults in the community—in Dearborn. In addition, an action-research-based effort, individual personal interviews and focus groups were conducted with stakeholders in the community: parents/community members, teachers/school personnel and students, utilising personal involvement in understanding and analysing the data. Also, the study referred to archival and documentary evidence available in the school system. Four hypotheses regarding importance/significance and utility of Arabic were offered and tested by means of qualitative, interpretive analysis. Findings included: (1) Arab Americans valued Arabic as an emblem of their community in Dearborn, suggesting its employment as an indicator of political empowerment. (2) Conversely, in the non-Arab community Arabic was observed as a mark of the Other, and an artefact of ethnic retrenchment and rejection of assimilation. (3) Interestingly, however, development of English language competence emerged as a major concern in the community, outweighing Arabic language preservation. (4) While, language maintenance efforts in the community were observed as minimal, especially at the organisational level, and support for such programmes was marginal to nil. (5) Additionally, Arabic, while not the object of a desire to master as a medium of communication, was observed to signify a special symbol of heritage for Arab American youth in the Dearborn community, who may have rejected their parents’ ideas about learning Arabic, but had developed their own. (6) What is more, Arab American youth were observed developing a viable hybridised identity, whose mainstay is being “Arabic”, despite the dominance of English and Euro-Anglo cultural norms. (7) At the institutional level, Arabic was observed devalued in the school setting due to its association with Arabs, Islam, Arab Americans, and immigration. (8) Moreover, relations between Arab Americans and non-Arab Americans in the school system seems to have been equally impacted by this process of devaluation, furthering the cause of stigmatisation, prejudice and racism.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
- Authors: Ayouby, Kenneth Kahtan
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Arabic language -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- Michigan -- Dearborn , Education and language -- Michigan -- Dearborn
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DEd
- Identifier: vital:11015 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/369 , Arabic language -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- Michigan -- Dearborn , Education and language -- Michigan -- Dearborn
- Description: This study examines the history and development of the “Arabic as a foreign language” (AFL) programme in Dearborn Public Schools (in Michigan, the United States) in its socio-cultural and political context. More specifically, this study examines the significance of Arabic to the Arab immigrant and ethnic community in Dearborn in particular, but with reference to meanings generated and associated to Arabic by non- Arabs in the same locale. Although this study addresses questions similar to research conducted on Arab Americans in light of anthropological and sociological theoretical constructs, it is, however, unique in examining education and Arabic pedagogy in Dearborn from an Arab American studies and an educational multi-cultural perspective, predicated on/and drawing from Edward Said’s critique of Orientalism, Paulo Freire’s ideas about education, and Henry Giroux’s concern with critical pedagogy. In the American mindscape, the "East" has been the theatre of the exotic, the setting of the Other from colonial times to the present. The Arab and Muslim East have been constructed to represent an opposite of American culture, values and life. Through the agency of conflation, Arab (and Muslim) Americans are accordingly lumped together with people from abroad, making for their status as permanent outsiders. Thus, if the American Self represents an ideal, the inhabitants of this oppositional world of Arabs and Islam (an Anti-world) represent an Anti-self. A source of fear and object of hate and prejudice, this Anti-self is the object of derision and anything connected with it (e.g. language, customs, religion, etc.) becomes suspect and is devalued by association. This document has two objectives: First, to present an historical account of this context, and, secondly, to shed light on how and why things that are associated with Arab Americans in Dearborn are devalued. This is achieved by addressing the developments of meanings (of actions and symbols) in their American context, and how they have shaped (and still shape) the local culture's depiction of and understanding of Arab (and Muslim) Americans. Therefore, Arab American issues of language, culture and societal interactions should be understood as constituting a stream of American life, which represent a dimension of the total American experience, past and present, that is best understood through the paradigm of American studies. Viewing this experience as a cultural whole rather than as a series of unrelated fragments (e.g. immigration waves and settlement patterns, religious and state affiliations, assimilation and preservation debates), Arab American culture and issues begin to shine through as an organic and holistic experience whose characteristics are shared with other groups, suggesting research on this community is equally generalisable to others. ii As an academic work, this document promotes an understanding of the Arab American experience from an interdisciplinary point of view through focusing on the phenomenon of language in the community with emphasis placed on the AFL experience at school. Therefore, it is a broadly-framed outlook that permits, in an introductory way, a view of the richness of the Arab American experience, particularly in Dearborn, Michigan, as part of the American experience. Data were collected using two surveys, one for AFL students at a high school, and another was administered to adults in the community—in Dearborn. In addition, an action-research-based effort, individual personal interviews and focus groups were conducted with stakeholders in the community: parents/community members, teachers/school personnel and students, utilising personal involvement in understanding and analysing the data. Also, the study referred to archival and documentary evidence available in the school system. Four hypotheses regarding importance/significance and utility of Arabic were offered and tested by means of qualitative, interpretive analysis. Findings included: (1) Arab Americans valued Arabic as an emblem of their community in Dearborn, suggesting its employment as an indicator of political empowerment. (2) Conversely, in the non-Arab community Arabic was observed as a mark of the Other, and an artefact of ethnic retrenchment and rejection of assimilation. (3) Interestingly, however, development of English language competence emerged as a major concern in the community, outweighing Arabic language preservation. (4) While, language maintenance efforts in the community were observed as minimal, especially at the organisational level, and support for such programmes was marginal to nil. (5) Additionally, Arabic, while not the object of a desire to master as a medium of communication, was observed to signify a special symbol of heritage for Arab American youth in the Dearborn community, who may have rejected their parents’ ideas about learning Arabic, but had developed their own. (6) What is more, Arab American youth were observed developing a viable hybridised identity, whose mainstay is being “Arabic”, despite the dominance of English and Euro-Anglo cultural norms. (7) At the institutional level, Arabic was observed devalued in the school setting due to its association with Arabs, Islam, Arab Americans, and immigration. (8) Moreover, relations between Arab Americans and non-Arab Americans in the school system seems to have been equally impacted by this process of devaluation, furthering the cause of stigmatisation, prejudice and racism.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
An investigation into the impact of the use of an integrated learning system on mathematics standard grade paper 2 marks of grade 12 learners of one high school in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan area
- Barnard, Stefanus van Rooyen
- Authors: Barnard, Stefanus van Rooyen
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Mathematics -- Research -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Mathematics -- Examinations -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DEd
- Identifier: vital:10780 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/248 , Mathematics -- Research -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Mathematics -- Examinations -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
- Description: The aim of this study was an exploration of the relationship between the use of an Integrated Learning System (ILS), entitled Master Maths, as a supplement to traditional mathematics instruction, and mathematics achievement as measured by the Paper 2 marks of the National Mathematics Examinations for standard grade learners in grade 12. The use of technology in education has increased over the past decade. One way of integrating technology into instructional programmes has been through the use of Integrated Learning Systems (ILSs). The review of the literature traces the history of computer-assisted instruction as conducted on ILSs. The review of recent research studies focuses on the impact of ILSs on learner achievement in mathematics internationally and in the South African context. This study used quantitative and qualitative methods to research the impact of the Master Maths programme on mathematics achievement. Twenty-six learners of the 133 standard grade learners from one high school in New Brighton, Port Elizabeth were selected for each of the experimental and control groups. The experimental group worked on the Master Maths programme for twelve sessions of three hours each. The results of the quantitative analysis show that the intervention did not make a significant difference to the experimental group. The Master Maths programme led to only a 0.56% increase in the marks of the experimental group. The qualitative analysis drew a comparison between the modules of the Master Maths programme and the relevant examination questions in terms of content covered and cognitive levels. The researcher used Bloom’s Cognitive Taxonomy to evaluate the cognitive levels. The data show that it was easier for the learners to obtain higher marks in the module tests than in the examination questions. The data indicate that the module tests were easier than the examination questions in that the cognitive levels of the module tests were lower. The data confirm that there is a gap between the acquisition and evaluation of core skills tested by the modules used in the intervention and the wider knowledge and skills tested in the examination.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
- Authors: Barnard, Stefanus van Rooyen
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Mathematics -- Research -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Mathematics -- Examinations -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DEd
- Identifier: vital:10780 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/248 , Mathematics -- Research -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Mathematics -- Examinations -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
- Description: The aim of this study was an exploration of the relationship between the use of an Integrated Learning System (ILS), entitled Master Maths, as a supplement to traditional mathematics instruction, and mathematics achievement as measured by the Paper 2 marks of the National Mathematics Examinations for standard grade learners in grade 12. The use of technology in education has increased over the past decade. One way of integrating technology into instructional programmes has been through the use of Integrated Learning Systems (ILSs). The review of the literature traces the history of computer-assisted instruction as conducted on ILSs. The review of recent research studies focuses on the impact of ILSs on learner achievement in mathematics internationally and in the South African context. This study used quantitative and qualitative methods to research the impact of the Master Maths programme on mathematics achievement. Twenty-six learners of the 133 standard grade learners from one high school in New Brighton, Port Elizabeth were selected for each of the experimental and control groups. The experimental group worked on the Master Maths programme for twelve sessions of three hours each. The results of the quantitative analysis show that the intervention did not make a significant difference to the experimental group. The Master Maths programme led to only a 0.56% increase in the marks of the experimental group. The qualitative analysis drew a comparison between the modules of the Master Maths programme and the relevant examination questions in terms of content covered and cognitive levels. The researcher used Bloom’s Cognitive Taxonomy to evaluate the cognitive levels. The data show that it was easier for the learners to obtain higher marks in the module tests than in the examination questions. The data indicate that the module tests were easier than the examination questions in that the cognitive levels of the module tests were lower. The data confirm that there is a gap between the acquisition and evaluation of core skills tested by the modules used in the intervention and the wider knowledge and skills tested in the examination.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
Designing an evaluation instrument for South African intermediate phase school textbooks
- Authors: Vosloo, Barend Jacobus
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Textbooks -- South Africa -- Evaluation , Curriculum change -- South Africa -- Evaluation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DEd
- Identifier: vital:11014 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/324 , Textbooks -- South Africa -- Evaluation , Curriculum change -- South Africa -- Evaluation
- Description: No coherent theory about the practice of South African intermediate phase school textbook evaluation has been forthcoming since the advent of a new South African school curriculum in 1998. This deficiency has had an adverse effect on the quality of intermediate phase school textbooks, as well as on the capacity to assess their value. This research project, therefore, had two aims. The first was to articulate a theory about the practice of textbook evaluation. The second was to develop a procedure for evaluating South African intermediate phase school textbooks in terms of the theory. The research method was underpinned by the interpretive research paradigm in terms of which relevant data were analysed and interpreted. The data emanated from a literature review, an analysis of the national Department of Education’s Revised National Curriculum Statement and its draft policy for the evaluation of learning support material, and two surveys. The first survey comprised a sample of intermediate phase teachers and the second a sample of intermediate phase textbook authors. Sufficient evidence was found to conclude that the capabilities of the authoring team, the authors’ rationale and their observance of the process of learning and instruction, the accessibility of the textbook, the availability of teacher support, meeting the requirements of the Revised National Curriculum Statement, and certain key notions about textbook evaluation play a role in articulating a theory about textbook evaluation in order to guide the process of determining the effectiveness of South African intermediate phase school textbooks. Based on the above-mentioned theory, this study proposes a procedure to assist teachers and textbook evaluators to assess the worth of South African intermediate phase school textbooks in a brief, systematic, thorough, rigorous, and practical manner.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
- Authors: Vosloo, Barend Jacobus
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Textbooks -- South Africa -- Evaluation , Curriculum change -- South Africa -- Evaluation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DEd
- Identifier: vital:11014 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/324 , Textbooks -- South Africa -- Evaluation , Curriculum change -- South Africa -- Evaluation
- Description: No coherent theory about the practice of South African intermediate phase school textbook evaluation has been forthcoming since the advent of a new South African school curriculum in 1998. This deficiency has had an adverse effect on the quality of intermediate phase school textbooks, as well as on the capacity to assess their value. This research project, therefore, had two aims. The first was to articulate a theory about the practice of textbook evaluation. The second was to develop a procedure for evaluating South African intermediate phase school textbooks in terms of the theory. The research method was underpinned by the interpretive research paradigm in terms of which relevant data were analysed and interpreted. The data emanated from a literature review, an analysis of the national Department of Education’s Revised National Curriculum Statement and its draft policy for the evaluation of learning support material, and two surveys. The first survey comprised a sample of intermediate phase teachers and the second a sample of intermediate phase textbook authors. Sufficient evidence was found to conclude that the capabilities of the authoring team, the authors’ rationale and their observance of the process of learning and instruction, the accessibility of the textbook, the availability of teacher support, meeting the requirements of the Revised National Curriculum Statement, and certain key notions about textbook evaluation play a role in articulating a theory about textbook evaluation in order to guide the process of determining the effectiveness of South African intermediate phase school textbooks. Based on the above-mentioned theory, this study proposes a procedure to assist teachers and textbook evaluators to assess the worth of South African intermediate phase school textbooks in a brief, systematic, thorough, rigorous, and practical manner.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
Emotions, social transformation and education
- Authors: Delport, Aletta Catherine
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Educational sociology -- South Africa , Education -- Philosophy , Emotions (Philosophy)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DEd
- Identifier: vital:11009 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/318 , Educational sociology -- South Africa , Education -- Philosophy , Emotions (Philosophy)
- Description: This thesis addresses the topic of the education of the emotions in the context of a rapidly transforming South African society. It attempts to reconfigure the conceptual landscape in terms of which we think about rationality, social transformation and education, and contests the intellectual and instrumental prejudice in the currently dominant ways of thinking about education. It reclaims a sense of what it would be to think of education in terms of cultivating humanity, as a key to the profound transformation of the South African society. It argues that the emotions should be relocated in our conception of transformation and education, because without it, education will fail to assist South African society to transform into a society where most people are able to live improved quality lives. The thesis comprises three distinct parts. The first part consists of an account of a particular cognitive theory of the emotions, as developed by Martha Nussbaum in her book, Upheavals of thought. The Intelligence of Emotions (2001). This theory is then applied in Part 2 to examine the complexities of social transformation in South Africa at the more profound, personal level. This investigation is presented as a narrative and comprises the perspectives of the author, who is a white Afrikaner female, who grew up in South Africa in the heyday of Apartheid. In the final part, the concept of ‘education for transformation’ is discussed. It is argued that, in order for education to enhance the social transformation of South Africa, social transformation should be conceived according to a fundamental aspect of Rousseau’s political philosophy, namely that the ideal society comprises two reciprocally related spheres, the political and the personal sphere. Part 3 argues that ‘education for transformation’ should be conceived according to a conception of transformation, which acknowledges this double-layered texture. It further argues that ‘education for transformation’ should primarily be concerned with transformation at the personal level, since, according to Rousseau’s philosophy, this dimension is fundamental to ensuring the stability and legitimacy of the political order. However, built on the main insights of Part 2, this thesis also argues that personal transformation is only possible within a framework of rationality, which acknowledges the emotions as constitutive elements of rationality itself. Essentially, this thesis is about the conception of human being, which should be esteemed as the most fundamental and crucial element of successful social transformation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
- Authors: Delport, Aletta Catherine
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Educational sociology -- South Africa , Education -- Philosophy , Emotions (Philosophy)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DEd
- Identifier: vital:11009 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/318 , Educational sociology -- South Africa , Education -- Philosophy , Emotions (Philosophy)
- Description: This thesis addresses the topic of the education of the emotions in the context of a rapidly transforming South African society. It attempts to reconfigure the conceptual landscape in terms of which we think about rationality, social transformation and education, and contests the intellectual and instrumental prejudice in the currently dominant ways of thinking about education. It reclaims a sense of what it would be to think of education in terms of cultivating humanity, as a key to the profound transformation of the South African society. It argues that the emotions should be relocated in our conception of transformation and education, because without it, education will fail to assist South African society to transform into a society where most people are able to live improved quality lives. The thesis comprises three distinct parts. The first part consists of an account of a particular cognitive theory of the emotions, as developed by Martha Nussbaum in her book, Upheavals of thought. The Intelligence of Emotions (2001). This theory is then applied in Part 2 to examine the complexities of social transformation in South Africa at the more profound, personal level. This investigation is presented as a narrative and comprises the perspectives of the author, who is a white Afrikaner female, who grew up in South Africa in the heyday of Apartheid. In the final part, the concept of ‘education for transformation’ is discussed. It is argued that, in order for education to enhance the social transformation of South Africa, social transformation should be conceived according to a fundamental aspect of Rousseau’s political philosophy, namely that the ideal society comprises two reciprocally related spheres, the political and the personal sphere. Part 3 argues that ‘education for transformation’ should be conceived according to a conception of transformation, which acknowledges this double-layered texture. It further argues that ‘education for transformation’ should primarily be concerned with transformation at the personal level, since, according to Rousseau’s philosophy, this dimension is fundamental to ensuring the stability and legitimacy of the political order. However, built on the main insights of Part 2, this thesis also argues that personal transformation is only possible within a framework of rationality, which acknowledges the emotions as constitutive elements of rationality itself. Essentially, this thesis is about the conception of human being, which should be esteemed as the most fundamental and crucial element of successful social transformation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
Reader-response approaches to literature teaching in a South African OBE environment
- Authors: Van Renen, Charles Gerard
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Reader-response criticism -- South Africa , Literature -- Study and teaching -- South Africa , Competency-based education -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DEd
- Identifier: vital:11013 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/297 , Reader-response criticism -- South Africa , Literature -- Study and teaching -- South Africa , Competency-based education -- South Africa
- Description: This research is based on the hypothesis that response-based approaches to teaching literature and an outcomes-based system of education (OBE) are conceptually incompatible. This thesis claims that reader response involves processes that cannot be accommodated pedagogically within a system based on pre-determined outcomes. Furthermore, the kind of assessment prescribed by OBE is inappropriate to the nature of reader response. The hypothesis is based on three main premises. The first is that each reader brings a highly individual and complex set of personal schemata to the reading of imaginative texts, and these schemata have a decisive influence on the nature of a reader’s response. This means that response during imaginative engagements with literary texts tends to be idiosyncratic, and therefore largely unpredictable. Because of this, it would be inappropriate for a teacher, working within an OBE system, to try to teach towards pre-selected outcomes and to attempt to ensure that these outcomes, based on responses to literary texts, are in fact achieved. The second premise is that readers’ imaginative engagements with literary texts are essentially hidden events, which even the individual reader cannot fully bring to the surface and articulate. Because they are complex, and to some extent inaccessible, it would be inappropriate to assess the processes of response in the form of tangible evidence that a particular kind of response has taken place, or an outcome achieved. The third premise is that responses need time to grow and develop and do not merely happen quickly and cleanly. Consequently, aesthetic response, already a complex and inaccessible process, has no clearly distinguishable beginnings or endings. It would therefore be inappropriate to try to pinpoint the exact nature and parameters of a particular response or fragment it into a discrete unit of competence or knowledge. A two-dimensional problem emerges. The first is a conceptual one: whether there is an inherent tension between encouraging response to imaginative literature on the one hand, and accepting the rationale for OBE, on the other. The second dimension of the problem is empirical: whether teachers of literature experience any tension of either a conceptual or a practical nature when following response based approaches within the OBE system of Curriculum 2005, and if so, what they do in order to cope. In exploring the conceptual problem, the argument of this thesis is supported by reception theory and reader response criticism. The former provides key theoretical principles and insights that illuminate the nature of aesthetic reading, while the latter describes and analyses the nature, extent and manifestations of response in educational contexts, underpinned by both reception theory and empirical research. Together they offer evidence that personal response is determined by a complex range of processes, and is the core activity in reading for aesthetic purposes. This thesis also examines the conceptual basis and the structure of OBE as interpreted in both Curriculum 2005 and the revised National Curriculum Statement. The purpose of this is to establish the extent to which the philosophy and modus operandi of these curricula are rooted in notions of competence, and the requirement that learners give tangible demonstrations of pre-determined outcomes being achieved. If it is found that the curricula do lean heavily on pre-determined outcomes in regard to competencies that must be demonstrated, it may be concluded that 1) reader response activities are incompatible with OBE in a South African context, and 2) the potential exists for such incompatibility to create obstacles to creative and effective literature teaching. This can lead to difficulties for the teacher, who will then have to adopt acceptable strategies to cope with the situation. These strategies may ultimately be to the detriment of the pupils, particularly if the teacher seeks a compromise between genuine response and the kinds of activities that would yield precise, palpable measures of attainment that can be easily demonstrated. Exploring the empirical dimension of the problem involves investigating the responses of both teachers and teacher trainers to the experience of promoting response-based literature teaching and learning in an OBE environment. In order firstly investigated whether the practitioners do encourage reading response as a core activity in reading for aesthetic purposes. The extent to which practitioners have a sound grasp of the conceptual issues relevant to this research is also investigated. Insight into such issues depends on teachers and teacher trainers understanding the nature of reader response, on the one hand, and the rationale and structures of the relevant OBE curricula, on the other. Whether, and to what extent, practitioners experience tensions through their awareness of conceptual incompatibilities is also investigated. It should be borne in mind that practitioners work in real contexts in which a variety of complex factors play a role in determining how they respond to pressures from the environment. It cannot therefore be expected that teachers and others involved in delivering the curriculum will be able to reflect on purely conceptual issues without being influenced to an extent by more practical or logistical considerations. However, this study argues that the extent to which they are able to identify the relevant factors that affect the conceptual underpinnings of their practice will determine the degree to which their responses support the argument of this thesis. Together, the empirical and the theoretical findings offer qualitative evidence that should illuminate the nature and extent of the problem.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
- Authors: Van Renen, Charles Gerard
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Reader-response criticism -- South Africa , Literature -- Study and teaching -- South Africa , Competency-based education -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DEd
- Identifier: vital:11013 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/297 , Reader-response criticism -- South Africa , Literature -- Study and teaching -- South Africa , Competency-based education -- South Africa
- Description: This research is based on the hypothesis that response-based approaches to teaching literature and an outcomes-based system of education (OBE) are conceptually incompatible. This thesis claims that reader response involves processes that cannot be accommodated pedagogically within a system based on pre-determined outcomes. Furthermore, the kind of assessment prescribed by OBE is inappropriate to the nature of reader response. The hypothesis is based on three main premises. The first is that each reader brings a highly individual and complex set of personal schemata to the reading of imaginative texts, and these schemata have a decisive influence on the nature of a reader’s response. This means that response during imaginative engagements with literary texts tends to be idiosyncratic, and therefore largely unpredictable. Because of this, it would be inappropriate for a teacher, working within an OBE system, to try to teach towards pre-selected outcomes and to attempt to ensure that these outcomes, based on responses to literary texts, are in fact achieved. The second premise is that readers’ imaginative engagements with literary texts are essentially hidden events, which even the individual reader cannot fully bring to the surface and articulate. Because they are complex, and to some extent inaccessible, it would be inappropriate to assess the processes of response in the form of tangible evidence that a particular kind of response has taken place, or an outcome achieved. The third premise is that responses need time to grow and develop and do not merely happen quickly and cleanly. Consequently, aesthetic response, already a complex and inaccessible process, has no clearly distinguishable beginnings or endings. It would therefore be inappropriate to try to pinpoint the exact nature and parameters of a particular response or fragment it into a discrete unit of competence or knowledge. A two-dimensional problem emerges. The first is a conceptual one: whether there is an inherent tension between encouraging response to imaginative literature on the one hand, and accepting the rationale for OBE, on the other. The second dimension of the problem is empirical: whether teachers of literature experience any tension of either a conceptual or a practical nature when following response based approaches within the OBE system of Curriculum 2005, and if so, what they do in order to cope. In exploring the conceptual problem, the argument of this thesis is supported by reception theory and reader response criticism. The former provides key theoretical principles and insights that illuminate the nature of aesthetic reading, while the latter describes and analyses the nature, extent and manifestations of response in educational contexts, underpinned by both reception theory and empirical research. Together they offer evidence that personal response is determined by a complex range of processes, and is the core activity in reading for aesthetic purposes. This thesis also examines the conceptual basis and the structure of OBE as interpreted in both Curriculum 2005 and the revised National Curriculum Statement. The purpose of this is to establish the extent to which the philosophy and modus operandi of these curricula are rooted in notions of competence, and the requirement that learners give tangible demonstrations of pre-determined outcomes being achieved. If it is found that the curricula do lean heavily on pre-determined outcomes in regard to competencies that must be demonstrated, it may be concluded that 1) reader response activities are incompatible with OBE in a South African context, and 2) the potential exists for such incompatibility to create obstacles to creative and effective literature teaching. This can lead to difficulties for the teacher, who will then have to adopt acceptable strategies to cope with the situation. These strategies may ultimately be to the detriment of the pupils, particularly if the teacher seeks a compromise between genuine response and the kinds of activities that would yield precise, palpable measures of attainment that can be easily demonstrated. Exploring the empirical dimension of the problem involves investigating the responses of both teachers and teacher trainers to the experience of promoting response-based literature teaching and learning in an OBE environment. In order firstly investigated whether the practitioners do encourage reading response as a core activity in reading for aesthetic purposes. The extent to which practitioners have a sound grasp of the conceptual issues relevant to this research is also investigated. Insight into such issues depends on teachers and teacher trainers understanding the nature of reader response, on the one hand, and the rationale and structures of the relevant OBE curricula, on the other. Whether, and to what extent, practitioners experience tensions through their awareness of conceptual incompatibilities is also investigated. It should be borne in mind that practitioners work in real contexts in which a variety of complex factors play a role in determining how they respond to pressures from the environment. It cannot therefore be expected that teachers and others involved in delivering the curriculum will be able to reflect on purely conceptual issues without being influenced to an extent by more practical or logistical considerations. However, this study argues that the extent to which they are able to identify the relevant factors that affect the conceptual underpinnings of their practice will determine the degree to which their responses support the argument of this thesis. Together, the empirical and the theoretical findings offer qualitative evidence that should illuminate the nature and extent of the problem.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
Towards a new educational psychological model for learner support in South Africa
- Pienaar, Christoffel Frederick
- Authors: Pienaar, Christoffel Frederick
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: School psychologists -- South Africa , Educational psychology -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DEd
- Identifier: vital:11012 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/296 , School psychologists -- South Africa , Educational psychology -- South Africa
- Description: This study presents a description of the development and history of learner support, as well as educational psychological leaner support, in South Africa. The role and function of the educational psychologist was researched through literature study and empirical research. It was found that whereas this pivotal profession is still vital in any educational system, the nature of contemporary society has necessitated a new dimension in educational psychological service delivery, namely systemic involvement. Guidelines for a new model for educational psychological learner support in the education dispensation are put forward. This model asks for the enlargement of the role of the educational psychologist to include assessment and support of all of the systems that play a role in the learner’s life.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
- Authors: Pienaar, Christoffel Frederick
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: School psychologists -- South Africa , Educational psychology -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DEd
- Identifier: vital:11012 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/296 , School psychologists -- South Africa , Educational psychology -- South Africa
- Description: This study presents a description of the development and history of learner support, as well as educational psychological leaner support, in South Africa. The role and function of the educational psychologist was researched through literature study and empirical research. It was found that whereas this pivotal profession is still vital in any educational system, the nature of contemporary society has necessitated a new dimension in educational psychological service delivery, namely systemic involvement. Guidelines for a new model for educational psychological learner support in the education dispensation are put forward. This model asks for the enlargement of the role of the educational psychologist to include assessment and support of all of the systems that play a role in the learner’s life.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
Disciplinary strategies for public secondary schools in Kenya in the post-caning era
- Authors: Kiprop, Catherine Jematia
- Subjects: School discipline -- Kenya , School children -- Discipline -- Kenya , Classroom management
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DEd
- Identifier: vital:9444 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/533 , School discipline -- Kenya , School children -- Discipline -- Kenya , Classroom management
- Description: The purpose of the study was to develop strategies for maintaining discipline among learners in secondary schools in Kenya in the post-caning era. More specifically, the objectives of this study were to: - Examine disciplinary strategies that are revealed in the relevant literature that will assist the Kenyan public secondary schools manage student discipline in the post-caning area; - Examnine the exsisting approaches to discipline that are being adopted by secondary schools in Kenya in the post-caning era; - Develop strategies for managing student discipline in public secondary schools in Kenya in the post-caning era.
- Full Text: false
- Authors: Kiprop, Catherine Jematia
- Subjects: School discipline -- Kenya , School children -- Discipline -- Kenya , Classroom management
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DEd
- Identifier: vital:9444 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/533 , School discipline -- Kenya , School children -- Discipline -- Kenya , Classroom management
- Description: The purpose of the study was to develop strategies for maintaining discipline among learners in secondary schools in Kenya in the post-caning era. More specifically, the objectives of this study were to: - Examine disciplinary strategies that are revealed in the relevant literature that will assist the Kenyan public secondary schools manage student discipline in the post-caning area; - Examnine the exsisting approaches to discipline that are being adopted by secondary schools in Kenya in the post-caning era; - Develop strategies for managing student discipline in public secondary schools in Kenya in the post-caning era.
- Full Text: false