Doctoral Degrees (Social Science Education)

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A critical exploration of student integration and attrition of Black African undergraduate students from selected South African universities.
(2023) Cele, Siyanda Mluleki Kenneth.; Gaillard, Gaillard.
Access to South African Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) has significantly increased; however, success and graduation rates continue to decrease, especially amongst Black African students. Moreover, Black African youths entering university do so against the backdrop of extreme inequalities characterising their schooling backgrounds, class and economic resources. Such inequalities have had a large impact on these students’ decision to drop out of university. Literature relating to Black African students’ experiences of integration and attrition at South African universities is sorely missing. In addition to this, the institutions of higher learning are struggling to find a proper remedy to mitigate student dropout. Hence, it is this gap that the present study sought to fill by developing a new model that can be used by universities to retain Black African students in South Africa’s HEIs. The present study adopted the qualitative approach and the critical paradigm. Secondary data was obtained from a larger study of education and emancipation, documenting the university experiences of students from eight diverse universities in South Africa. The data were collected through in-depth interviews with 66 Black African students. In the present study, data were thematically analysed. The theoretical framework that informed data analysis is Tinto’s Student Integration Model (SIM). The interviews that were conducted with the participants produced rich and thick data indicating that the success of Black African students in South African universities is impeded by such factors as language, poor economic background, unsupportive family background, racial discrimination, gender stereotypes, and discrimination. Most participants mentioned that the medium of instruction used at universities, such as English and Afrikaans hindered their success. The findings suggest that high school education inadequately prepares Black African students for university. Furthermore, financial challenges, gender discrimination, homophobia and racism were found to be significant obstacles hindering most participants from studying at university. Informed by these findings as well as the review of extent literature, this thesis proposes a model that will assist universities to minimise dropout rates amongst Black African students. This model obligates institutions of higher learning to put students’ backgrounds at the forefront in every decision that they undertake to maximise the social and academic integration of students and consequently decrease attrition.
A decolonial critique of discourses of western colonialism in South African, Namibian and Zimbabwean school history textbooks.
(2023) Iyer, Leevina Morgan.; Maposa, Marshall Tamuka.
European influence in Africa has portrayed the continent through the perspective of Europeans while the African perspective has been neglected. The undeniable continuation of the hegemonic epistemic turmoil due to western colonialism in the Africa, is a perpetual challenge. One of the key sources of knowledge in the educational setting is History textbooks. Taking into account the multifaceted and complex angles through which historiographies of western colonialism are presented in these textbooks, the purpose of this study was to explore the prevailing colonial discourses in South African, Namibian and Zimbabwean school History textbooks through a decolonial critique. The theories of decoloniality and postcoloniality informed the theoretical underpinning of this study, resulting in a lens that acknowledged the remnants of western colonial influence in the existing post-colonial structures of Africa, but also challenged these oppressive Eurocentric hegemonies. Decoloniality and postcoloniality, both advocate that the generations of epistemic violence should be disrupted, thus making space for increased African agency. Summarily, using Fairclough’s (1995) version of CDA methodology, the analysis of the sample school History textbooks revealed five key discourses. These included the discourses of forces of western colonialism, conflict-fomentation, economic exploitation, environmental degradation, and anti-colonialism. In keeping with the idea that knowledge production, undeniably, continues to be influenced by the structures of western colonialism, it was not unexpected that the content in the sample school History textbooks varied, especially in terms of the prevailing historiographies. The understanding from this study was that school History textbooks are not completely decolonial. Rather, the sample textbooks illustrated discourses of western colonialism in Africa from a place of hybridity, which the theory of postcoloniality defines as a fusion of African identity and cultural influence from western countries. Given the political history of each of the sample countries, their political ideologies were reflected in the school History textbooks through the historiographies presented. Considering the incongruity of historiographies in the sample school History textbooks, I have developed the ‘Decolonial model of African epistemology’ - a framework that could ideally be used as an educational tool to promote African indigenous knowledge, especially in school History textbooks by deconstructing existing historiographies,
Black African parents and school history: a narrative inquiry.
(2019) Langa, Mauricio Paulo.; Wassermann, Johannes Michiel.; Maposa, Marshall Tamuka.
This study set to explore narratives on how Black African parents experienced school history in the apartheid era and how these experiences informed the parents’ views of school history in post-apartheid South Africa. Literature on schooling during apartheid shows that most Black Africans’ experiences were characterised by difficulty. It also shows how school history was abused as a tool to promote the apartheid ideology. However, Black Africans’ experiences of school history are under-researched. This motivated the need to explore narratives of Black Africans, especially if one considers the fact that these Africans are now parents whose views may inform their children’s decisions on studying school history. This study was guided by two research questions: What are the narratives of Black African parents as they relate to school history in both apartheid and post-apartheid South Africa; and How do their narratives explain why their children do or do not do school history? The Narrative Inquiry methodology was employed to make sense of the lived experiences of the participants (Black African parents). The study was situated within the critical paradigm, which tallies with Critical Race Theory, which is the theoretical framework. The sample comprised ten participants, who were purposively chosen middle class Black African parents. The data was generated through semi-structured interviews enhanced by photo elicitation and was analysed through open-coding. The first level of analysis generated narratives which both diverged and converged. The findings from the second level of analysis showed that the participants had negative experiences of education in general and school history in particular during the apartheid era. As a result of these negative experiences, Black African parents admit to not wanting their children to study history, despite the acknowledgement that the post-apartheid school history curriculum has improved. This shows that the parents project their negative experiences of school history onto their children. This is not helped by the finding that while the apartheid government’s conception of school history deterred the participants from promoting history, the post-apartheid government has inadvertently continued to solidify the parents’ anti-history resolve because of the promotion of sciences over humanities. This phenomenon is theorised as Perpetual Stagnation a model that explains how Black African parents’ narratives in relation to school history have remained largely negative regardless of change in time and circumstances. Therefore, the study concludes that Black African parents viewed apartheid as monstrous and evil as well as oppressive system. Also, school history education under apartheid was viewed by participants as meaningless and memory discipline thus leading the participants to dislike the subject. Furthermore, the study showed that in post-apartheid South Africa Black African parents have much expectations for their children while at the same time admitting that school history curriculum has changed for the better since apartheid. In nutshell, the study concludes that while apartheid policies made the school history unlikable to participants, the post-apartheid policies of prioritising mathematics and science has equally made school history unlikable. This stagnation shows how some things have changed in post-apartheid era, while some have remained the same.
The construction of violent femininities at a university campus in KwaZulu-Natal: students’ understandings of and exposure to gender violence.
(2022) Naidu, Charnell Ruby.; Anderson, Bronwyn Mardia.
This study explored university students’ understandings [and perceptions] of as well as exposure to female gender violence at a university in KwaZulu-Natal. Using qualitative research, the study is located within the interpretivist paradigm. The rationale for this study is based on the under researched phenomenon of university female students’ violence in all its forms. The study used purposive sampling and engaged in individual semi-structured open-ended interviews to generate data, with fifty-one purposively selected participants. Inductive and thematic analysis was used. The study used an eclectic theoretical approach which includes Judith Halberstam’s Theory of Female Masculinity, Raewyn Connell’s Theory of Gender Power and Michel Foucault’s Post Structural Theory so as to provide a comprehensive and nuanced insight into this complex phenomenon. The main findings showed that students understood gender violence with both males and female students as perpetrators, but with females disproportionately the victims. The students’ perceptions of female students’ use of gender violence and the forms it took according to the data were variegated in that their perceptions were both similar and differed in many instances. The forms of violence they mentioned ranged from physical, sexual, verbal, emotional as well as the use of social media platforms to derogate and humiliate individuals. The findings also reveal that female students were perpetrators of violence against other males and females, Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and homophobic violence. Their engagement in violence challenged the stereotypical feminine status of docility. The findings further reveal that female students engage in gender violence for a multiplicity of reasons that may or may not be provoked. The study also found that alcohol and drug use was rife on campus and this exacerbated female gender violence. Evidently, the females being referred to and the males who witnessed or experienced female perpetrated violence showed the subversion of power from male domination and female passivity. These findings provide evidence that female student violence at university is prevalent and this has implications for future research in this field as well as implications for policy and practices at Higher Education Institutions. These finding have implications for a more holistic and inclusive approach in terms of tackling gender violence at Higher Education Institutions (HEI).
Constructions of orphanhood and schooling in the Kingdom of Eswatini.
(2024) Masuku , Mzikayifani Bizzah.; Morojele , Pholoho.; Motsa, Ncamsile Daphne.
The thesis comprises five manuscripts whose objectives are to explore the real-life schooling experiences of orphaned children (both boys and girls) in rural schools of Eswatini, interrogate the effects of orphanhood on the children’s emotions, find out how the children navigate their complex environment as well as establish how their schooling has been enabled. The first manuscript focuses on the real-life schooling experiences of orphaned children in three rural schools of Eswatini; the second on the emotional geographies of orphaned children in the same context; the third on how orphaned children navigate their schooling environment; the fourth on how orphaned boys experience schooling in the same context; and finally, how the schooling of orphaned children in Eswatini schools has been enhanced. The main purpose was to draw conclusions on how best orphaned children in rural schools of Eswatini can be helped to experience schooling positively. The study utilised social constructionism, attachment trauma theory, new sociology of childhood, gender schema theory and the rights-based theory for understanding the constructions of orphanhood in schooling contexts. A qualitative narrative enquiry approach was used as its methodology. Twenty-four orphaned children from three rural high schools in Eswatini were purposively sampled. The children comprised 12 double-orphans (boys and girls) and 12 single orphans (boys and girls) in Grade 9 (Form 2) and Grade 11 (Form 4) aged between 13-17 years. A participatory research method called photovoice was used together with individual and focus group interviews. The findings show that orphaned children’s schooling experiences were rooted in sorrow and despair due to their educational environment being hostile. This has made it difficult for the children to experience schooling in a positive way. The study discovered that the children have developed emotional stress. The findings also show that the schooling experiences of orphaned children are gendered, with boys being subjected to more neglect owing to Eswatini cultural norms that regard them as resistant to every difficulty thus able to absorb any pressure. It was revealed that government and other stakeholders have tried to alleviate the plight faced by orphaned children in Eswatini schools by paying for their tuition and providing food; but all these efforts have so far failed to yield maximum results to adequately address the schooling challenges.
Discourses of entrepreneurship in contemporary commerce textbooks in secondary schools in selected Southern African Development Community (SADC) Countries.
(2020) Hutchinson, Maud Victoria.; Maistry, Suriamurthee Moonsamy.
Strong emphasis has been placed on entrepreneurship in recent times as scholars and policy makers, including those in the field of education, regard it as a remedy for the social and economic challenges facing societies. Various programmes and courses promoting entrepreneurship can thus be found in the official school curriculum in many countries and numerous textbooks, specifically commerce textbooks are dedicated to the study of this phenomenon. In many classrooms, textbooks are a popular resource for the dissemination of ‘factual’ knowledge, such as entrepreneurship education to students. However, a number of studies have reported that the seemingly objective knowledge in textbooks that has been thoroughly screened by educational officials and approved for classroom use is not neutral but loaded with various ideologies and other one-sided incomplete knowledge. Against this background, this study adopted a qualitative critical research approach and applied the tenets of Multimodal Discourse Analysis (MDA) to critically analyse entrepreneurship discourses in contemporary commerce textbooks in selected Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries. MDA encompasses Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and Visual Semiotics Analysis (VSA). The CDA and VSA methods drew on the frameworks of Fairclough (1989; 2001), Huckin (1997), Machin and Mayr (2012) and Nene (2014) to uncover the construction of entrepreneurship in the selected commerce textbooks. The findings of the study indicate that, despite regular revision, the analysed textbooks present an ideological rather than a factual perspective of entrepreneurship. The main ideological formations identified were the ease of business formation; personal enrichment; foregrounding of males as exemplary entrepreneurs, leaders and managers; stereotyping of gender roles; women on the lowest rung of the entrepreneurship hierarchy; economic growth; job creation; solution to poverty; improved standard of living and effortless globalisation. This resulted in selective entrepreneurship knowledge being presented to students in textbooks, with little attention paid to the realities of this phenomenon. Moreover, the ideologies that emerged promoted neoliberal and capitalistic values and were gender biased and gender insensitive. Students are thus presented with a one-sided version of entrepreneurship. This can be attributed to the assumptions in entrepreneurship scholarship and the neoliberal capitalistic ideology that is entrenched in societies and educational institutions around the globe, as well as the fact that entrepreneurship is not gender neutral. Finally, textbooks are biased political and ideological tools. The implications of these findings are that the different stakeholders involved in the production of textbooks should scrutinise them on a regular basis and improve them by including the reality of entrepreneurship, such as business failure, hardship and the many taken-for-granted assumptions and ideologies underlying entrepreneurship scholarship. The quality of textbooks and whether they are suitable resources to impart entrepreneurship knowledge should also be taken into consideration. This would help to enhance learning and also convey only factual and up-to-date knowledge to students in classrooms.
The experiences of Rwandan secondary schools' history teachers in teaching the genocide against the Tutsi and its related controversial issues.
(2017) Buhigiro, Jean Leonard.; Wassermann, Johannes Michiel.
After the Genocide against the Tutsi in 1994, a moratorium was placed on the teaching of history in Rwandan secondary schools. This was done because the subject was considered as one of the causes of the Genocide. When reintroduced the subject contained content related to the Genocide. This study was motivated by the idea of understanding the experiences of Rwandan secondary schools’ history teachers on teaching the Genocide against the Tutsi and its related controversial issues. This study adopted a qualitative approach with a sample of seven history teachers from across Rwanda. A range of research methods, including drawings, photo-elicitation, semi-structured interviews and self-interviews, were used for gathering the data for this thesis. It was found that the commencement of teaching the Genocide was a daunting task which inspired fear and anxiety. This was due to the fact that the Genocide is a recent event and the wounds are still fresh in the minds of both teachers and learners who were affected in one way or another by the event. Due to the sensitivity of the topic the participating teachers, as stipulated by the curriculum, hardly used the participatory approach. Equally, parents feared talking to learners about certain topics related to the Genocide. The overarching reasoning being to prevent hatred ideas, that could contradict the official version of the history of the Genocide, from finding its way into classrooms. Consequently, teachers were more inclined to use teacher centred methods and comply with the curricula and official version of the history of the Genocide. This was done so as to educate patriots capable of preventing genocide, and promote unity and harmonious living. Moreover, the prevalence of teacher centred methods led the teacher to avoid the actual Genocide by focusing on topics such as the pre- and post-colonial histories of Rwanda. In the teaching process, a range of issues including the content, the curriculum, the collaboration with parents and the teaching methods have been identified as controversial. Issues such as, for example, the double genocide theory and the naming of the Genocide were considered as controversial. Additionally, certain vi resources such as films proved to be inappropriate because they traumatised learners. Consequently learners’ emotions also hindered the achievement of the stated aims as most of the teachers lacked the ability to deal with such situations. Evidence from teachers’ experiences indicated that most controversial issues were actually raised by the learners. In the analysis process, the theoretical framework on teaching controversial issues by Stradling (1984) and other scholars did not totally fit the Rwandan context. Some specific positions, such as playing devil’s advocate and risk-taking, were avoided for not propagating Genocide denial or divisive ideas. Instead alongside indoctrination and stated commitment, compliance for self-care emerged as the best explanation for why the history teachers taught the Genocide and its related controversial issues the way they did.
An exploration of the intended, enacted and achieved environmental education curriculum within the Social Studies teacher education programme at a Nigerian university.
(2020) Aladejebi, David Toyin.; Singh-Pillay, Asheena.
The global environmental crises relating to issues such as climate change and environmental degradation has become a thing of great concern to all nations of the world. In response to the impeding environmental challenges the Nigerian Government established the Federal Environmental Protection Agency that developed the National Policy on Environment Education. This Federal Environment Protection National Agency is responsible for provision of policies and guidelines for the management of the Nigerian environment and for ensuring that the Nigerian population is environmentally literate. However, despite the policy intervention to safeguard the environment and natural resources as well as the Nigerian population’s high levels of literacy they are oblivious of the National Policy on Environmental Education goals and continue to degrade the environment. Consequently, the Federal Environmental Protection Agency identified inadequate environmental literacy as the factors responsible for Nigerian citizens degrading the environment. The National Policy on Environment Education identified teachers of Social Sciences as key role players to promote environmental literacy among learners at schools and the communities within which they work. It is worth noting that the level of environmental knowledge acquired by the teachers will determine what and how they will teach. Therefore, for teachers to effectively play their roles of raising the level of awareness of the Nigerian population about demonstrating environmentally friendly behaviour, the need to acquire adequate knowledge about and understanding of environmental issues cannot be underscored enough. In other words, the teachers have very important roles to play in raising citizens that would take informed decisions aimed at achieving the sustainability of the human environment and its resources for present and future uses. This qualitative study employs a case study research design within the interpretative paradigm in a bid to explore the intended, enacted and achieved Environmental Education Curriculum within the Social Studies Teacher Education Programme. The study draws on Remillard and Heck’s (2014) model of the curriculum policy, design, and enactment system for its theoretical framework. The study was carried out at AA University in Nigeria and seeks to establish how the Pre-service Social Studies teachers are trained to teach EE in schools. Six Social Studies lecturers and twenty- vii four pre-service Social Studies teachers were purposively selected for the study. The data generation was done through document analysis of two policy documents (the National Policy on Environment and AA University’s SS curriculum/lecture pack) to ascertain the level of alignment between both; other data generation instruments are open-ended questionnaire, individual interviews, focus group interviews and classroom observation, while the data generated from the responses of the participants was analyzed through content analysis. Findings from the study revealed that there is constructive alignment and convergence between the NPEE and the AA University’s Social Studies curriculum in terms of the need being attended to by both policy documents, the targeted audience, the goals of both curricula and the content area covered by both curricula. Furthermore, findings revealed a divergence between the intended SS curriculum and the enacted curriculum due to the fact that chalk and talk/lecture method was predominantly used rather than constructive teaching strategies advocated for the training of the PSSSTs as contained in the SS curriculum. In view of the divergence observed between the intended SS curriculum and the enacted curriculum, it becomes difficult to achieve what was advocated in the SS curriculum/lecture pack used for training the PSSSTs. Additionally, findings revealed that the learning of EE is enhanced by the availability of resources to the SS lecturers, as well as the knowledge of the benefits derivable from EE on the part of the PSSSTs while the learning of EE is constrained by use of inappropriate teaching strategies by the SS lecturers, lack of adequate EE content knowledge (CK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) on the part of the SS lecturers, insufficient EE content in the SS programme, insufficient financial resources as well as inadequate respect for the environment demonstrated by the PSSSTs. The study therefore recommends the use of appropriate teaching strategies (constructive approach) to train the PSSSTs, a review of the SS curriculum to include sufficient EE content, improvement in SS lecturers’ EE content knowledge (CK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and the provision of sufficient financial resources.
Exploring teachers’ understanding and practices of integration of information and communication technology in teaching accounting.
(2024) Sithole, Nosihle Veronica.; Ngwenya, Jabulisile Cynthia.
The evolution of technology in the education sector has resulted in greater recognition of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the classroom to transform teaching and learning worldwide. This study explored Accounting teachers’ understanding and practices of integration of ICT in teaching Accounting in Umlazi District, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The literature indicates that ICT has been adopted by the education sector worldwide and most countries have ICT policy frameworks to guide teachers on ICT integration. Nevertheless, in developing countries including South Africa, policies have failed to meet the aims of ICT integration in teaching and learning and teachers face barriers such as lack of professional training, resources, and technical support. To complement the literature, the Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) theoretical framework and the Unified Theoryof Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) conceptual framework informed the empirical inquiry. An explanatory sequential mixed method study aimed to determine Accounting teachers’ understanding and practices of ICT integration in teaching Accounting in Umlazi District. Quantitative data were collected through a self-designed questionnaire and qualitative data through focus group discussions, observations and semi-structured interviews. Multiple sampling strategies were used to select the sample for the questionnaire and participants for focus group discussions, classroom observation and individual interviews. Quantitative data were analysed through Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and qualitative data were analysed thematically. The findings indicated that Accounting teachers are aware of selected technologies, namely, tablets, laptops, computers, copier machines, printers, digital cameras, scanners, LCD panels and/ or data projectors, and video conferencing systems. However, their understanding and use is limited. However, Accounting teachers are proficient with word processing, the internet and e-mail used mainly for personal communication. Teachers often use a smartphone and WhatsApp for teaching Accounting. Findings showed thebenefits of integrating ICT in teaching, such as improving teaching and learning through innovations. Barriers are lack of professional training, technical support and resources, theft, power outages and limited teaching time. Smartphones constitute a frequently used and efficient technology tool in teaching Accounting. This study suggests a connective pedagogy to promote smartphones and social media platforms in teaching Accounting.
Exploring the effects of environmental location and social inequalities on the emotional geographies of teaching and learning: a comparative analysis of three primary schools in Bloemfontein, South Africa=Ukuhlola imiphumela youbunjalo bendawo kanye nokungalingani ngokwenhlalo nomuzwa wezezwe ekufundiseni nasekufundeni: ukuhlaziya ngokuqhathanisa izikole ezintathu zamabanga aphansi eBloemfotein, eNingizimu Afrikha.
(2022) Masoka, Nkesane Samson.; Gaillard, Claire.
This qualitative study explored the effects of environmental location and social inequalities on the emotional geographies of teaching and learning in three selected primary schools. Accordingly, a comparative analysis was conducted in three schools located in the Motheo District in the Free State – a province of South Africa. The research participants included principals, teachers, parents and learners from the selected Free State school communities. Data was collected by means of semi-structured interviews and observations. Given that the study sought to explore equity, democracy, peace and stability in the education fraternity, the critical paradigm was employed to interpret the data. The findings cannot be generalized across the entire province or district. The findings come from three South African schools that are different in nature – public peri-urban, public rural and urban private – with special reference to Bloemfontein, South Africa. The findings revealed that Kganya Public Peri-Urban School and Jahman Public Rural School’s teacher-leaner ratios exceeded the Education Department’s prescribed norm, and this impacted negatively on teaching and learning. However, the teacher-learner ratio of Groenvlei Urban Private School was below the Education Department’s prescribed norm, and learners received the full attention of the teachers. The findings also indicated that Groenvlei Urban Private School’s buildings met the basic infrastructure requirements and were much better than those of Kganya Public Peri-Urban School and Jahman Public Rural School, which were in a poor condition during the time of this research. Regarding family structures, the findings revealed that most of the learners attending Kganya Public Peri-Urban School and Jahman Public Rural School did not stay with their parents. However, all grade 7 learners from Groenvlei Urban Private School stayed with their parents, who were able to assist them with their day-to-day needs. The research findings further indicated that the learners' attitudes towards learning was mostly affected by the circumstances in which they found themselves, which included walking long distances to school, the school buildings and the school environment, which had little or no effect on the part of Groenvlei Urban Private School. The findings also showed that parental involvement at Kganya Public Peri-Urban School and Jahman Public Rural School was poor, while it was good at Groenvlei Urban Private School. Implications for the school community were tabled, whereby it was suggested that the Education Department should work together with the School Governing Body(SGB), principals, community leaders, church leaders, and all stakeholders to mobilise parental involvement in school activities. This could be done through workshops, church services, awareness campaigns, and community meetings. It was also suggested that a system of grade representatives be introduced at schools to oversee the daily activities of the learners and teachers in and outside the classroom. This would ensure that the school community and the community as a whole worked together for a better level of education in South African schools. On the part of the government, it was suggested that the government worked closely with all schools (including private schools) in order to bridge the gap that existed between them. The government should also reduce class sizes in public peri-urban and public rural schools to enable effective teaching and learning to take place. Moreover, the government should co-operate with nongovernmental organisations to assist with maintaining school buildings and undertaking renovations. Regarding economic inequality, it was confirmed as an obstacle to conducive teaching and learning (the inequality refers to learning resources poverty and unemployment). The government should play a pivotal role in changing the situation in schools. In conclusion, the government has to ensure that the inequalities revealed by this study are addressed in order to improve the quality of teaching and learning in South Africa. IQOQA Okufundwayo ngekhwalithethivu kwahlola imiphumela yobunjalo bendawo kanye nokungalingani ngokwenhlalo nomuzwa wezezwe wokufundisa nokufunda ezikoleni ezintathu ezakhethwa zamabanga aphansi. Kanjalo, ukuhlaziya ngokuqhathanisa kwenziwa ezikoleni ezintathu ezitholakala kwisifunda saseMotheo esitholakala esifundazweni saseFree State eNingizimu Afrika. Ababamba iqhaza kucwaningo kufaka othishomkhulu, othisha, abazali kanye nabafundi abaqhamuka ezikoleni ezakhethwa kumphakathi wesikole wesifundazwe saseFree State. Ulwazi lwaqoqwa ngokwenza izinhlelo ngxoxo nokupha iso ngokubheka. Ngokunika ukuthi isifundo sasibheka ukuphakamisa ukulingana, intandoyeningi, ukuthula kanye nozinzo emkhakheni wezemfundo, ipharadayimu ehlolayo yasetshenziswa ekuhlaziyeni kolwazi olwatholakala. Yize, imiphumela ingeke nje icatshangelwe esifundazweni siphelele noma isifunda, imiphumela igqamisa izinselelo ezibanzi mayelana nokungalingani ngokwenhlalo, okungenzakala ngekusasa kuzwelonke nasemazingeni aphansi ngokwezinqubomgomo zezemfundo ezihlose ukulungisa imfundo ngokungalingani ngokwenhlalo ezikoleni.
Exploring the role of teacher learning community in accounting education in the context of rurality: a case study.
(2023) Oduro, Sylvester Elvis.; Bhengu, Thamsanqa Thulani.; Ngwenya, Jabulisile Cynthia.
This study explored the lived experiences of sixteen secondary school accounting teachers in one education district regarding the roles of teacher learning community programmes in the teaching and learning of accounting within the context of rurality. To secure equity in the segregated prodemocratic educational provision in South Africa, the post-apartheid education system has been characterised by a range of reform strategies to provide quality education which meets the demands of the 21st century and beyond. To ensure teachers’ understanding of the reform strategies and their implementation, the education system has been largely characterised by ongoing teacher learning community engagements that contribute to teacher professional learning. The study was grounded in the Community of Practice theory and the generative theory of rurality. Furthermore, a qualitative research approach supported by the interpretive paradigm was adopted in accordance with the study focus. A case study design involving both semi-structured individual telephonic interviews and a WhatsApp-based focus group discussion were used to generate data that contribute to the understanding of the lived experiences, interpretations, and the multiple meanings of the study participants. The data generated ware thematically analysed. The participants were purposefully selected through the convenience sampling. The outcome of the study revealed some important benefits of learning communities as well as contextual constraints that impact on their implementation. The benefits include accounting teachers’ mastery of the subject-matter and improved learning outcome, facilitating improvement strategies as well as nurturing teacher expertise to provide leadership in the accounting classroom. The study also established how learning communities produce creative and innovative mechanisms to facilitate the teaching and learning of accounting as well as how rural accounting teachers harness technology to enhance the effectiveness of learning communities. Given the above benefits, the study found that there was the need to revamp the implementation of learning communities for better outcome. Notwithstanding the benefits, this study also brings into focus the contextual challenges that constrain the implementation of learning communities in a rural context as well as inadequate teacher accountability that characterise the implementation of the learning community programmes. Given the findings, recommendations are made to effect the needed changes to improve the implementation of learning community programmes.
Formative assessment in accounting : exploring teachers' understanding and practices.
(2012) Ngwenya, Jabulisile Cynthia.; Suriamurthee, Moonsamy Maistry.; Samuel, Michael Anthony.
This study notes the relationship between changing conceptions and focus of Accounting as a discipline and its influence on the changed South African school education curriculum. The study probes whether these above conceptual and curricular changes influence teachers’ understandings of their daily practices as Accounting teachers or not, especially with regard to formative assessment and the selected pedagogy of their classrooms. In particular, the study was interested in exploring the practices of rural teachers, a relatively under-explored area of South African educational research. The study utilised a case study design focusing on one rural school in Umgungundlovu District in KwaZulu-Natal. This qualitative, interpretive inquiry was characterised by multiple data collection methods. Three Accounting teachers who were teaching Accounting in the further education and training band were purposively selected at the school, based on their experience and expertise in Accounting. Data were collected from interviews, lesson observations and document analysis to respond to the key research questions of the study. Field-notes were used to elaborate further on the data produced from interviews and lesson observations. The critical research questions explore teachers’ understandings of formative assessment and their use of it in their classroom, attempting to explain why they understand and apply formative assessment in the way that they do with respect to Accounting teaching in their specific contexts. The study revealed that teachers ostensibly seemed to know about the changes in the official curriculum expectations of the new educational policy. However, these shifts in understanding were relatively superficial and procedural; hence the teachers were not able to translate them into any deep cognitive level in their teaching practice. Their changes in practices were also marginal and limited with respect to the nature of the reconceptualisation of Accounting as a discipline. This was reflected in simple operational level of implementation of the specified curriculum requirements. Their practices placed their learners and their backgrounds as central to their selected teaching choices, instead of the nature of their rural schooling context. Findings of this study revealed that the over-specification of the formal curriculum, teachers’ under-developed understandings of the discipline and the new curriculum and their interpretation of contextual pedagogical responsiveness appear to be possible impediments to teachers’ practices. In an attempt to cope with these challenges teachers devised their strategies to sustain their practices. What emerged from the study is a kind of ‘communal pedagogy’ which teachers developed through their practices in a rural context. Although these practices are not regarded as of a qualitatively sophisticated progressive kind of pedagogy, teachers see contextually appropriate value in them. The study emphasises the need to look beyond the overt practices of rural school teachers, and instead to focus on what informs these practices. While the study is not celebratory of the communal pedagogy, it does attempt to shift the thinking about these practices by focusing on understanding what they are trying to respond to. The study therefore highlights the need to understand teachers’ own explanations of their practices, rather than condemning them. The study suggests that the teaching practices within rurality should not be judged and pathologised because of their specificities of responsiveness to highly contextualised and more likely appropriate factors.
From 12 to 15: girls, boys, gender and sexuality at a high school in the North West Province.
(2023) Rizvi, Rabia Khatoon; Bhana, Deevia
This study examines the construction of gender and sexuality amongst girls and boys between the ages of 12 and 15 at a private school in the North West province of South Africa. It seeks to understand how learners negotiate gender and sexuality at school, and how the school environment and beyond contributes to their construction of gender and sexuality. It also investigates the social processes that promote unequal power relations between boys and girls at school. An ethnographic research method was used to conduct this study and the research instruments were observations, individual interviews and focus group discussions. Participants were selected using a mix of convenience and purposive sampling methods. Many of the participants were boarding learners, which provides a distinct insight into the ways in which the boarding space is a highly generative site for the production of gender and sexuality. A total of 101 learners participated in this study and 69 semi-structured interviews and 16 focus group discussions were conducted with learners across grades 7, 8 and 9. The data were analysed with the theory of social constructionism. The findings show that boys and girls pursue pleasure and desire in a myriad of ways within the school context. They challenge sexual innocence by expressing the types of relationships they would like to enter into and show authority in navigating romantic relationships. They use social media for flirtation and engage in the consumption of pornography. Furthermore, the expansion of sexuality is demonstrated as learners choose to enter into queer relationships. However, this is mitigated by the performance of hegemonic masculinity which places girls in a subordinate position. Girls are slut-shamed for resisting traditional norms of femininity and also experience sexual harassment within the school space. Boys and girls both participate in risky behaviour and there is a culture of silence and complicity that is created around it. Bullying and substance abuse are wielded as opportunities to portray aggressive masculinities and femininities. Girls’ bodies are policed by authority figures and by the boys which restricts their expression of gender and sexuality. This study argues that gender and sexuality are perceived by learners through a binary lens, and that girls largely remain in a subordinate position whilst boys conform to the standards of hegemonic masculinity. It is recommended that platforms need to be created to question these prevailing attitudes and to provide opportunities for boys and girls to explore and alter their traditional beliefs around gender and sexuality.
Gender representation in four SADC high school Business Studies textbooks.
(2017) Pillay, Preya.; Suriamurthee, Moonsamy Maistry.; Singh, Shakila.
This study assumes that text – the printed word and visual representations – is never neutral; it is always embedded with ideological representations. Textbooks, which are the dominant defining authorities of the curriculum in schools, can therefore be regarded as a key contributor to the curriculum as a site of ideological struggle. Significantly, there may be limited understanding among educators and educational authorities of the ideological nature of the contents of textbooks. As instruments of socialisation, textbooks are important vehicles in the construction of beliefs and attitudes about gender that may not be immediately apparent to the untrained eye. The purpose of this study is to understand the way in which gender is represented in four Business Studies textbooks selected from countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and to theorise their particular representation. More specifically, the focus of this study is to understand how gender is represented in the four SADC textbooks and to develop a theoretical explanation for how the phenomenon presents. This qualitative study is located in the critical paradigm and engages the tenets of feminist critical discourse analysis as the key analytical frame. The purposive sample comprised four contemporary Business Studies textbooks from the last phase of schooling preceding tertiary education. Feminist poststructuralist theory was used in order to examine gender representation in the selected textbooks. Both semiotic and textual representations were examined. The findings reveal that the representations of women and men in these textbooks are indeed ideologically invested and contribute to the perpetuation of patriarchal constructions. At a semantic level, the mention of the male pronoun first in sentences and conversation and not the female pronoun endorses the principle of the firstness and superiority of the masculine. In terms of representation, intersectionality of race, gender and disability is pervasive in the four textbooks. This reinforces the ideology of the able-bodied, heterosexually masculine and white person as the norm for entrepreneurial success. Management, leadership and entrepreneurial knowledge are scripted almost exclusively in favour of the male gender. Representations related to sexual diversity are also absent, thereby endorsing a construct of the idealised businessperson as a white, heterosexual, able-bodied male, excluding females, those of another race or gender, and the disabled. In terms of ‘ideal’ business personality traits, women and others are constructed as relatively incompetent and dependant, while men are portrayed as assertive and forthright. Gender and race bias in occupational roles and careers is also evident in the texts, with women and ‘others’ shown in low-paid occupations or domestic settings, whereas white men are shown in high-paying, high-status, technological occupations, and are mostly absent from domestic settings. The four textbooks promoted Western ideals in which the Western male white canons were reinforced as the norm for business success. These Western ideals are responsible for the different manifestations of marginalisation stereotyping, silencing and limited representation of women and minorities in exceptional roles. This may not be done intentionally – textbook knowledge appears to be constructed ‘unconsciously’ or in ways that reflect oblivion to institutionalised prejudice. The implication of these findings is that development of a more gender-inclusive curriculum is needed, where there is not only representation of the idealised businessperson as a white, heterosexual male. This research suggests that teachers, pre-service teachers and learners may need to engage with the textbooks critically and examine how particular texts are written and why they are written in particular ways. Teachers, pre-service teachers and learners are encouraged to interrogate textbook content. There is also a need for textbook writers to question their own ideological assumptions of gender. This demands a robust introspection of possible stereotypes and uncritical assimilation of regressive gender ideologies that may be perpetuated. It is only by reflecting on and reworking oppressive gender norms, that a gender-inclusive curriculum might be contemplated.
Gender representations in physical sciences textbooks: student teachers’ pedagogical responses.
(2024) Ndlovu, Penelope Princess Zandile.; Singh, Shakila.; Maistry, Suriamurthee.
This research aimed to analyse the representations of gender in Physical Sciences textbooks and explore student teachers’ pedagogical plans for mitigating biased messages found in texts designed for science teaching and learning. The study adopted tenets of the critical paradigm and drew on theories of the Social Construction of Gender, Feminist Post Structuralist Discourse Analysis, and Critical Theory as the main analytical lenses. The data was produced and analysed in two phases. Firstly, gender representations in the selected Physical Sciences textbooks were analysed using critical discourse analysis. The findings show that the textbooks are gendered masculine and promote Western ideals, which implies inadequate decolonisation of the science curriculum. The text framing depicted men in roles that are prone to conveying a message of male supremacy and female inferiority. This was seen through the overrepresentation of men as producers of scientific knowledge. The studied textbooks did not acknowledge the contributions of female scientists. Conversely, the inventions of male scientists were consistently highlighted and used as an introduction to the majority of topics covered in these textbooks. Secondly, student teachers from one University were sampled to explore their pedagogical responses to gender representations in chosen Physical Sciences textbooks and what factors influence these interpretations. I employed qualitative methods through a blended approach, including face-to-face interviews and telephonic interviews through WhatsApp voice messaging. I utilised thematic analysis to analyse and interpret data and identify key themes for presenting the findings. The research found that student teachers identified ways in which the content of studied textbooks promotes traditional masculine norms and negative societal stereotypes that undermine and devalue women, which could lead to girls dropping out of the Physical Sciences stream. The omission of women's input in the development of scientific knowledge in specific textbooks was regarded as a type of gender-based discrimination against women. The engagements with the student teachers indicate that they can be helpful agents of curriculum decolonisation and degendering, as was evident in their delineations of self-efficacy to disrupt gender norms and stereotypes from Physical Sciences textbooks. They proposed strategies to disrupt gender norms and negative stereotypes in science textbooks. By challenging deeply ingrained masculine norms disseminated through Physical Sciences textbooks, there is apossibility of enhancing the presence and participation of women in career fields related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
Gender, sexuality and violence: an ethnographic case study of 12-13-year-old school girl femininities at a primary school in KwaZulu-Natal.
(2022) Govender, Naresa.; Bhana, Deevia.; Moosa, Shaaista.
This ethnographic study is situated at the intersection of gender, sexuality and violence in illuminating the experiences of 12- and 13-year-old girls in a primary school in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Rejecting a dominant focus on girls as passive and docile, the thesis illustrates the complex ways through which young femininity is produced, accommodated and challenged in relation to heterosexuality. Given the relative scholarly silence around primary school girls’ constructions of heterosexuality in South Africa, the thesis asserts that such girls’ investment in heterosexuality is a contradictory pursuit: their desires and active agency are self-evident, but so are the oppressive ways through which their own actions serve male interests. I argue that the primary school context is an active site through which young femininities are produced, as girls reinforce and challenge gender norms. Firstly, I focus on the expectations and respectability accorded to the ‘proper girl’ status. Being a proper girl was a dominant expectation and pervaded girls’ experiences in their family, community, and school. Proper girl femininity rested on pre-dominant norms founded on sexual docility and subordination to gender and cultural traditions. These norms were emphasized in relation to male power, and the presumption of girls’ vulnerability and victimhood in regards to sex and sexual violence. Secondly, and notwithstanding these dominant messages, girls contested proper girl femininity. They drew on particular heterosexual strategies and were subjected to - and subjected themselves to - the societal compulsion towards obligatory heterosexuality. The study shows that girls invested in boys and boyfriends, modified their bodies and dressed and engaged in sexual talk and practices through which their existence as sexual beings was illuminated in direct contrast to proper girl femininity. However, their insistent expressions of sexual agency occurred in the context of rape culture at school. Thus, thirdly, the study highlights detailed accounts, from girls’ own perspectives, of the ways in which sexual harassment, violence and inequalities manifested at school through the insidiousness of rape culture. Nearly all the girls interviewed spoke of sexual harassment meted out by boys and other girls, which they either experienced or witnessed. However, girls’ attempts to contest and redress rape culture at school were limited as a result of the broader social and cultural system they lived in being based in turn on patriarchal conditions which offered little support for girls’ experiences of harassment and violence. In this regard, the girls spoke of how their teachers paid little to no attention to gendered and sexual relations as such within the school environment. Rape culture was tolerated and normalised. In this way, the school was found to be complicit in the casualisation of gender binaries, gender-based violence and misogyny. Culturally-embedded notions of emphasised femininity were also used as a powerful tool to regulate girls and a means of disassociating them from expressing agency and speaking out about their experiences of sexual violence within the school environment. Finally, the greatest significance of a study of this nature lies in its contribution to the designing of suitable intervention strategies to support South African primary schoolgirls in their experiences of gender, sexuality and violence. These strategies must take into account the complex and early formations of femininities that are outlined in this study. An approach that recognises girls’ pleasurable investments in the development of their own sexuality, as well as their potentially damaging investments, while also underscoring the need for a greater focus on younger girls’ femininity in South Africa, is more necessary than ever. This should be a vital and necessary step in working towards ensuring that schoolgirls are equipped with the skills and knowledge to negotiate their sexualities in more positive and gender-equitable ways, rather than in ways that are harmful to their sexual and emotional well-being. IQOQA Lolu cwaningo olu-ethnographic luzinze kwimpambanonjulalwazi yobulili, ngokobulili kanye nodlame ekuqoqweni kwesipiliyoni samantombazane aneminyaka eyi-12 neyi-13 ezikoleni ezisemazingeni aphansi KwaZulu-Natali. Kuchithwa umbono odumile wokuthi izingane zamantombazane kummele zingatshengisi mizwa. Ucwaningo luveza ubunkimbinkimbi bendlela izingane zamantombazane ezikhuliswa ngayo kanye nendlela ezizizwa ngayo ngobunye ubulili. Ngenxa yokwentuleka kocwaningo mayelana nendlela amantombazane abuka ngayo ubulili eNingizimu Afrika, lolu cwaningo lugcizelela ukuthi izingane zamantombazane mazifundiswe ukucabanga ngobulili ngendlela ehlukile: izifiso zazo kanye nokwenza kwazo kuba sobala, kanti kanjalo nezindlela ezicindezelayo ezenza ukuthi zenganyelwe ngabesilisa kufezeke nezidingo zabesilisa. Ngiqakulisa ngokuthi unzikandaweni wasesikoleni esisemazingeni aphansi yindawo ekahle yokubumba imiqondo yamantombazanyana ukuba amelane nobunye ubulili. Okukuqala, ngagxila kokulindelekile kanye nenhlonipho eye inikwe ‘intombazane eqotho’. Lokhu kwenza izingane zamantombazane zibe nesipiliyoni nemfundiso ethile emakhaya azo, emphakathini nasesikoleni. Ukuba intombazane eqotho kuncike kwimfundiso edumile eyakhelwe phezu kwemikhuba yokuthoba efundiswa izingane zamantombazane etholakala nasemasikweni. Le mikhuba ibifakwa ezingqondweni ukuze abesilisa babe namandla kunabesifazane okugcine sekwenza abesifazane bahlukunyezwe. Okwesibili, yize kunjalo, amantombazane abe eselwela ukuzimela njengabesifazane. Asebenzise amandla alobu obunye ubulili, okusuke kulindeleke kubulili ngabunye emphakathini. Ucwaningo luveza ukuthi amantombazane azinikele ukubukeka kubafana, nasemasokeni, ashintsha indlela yokugqoka, ashintsha nemizimba yawo kanye nengxoxo yawo mayelana nezobulili okwenza ukuba avele ngenye indlela eyehlukile kunale elindeleke entombazaneni, axoxa ngezocansi njengalokhu benza abesilisa. Kepha indlela aziphatha ngayo ngokobulili akwenza kuzikandaweni womkhuba wokudlwendulwa owenzeka ezikoleni. Ngakho-ke, okwesithathu, ucwaningo lubeka imininingwane, ngeso lamantobazane, ngezigameko zokunukubewa ngokocansi , udlame kanye nokungalingani okukhona ezikoleni ngenxa yesiko lokudlwengula. Cishe wonke amantombazane abe ababambiqhaza akhulume ngokuhlukunyezwa ngokocansi okwenziwa ngabafana namanye amantombazane, bekubona kwenzeka noma kwenzeka kubona. Kepha izikhalo zawo amantombazane azibanga nampumelelo ngenxa yendlela umphakathi kanye nesiko okucabanga ngayo lusishaya indiva lesi sikhalo. Ngale ndlela, amantombazane akhuluma ngendlela othisha nabo abangawunaki umkhuba wokuhlukumeza ngokobulili kanye nagokocansi esikoleni. Ukudlwengula kwakubekezelelwa futhi kubukeka kuyimpilo. Lokhu kwenza isikole sibe nesandla ukubhebhethekisa lesi sihlava. Kanti nalo usiko lunesandla ngokuba lubheke amantombazane ngendlela yokuthi akumele akhulume ngezimo zokuhlukunyezwa ngokobulili abhekana nazo esikoleni. Okokugcina, ukubaluleka kocwaningo olunjenganalolu kuncike ekutheni lube nomthelela ekuletheni izinguquko ezikoleni zaseNingizimu Afrika ezinkingeni zobulili, ngokobulili kanye nodlame. Lawo masu kuyomele abheke ubunkimbinkimbi nokushesha kokuqala ukuzinaka ngokobulili okuvezwa yilolu cwaningo. Ucwaningo oluthinta injabulo yamantombazane ekuzikhuliseni ngokobulili bawo, kanjalo nobungozi balokhu, kube kubhekwa ukubaluleka kokugxila emantombazaneni asemancane eNingizimu Afrika lubaluleke kakhulu. Lokhu kumele kube yisinyathelo esibaluleke kakhulu ekuqinisekiseni ukuthi amantombazane athola amakhono nolwazi okufanele ukubhekana nobulili ngendlela efanele okunezindlela ezilimazayo ngokobulili nemizwa.
Geographic information systems (GIS) diffusion in high schools.
(2023) Hlatywayo, Johane.; Manik, Sadhana.
Geographical information systems (GIS), the phenomenon for this study, was introduced as a section in the Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS) for school Geography in 2006 in South Africa. It also appears in the latest Curriculum addition, namely the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), for Geography. It is taught in the further education and training (FET) phase of high school (Grades 10, 11 and 12) as a critical part of map work, which is assessed in Paper 2 of the geography examinations for these grades. An acknowledgement of the high failure rate of matric learners (grade 12) in the high stakes examination in Geography is testimony to the challenges that teachers and learners face. However, few studies have explored GIS diffusion locally, through the lens of teachers: their beliefs and views, the way it is taught and why, given that it is a practical component of the curriculum dependent on school resources, such as access to electricity, computers, GIS software and teachers’ innovativeness. Hence, there was a need to understand how GIS is taught and to identify the challenges which teachers face when they teach this section of the curriculum. The aim of the study was thus to explore GIS diffusion through the teaching of GIS in high schools in the Frances Baard district of the Northern Cape province of South Africa, a context where there is a dearth of research on GIS teaching in Geography. Key objectives of this study included an exploration of the pedagogical approaches used by geography teachers when they teach GIS and the reasons why they choose these approaches. The study also sought to examine teachers ’attitudes towards the inclusion of GIS in Geography in the FET phase and their views about teaching it. The study fell within the pragmatist paradigm, and a sequential explanatory mixed methods and multiple-case study design research design was adopted. Questionnaires, interviews, and classroom observations were used to generate data. Purposive convenience sampling was utilised to select the most accessible participants. In total, 60 geography teachers participated in this research. The study used Rogers’ (2003) diffusion of innovation theory and the technology acceptance model (TAM) as frameworks. The data from the interviews and classroom observations were analysed thematically using framework analysis, whilst the data from the questionnaires were analysed quantitively using SPSS, and the application of the Fisher’s test and ANOVA. The study integrated the findings and drew inferences using both qualitative and quantitative data. Teachers were found to have positive attitudes about the inclusion of GIS in the curriculum and they displayed an appreciation of its importance in society. However, the study found that the use of GIS in the classroom is constrained by several technical and non-technical challenges. It was revealed that seasoned teachers (who have been in the teaching profession for a long time) do not easily accept curriculum changes and need in-service training to enhance their knowledge and confidence in new content, such as GIS when it’s introduced into the curriculum. Further, the research noted that the majority of teachers used teacher-centred pedagogical approaches when teaching GIS, utilising mainly the textbook. It was a significant finding that the teachers lacked GIS training, and that they had inadequate GIS content knowledge. Furthermore, teachers 'integration of GIS in their geography lessons, was impaired by infrastructure challenges in the school with electricity and internet connectivity. The study makes theoretical contributions to the diffusion of innovation, as well as technology acceptance models from a GIS lens, in addition to Geography teaching in South Africa. Many teachers resorted to thus ‘teaching about GIS’ rather than ‘teaching through GIS’. As a result, ‘perfunctory GIS teaching’ was evident in the mechanical, minimal effort, unenthusiastic manner of teaching. Many teachers were ‘curriculum cramming’ - they hurtled through the GIS section of the CAPS and failed to integrate it with other Geography topics in the curriculum due to the curriculum and assessment demands for GIS. Whilst there is value in teacher-centred pedagogical approaches to teaching some aspects of GIS, the current curriculum is constructivist and teachers’ weak GIS content knowledge base contributed to influencing the pedagogical approaches which they opted to use when teaching GIS. The study advances an ecosystems model to understand and respond to the GIS teaching challenges facing Geography teachers in the Frances Baard district of the Northern Cape. Thus, the study recommends that it is critical for teachers to receive GIS support such as GIS training on compliance to CAPS and to build sufficient content and pedagogical content knowledge to be confident in teaching this section. The research also recommends that, in order to bridge the gap in GIS knowledge, a seeding model of GIS can be pursued in the province. Alternatively, the GIS lessons can be skype/zoom taught if there is a lack of access to electricity so that schools can learn simultaneously. These models can help reduce the failure rate in the GIS section of the matric exit examination and it can assist to promote the subject of geography, especially for those learners who are intent on pursuing GIS linked careers. Other insights gained from the data suggest that the pedagogical approaches used, the knowledge of GIS by teachers, and their attitudes towards GIS can be improved if other stakeholders (apart from the Department of Education and their district offices), such as the Environmental Systems Research Institute South Africa, universities and local municipalities that have access to GIS expertise and resources help to set up collaborative project endeavours to provide GIS expertise, to workshop teachers and to tutor learners in the GIS seeding of schools.
The geographies of migrant learners in three South African schools : a narrative inquiry.
(2016) Nnadozie, Jude Ifeanyichukwu.; Morojele, Pholoho Justice.
In the recent times, migrants including significant numbers of African migrants have continued to enter South Africa. The high volume of immigrants into South Africa has attracted research attention. However, perhaps overlooked in research is inquiry into the migrant learner’s experience, in terms of what are the migrant learner’s schooling experience and how does it matter. In particular, focal attention is given in this study to the migrant learners from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zimbabwe. Drawing on a qualitative research approach, and employing narrative inquiry methodology, this study explores the schooling experiences of migrant learners from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe in three schools in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Central to the inquiry in this research is the understanding of migrant learner experience of school as space and place in South Africa. The ways the migrant learner experience school as space and place is very much material to the quality of their overall schooling experience which in turn is consequential to the ways in which schools as space and place are constructed in the cultural economy of current South Africa.The study is situated within Social Constructionism and engages the New Sociology of Childhood and Children’s Geographies as the theoretical framework. The theoretical framework as well as the methodology employed in this study make provision for a critical engagement in the analysis of these experiences. The findings in this study reveal the factors that contribute to the schooling experiences of the study participants. Eight themes emerged from the data collected through the means of story account, open-ended interviews and photo voice by the participants. The themes unveil the challenges and limitations the study participants encounter as migrant learners in South Africa. Among the challenges and limitations experienced by the participants are issues of difficulty in gaining access to schooling in South Africa, lack of proper participation in school as a result of lack of proficiency in the use of the languages of instruction and communication in school, experiences of stereotypes about migrants in South Africa and the resulting xenophobic tendencies from some learners and some teachers in school, a sense of exclusion and isolation in school as a result of differences in identities and value systems with South African locals, cultural alienation in school as a result of differences between the way things are done in schools in South Africa and the way things are done in schools in home countries of the participants. On the other hand, findings of the study also reveal the opportunities the study participants have gained from schooling in South Africa, such as opportunities to interact with people from diverse backgrounds and the knowledge gained from such interactions, learning new cultures and languages as well as exposure to better learning resources which the study participants were not used to in their home countries. Based on the findings of this study, recommendations are made for the attention of education authorities, school authorities and educators, authorities in the Department of Home Affairs, authorities in charge of social development in South Africa and recommendations for further research.
The influence of Parthenius on the new poets.
(1996) Somaroo, Harichand.; Matier, K. 0.
This thesis examines the influence of Parthenius' doctrine of erotika pathemata on the Neoteric epyllion. His influence on Cinna has been readily acknowledged, but except for a few incidental and tentative references, little has been made of his role in determining important features of Neoteric poetry; in fact, many Leading scholars in the field fail even to mention him. A survey of the evolution of the epyllion in the Hellenistic world shows a radical transformation of the Callimachean type by Euphorion and Parthenius", in the late Alexandrian era. It is clearly the late Alexandrian epyllion that became popular with the Neoterics, as the relevant works of Catullus and, what can be conjectured about the nature of the lost Neatenc epyllia suggest. There is a marked bias towards tragic love-stories, sensational and bizarre, often metamorphic and with ample scope for emotional analysis and a subjective treatment. These features closely parallel the tenor of Parthenius', summary of 36 love-stories in the Erotika Pathemata, his only wholly extant work. While the collection was dedicated to Comelius Gallus well after most of the Neoteric epyllia were written, it is safe to assume that Parthenius preached his doctrine from the time of his arrival at Rome, as his widely acknowledged influence on Cinna's Zmyrna, perhaps the first Latin epyllion, seems to suggest. This thesis cannot pretend to defend Ross' extravagant claim that "without Parthenius' timely arrival there could have been no New Poetry"; but it can attempt to illuminate Parthenius' central role in establishing the nature of the Neoteric epyllion. This study has been undertaken, then, in the belief that Parthenius' influence on the Neoterics and on the creation of a new genre at Rome warrants closer scrutiny than has so far been attempted. Thus, it seeks to provide an alternate basis for the analysis of poems like 63 and 64, and heralds a possible shift from the emphasis on the autobiographical approach, which, though undoubtedly valid, has been belaboured in recent years to the point of excess. Abbreviated title: Erocika Pathemata and the Neoteric Epyllion.
An inquiry-based learning framework for teaching Geographic Information Systems in a rural ecology=izindlela zolwazi zezomhlaba zokufunda ngenhlaliswanobudlelwane yasemaphandleni.
(2022) Zondi, Thabile Aretha.; Hlalele, Dipane Joseph.
This study explored the use of an Inquiry-based learning framework for teaching Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in a rural learning ecology. This qualitative study was premised on the transformative paradigm. Using Participatory Action Research, 17 stakeholders shared their experiences of teaching and learning of GIS. Critical Emancipatory Research (CER) was used to frame this study and it allowed for the formation of a reciprocal relationship amongst the co-researchers. Data was generated through conversations with a purpose, focus group discussions, reflective journals and classroom observations. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data for this study. The study identified four major impediments to the teaching of GIS in the particular context: lack of formal GIS training, traditional teaching approaches, inadequate resources, and a negative teacher attitude towards GIS. It was noted from these findings that there was a training gap and consequently, the co-researchers and I participated in training workshops focused on GIS content knowledge and pedagogy. An Inquiry-based framework was integrated into the training workshops and as a result of these workshops, the co-researchers started exhibiting a positive attitude towards GIS. Central to the findings in this study was the importance of communicative action and the collaboration of different stakeholders in addressing educational challenges. To conclude, based on the findings from this study an Inquiry-based learning framework is recommended for teaching GIS in a rural learning ecology. Iqoqa Lolu cwaningo luphenye ukusetshenziswa kohlaka lokufunda oluhlose ukuthola okuthile ekufundiseni Izindlela Zolwazi lwezoMhlaba, i-Geographic Information Systems (GIS) esayensini yenhlaliswanobudlelwane yasemaphandleni. Lolu cwaningo lobunjalo botho lwesekelwe kuhlelomqondo lwenguquko. Ukusebenzisa Ucwaningo Lokuhlanganyela Ngokwenza, ababambiqhaza abaqavile abayi-17 babelane ngolwazi lwabo ukufundisa nokufunda i-GIS. Ucwaningo oluhlaziya ngenhloso yokuthola okuthile, i-Critical Emancipatory Research (CER) lusetshenzisiwe ukweseka lolu cwaningo futhi luvumele ukudaleka kobudlelwane obunikezelanayo phakathi kwababambiqhaza abasebenzisanayo. Imininingo yaqoqwa ngezingxoxo ngenhloso, izingxoxo neqoqo elicwaningwayo, amajenali okuninga kanye nokubukela okwenzeka emaklasini. Ukuhlaziyo okunzulu kwasetshenziswa ukuhlaziya imininingo yalolu cwaningo. Lolu cwaningo luveze izingqinamba ezine ekufundiseni kwe-GIS esimweni esithile; ukuswelakala koqeqesho lwe-GIS kwesinye isimo, izindlela ezejwayelekile zokufundisa, ukungabi khona ngokuphelele kwezinsiza, kanye nesimomqondo sokubukela phansi kothisha i-GIS. Kwaqapheleka kulokho okutholakele ukuthi kunegebe loqeqesho nokwaba nomthelela wokuthi ababambiqhaza ababambisene kanye nomcwaningi bahlanganyele emisebenzini yokuqeqesha egxile olwazini lwe-GIS kanye nendlelakufundisa. Uhlaka oluhlose ukuthola ulwazi lwahlanganiswa nemisebenzi yokuqeqesha futhi kwase kuthi imiphumela yalemisebenzi yokuqeqesha, ababambiqhaza abasebenzisanayo baqala ukubonakalisa izimomqondo ezinhle kwi-GIS. Okusemqoka kokwatholakala kulolu cwaningo kwaba ukubaluleka kwesenzo sokuxhumana kanye nokusebenzisana kwababambiqhaza abasemqoka ukubhekana nezingqinamba zezemfundo. Ukuphetha, kuncike kokutholakele kulolu cwaningo, uhlaka lokufunda oluhlose ukuthola okuthile lwaphakanyiswa ukufundisa i-GIS esayensini yenhlaliswanobudlelwano yasemaphandleni.

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