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Exploring the leadership journey as a novice principal: a multiple case study of six primary school principals in the Harry Gwala District.
(2024) Kannayalal, Amritha.; Chikoko, Vitallis.
The purpose of the study was to explore the leadership journey of six novice principals within the Harry Gwala District. The study aimed to address, what do novice primary school principals perceive and experience their leadership and management roles to be? Two sub-research questions were utilised to unpack the main research question, what do novice school principals perceive to be their leadership role and how do primary school novice principals experience their leadership roles? The study was guided by Karl Weick’s Sensemaking Theory and Ronald Heifetz’s Adaptive Leadership Theory. The study was located within the interpretive paradigm. In addition, the multiple case study research method was used as it allowed for the selection of more than one case that shared a common characteristic. I generated data by using semi-structured interviews which were then analysed using the thematic analysis method. The findings revealed that novice principals were still in their learning phases, and they had different perspectives of their roles. In addition, findings also found that novice principals experience challenges which restricted their leadership role. They also required training and support in their new journey, however they found some survival strategies that assisted them.
The role of school culture in shaping learner discipline in selected secondary schools in the Kingdom of Eswatini.
(2024) Magagula, Mpendulo Ronald.; Chikoko, Vitallis.
This study looked at the experiences and viewpoints of educators, deputy heads of schools, and heads of school about how school culture affects the discipline of learners at three schools in the Manzini area of the Kingdom of Eswatini. The research was prompted by the apparent lack information particularly in the context of the Kingdom of Eswatini, regarding school culture that promote PD among learners. The purpose of the study was to investigate how learner discipline is shaped by school culture. Focus groups and one-on-one interviews were employed to generate qualitative data for the case study methodology used in the study. A total number of six people provided data for one-on-one interviews and they were namely three head teachers and three deputy head teachers, while 114 teachers participated in focus groups interviews. The schools were purposively selected because they are known to have disciplined learners, thus deemed ideal to give relevant data in relation to cultures that positively influence learner discipline. Two theories, specifically the Transformational Leadership Theory and Rogers Model of Discipline framed the study. Results show that positive learner discipline was shaped by school cultures that involve meeting learners’ academic, social, emotional, behavioural, and mental health needs, with correct policies in place to guide school practices. Moreover, teacher empowerment and support were found to be essential practices that drove how learners behaved.
From housewife to school leader: lived experiences of late-entry teachers.
(2024) Govender, Pushparanie.; Naicker, Inbanathan.
The research explored the lived experiences of late-entry teachers who transitioned from housewives to school leaders. Five participants from diverse backgrounds were selected. Silences on late-entry teachers' to school leaders’ experiences have led to bafflement about how the common housewife becomes a school leader (i.e. Departmental Head, Deputy Principal, Principal). The study created a knowledge base in the South African education leadership field by addressing the gaps and exploring the life stories of the vulnerable group’s transitions. The study explored the evolution of their multiple personal and professional identities. The purpose of the study was firstly, to understand who the women were and are and what they did and do, personally as housewives and professionally as school leaders; secondly, it explored the meanings of self, which informed the housewives’ movement to school leader; thirdly, it made visible the affordances and constraints as the housewife transitioned through liminal spaces to become school leader. The study utilised the Identity Theory, the Theory of Liminality, and the Feminist Intersectional Theory as ts lens. The study used Narrative Inquiry as its methodology and purposive sampling to select participants. Narrative Interviews, Photo-walk-talk Inquiry, and Object Inquiry generated field exts. The analysis used concept mapping and found similarities and particularities of experience. The findings demonstrated that late-entry teachers possessed multiple selves, working in tandem, to influence transitioning and emphasised the dynamic state of flux the identities had undergone during the transition. The research highlighted the leaders' affordances and constraints throughout their journey. The study provided significant and novel unveilings about late-entry teachers' multiple selves (personal and professional) and how these entangled selves intra-acted to either serve as a catalyst or constrain their movement into school leadership positions. It filled a research gap by making visible and theorising the experiences of late-entry teachers as they professionalised themselves and transitioned to positions as school leaders. It contributed to a novel participatory visual method, the Photo-walk-talk Inquiry, to research vulnerable participants in Education Leadership. The study contributed to an original phenomenon in Educational Leadership researchon the housewife’s transitions from late-entry teacher to school leader positions.
Assessing techniques for selecting a climate driver station for a study catchment.
(2025) Xolo, Thobeka.; Kunz, Richard Peters.
The accurate assessment and modelling of hydrological processes relies heavily on comprehensive and reliable climate data. In South Africa, the alarming decline in the number of climate monitoring stations and the poor quality of observed data (i.e. missing records) present a significant challenge to reliable hydrological modelling. In addition, it is crucial to select climate driver stations as representative as possible of the catchment being studied. Climate driver stations are essential for capturing representative climate conditions necessary for water resources management and planning. This study assessed existing techniques used for selecting climate driver stations for a catchment. Available daily rainfall and temperature datasets were infilled and extended to create a 70-year record for quaternary catchments C41A to C41E, which are situated in the Lejweleputswa District Municipality (Free State Province, South Africa). The Inverse Distance Weighting method was used to infill rainfall data, whilst the Mean Temperature Difference method, Difference in Standard Deviation method and a ranking algorithm method were used to infill missing temperature data. Rainfall driver stations were selected using the common Driver Station (DS) method as well as the Adjustment Factor (AF) method which is closely related to the CalcPPTcor approach. Pseudo temperature driver stations were selected for each selected rainfall driver station using a revised ranking algorithm. The Dent et al. (1989) median, Lynch (2004) median, Lynch (2004) mean and Pegram et al. (2016) mean gridded rainfall datasets were compared for their performance in estimating rainfall adjustment factors using the R2 , Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency and Root Mean Square Error statistics. Each gridded dataset was then used to verify the methods for selecting a climate driver station DS and AF methods. The ACRU model was used to simulate inflow to the Erfenis Dam, which was then compared to a dam water balance as a means of verifying which method performed better. Key findings showed that the Pegram mean gridded datasets (monthly and annual) perform better in enhancing the representativeness of station rainfall for the study catchment. The results for the AF and DS methods were inconclusive due to various challenges, i.e. having no observed streamflow for the study catchment. It is recommended that the Pegram mean grids be considered when deriving rainfall adjustment factors, which are applied to the rainfall driver station to improve the representativity of catchment rainfall. It is recommended that the DS and the AF methods be re-evaluated in another study catchment with more climate stations and a reliable streamflow monitoring network.
Investigating groundwater and surface water interactions in the Uthukela Catchment, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
(2025) Tshikororo, Mutondi.; Kebede Gurmessa, Seifu.
Groundwater-surface water (GW-SW) interactions are not fully explored in South Africa. This study investigated the interaction between GW-SW in the uThukela Catchment, located in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Understanding the complex interactions of the GW-SW is very important for water resources and water quality management, thus making it essential to investigate the factors that control these interactions. The widely referred factors include topography, geology (lineament and dykes), climate and land use. The research employed stable isotopes of oxygen-18 (δ¹⁸O) and deuterium (δ²H), piezometric analysis, baseflow analysis, in situ measurements of radioactive radon isotope (222Rn), and hydrochemical parameter of Temperature, pH and electrical conductivity (EC). Rainfall δ¹⁸O and δ²H were sampled across altitudinal transect and precipiation gradient at five locations; Catchment 6 (1921 masl, 1273 mm), Mike Pass (1621 masl, 1236 mm), Winterton (1103 masl, 833 mm), Pietermarzitburg (627 masl, 825 mm), and Eshowe (522 masl, 800 mm). The δ¹⁸O and δ²H revealed a weak altitude effect limiting its use to trace regional scale movement of groundwaters.The role of groundwater was investigated across three spatial scales: hillslope, catchment, and regional. A total of 470 samples were collected and analysed during the dry and wet seasons. These included 39 groundwater samples, 28 wetland samples, 363 surface water samples, and 40 spring samples. At the hillslope scale, stable isotope data and EC measurements indicate that groundwater plays a dominant role in runoff generation both during rainfall events and periods of no rainfall. At the catchment scale, stable isotopes and EC measurements shows mountain front aquifers are recharged from losing streams. Additionally, at the regional scale, ²²²Rn and baseflow analysis indicate substantial groundwater contributions to streamflow in the upper uThukela Catchment. However, there is no clear evidence of deep regional groundwater flow.