An exploration of leadership practices: a case study in a public high school in Nigeria
- Authors: Adediji, John Oluwole
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Educational leadership -- Nigeria -- Case studies Teacher participation in administration -- Nigeria -- Case studies School management and organization -- Nigeria -- Case studies Education, Secondary -- Nigeria
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1405 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001955
- Description: The management of Nigeria high schools are noted for administrative practices in the management of their schools; hence the term administration is commonly used in their daily operations. This fact on ‘administration’ was emphasised by the Nigerian government in the National Policy on Education (Nigeria, 1981, p. 21). Therefor as a researcher from Nigeria, my rationale for embarking on this research study was to find out to what extent a public high school in Nigeria was still operating in a hierarchical, individualistic, authoritarian style of leadership or whether it has started embracing contemporary approaches such as distributed leadership. The main goal of this study was to explore leadership practices in the case study school with the main focus on how different people relate to each other in the various leadership practices of the school, such as staff and briefing meetings of the school. In addition, my research questions aimed at exploring the respondents’ perceptions of leadership and factors enabling or constraining the distribution of leadership in the school. The study is located within the interpretive paradigm. As a researcher in a wheelchair studying in South Africa I needed to find alternative ways of accessing the research site and gathering data. I was able to use electronic communication for the collection of my data. I used four different tools of data collection methods namely document analysis, observation, questionnaire and stimulated recall interviews. Findings from the study indicated that there was limited evidence of contemporary leadership approaches in the case study school. The school was still operating traditional leadership, while school activities were dominated by a hierarchical chain of command. What emerged from the leadership practices of the school could be termed authorised distributed leadership which was under the command of the school principal. Data also indicated that there were some forms of restricted teacher leadership in the management and administration of the school. In addition, findings revealed that the case study school was very good at the management and administrative functions. The school was very effective and efficient in the controlling and management of both human and material resources. Lastly, findings from the case study school indicated some enabling factors to the distribution of leadership in the case study school which include a culture of respect and cordial relations among the SMT and the teachers, Prominent among constraining factors to the distribution of leadership in the case study school were: cultural orientation of the people where the case school was located, exclusionary religious practices by the principal of the school and the inhibiting role played by the Ministry of Education. Finally, based on these findings, recommendations were made both for practice and for future research.
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- Date Issued: 2013
Environmentally friendly dyeing and finishing
- Authors: Dayla, Mackraj
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Dyes and dyeing -- Knit goods -- South Africa , Textile finishing -- South Africa , Bleaching industry -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:10454 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020776
- Description: The textile industry in South Africa is a significant contributor to the chemical load that public wastewater treatment plants have to process, and the discharge of toxic substances, especially to the aquatic environment. In order to address this issue at factory level, the processes at a textile plant, JMV Textiles were chosen for investigation into the possibilities of minimization of discharges of harmful substances into the environment. The study followed the principles of cleaner production, and the processes that were investigated and revised were: The conventional peroxide bleaching process employed a peroxide stabilizer that did not biodegrade easily. The bleaching process was changed, so that the prevailing conditions in the fabric and dyebath facilitated bleaching without the addition of peroxide stabilizer, and also reduced the alkali and energy requirements. Polyester‐viscose fabric was pretreated by bleaching with hydrogen peroxide, which seemed to be unnecessarily rigorous, because polyester and viscose, unlike natural fibres, are relatively clean and have good whiteness in comparison with natural fibres. The proposed alternate pretreatment was a scour with detergent and alkali. The pretreatment for all polyester‐cotton fabrics was also a hydrogen peroxide bleach. Due to the ability of medium and dark shades to mask the natural tint of cotton fibres, a simpler alternate pretreatment, consisting of an alkaline scour with sequestering agent, was trialled. An unacceptable proportion of the dyeings on polyester was rejected for dye‐stains and dye‐marks. A possible solution exploited the properties of using the finishing auxiliary chemical to alleviate dye‐stains and dye‐marks during the dyeing stage, instead of using the chemical after dyeing. The highly toxic carrier that was used to facilitate level dyeing of polyester fibres that had unacceptable variation in their dyeing properties, was replaced by a less toxic carrier. The formulation for dyeing polyester was simplified to eliminate the auxiliary chemicals that were not essential to the dyeing process. Pale reactive dyed shades on cellulose and polyester‐cellulose were washed off only with hot water instead of detergent. The revised procedures consequential to the study, offered significant environmental benefits by reducing the concentration and volume of effluent produced, substituting a highly toxic carrier with a less toxic one and saving energy and water. Implementation of the suggested changes also offered financial benefits. The management of the factory, however, accepted and implemented some changes, but wanted further investigations for others and a phased approach to the other suggested changes.
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- Date Issued: 2013
How do teachers characterise their teaching for conceptual understanding and procedural fluency?: a case study of two teachers
- Authors: Junius, Daniel Franscius , Danie Junius
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia Mathematics -- Study and teaching -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1360 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001426
- Description: Over many years the practice or art of teaching Mathematics posed itself as, not only being different from the practice of teaching any other subject, but to have many challenges and opportunities that ask for exploration and understanding. Just after independence in 1990, Namibia has embarked upon a reform process for the entire education system. Many changes were brought about to create a uniform, equal system for all. However, many challenges still remain to be addressed. Mathematics education remains one of the key areas where Namibian teachers can contribute towards the improvement of the subject. Unsatisfactory results, under-qualified teachers, and a negative disposition towards Mathematics are some of the challenges. These challenges are not unique to Namibia. Across the globe psychologists, philosophers and educators continue to engage in debates and research projects in search of answers and solutions for the improvement of Mathematics education. Despite encountering numerous obstacles, many teachers are dedicated and achieve outstanding results with their learners. This thesis reports on a research project that focused on the Mathematics teaching practice of two teachers whose experiences can make a positive contribution to the improvement of Mathematics teaching in Namibia. Furthermore, this case study investigated and attempted to understand the Mathematics teaching practices of two proficient teachers who each claimed to have a specific and unique approach to teaching Mathematics. The one claimed to be mainly procedural in her Mathematics teaching, while the other one claimed to teach mainly in a conceptual manner. Both achieve very good results with their classes and attribute their own teaching orientations to a process of several experiences they went through as students and in their careers. The study revealed that both claims are substantiated and that each teacher was consistent in her claimed approach. Many challenges and constraints were encountered by both teachers, but in their unique and specific ways each teacher’s chosen teaching approach supported them to overcome these. It was evident from the findings that each teacher’s practice came about as an evolutionary process over an extended period of time. As many challenges and limitations are universal, it is believed that in sharing experiences, teachers can benefit from each other by improving their practice. It was clearly stated by both participants that the re-thinking of and reflecting on their own practices provided them with new insights and motivation. Peer support and sharing of practices contribute positively towards the improvement of the teachers’ classroom practices.
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- Date Issued: 2013