Visit the COVID-19 Corona Virus South African Resource Portal on https://sacoronavirus.co.za/
Developing voice and leadership amongst a group of class captains
- Nehunga, Jacobina Taukondjele
- Authors: Nehunga, Jacobina Taukondjele
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Educational leadership -- Namibia , Transformational leadership -- Namibia , Leadership in adolescents -- Namibia , Rural schools -- Namibia , School children – Namibia -- Attitudes , School management and organization – Namibia , Cultural Historical Activity Theory
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/145034 , vital:38402
- Description: The notion that leadership can be reduced to that of a formal position such as principalship has become problematic in school leadership research and practice, globally and also in Namibia. It appears that when leadership is concentrated only at the level of a principal within schools, teachers and learners within the same school experience a lack of opportunities to contribute to leadership practices, thus losing a sense of ownership. Supporting a distributed leadership perspective and embracing transformative leadership, this study investigated how learner voice and learner leadership (see for example Mitra and Gross, 2009) can be developed within a group of class captains in a combined school in rural Namibia. Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) underpinned the study which is located within a critical paradigm. Findings of the study were captured into two phases whereby phase one generated contextual profiling findings through the adoption of qualitative methods such as questionnaires, interviews, document analysis and two other participatory methods of mapping and transect walks. Phase two findings were captured through expansive learning actions in Change Laboratory Workshops. Observation notes, video recording and photographs and informal discussions were used as data sources during this phase. Both inductive and abductive analysis were employed. The findings revealed that a few enabling conditions to class captainship practice existed, but generally there was limited participation of class captains in school leadership. Class captains were seen as merely class representatives and their leadership was confined to a classroom level in the school. They performed more managerial tasks than leadership. It was also revealed that class captainship is not a documented practice in Namibia and it lacks support. Against this backdrop, during phase two of the study, seven contradictions were identified and two contradictions were prioritised for resolution during the Change Laboratory Workshops. Some of the resolutions included the development of a school based guiding document for class captains; an establishment of a class captainship club; and the promotion of a yearly election campaign of class captains. The study recommends more interventionist studies to be conducted on class captainship in order to see the practice documented in terms of policy in Namibia, perhaps in the near future.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Nehunga, Jacobina Taukondjele
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Educational leadership -- Namibia , Transformational leadership -- Namibia , Leadership in adolescents -- Namibia , Rural schools -- Namibia , School children – Namibia -- Attitudes , School management and organization – Namibia , Cultural Historical Activity Theory
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/145034 , vital:38402
- Description: The notion that leadership can be reduced to that of a formal position such as principalship has become problematic in school leadership research and practice, globally and also in Namibia. It appears that when leadership is concentrated only at the level of a principal within schools, teachers and learners within the same school experience a lack of opportunities to contribute to leadership practices, thus losing a sense of ownership. Supporting a distributed leadership perspective and embracing transformative leadership, this study investigated how learner voice and learner leadership (see for example Mitra and Gross, 2009) can be developed within a group of class captains in a combined school in rural Namibia. Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) underpinned the study which is located within a critical paradigm. Findings of the study were captured into two phases whereby phase one generated contextual profiling findings through the adoption of qualitative methods such as questionnaires, interviews, document analysis and two other participatory methods of mapping and transect walks. Phase two findings were captured through expansive learning actions in Change Laboratory Workshops. Observation notes, video recording and photographs and informal discussions were used as data sources during this phase. Both inductive and abductive analysis were employed. The findings revealed that a few enabling conditions to class captainship practice existed, but generally there was limited participation of class captains in school leadership. Class captains were seen as merely class representatives and their leadership was confined to a classroom level in the school. They performed more managerial tasks than leadership. It was also revealed that class captainship is not a documented practice in Namibia and it lacks support. Against this backdrop, during phase two of the study, seven contradictions were identified and two contradictions were prioritised for resolution during the Change Laboratory Workshops. Some of the resolutions included the development of a school based guiding document for class captains; an establishment of a class captainship club; and the promotion of a yearly election campaign of class captains. The study recommends more interventionist studies to be conducted on class captainship in order to see the practice documented in terms of policy in Namibia, perhaps in the near future.
- Full Text:
Exploring parents’ participation in school governance with the purpose of developing parents’ leadership: a formative intervention in a Namibian combined rural school
- Authors: Nghiteeka, Hileni
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Educational leadership -- Namibia , Education, Secondary -- Parent participation – Namibia , Democracy and education -- Namibia , Transformational leadership -- Namibia , Rural schools -- Namibia , School management and organization – Namibia , Cultural Historical Activity Theory
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/145045 , vital:38403
- Description: In a post-independent Namibia, the Education Act 16 of 2001 accorded democratic rights and equal opportunities to all education stakeholders, including parents, to be involved in educational decision-making in schools. This involvement advocated increasing the voice of the educational stakeholders at a grass roots level in an attempt to redress the past injustices of the apartheid education system. However, the studies carried out internationally, as well as in Africa and Namibia, reveal that the issue of democratic participation in school decisions is a restricted reality. This study was conducted in Happy (pseudonym) combined school, a state rural school in the Oshikoto Region, Northern Namibia, aimed at exploring parents’ participation in school governance. The study adopted an interventionist approach to develop parents’ leadership in school. Framed by a distributed leadership perspective, the main purpose of the study was to seek parents’ voices through participation for them to be catalysts for change in transforming parents’ leadership in school. For its theoretical and analytical framing, the study adopted the Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT). The study findings revealed that parents’ leadership as a concept was understood differently in the case study school and it was practiced within the boundaries of policies. Through the lens of distributed leadership, it was evident that distributed leadership was still in its infancy in the school, as only the characterisations of an authorised distributed leadership were evident in this school. The CHAT analysis revealed that parents’ leadership was constrained due to a number of challenges, including language barriers, transport to and from meetings and a lack of support from other parents and some teachers. Study participants, through participation in a Change Laboratory workshop process, envisioned some models such as raising funds to serve as an incentive for parents’ School Board members and for an information dissemination committee within the community to do educational campaigns in an effort to enhance parents’ leadership in school. To unleash distributed leadership in schools, the study offered some recommendations, including that parents’ leadership should be included as part of the curriculum at higher institutions in order to sensitise educators to this critical aspect of leadership, prior to joining the profession. Another recommendation was for stakeholders to make use of the study’s findings, when designing workshop materials and conducting workshops. Finally, the study recommended further interventionist research to be conducted on the same research topic, preferably on a larger scale, in an effort to add to the body of knowledge in the field of leadership and management, particularly with regards to parental leadership.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Nghiteeka, Hileni
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Educational leadership -- Namibia , Education, Secondary -- Parent participation – Namibia , Democracy and education -- Namibia , Transformational leadership -- Namibia , Rural schools -- Namibia , School management and organization – Namibia , Cultural Historical Activity Theory
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/145045 , vital:38403
- Description: In a post-independent Namibia, the Education Act 16 of 2001 accorded democratic rights and equal opportunities to all education stakeholders, including parents, to be involved in educational decision-making in schools. This involvement advocated increasing the voice of the educational stakeholders at a grass roots level in an attempt to redress the past injustices of the apartheid education system. However, the studies carried out internationally, as well as in Africa and Namibia, reveal that the issue of democratic participation in school decisions is a restricted reality. This study was conducted in Happy (pseudonym) combined school, a state rural school in the Oshikoto Region, Northern Namibia, aimed at exploring parents’ participation in school governance. The study adopted an interventionist approach to develop parents’ leadership in school. Framed by a distributed leadership perspective, the main purpose of the study was to seek parents’ voices through participation for them to be catalysts for change in transforming parents’ leadership in school. For its theoretical and analytical framing, the study adopted the Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT). The study findings revealed that parents’ leadership as a concept was understood differently in the case study school and it was practiced within the boundaries of policies. Through the lens of distributed leadership, it was evident that distributed leadership was still in its infancy in the school, as only the characterisations of an authorised distributed leadership were evident in this school. The CHAT analysis revealed that parents’ leadership was constrained due to a number of challenges, including language barriers, transport to and from meetings and a lack of support from other parents and some teachers. Study participants, through participation in a Change Laboratory workshop process, envisioned some models such as raising funds to serve as an incentive for parents’ School Board members and for an information dissemination committee within the community to do educational campaigns in an effort to enhance parents’ leadership in school. To unleash distributed leadership in schools, the study offered some recommendations, including that parents’ leadership should be included as part of the curriculum at higher institutions in order to sensitise educators to this critical aspect of leadership, prior to joining the profession. Another recommendation was for stakeholders to make use of the study’s findings, when designing workshop materials and conducting workshops. Finally, the study recommended further interventionist research to be conducted on the same research topic, preferably on a larger scale, in an effort to add to the body of knowledge in the field of leadership and management, particularly with regards to parental leadership.
- Full Text:
An organization development intervention in a Namibian rural school in Ohanguena region
- Authors: Kashikatu, Lukas
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Action research in education -- Namibia , Organizational change -- Namibia , School improvement programs -- Namibia , Educational change -- Namibia -- Case studies , Rural schools -- Namibia , School management and organization -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1684 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003567
- Description: Post independent Namibia adopted a decentralization policy which involved the transfer of decision-making powers and administrative authority from central government to government institutions, including schools, with a view to improving quality. However, despite new educational policies, Namibian educators continue to operate in a non-participatory manner and are unprepared for their role as change agents. This has created tension between the espoused benefits of decentralizing and the reality in schools. In such a turbulent situation schools need to be helped to understand the complexity of change in order to adapt, and OD plays a crucial role in this regard. OD is a consciously thought of and systematically implemented organization-wide improvement effort which aims at increasing organizational effectiveness and health through action research. Rather than a top-down change approach, the OD practice adopts a bottom-up approach to change. This study introduced and investigated an OD intervention in a Namibian rural school in Ohanguena Education Region, with the purpose of exploring participants’ perceptions and experience of the process and of the possible short-term outcome of the intervention. Its findings could be of significance to educators, organizations and future OD esearchers. The study is an action research case study located in the interpretive and critical paradigms. Multiple data collection tools were used during this study, namely observations, structured one-to-one interviews and focus group interviews. Interpretive analysis was used as the data analysis approach. The study found that despite OD being new to participants, it was embraced as a change strategy as it made significant impact on their understanding of organizations and conception of change which is radically different from the common top-down approach to change. The intervention further empowered participants with new skills of initiating change and problem-solving strategies. Apart from that, the intervention yielded a positive short-term outcome which motivated participants to adopt and apply OD in the future without underestimating challenges associated with the process.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Kashikatu, Lukas
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Action research in education -- Namibia , Organizational change -- Namibia , School improvement programs -- Namibia , Educational change -- Namibia -- Case studies , Rural schools -- Namibia , School management and organization -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1684 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003567
- Description: Post independent Namibia adopted a decentralization policy which involved the transfer of decision-making powers and administrative authority from central government to government institutions, including schools, with a view to improving quality. However, despite new educational policies, Namibian educators continue to operate in a non-participatory manner and are unprepared for their role as change agents. This has created tension between the espoused benefits of decentralizing and the reality in schools. In such a turbulent situation schools need to be helped to understand the complexity of change in order to adapt, and OD plays a crucial role in this regard. OD is a consciously thought of and systematically implemented organization-wide improvement effort which aims at increasing organizational effectiveness and health through action research. Rather than a top-down change approach, the OD practice adopts a bottom-up approach to change. This study introduced and investigated an OD intervention in a Namibian rural school in Ohanguena Education Region, with the purpose of exploring participants’ perceptions and experience of the process and of the possible short-term outcome of the intervention. Its findings could be of significance to educators, organizations and future OD esearchers. The study is an action research case study located in the interpretive and critical paradigms. Multiple data collection tools were used during this study, namely observations, structured one-to-one interviews and focus group interviews. Interpretive analysis was used as the data analysis approach. The study found that despite OD being new to participants, it was embraced as a change strategy as it made significant impact on their understanding of organizations and conception of change which is radically different from the common top-down approach to change. The intervention further empowered participants with new skills of initiating change and problem-solving strategies. Apart from that, the intervention yielded a positive short-term outcome which motivated participants to adopt and apply OD in the future without underestimating challenges associated with the process.
- Full Text:
An investigation of parental involvement in the development of their children's literacy in a rural Namibian school
- Authors: Siririka, Gisela
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Education -- Namibia , Education -- Parent participation -- Namibia , Rural schools -- Namibia , Community and school -- Namibia , Literacy -- Social aspects -- Namibia , Literacy -- Study and teaching -- Namibia , Libraries and education -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1638 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003520
- Description: This study sought to investigate the involvement of parents in the development of their children’s literacy. The study was conducted in a rural school in the Omaheke region of Namibia, a school selected for reasons of representativeness and convenience. The research took the form of an interpretive case study focussing on a study sample of nine parents, their children, and one teacher in the Ngeama community. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and then subjected to comprehensive descriptive analysis. The findings of the study indicate that parents in the Ngeama rural community have not been effectively involved in their children’s acquisition of literacy, for a number of reasons. These include the parents’ not feeling appropriately empowered to influence the development of their children’s literacy, the absence of environmental literacy programmes within the community, and the shortage of literacy materials such as newspapers and magazines. Perhaps the most important factor is that there is no public or school library in the Ngeama community. In view of these findings, the study recognizes a need for parental empowerment in terms of knowledge, skills, understanding and resources allocation regarding the education of their children. It recommends that a relationship of trust and understanding be built between the school and the community to ensure the sound development of literacy skills. The study further recommends the establishment of a library in order to enhance the literacy levels of teachers, parents and children alike.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Siririka, Gisela
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Education -- Namibia , Education -- Parent participation -- Namibia , Rural schools -- Namibia , Community and school -- Namibia , Literacy -- Social aspects -- Namibia , Literacy -- Study and teaching -- Namibia , Libraries and education -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1638 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003520
- Description: This study sought to investigate the involvement of parents in the development of their children’s literacy. The study was conducted in a rural school in the Omaheke region of Namibia, a school selected for reasons of representativeness and convenience. The research took the form of an interpretive case study focussing on a study sample of nine parents, their children, and one teacher in the Ngeama community. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and then subjected to comprehensive descriptive analysis. The findings of the study indicate that parents in the Ngeama rural community have not been effectively involved in their children’s acquisition of literacy, for a number of reasons. These include the parents’ not feeling appropriately empowered to influence the development of their children’s literacy, the absence of environmental literacy programmes within the community, and the shortage of literacy materials such as newspapers and magazines. Perhaps the most important factor is that there is no public or school library in the Ngeama community. In view of these findings, the study recognizes a need for parental empowerment in terms of knowledge, skills, understanding and resources allocation regarding the education of their children. It recommends that a relationship of trust and understanding be built between the school and the community to ensure the sound development of literacy skills. The study further recommends the establishment of a library in order to enhance the literacy levels of teachers, parents and children alike.
- Full Text:
An investigation of the principal's leadership role in a successful rural school in Namibia
- Authors: Tjivikua, Uerivangera Chris
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Rural schools -- Namibia , School principals -- Namibia , School management and organization -- Namibia , Educational leadership -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1656 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003539
- Description: Rural schools are faced with numerous challenges and are often perceived to be academically unsuccessful. However, in spite of this perception there are some which manage to beat the odds by being academically successful year after year. This peculiar phenomenon of ‘unequal performance’ among rural schools struck my interest; hence my decision to investigate what it is that successful rural schools do to keep afloat in a turbulent environment where others around them collapsed. As the literature suggests that leadership play a key role in the success of an organisation, I focused my study on how the leadership role of the principal makes a rural school thrive. The study is situated in the interpretive paradigm and attempts to reveal participants’ perceptions and experiences of the principal’s leadership. My participants were the principal, circuit inspector, the School Board Chairperson, a Head of Department and the LRC president. These people were purposefully selected; the principal was selected because he is the one executing the roles hence he would be better informed about them while the others due to the positions they occupy, work closely with the principal. The research is a case study as it focused on a single case, and for data generation I employed semi-structured interviews, observation and document analysis. The study revealed various characteristics that describe the leadership role of the principal. An overarching characteristic that emerged is that the principal is a balanced leader - he focuses on both task completion and consideration for people. Different characteristics that emerged from this balance leadership portrayed the principal of Ruacana Senior Secondary School to be a transformational and an instructional leader who believes that teaching and learning are the central activities of a school. Moreover he has been painted to be a team player and a servant leader who holds and practices the principle of ubuntu. The principal has also been described as a strategic and exemplary leader. It emerged that his exemplary leadership has moulded the practices of teachers and learners into a shared culture that supports academic excellence. The findings also depicted a paradoxical picture of the principal in that while he exhibits democratic procedures he is also perceived to be autocratic.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Tjivikua, Uerivangera Chris
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Rural schools -- Namibia , School principals -- Namibia , School management and organization -- Namibia , Educational leadership -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1656 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003539
- Description: Rural schools are faced with numerous challenges and are often perceived to be academically unsuccessful. However, in spite of this perception there are some which manage to beat the odds by being academically successful year after year. This peculiar phenomenon of ‘unequal performance’ among rural schools struck my interest; hence my decision to investigate what it is that successful rural schools do to keep afloat in a turbulent environment where others around them collapsed. As the literature suggests that leadership play a key role in the success of an organisation, I focused my study on how the leadership role of the principal makes a rural school thrive. The study is situated in the interpretive paradigm and attempts to reveal participants’ perceptions and experiences of the principal’s leadership. My participants were the principal, circuit inspector, the School Board Chairperson, a Head of Department and the LRC president. These people were purposefully selected; the principal was selected because he is the one executing the roles hence he would be better informed about them while the others due to the positions they occupy, work closely with the principal. The research is a case study as it focused on a single case, and for data generation I employed semi-structured interviews, observation and document analysis. The study revealed various characteristics that describe the leadership role of the principal. An overarching characteristic that emerged is that the principal is a balanced leader - he focuses on both task completion and consideration for people. Different characteristics that emerged from this balance leadership portrayed the principal of Ruacana Senior Secondary School to be a transformational and an instructional leader who believes that teaching and learning are the central activities of a school. Moreover he has been painted to be a team player and a servant leader who holds and practices the principle of ubuntu. The principal has also been described as a strategic and exemplary leader. It emerged that his exemplary leadership has moulded the practices of teachers and learners into a shared culture that supports academic excellence. The findings also depicted a paradoxical picture of the principal in that while he exhibits democratic procedures he is also perceived to be autocratic.
- Full Text:
Stakeholders' perceptions of parents' involvement in the governance of a Namibian rural school
- Authors: Niitembu, Martha M
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: School management and organization -- Namibia , Education -- Parent participation -- Namibia , Education and state -- Namibia , Rural schools -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1770 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003655
- Description: The issue of decentralisation has been one of the top priorities of the Namibian education system since independence in 1990. One of the decentralisation aims was to enhance parental involvement in education by establishing School Boards. However, School Boards and the role of parents in school management have been considered ineffective for several years which led to the promulgation of Education Act 16 of 2001 in which the roles of School Boards are strengthened and clarified. This study sought to investigate School Board members’ perceptions, understanding and experiences of parents’ involvement in school governance more specifically after the implementation of the Education Act of 2001 in 2003. This study is an interpretive case study of one combined rural school in the Ohangwena educational region of Namibia. This research employed three data collection techniques, namely semi-structured interviews, observation and document analysis. The main findings of this study reveal that there is a lack of joint understanding and shared vision between educators and parents in the School Board. This problem underpins other more symptomatic problems, such as lack of accountability in the matter of school finances, differences in understanding the roles of School Board members and lack of parents’ motivation from the school management. The study further reveals the ineffectiveness and insufficiency of the training provided in the past. It highlights some of the challenges that hinder the effective involvement of parents in rural school governance, such as poor educational background among parents, poor knowledge of the English language and poor understanding of educational issues. However the findings also acknowledge parents’ participation and their full involvement in decision-making. The findings show that the new School Board elected in terms of the Education Act of 2001 has been more effective than previous School Boards and has reached a number of achievements such as being instrumental in solving disciplinary problems, purchasing school assets and renovating classrooms. Recommendations for practice and for further research are made.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Niitembu, Martha M
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: School management and organization -- Namibia , Education -- Parent participation -- Namibia , Education and state -- Namibia , Rural schools -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1770 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003655
- Description: The issue of decentralisation has been one of the top priorities of the Namibian education system since independence in 1990. One of the decentralisation aims was to enhance parental involvement in education by establishing School Boards. However, School Boards and the role of parents in school management have been considered ineffective for several years which led to the promulgation of Education Act 16 of 2001 in which the roles of School Boards are strengthened and clarified. This study sought to investigate School Board members’ perceptions, understanding and experiences of parents’ involvement in school governance more specifically after the implementation of the Education Act of 2001 in 2003. This study is an interpretive case study of one combined rural school in the Ohangwena educational region of Namibia. This research employed three data collection techniques, namely semi-structured interviews, observation and document analysis. The main findings of this study reveal that there is a lack of joint understanding and shared vision between educators and parents in the School Board. This problem underpins other more symptomatic problems, such as lack of accountability in the matter of school finances, differences in understanding the roles of School Board members and lack of parents’ motivation from the school management. The study further reveals the ineffectiveness and insufficiency of the training provided in the past. It highlights some of the challenges that hinder the effective involvement of parents in rural school governance, such as poor educational background among parents, poor knowledge of the English language and poor understanding of educational issues. However the findings also acknowledge parents’ participation and their full involvement in decision-making. The findings show that the new School Board elected in terms of the Education Act of 2001 has been more effective than previous School Boards and has reached a number of achievements such as being instrumental in solving disciplinary problems, purchasing school assets and renovating classrooms. Recommendations for practice and for further research are made.
- Full Text:
The principal's leadership role in a successful rural school in Namibia
- Authors: Kawana, Joseph Jost
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Rural schools -- Namibia , School principals -- Namibia , Educational leadership -- Namibia , School management and organization -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1713 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003596
- Description: Rural schools generally find it hard to function effectively for a variety of reasons, and managing and leading these schools brings additional challenges. This study explored the role of the principal in an academically successful rural school in Namibia. It drew on leadership theory and findings from related studies to make sense of this particular case of leadership against the odds. Using the interpretive orientation, the research explored selected organisation members’ perceptions of the principal’s leadership through semi-structured interviews. The study found that the actions and attitudes of the leader had a significant influence on the school’s performance. The manner in which the principal conducted himself, the shared vision he encouraged and his insistence on associating with all stakeholders involved in education, were instrumental in the organization’s positive achievements. The principal was shown as committed and a leader with good interpersonal working relationships. The study also revealed that this principal was both a person- and taskoriented leader, and closely resembled the ideals of transformational leadership. This study further found that, through the principal’s instructional leadership, teaching and learning are seen as the core of the school’s activities. Finally, the principal’s leadership role opens the school to the community and results in strong and mutually beneficial relationships between the school and its community.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Kawana, Joseph Jost
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Rural schools -- Namibia , School principals -- Namibia , Educational leadership -- Namibia , School management and organization -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1713 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003596
- Description: Rural schools generally find it hard to function effectively for a variety of reasons, and managing and leading these schools brings additional challenges. This study explored the role of the principal in an academically successful rural school in Namibia. It drew on leadership theory and findings from related studies to make sense of this particular case of leadership against the odds. Using the interpretive orientation, the research explored selected organisation members’ perceptions of the principal’s leadership through semi-structured interviews. The study found that the actions and attitudes of the leader had a significant influence on the school’s performance. The manner in which the principal conducted himself, the shared vision he encouraged and his insistence on associating with all stakeholders involved in education, were instrumental in the organization’s positive achievements. The principal was shown as committed and a leader with good interpersonal working relationships. The study also revealed that this principal was both a person- and taskoriented leader, and closely resembled the ideals of transformational leadership. This study further found that, through the principal’s instructional leadership, teaching and learning are seen as the core of the school’s activities. Finally, the principal’s leadership role opens the school to the community and results in strong and mutually beneficial relationships between the school and its community.
- Full Text:
The transition from Oshikwanyama to English as a medium of instruction: a case study of a rural Namibian school
- Authors: Shilongo, Teressia N
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Education -- Namibia , Kuanyama language -- Study and teaching -- Namibia , English language -- Study and teaching -- Namibia , Language and education -- Namibia , Rural schools -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1805 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003690
- Description: The study investigates how rural Grade 4 teachers and learners experience the transition from Oshikwanyama to English as a medium of instruction. The study was conducted at a rural school in Oshana region in northern Namibia. The research site and participants were purposefully selected. Grade 4 teachers and learners were interviewed and observed. Relevant documents were also analyzed. The purpose was to understand participants’ experiences, perceptions and practices in relation to their experience of the transition to English medium instruction. The study revealed out that both Grade 4 teachers and learners are struggling to teach and learn through the medium of English. This was borne out by participants’ responses, classroom practices and document analysis, especially learners’ oral presentation and written work. The conclusion is drawn that limitations in English proficiency overshadow the good intentions of the curriculum. This was evident in the fact that Grade 4 learners at a selected school found it difficult to cope with the demands of the curriculum. In addition, most of the learners have poor literacy skills even in their mother tongue, Oshikwanyama. In the linguistic sense, proficiency in the first language can pave the way for second language to flourish. If the reverse is the case then the learner might find it difficult to acquire linguistic skills in the second language. The study concludes that for the sake of effective learning, an intervention on professional development needs to be in place. This might help rural lower primary teachers to upgrade their existing skills particularly in terms of the English language proficiency as well as how to prepare learners for the transition to English.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Shilongo, Teressia N
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Education -- Namibia , Kuanyama language -- Study and teaching -- Namibia , English language -- Study and teaching -- Namibia , Language and education -- Namibia , Rural schools -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1805 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003690
- Description: The study investigates how rural Grade 4 teachers and learners experience the transition from Oshikwanyama to English as a medium of instruction. The study was conducted at a rural school in Oshana region in northern Namibia. The research site and participants were purposefully selected. Grade 4 teachers and learners were interviewed and observed. Relevant documents were also analyzed. The purpose was to understand participants’ experiences, perceptions and practices in relation to their experience of the transition to English medium instruction. The study revealed out that both Grade 4 teachers and learners are struggling to teach and learn through the medium of English. This was borne out by participants’ responses, classroom practices and document analysis, especially learners’ oral presentation and written work. The conclusion is drawn that limitations in English proficiency overshadow the good intentions of the curriculum. This was evident in the fact that Grade 4 learners at a selected school found it difficult to cope with the demands of the curriculum. In addition, most of the learners have poor literacy skills even in their mother tongue, Oshikwanyama. In the linguistic sense, proficiency in the first language can pave the way for second language to flourish. If the reverse is the case then the learner might find it difficult to acquire linguistic skills in the second language. The study concludes that for the sake of effective learning, an intervention on professional development needs to be in place. This might help rural lower primary teachers to upgrade their existing skills particularly in terms of the English language proficiency as well as how to prepare learners for the transition to English.
- Full Text:
The implementation of multigrade teaching in rural schools in the Keetmanshoop education region: leadership and management challenges
- Authors: Titus, David Petrus
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Education -- Namibia , Education, Rural -- Namibia , Education and state -- Namibia , Educational change -- Namibia , School management and organization -- Namibia , Rural schools -- Namibia , Educational leadership -- Namibia , School principals -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1566 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003448
- Description: Leadership has received much attention in both the business world and education. My thesis explores effective educational leadership through examining the management and leadership challenges that face principals in a multi-grade school. Schools in sparsely populated rural areas in Namibia have had to resort to multi-grade teaching to be able to be economically viable. Hard economic realities force people to move to bigger towns and cities. The constant demand for better schools, effective principals, qualified teachers and an improved service to the communities coupled with the demand for better working conditions and salaries for teachers drained the education budget even further. To keep in line with the four major policies of education namely equity, access, quality and democracy, the operation of smaller, rural multi-grade schools has become a necessity. The alternative – which is to close smaller schools and operate fewer, bigger schools at an affordable and reasonable cost - would deny rural communities access to schooling. This thesis is a case study of the leadership and management challenges of multigrade schooling in a single school. The goal was to understand how education managers and leaders perceived their role in making it possible for teachers and learners to cope with multi-grade teaching. I worked in the interpretive paradigm to be able to interpret the social and cultural context of a rural, multi-grade school in the Karas region. The methods included questionnaires, interviews and observation. One of the leadership models universally considered to be available to principals of multi-grade schools is instructional leadership. My study revealed that the concept was unknown to teaching staff, although there were indications that the model had been encountered. My findings also revealed that the communication between colleges of education and the regional education department staff was very limited. One of the major issues that arose was that principals were so occupied with teaching that important issues about training/evaluation and supervision of teachers, the ‘visibility’ of the principal, setting and implementation of the aims and goals of the school and regular communication with parents and community leaders were neglected. Probably the most significant finding was that head teachers are not trained in the management of a multi-grade school, hence most if not all of the head teachers run multi-grade schools like a single-graded school. The single most important problem was that the importance of multi-grade teaching had never been highlighted, particularly in light of new staffing norms, in spite of the fact that it was a phenomenon that was likely to be a permanent arrangement.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Titus, David Petrus
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Education -- Namibia , Education, Rural -- Namibia , Education and state -- Namibia , Educational change -- Namibia , School management and organization -- Namibia , Rural schools -- Namibia , Educational leadership -- Namibia , School principals -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1566 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003448
- Description: Leadership has received much attention in both the business world and education. My thesis explores effective educational leadership through examining the management and leadership challenges that face principals in a multi-grade school. Schools in sparsely populated rural areas in Namibia have had to resort to multi-grade teaching to be able to be economically viable. Hard economic realities force people to move to bigger towns and cities. The constant demand for better schools, effective principals, qualified teachers and an improved service to the communities coupled with the demand for better working conditions and salaries for teachers drained the education budget even further. To keep in line with the four major policies of education namely equity, access, quality and democracy, the operation of smaller, rural multi-grade schools has become a necessity. The alternative – which is to close smaller schools and operate fewer, bigger schools at an affordable and reasonable cost - would deny rural communities access to schooling. This thesis is a case study of the leadership and management challenges of multigrade schooling in a single school. The goal was to understand how education managers and leaders perceived their role in making it possible for teachers and learners to cope with multi-grade teaching. I worked in the interpretive paradigm to be able to interpret the social and cultural context of a rural, multi-grade school in the Karas region. The methods included questionnaires, interviews and observation. One of the leadership models universally considered to be available to principals of multi-grade schools is instructional leadership. My study revealed that the concept was unknown to teaching staff, although there were indications that the model had been encountered. My findings also revealed that the communication between colleges of education and the regional education department staff was very limited. One of the major issues that arose was that principals were so occupied with teaching that important issues about training/evaluation and supervision of teachers, the ‘visibility’ of the principal, setting and implementation of the aims and goals of the school and regular communication with parents and community leaders were neglected. Probably the most significant finding was that head teachers are not trained in the management of a multi-grade school, hence most if not all of the head teachers run multi-grade schools like a single-graded school. The single most important problem was that the importance of multi-grade teaching had never been highlighted, particularly in light of new staffing norms, in spite of the fact that it was a phenomenon that was likely to be a permanent arrangement.
- Full Text:
- «
- ‹
- 1
- ›
- »