The research presented in this thesis is a case study located in the interpretive paradigm of qualitative research. The focus is on the use of van Hiele's theory to explore problems encountered in circle geometry by grade 11 learners and making some policy recommendations concerning the curriculum structure and teaching of the geometry at all grades. The interpretation is based to the learners' background in geometry i.e. their prior knowledge and experience of learning geometry. The study was carried out over a period of three years. The data collection process took a period of two months (April and May 2003) with a group of 21 grade 11 mathematics learners in a rural senior secondary school in the Eastern Cape. The researcher used document analysis, worksheets, participants' observation, van Hiele tests, a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews to collect data. The study showed that the structure of the South African geometry syllabus consists of a some what disorganized mixture of concepts. It is not sequential and hierarchical and it sequences concepts in a seemingly unrelated manner. The study revealed that the South African high school geometry curriculum is presented at a higher van Hiele level than what the learners can attain. The findings of the study showed that many of the grade 11 learners were under-prepared for the study of more sophisticated geometry concepts and proofs. Three categories of reasons could be ascribed to this: Firstly, there was insufficient preparation of learners during the primary and senior phases. Secondly the study indicated that there is overload of geometry at the high school level in the South African mathematics curriculum. Thirdly, the over-reliance on the traditional approach to teaching geometry, poor presentation of mathematical technical concepts and language problems, were identified as possible additional reasons for the poor learner understanding of geometry in general and circle geometry in particular. The study recommends that the structure of the South African geometry curriculum should be revisited and redesigned. Teachers should be empowered and developed to be more effective in teaching geometry through further studies in mathematics and in-service workshops. They should also be engaged in the process of implementing the van Hiele's theory in the teaching of geometry in their classrooms.

South Africa is a country with 11 official languages including English. English, however, dominates the educational sector, as medium of instruction. This is despite a plethora of research that shows the cognitive advantages of mother tongue instruction and language policies that promote additive bilingual approaches. As subtractive language approaches characterise poor schooling contexts, the outcomes for students are poor. This is because they do not develop proficiency in any language. The abolition of apartheid in South Africa and the advent of democracy in 1994 resulted in dramatic changes in the education system. Nevertheless, the medium of instruction from Grade four has remained English. Consequently, for the majority of the population the education is in their second language. This study takes place in the higher education setting of a TVET college, namely the Dower Campus in Port Elizabeth. It focuses specifically on Level 2 (first year) Life Orientation students to consider the effect English has, as medium of instruction, on the academic performance of students. There is concern about the status of TVET colleges. Even though the higher education sector has transformed, these skills based colleges are still given inferior status in the eyes of the general public and students themselves. These students may be particularly at risk of success given that they have lower entry requirements than other students in the higher education sector. The subject Life Orientation was used to examine the effect of English on student performance. Life Orientation has come under scrutiny for its usefulness and it cognitive value. This study argues that it is a valuable subject for students at colleges, equipping them with knowledge to succeed at studies and in society at large. However, the pass rates for Life Orientation have been consistently low. The study wanted to probe the role of English in this performance. To address the aims and objectives of this study, relevant literature and various multilingual approaches were reviewed to determine which strategies might be most effective in helping students cope with English as medium of instruction. The study also presents a case for the development of indigenous languages as medium of instruction. The study used a mixed methods approach, that is both qualitative and quantitative methods, to explore the use, attitude and perceptions of English among lecturers and students. The research used an interpretive approach and the study took the form of a case study. The researcher took the stance of being a non-participant observer. Qualitative data was obtained through the use of interviews while quantitative data was obtained through the use of questionnaires. The interviews were recorded and transcribed by a transcriber. Data was analysed using a thematic approach. The results showed that majority of the students did not speak English frequently nor had it as a home language yet they all had a positive regard for the language. Many factors were responsible for student performance in Life Orientation such as attitude to subject, theoretical versus practical components of the subject and student background. However, the medium of instruction played a large role in this performance. Though lecturers foregrounded the importance of English as medium of instruction, they recognise that it was a barrier to understanding and affected student performance. Analysis of the lecturer interviews and the questionnaires with students revealed that students were experiencing difficulty speaking, reading and writing in English. Lecturers adapted their teaching strategies when teaching by including translanguaging strategies of code-switching to facilitate understanding. The data also indicated that code switching was considered by the lecturers to be the most suitable method in teaching to student. Code-meshing and written translations of material were not strategies employed by lecturers. Students indicated that they would prefer to write assignments drafts initially in mother tongue. The findings also suggested that it was necessary for the lecturer to use a variety of multilingual strategies to ensure that students enjoy success in Life Orientation. Based on the findings, this study makes recommendations regarding the teaching and learning of English to students which includes the use of multilingual classroom strategies, collaboration with language lecturers and development of a multilingual language policy to aid in the understanding and acquisition of English terminology used in LO content. Such a language policy should also seek to develop indigenous languages as mediums of instructions at the college.

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Thesis (MEd (Education)--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016. / The study explores how teachers, in English medium Foundation Phase classrooms, use support strategies to improve Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) in learners whose home language is not English. The research design adopted for this study was an ethnographic case study that was analysed through qualitative methods at one primary school in the Western Cape. The participants were three teachers in their Foundation Phase classes, chosen on the basis of the phenomenon studied. The focus was to evaluate how successful the language support strategies are and to determine any gaps in the strategies used. Validity was assessed by means of lesson observations, supported by interviews and analysis of the teaching documents. Further, to increase the trustworthiness of the study, findings were compared across these data sources and methods to triangulate the results. Findings illuminated: (i) Factors impacting language teaching; (ii) Strategies used by teachers; (iii) Teachers’ understanding of support strategies; (iv) Teachers’ understanding of CALP; (v) Effectiveness of the support strategies; and (vi) Gaps in the strategies teachers used in improving CALP. Data were intentionally analysed to identify pervasive patterns and main themes in the data and a thematic report foreground the voices of the research participants. The study raised questions about the teachers’ practice in teaching CALP. Teachers taught using familiar methods, taught to a task and lacked linguistic structures in their lessons. Finally, the study report ended with a list of limitations and recommendations for future research in strategies that the Foundation Phase teacher can use to improve the CALP in South Africa’s schools.

The study employed 206 entry-level, retail sales associates working for a large telecommunications company across 70 store sites. The purpose of the study was to discriminate successful performers from those with little sales potential via a valid, fair, and practical selection procedure. The experimental test set consisted of the General Ability Battery, Sales Attitude Checklist, Wonderlic Personnel Test, SRA Verbal Form, School and College Ability Test Verbal, SPA Arithmetic Index, and SRA Reading Index. Supervisory ratings and percent revenue data were used as measures of sales performance. Based on the multiple regression results, the SPA Reading Index and SRA Verbal Form were chosen to compose the final selection system for the retail sales position.

D.Phil. (Linguistics) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Magister Educationis - MEd / The aim of this study was to determine the effects of continuous assessment within the written curriculum in a grade 5 class with Afrikaans as first language. / South Africa

From Integrative summary: This document consists of three sections namely, an evaluation report (section 1), literature review (section 2), and research methodology (section 3). The evaluation report sets out the terms of reference for the research as well as identifying the objectives of the research. It also contains a summary of the literature review section, as well as a research methodology section summary. The literature review section contains a detailed review of the literature used in this study. This section sets out by reviewing existing literature on the topic of leadership, discussing the key elements of organisational culture and includes a short discussion on the typologies of culture. The Competing Values Framework as an organisational culture typology is discussed in greater detail, since it forms the foundation upon which the measurement and data collection tools for this research are founded. The research methodology section explains the research methodology and design employed in this study. This section also addresses some of the ethical considerations for this research, as well as how the researcher addressed them. There is also a brief discussion on the limitations of the research and the application of the results. This research focused on a business unit within Absa Business Bank, named Enterprise Business Gauteng Region, with the aim of investigating the “current organisational culture” in the business unit and the leadership competencies profile of its 11 Sales Managers. This was to provide the basis and departure point for the strategic organisational culture change that the new business unit head would have wanted to effect as the business has a history of non-performance, which the new business unit head aims to change. In order to diagnose the “current organisational culture” type, an organisational culture measurement tool based on the Competing Values Framework was used. The Competing Values Framework is a four-category organisational culture typology developed by Cameron and Quinn. The framework is based on two dimensions, how stable or flexible the organisation is, and how externally or internally focused it is. This framework was also employed to establish the leadership competencies profile of Sales Managers, as observed and experienced by the frontline staff, as well as the “desired organisational culture”, as intended by the new business unit head. Through hypotheses testing, the research revealed a statistically significant difference in perceptions of culture between males and females in the business unit. The perceptions of the female frontline staff about the “current” business unit culture indicated that they find it not to be empowering and less allowing for individuality and risk taking when compared to the male staff. The research also concluded that there is no statistically significant difference between leadership competencies associated with the four categories of the Competing Values Framework in the business unit. Comparisons between the “current” and the “desired” organisational culture revealed a misalignment. The main recommendations to the new business unit head were to get the leadership competencies of the Sales Managers aligned with the “desired organisational culture” state, and drive a purposive organisational culture change effort. To support this culture change, the espoused values of the business unit would need to be aligned to the desired culture state. To address the differences in perceptions of culture between males and females the business unit head would need to be mindful of the greater need to empower women either in their current roles, or by way of promotions to senior roles.

The focus of this study is to explore three key aspects of learners’ multiplicative proficiency: the nature of learners’ conceptual understanding of multiplication, the nature of learners’ numeracy dispositions (in the context of learning multiplication), and the relationship between conceptual understanding and productive dispositions in the context of multiplication. The study used a qualitative case study approach to gather rich data in relation to these. In the study a purposively selected sample of six Grade 4 learners was used from the same school: two high, two average, and two low performers. Kilpatrick, Swafford, and Findell (2001) define conceptual understanding as a functional grasp of mathematical ideas and its significant indicator is being able to represent mathematical situations in different ways and knowing how different representations can be useful for different purposes. They then refer to productive disposition as the ‘tendency to see sense in mathematics, to perceive it as both useful and worthwhile, to believe that steady effort in learning mathematics pays off, and to see oneself as an effective learner and doer of mathematics’ (p.131). Individual interviews were conducted using Wright, et al.’s (2006) instrument for exploring the nature of students’ conceptual understanding of multiplication. Wright, et al. (2006) argue that the topics of multiplication and division build on the students’ knowledge of addition and subtraction, and also multiplication and division provide foundational knowledge for topics such as fractions, ratios, proportion and percentage, all of which are core and essential areas of mathematical learning typically addressed in the primary or elementary grades. Researchers agree that learners have to be exposed to various strategies so that they are able to see that there is a difference between additive reasoning and multiplicative reasoning. In order to classify learners’ conceptual understanding of multiplication an analysis of the data was done and learners were allocated levels according to the Wright, et al. (2006) levels of achievement. For the classification of learner dispositions, the data was analysed in terms of the elements of productive disposition as defined by Kilpatrick, et al. (2001) and Carr and Claxton (2002). The key findings of the study indicate that for conceptual understanding most of the learners depended on using concrete materials in solving multiplication and they also used basic strategies and methods. The findings for productive dispositions were that most of the learners saw themselves as competent in doing multiplication but the aspect of sense making and steady effort was less developed. The findings for the relationship between conceptual understanding and productive disposition were that both strands have a mutual relationship in which one helped the other to develop.

M.Ed. / South Africa has already moved into a post-apartheid society, but its education system is till to date not yet fully transformed. Though the names of the various former education departments in the existing provinces have changed, because of the change in government, the integration is not completed yet. As a result, former "white" education departments and the former Department of Education and Training (DET) have been formally integrated, but in reality they are still separate. There are a number of differences among the schools of the different departments. For example, the schools which were previously controlled by the Transvaal Education Department (TED) are still maintaining the status quo in terms of curricula, syllabi, governance, appraisal and many other issues. Similarly all the schools which were previously controlled by the DET, also maintain their status quo regarding curricula, syllabi and governance. To just prove a point: in the black schools, governing bodies are presently transformed where all stakeholders are involved, whereas in the white schools, learners are excluded from governance; the names also differ: some are known as PTSA's (Parents, Teachers, and Students Associations) and others just management councils. The question is whether a new education dispensation can respond to broad social, economical and political goals, without continuing to be just political - that is, controlled by a particular ideology, not necessarily supported by all members of the society the education system serves. This is our past and present experience. This study hopes to contribute to the search for that common purpose, by considering the process by which we in South Africa Might prepare ourselves for that future education, and contribute to it in a way that is consistent with its long-term goals. There are several crises in education that are affecting the teaching and learning process directly or indirectly countrywide, but particularly in the schools previously controlled by the DET as well as former TBVC (Transkei/Bophuthatswana/Venda/Ciskei) states' schools. There have been genuine attempts on the part of government to resolve the education crises through negotiations with communities, political structures, religious structures, non-government organisations, teacher unions and student organisations. In spite of all these efforts, very little progress has been made so far. Tensions are still rife between the education authorities and the different stakeholders or structures. In the various schools now under the jurisdiction of provincial education departments, the picture is one of continuing deterioration in the relationships between the department and its teachers and pupils. The serious disruptions and ups and downs in attendance, especially in the rural schools, resulted in the total breakdown of the teaching-learning environment in most schools. Teachers are dispirited, pupils are restless, demotivated and disturbed by what is going on around them. The general environment is not conducive to learning at all. Regular learning habits have broken down, and discipline is loose or non-existent. Discipline has collapsed as a result of the abolition of corporal punishment in the schools by the government. The problem is that no alternative forms of punishment have been put into place to maintain discipline in the schools. These measures taken by the government have negative implications. There is now little respect for teachers as well as education authorities. Even where it is warranted - and sometimes it is not warranted - many teachers have given up trying to survive in the classroom. Those who try to impose punishment, are threatened or assaulted by students. Teachers, on the other hand, are also insubordinate to their immediate superiors or authorities. Lawlessness is the order of the day in the schools. Departmental professional supervision is meagre and some schools are "no-go areas" for departmental officials and inspectors of education. A further disturbing factor is the influence in education of the young people not in school. The drop-outs become street children who engage themselves in criminal activities such as burglary, car hijackings, alcohol and drug abuse. The generally negative image of the teacher, held even among teachers themselves, contributes to the breakdown of the positive learning environment. They are under pressure, criticised from all sides for inadequacies or inefficiency - for which they are often not to blame - and treated by the government not as professionals, but instruments of policy. It is not surprising, therefore, that the morale, confidence and self-image of many are at low ebb. Both public and civil servants, including teachers, are from time to time engaged in strikes or meetings during school hours, hence the pupils' interest in school attendance and learning has lessened. The impact of the transformation process is confusing the minds of educators, pupils, the general public and the authorities. Pupils do not regard their teachers as their leaders and educators anymore, but as government stooges. Teachers, on the other hand, are also negative towards the authorities, because their plight for recognition as professionals is not addressed or receiving immediate attention. They are continuously demanding, amongst other things, autonomy in. their teaching profession, like all other professions. Furthermore, the conditions of service do not motivate teachers to dedicate themselves to their work. The enrolment in the schools had risen tremendously after the general elections of 1994, due to the free education call campaign made by the new government (see Table 5). The facilities available can therefore not cope with the demands of the resultant overcrowding. The schools are now understaffed, overcrowded, there are shortages of learning materials, furniture, classrooms and teaching aids (see Table 4). The culture of teaching and learning is far from being restored, if till to date some pupils are taught in the open air or in shacks. The teacher-pupil ratio is abnormally high, it ranges from 1:50 to 100 in most of the rural schools. As a result, teachers resort to teaching without evaluating pupils regularly. Both the national and provincial education departments' authority and influence are from time to time challenged by community groupings, teachers' associations, students' organisations, young people outside the schools, parents, churches, trade unions, the business community, political parties and economic forces. There is a growing realisation that there is no certainty that the democratic changes in government and political structures would necessarily lead to democracy in education. Broad agreement has to be sought and negotiated in South Africa and a commitment found to a common purpose in education and society. Without this, questions of control, power and excess ideological baggage, will continue to dominate education to its detriment and that of its users. In spite of all the circumstances and difficulties described above, the education authorities, parents, political parties and the general public expect good results at the end of every academic year. The people who are to produce good examination results are the educators and teachers whose status and professionalism have collapsed completely.