A case study of multigrade teaching in Canada: implications for South Africa
- Authors: Muthayan, Saloshini
- Date: 2000
- Subjects: Combination of grades -- South Africa Combination of grades -- Canada Education, Elementary -- South Africa Education, Elementary -- Canada Combination of grades
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1438 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003319
- Description: This study examines multigrade teaching in selected schools in Canada and its implications for improving multigrade teaching in South Africa, where over 50 % of primary schools are multigrade and the teachers have not received preparation in multigrade teaching. The case study method was adopted because it allowed for 'an intensive, holistic description and analysis' of the multigrade classroom. The approach is interpretivist, based on the assumption that social phenomena are 'socially constituted' and 'valuationally based'. Research techniques included a literature review, interviews and observations. Four classrooms with grade combinations ranging from two grades to eight grades (Kindergarten to grade 7) were studied. Despite problems such as the lack of official recognition, inadequate teacher education and support - problems common to both Canada and South Africa - the Canadian teachers managed their classrooms effectively. This was indicated by their understanding of the children's needs, their integration of the curriculum for teaching across the grades and the learning areas, their use of effective instructional strategies and their involyement of parents in the classroom. A reason for their success may be that their teacher education includes child-centred, activity based approaches, integration of the curriculum, critical thinking, flexibility and effective instructional strategies, which they may adapt for effective multigrade teaching. The study found that successful multigrade teaching depended on the teacher. For South Africa, this may imply that intervention programmes should focus on relevant preparation and support for multigrade teachers. The emphasis on material resources in the implementation of Curriculum 2005 has not been balanced with adequate training on policy, curriculum and instructional strategies. Teacher education should include methodologies that are experiential, reflective and participatory. A variety of instructional strategies should be employed in the multigrade classroom. The respondents in the study believed further that multigrade teaching is more beneficial than single-grade teaching because it caters for the diversity of needs amongst children and allows for peer tutoring, thereby exploiting Vygotsky's theory of the 'zone of proximal development'. Thus, instead of viewing multigrade teaching as a temporary phenomenon, it should be viewed as an opportunity for improving school effectiveness.
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- Date Issued: 2000
A case study of oral linguistic error-treatment in second language classrooms where English is the medium of instruction
- Authors: Mntambo, Nomawabo
- Date: 1995
- Subjects: Second language acquisition Language and languages -- Study and teaching English language -- Errors of usage
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1439 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003320
- Description: One of the issues that have been debated at length in second language acquisition research circles is that of error-feedback and its desirability. Although there is as yet no conclusive evidence concerning its effectiveness in contributing towards the acquisition of a second language, a number of studies that have been conducted bear evidence to its desirability in L2 classrooms. This research then, was concerned with the way teachers of content subjects reacted to their learners' linguistically erroneous responses during oral interaction in their classes. The participants were four teachers who, with their pupils, are second language speakers of English . Three of these were content subject teachers while the fourth one teaches English. The data was collected from a class of Std 5 pupils in a rural school in the Eastern Cape where the lessons of these teachers were observed and audio-taped. Subsequently some of them were transcribed and analysed. The analysis of the data revealed that teachers in content subject classes, who teach through the medium of English showed more concern for content than for linguistic errors despite the fact that they are expected to extend the pupils' chances of second language acquisition.
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- Date Issued: 1995
A case study of stakeholders' perceptions of the management implications of the discipline provisions of the 1996 Schools Act in a rural Eastern Cape high school
- Authors: Luggya, Daniel
- Date: 2005
- Subjects: High school students -- Discipline -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Discipline of children -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape School discipline -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Corporal punishment -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape School management and organization -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape School discipline -- Law and legislation -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1897 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006156
- Description: South Africa's education management system has undergone a long history of transformation from the promulgation of the Bantu Education Act of 1953 to the realisation of democracy, and in this context, the South Mrican Schools Act (SASA) of l996. Apartheid legislation and the new democratic legislation have had a profound impact on the education leadership and management of schools, in which authoritarian management practices have been replaced by democratic management practices. However, democratic management practices have not yet had a significant effect in the leadership and management of schools, especially in the schools of previously disadvantaged areas. This thesis seeks to examine perceptions held by education stakeholders in the light of the rights of students as stipulated in the discipline provisions of the Schools Act of 1996, in one of the rural high schools in the Northern Region of the Eastern Cape Province. One of the most important discipline provisions is the ban on corporal punishment in schools. My intention in carrying out this research was not to generalise my findings but to understand the experiences and perceptions of the stakeholders in this school regarding the discipline provisions of the SASA. The data suggest that authoritarian education practices, especially corporal punishment, are still a factor in the maintenance of student discipline in this rural school. Stakeholders still believe in the use of corporal punishment as the only way of maintaining discipline and an orderly environment for teaching and learning. Such beliefs, assumptions and values concerning the use of corporal punishment are held by the principal, teachers, students and parents and have not changed since 1996. Beliefs, assumptions and values on the exclusive use of power by the principal on issues of suspension and expulsion are still being held by the above stakeholders in the school. The vision of the SASA that schools become autonomous institutions with democratic leadership and management practices does not seem to be practical because of the centralisation of power in the hands of the Provincial Head of the Education Department. This centralisation of power denies the principal and other stakeholders of the school the power to decide on crucial matters like the expulsion of misbehaving students, because it is the provincial Head who decides on the seriousness of offences committed by misbehaving students and subsequent expulsions. Apart from the location of power in the Provincial Head of the Education Department, the stakeholders of this school are also powerless on expulsion of students, or any other form of punishment because of the implication of the "right" to education in the Bill of Rights in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. The education department has to devise programmes that change the beliefs and assumptions of stakeholders on corporal punishment and decision-making on expulsions and suspensions. Unfortunately corporal punishment persists because parents use it in the home and support its use in school. Programmes on alternatives to corporal punishment are required for the smooth implementation of the SASA.
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- Date Issued: 2005
A case study of teacher modification strategies in an ESL classroom context
- Authors: Rataza, Themba Theophilus
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: English language -- Study and teaching (Foreign speakers) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape English language -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Code switching (Linguistics) -- South Africa Language and education -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1925 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007558
- Description: The purpose of this study is to explore and discuss the use of teacher modification strategies by a high school teacher in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa in an English second language classroom. This teacher does not share the mother tongue of the learners. Unlike other teachers who resort to code switching when teaching L2 learners, this particular educator does not have that liberty. Code switching has been found to be a useful strategy for teaching and learning (Adendorff 1996, Marawu 1996). Code switching will henceforth be abbreviated as CS in the rest of the text. Often teachers use CS to help students understand as an avoidance strategy to teach in English. They have no other way of getting through to students because they haven't been shown the benefits of teacher modification strategies employed by the teacher I have observed in this study. The study therefore seeks to establish or investigate and describe the modification strategies the teacher uses to make his lessons comprehensible to his learners and to accommodate the needs of his L2 learners in view of the fact that he does not share the language of his learners. The motivation behind this study stems from the difficulties experienced by L2/ESL learners learning through the medium of English. These problems are described by researchers such as Macdonald (1990), Eiseman (1992), NEPI report (1992). These difficulties relate to the lack of vocabulary, low proficiency levels and comprehension skills. In view of the above, this case study research was conducted on one teacher to find out or investigate how he modifies his teaching strategies. It has been revealed in the literature studied / reviewed that teachers employ a variety of teaching strategies to adapt to the needs of their L2 learners. (Long (1983), Wong-Filhnore (1985), Chaudron (1988), Huizenga et al (1990)). The teacher in this study has also been found to employ the main strategies to modify his teaching practice. It is clear from the interviews with both the teacher and his students, that this particular teacher makes full use of a range of language and methodological strategies to help his students understand his lessons. It is hoped that the findings of this research may illuminate some valuable insights in the necessity and usefulness of teacher modification strategies for all teacher trainers so that our teaching institutions can provide a variety of methods for teacher trainees to help L2 students develop their English language skills.
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- Date Issued: 2006
A case study of the group work management techniques of an English second language teacher in the Molopo circuit of Bophuthatswana
- Authors: Alfers, Helen Joy
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: English language -- Study and teaching -- South Africa -- Bophuthatswana--Foreign speakers
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1441 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003322
- Description: This study examines the small group work management techniques of a teacher of English in a second language classroom in Bophuthatswana. The school at which the observation takes place, is a black secondary school in Mmabatho which follows the Department of Education and Training (DET) syllabus and writes the DET external matriculation examination. The goal of the research is to assess and evaluate the methods the teacher uses in managing group work according to five specified areas. These areas are noted for their importance in the successful management of group work. The report on the findings of this research reveals that the teacher's understanding of the nature of small group work differs from the accepted characteristics of successful group work management as interpreted by authorities in this field. This gives rise to management techniques that are sometimes inappropriate and ill-considered. Although this study observes only one teacher, the findings indicate the need for more classroom-based research in order to establish the true nature of classroom practice. Assumptions about classroom practice are too readily made by innovators, syllabus designers and textbook writers who design materials based on methodologies which can be complex and difficult to implement. These methodologies require understanding and commitment from the teacher. However, the pre-service and in-service education and development that the teacher receives often does not guarantee understanding of the processes involved nor does it generate the necessary commitment to small group work as an effective teaching technique.
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- Date Issued: 1994
A case study of the language policy in practice in the foundation phase of schooling
- Authors: Brookes, Margaret Ann
- Date: 2002
- Subjects: Language policy -- South Africa English language -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1442 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003323
- Description: This interpretative case study takes place in the foundation phase of a previously parallel medium school in the Eastern Cape. Learners from all three major language groups of the province (English, Xhosa and Afrikaans) are enrolled at the school. The study examines the language attitudes of teachers, parents and young learners and records their language practices in the classroom, the wider school environment and at home. Research carried out through this case study found that all stakeholders perceive English as the language of access to improved education and lifestyle. All young learners displayed a positive attitude to multilingualism and were keen to be able to speak all three provincial languages. The attitudes of their parents and teachers however differed from the learners and each other. The teachers and the English speaking parents were primarily concerned with the maintenance of the standards of English. The Afrikaans and Xhosa speaking parents were committed to their children developing proficient English language skills even if this meant supporting the development of their primary language and culture at home. Furthermore it was discovered that little attention had been paid to developing a school language policy in accordance with the new Language in Education Policy of July 1997. This policy promotes an additive approach to bilingualism and seeks to ensure that meaningful access to learning is provided for all children. By suggesting steps that could be taken by this school to develop their own language policy, the study highlights the necessity of recognising and remedying the gaps between policy and practice in the issue of language rights, identity and education in general.
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- Date Issued: 2002
A case study of the readability of two grade 4 natural sciences textbooks currently used in South African schools
- Authors: Sibanda, Lucy
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Science -- Study and teaching (Primary) -- Textbooks Reading comprehension -- Study and teaching (Primary) -- South Africa English language -- Textbooks for foreign speakers English language -- Study and teaching (Primary) -- Foreign speakers Education, Primary -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1892 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006083
- Description: This thesis examines the readability of two grade 4 Natural Sciences textbooks currently used in South African schools. Being important sources of classroom input, particularly in grade 4 where learners are reading to learn, textbooks should be readable. That the Natural Sciences subject is only introduced in grade 4 makes the assessment of Natural Sciences textbooks at this level significant. The goal of this research therefore, is to assess the readability of two grade 4 Natural Sciences textbooks and their understandability by learners who speak English as an additional language. The goal of assessing the Natural Sciences textbooks is achieved by the use of cloze and traditional comprehension tests, classic readability formulae, textual analysis and teacher interviews. Cloze and traditional comprehension tests are used to test learners’ understanding of the textbooks and classic readability formulae are meant to assess the grade levels of the textbooks. The tests gauge learner understandability while readability formulae establish text readability. Textual analysis allows the assessment of text readability on the basis of more factors than those accommodated by readability formulae. The textual analysis also helps to identify the readability factors supporting or impeding readability. Teacher interviews are conducted to better understand the teachers’ perceptions on the readability of the Natural Sciences textbooks. The major findings of the study are that the two Natural Sciences textbooks used in the study are generally above the reading level of the intended readers, grade 4 learners and that the participating learners do not understand these textbooks. The challenges with the readability of the textbooks stem mainly from the vocabulary and concepts used in the textbooks which are not well explained.
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- Date Issued: 2013
A case study: exploring students' experiences of a participative assessment approach on a professionally-orientated postgraduate programme
- Authors: du Toit, Peter
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Education, Higher -- South Africa Graduate students -- Study and teaching -- South Africa -- Case Studies Action research in education -- South Africa -- Case Studies Universities and colleges -- Graduate work -- South Africa -- Case Studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1432 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003313
- Description: The study was undertaken as the first cycle of an action research project. It presents a case study that explores the potential of the combined use of self-, peer-, and tutor-driven assessment in enhancing students’ learning in a professionally orientated postgraduate media management course. The study also explores how such a process can contribute to students developing the skills and dispositions required by autonomous learners and professionals. In approaching these questions the study draws directly on students’ own accounts of their experiences and contrasts these accounts with the growing body of literature on participative assessment in higher education that has emerged over the past decade. The study begins by exploring how action research can aid in the development of valuable insights into educational practice. It draws on educational theorists’ use of Habermas’s (1971, 1972 and 1974 in Grundy, 1987: 8) theory of knowledge constitutive interests in developing a conceptual framework against which assessment practice can be understood and argues against instrumental approaches to assessment. Set against a background of outcomes-based education, the study presents an argument for privileging the role of assessment in promoting learning above its other function. It contends that this function is undermined if students are excluded from direct involvement in assessment practice. Informed by research into participative assessment, the study presents a thick description of a particular approach used during the action research cycle and explores how students experienced this process. The findings of the study support theories favouring the involvement of students in their own assessment and suggest that such processes can contribute to meeting students’ present and future learning needs.
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- Date Issued: 2009
A case-study of principal succession : the experience of a high school principal and staff
- Authors: Dowding, Susan Patricia
- Date: 1997
- Subjects: Educational leadership School principals -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1440 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003321
- Description: This is a study of a principal succession In a non-racial, multicultural High-School in the North West Province of South Africa, formerly the independent homeland known as "Bophuthatswana". I was employed at the school at the time and am, therefore, a complete member-researcher. I use a qualitative research approach which relies mostly on in-depth interviews, individually and in groups. I chose my sample by administering a short biographical questionnaire. I have sought to establish "what is happening?" in the succession process by reporting the insights and experiences of a staff and its new principal. While I use the stage frameworks of more traditional researchers in succession to provide a coherent structure for my analysis, I use the organisational socialisation perspective extensively to analyse the insights provided by the staff and principal. Unlike other principal succession studies, I include the insights of both the principal and the staff. The organisational socialisation approach emphasises that succession is an interactive, multidirectional process. My study reinforces many of the observations of other researchers in leadership succession, whether in business or Education. However, two elements of succession emerge which appear to be unique in terms of other succession literature. These elements include the impact of socio-political events and what I call "ethno-cultural" aspects on the succession socialisation process. I provide examples of the influence these factors exert in this principal succession. This study is therefore of potential significance to administrators in both Education and business in the South African context where there are significant changes taking place in the power structures and ethnic makeup of relevant organisations. I also identify a number of areas for further research.
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- Date Issued: 1997
A classroom-based investigation into the potential of a computer-mediated criterion-referenced test as an evaluation instrument for the assessment of primary end user spreadsheet skills
- Authors: Benn, Kenneth Robert Andrew
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: Education -- Data processing Electronic spreadsheets Criterion-referenced tests Educational tests and measurements
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1447 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003328
- Description: The demand for innovative end users of information technology is increasing along with the proliferation of computer equipment within the workplace. This has resulted in increasing demands being made upon educational institutions responsible for the education of computer end users. The demands placed upon the teachers are particularly high. Large class groups and limited physical resources make the task especially difficult. One of the most time consuming, yet important, tasks is that of student evaluation. To effectively assess the practical work of information technology students requires intensive study of the storage media upon which the students'efforts have been saved. The purpose of this study was to assess the suitability of criterion-referenced testing techniques applied to the evaluation of end user computing students. Objective questions were administered to the students using Question Mark, a computer-managed test delivery system which enabled quick and efficient management of scoring and data manipulation for empirical analysis. The study was limited to the classroom situation and the assessment of primary spreadsheet skills. In order to operate within these boundaries, empirical techniques were used which enabled the timeous analysis of the students' test results. The findings of this study proved to be encouraging. Computer-mediated criterion-referenced testing techniques were found to be sufficiently reliable for classroom practice when used to assess primary spreadsheet skills. The validation of the assessment technique proved to be problematic because of the constraints imposed by normal classroom practice as well as the lack of an established methodology for evaluating spreadsheet skills. However, sufficient evidence was obtained to warrant further research aimed at assessing the use of computer-mediated criterion-referenced tests to evaluate information technology end user learning in situations beyond the boundaries of the classroom, such as a national certification examination.
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- Date Issued: 1994
A classroom-based investigation into the potential of the computer spreadsheet as a learning tool within the secondary school mathematics curriculum
- Authors: Funnell, Lynette
- Date: 1992
- Subjects: Mathematics -- Computer-assisted instruction Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Secondary) Electronic spreadsheets
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1448 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003329
- Description: The influence of modern technology on education is becoming more noticeable and has implications for the curriculum and the teaching methods of mathematics. The microcomputer can be used effectively as a powerful teaching and learning aid within the mathematics classroom. This study considers the role of the computer as an aid to teachers and pupils in the teaching and learning of mathematics and shows it as having great potential. At present relatively few schools in South Africa are using the computer as a teaching aid in the mathematics classroom. The researcher proposes that some reasons are a shortage of suitable programs, the fact that few teachers have adequate skills in educative uses of the computer and most teachers are not skilled in programming techniques. Based on this assessment of the problem, spreadsheet programs related to some mathematics lessons, together with teaching notes and pupils' material have been developed. Besides describing the potential of the computer in mathematics, this study outlines the development of three spreadsheet packages and suitable teaching methodologies used for each package, and assesses an action research investigation undertaken by the researcher, teachers and pupils when using these spreadsheet packages in six classes. The findings of the investigation are most encouraging. The overall conclusion is that computer spreadsheet packages can assist the teacher in making the learning of mathematics more effective, more interesting and more enjoyable.
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- Date Issued: 1992
A comparative case study of the strategies used by grade one teachers who teach through the medium of English
- Authors: Jackson, Gail
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Native language and education -- South Africa Language policy -- South Africa Language and education -- South Africa English language -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- South Africa Multilingualism -- South Africa Education, Bilingual -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1941 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007855
- Description: This research project begins by exploring the problems surrounding the implementation of the 1997 Language in Education Policy (LiEP), and offers insight into why some schools, despite the promotion of additive bilingualism, choose English as the primary medium of instruction. It is a comparative case study of two Grade 1 classes in different situational contexts, which highlights the teaching strategies and language practices of teachers who teach predominantly non-English speakers through the medium of English. Research carried out through this case study illustrates the use of a wide range of teaching strategies, which assist young learners when learning through an additional language. In School A, thematic linking between different learning areas to maximise vocabulary development in both the mother tongue and the additional language, as well as repetition, recycling, scaffolding and contextualisation of content were found to be important. In addition, the use of questioning to elicit understanding, as well as classroom organisation and code-switching were strategies which assisted both the teacher and learners in this multilingual environment. In School B, class size, group work and the inclusion into the timetable of a wide range of diverse activities over and above the main learning areas, which provided opportunities for language development, were important considerations. In addition, routine, predictability and an attention to detail, in keeping with a form-focussed approach, aided the children in understanding the mechanics of literacy and guiding them towards becoming phonologically aware.
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- Date Issued: 2004
A comparative study of conceptualisations and practices of inclusion as an aspect of social justice in three teacher education institutions in Canada, South Africa and Zimbabwe
- Authors: Musara, Ellison
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Social justice and education , Teachers -- Training of -- Canada , Teachers -- Training of -- South Africa , Teachers -- Training of -- Zimbabwe , Educational sociology -- Canada , Educational sociology -- South Africa , Educational sociology -- Zimbabwe , Educational equalization , Inclusive education , Education -- Moral and ethical aspects , Critical realism
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/144138 , vital:38314
- Description: This study sought to examine understandings and practices of inclusion as social justice in teacher education programmes in three countries: Canada, South Africa and Zimbabwe. While inclusive education has become an issue of increasing importance globally, contemporary research shows that not much attention has been given to the preparation of teachers as a key element in developing inclusive education systems. Recognising that pre-service teacher education is vital to the success and continued development of inclusive educational practice, the purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand the ways in which inclusion is understood and practiced in the field of teacher education. Using Roy Bhaskar’s (1978) critical realism as a metatheory and drawing on Fraser’s substantive theory of social justice (2008, 2009) and Tronto’s ethic of care (1993, 2013), this study explored the extent to which teacher education faculty and teacher candidates understood and practiced inclusion as an aspect of social justice. The data used in this study was generated through individual and focus group interviews and document analysis in three higher education institutions, one in each of the three countries. In Canada, four teacher educators took part in the interviews while five teacher candidates participated in the focus group. Similarly, in South Africa, three teacher educators and eight teacher candidates participated, and in Zimbabwe, four teacher educators and eight teacher candidates took part in the study respectively. Findings from the study revealed that inclusion still means different things to different people, reflecting contrasting theoretical and ideological orientations from which inclusion is considered, while still remaining a major educational policy concern in all three countries. In the Canadian and South African institutions, inclusion is viewed more in terms of systemic educational change in pursuit of equity, social justice and equal educational opportunities for all learners. In the Zimbabwean institution, the primary focus of inclusion remains creating conditions that make it possible for students with disabilities to overcome barriers to learning and participation by providing specialist educational measures and interventions intended to respond to specific forms of impairment. As a comparative study, it is hoped that this study will contribute to the knowledge of variations and patterns in the ways in which inclusive education is shaped by societal forces such as political, economic and cultural conditions.
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- Date Issued: 2020
A comparison of attitudes toward intensive competition among high school pupils
- Authors: Potgieter, Justus R
- Date: 1971
- Subjects: Competition (Psychology) in adolescence Competition (Psychology) Interpersonal relations Motivation (Psychology)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1930 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007604
- Description: From Preface: As a teacher with experience in competitive sport, the author became interested in the topic of athletic competition when joining the staff of an all-boys' school. The competitive aspect of sport at such a school can make quite an impression on an inexperienced teacher. The question then arose; Is this competitive atmosphere universal? Is this type of competition acceptable and desirable in our schools? Being a teacher of Physical Education as well as other subjects and also being actively involved in the coaching of senior sports teams the author regarded himself suitably qualified to investigate the matter of athletic competition in our schools.
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- Date Issued: 1971
A comparison of Grade 10 Mathematics classroom-based test items and the end-of-year national examinations, using Stein's framework of cognitive demands : a Namibian case study
- Authors: Ihonya, Saima Namupa
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia -- Ohangwena , Educational tests and measurements -- Namibia -- Ohangwena , Cognitive learning , Critical thinking , Examinations -- Namibia -- Ohangwena
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2032 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017343
- Description: This study researched the nature of tasks used in Grade 10 mathematics tests and end-of-year national examinations. The study was carried out in three, purposively selected, Grade 10 schools in the Ohangwena region in Northern Namibia. For the purpose of this study, a mixed method approach was employed to analyse a combination of both quantitative and qualitative data. A sample of three tests per mathematics teacher from the three participating schools and national examinations question papers for the past three consecutive years (2011-2013) were analysed using Stein, Smith, Henningsen, & Silver’s (2000) framework of cognitive demand. The study was divided into two phases. Phase 1 was the analysis of teacher test items and national examination items in terms of their cognitive demand. Phase 2 involved semi-structured interviews with three selected teachers to probe their views and find out their basis for selecting test items. The findings of this study revealed that there was no substantial difference in the distribution of the levels of cognitive demand in both tests and national examinations items. The study, however, showed that mainly tasks requiring only procedures without connections dominated the tests and the examinations. The number of higher level tasks in both tests and examinations analysed was low. There was no single task coded at level 4 in any of the teachers’ tests. Only 2% of tasks could be classified at level 4 in the examination items. The study also revealed that since tests and examinations assess the same learning objectives from the syllabus, most of the test items set by teachers were extracted from the national examinations question papers. The paper recommends that more tasks at a higher level category need to be included in assessment tasks to promote critical thinking amongst learners.
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- Date Issued: 2015
A critical analysis of discourses constructing portfolio assessment practices in three Eastern Cape schools
- Authors: Jones, Barbara Ellen
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Discourse analysis -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Case studies Competency-based education -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Case studies Educational tests and measurements -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Case studies Education -- Evaluation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Case studies Curriculum evaluation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:1468 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003349
- Description: In 1998, South Africa introduced outcomes-based education to affect the shifts in pedagogy considered necessary following the move to democracy in 1994. Across the globe, the use of the portfolio to assess learners is increasingly being promoted as a form of progressive pedagogy. Hence, its adoption by the country as a new form of assessment practice was warranted. However, how the portfolio is constructed and perceived by educators within the classroom can become problematic in practice. This was apparent in the South African context and justifies research into how the portfolio is constructed as an assessment method in educational policy and by educators in the classrooms. The Curriculum Guide Directive text and the transcripts of twenty-one interviews carried out in three Eastern Cape schools served as the source of data for this study. Discourses make up a powerful framework of spoken, written and symbolic texts of institutional bureaucracies. Within these institutions human subjects are defined and constructed. Therefore, discourse construction acts as institutional forms of knowledge which can exude power over the individual if not made transparent. I used critical discourse analysis to uncover the discourses that were embedded within the Curriculum Guide Directive and to identify the discourses entrenched within the educators’ perceptions of the portfolio. The discourses in the Curriculum Guide Directive suggest the construction of the portfolio as a method of surveillance to track whether the educators are preparing learners for the school leaving examination and instructing the educators to provide evidence in the form of a portfolio. Analysis of the transcripts of the twenty one interviews with educators from three schools in the Eastern Cape indicated that the portfolio was not seen as a form of assessment by the educators, but as a form of discipline put in place by the Department of Education to ensure that they are preparing the learners for the school leaving examination and are able to produce proof of this preparation in the form of a portfolio. The discourses from the research highlighted that the school leaving examination is hegemonised into South African educational pedagogy as a form of traditional assessment and is not challenged even when it is no longer bringing about the dominant ideological goals. The portfolio was not seen as an assessment method by the educators nor represented as such in the Curriculum Guide Directive. Therefore, the job of the portfolio became that of a policing tool. Thus, a school curriculum which has been introduced with the intent of furthering social justice can become exclusive in practice, even with the best intentions.
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- Date Issued: 2010
A critical analysis of governance and management in Zimbabwe's colleges of technical and vocational education: issues for revitalisation
- Authors: Mbizvo, Washington T
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Education, Higher -- Zimbabwe Universities and colleges -- Zimbabwe Universities and colleges -- Zimbabwe -- Administration Vocational education -- Zimbabwe Technical education -- Zimbabwe
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:1469 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003350
- Description: This research was carried out in order to gain a better understanding of the practice of governance in a technical or vocationally oriented college and the critical role played by the principal as a college manager within the governance system in which industrialists and head office are also key players. Conceptual literature relating to issues of governance and management within the education scenario is examined. The wider issues of governance are critically analysed in the context of power and control mechanisms initiated by the Ministry of Higher Education as the responsible authority for the colleges. The influence of the industrial sector as the consumers of skilled labour force is analysed through college advisory councils set up in terms of the relevant pieces of legislation. The research is qualitative and takes the form of three case studies of technical and vocational colleges in Zimbabwe. Data were collected through multiple methods from varied sources with a view to ensuring triangulation. The multiple-case design enabled me to dig beneath the surface of what apparently happens in these organisations and unearth issues and concerns at the wider governance and management levels. Views and experiences of participants are captured and explained through in-depth interviews, observations and documentary sources. Results are discussed in relation to the relevant literature allowing grounded theory to emerge. The research highlights the roles of key players in governance and the issues of relationships among these actors. What emerges is a desperate situation of ineffectiveness, problematic processes in governance and poor responsiveness of these colleges to the labour market demands. The potential for generalisability and transferability is discussed in the report and possible corrective intervention strategies are recommended. The thesis demonstrates that managers of these colleges and indeed senior officers in head office who are at the centre of governance and will need transformational leadership development in order for them to come to terms with such things as people’s feelings, abandoning ‘outdated’ policies, managing change, and handling communication effectively. Various strategies for revitalisation of governance and management in technical and vocational colleges are suggested.
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- Date Issued: 2003
A critical analysis of how the potential of Dynamic Geometry Software as a visualisation tool may enhance the teaching of Mathematics
- Authors: Mavani, Beena Deepak
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Mathematics -- Computer-assisted instruction , Geometry -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa -- Mthatha , Manipulatives (Education) -- South Africa -- Mthatha , Information visualization , Mathematics teachers -- Training of -- South Africa -- Mthatha , GeoGebra Literacy Initiative Project (GLIP) , Dynamic Geometry Software (DGS)
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/177192 , vital:42798 , 10.21504/10962/177192
- Description: Visualisation in the mathematics classroom has its own pedagogical value and plays a significant role in developing mathematical intuition, thought and ideas. Dynamic visualisation possibilities of current digital technologies afford new ways of teaching and learning mathematics. The freely available GeoGebra software package is highly interactive and makes use of powerful features to create objects that are dynamic, and which can be moved around on the computer screen for mathematical exploration. This research study was conceptualised within the GeoGebra Literacy Initiative Project (GLIP) – an ICT teacher development project in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The focus of this study was on how GeoGebra could be used as a teaching tool by harnessing its powerful visualisation capacity. In the study, selected GLIP teachers collaboratively developed GeoGebra applets, then implemented and evaluated them. The research methodology took the form of action research cycles in which the design, implementation and evaluation of successive applets determined the data gathering and analysis process. My data consisted mainly of recorded observations and reflective interviews. The underlying theoretical foundation of this study lies in constructivism, which aligned well with the conceptual and analytical framework of Kilpatrick et al.’s (2001) description of teaching proficiency. An in-depth analysis of my classroom observations resulted in multiple narratives that illuminated how teachers harnessed the visualisation capabilities inherent in the software. My findings showed that dynamic visualisation and interactivity afforded by the use of technology are key enabling factors for teachers to enhance the visualisation of mathematical concepts. My analysis across participants also showed that technical difficulties often compromised the use of technology in the teaching of mathematics. The significance of this research is its contribution to the ongoing deliberations of visualisation and utilisation of technological resources, particularly through the empowerment of a community of teachers. The findings recognised that the integration of technology required appropriate training, proper planning and continuous support and resources for the teaching of mathematics. This action research provided insightful information on integrating Dynamic Geometry Software (DGS) tools in mathematics classrooms that could be useful to teachers and curriculum planners. , Thesis (PhD) -- Education, Education, 2021
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- Date Issued: 2021-04
A critical analysis of problems encountered by senior secondary school pupils in the reading and interpretation of 1:50,000 topographical maps and aerial photographs with special reference to black pupils in Transkei
- Authors: Ndlwana, Monica
- Date: 1992
- Subjects: Maps -- Study and teaching (Secondary) Geography -- South Africa -- Transkei -- Study and teaching (Secondary) Black people -- Education -- South Africa -- Transkei
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1470 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003351
- Description: Mapwork is an established part of the geography curriculum, and yet it poses particular problems for pupils and teachers. Maps participate in a complex system of graphic communication: the conceptual abstraction involved in the reading and interpretation of maps requires on the part of pupils a high degree of cognitive and perceptual development; teachers, too, often experience considerable difficulty in imparting the skills necessary for graphic literacy (graphicacy). The peculiar difficulties associated with map reading and the poor performance of pupils in this area have regrettably encouraged an attitude which dismisses mapwork as irrelevant or dispensable in geographical education. Yet graphicacy is essential not only in the learning of geography but in the overall cognitive development of the child, and therefore cannot be excluded from the curriculum. This study attempts to identify some of the specific difficulties experienced by pupils in their attempts to read and interpret maps, and to trace the origin of these difficulties. It argues that the complexity and sophistication of the skills necessary to interpret topographical maps and aerial photographs, for instance, should not be underestimated. Teachers need to be made aware of how pupils acquire map reading skills and of the problems they encounter during this process, so that teaching programmes commensurate with pupils' level of cognitive development can be formulated. It is also important that mapwork be taught in as practical a manner as possible. The findings and recommendations of this study have implications for geography teachers, textbook writers and educational authorities, especially those involved in curriculum and syllabus design.
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- Date Issued: 1992
A critical analysis of school computer studies syllabuses in South Africa with reference to university computer science curricula
- Authors: Roets, Rina Annette
- Date: 1992
- Subjects: Electronic data processing -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa Electronic data processing -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africa Electronic data processing -- Curricula -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1471 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003352
- Description: This thesis analyses the existing and proposed Computer Studies syllabuses in South African schools. Thereafter it compares the South African syllabuses with syllabuses in the United Kingdom. An attempt is made to assess the objectives of the design of the new S.A. syllabus. University Computer Science syllabuses are examined in order to gauge the purported overlap between what is taught at schools and universities. Opinions are obtained on the problems which apparently exist in offering or teaching the subject at schools and universities by conducting surveys on syllabus designers and university Computer Science departments. Finally recommendations are made for future Computer Studies syllabuses.
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- Date Issued: 1992