D.Ed. / The purpose of this research is to create a managerial training model to address the classroom and workshop management skills of teachers responsible for Farm Mechanics at agricultural schools. The research mainly comprises four sections. Firstly, literature exists on the inception and development of agricultural education since Pestalozzi's sense-perception and self-activity was regarded as fundamental to knowledge and education, up to present day implementation of outcomes-based education. Outcomes-based education is a new method whereby the existing gaps in education are inter alia, addressed as a whole. This presents a challenge to the agricultural school, the teachers, the parents and the community. The agricultural school with its colourful history, is a vocationally directed institution that serves the agricultural community in which it is situated in a special way — more specifically by introducing Farm Mechanics with its broad technical impact. On account of the multidisciplinary nature of Farm Mechanics as an educational presentation, stiff demands are made on the teacher, who usually lacks initial training and technical experience. Farm Mechanics covers approximately seven trades extending over the three main engineering fields namely, civil, electrical, and mechanical. Instruction and teaching are widely regarded as the most important tasks the teacher must fulfil in order to ensure that learners realise their full potential during and after their school days. One of the main reasons that students at tertiary institutions are performing badly and that novices in industry and agriculture are untrainable, is, among others, the shortcomings of teachers regarding classroom expertise and management skills. This problem can be overcome through a well-planned management training programme. The role of in-service training is an important instrument in coping with change and can be used to address the particular and distinctive training needs of the Farm Mechanics teacher.Secondly, an empirical study using qualitative- and quantitative research methods was done (phase one). The qualitative research consisted of interviews with Farm Mechanics teachers and educational specialists in agricultural- and technical fields of study. During these interviews certain problem factors were identified. The quantitative research was used to verify the qualitative research. This involved an analysis of the two most recent examinations in which the problem areas in the grade 8 to 12 syllabi occurred. With this information as basis, the pre-test questionnaire (phase two) was compiled. To obtain appropriate representation, a group of 21 Farm Mechanics teachers were chosen from two provinces to form the experimental and control group. The pre-test questionnaire was completed by the Farm Mechanics teachers and was analysed to determine the training needs in order to develop a management training model. Thirdly, different curriculum development models were probed in order to enable the researcher to develop a suitable management training model for the in-service training of Farm Mechanics teachers at agricultural schools. The results of the pre-test were used to perceive trends and to develop a management training programme addressing all the identified training requirements for Farm Mechanics teachers. Furthermore, a general management training model and more specifically the management training programme, were evaluated with a post-test questionnaire (phase three). After the completion of the post-test by the experimental- and control group, the information was processed. According to the results the attendance of the management training programme has shown a statistically significant improvement by the experimental group in their professional management skills. Deficiencies were however experienced in some management areas and recommendations were made in this regard. This research gives a synopsis of education management problems experienced by Farm Mechanics teachers at agricultural schools. The research does not provide for instant solutions for all problems which Farm Mechanics teachers experience in classroom and workshop management, but does give rise to optimism for positive co-operation and the continued search to improve agricultural education. Lastly, this research emphasises the fact that education and learning can only succeed if the teacher, as facilitator, commands effective classroom and workshop skills, as well as management expertise.

M.Ed. (Media Studies) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

The restructuring of higher education through incorporations and mergers has attracted a lot of attention over the past few years in South Africa. These incorporations and mergers have displaced institutions of higher education and positioned them in new organisational homes, thus subjecting faculties, schools and departments to a process of relocation, new knowledge acquisition, identity change and meaning-making processes. The merger has resulted in three types of universities; i.e. traditional universities, comprehensive universities and universities of technology. The introduction of the comprehensive university as a new institutional type has brought with it questions about the idea of the university and the purpose of higher education in general. Mergers in particular have initiated conversations about sense-making and meaning during change. Amidst all this, people within the merging institution have been confronted with a new organisation with which they have to identify. At universities in particular, questions about academic identity and organisational identity have become unavoidable. The boundaries that gave definition to a university have been (re)moved. The structure of the university, as it was known, has changed. Hence, in the newly merged NMMU, academics are in the process of internalising and giving meaning to the new organisational values and norms of a comprehensive university. Needless to say, the challenges facing the newly merged NMMU are cultural, structural and geographic. Bringing together different institutional and personal cultures involves a human dimension that needs to be nurtured by trying to form a coherent and cohesive organisation that is created from culturally diverse and uncomplementary institutions. Another challenge is bringing together different organisational structures, systems and programmes that are informed by different institutional cultures. Furthermore, the challenge of having multiple campuses that are geographically separated exacerbates the situation. Along with all these challenges, the NMMU has the task of constructing an integrated institutional identity through organisational forms and programme models that will embody the multiple functions that are typical of a comprehensive university. The aim of the current study was to explore how the meanings that academics assign to the notion of a comprehensive university are instrumental in constructing an organisational identity; describing in detail how at the NMMU academics make meaning of the comprehensive university and how that meaning-making process influences the construction of an organisational identity; and formulating recommendations based on the qualitative findings and quantitative results of the research. In an effort to achieve the aim alluded to above, this study employed the mixed methods approach that used a sequential, exploratory, transformative design. The complexity of the study was such that it required to be investigated through qualitative and quantitative analytical methods in order to confirm, triangulate and obtain a holistic picture of the situation under investigation. The sample for the qualitative interviews consisted of thirteen purposefully selected academics from all levels at the NMMU. The interviews were transcribed and coded into themes, categories and sub-categories. These themes were then developed and translated into statements for the questionnaire that was administered randomly to all NMMU academics. A total of 108 academics responded to the questionnaire. The responses to the questionnaire were analysed using the SPSS programme. The findings and results of the study revealed that there was a fairly common understanding of the term comprehensive university among academics. However, the details about its procedures appeared to be the privileged ownership of management. This situation mitigated the necessity for a sense-making process that would allow for negotiation, modification and alteration of already held assumptions. A pertinent concern amongst academics was the neglect of the ‘human factor’ during the change process. The management style also came under scrutiny, especially in terms of the facilitation and mediation of change. There was a consensus on the call for cohesion and unity that was believed to be one of the main features that would make the construction of the NMMU organisational identity possible. The vision, mission and values of the NMMU were believed to be central to the creation of cohesion and unity, which would subsequently result in the birth of an organisational culture that could inform the organisational identity of the NMMU. Strategies to actualise and realise the organisational identity were proposed by participants. Notwithstanding, the impact of the merger was identified as having a major influence in shaping the organisational identity of the NMMU.

This study examines the nature and character of consensus and contentions around the discourse of community engagement in a South African university context. This is against the background of the growing body of literature that advocates for the need for universities to make their impact felt in communities in more direct ways than through teaching and research. The examination is also against the background of the assumption that the success or failure of community engagement initiatives is, in part, a function of how stakeholders agree/disagree on the meaning and purpose of community engagement. The University of Fort Hare is used as a case study. Interviews and Focus Group Discussions were used for qualitative data collection, whilst a survey was conducted for gathering quantitative data. The study revealed that stakeholders attach different meanings to community engagement, with those possessing power and influence acting as key decision makers. Thus powerful stakeholders (in this case, the university and donor organizations) are at the core of the decision making process, while beneficiaries are pushed to the periphery. Moreover, both the meanings and the activities within which they cohere have important implications for the way beneficiary communities perceive university-community partnerships.

This study is about internationalization activity in the British Columbia university colleges. It discusses the environmental context, identifies the types of internationalization activities which occur and discusses the impact of this activity on faculty, staff and administrative work. The investigation employs a nested case study with units of analysis occurring at five levels. The university college sector is the first level; second, its senior officers; third, its deans and directors; fourth, faculty members; and fifth, staff members. Data collection involved individual and focus group interviews, compiling documentary and historical records, participant-observation and on-site visits to each university college. M y intent was to learn about internationalization, to identify the factors influencing its activity and to discover how the activity influences the university college environment. The research provided six key findings on internationalization in the university colleges: (1) the meaning of internationalization is heavily influenced by the external environment; (2) the university college workplace is shaped by growing numbers of international students; ( 3) the university colleges have been very successful in attracting international students to their programs; (4) internationalization work is both under-valued and under-supported at the university colleges; (5) a separation exists between international education and faculty areas and results in a number of misperceptions; (6) the university colleges are faced with leadership challenges. The key findings presented five general conclusions about internationalization in the university colleges: (1) internationalization efforts do not have a legitimate voice nationally, provincially or locally; (2) an institutional discussion and debate regarding the role and purpose of internationalization has not happened at the university colleges; (3) the university colleges run the risk of becoming overly dependent on a 'soft money' source to fund ongoing financial commitments; (4) the university colleges face some ethical challenges as they grapple with the economic imperative of internationalization; (5) the university colleges face an inherent structural challenge that creates tension within and between their internal and external communities. Policy and practice recommendations are made to government, to higher educators and in particular to the university colleges. The limitations of the study and suggestions for further research are provided. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate

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This study surveyed 15 teachers from an elementary school in Southern California regarding their perceptions of their use of the computer lab as an educational tool to develop student higher order level thinking skills, and compared the results to the actual computer lab activities they assigned. Data regarding actual computer lab practices was collected over a period of one school year. This data was analyzed and categorized by using Bloom's Taxonomy descriptors. Each computer lab activity was scaled and given a value using these descriptors of higher order thinking skills. Results indicated a difference between teacher's perceptions and skills targetted in assigned computer activities.

This thesis examines how school libraries and academic libraries work with certain aspects of academic literacy in order to prepare pupils for higher education. The starting point of the thesis is the proposal for a new national strategy for Swedish libraries, published in March 2019, where educational libraries are presented as a coherent chain. The aim with the thesis is to find out whether there is a gap between upper secondary school libraries and academic libraries, in how they work with academic preparation. The purpose is to map the work already executed in the area and how the libraries’ mission has been stated. Data is collected in two web surveys: one sent out to staff at upper secondary school libraries and one to staff at academic libraries. The respondents answered questions about their current work and how the mission is perceived. The scientific method used is influenced by on-going evaluation. To define preparation areas, theory about academic literacy is applied.   To define the mission of educational libraries related laws, documents and other relevant information has been analysed. Responses from  the surveys help answering questions about executed work, perception of mission and experiences of a possible knowledge gap.   In documents related to statements of the libraries’ mission it is clear that school libraries play a part in helping schools reach common goals such as academic preparation. Academic libraries have less of pedagogical missions stated for them but out of tradition both libraries already work pedagogically with academic literacy. A gap could be surmised when staff at the school libraries say they work with a specific area of literacy and staff at academic libraries perceive new students to have insufficient knowledge in the same area. The thesis concludes with suggestions to improve the libraries’ work with college preparation. On a national and municipal level there is a need for a more clearly defined mission to assure equivalence for all pupils. Schools are suggested to develop business plans on their own to adapt the national and municipal mission statements to local conditions. Academic libraries are suggested to start cooperating with upper secondary schools. This is a two years master’s thesis in Library and Information Science.

Many changes are occurring in community colleges offering baccalaureate degrees across the nation, especially in the state of Florida where 24 of 28 colleges in the Florida College System are offering baccalaureate degrees. The impact of these institutions shifting their missions from associate to baccalaureate degree offerings is unknown on a key area of the college - Student Affairs. The purpose of this study was to describe and document the perceived changes in and lessons learned about Student Affairs programs at two large, multi-campus colleges in the Florida College System offering Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) and Bachelor of Science (BS) programs. The primary sources of data collected for this study were from 27 interviews with college administrators and staff and from 22 documents. District and campus-based administrators were selected based on their influence over, or knowledge of, Student Affairs programming at all degree levels and/or specifically at the baccalaureate degree level. Professional and support staff members were selected based on their direct involvement with the delivery or support of Student Affairs programs for baccalaureate students. The five major findings, based on a cross-case analysis, were (a) a focus on operations, (b) struggling with philosophical directions, (c) changes occurring in personnel and operational processes, (d) no change in several areas, and (e) lessons learned in cultural shift. This study concluded that the 2+2 admissions model is confusing to students, and it does not always allow for seamless financial aid coverage, which may be creating "leakages" in the community college baccalaureate (CCB) student success pipeline. Additional staff and resources are needed in the areas of admissions, recruitment, and advising. Several new and/or revised operational processes took place in the areas of admissions, recruitment, registration and records, and financial aid. Although student development theories still are seen as an important foundation of Student Affairs work, each college was struggling with their philosophical directions as a CCB institution. Finally, a majority of participants expressed a resistance to the change of becoming a CCB institution, not understanding if they still were a community college or if they were moving closer to becoming a 4-year university. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

The problem of this study is a comparison of minimum competencies needed for high school graduation as perceived by local professional educators to those perceived by the local school community. The source of data is Community Survey of Essential Student Skills. This survey instrument is a rating of the importance of minimum competencies by 1,931 patrons in the local school community. A total number of 401 professional educators had previously rated these competencies. The following conclusions are based on the analysis of each hypothesis and observations during the study. 1. There is an increasing amount of emphasis in the literature that major perceptual differences exist between professional educators and school communities. Educators need to identify and act upon the perceptions of their patrons. Increased emphasis upon community involvement is supported by findings of this study. For example, the community could be involved in curriculum development for life skills. Patrons, students and parents could serve on advisory committees to school boards. 2. There is evidence that increased communication efforts are needed to narrow the gap between perceptions of educators and school communities. Educators perceived the reading and writing skills in this study as Essential but patrons did not. Better clarification to patrons relating to why and how skills are taught would be helpful. Otherwise, it will appear to patrons that schools are out of step with requirements for coping in today's society. 3. Inflation has increased the cost of education, and taxpayers are not willing to support a system that they feel may not be doing an effective job. While there is a large majority of the American public that still has confidence in schools as indicated by the 1978 Gallup Poll, there needs to be a bolstering of support. It behooves educators to set and monitor expectations of achievement, provide resources to meet needs of diverse students, inform and involve patrons and promote a caring, disciplined atmosphere in all classrooms.