Text in Afrikaans / An increase in information accompanied by scientific and technological development necessitates the re-evaluation of the present Biology Curriculum, as the curriculum does not meet the demands of the community. An analysis of the above-mentioned problem reveals the structure and principles of Biology as a subject and the bio-ethic factors which to a larger extend influence man's values as technology and information change. By means of a literature study and personal interviews the development and design of a lifescience curriculum for Biology is formulated. Within this, several aspects concerning the teaching of a lifescience Biology Curriculum will be discussed. Important methods and strategies required for the successful teaching of Biology include a process approach, a constructivism approach, demonstration, discovery, reflective and metalearning, practical work, discussions and co-operative learning methods. The successful teaching of Biology, however, goes hand in hand with effective preservice and inservice training of Biology teachers. / lnformasievermeerdering gepaardgaande met wetenskaplike en tegnologiese ontwikkeling noodsaak 'n herevaluering van die huidige Biologiekurrikulum aangesien die kurrikulum nie voldoen aan die eise en behoeftes van die gemeenskap nie. Ter ontleding van bogenoemde probleem, word die struktuur en grondslae van Biologie as vak en die bio-etiese faktore wat toenemend die mens se waardedimensie beinvloed, namate die tegnologie en inligting verander, bespreek. Deur middel van 'n literatuurstudie en persoonlike onderhoude word die ontwikkeling en ontwerp van 'n Lewenskunde Biologiekurrikulum uiteengesit. Hieruit sal verskeie aspekte rakende die onderrig van 'n Lewenskunde Biologiekurrikulum bespreek word. Belangrike metodes en strategiee wat vir suksesvolle Biologie-onderrig benodig word, sluit die prosesbenadering, 'n konstruktivistiese benadering, demonstrasie-, ontdekkende -, reflektiewe - en metaleer, praktiese werk, besprekings- en kooperatiewe leermetodes in. Die sukses van Biologie-onderrig gaan egter hand-aan-hand met effektiewe voordiens- en indiensopleiding van Biologie-onderwysers. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Didaktiek)

This study is comprised of four chapters and an Epilogue. Chapter 1 treats, by way of historical description, the founding of America's institutions of higher learning as defacto centers of evangelical Protestant indoctrination and ethos. Chapter 2 is a record of the rejection of evangelical Protestantism in the interest of making the colleges and universities nonsectarian. This was accomplished first by a gradual "broadening'' of the curricula. Later, the schools became altogether secularist in disposition. Chapter 3 recounts the factors leading to the changes in the institutions. Chapter 4 is an evaluation of competing truth claims in the aftermath of the demise of Protestantism and a review of the gains and losses that came with the change. Finally, the Epilogue is a case study of one institution that reversed the trend. / Philosophy, Practical & Systematic Theology / M.Th. (Systematic Theology)

This study was designed to bring to the fore the reasons for introducing peace education in pre-service teacher education in Zimbabwean teachers colleges in order to establish the foundations for positive peace in Zimbabwe. The focus of the study was on the preparation of Zimbabwean pre-service teachers in peace education as an effective approach for building durable peace in Zimbabwe. The main research question that guided this study was: Why and how should peace education be introduced at pre-service teacher education colleges in Zimbabwe? The overall aim of the research is to develop an appropriate peace education programme for Zimbabwean teachers’ colleges which will be employed as a strategy for constructing positive peace in Zimbabwe. A phenomenological methodology blending Edmund Husserl’s descriptive phenomenology and Martin Heidegger’s interpretive phenomenology was used to elicit participants’ views on the challenges and possibilities of introducing peace education at pre-service teacher education colleges in Zimbabwe. Data for the study were gathered using semi-structured interviews, focus group interviews and documentary analysis. Key themes emerging from the data analysis were that (a) there is an absence of positive peace in contemporary Zimbabwe (b) Zimbabwean teachers’ colleges are not offering courses in peace education (c) peace education would benefit Zimbabwe as a country, (d) peace education is implementable at pre-service teacher education colleges in Zimbabwe, (e) there is need to develop an appropriate peace education curriculum that reflects the needs of Zimbabwean citizens and (f) college principals, lecturers, student teachers, policymakers and programme-makers have important roles to play in peace education initiatives. Through this study, the researcher established that peace education is a plausible and sustainable mechanism for building positive peace which has remained obscure in Zimbabwe despite thirty-four years of hard won independence. This shows the necessity for introducing peace education in Zimbabwean teachers colleges as a strategy for positive peace building. It is therefore, recommended that teachers’ colleges in Zimbabwe should introduce peace education in their pre-service programmes in order to build prospective teachers’ capacities to establish an infrastructure for positive peace in their future classrooms, the immediate communities and Zimbabwean society as a whole. / Philosophy of Education / D. Ed. (Philosophy of Education)

This research investigates the vision of excellence in secondary schools leadership in Ekurhuleni East District (Gauteng East District) and the existence of a vision of excellence in schools. A literature study investigated models of leadership related to vision of excellence and aspects of vision of excellence in school leadership. An empirical investigation used both a quantitative and qualitative research design to collect data from a purposefully selected and stratified sample of participants and secondary schools in the Ekurhuleni East District (Gauteng East Education District). A questionnaire and focus group interviews were used to gather data from the respondents. Data were analysed and interpreted using quantitative and qualitative approach. The findings of both the literature study and the empirical research on the above-mentioned vision of excellence in secondary schools leadership in Ekurhuleni East District revealed that there is a lack of support from school leadership and the School Management Team (SMT) in realising a vision of excellence in secondary schools leadership. The main challenges that were identified by qualitative method were the lack of support by both the district office and school management or school leadership. The realisation of the vision of excellence is dependent on how the information is managed and disseminated by the school leadership, principals and SMTs. It appears that the realisation of the vision of excellence would enhance the level of understanding of new developments in the education system including the curriculum change and technological advancement. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

Thesis (PhD (Education Policy Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / In this dissertation I critically explore school governance in relation to a liberal conception of deliberative democracy incorporating an argument for democratic citizenship. The notion of decentralisation and representative democracy informed collective decision making with the advent of South Africa’s constitutional democracy. This emphasis on participatory democracy aims to enhance nation building/citizenship as South Africa endeavours to sever its ties with its Apartheid past. Entrenched in the practice of representative democracy particularly in the context of schools is educational governance implemented through School Governing Bodies (SGBs). I argue that the legitimate learner and parent voices seem to be excluded from SGB practices – a notion which reinforces the presence of weak democratic practices. My concern is that SGBs in disadvantaged communities do not necessarily adhere to the tenets of democracy as accentuated in the Constitution of South Africa, incorporating the Bill of Rights and the South African Schools Act (SASA of 1996). A weak form of democratic practice seems to manifest itself when the SASA and the implementation thereof are inconsistent with each other, resulting in school governance practices operating in a manner contrary to what the Act purports. The promotion of democracy customarily involves protecting the legitimate (individual and community) interests of all. It is in this context that this dissertation attempts to find a route towards stronger democratic practices, therefore endorsing some of the principles of the South African Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the SASA. I argue that SGB practices seem to undermine these legitimate interests thus posing a dilemma for democracy. In addition current SGBs do not seemingly establish conditions according to which deliberative democratic practices can be achieved. And, unless SGBs also connect deliberative practices with citizenship as well as to “experiencing what is Other”, it would remain weakly democratic. For deliberative practices to happen I propose that conditions ought to be established whereby reasonableness and the incorporation of “the Other”, that is, learners and parents need to be included through pedagogic attentiveness – what can epistemologically referred to as “witnessing the “unknowability of the Other”, can counter such a weak democracy. In other words by including the marginalised voices that are seemingly excluded from SGBs, the potential to move towards strong democratic practices shall be enhanced.

Thesis (PhD (Education Policy Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The decentralisation of power in education is part of a global process that has become part of the education reform policies of most countries. Decentralisation, which is typified by the redistribution of power to local levels, is claimed to serve a variety of ends from democratization to efficiency, empowerment of stakeholders to improved quality of education. It is, however, a complex process that is difficult to capture as power is seen to manifest in multiple ways. During the nineties Zimbabwe, against the background of a massive increase in enrolments, for a variety of reasons including the improvement of the quality of education, embarked on the re-distribution of administrative and financial power in the Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture. The implementation of this policy revealed major discrepancies between the intentions of government and the way it translated in educational sites. The aim of this study is to explore how the intentions of decentralisation in education as a policy aimed that the improvement of the quality of education is experienced by school principals. An interpretative methodology with in depth interviews, focus groups, some observations and document analysis were employed to engage in the debates about decentralisation. Although this was a small study the findings concurred with studies of decentralisation in other countries where it was found that the re-distribution of power in education manifests differently in different contexts in the same country. In countries such as Zimbabwe where resource limitations and restructuring concomitantly took place the experience of principals revealed that conditions arose that could not be seen to be conducive to the improvement of the quality of education such as the ambiguity of the meaning of who is responsible for what, the power struggles as government was seen to recentralise crucial roles, increased workloads of principals due to the devolving of administrative and supervisory functions to school level, loss of teachers and other specialist functionaries conducive to a drop in standards and the challenge to parents who had to contribute increasingly to enable schooling of their children. These findings are indicative of the claims from studies in other countries that decentralisation as a policy for whatever reason is seldom more than political rhetoric to decentralise conflict. Exploring the intersection between the literature on decentralisation and parental involvement of education, however, revealed the opening up of other spaces that enabled local power relations to develop in creative ways as parents got increasingly involved in schools. Apart from the challenges related to the redistribution of power as authority delegated, devolved or deconcentrated from government, this study revealed that power manifests in relations and interactions not necessarily ascribed to the intentions of policy, neither as a substance or function only. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die desentralisering van mag in die onderwys maak deel uit van ʼn wêreldwye proses van onderwyshervorming. Desentralisasie, wat deur die herverspreiding van mag na plaaslike vlakke gekenmerk word, is veronderstel om aan ʼn verskeidenheid doele te beantwoord – van demokratisering tot die verhoging van doeltreffendheid, die bemagtiging van belanghebbendes, en die verbetering van onderwysgehalte. Desentralisasie is egter ‘n komplekse proses waaraan moeilik uitvoering gegee kan word, aangesien mag in verskeie gedaantes voorkom. In die negentigerjare het Zimbabwe, teen die agtergrond van ʼn drastiese toename in inskrywings, die herverspreiding van administratiewe en finansiële mag in die Ministerie van Onderwys, Sport en Kultuur onderneem. Dié stap is aan verskillende redes toegeskryf, waaronder die verbetering van onderwysgehalte. Die toepassing van die beleid het egter groot teenstrydighede aan die lig gebring tussen die regering se voornemens, en hoe dié voornemens uiteindelik prakties in onderwysinstellings ten uitvoer gebring is. Die doel van hierdie studie is om skoolhoofde se ervaring van onderwysdesentralisasie as beleid te ondersoek. Die studie is vanuit ‘n interpreterende benadering gedoen met diepte-onderhoude, fokusgroepe, ʼn paar waarnemings sowel as dokumentontleding. Ongeag die beperkte omvang van die studie, stem die bevindinge ooreen met dié van navorsing oor desentralisasie in ander lande, waar bevind is dat herverspreiding van mag in dieselfde land in verskillende kontekste verskillend realiseer. In lande soos Zimbabwe, waar herstrukturering te midde van hulpbronbeperkinge plaasgevind het, het skoolhoofde bepaalde omstandighede ervaar wat nié die verbetering van onderwysgehalte sou kon bevorder het nie. Dít sluit in onsekerheid oor die onderskeie partye se verantwoordelikhede; die magstryd toe die regering kernrolle sentraal beheer; swaarder werklaste vir skoolhoofde nadat administratiewe en toesigfunksies na skoolvlak afgewentel is; ʼn verlies aan onderwysers en ander spesialisamptenare, wat op sy beurt standaarde laat daal het, en ouers se groter verantwoordelikheid om al hoe meer by te dra ten einde hulle kinders se opvoeding te verseker. Hierdie bevindinge strook ook met dié van studies in ander lande, naamlik dat desentralisering as ʼn beleid om watter rede ook al selde meer is as politieke retoriek ten einde konflik te desentraliseer. Nadere ondersoek van die verband tussen navorsing oor desentralisasie, en dié oor ouerbetrokkenheid by onderwys het egter daarop gedui dat desentralisering wel nuwe moontlikhede kan ontsluit vir die skeppende ontwikkeling van plaaslike magsverhoudinge namate ouers al hoe meer by skole betrokke raak. Buiten die uitdagings met betrekking tot die herverspreiding van mag namate regeringsgesag gedelegeer, afgewentel of gedekonsentreer word, dui dié studie daarop dat mag soms ook in verhoudinge en wisselwerkings geopenbaar word wat nie noodwendig met die voornemens van die beleid verband hou nie, en dit mag voorts nie as net substansie of net funksie tot uiting kom nie.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis briefly explores the quality phenomenon in higher education and more specifically in the university context. In addition, the experiences of stakeholders who participated in the first institutional quality audit at a merged university are explored and analysed. It is also argued that the world-wide quality phenomenon at universities, although sometimes politically driven and at times undertaken with hidden agendas, may eventually add value to a university‟ cycle of never-ending quality improvement and enhancement. University stakeholders who are either directly or indirectly involved in realising the university‟s vision and mission can provide invaluable feedback about their experience of a quality audit. Feedback by all stakeholders about a quality audit will assist the university to plan and prepare for the next cycle of quality audits. The research findings of this study indicated that a variety of differences exist in the perceptions of stakeholders that participated in the preparation and execution of the institutional quality audit. In some cases the differences may hold some limited risk for the university therefore some recommendations are also made in support of future audits. These and other recommendations emenating from the research findings will hopefully also contribute towards improved engagement between the stakeholders and members of the audit panel. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie verhandeling ondersoek kortliks die verskynsel van gehalte in hoër onderwys, en meer spesifiek in die universiteitskonteks. Voorts word die ervarings van belanghebbendes wat deelgeneem het aan die eerste institusionele kwaliteitsoudit aan ʼn saamgesmelte universiteit, ondersoek en ontleed. Daar word ook aangevoer dat die wêreldwye verskynsel van kwaliteit aan universiteite uiteindelik waarde kan toevoeg tot ʼn universiteit se siklus van ewigdurende kwaliteitsversekering en –verbetering, selfs al is hierdie verskynsel soms polities gedrewe en al gaan dit by tye gepaard met verskuilde agendas. Belanghebbendes van die universiteit wat direk of indirek betrokke is by die realisering van die universiteit se visie en missie kan uiters waardevolle terugvoer bied oor hulle ervaring van ʼn kwaliteitsoudit. Terugvoer deur alle belanghebbendes oor ʼn kwaliteitsoudit sal die universiteit help om vir die volgende siklus kwaliteitsoudits te beplan en voor te berei. Die navorsingsbevindings van hierdie studie dui daarop dat ʼn verskeidenheid verskille wel bestaan in die persepsies van belanghebbendes wat deelgeneem het aan die voorbereiding en uitvoering van die institusionele kwaliteitsoudit. In sommige gevalle hou die verskille wel ʼn beperkte risiko vir die universiteit in en daarom word aanbevelings gemaak ter ondersteuning van toekomstige kwaliteitsoudits. Hierdie, sowel as ander aanbevelings sal hopelik ook bydra tot verbeterde interaksie tussen die belanghebbendes en lede van die ouditpaneel.

Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study deals with an analysis of Mozambican education policy documents, linking this analysis to theories of democratic citizenship education. It suggests that, for Mozambican people to become active citizens who are able to face and challenge their social problems, a deliberative democratic citizenship education has to be adopted in their schools. In such deliberation the citizens should participate equally and freely in different debates and activities, without feeling intimidated by those in power. If such deliberative democratic citizenship education does not exist in schools, the citizens may not be able to recognise their rights and find solutions for the problems in society. The ideas of philosophers of deliberative democratic citizenship education, such as Amy Gutmann and David Thompson, Seyla Benhabib and Iris Marion Young, are used to think about democratic citizenship education in Mozambique. This analysis assists in answering the following research question: ‘Can the education policies in schools contribute to promoting democratic citizenship education in the Mozambican society? If not, what should be done?’ Furthermore, interpretive methodology and analytical inquiry are applied as methods to interpret and understand the education policy documents and to undertake a critical analysis of the concept of democratic citizenship education, as well as of education policy documents. The analysis of Mozambican education policy documents illustrates clearly that the government is concerned about the eradication of illiteracy, by increasing access to education, equality and quality of education, and the preparation of citizens who know their basic rights and can contribute to the development of their communities and democracy. The results demonstrate that the government is achieving some of the goals related to access to education. For instance, the government increased the number of primary schools from 7 013 in 1999 to 11 859 in 2008. However, more still needs to be done with respect to the quality of education. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that Mozambican education policies lack democratic citizenship education. For instance, the education policies were analysed in three distinct periods, namely post-independence, post-civil war and the period of the Millennium Development Goals. The policies are indicated to be inadequate to cultivate democratic citizens in Mozambican society, particularly because there is a need to boost a deliberative democratic citizenship education in schools. For example, in the first period, citizens did not have an opportunity to deliberate and be autonomous citizens in the educative process. Everything was done by the government. In the second period the government allowed the participation of other organisations, communities and institutions in the educative process, but there is no specification of how those citizens participated in the process of decision making. In the third period the government became concerned about important aspects and values of democratic citizenship education that should be taught directly in school. In this context the government introduced Civic and Moral Education and themes to be discussed in the classroom, which potentially will enable citizens to be critical. This situation shows that, in public schools, teachers should educate learners through classroom deliberations. It implies that teachers need to create conditions for the teaching and learning process so that all citizens, independent of their origin, class, sex and race, can participate and work together in deliberation. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie handel oor ’n analise van Mosambiekse onderwysbeleidsdokumente, en verbind hierdie analise aan teorieë van demokratiese burgerskapsonderwys. Dit stel voor dat vir Mosambiekers om aktiewe burgers te word wat die vermoë het om hulle sosiale probleme te konfronteer en uit te daag, ’n beraadslagende demokratiese burgerskapsonderwys in hulle skole nodig is. In sulke beraadslaging moet burgers op ’n gelyke voet en vrylik aan debatte of aktiwiteite deelneem, sonder dat hulle deur die maghebbers geïntimideer word. Indien so ’n beraadslagende demokratiese burgerskapsonderwys nie in die skole bestaan nie, sal burgers moontlik nie hulle regte herken nie en ook nie oplossings vir die samelewing se probleme kan vind nie. Die idees van filosowe van beraadslagende demokratiese burgerskapsonderwys soos Amy Gutmann en David Thompson, Seyla Benhabib en Iris Marion Young is gebruik om demokratiese burgerskapsonderwys in Mosambiek te oorweeg. Hierdie analise dra daartoe by om die volgende navorsingsvraag te beantwoord: ‘Kan die onderwysbeleide in skole ’n bydrae maak tot die bevordering van demokratiese burgerskapsonderwys in die Mosambiekse samelewing? Indien nie, wat moet gedoen word?’ Verder is verklarende metodologie en analitiese ondersoek as metodes gebruik om die onderwysbeleidsdokumente te interpreteer en te verstaan en om ’n kritiese analise van die konsep van demokratiese burgerskapsonderwys, sowel as van die onderwysbeleidsdokumente, te onderneem. Die analise van Mosambiekse onderwysbeleidsdokumente toon duidelik dat die regering ernstig is oor die uitwissing van ongeletterdheid, met toenemende toegang tot onderwys, gelyke en kwaliteitopvoeding, en die voorbereiding van burgers wat bewus is van hulle basiese regte en ’n bydrae kan maak tot die ontwikkeling van hulle gemeenskappe en die demokrasie. Die resultate toon dat die regering sommige van sy doelwitte behaal met betrekking tot toegang tot onderwys. Byvoorbeeld, die regering het die aantal laerskole vermeerder van 7 013 in 1999 tot 11 859 in 2008. Meer moet egter nog gedoen word met betrekking tot die kwaliteit van onderwys. Die studie demonstreer verder dat Mosambiekse onderwysbeleide ’n gebrek aan demokratiese burgerskapsonderwys toon. Die onderwysbeleide is byvoorbeeld in drie afsonderlike tydperke geanaliseer, naamlik ná onafhanklikheid, ná die burgeroorlog en in die tydperk van die Millennium Ontwikkelingsdoelwitte. Die beleide is duidelik onvoldoende om demokratiese burgers in die Mosambiekse samelewing daar te stel, veral omdat daar nog ’n behoefte daaraan is om ’n beraadslagende demokratiese burgerskapsonderwys in skole ’n hupstoot te gee. Byvoorbeeld, in die eerste tydperk is burgers nie die geleentheid gegun om te beraadslaag en as outonome burgers in die onderwysproses op te tree nie. Alles is deur die regering gedoen. In die tweede tydperk het die regering deelname deur ander organisasies, gemeenskappe en instansies in die onderwysproses toegelaat. Maar daar is geen aanduiding van hoe hierdie burgers in die besluitnemingsproses deelgeneem het nie. In die derde tydperk was die regering besorgd oor belangrike aspekte en waardes van demokratiese burgerskapsonderwys wat direk in die skool onderrig moet word. In hierdie konteks het die regering Burgerleer en Sedeleer en temas wat in die klaskamer bespreek moet word, ingevoer wat burgers potensieel sal help om krities te wees. Hierdie situasie toon dat onderwysers in staatskole leerders in klaskamerberaadslaging moet opvoed. Dit impliseer dat onderwysers vir die onderrig- en leerproses toestande moet skep waarin alle burgers, ongeag hulle oorsprong, klas, geslag en ras, kan deelneem en saam kan beraadslaag.

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M.Ed. (Educational Management) / Please refer to full text to view abstract