An investigation into literacy development in Grade 4 English and isiXhosa home language textbooks : a comparative study
- Authors: Fulani, Ntombekhaya Cynthia
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Progress in International Reading Literacy Study , Literacy -- South Africa , Textbooks -- South Africa -- Criticism, Textual , English language -- Study and teaching (Elementary) , Xhosa language -- Study and teaching (Elementary)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2055 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018914
- Description: The 2006 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) painted a gloomy picture of South African literacy when South Africa came last out of 40 countries. It was from this background that my study set out to investigate two English and two isiXhosa grade 4 home language textbooks with their accompanying teachers’ guides from two publishing houses, together with the home language curriculum documents for English and Xhosa because they are an important component in literacy development. It is important to emphasise that this study examined textbooks, not how teachers mediate such textbooks in their classrooms. In other words, my focus was on the textbooks themselves, and it was primarily through textual analysis of this stable, readily available data that I have been able to compare and analyse the potential they offer learners and teachers to achieve the literacy goals prescribed by the curriculum. The study also investigated the likelihood of differential attainment for learners as a result of using these textbooks. This was done by looking at whether the textbooks were in line with the literacy outcomes for English and isiXhosa home languages. It also looked at the kind of reader/writer envisaged in the selected textbooks and the level of challenge the selected textbooks offer and how, if at all, learners are encouraged to be critical readers and writers. The findings of the study were that the English and isiXhosa textbooks of each publishing house envisaged different learners. The English textbooks envisaged a cosmopolitan learner who has greater access to academic literacy. While the isiXhosa textbooks envisaged a parochial learner who has less access to academic literacy compared to the English learner
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Fulani, Ntombekhaya Cynthia
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Progress in International Reading Literacy Study , Literacy -- South Africa , Textbooks -- South Africa -- Criticism, Textual , English language -- Study and teaching (Elementary) , Xhosa language -- Study and teaching (Elementary)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2055 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018914
- Description: The 2006 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) painted a gloomy picture of South African literacy when South Africa came last out of 40 countries. It was from this background that my study set out to investigate two English and two isiXhosa grade 4 home language textbooks with their accompanying teachers’ guides from two publishing houses, together with the home language curriculum documents for English and Xhosa because they are an important component in literacy development. It is important to emphasise that this study examined textbooks, not how teachers mediate such textbooks in their classrooms. In other words, my focus was on the textbooks themselves, and it was primarily through textual analysis of this stable, readily available data that I have been able to compare and analyse the potential they offer learners and teachers to achieve the literacy goals prescribed by the curriculum. The study also investigated the likelihood of differential attainment for learners as a result of using these textbooks. This was done by looking at whether the textbooks were in line with the literacy outcomes for English and isiXhosa home languages. It also looked at the kind of reader/writer envisaged in the selected textbooks and the level of challenge the selected textbooks offer and how, if at all, learners are encouraged to be critical readers and writers. The findings of the study were that the English and isiXhosa textbooks of each publishing house envisaged different learners. The English textbooks envisaged a cosmopolitan learner who has greater access to academic literacy. While the isiXhosa textbooks envisaged a parochial learner who has less access to academic literacy compared to the English learner
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
An investigation into the implementation of participative management in a rural school in the Pietermaritzburg district
- Ngubane, Weekend Sehlulamanye
- Authors: Ngubane, Weekend Sehlulamanye
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Rural schools -- South Africa -- KwaZulu Natal -- Case studies Rural schools -- Thailand -- Case studies Education, Rural -- South Africa -- KwaZulu Natal -- Case studies Black people -- Education -- South Africa School management and organization -- South Africa School principals -- South Africa Educational leadership -- South Africa Educational change -- South Africa Management -- Employee participation -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1607 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003489
- Description: The primary purpose of this research was to investigate the extent to which rural schools understand and perceive the concept of participative management. The concept of participative management has been viewed as an ideal style of leadership and management for school development purposes. In South Africa’s case, it is an educational policy which is expected to reign in all school management bodies. Many theorists envisaged participative management as enhancing active involvement of relevant stakeholders and it has been advocated by many scholars who believe it is the best leadership style in implementing democratic values to education, particularly South African rural education, which is still in a transitional stage. As an interpretive orientated study, this research had an interest in understanding the research participants’ subjective experiences as well as their general perception of participative management. As case-study-driven research, it sought to investigate their understanding of the concept in their natural setting. This included various meanings they aligned with and attached to participative management, their attitudes, their interpretations and feelings towards it. The study employed a focus group data gathering technique in collecting data. The findings of this study suggest that participative management has been embraced by rural school management to a certain extent. There are potentially positive aspects that have been brought by participative management to the school, namely, shared vision, common goals, shared decision-making and general involvement of relevant stakeholders. However, the study has depicted a lack of ethical values on the side of some stakeholders and this hinders the smooth implementation of participative management. The study has also revealed that there are challenges facing rural schools in terms of parental involvement in school governance. Challenges such as lack of commitment to the school, illiteracy among adults and communication breakdown between the school and its parents are still rife in rural schools. Besides these challenges, the blood of participative management is flowing steadily in the veins of the rural school communities.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Ngubane, Weekend Sehlulamanye
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Rural schools -- South Africa -- KwaZulu Natal -- Case studies Rural schools -- Thailand -- Case studies Education, Rural -- South Africa -- KwaZulu Natal -- Case studies Black people -- Education -- South Africa School management and organization -- South Africa School principals -- South Africa Educational leadership -- South Africa Educational change -- South Africa Management -- Employee participation -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1607 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003489
- Description: The primary purpose of this research was to investigate the extent to which rural schools understand and perceive the concept of participative management. The concept of participative management has been viewed as an ideal style of leadership and management for school development purposes. In South Africa’s case, it is an educational policy which is expected to reign in all school management bodies. Many theorists envisaged participative management as enhancing active involvement of relevant stakeholders and it has been advocated by many scholars who believe it is the best leadership style in implementing democratic values to education, particularly South African rural education, which is still in a transitional stage. As an interpretive orientated study, this research had an interest in understanding the research participants’ subjective experiences as well as their general perception of participative management. As case-study-driven research, it sought to investigate their understanding of the concept in their natural setting. This included various meanings they aligned with and attached to participative management, their attitudes, their interpretations and feelings towards it. The study employed a focus group data gathering technique in collecting data. The findings of this study suggest that participative management has been embraced by rural school management to a certain extent. There are potentially positive aspects that have been brought by participative management to the school, namely, shared vision, common goals, shared decision-making and general involvement of relevant stakeholders. However, the study has depicted a lack of ethical values on the side of some stakeholders and this hinders the smooth implementation of participative management. The study has also revealed that there are challenges facing rural schools in terms of parental involvement in school governance. Challenges such as lack of commitment to the school, illiteracy among adults and communication breakdown between the school and its parents are still rife in rural schools. Besides these challenges, the blood of participative management is flowing steadily in the veins of the rural school communities.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Computer assisted language learning for academic development programmes : an appraisal of needs, resources and approaches
- Authors: Collett, Philip Godfrey
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: English language -- Computer-assisted instruction Language arts -- Computer-assisted instruction Language acquisition Computers and literacy English language -- Study and teaching -- Foreign speakers Computer-assisted instruction
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1457 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003338
- Description: A major objective of Academic Development Programmes is to support the student in acquiring a level of language competence which is sufficient to enable the student to cope with the linguistic demands of academic courses. Language teaching programmes in the Academic Development context in South Africa suffer from a number of constraints: staffing, time on task, relevance, and difficulty of integration with learning in other coUrses. A review of developments in the field of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) shows that computers can be used to support language learning. CALL materials range from simple instructional programs to powerful linguistic research tools and need to be integrated into wider language programmes so as to support and enhance other teaching and learning activities. However, relatively little research has been done to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of CALL in language development courses within Academic Development programmes in South Africa. The development of a system designed to enable students to practise proof-reading and editing is described and evaluated. Suggestions are made for using this system with other CALL materials within a computer assisted language development environment. It is argued that CALL can be used feasibly and effectively in this environment to enhance learning and to counteract constraints.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1994
- Authors: Collett, Philip Godfrey
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: English language -- Computer-assisted instruction Language arts -- Computer-assisted instruction Language acquisition Computers and literacy English language -- Study and teaching -- Foreign speakers Computer-assisted instruction
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1457 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003338
- Description: A major objective of Academic Development Programmes is to support the student in acquiring a level of language competence which is sufficient to enable the student to cope with the linguistic demands of academic courses. Language teaching programmes in the Academic Development context in South Africa suffer from a number of constraints: staffing, time on task, relevance, and difficulty of integration with learning in other coUrses. A review of developments in the field of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) shows that computers can be used to support language learning. CALL materials range from simple instructional programs to powerful linguistic research tools and need to be integrated into wider language programmes so as to support and enhance other teaching and learning activities. However, relatively little research has been done to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of CALL in language development courses within Academic Development programmes in South Africa. The development of a system designed to enable students to practise proof-reading and editing is described and evaluated. Suggestions are made for using this system with other CALL materials within a computer assisted language development environment. It is argued that CALL can be used feasibly and effectively in this environment to enhance learning and to counteract constraints.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1994
Determining industries' environmental training needs, with special reference to the manufacturing and engineering industries in the Eastern Cape
- Authors: Mabunda, Khensani
- Date: 1998
- Subjects: Manufacturing industries -- Employees -- Training of -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Environmental education -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1900 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006217
- Description: This paper presents the outcome of two case studies and a survey of manufacturing and engineering industries in the Eastern Cape, to explain their environmental education and / or training needs. The methods involved in case studies were interviews, observation and document analysis and for the survey a postal questionnaire. Respondents were generally able to identify their companies' environmental impacts and most thought that education and/training has a role to play in helping them deal with those impacts. While respondents identified environmental awareness for workers as the main role that education and / or training can play, it also has to help management understand its environmental role in dealing with environmental management systems and legislation, as well as supporting education and training. Education and/or training should take both managers and workers beyond the superficial understanding of the concept of environment. In-house and external trainers were identified as potential trainers as this would both overcome a current lack of capacity and make continuity possible when external trainers cease training. Trainers should be environmentally qualified. Respondents have mostly shown support for learning-on-the-job but less so on special environmental courses or including an environmental component in all training programmes. Some training sections consider their sections as already overladen and unable to accommodate other training programmes. The problem is therefore more logistic than environmental.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1998
- Authors: Mabunda, Khensani
- Date: 1998
- Subjects: Manufacturing industries -- Employees -- Training of -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Environmental education -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1900 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006217
- Description: This paper presents the outcome of two case studies and a survey of manufacturing and engineering industries in the Eastern Cape, to explain their environmental education and / or training needs. The methods involved in case studies were interviews, observation and document analysis and for the survey a postal questionnaire. Respondents were generally able to identify their companies' environmental impacts and most thought that education and/training has a role to play in helping them deal with those impacts. While respondents identified environmental awareness for workers as the main role that education and / or training can play, it also has to help management understand its environmental role in dealing with environmental management systems and legislation, as well as supporting education and training. Education and/or training should take both managers and workers beyond the superficial understanding of the concept of environment. In-house and external trainers were identified as potential trainers as this would both overcome a current lack of capacity and make continuity possible when external trainers cease training. Trainers should be environmentally qualified. Respondents have mostly shown support for learning-on-the-job but less so on special environmental courses or including an environmental component in all training programmes. Some training sections consider their sections as already overladen and unable to accommodate other training programmes. The problem is therefore more logistic than environmental.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1998
Research Projects Portfolio.
- Authors: Schudel, Ingrid Joan
- Date: 2000
- Subjects: Environmental education -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2015 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1016368
- Description: This collection of research projects tells a story of the time I have spent with members of the Albany Working for Water team; including preparations made, lessons learned and insights gained. My first project was to analyse the methodology of a research paper. I chose the paper by Arjen Wals because I intended, like him, to examine people's perceptions of environmental issues. From this paper I gained ideas for a qualitative research process and learnt the importance of theoretical and methodological consistency. My next project was to present a report on my research into the perceptions of workrelated environmental issues among the Albany Working for Water workers. From this research I gained insight into the knowledge of the workers and also some of the misconceptions that they have about social and ecological issues. I made educational recommendations based on these insights. This experience inspired me to initiate a play with a group of the workers about alien plant eradication. The process of developing this play formed the basis for a research paper that I have submitted as another research project. Concurrent with the development of the play, I conducted a fourth research project that was a situational analysis of the Albany Workingfor Water Project. I hoped that this analysis would provide useful insight into the context of the above two projects. Overall, I hope the story reflects how I have grown through the learning experiences I shared with the Albany Working for Water team. I would like to extend to my thanks to all those who assisted and shared my journey with me.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2000
- Authors: Schudel, Ingrid Joan
- Date: 2000
- Subjects: Environmental education -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2015 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1016368
- Description: This collection of research projects tells a story of the time I have spent with members of the Albany Working for Water team; including preparations made, lessons learned and insights gained. My first project was to analyse the methodology of a research paper. I chose the paper by Arjen Wals because I intended, like him, to examine people's perceptions of environmental issues. From this paper I gained ideas for a qualitative research process and learnt the importance of theoretical and methodological consistency. My next project was to present a report on my research into the perceptions of workrelated environmental issues among the Albany Working for Water workers. From this research I gained insight into the knowledge of the workers and also some of the misconceptions that they have about social and ecological issues. I made educational recommendations based on these insights. This experience inspired me to initiate a play with a group of the workers about alien plant eradication. The process of developing this play formed the basis for a research paper that I have submitted as another research project. Concurrent with the development of the play, I conducted a fourth research project that was a situational analysis of the Albany Workingfor Water Project. I hoped that this analysis would provide useful insight into the context of the above two projects. Overall, I hope the story reflects how I have grown through the learning experiences I shared with the Albany Working for Water team. I would like to extend to my thanks to all those who assisted and shared my journey with me.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2000
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