Doctoral Degrees (Education Studies)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10413/7175

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 371

A feminist analysis of Black lesbian students’ academic and social experiences at a technical and vocational education and training institution in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.
(2023) Siwela, Sanele.; Sader, Saajidha Bibi.
There is scant research regarding the experiences of Black lesbian students in relation to their access to tertiary education, their success at higher education institutions and their experiences with their lecturers and co-students, especially within the environment of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges. The lack of empirical research on the academic and social experiences of Black lesbian students has left a gap in the understanding of how their social identities intersect to influence their post-school education and training experiences. To address this gap in knowledge, I investigated the academic and social experiences of six Black lesbian students at a TVET college in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. This dissertation adopted an eclectic theoretic approach, using the African decolonial perspective of Oyeronke Oyèwùmí as well as the work of decolonial feminist theorist, Maria Lugones. I also drew on key concepts from Black feminist thinkers Patricia Hill-Collins and bell hooks – in particular, their concept of intersectionality. I used these frameworks to argue against the ongoing influences of past colonialism and apartheid that tend to permeate the institutional culture of TVET colleges in South Africa. This feminist research study adopted a qualitative methodology and used visual narrative inquiry. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews, photo voice, reflective journaling and focus groups. Poetry was used as a data-generating reflective tool. Data analysis combined both visual narrative analysis and analysis of the narratives. Findings revealed institutional heterosexism and a lack of educational access for black lesbian students at this TVET college which impeded their educational participation and success, resulting in failure, absenteeism and dropout. Educational access is understood in this thesis as a multifaceted phenomenon that includes administrative, financial, physical, social, career guidance and epistemic aspects. Enablers to learning at the college included individual strategies (using their own agency) as well as strategies that the college could initiate. This included stronger support from lecturers to contribute to lesbian students’ participation in class and their academic success. Meeting other lesbians who were open about their sexual identities was also another enabler to learning, as it provided these students with a sense of belonging. Financial enablers to be able to attend a college and study were present in the form of the NSFAS grant, which covered their study costs and also enabled them to provide support to their families. Whilst there has been significant evolution in the TVET sector in terms of administrative access and funding for students, the provision of psychological support for minority students is still lacking. This study recommends that the Department of Higher Education develop ongoing psychological support interventions to address the negative psychological impacts LGBTQ+ students experience within the tertiary environment, inclusive curriculum and institutional policies. New college buildings should always include 3-5 individual toilets to provide an alternative for individuals who feel uncomfortable entering the main toilet blocks.
A river runs through it : landscapes of learning, development and change of nontraditional workers.
(2023) Cox, Amanda Jane.; John, Vaughn Mitchell.
In the 21st century contexts in which we live, precarious work has become more prevalent. This study explored how workplace learning takes place for those of us who do not belong fully to an organisation. The need for lifelong and life-wide learning in formal, non-formal and informal ways becomes critical for non-traditional workers, who are defined as those who are not in traditional full-time employment but work on short-term contracts, often for multiple companies. This study focused on this niche group of professionals who work in alternative ways. I was drawn to conduct this study due to my own expectations and experiences about the world of work. Childhood mindsets about work being in one company and job for life were challenged and changed during my career, in which I found myself working in non-traditional ways, enjoying the flexibility that this way of working afforded me. Transformative learning theory, which is about a revision of frames of reference, was a helpful theoretical lens to explain some aspects of my career story. My unique career journey piqued my curiosity about how other non-traditional workers navigate their way into and through the world of work and how they develop as professionals in contexts of precarity. Communities of practice theory (a social learning theory) surfaced as a helpful theoretical lens to explore the learning journeys of my own and another five non-traditional workers. A narrative autoethnographic research approach and a participatory interview technique called river of life were used as the methodological roadmap to navigate my way through the study. The study explored the development of identities, the processes and sources of learning, and the implications of learning in such contexts. The findings identified the importance of lifelong and life-wide learning for non-traditional workers, culminating in the notion of careers being like living landscapes that are moving and changing as we engage in them. The important role of experience and the development of transferable skills was identified. The participants were also found to be good at managing multiplicity in their careers, working across subject areas, projects and multiple identities. Finally, an emerging culture of this type of worker was explored.
Academic intervention experiences of 'at-risk' students : a case of an undergraduate programme in a South African university.
(2014) Mngomezulu, Samukelisiwe Dorothy.; Ramrathan, Prevanand.
The higher education landscape in South Africa has significantly changed upon attainment of democracy in 1994. Access to higher education has been increased for students from previously disadvantaged groups. However, access to higher education has not been met with success as a significant number of students fail to complete degrees in the minimum time required or drop out of programmes completely. Universities have to be responsive to such challenges hence there is a need for institutionalization of academic support programmes. This study sought to ascertain students’ experiences of causal factors and of academic support interventions in one of the Schools in a South African university. The study is underpinned by the Ecosystemic Perspective Theory, Attribution Theory, Vygosky’s Social Development Theory and Chickering’s Theory of Identity Development theories. Informed by the interpretive research paradigm, the study adopted a qualitative case study design in which data were solicited from a purposive sample of ‘at- risk’ students participating in academic support programmes offered by the School. Data was collected through document analysis, focus-group as well as individual interviews. Interpretive phenomenological analysis was used to analyse data. Content analysis through emerging themes was also used to analyse data. Data presentation is in the form of thick description in which verbatim quotations are used to present participants’ views. Findings were analyzed and collated into common themes which revealed that ‘at- risk’ status is caused by multiple factors emanating from both secondary and higher learning education. The study revealed that some challenging factors emanating from secondary schools were prevalent at a higher institution. Academic and non-academic factors were considered to be the main factors that contributed to poor academic performance. Participants revealed that they dealt with challenges differently depending on the nature of the problem. It emerged that warning of ‘at- risk’ status created a plethora of emotional and psychological experiences. It also emerged that intervention support participants received was beneficial to participants but some felt it was reactive rather than being pro-active. In conclusion, the study showed that student performance was negatively affected by academic and non-academic challenges that were both in and prior to university studies. Academic support programmes in place assisted the students and to a certain level but the timing of support and a non-holistic approach remained a challenge. I recommend an inclusive approach to student support within higher education which is largely data driven and includes all registered undergraduate students. Furthermore, early warning detection systems should be built into the data- handling systems so that students, staff and the intervention student support services can respond appropriately and timeously to potential impediments to students’ academic progress.
Academic use of smartphones among secondary school students.
(2018) Mashonganyika, Eliot.; Shawa, Lester Brian.
This study explores the academic use of smartphones among secondary school students at Harare High School with the aim of contributing to new educational trends in Zimbabwe. It employs the interpretive paradigm and is informed by the Actor-Network Theory. It explores how students use smartphones for academic purposes, examining the various perceptions on academic use of smartphones, and analysing reasons for students at Harare High School to use smartphones for academic purposes the way they do. Qualitative research methods were employed using a case study research approach. Semi-structured in-depth interviews, questionnaires, an observation schedule, and documents were used to generate data. Questionnaires were also used for sampling purposes. Miles and Huberman Framework for Qualitative Data Analysis was used for analysis of data. Findings reveal that students at Harare High School use smartphones for research, downloading and storage of learning materials, and collaborative learning. Most students perceive smartphones as convenient learning tools in view of the newly introduced education curriculum, which emphasises research and innovation. Students also use smartphones for social networking and entertainment. Challenges of distraction, abuse, addiction, and other behavioural challenges were revealed, raising the need for close monitoring by teachers and parents. This study recommends that: 1) the Ministry of Education in Zimbabwe should formulate a policy that makes it mandatory for schools to use smartphone technology, 2) schools should consult with ICT experts offering strategies that regulate academic use of smartphones, curbing abuse, 3) teachers should be trained to be smartphone-literate so that smartphone technology may be adopted as a compulsory learning tool, 4) teaching of media literacy and character education should be adopted to empower students to use smartphones profitably, and 5) schools should levy parents in order to raise funds to buy smartphones for students. This study has added new knowledge to the understanding of the academic use of smartphones in the Zimbabwean context. It provides methodological and theoretical contributions through data-generation methods employed, and in its use of the Actor-Network Theory. In conclusion, despite the challenges mentioned, all Zimbabwe schools should embrace the academic use of smartphone technology because the benefits outweigh the challenges.
Academic writing experiences and literacy development of engineering students at a South African university of technology.
(2023) Makhanya, Nontsikelelo Lynette Buyisiwe.; Shawa, Lester Brian.
This study drew on the Cultural Capital Theory and the Academic Literacy Model to explore the academic writing and literacy development experiences of Engineering students at a selected university of technology in South Africa. The study sought to explore the literacy experiences of Engineering student participants over time to determine the efficacy of the knowledge and skills they acquired in relation to academic writing and literacy development. Three critical questions were posed: ● What are Engineering students’ experiences of academic writing and literacy development at the selected university of technology under study in KwaZulu-Natal Province? ● How do Engineering students experience academic writing and academic literacy support offered by the Academic Literacy and Language Support unit at the university of technology under study? ● Why do Engineering students experience academic writing and literacy development the way they do at the selected university of technology under study? Qualitative research methodologies were employed. This study was also underpinned by the interpretive paradigm which is characterised by the concern for the individual and the desire to understand the subjective world of human experience. Data were produced using in-depth semi-structured interviews and reflective journal entries and were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that, although the participating students were underprepared to engage with academic writing at university level, there was improvement in their academic writing skills over time. The study contributes to knowledge of our understanding of how to improve the academic writing capabilities and literacy development of students, including those who come from rural and low socio-economic backgrounds and whose academic development is often retarded by limited cultural capital. The study further highlights the role of IsiZulu (the predominant language in Kwa-Zulu-Natal province) in the academic writing and literacy development of rural students whose first language is IsiZulu. The study also highlights the value of the selected theoretical framing and the methodological approaches that were employed as these contributed significantly to the outcomes as described in this thesis. The unique contribution of this study to the pool of knowledge and scholarly endeavour is the integrated approach that it proposes for embedding literacies within discipline-specific content at the institution of higher learning under study.
Access to schooling spaces for my child with Down Syndrome : an autoethnography.
(2014) Gramanie, Pushpagandhi.; Sookrajh, Reshma.
As part of the Indian diaspora whose ancestors were indentured labourers brought to South Africa to work in the sugar plantation (Mishra, 1996) with little scope for education, I repeatedly heard the expression ‘the only way to escape poverty is through education’ from my grandparents and parents. The access I had to schooling, and the opportunity to complete, provided me with a passport to tertiary education, a privilege only a few of my siblings had. The importance of education was instilled in me from my childhood and it was a natural expectation when I became a parent, to want access to good quality education for my own children. My pursuit of access to schools for my daughter with Down syndrome was an immense challenge with no guarantees in the South African context. I have undertaken this study to reflect on nearly fifteen years of formal and informal schooling for my daughter, Tiara. In an effort to purposefully engage the reader on the subject of schooling spaces and access to it, I considered autoethnography most suitable for the task. It offers me the scope of using personal experiences as principal data and the latitude to express those experiences in a mosaic format by intersecting and sometimes collapsing it with those of others. These ‘others’ consisting of four women, are part of a community of practice, and predominantly parents of children with Down syndrome who interact within my social space. This allowed a wider interpretation of my experiences in relation to others. Their cameos which emerged from semi structured interviews conducted at a time and place at their convenience are captured alongside mine as episodic nodal moments. In choosing autoethnography as the methodology, greater consideration was given to the issue of ethics to ensure confidentiality and respect of all informants. Three of the informants each have a child with Down syndrome. The fourth informant is an academic who is a prolific researcher in the field of Inclusive Education. Her input is from a dual perspective of having a sibling with disability and being a key role-player in the crafting of policies pertaining to inclusive education in South Africa. These reflective accounts were excavated predominantly through qualitative method of memory work. While memory-work is broadly recognized as a profoundly felt emotional experience, it is first and foremost a research tool (Cadman, Friend, Gammon, Ingleton, Koutroulis, McCormack, Mitchell, Onyx, O’Regan, Rocco & Small., 2001). Memory work entailed chronicling past events in as much detail as possible with occasional stimuli to trigger recall. A coalescing of all chronicles and cameo accounts pertaining to access to schooling spaces for children with Down syndrome is followed by thematic analysis. This is discussed in a mosaic format with all chronicles and cameos interwoven. A created multidimensional model of access, influenced by Nind and Seale (2010) helped unpack the enabling and disenabling aspects of experiences of accessing schooling spaces for children with Down syndrome. This is done to shed insight on the state of South African segregated schooling in public education, in both mainstream and special needs and the challenging experiences of access to inclusive schooling spaces for children with Down syndrome. The data suggests that despite enabling legislation, implementation of inclusive policies reflects gaps, primarily in lack of political will and sustained effort. Physical access into a school did not necessarily mean that Tiara had enabling access to and meaningful participation in the spectrum of schooling experiences: systemic, curricular, social, pedagogical, spaces and practices. Parental advocacy has historically contributed to the evolution from medical deficit model to social justice but the need for endurance to continue the fight for accessible inclusive spaces continues to be unyielding.
Adolescent suicidal behaviour : a desperate cry for help.
(2007) Govender, Amutha.; Naidoo, Zaiboonnisha.; Ramrathan, Prevanand.
There appears to be a need to demystify suicidal behaviour not just for the benefit of researchers and health workers but equally for parents, teachers and most importantly for adolescents themselves. The focus in this study was on attempting to provide a fresh perspective of adolescent suicidal behaviour by viewing some delinquent and deviant behaviour as possible manifestation of suicidal behaviour and by decoding and making an attempt to understand the non-verbal voices/cries of suicidal adolescents. In general, suicide and suicidal behaviour among adolescents, has received relatively little attention from Education Departments throughout South Africa. Suicide-prevention is also sadly neglected by government and public health authorities. Unfortunately, despite the fact that the phenomenon has become the first cause of death among the younger age groups, with a higher mortality rate than for road accidents, it has not so far managed to provide backing for preventive schemes within the school and community systems of the same magnitude as the ones developed to tackle other public health problems, such as Aids. The purpose of this study was to gain greater insight into the phenomenon of adolescent suicidal behaviour so that a clearer and broader definition (that included both overt and covert behaviour) was formulated. This will then assist, amongst others, educators, parents and adolescents to identify more easily adolescent suicidal behaviour in its various forms . The study also hoped to investigate and identify the factors that could contribute to suicidal behaviour in adolescents. It also hoped to explore what support systems were available and accessible to the adolescents, more especially those manifesting deviant and delinquent forms of suicidal behaviour and to investigate the effectiveness of the support systems. The concept of networking and creating supportive connections is strongly supported when facing problems of suicide and suicidal behaviour. In creating a connection with the parents, teachers are able to better connect with learners because they will be more aware of the stressors that adolescents are experiencing. Since evidence indicates (Snyder, 1971) that potential suicide victims typically turn first to family and everyday friends and to the more traditional and perhaps formal sources such as clergy, psychiatrists, social workers only later, the need for the school to be more ready to play the role of referrer to other established sources of help is apparent. Teachers should not mistake adolescent suicidal behaviour for just delinquent 'brat' behaviour. In many situations adolescent suicidal behaviour becomes a way of communicating with others after all other forms of communication have broken down - when connections with the outer world is tenuous or non-existent. Stigma keeps adolescent suicidal behaviour from being identified as a public health problem that is preventable. This could be the reason (besides financial ones) why the Department of Education has not seen the urgency to strengthen counselling services in schools. In the absence of such support parents, educators and adolescents need to join forces - create a network of connections - both physical and emotional - so that desperate cries of adolescents are heard, interpreted and eliminated.
Adult education for community development : the case of Ugandan non-governmental organization.
(2014) Twine, Bananuka Hannington.; John, Vaughn Mitchell.
A number of studies have explored the relationship between adult education and community development. These often do not provide in-depth accounts of how such relationships emerge and develop. The case study of Emesco Development Foundation (EDF) was conducted to specifically interrogate this relationship from the contextual setting of a single NGO in Uganda. The interest was on how adult education emerged, is understood and practiced by novice adult educators in community development work. EDF is a rural-based, indigenous NGO located in Kibaale district, mid-western Uganda. The study, a qualitative investigation, was framed by the educational theories of Nyerere (1973) and Freire (1972) and located within the critical theory paradigm. The two theories, which provide radical perspectives of adult education, resonate well with the participatory approaches to community development that have taken centre stage in the NGO world and are reminiscent of practices in EDF. Youngman’s (2000) framework of political economy of adult education and development was also adopted, later during the study, to explain the understandings and practices of adult education in EDF within the socioeconomic, political and global context. As is the norm with case study design, a range of methods were used to generate data and these included interviews, focus group discussions, document review, observations and photovoice. Findings indicate that EDF’s philosophy, policies and practices on adult education have been characterised by change, power dynamics, ideological contradictions and compromises. EDF’s initial focus of social enterprise as a driver of community development has over time been replaced by a focus on ‘giving knowledge and skills’ or providing adult education. Consequently, most actors have had to re-negotiate identities of adult educator in addition to their professional identities. In a bid to harmonise the multiple forces and interests of various stakeholders, EDF has assumed the position of a ‘power broker’ as a survival strategy. The study noted that adult education as field of practice and discipline is broad, complex and dynamic. It therefore recommended that adult education unlike most professions should promote an inclusive culture in order to accommodate other professions and novice actors. The study further highlights a need for EDF to strengthen its income generation capacity to sustainably finance its projects and thus avoid having to compromise their valued ideology.
An action research study of cooperative learning in a pre-service natural science course.
(1997) Schrueder, Rehana.; Jansen, Jonathan David.; Brookes, David W.
Cooperative learning (CL) research has gone through a series of phases representing different orientations of research. This inquiry uses action-research as a way of implementing cooperative learning in a pre-service science course. Cooperative learning was regarded as an innovation in the context of this inquiry. The evidence of the inquiry was in the form of texts from sources including classroom observation, student reflective notes, the research diary and interviews, among others. The qualitative analysis involved the writing of descriptive-interpretive reports which were used in a process of data reduction to formulate analytic theme reports. Propositions were developed from these reports. Some recommendations emanated from these propositions.
An exploration of the learners’ views on the efficacy of information communication technology in improving work performance : The case of KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health employees registered at a community learning centre in Durban.
(2024) Malinga, Charlotte Lungiswa.; Harley, Anne.; Mbatha, Lulama Nothando.
This study is situated in the context of adult education in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and is framed within the national policies of the Skills Development Act No. 31 of 2008 and the Human Resource Development Strategy of South Africa 2010-2030. These policies underscore the importance of providing continuous skills development and education opportunities for adults in the labour market, particularly emphasizing the need for basic education and training. The research focuses on evaluating the views of adult learners from the Department of Health in KwaZulu-Natal regarding the efficacy of the Information and Communication Technology Adult Basic Education and Training (INCT4) programme at a local Community Learning Centre. It examines how this programme impacts their work performance and personal lives. The study employs a qualitative research design within an interpretivist paradigm. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with employees who had participated in the INCT4 program. This methodological approach was aimed at understanding the learners' perspectives on the skills they acquired and their application in both professional and personal contexts. The findings indicate that learners value the skills gained from the INCT4 programme highly, noting improvements in their work performance and personal life management. These skills enhanced their confidence and self-esteem, enabling them to undertake new tasks and engage more effectively in their professional roles. While the application of these skills varied across different job roles, all learners noted personal benefits, such as increased ability to use digital platforms independently. The study underscores the significance of adult education as a form of lifelong and life-wide learning. It highlights the role of self-directed learning in adult education, drawing on Knowles's theory of andragogy and Maslow's hierarchy of needs. The research contributes to the understanding of how adult education can facilitate individual and societal development and underscores the need for adult education programmes to be relevant and responsive to learners' needs. The study concludes with a call for further research into the involvement of adult learners in the planning and evaluation of educational programs and the effectiveness of various learning areas in Community Learning Centers (CLCs).
An analysis of boys’ and teachers’ experiences in a Grade 6 writing programme, using a positioning perspective.
(2019) Mather, Nazarana.; Rule, Peter Neville.; Sheik, Ayub.
Existing research shows that in South Africa there are reasons for concern regarding the achievements of a large proportion of Grade 6 learners in language learning. The impact of this poor language achievement affects their success rates across learning areas and in higher grades. It has also been found that historically, Grade 6 boys have achieved, and continue to achieve, lower results than their female peers in national language assessments. However, boys’ language learning in the Intermediate Phase in South African schools is surprisingly under-researched, particularly their writing skills development. This study contributes to understanding Grade 6 boys’ writing development by providing descriptions of two English Home Language classroom contexts, in two different schools, in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The study aimed to 1. analyse the strategies, perceptions, challenges and experiences of two Grade 6 teachers’ and their male learners’ teaching and learning of writing in English Home Language; 2. provide a holistic account of the development of the boys’ writing skills, presented in terms of the process genre approach to writing, theories of teacher knowledge and positioning theory; 3. determine the role that formative assessment plays during the stages of the writing cycle; and 4. draw from the findings suggestions for further study and improved classroom practice. To this end, in each school, a cycle of the Grade 6 writing programme, as prescribed by the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) (DBE, 2011a), was analysed. The experiences, perceptions and challenges of the two participating teachers and their male learners were analysed using exploratory and comparative case study approaches. This interpretative, qualitative, theory-seeking case study was bounded by time (2015), space (Grade 6 classrooms in two mainstream schools in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa) and theme (how boys and their teachers experience and perceive the learning and teaching of writing and their positions and challenges during these writing lessons). Data were gathered from classroom observations, teacher interviews, activity-based questionnaires and the boys’ written submissions with their teachers’ feedback. Classroom and interview data were analysed from the perspective of positioning theory and the process genre approach to writing, and document analysis was conducted on learners’ written submissions. Although these teachers had similar schooling backgrounds and training and followed the same policy statement (the CAPS), it was found that their scaffolding approaches within the stages of the writing cycle differed significantly. This thesis argues that there are significant links among three key elements: teacher knowledge, teachers’ and learners’ positioning in the writing process, and the quality of the final written product.
An analysis of change in the management practices of school principals in the context of an external intervention from 1977 to 2000 : case study of the Imbewu project in the eastern Cape province.
(2008) Adonis, Agrinette Nolwandle.; Morrell, Robert Graham.
This study focuses on a large-scale, foreign-funded education intervention, the Imbewu Project (IP). This project was funded by United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DfID) and was implemented in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa between 1997 and 2000 in close consultation with the Eastern Cape’s Provincial Department of Education (ECDE). The impact of the project is examined through the eyes of the primary school participants, principals, teachers and members of School Governing Bodies. The major concern of the study is to explore the impact of the intervention on the management practices of schools. The study examines those factors which promoted or undermined the efficacy of the IP. Cluster or multi-stage sampling was used for sampling schools from which respondents for questionnaires were selected. A total of 250 copies of the two questionnaires (200 for teachers and 50 for school principals) were sent to selected schools. Out of these, 33 were filled in and returned by school principals and 119 were filled in and returned by teachers. Convenience sampling was used for sampling the schools from which interviewees were selected. Five (5) principals, eight (8) members of the school governing bodies, 15 key teachers and 15 non-key teachers were interviewed. A largely descriptive research design was used to explore the views and perceptions of principals, teachers and school governing body (SGB) members about changes in the management practices in their schools. School documents from the schools used for interviews were analysed in order to corroborate the information given by the respondents. The training materials used by the IP were closely aligned with the imperatives identified in the South African Schools Act (1996). The education management development (EMD) modules of the IP and the management areas in the South African Schools Act (1996), for example, suggests that the IP training programme was guided by official policy. The IP programme was therefore appropriate for supporting and enhancing the work of the ECDE in improving school efficiency and for the transformation of education in the schools. Advanced age, lengthy experience and the poor quality of teacher training tended to limit the optimal impact of the IP. The IP training helped principals and SGB members to understand their roles in the school and to participate more effectively than before. In the IP, while the quality of the training was perceived as good, it appeared that the duration did not allow for assimilation and in-depth understanding of the content. In addition, the cascading model of training was regarded as a threat to the successful implementation of the IP as it distorted and reduced the amount of knowledge that reached the majority of teachers in the schools. Principals did not warmly support the transformation agenda that forced them to work with SGB members who were often poorly informed about school matters. However, principals were ready to use the SGBs in aspects such as mobilizing parents to attend meetings and providing security for the school that were not directly related to their own management work. Principals continued to wield power in the SGBs because they were superior to all parent members of the SGBs in terms of academic qualification, expertise, and official information. The heads of departments (HODs) in the schools were not targeted for the IP training. Consequently, most of them had to be trained by their teachers in the IP activities at the schools. The fact that these HODs were not trained in the IP meant that their professional authority in the implementation process of IP activities was undermined as they had to depend on their teachers regarding these activities in their departments. This tended to undermine the institutionalization and sustainability of the intervention. Poverty proved to be a serious challenge to the success of the IP intervention in the most disadvantaged schools. The poorest schools were unable to take full advantage of the IP intervention in terms of training manuals and learning material compared to those which were better off. There was therefore a tendency for the IP to inadvertently promote and increase inequalities.
An analysis of learners' engagement in mathematical task.
(1988) Winter, Paul August.; Craig, A. P.
The present project is part of a larger research programme focussed on the analysis of change; one aspect being educational transformation and in particular an emphasis on the explication of the contentless processes (eg. logical operations, reasoning styles, analysis and synthesis) which underlie both learning and teaching at university level. The present project is aimed at an analysis of the teaching-learning dialectic in mathematics courses. This analysis has two major focal points, that is, making explicit the often tacit and mostly inadequate and/or inappropriate rules for engaging in mathematical tasks which the under-prepared learner brings to the teaching-learning situation, and secondly the teaching strategies which may enable these learners to overcome their past (erroneous) knowledge and skills towards the development of effecient, autonomous mathematical problem-solving strategies. In order to remedy inadequate and inappropriate past learning and/or teaching, the present project presents a set of mediational strategies and regulative cues which function both for the benefit of the teacher and the learner in a problematic teaching-learning situation and on the meta and epistemic cognitive levels of information processing. Furthermore, these mediational strategies and regulative cues fall on a kind of interface between contentless processes and the particular content of the teaching-learning dialectic of mathematics in particular, as well as between the ideal components of any instructional process and the particular needs and demands of under-prepared learners engaged in mathematical tasks.
An analysis of the construction of African consciousness in contemporary South African history textbooks.
(2014) Maposa, Marshall Tamuka.; Wassermann, Johannes Michiel.
This study is rooted in the move by the South African government at the turn of the 21st century to spearhead the conception of what then President Thabo Mbeki referred to as an African Renaissance. This move entailed cultivating an African consciousness; education being one of the key tools. With textbooks still playing a critical role in the education system, I therefore set out to analyse contemporary South African History textbooks in order to understand the type of African consciousness that they construct for their audience. I conceptually framed this study within a conceptual architecture of African consciousness, adapted from Rüsen’s (1993) typology of historical consciousness. Theoretically, the study is framed within discursive postcolonialism and oriented in a social constructionist paradigm. The sample consisted of four Grade 12 History textbooks with a focus on the themes on post-colonial Africa, on which I conducted Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis. At a descriptive level of analysis, the findings are that Africa is constructed in the analysed textbooks as four-dimensional: the spatial, the temporal, the humanised and the experiential notions. Correspondingly, the African being is constructed as five-dimensional: the spatial, the physical, the philosophical, the cultural and the experiential notions. The interpretation is that Africa and the African being are constructed as multidimensional and largely ambiguous. I argue that the revelation that the analysed textbooks contain a bricolage of three forms of African consciousness (traditional, exemplary and critical) implies a consciousness conundrum that is a manifestation of the hybridity characteristic of postcolonial representations. In fact, the research shows that while the macro-level of power produces the dominant discourses, the micro-level of the citizen also contributes to the discourses that permeate the History textbooks. Indeed, the production of textbooks is influenced by multifarious factors that when the discourses from the top and from below meet at the meso-level of textbook production, there is not just articulation but also resistance, thus producing heteroglossic representation of African consciousness. On one hand, South Africa is constructed as part and parcel of postcolonial Africa. But more dominantly, there is on the other hand, the exceptionalism of South Africa and the South African from the construction of Africa and the African being. I argue that the kind of African consciousness that is promoted in the textbooks to a greater extent leads to the polar affect, which is a preference of the group one identifies with over others.
An analysis of the portrayal of women in junior secondary school history textbooks in Malawi.
(2014) Chiponda, Annie Fatsireni.; Wassermann, Johannes Michiel.
This study examines the portrayal of women in junior secondary school history textbooks in Malawi. It seeks to explore how women are portrayed and establishes reasons for the portrayal of women in particular ways in these textbooks. The visual and verbal text of three history textbooks used at junior secondary level in Malawi was analysed. The study is guided by the critical paradigm and the qualitative feminist approach to research using documentary or secondary data studies design. It uses feminist theory to analyse and understand the portrayal of women in the textbooks studied. Specifically the study uses a bricolage of six feminist theories namely liberal, radical, Marxist, socialist, black and African feminisms. Three methods of textual analysis were used to analyse the textbooks and these are content analysis, visual semiotic analysis, and open coding. It was concluded in this study that women are oppressed in their portrayal in junior secondary school history textbooks in Malawi and that their oppression manifested through marginalisation, stereotyping, silencing and limited representation as exceptional historical characters. Furthermore, it was found that Malawian women were under-represented despite the fact that the textbooks were produced in their own country. Malawian women comprised a negligible population of the women contained in the textbooks studied which portrays them as being non-existent in history. This finding is not supported by literature and therefore I would argue that it adds a new dimension to the existing literature on the portrayal of women in history textbooks. Among other factors such as race, Capitalism and the African culture, it was concluded that patriarchal beliefs were the major reason for the oppression of women in these textbooks. Therefore, unless patriarchy is uprooted in the minds of people, the oppression of women in society in all its manifestations, which permeates history textbooks, will largely remain the same as evidenced by the corroboration of findings between this study and previous studies conducted in history textbooks. This study makes a significant contribution to history textbook research and feminist research in textbooks. It carries on the tradition of researching women in textbooks which was started by Catherine de Pisan in the first century AD. Unlike previous studies which only revealed under-representation of women, this study documents the frequency in which the few women mentioned in the text were referred. My study therefore enhances the debate on the under-representation of women both in history textbooks and textbooks of other subjects by highlighting less frequent mentioning of women as a form of marginalisation.
An APOS analysis of the understanding of vector space concepts by Zimbabwean in-service Mathematics teachers.
(2018) Mutambara, Illias Hamufari Natsai.; Bansilal, Sarah.
University mathematics students often find the content of linear algebra difficult because of the abstract and highly theoretical nature of the subject as well as the formal logic required to carry out proofs. This study explored some specific difficulties experienced by students when negotiating the various vector space concepts. The participants were 73 Zimbabwean mathematics teachers who were enrolled in an in-service programme and who were studying for a Bachelor of Science Education Honours Degree in Mathematics. The Zimbabwean mathematics in-service teachers who were studying these concepts were also teaching some of the concepts at high school. The study was qualitative in nature and it was strengthened by the interpretivist paradigm. Data were generated from the teachers’ written responses to three tasks based on the various vector space concepts. The items in the activity sheets probed the participants on the concepts on vector space, subspace, linear combination, linear independence, basis and dimension. Follow-up interviews on the written work were conducted to identify the participants’ ways of understanding. Thirteen students volunteered to be interviewed and were probed further about the vector space concepts so as to elicit more information on the way they understood the various vector space concepts, and the connection they seemed to make between these concepts. An APOS (action–process–object–schema) theory was used to unpack the structure of the concepts. The main aim of the study was to identify the mental constructions that the students made when learning the various vector space concepts and the extent to which they concurred with a preliminary genetic decomposition.. The study also employed another theoretical framework, Sfard theory, which was used to describe the in-service teachers cognitive difficulties in the learning of linear algebra which were identified as errors and misconceptions with particular reference to the study of vector space concepts. The errors were categorised in terms of conceptual (deeply seated misunderstandings) procedural (related to using related procedures) and technical (calculation or interpretation) errors. In terms of APOS theory, the responses revealed that most in-service teachers were operating at the action and process levels, with a few students using some aspects of object level reasoning for some of the questions. Findings revealed that the teachers struggled with the vector space and subspace concepts, mainly because of prior non-encapsulation of prerequisite concepts of sets and binary operations, and difficulties with understanding the role of counter-examples in showing that a set is not a vector subspace. Most of the students operated at the action level of understanding. The findings revealed that across the items on the concepts on linear combinations, linear independence, basis and dimension, students were comfortable in answering problems that required the use of algorithms, for example carrying out the Gaussian elimination method. However a major hurdle that hindered them from interiorising the actions into a process for the items on linear combination, linear independence and basis was their failure to interpret the solutions to the systems of equations and providing insufficient argumentation in relation to the posed questions. Fifty students struggled with concepts on linear combination and did not provide any evidence in their written responses of moving past an action conception.The results on understanding linear independence revealed that 17 (23%) students were able to make arguments based on the use of theorems that given vectors are linearly dependent without showing the step by step procedures and giving precise descriptions of the procedures used to determine linear independence. There were 46 students who represented their understanding in a manner described as the action conception as they were engaged in a step by step manner in an attempt to show that given vectors are linearly independent. The major drawback that hindered the students to develop their understanding of the concept of linear independence was a failure to distinguish the two terms linear independence/dependence, application of inappropriate theorems and inappropriate methods when solving the problems. Furthermore, the results on understanding of basis and dimension also revealed that the in-service teachers were able to cope with the procedures of row reduction, but struggled to justify whether given vectors formed a basis or not; they also struggled to find the basis of the solution space. Only 9 (12%) of the students were able to develop their mental construction at the process conception of basis of a vector space as they were able to coordinate the two processes of establishing that a given set span the particular vector space and that the set is linearly independent. On cognitive challenges, the study revealed the distribution pattern of the conceptual errors, technical errors and procedural errors varied across the items. The most errors manifested were the conceptual and technical. It is hoped that the identification of such errors and misconceptions will assist other educators in modifying their planning so that long term learning will take place.
Archaeology of a language development non governmental organisation : excavating the identity of the English Language Educational Trust.
(2003) Dhunpath, Rabikanth.; Samuel, Michael Anthony.
Any attempt at understanding the influences that impinge on teacher development in South Africa is incomplete without an exploration of the role of NGOs, particularly those alternative development agencies that were conceived in response to apartheid education and which continued to pursue progressive, contextually relevant interventions in the transitional democracy. Using the archaeological approach to excavate deep insights into the behaviour of a language development NGO, this study documents the institutional memory of the English language Education Trust (ELET). Portraying two decades of its history (1984 to 2001) through the eyes of key participants in the organisation, the study traces the multiple influences, internal and extraneous, that have shaped ELET's mutating identity as it negotiated the challenges of a volatile and unpredictable NGO climate. The study pursues two reciprocal outcomes. First, it attempts methodological elaboration. In advocating transdisciplinary research, it borrows from the established traditions of empowerment and illuminative evaluation, appropriating their key tenets for an institutional evaluation. Underpinned by the genre of narrative research, the study expands the lifehistory method as an evaluative tool, providing opportunities for organisational members to engage in self-reflexive interrogation of the organisation's life as it negotiated a multiplicity of development challenges. Second, it attempts theoretical elaboration. It challenges classical organisational theory (which derives from the structural - functionalist corporatist mode of management theory), as conservative and inadequate in understanding the organisational culture of an NGO. The study proposes a post-structuralist mode of discourse analysis as complementary to classical management theory in organisational analysis. Conflating theory and method provides incisive conceptual lenses to appraise the contribution of ELET to language teacher development. The study finds that while ELET has been complicit in allowing its mission as a counter-hegemonic agency to be undermined by its submission to normative, coercive and mimetic isomorphism, it nevertheless demonstrates agency to innovate rather than replicate. It achieves this despite the cumulative constraining pressures of globalisation, manifest through volatility in corporate funding, shifting imperatives of bilateral funding agencies, and the fickle agendas of the fledgling democratic government. The study demonstrates that, given these unpredictable conditions, NGOs Iike ELET are forced to reinvent themselves to respond to emerging development opportunities as a hedge against attrition. In this regard, ELET has benefited from astute management and a vigilant quest for homegrown intervention programmes as alternatives to imported literacy programmes, all of which helps it redefine what constitutes emancipatory literacies. Despite its proven record of accomplishment as a site for alternative teacher development, the study demonstrates that a competitive higher education sector a hostile policy environment and the debilitating reporting mechanisms demanded by funders results in ELET's potential as a site for 'authentic' knowledge production to be devalued. A further consequence of this marginilisation is that the organisation finds itself increasingly vulnerable to co-option by the state as a functionary of service delivery, accounting upwards to funders rather than downwards to beneficiaries of development. The study argues that the exploitative relationship the NGO endures with other development constituencies is as much a consequence of the NGO's failure to embrace an expedient corporate culture as it is the failure of these constituencies to acknowledge the potential of the NGO. Hence, rather than preserve the antagonistic relationship between higher education institutes and alternative agencies for knowledge production, they will each benefit by mutually appropriating the accumulated expertise of the other, giving substance to the ideal of a community of reason through creative dialectical evolution. The study concludes with the proposition that one mechanism to operationalise the notion of a community of reason is community service learning, a partnership between higher education institutes, corporate funders and development NGOs, a relationship in which the NGO provides leadership in appropriating disparate energies towards the cultivation of a socially literate country.
Assessing grade six second language learners: English home language teachers’ experiences.
(2022) Ragavan, Bianca Jade.; Mahabeer, Pryah.
Since the end of apartheid and the birth of a new democratic South Africa, learners of different races have been at liberty to attend any school of choice. With South Africa having eleven official languages, children attend schools where English as the language of teaching and learning (LoLT) is not the same as children’ mother tongue language (e.g. isiZulu). While the current Curriculum of Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) caters for second language speaking learners’ needs in the provision of English as a First Additional Language (EFAL), many second language speaking learners are forced to learn in English as a Home Language (EHL) because of the schools they attend. As a result, teachers are tasked with teaching and assessing comprehension in EHL to second language English speaking learners who have limited exposure to English, at Home Language level. This study sought to explore the experiences of EHL teachers assessing comprehension of grade six second language learners, as well as the strategies they employ to assess the learners. This study employed the qualitative approach, located within the interpretivist paradigm, to explore the experiences of EHL teachers assessing comprehension of grade six second language speaking learners. A case study methodology was used. Three participants were purposefully selected from three primary schools in the Durban South area, KwaZulu-Natal. The instrument used to generate data was a semi-structured telephonic interview, owing to the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions. Data was then transcribed verbatim, analysed and presented thematically. Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) (Vygotsky, 1978) was used to frame this study. It explained teachers’ experiences assessing comprehension from what learners could do on their own (Actual knowledge) to what they could do with assistance from the teacher (Zone of Potential Development- ZPD). The ZPD components, such as scaffolding and mediation, were used to explain how EHL teachers assessed comprehension to grade six second language learners. From the teachers’ responses, multiple experiences were reported that comprised of constructive experiences of learners increasing their vocabulary, becoming confident, and showing enthusiasm and interest during comprehension assessments. As well as adverse experiences that involved learners experiencing a language barrier as their mother tongue was not the same as the LoLT. Other factors that affected EHL teachers’ experiences of assessing comprehension were EHL teachers not English language specialist teachers, and lacking in-service training and support from internal structures (HODs), and from external structures, such as the Department of Education (DoE), subject advisors and parents. Lack of resources and infrastructure, learner indiscipline, and the Covid-19 pandemic also influenced experiences of assessing comprehension to second language learners. The study also found that grade six second language learners could not complete comprehension tasks successfully on their own without the aid of their EHL teachers and the well thought out strategies used. The findings of this study are useful to the DoE and workshops can be designed to assist and develop EHL teachers in teaching and assessing second language learners in schools. Universities can also benefit as courses can be improved to prepare teachers on how to teach and assess comprehension to second language learners in these contexts. Recommendations emanating from this study call for a more active role by the DoE and parents so that teachers are supported in their teaching roles. This is because EHL teachers need ongoing support from the various stakeholders to teach and assess comprehension to second language English speaking learners successfully.
An asset-based approach to mitigating learner multiple vulnerabilities in Zimbabwean rural learning ecologies.
(2020) Chidakwa, Nowell.; Hlalele, Dipane Joseph.
The escalating number of learners facing multiple vulnerabilities globally has resulted in the holistic caring for such learners becoming one of the major challenges faced by societies today. Currently, in Zimbabwe, the major goal for supportive initiatives and developments is to meet the financial needs of such learners. Due to the political and socio-economic situation in Zimbabwe, there has been inability or lack of access to/resources by parents/guardians/service providers to ensure that such learners receive minimum basic services. Their resources and systems have been overwhelmed by the large number of learner multiple vulnerabilities. Following partial or complete withdrawal assistance by parents/guardians/service providers, individuals facing learner multiple vulnerabilities become disadvantaged, exposing them to further vulnerabilities. Learners facing learner multiple vulnerabilities then suffer because not all their needs are met. Facing multiple vulnerabilities, to some extent, contributes to them abandoning their studies or ending up in exploitative situations as a means of survival. The main aim of this study was to propose asset-based approaches to mitigating learner multiple vulnerabilities in Zimbabwean rural learning ecologies. The study included participants within Zimbabwean rural learning ecologies in proposing for an asset-based approach that was grounded in the local community. This gave voice to rural people through active participation and ensured emancipation, transformation, and empowerment by assisting them to find solutions to their problems. An eclectic mix of Complexity Theory (CT) and Asset-Based Approach (ABA) was utilised with the understanding that learner multiple vulnerabilities are a social challenge. This made it possible to implement the approach, and that individuals can claim ownership of the process. CT, in this study, emphasises wholes, relationships, open systems, and the use of the environment as tools for survival. The theory strived for a holistic change in learners that they may evolve and adapt within the same rural learning ecology. ABA was adopted to focus on local people having capacities, skills and social resources to attend to their problems, for the purpose of eliminating dependence syndrome in learners and achieving quality education in rural learning ecologies. Practically, this qualitative study presents how CT and ABA principles are integrated within Participatory Action Research (PAR) as design, Critical Emancipatory Research (CER) as paradigm, an approach that addresses issues of empowerment in contexts, inequality, oppression, alienation, power and transformation through collaborative engagement, for learners to take decision that make them survive in complex situations. Purposive sampling was utilised to identify participants. I used the focus group discussions (FGD), discussion meetings, document analysis, and participant observation to generate data. Ethical considerations were observed to guard against possible ethical predicaments, that we do not harm participants and our research be valid and reliable. Using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), the researcher critically presented, analysed, and interpreted the written texts and spoken words combined with observed facial expression and data from analysed documents, and determined findings and implications from which the asset-based approach was formulated. The findings and conclusions of the study have proved that learner multiple vulnerabilities exist as multiple entities that affect learners in rural learning ecologies. Further highlighted is how issues of socio-economic instability, poverty, death/separation/divorce of parents/guardians, and cultural factors are root causes of learner multiple vulnerabilities. Consequently, engagement in transformative and participatory methods that embraced local communities’ capabilities formed the basis for holistic emancipation and empowerment. Furthermore, I noted that there are threats to the asset-based approach, such as donor syndrome and self-constructed philosophies. Based on findings and conclusions, I have suggested that further studies on the application of the approach should be done. Additionally, there is a need for active participation and total commitment from learners facing learner multiple vulnerabilities with potential assets and or stakeholders to find solutions to their problems. Furthermore, there is a need to collectively work together on the planning, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation (rather than on individual approaches), that holistically assist learners through sharing of experiences, knowledge, and skills on how to alleviate learner multiple vulnerabilities. This would leave learners empowered and transformed. These implications emancipate, transform, and empower those engaged in finding solutions to their problems.
At the policy-practice interface : exploring technical vocational education and training lecturers' educational reform experiences.
(2016) Buthelezi, Zanele Gladness.; Wedekind, Volker Ralf.; Mthiyane, Cynthia Carol Nonhlanhla.
This study investigated lived personal and professional educational reform experiences of Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) College lecturers at the policy-practice interface in the post-apartheid era. A literature search revealed that TVET lecturers’ voices in the South African context were a terra incognita, as they have been missing and neglected for decades. The study is a contribution towards filling that void. The study used a qualitative research approach from an interpretive paradigm. Open-ended life history interviews of 12 TVET college lecturers from two different colleges were conducted. The participants have worked in the sector for more than 10 years. Questionnaires were used to elicit lecturer biographical data. The main analysis technique used was narrative analysis. The study draws on a social theory by Norbert Elias, who emphasizes interconnectedness of relations amongst people, rejecting the homo clausus image of man. Findings suggest that educational change was complex and daunting for TVET lecturers. The experiences of TVET lecturers suggest that they were not adequately engaged during the conceptualization stages of the reform. Implementation had to start before they had familiarized themselves with the innovations, hence the lament that they were not ready. The reform was perceived as rapid and ephemeral. Rapidity led to the development of unrealistic timeframes, ambitious scope and inequitable practices in the distribution of resources. Educational reforms fell short of continuity and conformity to system norms and yielded a myriad of unintended and unanticipated consequences. Because of the prevalence of feelings of inadequacy precipitated by curricular changes, this study recommends that TVET lecturers be adequately capacitated. TVET lecturer development strategies need to fortify different kinds of knowledge such as disciplinary, tacit, pedagogical, work-place and knowledge of the heart, such as values, attitudes, intuition and situated learning. The study recommends that strategies to alleviate onerous administrative duties for lecturers be devised. The study recommends that solutions to NCV challenges, such as mixed ability classrooms, compounded student workloads, complex courses that are pitched higher than the level of the targeted student and lack of technical background, be found. The study highlighted adverse effects of prescriptive, top-down reforms which have been cited as silencing professional input. This study concludes that challenges could have been minimized if the lecturer was considered to be one of the key factors for educational reform to succeed. The study recommends that policymakers and college management utilize prudent participative and consultative strategies that include lecturers for enhancement of future policy conceptualization, implementation and evaluation.

Browse

Browsing Doctoral Degrees (Education Studies) by Title