This study is a systematic, objective investigation of educator empowerment, where the researcher explores the perspective of ABET educators. This study is presented against the backdrop of striking a balance between the conventional curriculum and Curriculum 2005 (OBE) because they exhibit a variety of challenges, anomalies and imbalances which led to the Revised National Curriculum Statements which will be implemented in 2006. It is informed by the fact that educators, if empowered, form an integral and central feature of changes in educational centres, especially in teaching adult learners to be able to assist their school-leaving children so as to improve provincial matric results, for example. The researcher focused on educators of ABET in Limpopo Province as the unit of analysis in this study. Interactive, cooperative, peer teaching, dialogic meditation, group and team teaching, constructivism and human resource development, reflective and multi-level approaches, are discussed with a particular focus on educator empowerment, including in-service training programmes. The researcher regards ”church settings” (her term) as inappropriate for effective teaching as they reduce educators to preachers and learners to congregants. This occurred as a result of the failure to recognise the importance of educator-learner, learner-learner and educator-educator interaction in the past curriculum. The study argues that the approaches mentioned are appropriate for this study. Educator empowerment is a lived-in and continuous process, monitoring and evaluating of in-service training to ensure quality. It was therefore necessary to develop a research design that would make it possible to enable educators to implement the new curriculum. Qualitative research is based on an in-depth inquiry which captures an educator's personal perspectives and experiences. Focus groups and in-depth interviews, which exemplify qualitative methods, were seen to be the best research tools in gathering the data for this study. The respondents, were UNISA ABET certificate students, and also professional educators at formal schools. They showed zeal in improving the educational situation. Their responses led to the model which has been developed in the thesis, culminating in uplifting the teaching profession and handling its multi-level led dynamic in an interactive and cooperative manner and reflecting in their experiences so that purposes of the National Qualifications Framework can be attained. / Educational Studies / D.Ed. (Didactics)

This study is a systematic, objective investigation of educator empowerment, where the researcher explores the perspective of ABET educators. This study is presented against the backdrop of striking a balance between the conventional curriculum and Curriculum 2005 (OBE) because they exhibit a variety of challenges, anomalies and imbalances which led to the Revised National Curriculum Statements which will be implemented in 2006. It is informed by the fact that educators, if empowered, form an integral and central feature of changes in educational centres, especially in teaching adult learners to be able to assist their school-leaving children so as to improve provincial matric results, for example. The researcher focused on educators of ABET in Limpopo Province as the unit of analysis in this study. Interactive, cooperative, peer teaching, dialogic meditation, group and team teaching, constructivism and human resource development, reflective and multi-level approaches, are discussed with a particular focus on educator empowerment, including in-service training programmes. The researcher regards ”church settings” (her term) as inappropriate for effective teaching as they reduce educators to preachers and learners to congregants. This occurred as a result of the failure to recognise the importance of educator-learner, learner-learner and educator-educator interaction in the past curriculum. The study argues that the approaches mentioned are appropriate for this study. Educator empowerment is a lived-in and continuous process, monitoring and evaluating of in-service training to ensure quality. It was therefore necessary to develop a research design that would make it possible to enable educators to implement the new curriculum. Qualitative research is based on an in-depth inquiry which captures an educator's personal perspectives and experiences. Focus groups and in-depth interviews, which exemplify qualitative methods, were seen to be the best research tools in gathering the data for this study. The respondents, were UNISA ABET certificate students, and also professional educators at formal schools. They showed zeal in improving the educational situation. Their responses led to the model which has been developed in the thesis, culminating in uplifting the teaching profession and handling its multi-level led dynamic in an interactive and cooperative manner and reflecting in their experiences so that purposes of the National Qualifications Framework can be attained. / Educational Studies / D.Ed. (Didactics)

The recent global growth and popularity of open and distance learning (ODL) has been attributed to its advantages, such as flexibility for students who wish to study while working. Moreover, ODL is an effective tool in extending participation to students from less privileged social groups who are unreachable due to geographic location or cannot access higher education due to diverse factors, such as financial constraints or domestic arrangements. In the light of this, this study investigated learner support in the Department of Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) at the University of South Africa (Unisa), the largest, dedicated ODL institution in South Africa. A review of literature identified the Community of Inquiry model proposed by Garrison, Anderson and Archer (2001) as useful in this context and I used it as a conceptual framework for the empirical inquiry that I undertook. A mixed method approach comprising two consecutive phases was employed to investigate the research questions. A self-designed questionnaire was used to gather quantitative data from a random sample of 400 students registered for the ABET Diploma module (Phase One) followed by face to face interviews with selected lecturers and students (Phase Two). The scope of the study was limited to ABET lecturers, ABET diploma students and to selected Unisa learner support systems, such as myUnisa which includes a web-based discussion forum. The findings of the inquiry were presented and discussed under three main headings: the findings of Phase One, the findings of Phase Two and a summary in which the findings of the two phases were integrated where appropriate. The themes that emerged from the questionnaire and the interviews demonstrate clearly that learner support in the ABET Department is crucial in ensuring learner success. Interlinking themes are as follows: the context of the students, levels of computer literacy, accessibility of Unisa learner support systems, student motivation and time management. Many ABET students live in remote areas of the country and have little or no access to internet facilities. However, the majority of students agreed that they would like to interact more with other students through myUnisa in future. Lecturers and students agreed that myUnisa was a vital tool in teaching the students online; yet both students and lecturers still regarded contact discussion classes as the most important form of learner support. The findings suggested that the distance between the university and the student still has to be reduced more to ensure that student support reaches all students equitably. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

The recent global growth and popularity of open and distance learning (ODL) has been attributed to its advantages, such as flexibility for students who wish to study while working. Moreover, ODL is an effective tool in extending participation to students from less privileged social groups who are unreachable due to geographic location or cannot access higher education due to diverse factors, such as financial constraints or domestic arrangements. In the light of this, this study investigated learner support in the Department of Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) at the University of South Africa (Unisa), the largest, dedicated ODL institution in South Africa. A review of literature identified the Community of Inquiry model proposed by Garrison, Anderson and Archer (2001) as useful in this context and I used it as a conceptual framework for the empirical inquiry that I undertook. A mixed method approach comprising two consecutive phases was employed to investigate the research questions. A self-designed questionnaire was used to gather quantitative data from a random sample of 400 students registered for the ABET Diploma module (Phase One) followed by face to face interviews with selected lecturers and students (Phase Two). The scope of the study was limited to ABET lecturers, ABET diploma students and to selected Unisa learner support systems, such as myUnisa which includes a web-based discussion forum. The findings of the inquiry were presented and discussed under three main headings: the findings of Phase One, the findings of Phase Two and a summary in which the findings of the two phases were integrated where appropriate. The themes that emerged from the questionnaire and the interviews demonstrate clearly that learner support in the ABET Department is crucial in ensuring learner success. Interlinking themes are as follows: the context of the students, levels of computer literacy, accessibility of Unisa learner support systems, student motivation and time management. Many ABET students live in remote areas of the country and have little or no access to internet facilities. However, the majority of students agreed that they would like to interact more with other students through myUnisa in future. Lecturers and students agreed that myUnisa was a vital tool in teaching the students online; yet both students and lecturers still regarded contact discussion classes as the most important form of learner support. The findings suggested that the distance between the university and the student still has to be reduced more to ensure that student support reaches all students equitably. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the facilitation methods used in the adult centre to motivate adult learners to participate in Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) programmes, as the majority of South Africans have a low level of literacy. The illiteracy could not be viewed independently of the apartheid policies that were in place before democratisation in 1994. After the democratisation the African National Congress (ANC) policies, prioritised the provision of ABET. The policy was for ABET provide education including basic literacy, numeracy to a level equivalent to the General Certificate of Education to adults who have had little or no formal schooling. ABET is viewed as a means to educate and train adults and is regarded as a force for social participation and economic development. The researcher was prompted to investigate the effectiveness of the facilitation methods to motivate adult learners to participate in learning or not. Adults’ participation in learning programmes will help them towards social participation and also to develop them economically. If adults are economically developed, South Africa will not be facing such huge rate of unemployment, poverty and illiteracy. As there are a number of development programmes that are offered at Ekurhuleni to equip adults with relevant skills required for development and equipping them with the skills to face economic challenges of the country, motivation becomes essential because if learners are not motivated to participate, they are not going to be involved in them and get the necessary education. The focus is also on the facilitation methods that are used in the learning centre. Qualitative research has enabled the researcher to gather enough data through employing interviews. Individual interviews, focus group interviews as well as observation were the tools used in this study. It reveals that facilitation methods that are used are not effective enough to motivate adult learners’ participation in ABET programmes. Thus recommendations and suggestions were made to assist the i facilitators in rendering effective facilitation methods for the benefit of the adult learners. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the facilitation methods used in the adult centre to motivate adult learners to participate in Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) programmes, as the majority of South Africans have a low level of literacy. The illiteracy could not be viewed independently of the apartheid policies that were in place before democratisation in 1994. After the democratisation the African National Congress (ANC) policies, prioritised the provision of ABET. The policy was for ABET provide education including basic literacy, numeracy to a level equivalent to the General Certificate of Education to adults who have had little or no formal schooling. ABET is viewed as a means to educate and train adults and is regarded as a force for social participation and economic development. The researcher was prompted to investigate the effectiveness of the facilitation methods to motivate adult learners to participate in learning or not. Adults’ participation in learning programmes will help them towards social participation and also to develop them economically. If adults are economically developed, South Africa will not be facing such huge rate of unemployment, poverty and illiteracy. As there are a number of development programmes that are offered at Ekurhuleni to equip adults with relevant skills required for development and equipping them with the skills to face economic challenges of the country, motivation becomes essential because if learners are not motivated to participate, they are not going to be involved in them and get the necessary education. The focus is also on the facilitation methods that are used in the learning centre. Qualitative research has enabled the researcher to gather enough data through employing interviews. Individual interviews, focus group interviews as well as observation were the tools used in this study. It reveals that facilitation methods that are used are not effective enough to motivate adult learners’ participation in ABET programmes. Thus recommendations and suggestions were made to assist the i facilitators in rendering effective facilitation methods for the benefit of the adult learners. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)