The goal of the research was to explore the ongoing problem of Baptist Pastors leaving the ministry and to attempt to discover the impact of this problem upon Baptist Churches by means of "focus group" interviews. The dissertation links the problem with a Baptist ecclesiology and seeks to understand the Baptist belief in the autonomy of the Local Church and the praxis of accreditation for pastoral ministry, plus the existence of so-called "subterranean Pastors" which has contributed toward pastoral termination. / Practical theology / M.Th. (Practical Theology)

Theological Education by Extension (TEE) for parishioners is the general area of study. However, focus is placed on the developing of a curriculum, particularly on the problems and challenges around developing of a relevant TEE curriculum. Four different TEE programmes in Botswana were studied. The findings showed that problems were experienced by respondents and others who are involved in TEEs in Botswana. The respondents could identify and describe some of such problems and challenges. Therefore the researcher could arrive at the following conclusion:- Students, staff and all other parties of a TEE must collectively and fully participate in the developing of the curriculum. Moreover, the socio-cultural context influences TEE curriculum; therefore, students need to be trained to respond to such influences in their life situations. Once again, it is important that the curriculum policy and the process of planning take into account of some basic concerns like the theological presuppositions, aims and objectives and basic commitments or foci behind the curriculum. If these concerns are well attended, a more relevant TEE curriculum can be developed. / Philosophy, Practical & Systematic Theology / Th. M. (Practical Theology)

The study centres on the development of a didactically justified design model of a competency based modular training system for the Printing, Newspaper and Packaging Industries. The design model is represented in a diagram form identifying the components of the design model in relation to their systems function. The components of the design model are; training needs analysis, aims and objectives of training, the learner initial situation, the code of practice for training within industry, the pre-interactive training phase, the interactive training phase and training outcomes. Checklists are developed for using the design model as well as some practical examples of the implementation of the design model in creating a training system which features sound andragogic didactic principles and practices. The use of the design model enables the development of a practical competency based modular training system which meets the unique requirements of the Printing, Newspaper and Packaging Industries. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Didactics)

The present study examines whether recognition of prior learning (RPL) is being implemented in the workplace, its effectiveness and impact on improving the lives of the previously disadvantaged groups and its contribution towards enhancing a culture of lifelong learning in South Africa. The main aim of this research is to explore the implementation of RPL and the extent of its effectiveness in the workplace, with particular focus on Northern Region of the Eskom Distribution. This was hoped to be addressed through the following objectives: The first objective was to determine the extent to which Eskom employees are aware of the RPL practices and to ascertain the level of awareness among employees. The second objective was to explore the current trends and practices on RPL at the workplace. The third objective was to determine and identify if there are any gaps. The last objective was to suggest ways that can be used to strengthen the RPL practice in the workplace. To this end, a questionnaire was administered to a randomly selected sample of 242 employees. In addition, interviews were conducted with three purposively selected (information rich) participants. The findings reveal that Eskom has policies and guidelines on RPL and a clearly stipulated purpose which is in line with the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), however, the current RPL policies and procedures have not been piloted within the Northern Region, the information has not yet reached everyone in the business, and employees’ level of awareness is still low. Findings also reveal that RPL does exist in Distribution and efforts to implement it are visible/traceable. A number of milestones and achievements are noted in the business as a whole as well as in the region, although a lot still needs to be done to ensure full and effective implementation. The last finding shows that there are a number of gaps and challenges impeding the success of RPL. These range from capacity building to quality assurance. On the basis of the findings, a number of recommendations to strengthen the RPL practice in the workplace are proposed and suggested. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

Thesis (MPA (School of Public Management and Planning))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / The Further Education and Training (FET) and Higher Education and Training (HET) bands in South Africa are characterised by major challenges resulting in the high rate of unemployment in the country despite the promulgation of a plethora of transformative pieces of legislation post-1994. These challenges include failure by post-matric applicants to meet minimum university requirements for admission; unemployed graduates; and tension within the higher education and Training (HET) band among various quality assurance bodies and explicit mutual doubt about each other’s capacity to perform quality assurance of HE learning programmes. In an endeavour to find solutions to these problems, the researcher contemplated whether the cause could not be the current system of quality assurance in South Africa. This perception has dominated the current discourse on quality assurance, which has warranted a need for research in this area to find concrete answers to the current problems, as well as potential solutions. In this study, the Council on Higher Education (CHE) and Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) are used as units of analysis to determine the veracity of the arguments pervading the current quality assurance discourse that there are uneven levels for quality and different and presumably inconsistent varying capacities for quality assurance in the current education system. The objective of the study was to test the veracity of this hypothesis for the purposes of making recommendations informed by concrete and scientific empirical data. The major findings of this study are that the South African Qualification Authority (SAQA) policy, requiring CHE and the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) to coordinate the entire HET band, has not been implemented as envisaged. The degrees of quality assurance and capacity for quality assurance in South Africa vary dramatically between the SETAs and CHE and also among the SETAs when compared with one another, and there is a lack of consistency and co-ordination at National Qualification Framework (NQF) Level 5. Furthermore, the current legislative framework underpinning the SETAs and CHE is fundamentally contradictory. On the basis of these findings it is recommended that the current quality assurance and accreditation system be overhauled by bringing about one council responsible for the quality assurance and accreditation of all workplace and vocationally orientated learning programmes in line with international best practices. CHE should concentrate on learning programmes that are academically orientated. Lastly, the current legislative framework governing the operations of SETAs and CHE should be amended.

This thesis attempted to develop insight into why, contrary to expectation and predictions, learners in Rundu obtained better scores in a standardised English comprehension test than learners in Katima Mulilo, given that the conditions of teaching and learning were judged to be least favourable in Rundu.

High performance organizations desire to provide services in an effective and efficient manner with positive outcomes; therefore measures of performance and cost can be utilized to gauge such success. Through comparative research and analysis of local governments that have and do not have collective bargaining for law enforcement, findings and results can determine if there is any correlation between employee workforce classification (in collective or non-collective bargaining workplaces), high performance traits, costs and high performance return on costs (HPRC) for law enforcement. A HPRC composite measure was developed and utilized to compare and contrast all of the local governments to determine relationships between performance and costs. Based upon the research, the following findings were discovered for the null hypothesis which compared two forms of collective bargaining - arbitration and mediation - separately to non-collective bargaining localities: 1) Correlation between workforce classification and high performance attributes – mediation (negative – perform at a lower performance level); 2) Correlation between workforce classification and law enforcement costs - arbitration (negative – costs are at a lower level); and 3) No correlation between workforce classification and HPRC. In the preceding three areas, only the model on high performance attributes had a high r square and low variance with adjusted r square; both indicators of a parsimonious model. While correlations arose, further research in this area is warranted in developing a more enhanced and publicly accepted comparable metric of performance, costs and HPRC for law enforcement. In addition, certain control variables illustrated a correlation with the dependent variables as follows: 1) Performance - High median household incomes, density, age, survey quality of life, and city; 2) Law Enforcement Costs per Capita - Non-right-to-work state and county; and 3) HPRC - Median household income and county. A rational choice theory was utilized as the lens of framework in assessing an employee’s motivational behavior in a collective and non-collective bargaining work environment that could contribute to differentials in performance.

Title of the Master's Thesis: The management structure of universities Abstract: Master's Thesis "The management structure of universities' mapping key organizational elements in universities in Czech Republic, both in terms of internal point of view and from outside view from different institutions that are linked to universities, control them or are otherwise tied to their existence. These organizational elements are also compared to the practice of business management and key moments are shown, where the practice of business organizations differs from universities. As part of familiarizing with the organizational structure the analysis of the number of managerial staff was performed both in absolute numbers and relative to the number of students at selected universities. Finally, interviews were conducted with senior managers of these universities to compare their experiences of college life. Key words: College, university, Accreditation Commission, management, rector, dean, vice-rector, vice- dean, financing, organizational structure, the Higher Education Act

Cette thèse analyse les parcours individuels de Validation des Acquis de l’Expérience (VAE), dirigés vers une certification de niveau V. Visant à lutter contre les inégalités d’accès à la certification, nous supposons que la création d’un tel droit individuel, confortant la responsabilité de l’individu quant à la valorisation de son expérience, ne fait pas de ce droit une réalité pour tous.L’objectif est d’observer les phénomènes de différenciation du déploiement de la VAE. Nous avons enrichi les hypothèses ressourcistes et utilitaristes empruntées aux théories du marché du travail (Théories du Capital Humain et du Signal), en soulevant la question de la mise en œuvre réelle de ce droit, et en interrogeant autrement la notion d’expérience. En conséquences, dans la perspective de l’Approche par les Capabilités, nous construisons un modèle d’analyse original qui permet d'examiner dans quelles mesures les parcours individuels en VAE dépendent, non pas seulement d’une évaluation de l’expérience exprimée en nombre d’années, comme on l’entend au sein des Théories du Capital Humain et du Signal, mais également de facteurs personnels, environnementaux et sociaux, objectifs et subjectifs. Ces facteurs de conversion environnementaux, sociaux et individuels déterminent la mise en œuvre des ressources et des droits, dont dispose le candidat au sein du dispositif. Cet ensemble forme une structure de contraintes et d’opportunités et dessine le parcours des candidats. L’expérience est multidimensionnelle et diffuse à travers l’ensemble de ces éléments ; on parle d’ensemble expérientiel. Les estimations de la probabilité de validation (versus abandon ou aucune validation) à l’issue du parcours VAE, réalisées à partir de l’enquête DARES-DREES, tendent à confirmer notre modèle et met en exergue des inégalités qui étaient jusque là invisibles, sur-estimées ou sous-estimées, dans le cadre d’une analyse en terme de Capital Humain et de Signal. / This thesis analyses the individual pathways within the process of accreditation of prior experience (VAE), fighting inequalities of qualification access. This new right makes people responsible to put work experience to advantage, through getting qualification on the basis of work and individual experience, without education. But, to open up a new legal way doesn’t make this right a reality. The aim is to observe phenomena of differentiations relative to the display of the VAE. We have enrich ressourcist and utilitarist hypothesis, which have been derived from labour market theories (Human Capital and Signalling Theories). We ask the question of the real display of the individual right of VAE and the notion of experience. Consequently, from the Capability perspective, we built an original framework to understand in what extent individual pathways depend on personal, environmental and social factors, not only experience which is expressed in number of years, as a rule in the Human Capital and Signalling Theories. These environmental, social and individual conversion factors establish the display of individual resources and rights within the VAE process. This set forms an individual structure of constraints and opportunities and determines the individual pathways. The Experience is multidimensional and diffused through these elements.This model, based on a national survey, highlights existence of different types of individual logics of choices, which means different real possibilities of actions, more or less constricted, and underlines overestimated, underestimated and invisible inequalities.

Les objectifs de la thèse sont de comprendre : 1) les mécanismes de diffusion, d’adoption et d’institutionnalisation des accréditations internationales, 2) les comportements stratégiques mobilisés à l’égard notamment du processus initial d’accréditation institutionnelle AACSB, 3) les réponses stratégiques et organisationnelles pour gérer les demandes institutionnelles conflictuelles provoquées par les injonctions des 21 standards AACSB (2003) et 4) les changements opérés en vue de l’alignement aux injonctions du processus initial prescrit et des 21 standards AACSB (2003). Dans une perspective néo-institutionnaliste, nous mobilisons un cadre d’analyse alliant les comportements stratégiques et le changement institutionnel. Pour répondre aux objectifs de la recherche, une étude de cas longitudinale rétrospective et en temps réel sur 15 ans d’une business school universitaire française est menée. Les résultats de la recherche permettent d’enrichir notamment le cadre d’analyse d’Oliver (1991) d’une sixième réponse stratégique et de trois tactiques dans le cas d’un processus initial d’accréditation institutionnelle AACSB. / This research aims to understand: 1) the mechanisms of diffusion, adoption and institutionalization of international accreditations, 2) the strategic behaviors adopted to respond to the initial AACSB accreditation process, 3) the strategic and organizational responses to the conflictual demands originated by the 21 AACSB 2003 standards and 4) the changes occurred in order to ensure the organizations’ alignment to the 21 AACSB 2003 standards and to the required process.Based on a neo-institutional perspective, we used two conceptual frameworks about strategic responses and institutional change. In order to comply with our objectives, we have conducted a 15-year longitudinal case study both retrospectively and in real time within the only French business school operating inside a university. The principal result of the research is the identification of a 6th new strategic response for Oliver’s (1991) framework as well as three tactics to be adopted in the initial AACSB accreditation process.