Heads of departments' understandings of and their preparedness for their roles as curriculum managers : a case study of a rural primary school.

Abstract

This study investigates Heads of Department’s (HoDs’) understandings of their roles as curriculum managers and their level of preparedness for instructional support and supervision to educators in the implementation of Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) in schools. This is a qualitative case study focusing on one rural primary school in KwaZulu-Natal. There were nine participants comprising three HoDs and six randomly selected educators in the study. Data was collected by means of questionnaires, interviews, observation, and document analysis. The study examines HoDs’ understandings of their roles as curriculum managers and their perceptions about their levels of preparedness for curriculum management and supervision roles. In addition, an attempt is made to identify some of the professional development needs of HoDs in the context of OBE implementation in schools. The key findings that emerged from the research were that HoDs did not fully understand their curriculum management and supervision roles and were not adequately trained and prepared to fulfil their management and supervisory responsibilities. It was found that HoDs required professional development in the form of workshops, in-service training, networking or information sharing meetings and seminars to prepare them for their role as curriculum managers.