Thesis (MComm)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Talent retention is currently an international challenge across industries, and especially for academic staff at higher education institutions (HEIs) in South Africa. It may be argued that HEIs are more dependent on the intellectual and creative abilities and commitment of their academic staff than most other organisations. For an HEI to maintain a long-term trajectory of excellence in terms of both research outputs and teaching, a strong focus on retaining a younger generation of skilled academics is needed. Unfortunately, in many fields HEIs have to compete with industry to retain these employees. At the same time, the academic profession has increasingly fallen behind the private sector in terms of remuneration, amongst others, resulting in a shortage of young academics in South African HEIs. An investigation into the intention to quit amongst Generation Y academics at HEIs therefore is justifiable. A mixed-method research design, including both qualitative (focus groups and blog) and quantitative phases (a self-administered questionnaire), was applied. Academics (n = 189) at six HEIs in South Africa were sampled. The Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients indicate that employee engagement, transformational leadership, job satisfaction, and remuneration, reward and recognition have a significant negative impact on intention to quit. Based on the multiple regression and partial least square (PLS) path modelling results, it was found that only employee engagement and job satisfaction have a significant negative impact on intention to quit. Therefore, the latter variables have the most significant impact on intention to quit amongst the sampled population. However, the PLS path modelling results suggest that, by including employee engagement, transformational leadership, job satisfaction, and remuneration, reward and recognition in the prediction of intention to quit, 45% of the variance will be explained. Relationships between the independent variables were also found: between employee engagement and job satisfaction; between transformational leadership and employee engagement; between transformational leadership and job satisfaction; and between remuneration, reward and recognition and job satisfaction. This study contributes to the body of knowledge on intention to quit among academics, and specifically the sought-after Generation Y academics. The findings serve as input for the development of efficacious retention strategies and mechanisms to retain Generation Y academics at HEIs in South Africa. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Talentretensie is tans 'n internasionale uitdaging in verskeie industrieë en veral vir akademiese personeel in hoëronderwysinstansies (HOI's) in Suid-Afrika. Dit kan aangevoer word dat HOI's meer afhanklik is van die intellektuele en kreatiewe vermoëns en toewyding van hulle akademiese personeel as diemeeste ander organisasies. Vir 'n HOI om 'n langtermyn-bestaan van uitnemendheid in terme van navorsingsuitsette en onderrig te handhaaf, is 'n sterk fokus op die behoud van 'n jonger generasie van vaardige akademici nodig. Ongelukkig moet HOI's met die bedryf kompeteer om hierdie werknemers te behou. Terselfdertyd het die akademiese professie toenemend agter geraak met onder andere vergoeding, wat ‘n tekort aan jong akademici in Suid-Afrikaanse HOI's tot gevolg het. 'n Ondersoek na die intensie om te bedank onder Generasie Y akademici by HOI’s is gevolglik regverdigbaar. 'n Gemengde-metodenavorsingsontwerp wat beide kwalitatiewe (fokusgroepe en blog) en kwantitatiewe fases ('n self-geadministreerde vraelys) ingesluit het, is gebruik. Die steekproef het akademici (n = 189) verteenwoordig van ses HOI's in Suid-Afrika. Die Pearson produkmomentkorrelasies dui daarop dat werknemertoewyding, transformasionele leierskap, werkstevredenheid, en vergoeding, beloning en erkenning 'n beduidende negatiewe impak het op die intensie om te bedank. Die resultate van die meervoudige regressie en PLS modellering dui daarop dat slegs werknemertoewyding en werkstevredenheid 'n beduidende negatiewe impak op die intensie om te bedank het. Hierdie twee veranderlikes het die betekenisvolste impak gehad op die intensie om te bedank onder respondente in hierdie studie. Dit is belangrik om daarop te let dat die resultate van die PLS modellering daarop dui dat 45% van die variansie in die voorspelling van intensie om te bedank verduidelik word deur werknemertoewyding, transformasionele leierskap, werkstevredenheid, en vergoeding, beloning en erkenning. Statistiese verhoudings tussen die onderskeie onafhanklike veranderlikes is bevestig, naamlik tussen werknemertoewyding en werkstevredenheid; tussen transformasionele leierskap en werknemertoewyding; tussen transformasionele leierskap en werkstevredenheid; en tussen vergoeding, beloning en erkenning en werkstevredenheid. Hierdie studie dra by tot die uitbou van kennis oor die intensie om te bedank onder akademici, en spesifiek die gesogte Generasie Y akademici. Die bevindings dien as insette vir die ontwikkeling van doeltreffende retensiestrategieë vir die behoud van generasie Y akademici by HOI's in Suid-Afrika.

Bakgrund: I och med utvecklingen av informations- och kommunikationsteknik har gränserna för var och när arbetet kan utföras suddats ut. Arbetet har med andra ord blivit gränslöst. Även om det möjliggör flexibilitet över arbetstiderna, valfrihet gällande platsen för var arbetet kan utföras samt en ökad kontroll över arbetet kan det också leda till överbelastning och arbetsrelaterad stress, som i sin tur kan ha en negativ inverkan på arbetslivsbalansen och därmed välbefinnandet. Det kan i förlängningen även påverka organisationen negativt då det kan yttra sig genom minskad produktivitet, sjukfrånvaro och personalomsättning, vilket är förenat med ökade kostnader. Som lärare inom akademin finns långtgående möjligheter att förlänga arbetsplatsens tid och rum till följd av utbredningen av informations- och kommunikationsteknik, varpå den här studien behandlar högskolelärares upplevelser av det gränslösa arbetet och hur det kan inverka på hälsan. Syfte: Syftet med föreliggande studie är att undersöka högskolelärares upplevelser av det gränslösa arbetet inom akademin för att öka förståelsen för hur det gränslösa arbetet kan inverka på hälsan och därmed öka förståelsen för på vilket sätt det kan vara en friskfaktor eller riskfaktor. Metod: Då föreliggande studie syftade till att fånga enskilda individers upplevelser, tankar och beskrivningar avseende deras arbetssituation i det gränslösa arbetet på ett nyanserat sätt, valdes en kvalitativ metod. Insamlingen av empirisk data gjordes genom tio individuella semistrukturerade intervjuer på en högskola i Sverige. Slutsatser: Studiens resultat påvisar att det sociala stödet är viktigt i ett gränslöst arbete och kan bland annat bidra till att stressfyllda perioder upplevs som mindre krävande. Att ständigt vara tillgänglig kan däremot påverka hälsan negativt i och med den upplevda stressen som följer med tillgängligheten via e-post. Vidare tyder resultatet på att egenkontroll och frihet i arbetet både kan vara en risk- och friskfaktor beroende på hur gränsdragningar gentemot det övriga livet sker, vilket kan bero på individens egna krav och karriärutsikter, liksom glädjen till sitt arbete. Det innebär att den individuella gränsdragningsförmågan blir fundamental i ett gränslöst arbete. / Background: Due to the development of the information and communication technology the boundaries of where and when to carry out your work have faded. In other words, the work has become boundless. Although this allows for flexibility over working hours, place of work and increased control over your work it can also lead to overload and work related stress, which can have a negative impact on work life balance and therefore health. Also, in the long run it can adversely affect the organization as it can lead to reduced productivity, sickness absence and staff turnover, which is associated with greater costs. As a teacher at the academy there are far reaching opportunities to extend the workplace’s hours and location due to the prevalence of information and communication technology, where this study examines the experiences university lecturers have of the boundless work and its impact on health. Aim: The aim of the present study is to investigate university teachers' experiences of the boundless work within the academy to increase understanding of how boundless work can affect health and thereby increasing understanding of how it may be a health factor or risk factor. Method: As the present study aimed at capturing individual peoples’ experiences, thoughts and descriptions regarding their work situation with boundless work in a nuanced manner, a qualitative method was chosen. The gathering of empirical data was done through ten individual semi- structured interviews at a university in Sweden. Conclusion: The study's results indicate that social support is important in boundless work and can, among other things, help stressful periods to be perceived as less demanding. Continuously being available, however, can affect health negatively, with the perceived stress that comes with availability via email. Furthermore, the result suggests that self-control and freedom at work can be both a risk and a healthy factor depending on how boundaries occur to the rest of life, which may depend on the individual's own requirements and career prospects, as well as the joy of his work. This means that the individual’s ability to create boundaries between work and private life is fundamental in a boundless work.

A aplicação do processo de enfermagem tem a finalidade de impulsionar o profissional da área de enfermagem com possibilidades da prestação de cuidados individualizados, centrada nas necessidades humanas básicas, e, além de ser aplicado à assistência, pode nortear tomadas de decisão em diversas situações vivenciadas pelo enfermeiro enquanto gerenciador da equipe de enfermagem. A escolha para realizar a ação assistencial com as mulheres encarceradas no presídio da região do Cariri, foi motivada pela continuidade de um projeto de assistência, que visa propiciar um campo para o desenvolvimento da pesquisa que atende a temática, despertando nos acadêmicos de Enfermagem um novo caminho para estudos científicos, sobretudo vem atender à necessidade da comunidade com a educação e saúde na prevenção, promoção e qualidade de vida. Tal ação teve seu início em março de 2011, operacionalizada como um processo voluntário e se desenvolveu mensalmente, quando foram realizadas as consultas de enfermagem, coletivas e individual, cujo direcionamento foi voltado para prevenção e promoção de saúde, através da realização dos exames para detecção precoce do câncer cérvico-uterino, câncer de mama, doenças sexualmente transmissíveis, consulta de pré-natal e puerpério, ações educativas sobre auto cuidado e higiene, e campanhas de vacinas. Para a realização das consultas de enfermagem contou-se sempre com a presença de uma agente penitenciária como forma de garantir a segurança da equipe. Foi utilizado como instrumento para as consultas de enfermagem, o SAE - Sistema de Assistência a Enfermagem. Objetivou-se com este estudo, desenvolver estratégias de aplicabilidade na promoção e prevenção a saúde da mulher encarcerada, na região do Cariri, além disso, analisar a trajetória metodológica da formação do acadêmico de enfermagem. Investigou-se as dificuldades encontradas pelos acadêmicos, para prestar uma assistência qualificada e por não terem este aporte na vida acadêmica, e ainda, como ocorreu e continua ocorrendo essa aprendizagem ao longo de suas vidas, há uma preocupação de se identificar metodologias alternativas para ação educativa. Foi elaborado um formulário de registro, em que, além dos dados de caracterização sócio demográfica das mulheres, foram armazenados os diagnósticos de enfermagem. Para acompanhar na realização das consultas de enfermagem, foram selecionados vinte estudantes do curso de enfermagem de uma instituição privada, através de uma avaliação classificatória, com media igual ou superior a 7.0, e que já tivesse cursado a disciplina saúde coletiva, e dessa forma aprimorar o seu conhecimento e interação no cuidar da saúde da mulher. Nossos resultados apontam que na unidade prisional não existe uma política de prevenção voltada para a prevenção da mulher, acarretando problemas de saúde e consequentemente um quadro clinico de risco. Através dos exames realizados de prevenção de colo de útero e mama verificou-se a ocorrência de sífilis, candidíase e triconomíase, como doenças prevalentes. O câncer de colo de útero no município investigado, é visto como um grande problema de saúde Pública, que atinge mulheres com maior vulnerabilidade social, onde se enquadram as barreiras de acesso aos serviços de saúde que diagnostica precocemente e trata a doença em foco. O principal exame eficaz e capaz de detectar precocemente o câncer uterino é o exame Papanicolau, por isso sua realização anualmente é de extrema importância para a saúde da mulher. Além de promover a prevenção e saúde das mulheres no presidio, desenvolvemos práticas pedagógicas significativas, viabilizando a aprendizagem, motivando e ampliando a compreensão critica dos discentes, na prática docente, e assim, concluir o processo de formação continuada de professores\aluno no contexto acadêmico um elo de ensino\aprendizagem. / The application of nursing proceedure provides to nurses the possibility of providing individualized care focused on basic human needs, and can guide decision-making in various situations experienced by nurses while managing nursing staff. This study is part of an assistance project on jailed women from the prison of the Cariri region, which aimed to afford a space for the implementation of research that responds to their need, triggering to nurse students, new way to do scientific studies, and above all, to respond to community need with education and health, in the prevention and promotion of quality of life. This action started by March 2011 and operated as a voluntary process. It was done monthly, individually and collectively during nursing appointments. These appointments or consultations aimed at the prevention and promotion of health, through health examinations for early detection of cervical cancer, breast cancer, sexually transmitted diseases, pre- and post-natal consultations, educational actions about personal care and personal hygiene, and also during vaccination campaigns. The nursing consultations were always done in the presence of a penitentiary agent to ensure our security. The Nursing Care System-SAE was used for nursing consultations. Nurse students encountered difficulties to provide quality assistance to jailed women, in part, because, they have not received this formation in their curriculum. The lack of such formation still occurs nowadays, rising the need for alternative educational actions. A registration form containing socio-demographic datla of jailed women and their nursing diagnoses was elaborated and stocked. Twenty students in the Nursing Program of a private institution were selected through satisfactory evaluation to monitor nursing consultations. As a pre-requisite, these students have undertaken the discipline Collective Health and thus, were expected to improve their knowledge in women health care. Our results demonstrate that the prison unit does not have a prevention policy for women, leading to health problems and consequently a clinical risk scenario. From the health examinations, it was found that syphilis, candidiasis and trichomoniasis were the prevalent diseases. The cervical cancer is regarded in the investigated municipality as a serious public health problem that affects women with higher level of social vulnerability. They face difficulties in getting access to public services in order to diagnose and treat the disease. The main effective test capable of detecting early cervical cancer is the Panicolaou test. Therefore, it is extremely important for women to do it once a year for health promotion.

A aplicação do processo de enfermagem tem a finalidade de impulsionar o profissional da área de enfermagem com possibilidades da prestação de cuidados individualizados, centrada nas necessidades humanas básicas, e, além de ser aplicado à assistência, pode nortear tomadas de decisão em diversas situações vivenciadas pelo enfermeiro enquanto gerenciador da equipe de enfermagem. A escolha para realizar a ação assistencial com as mulheres encarceradas no presídio da região do Cariri, foi motivada pela continuidade de um projeto de assistência, que visa propiciar um campo para o desenvolvimento da pesquisa que atende a temática, despertando nos acadêmicos de Enfermagem um novo caminho para estudos científicos, sobretudo vem atender à necessidade da comunidade com a educação e saúde na prevenção, promoção e qualidade de vida. Tal ação teve seu início em março de 2011, operacionalizada como um processo voluntário e se desenvolveu mensalmente, quando foram realizadas as consultas de enfermagem, coletivas e individual, cujo direcionamento foi voltado para prevenção e promoção de saúde, através da realização dos exames para detecção precoce do câncer cérvico-uterino, câncer de mama, doenças sexualmente transmissíveis, consulta de pré-natal e puerpério, ações educativas sobre auto cuidado e higiene, e campanhas de vacinas. Para a realização das consultas de enfermagem contou-se sempre com a presença de uma agente penitenciária como forma de garantir a segurança da equipe. Foi utilizado como instrumento para as consultas de enfermagem, o SAE - Sistema de Assistência a Enfermagem. Objetivou-se com este estudo, desenvolver estratégias de aplicabilidade na promoção e prevenção a saúde da mulher encarcerada, na região do Cariri, além disso, analisar a trajetória metodológica da formação do acadêmico de enfermagem. Investigou-se as dificuldades encontradas pelos acadêmicos, para prestar uma assistência qualificada e por não terem este aporte na vida acadêmica, e ainda, como ocorreu e continua ocorrendo essa aprendizagem ao longo de suas vidas, há uma preocupação de se identificar metodologias alternativas para ação educativa. Foi elaborado um formulário de registro, em que, além dos dados de caracterização sócio demográfica das mulheres, foram armazenados os diagnósticos de enfermagem. Para acompanhar na realização das consultas de enfermagem, foram selecionados vinte estudantes do curso de enfermagem de uma instituição privada, através de uma avaliação classificatória, com media igual ou superior a 7.0, e que já tivesse cursado a disciplina saúde coletiva, e dessa forma aprimorar o seu conhecimento e interação no cuidar da saúde da mulher. Nossos resultados apontam que na unidade prisional não existe uma política de prevenção voltada para a prevenção da mulher, acarretando problemas de saúde e consequentemente um quadro clinico de risco. Através dos exames realizados de prevenção de colo de útero e mama verificou-se a ocorrência de sífilis, candidíase e triconomíase, como doenças prevalentes. O câncer de colo de útero no município investigado, é visto como um grande problema de saúde Pública, que atinge mulheres com maior vulnerabilidade social, onde se enquadram as barreiras de acesso aos serviços de saúde que diagnostica precocemente e trata a doença em foco. O principal exame eficaz e capaz de detectar precocemente o câncer uterino é o exame Papanicolau, por isso sua realização anualmente é de extrema importância para a saúde da mulher. Além de promover a prevenção e saúde das mulheres no presidio, desenvolvemos práticas pedagógicas significativas, viabilizando a aprendizagem, motivando e ampliando a compreensão critica dos discentes, na prática docente, e assim, concluir o processo de formação continuada de professores\aluno no contexto acadêmico um elo de ensino\aprendizagem. / The application of nursing proceedure provides to nurses the possibility of providing individualized care focused on basic human needs, and can guide decision-making in various situations experienced by nurses while managing nursing staff. This study is part of an assistance project on jailed women from the prison of the Cariri region, which aimed to afford a space for the implementation of research that responds to their need, triggering to nurse students, new way to do scientific studies, and above all, to respond to community need with education and health, in the prevention and promotion of quality of life. This action started by March 2011 and operated as a voluntary process. It was done monthly, individually and collectively during nursing appointments. These appointments or consultations aimed at the prevention and promotion of health, through health examinations for early detection of cervical cancer, breast cancer, sexually transmitted diseases, pre- and post-natal consultations, educational actions about personal care and personal hygiene, and also during vaccination campaigns. The nursing consultations were always done in the presence of a penitentiary agent to ensure our security. The Nursing Care System-SAE was used for nursing consultations. Nurse students encountered difficulties to provide quality assistance to jailed women, in part, because, they have not received this formation in their curriculum. The lack of such formation still occurs nowadays, rising the need for alternative educational actions. A registration form containing socio-demographic datla of jailed women and their nursing diagnoses was elaborated and stocked. Twenty students in the Nursing Program of a private institution were selected through satisfactory evaluation to monitor nursing consultations. As a pre-requisite, these students have undertaken the discipline Collective Health and thus, were expected to improve their knowledge in women health care. Our results demonstrate that the prison unit does not have a prevention policy for women, leading to health problems and consequently a clinical risk scenario. From the health examinations, it was found that syphilis, candidiasis and trichomoniasis were the prevalent diseases. The cervical cancer is regarded in the investigated municipality as a serious public health problem that affects women with higher level of social vulnerability. They face difficulties in getting access to public services in order to diagnose and treat the disease. The main effective test capable of detecting early cervical cancer is the Panicolaou test. Therefore, it is extremely important for women to do it once a year for health promotion.

This thesis examines the working lives of foreign-born academics who come to work to the UK. Its main aim is to understand the degree and conditions of migrant scholars' inclusion in professional practice abroad. The thesis fulfils this aim by developing a conceptual approach to encapsulate how migrant professionals' working lives are conditioned by the pre-existing professional structures. Grounded in the principle of social closure, this framework proposes that migrant professionals' employment abroad is influenced by the different forms and rules of closure, as well as by the sites in which closure rules are applied. The synthesis of the theoretical framework with findings from sixty-two interviews with foreign-born scholars employed in thirteen British universities shows that migrant academics' working lives are explained by ‘modes of incorporation'. ‘Modes of incorporation' designate the distinct ways in which the academic profession has reacted to the increased presence of foreign incomers, and comprise integration, exclusion, subordination and indifference. The proposed framework extends the understanding of the demographic change in professions, and offers a way to capture migrant professionals' movement across countries.

Curriculum development involves considerations about curriculum relevance. Thus it is necessary that the curriculum should identify with the needs of the graduate and with professional practice. This requirement shoNAt-hsa t curriculum relevance is not fixed, a view that is consistent with a dynamic, situational approach to curriculum development. The basic categories which define librarianship curriculum development are library activities, theory, innovation, teaching and learning, employers, students. lecturers. These are influential factors in curriculum relevance. Variables in curriculum content such as theory and practice affect curriculum relevance. Librarianship curriculum development should aim at relevance by integrating academic study and practice. Hence, the goal of study towards librarianship education must be focused on the activities performed in library and information services. The need for innovation in library and information services means that novel viewpoints and solutions must be practical. For example, this requirement indicates that curriculum development must take into consideration leamt attributes which are aerieral and transferable in a changing world. This is in view of the employers' requirement that graduates should have critical intellectual ability and the capability to learn rather than their just immediate attributes, skills and knowledge. With teaching and leaming there is abundant rationale for the development of more effective delivery systems than traditional lecturing. If outcome-based learning is valued, individualised, self-directed learning is a prerequisite. The practices of the task-based curriculum, with its focus on student learning and on the development of transferable skills more closely approximate the ideal approaches to librarianship education. The teaching of transferable skills is more likely to define the conditions under which critical reasoning can develop. It has an advantage over the students' abilities to learn to function in the profession outside the university and for continuous development. In this respect task-based education has much wider implications than that of simply providing students with skills. Professional practice does not always fit with the curriculum that is developed by the experts. The expert-developed curriculum also poses a problem for those who interpret it, learn it and receive the products. Thus, a strong joint partnership in which the library and the library school are both recognised in curriculum development is essential if the profession is to fulfil effectively its unique role in society.

Le métier d’enseignant universitaire s’apprend le plus souvent sur le tas (Knight, Tait & Yorke, 2006). Mais que recouvre cet apprentissage sur le tas ? L’objectif de cette thèse est de déterminer les pratiques d’apprentissage au travers desquelles, en France, les enseignants universitaires débutants construisent leurs compétences d’enseignement. La recherche, menée auprès d'universitaires novices, questionne l'usage de huit modèles d’apprentissage susceptibles d’être à l’œuvre dans le processus de construction des compétences. La thèse montre que les pratiques des novices sont éclectiques et tendanciellement non-structurées. Alors que les pouvoirs publics considèrent la mise place d’une formation initiale formelle et systématique, cette recherche de thèse engage à une réflexion sur une formation pédagogique des universitaires qui prendrait en compte la diversité des pratiques et l'aspiration des novices à l'autonomie. / How to teach in academia is most often learnt on-the-job (Knight, Tait & Yorke, 2006). But what does the phrase “on-the-job learning” genuinely mean in this case? This doctoral dissertation aims to identify which learning practices novice academics make use of to construct their teaching competences in France. A survey was carried out amongst novice academics asking them to describe how eight learning models may have contributed to the process of constructing their teaching competences. Results show that novices’ practices are eclectic and mainly informal. While public authorities have been developing for a while formal training structures targeted at all newly-hired academics, this research suggests that the variety of practices and the aspiration of novices to informality should also be taken into account.

Submitted in Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Management Sciences: Human Resources Management, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2017. / The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of job satisfaction on organizational effectiveness at Buffalo City College in the Eastern Cape. When job satisfaction levels are low, the organizations efforts to attain organizational effectiveness may be compromised. For any organisation to be effective, it should have satisfied and committed workers. The levels of employee performance may be increased by job satisfaction in an organisation including the further education and training sector. The individual commitment of employees in the workplace may be stimulated by job satisfaction. This means that the satisfaction of employees is necessary for the development of any establishment. A quantitative methodological style was used for the collection of data in this study. The target population consisted of 100 lecturers at Buffalo City College. The personal method of administering the questionnaire was used and a 75% response rate was obtained. The Statistical Program for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24.0 was used for statistical examination. Significant findings emerged from the empirical analysis and results. Some respondents experienced job satisfaction while others experienced dissatisfaction with growth opportunities, pay, working conditions and recognition. The recommendations highlighted that top management should consider improving the working conditions of employees and opening up opportunities for individual advancement of the workers. Further, it was recommended that top management of Buffalo City College should pay a fair salary to the lecturers and involve them in decision making particularly on those things that have a direct impact on them. The study concludes by providing directions for future research. / M

Teachers’ beliefs are central to determining children’s optimal educational experiences. However, some studies related to teachers’ beliefs yielded findings that rendered beliefs and practices incongruous. Although the principles of developmentally appropriate practices that synthesize theoretical and empirical research on child development have been adapted to various contexts other than its original United States of America (USA) context, developmentally appropriate practices remain contentious as to its relevance in these contexts. What is appropriate for children’s education seems debatable, largely determined by social expectations of childhood and children. Cultural diversity seems to be the new dispensation in this discourse. Fundamentally, research on preschool teachers’ beliefs about developmentally appropriate educational practices, adds to literature about cultural context variables in preschool provision from different contexts. Purpose: This study examined how teachers’ practical experiences framed their beliefs and understanding of children’s educational experiences within a developmentally appropriate framework and a bioecological systems theory. Paradigm/Design/Methods: A constructivist paradigm within the qualitative approach guided this study. Video and photographs became the basis to elicit teachers’ beliefs about children’s educational experiences. Children’s educational experiences were analysed along five constructs related to the concept of DAP; teaching strategy, use of materials, scheduling of children’s learning, assessment, and consideration of children’s individuality. Findings: Teachers’ beliefs corroborated the DAP framework, but their practices that were more teacher-directed, contrasted the DAP principles. They used formally structured teaching approaches, as materials in three-out-of-four classes observed remained ‘silenced’. The schedules were formally structured, subject-based, with limited flexibility, as assessment for children’s learning focused on limited aspects of the cognitive domain. Conclusion: Teachers’ beliefs seemed to support educational practices that embrace the principles of DAP. However, some context-related factors, which include pressure from parents, competitive school environments, preparation for the interview, different transition requirements, peer pressure, and perceived lack of time limited their use of DAP. I extrapolate these factors to the bioecological systems theory, to understand the dynamics of early childhood education provision in Kenya. Practical implications/Originality/Value: This study adds to literature on teachers’ beliefs about children’s educational experiences from a developing country context, as well as adding to studies that have used visually elicited interviews. It also provides the details of children’s educational experiences, in part, to appreciate the current conversation on the status and the nature of focus on standards or skills-based dynamics in preschool provision. Besides, it might be the first study in Kenya to embrace the DAP framework and the bioecological systems theory. The seesaw model advanced in this study synthesizes the originality of the study by conceptualizing the theoretical as well as empirical literature on developmentally appropriate educational practices, as a valuable framework to understand and interpret competing priorities that might affect preschool provision. The seesaw model is also valuable in locating and extending the conversation about different stakeholders’ priorities, not only in Kenya, but also in other societies. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted

MPM / Oliver Tambo Institute of Governance and Policy Studies