This study consisted of qualitative interviews with eight recent graduates of doctoral programs in adult education from each of three different universities (a total of twenty-four respondents). The question that was addressed by this study is: "What are the shared beliefs and behaviors of those who have completed doctoral studies in adult education."The respondents to this study gave forceful support to the argument that adult education is a practice-oriented field. Their responses consistently focused around the practical. They were interested in research for the applications that it would give them for their practice. They were interested in teaching methods. They wanted to see fewer administrative and delivery barriers to adult education. They mentioned empowerment and application as purposes of adult education. In general, they viewed adult education as a field of practice that related directly to what they were doing to educate adults and they were really more interested in teaching methodologies and other practical information than in theoretical foundations. This orientation was reinforced by the overwhelming support for Malcolm Knowles as an author who has had a great influence on their development as adult educators. / Department of Educational Leadership

M.Ed. / South Africa needs to spread its available and required competence, skills and educational basis among its broad population (Valchanges, 1992:23). This is reflected in South Africa being rated 43rd out of 47 countries in the human development and skills level, or put differently, 14th out of 15 Group II countries in the World Competitiveness Report of 1992 (Gerber, Nel and Van Dyk, 1995:6). The South African educational system also ranked 14th of the 15 Group II countries in the same report (Gerber, et al, 1995:7). The situation is even worse if the World Competitiveness Report of 1995 is taken into consideration. South Africa ranked. 44th of 46 countries regarding its human resource development (Buffington and Associates, 1996; Rossouw, 1996:3; Pretoria News, 29 May 1996). If the above is taken into consideration it is clear that the start of the National Training Board (NTB) process that began in 1993 was necessary. The initial debates in the process were located within the vocational training context (HSRC, 1995:34). Four stakeholders entered the initial NTB process; namely: The government of the day with official representation by the departments of Education and Labour (called the Department of Manpower at the time); Representatives of different employers organisations; Representatives of organised labour; and Providers of learning. Different concerns from each of the above stakeholders caused a shift in the debate from a concern about vocational training to a broader concept of vocational education and training. This lead to the argument of an integrated approach. Thus: The field of education, training and development should adopt an integrated approach to all activities and systems currently classified as education and training and, unlike the past concentrate on vocational training only (HSRC, 1995:35). As part of such an integrated approach, education, training and development should not be seen as separate entities, but as one unit within the larger field of human resource development, i.e. the development of all those involved in Education, Training and Development (ETD), must be ranked as one of the biggest priorities in South Africa (National Training Board, 1995a:5). In November 1993, Working Committee 3 of the NTB submitted a report on "Trainer Development", under the title of "Education, Training and Development Practitioner" (NTB Annexure A, 1995c:2) thus starting a process of integrating the ETD field. Those involved in ETD were referred to as Education, Training and Development Practitioners (ETDP). The original task given to Working Committee 3 reads as follows: "Develop a South African competency-based model for trainers. Identify requirements for registration, certification, accreditation and recognition of existing qualifications and experience or competency in a national integrated certification/qualification structure." The ETDP competency model must be based on outcomes/outputs as a central focus, that will link the ETDP competency model with the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), thus ensuring registration, certification, accreditation and recognition of existing qualifications and experience (NTB, 1995c:21. To ensure that the ETDP Model complies to the requirements of the NQF (NTB, 1995a:5) it must be described in terms of: Roles; Outputs/Outcomes; Quality Standards; Competencies linked to outputs/outcomes; Range variables; and Levels of complexity.

M.Ed. (Tertiary and Adult Education) / Tertiary institutions experience a big influx of adult learners which increases the demand for capable adult educators. A need was identified to train or refresh adult educators in teaching techniques suitable for adult learners. Group methods have been identified as an effective teaching method to use in adult education as it provides the adult learner with the opportunity to use his/her experience and to be selfdirective in his/her studies. Selfstudy modules has been selected as an appropriate training method for adult educators as it is regarded as a cost-effective method to develop adult educators by means of distance education. A study of literature and descriptive research were conducted to determine the structure and requirements of a selfstudy unit as well as the essentials of group work. The information obtained was used to construct a selfstudy module dealing with the facilitating of adult learning by means of group methods. The following issues were addressed in the selfstudy module: 1) The use of group methods in the teaching-learning situation. 2) The essence of group methods and cooperative learning. 3) The characteristics of adult learners and their learning orientation towards learning. 4) Planning of group work by the adult educator. 5) The roll of the educator during group work. 6) Evaluating the group process, group efforts and individual achievements. Each of these topics was succeeded by an assignment to assist the adult educator to work through the module systematically and to evaluate his/her progress at regular intervals. On completion of the module he/she should be more equipped to fulfill his/her role as facilitator of group discussion.

Workplace literacy is a movement that has gained popularity in our society in the last decade. Despite the prolific amount of literature on the subject, very little research has been done to determine how teachers are functioning in this new setting. The problem addressed by this study involved how teachers move into a new workplace literacy setting and the issues they face as they establish their classes in this new setting. The purpose of the study was to determine the kinds of issues which teachers might encounter as they move into this setting. Questions about how teachers experience moving into a workplace literacy setting located at the job site was examined through qualitative research. A case study narrative providing rich description was conducted. about one national workplace literacy project from the beginning of the project throughout the eighteen-month grant period. Classroom observations, participant observations, and interviews were completed. The method of constant comparison was used to analyze the data for patterns of similarity and dissimilarity. Six principal categories emerged from the data. The findings are presented in six broad categories: (a) a definition of workplace literacy; (b) awareness of company culture; (c) company involvement; (d) the workplace literacy student; (e) the workplace literacy classroom; and (f) the role of the teacher. From these findings, conclusions were drawn about teacher training materials for individuals in workplace literacy settings. It was determined that a need does exist for a usable teacher's manual containing information regarding workplace literacy programs. Additional research is necessary; one suggestion included replicating this study in another workplace literacy project to determine whether similar issues would emerge. / Ed. D.

The aim of this study was to develop a high-quality, experience-based, accredited training course that would bring black literacy workers into the ABET materials writing field. The report begins by setting the context of ABET in South Africa, then describing the literature on a wide variety of materials development projects in South Africa and other developing countries, some of which can be used as models for the proposed course. Training courses in fields outside ABET also inform the study. Through a combination of questionnaires and interviews, the study explores the needs of institutions concerned with ABET materials as well as the needs and skills of potential trainees. Ten specialists were interviewed: Seven were ABET practitioners representing a tertiary institution, NGOs and government and three were involved in educational publishing.They identified the need for relevant practical materials in all South African languages and learning areas, and said a training course should stress thinking skills, writing skills, visual literacy and a firm grasp of the process and economics of book production. Thirty eight potential trainees were contacted through questionnaires and focus groups. They were positive about the proposed course and alerted the researcher to logistical issues regarding finances and timing. All respondents said the course must be accredited in line with NQF requirements. The main tension that arose in the interviews was around priorities. While all the experts said training in the production of materials was important, it had to viewed as a luxury in light of extremely limited resources and urgent demands for delivery. Finally a proposed course is described, consisting of a 12-module, part-time course lasting approximately one year.

This was a comparative study of FAL and REFLECT'S adult literacy facilitator training processes in Uganda. It was based on the government's Functional Adult Literacy (FAL) programme, and Action Aid Uganda's (AAU) REFLECT Programmes.The purpose of this study was to: Find out the similarities and differences between the FAL and REFLECT facilitator training process. Establish how FAL and REFLECT facilitator training is organised. Establish how FAL and REFLECT facilitators are selected for training. Identify the teaching and learning materials used for training FAL and REFLECT literacy facilitators. Find out how the trained facilitators of FAL and REFLECT feel about the training and the approach they have been trained to use. Establish the kind of post training support arrangements provided for the trained adult literacy facilitators under FAL and REFLECT. These issues were all raised in the form of research questions and answered by the study. A qualitative research study was used to address the research questions. This included the use of focus group discussions, key informant interviews, questionnaires, direct observation and documentary analysis. The findings of this study are presented in chapter four under various headings applicable to both FAL and REFLECT. These are: the ideological view of literacy, selection of trainees and trainers, the training programmes, the training materials, funding for the training, employment arrangements after training, post training support arrangements, and evaluation of the training programme. From the findings, a general conclusion was drawn that the training processes of FAL and REFLECT were similar in the areas of organisation of the training programmes, selection of trainees, the sources of funding for the training programmes, deployment of trainees and evaluation of the training. Differences were found in the ideology which informs the two literacy approaches and therefore the training programmes for the literacy facilitators, the training methods and materials used and the post training support arrangements made for the trained literacy facilitators. The study concludes that the FAL and REFLECT literacy facilitator training is different. REFLECT has a better approach to training their literacy facilitators than FAL, although both approaches have many areas which should be improved for better training of their literacy facilitators. It was also noted that the differences between FAL and REFLECT occur in areas which are crucial for the success of a training programme and the performance of the trainees. This could explain the difference in the performance and effectiveness of the programmes using the two approaches. The recommendations call for serious attention to be given to the training of adult literacy facilitators to ensure that only qualified people are entrusted with the work of teaching adult literacy. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, Durban, 2002.

Thesis (MEdPsych (Educational Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / According to the latest available statistics, 9 million people in South Africa are illiterate. A large number of these people did not attend school. This can be attributed to a number of factors, amongst others no entry to any form of schooling, economic realities and a expectation of low quality of life It is especially after 1994 that Adult Basic Education and Training was scrutinized in order to address the backlogs. A more closer investigation has shown that the adult education centres at a convenient sample of 3 secondary schools in the Western Cape (N = 18) are merely an extension of mainstream education, without taking into account the notion of the Andragogy (The Teaching of Adults). This study aims to determine guidelines to assist the educator of adults on the path to empowerment, in order to help to ensure the above scientific accountability

The professional literature contains little or no documentation of university curriculum in adult education that deals with ethical practice. Nor is there evidence indicating what graduate students learn about ethics in their professional studies.Purposes of this study were to identify: (a) the extent to which university graduates, at the doctoral level, in adult education were aware of ethical dilemmas in their practice; (b) how practitioners determined ethical behavior; (c) the influence of graduate studies on determining ethical situations; (d) self perceptions of preparedness to face ethical dilemmas; and (e) the extent to which adult educators rely on codes of ethics.The study sought to answer the following questions: (a) Are adult education practitioners aware of ethical dilemmas in their practice? (b) How often do they encounter ethical dilemmas in their practice? (c) Do they have a way to determine ethical behavior in their practice? (d) How do they describe the impact of their graduate work on their ability to make ethical decisions? (e) How do they perceive their preparedness to face ethical dilemmas? (f) Do they consider codes of ethics when making decisions?Findings include: (a) over 90% of the respondents indicated they are aware of ethical dilemmas/situations in their work; (b) while all respondents indicated that they faced ethical dilemmas in areas such as program planning, marketing of programs, evaluation of programs, and in the teaching of adults approximately two thirds said they encountered them infrequently; (c) virtually all respondents indicated they had determined what ethical behavior was in their practice and cited personal values and religious beliefs as the two primary sources of information; (d) 83.3% of participants described graduate work as a significant factor in their ability to make ethical decisions; (e) s significant majority (89.0%) of participants indicated they were very well or well prepared to face ethical dilemmas; and (f) less than half indicated they used a code of ethics in their decision making process.Conclusions from the study include: (a) ethical dilemmas are perceived to be pervasive in the practice of adult education, (b) a person's own value system and religious beliefs were the most influential on impacting the way participants approached ethical dilemmas, (c) although professional knowledge obtained in graduate school was deemed influential, it was not deemed more important than one's personal values and beliefs.Recommendations include: (a) further study is needed to probe the specific elements raised on evaluation of students as an area of ethical concern, (b) further study could reveal why practitioners differ with regard to the frequency of encountering dilemmas, (c) if a deeper understanding of the value of graduate school is to be achieved more study is necessary, (d) a clearer understanding of the value of codes of ethics is needed. / Department of Educational Leadership

D.Phil. / The purpose of this research is to develop a curriculum framework for a distance education course in sustainable urban agriculture, whereby it is envisaged to train the trainers of urban farmers. The factors which motivated this study are mainly socioeconomic and ecological in nature and include the food crisis of the urban poor, unsustainable agricultural practices, malnutrition, starvation, health risks and high population growth in cities. Sustainability in urban agriculture implicates a need for environmental education and ecological agriculture. An exploratory and descriptive research design was used in the empirical study to determine the feasibility of an urban agriculture course through distance education. The need for Environmental Education in this course as well as the best media to use for the course were determined. Secondly, the policies and assistance by local governments to establish an infrastructure for practising sustainable urban agriculture, aimed at improving socio-economic and environmental sustainability, were determined. In both these cases a quantitative research study was undertaken, using a questionnaire as the data collecting instrument and a research survey as the method of enquiry. The sampling population was purposively selected. The questionnaires were coded and the data from the closed-ended questions was computer-analysed while data from the open-ended questions was content analysed, using Kerlinger's method of content analysis. Thirdly, a literature study was done on the educational philosophies and the philosophical base undergirding this curriculum as well as curriculum design models and sources of change, influencing this curriculum. A curriculum design model was chosen to serve as a theoretical foundation for designing an urban agriculture curriculum. Finally an empirical study with a discriptive and exploratory research design was undertaken in a qualitative research study to set the curriculum framework for a distance education course in urban agriculture.

This study investigated the physical affective, cognitive and volitional problems of the learner in adult basic education (ABE) with reference to the learner's relationship towards the tutor, the learning content, the self, and family and friends. The research design provided for a literature study of ABE in South Africa, as well as the personhood and relationships of the ABE learner. This was done to arrive at a research hypothesis concerning the relative impact of various categories of problems on the ABE learner. The empirical summary had both quantitative and qualitative components. It was found that ABE learners are influenced by the following factors, listed in order of impact: affective problems; cognitive problems; problems related to the learning content, physical problems and problems related to family and friends. Positive fmdings were that volitional problems and problems related to tutors were relatively less significant. In its recommendations the study emphasises the crucial role of, and need for professionally trained adult basic educators who can deal effectively with the personal and contextual problems of ABE learners. Moreover, the typical perseverance of ABE learners demands the establishment of excellent and responsive infrastructure for ABE provision, inter alia in provincial education departments. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)