Bibliography: pages 315-322. / This study explored the use of the experiential learning methodology and the concept of learner responsibility within a course for the professional preparation of adult educators at university level. The research methodology was illuminative evaluation using case study research and participant observation. The study described the problems and issues that arose when the students, on the 1982 Diploma Course for Educators of Adults at the University of Cape Town, were faced with the responsibility for the designing, managing and teaching of their own curriculum. The analysis of this showed an ability and willingness on the part of most students to engage in this responsibility. For some students the required role as "curriculum constructor" contradicted with their expected and preferred stance of a learner receiving mediated knowledge from a teacher. The role of assessment diminished the freedom to engage in responsibility, and the difficulties of decision making and management led ultimately to the formation of a management committee. The study went on to examine learner responsibility and experiential learning in more depth. The students' preference for other methodologies and their own perceived ability and confidence to engage with both learner responsibility and experiential learning were major hindrances for the course. The conflict of roles experienced by both the staff and students at a variety of points required a way of clarifying and resolving this conflict, otherwise it continued to block involvement for the students or staff. For learner responsibility the access to learning resources was a further problem. The introduction of experiential learning and the apparent non-openness of it to other methodologies were also problems experienced in practice. The research concluded with an attempt to address these problems. It was proposed that experiential learning and learner responsibility needed to be reconceptualised. Developments such as "learning contracts", "a learning community", new forms of assessment, "learning conversations" and increasing the reflective capacity of experiential learning were proposed. The research ended with a series of implications for practice for those adult education programmes which were committed to a learning process which maximised learner responsibility and autonomy and took seriously the life experience of the students.

M.Ed. / The adult in today's society, is increasingly aware of his/her shortcomings regarding existing training skills and knowledge structures, as well as the need to supplement or refresh in order to keep up with demands. Conventional training methods alone cannot supply in the demand for competent educators to train the increasing number of adult learners, with their unique needs and approach to learning. The purpose of the study is the design of a self-study module as a possible training method for adult educators, as it is regarded as a cost-effective method to develop these educators by means of distance education and due to its availability regardless of their socio-economic background of the prospective educators. A study of literature and descriptive research was conducted to determine the structure and requirements of a selfstudy module. Relevant models of training program design were also studied. The information obtained was used to develop a selfstudy module dealing with the designing of training programs for adult learners, based on the Wheeler/KrUger model (1979). The following issues were addressed in the selfstudy module: A situation analysis, the planning of learning experiences for these adult learners, the setting of goals and objectives, the selection of teaching and learning opportunities, the development of teaching strategies, and evaluation of the training program. The selfstudy module is preceded by a short pretest for the prospective adult ducator. Each topic is succeeded by a selftest to assist the adult educator in determining his/her progress. On completion of the module he/she should be equipped to design a training program for adult learners. Although the designed module has not been tested, the conclusion could be made that selfstudy modules as a teaching method could supply in the demand for educators of adults. Self study modules seem specially appropriate in the South African setting with its geographically scattered society and varying academic and economic backgrounds.

M.Ed. / The building and construction industry is currently hampered by an unacceptably high number of incidents (accidents) which occur in the industry yearly. This results in huge financial and labour losses. Training of workers in occupational health and safety could address some of the causes of these incidents (accidents). In order to provide relevant and effective training for this industry their training needs regarding occupational health and safety training need to be determined. Based on these needs guidelines could be set to ensure the development of applicable training. In this study the needs of the building and construction industry is determined from which the researcher provides guidelines for curriculum development. The first chapter provides an introductory orientation to the study and provides an overview of incidents (accidents) in the building and construction industry. Chapter two is devoted to a literature study of occupational health and safety. Chapter three consists of a literature study with the aim to provide parameters for the empirical research component in the study. In chapter four the empirical data, collected by means of qualitative research, is analysed. Chapter five relates the findings of the study to the theory of curriculum development. In conclusion chapter six consists of conclusions and recommended guidelines for the development of an occupational health and safety curriculum for the building and construction industry, which forms the product of this study. The value of this study is that the guidelines provided are the result of empirical qualitative research conducted with various role-players in the building and construction industry. Therefore the results are the perceptions and opinions of the role-players in the industry and not the direct assumptions of the researcher.

D.Ed. / The training and development opportunities available in Human Resources in a country play an important role regarding the growth and progress of such a country and its people. The parameters wherein training and development is conducted determine to a large extend the direction the country takes towards the efficient productivity of individuals. In South Africa, in the past, the political system of apartheid, which created unequal opportunities between different races, played a major adverse role in the education and training facilities of its employable population. As a result common education standards became a victim of political expediency, and the school system created a forum of unequal education. After research conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council in 1980 to investigate the education system in South Africa it was concluded that it is impossible to implement a system focussed on equal quality education overnight. It is not until after the first multi-cultural election in the history of South Africa in 1994 that this situation started changing. The National Qualifications Framework and The South African Qualifications Authority was established. That brought about major change in the education and training system in the country, and it also shifted the emphasis to lifelong learning. It became apparent that for the quickest beneficial results a program of adult education had to be initiated to work hand in hand with the more gradual development of equal education at undergraduate levels. The shift that needs to be made from the traditional school system to the training of adults is however a difficult one. Adult education is not yet established in South Africa.

Among all the other files in my cabinet is one marked 'adult education'. It is a bulky file of documents dating back a number of years. It contains reports, articles and official documents both from NGOs and the Department of Education. The content of the collected document files include the pros and cons surrounding the long debate regarding the history of adult education provision at the Beatrice Street YMCA (BS YMCA). Another issue surfacing in these files is the issue of fund-raising, as a lack of funds poses serious concerns about the provision of adult education. The economic, social and political situations presented to the BS YMCA an irresistible challenge, especially in the city of Durban and surroundings. The Board of Management is sensitive to the needs of young people and has identified adult education as a means of offering support. Adult education provision at the BS YMCA offers invaluable skills. These skills include survival English (i.e. communication and numeracy), functional (workplace and society) and compensatory tools (life skills). It was not an easy road to travel for them, especially as the core need of the young people is employment. Over the years there were much needed changes in the adult education programmes offered at the BS YMCA. The development of educational policies from 1993 became the vehicle for the new dispensation in adult education. Adult education programmes at the BS YMCA changed from a traditional (teacher-centered) approach to a participatory approach based on dialogue. (which was more learner centered). The new programmes aim to offer more employment opportunities. The provision of adult education by the BS YMCA has been recognised by different educational departments over the years. The BS YMCA , being part of the educational struggle for transformation , was instrumental in pioneering "finishing schools" in the 80s. Skills training was also introduced to the BS YMCA educational programmes in 1994. The initiated programmes are vital in addressing the needs of the young people in the city of Durban. This dissertation is concerned with the history of adult education provision at the BS YMCA, whose concerns include a holistic approach regarding the mind , body and spirit (The world alliance of YMCAs 'Red Triangle '). The BS YMCA's philosophy and origins of the Red Triangle show a link between the body, mind and soul. The history of provision of adult education at the BS YMCA was a struggle of a non-governmental organisation becoming a state public center. There is also a link between curriculum design and social change of young people. In conclusion, the study aims to examine various adult education curricula changes over the years. These changes address responsible attitudes towards civil society and the effects of social evils and personal guidance. / Theses(M.Ed)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.

Sekusile Adult Education Centre is owned and operated by the Assemblies of God Association. Initial funding was provided for three years by the Swedish Government. Sekusile was modelled on the Swedish concept of the Folk High School. Strong ideological and pedagogical inferences inhered within the curriculum as envisaged by the founders. As a Non Government Organisation (NGO) operating within the Adult Education (AE) and Adult Basic Education and Training field (ABET), it did not escape the debilitating effects of reduced funding that have characterised this field since 1994. Like many other adult education providers, Sekusile had to redefine itself in terms of the educational programmes it offered, and in terms of its intended learner market. Economic, political and social realities forced changes in curriculum. The purpose of this study was to explore the factors that led to curriculum change at Sekusile, in order that planned satellite centres may possibly improve on the performance of Sekusile. Literature review revealed numerous sources that informed the study. Particularly, literature dealing with Swedish Folk High Schools (Titmus1981; Abrahamsson 1996), South Africa (Mather and Amos 1996; Asmal 1999; Aitchison 1999) and Kwa Zulu Natal (Wallace 2000) were useful in providing a background to the research.· Some silences were identified concerning curriculum and funding. This literature was essential for setting the Sekusile study into both a global and local context. Literature on case study approaches included Bless and Higson-Smith (1995), Deshler and Hagan (1988), McNamara (1999) and Stenhouse (1988). The theoretical framework for the study was drawn from the work of Bhola (1989) for his work on the Configurational Theory of Systems Development and Change, and Knowles (1981) for his process theory of andragogy. The research site is located in Newlands East, Durban. The population consisted of the key role players who contributed towards curriculum design and implementation at Sekusile. This included management, facilitators and learners. Data was drawn from archival (founding) documents as well as other documents on file, such as minutes of meetings. This was a qualitative case study, using non standardised interviews with key informants, the purpose being to allow the voices of informants to be heard and for their contribution to provide data that have some texture over those derived from documentary sources. Data was categorised in terms of the research questions and in analysis, a narrative was allowed to emerge. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2000.

D.Ed. / The question arises whether the present system of apprentice education in the Republic of South Africa is in pace with the current technological development or whether the present system is in pace with the changing educational needs and demands of learners. It is important to mention that no provision is made for accreditation of learner experience during screening tests, to determine whether the learner has the necessary admission qualification to be appointed as apprentice. The possibility of combining distance education with contact education in order to provide support (contact) to the learner, should be investigated. The question proceeding from the previous one is whether the emphasis should not fall on the mastering of a number of selective skills rather than the completion of the prescribed number of weeks of practical education. Besides, the present system is so complex that practical instruction is not possible at more than one institution. From the above, it is concluded that the present education system for tradesmen (is not sensitive enough with regard to) does not comply with the unique needs and problems of adult learners. There are mainly two groups of learners in the electrical trade that are handicapped to pass the final electrician trade test due to the present training system. The first group consists of persons who want to change their profession because they have become redundant or have reached a point of saturation in terms of stimulation or promotion in their particular profession. People who want to start their own business and who consequently want to receive training to make a success of it can also be classified in this group. These two groups of learners are respectively referred to as vocational changing and vocational facilitating learners. The second group of learners became educators due to a shortage of educators, without the necessary trade qualification. They do have a professional teaching qualification but they lack the practical experience especially with regard to the electrical trade. This group is referred to as the instructional learners. If the former group of learners can receive a trade qualification it can change their role of job hunters to job creators and improve their chances of getting fixed posts. The instructional group will, by obtaining a trade qualification, improve their professional qualifications and thus secure their posts. The first-mentioned learners reveal the same needs and problems with study as experienced by adult learners. Consequently, they give up their studies because traditional education at technical colleges and Technisa is mainly reserved, especially with regard to their needs and demands to the instructional-learner situation. This reservation can mainly be attributed to the fact that they do not get the opportunity to study at their own pace and that their study experience (mainly with regard to the electrical trade) is not taken into account, nor accredited in terms of subjects or modules already passed during the training situation. Different aspects are identified in the present electrician education system in the Republic of South Africa which indicate that the present education system should be reconsidered and where possible adapted to accommodate the first-mentioned groups. It thus seems possible to address these aspects by combining contact instruction at technical colleges and distance instruction at Technisa in order to promote the quality of training of especially the adult learner. Such components include a modular instructional system which can, together with a study guide, accompany the learner step by step through the electrical trade so that (s)he knows exactly what is expected of him/her. It also includes the component of reduced contact time. Communication is improved and the learner gets the opportunity to discuss problems. The study experience of the learner, especially concerning the electrical trade, can be-compiled by means of a portfolio. It is arranged in such a way that it indicates similarities and shortcomings in terms of the prescribed electrical trade criteria as contained in the National Qualifications Framework. On account of this portfolio, the learner can be referred to further training, or further job experience via the process of accreditation. Consequently, to enable the vocational changing, vocational facilitating and the instructional groups of learners to qualify as electrician trade persons, a combined contact and distance education programme is proposed for the purpose of this study. The guidelines to the framework of such an education programme include the following: a modular training system, a study guide, decreased contact time, a portfolio and accreditation procedure.

The purpose of this thesis is to question the methodological practices of ESL textbooks.

published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy