This study encompasses a reflection of the way back at the beginning of the democratic South Africa when there was an immense yearning for a curriculum which could transform the education system in South Africa into a new national system for schools. After numerous attempts, in search of a tangible, user-friendly curriculum, Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) was finally brought forth and at the moment, it is regarded as being the turning point of our education system and also geared at promoting the highest possible standard of education in all schools in South Africa. This study investigates some problems experienced at the apex of the management and implementation of CAPS, especially in some schools in rural areas. It focuses on some of the drawbacks which are putting a strain on the smooth running of schools during these prime stages of curriculum implementation such as disciplinary problems, overcrowded classes, large workloads for educators, the gap between well-resourced and under resourced schools as well as non-delivery of textbooks to schools in some provinces. This study examines how school management teams (SMTs), imbued with management and leadership responsibilities are able to put up systems that will ensure that evaluation, assessment and monitoring tools are utilised effectively in support of teaching and learning in schools. It is against this background that this study is therefore informed and guided by the instructional leadership paradigm which, if correctly engaged, can effectively strengthen curriculum management and implementation. For the purpose of conducting empirical research, the mixed method design was used as it offers a wider scope of collecting data and promotes triangulation. Six schools were selected on the basis of proximity to the school I am attached to, two primary schools and four secondary schools. All these were done after having obtained ethical clearance with the College of Education at Unisa and permission from the Limpopo Department of Education. Questionnaires were distributed to all educators in the six schools to fill, while one-to-one interviews were conducted with the principals of each of the six selected schools. The research highlighted that instructional leadership is critical in the implementation of CAPS with the SMTs members affirming their commitment to various aspects of instructional leadership. Furthermore, the findings also affirmed the opportunities that shared leadership offered schools to share moral purpose. However, the findings also enumerate lack of resources, lack of curriculum knowledge and larger workloads of teachers as crucial factors that inhibit the implementation of CAPS. As a result of this research, a number of recommendations and opportunities for further research are offered to Limpopo schools and their SMTs, the systemic authorities responsible for Limpopo Education and for those responsible specifically for policy making and curriculum development in the South African education system. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)

The education ministry has introduced a number of important curriculum forms, including Curriculum 2005 (C2005) in 1998, the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) in 2002, and most recently, the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) in 2012 in Grade 10. The latter was aimed at replacing the NCS in order to improve the quality of teaching and learning. The need for replacement was necessitated by problems that teachers experienced concerning understanding and implementing various previous curriculum policies. The literature study and theoretical framework explored scholarly contributions that are relevant to CAPS implementation. The purpose of this study is to determine teachers‟ perceptions, and identify and clarify possible barriers relating to the implementation of CAPS in Grade 10 in selected schools at Ndwedwe in Durban. For sampling purposes, rural disadvantaged schools were selected to explore the knowledge and experiences teachers hold with regard to curriculum implementation. Exploratory qualitative research design was executed with a sample of purposively selected participants which constitute one Head of Department and two teachers from each of the five different schools. Data collection was facilitated by means of interviews. The findings revealed that teachers were at first eager to welcome and accept CAPS. Furthermore, this study indicated that some challenges emerged and impeded teachers from effectively implementing CAPS. The challenges experienced relate to resource shortages, teacher training, resistance to change, class size, lack of time, professional development, workload, administrative support, monitoring and language as a barrier ( on the part of the learners). The study argues that without proper infrastructure, schools can neither hope nor manage to successfully implement CAPS. Based on the findings from literature and interviews, teachers still need immediate assistance with CAPS related matters. Recommendations are made to teachers, head of departments, principals, subject advisors, DBE and parents to aid effective implementation of CAPS. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

Currently, South African special need schools that cater for intellectually disabled learners are implementing the continuous assessment policy statement (CAPS). This study explored the CAPS curriculum which is used in special needs schools, in order to determine whether or not it can develop disabled learners intellectually. In other words, can the curriculum be used to ensure that disabled learners are also prepared for future employment opportunities? Disabled learners also have a constitutional right to be lead through education to independent adulthood. This study looks at the characteristics of the intellectually disabled. It mentions some of the official South African documents in this regard and then discusses the theory of Paolo Freire. The researcher addresses two programmes that she feels could improve the curriculum quality of learners with special needs in special needs schools. A few negative aspects, as well as the time frame for South Africa to completely implement inclusive education, according to the White Paper, contributed to this research. Comparisons are drawn between two international policies and acts and South African policies and programmes, in order to determine the effectiveness and standard of South African inclusive education. This research was conducted in a special needs school in a suburb of Laudium in the Gauteng Province South Africa. It was a qualitative study and adopted a case study design. The researcher collected data from the principal, HOD, occupational therapist, two teachers and an administrative staff member, who were the participants in the study, using a questionnaire as an instrument for data collection. Inclusive analysis was used to narrate and explain the data. The researcher found that the CAPS curriculum does not equip, prepare or develop learners who are intellectually disabled. The teachers and staff members feel that they need more training and development to support learners with special educational needs, together with a suitable curriculum to ensure effective teaching and learning. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

The purpose of this study is to explore what knowledge and experiences teachers hold about curriculum implementation and how their knowledge and experiences influence teaching and learning practices. This study is qualitative in nature and adopted a case study research design to explore the Foundation Phase teachers’ experiences of curriculum implementation. Semi-structured interviews, observations, and document analyses were used for collecting data. The study utilised a constructivist theoretical framework on knowledge and experiences of curriculum implementation. Four Foundation Phase teachers from two different schools in the Eastern Cape Province were interviewed and observed. Document analysis was used to corroborate the data collected through observations and interviews. The findings indicated that teachers had different knowledge levels and understanding of curriculum content and components. Furthermore, this study revealed that teachers’ instructional planning was inadequate. It was indicated that teachers needed comprehensive training, relevant resources, monitoring and support, conducive teaching and learning environment, further orientation in teaching First Additional Language, multi-grade teaching skills, and parental cooperation in the education of children. The findings highlighted that, although teachers experienced challenges in curriculum implementation, there were some who showed willingness to implement curriculum changes and who acknowledged the benefits of NCS previous workshops. I recommend that in order to ensure that teachers implement curriculum changes according to the requirements; the Department of Education and curriculum designers must consider the context in which the curriculum has to be delivered. Amongst all other requirements for curriculum implementation, teachers have to be monitored and supported to enhance the quality of teaching and learning. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

The aim of this study is to report findings of inquiry into the role that problem-based approach can play in the teaching and learning of Technology in Thabo-Mofutsanyana District in Qwaqwa. This study followed qualitative research methods and ethnographic design informed by the researcher’s desire for the study to be conducted from firsthand knowledge generated in the research setting. The researcher interviewed Grade 9 Technology teachers and experts, observed teaching and learning in two participating and two non-participating secondary schools in Murray & Roberts Technology Olympiad and analysed Technology teachers’ lesson plans and workschedules, portfolios and files of Grade 9 Technology learners. Key findings that this study produced include: PBL is a need in the teaching of Technology; learners function at a higher level of thinking; learners treat concepts at higher and deeper level; learners become more motivated and learners are able to discover theories and make inventions. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Didactics)

The purpose of this study was to design components that should be included in a framework for the use of a classroom interaction approach as a strategy in teaching English as First Additional Language to enhance learners’ communicative competence in the primary schools. The previous research advocates that classroom interaction activities can provide opportunities for the facilitation of the additional language, as they encourage meaningful interaction in the target language and active learner participation. Moreover, a classroom interaction approach helps learners to construct their own learning while expressing themselves in the additional language. In the English First Additional Language (EFAL) settings, where it is an ongoing challenge to provide learners with practical learning and interactive learning opportunities, interaction activities such as discussion, storytelling, role-play, reading aloud and debate are seen as promising strategies, though there is superficial implementation of some of these activities in the Intermediate Phase EFAL classrooms. This multiple case study investigated the nature and scope of classroom interaction in teaching EFAL to enhance learners’ communicative competence. The study explored the teachers’ understanding of classroom interaction, teachers and learners’ beliefs and attitudes and the strategies used by the teachers in teaching EFAL in the classrooms. The research was undertaken at two public primary schools, but the focus was on the Intermediate Phase at Ekurhuleni North District of Gauteng Province. It was found that most of the teachers understood the classroom interaction approach but it was not implemented in some EFAL classrooms as teachers still use the teacher-centred method while learners remain passive receivers. The study recommends that EFAL teachers should be trained to implement the classroom interaction using the interactive activities in additional language and create a conducive teaching and learning environment that permits the learners’ participation; the schools should have a parental involvement policy as a means of encouraging parents to be involved in their children’s learning; policy makers should include debate as an interactive activity in the CAPS document teaching plans in order for the teachers to fully implement it; and parents should be trained on how to assist with homework tasks and take responsibility for their children’s learning. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has associated the poor pass rate in the National Senior Certificate (NSC) Grade 12 Physical Sciences examinations to the learners’ lack of practical skills and the inability of learners to solve problems by integrating knowledge from the different topics in Physical Sciences. The CAPS (Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement) is central to the planning, organising and teaching of Physical Sciences. Even though more than a third of the learners achieved below 30% in the NSC Grade 12 Physical Sciences: Physics (P1) November 2017 examination, there was a lack of references made to the CAPS, rationalising the poor performance. A disjointed alignment between the CAPS and the P1 is a possible cause for the poor performance. Since there have been no previous studies that investigated the alignment between the CAPS and the P1, this study aims to fill that gap. This study used a positivist research paradigm and a case study research strategy. A purposive sampling procedure selected the CAPS Grades 10 – 12 Physical Sciences document; the Physical Sciences Examination Guidelines Grade 12 documents and the final and supplementary P1 examinations in the period starting November 2014 to March 2018 as the documents for analysis. A summative content analysis research technique was conducted using the Surveys of Enacted Curriculum (SEC) research method. The SEC method employed the use of the four topics of Grade 12 Physics and the four non-hierarchical levels of cognitive demand as described in the modified version of Bloom’s taxonomy. The physics topics included mechanics; waves, sound and light; electricity and magnetism; and optical phenomena. The cognitive demand levels included recall; comprehension; application and analysis; and synthesis and evaluation. This study found a 100 percent categorical coherence, a 67.3 percent balance of representation, a 79.4 percent cognitive complexity and an average Porter’s alignment index of 0.77 between the CAPS and the P1. The overall Cohen’s kappa for all the documents analysed was 0.88. The findings of this study indicate that the mechanics topic was under-emphasised whilst the application and analysis cognitive demand was over-emphasised in the P1. The CAPS and the P1 did not utilise the highest cognitive demand, synthesis and evaluation which may be interpreted as an environment that fosters lower order thinking. To change this environment of lower order thinking and simultaneously increase the alignment between the CAPS and the P1 this study recommends that firstly, the CAPS decreases the recall based content of the mechanics topic. Secondly, the CAPS and the P1 increase the synthesis and evaluation cognitive demand-based content at the expense of the recall cognitive demand-based content. Thirdly, the CAPS must include the content of the school-based physics practical assessments while decreasing the focus on physics definitions. The ultimate aim is an improvement in the pass rates of the NSC Grade 12 Physical Sciences examinations. / Science and Technology Education / M. Sc. (Mathematics, Science and Technology Education (Physics Education))

The paradigm shift in teaching from the teacher-centred approach to the learner-centred approach in recent years has impacted on the way teachers go about their duties in the classroom. This paradigm shift necessitated this research with the aim of investigating how the Student Teams Achievement Division (STAD) technique can be used as a cooperative learning technique to teach EFAL in Kwazulu-Natal. The purpose of this study was to design a framework for the implementation of STAD as a cooperative teaching strategy for EFAL teachers by gleaning literature on teaching and learning, cooperative learning and STAD in chapters two to four of this study. Empirical research, by way of a survey and focus group discussions were also conducted in four out of the twelve districts in the Kwazulu-Natal Province to help solidify the framework designed in this study. In striving to get in-depth insight into this study, the post-positivist-constructivist paradigm, which calls for the mixed methods research design was employed for the collection and analysis of data. Specifically, the Likert scale survey questionnaire and focus group discussions were used to collect data, through the sequential mixed methods design for the quantitative and qualitative phases of this study respectively, from a sample of 220 respondents and twelve participants. The findings of this research indicated that the time spent in training teachers towards the implementation of the STAD technique was not adequate. That notwithstanding, it was indicative that teachers make efforts to implement the strategy in their teaching and the results proved to be very positive as the technique continues to help improve upon learners’ performances and builds in them qualities such as critical thinking skills, good discussion skills and positive collaborative learning. In the nutshell, the literature study, the findings of the empirical research and the recommendation of this study forms the basis for designing the framework for the implementation of STAD as a teaching strategy for EFAL teachers. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

The purpose of the research in this mini-dissertation was to explore the perceptions of teachers regarding the implementation of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) in one of the schools in Nzhelele West Circuit. The particular area was chosen because there are a number of rural, disadvantaged schools. The study further identified and clarified the possible obstacles to the implementation of CAPS. This study was exploratory and qualitative in nature, and adopted a case study research design to investigate teachers’ perceptions of the implementation of CAPS in the chosen area. The research was performed with a sample of purposively selected participants, namely the principal, one Head of Department, and four teachers. Semi-structured interviews, observation and document analyses were the methods of data collection. Document analysis was used to corroborate the data collected through observation and interviews. The findings indicated that teachers were not ready to accept and implement the new curriculum. Although the findings highlighted the differences in their knowledge regarding the introduction of CAPS, they shared the same sentiments regarding the interpretation and understanding of CAPS content and components. Furthermore, this study revealed that some encounters impeded teachers from successfully implementing the CAPS. It was clear that teachers required comprehensive orientation and further training on the subject, as well as relevant teaching and learning support material, support and frequent monitoring, proper infrastructure, and a conducive teaching and learning environment. The findings highlighted that without the mentioned challenges, it was not possible to successfully implement CAPS. Based on the findings from interviews, observations and document analysis, the study made the following recommendations: in order to ensure effective CAPS implementation, the Department of Education and curriculum designers have to consult widely and involve teachers and parents during the planning phase. In addition, teacher development has to be a priority in the process of introducing every new curriculum, and teachers need to be monitored and supported in order to enhance the quality of teaching and learning. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

Empirical research has confirmed the importance of supervision and support to subordinates in improving the quality of performance. This study investigated the nature of supervision and support provided at previously marginalised school-based Grade classes of the Gauteng North District, at Gauteng Province in South Africa. To meet this objective qualitative research design was used. The subjects of the study were all purposefully selected practitioners, Head of Departments and school principals. Data was collected through observations, documents analysis and semi structured interviews (individual and focus group). The total of 33 purposefully selected participants took part in the research. Participants were selected according to the socio-economic status of their schools. It included schools from rural, semi-rural, semi urban and farm areas. To analyse the information collected, responses were grouped into categories as they appear in the practitioners’ observation template and ATLAS ti. software themes for individual and focus group interviews. The findings showed that the nature of supervision and support provided in Grade classes compromised the quality of teaching. Practitioners were also very vocal about the absence of support they get with regard to classroom practices from the School Management Team (SMT). The Head of Departments also mentioned lack of knowledge of Grade R practices, work overload and limited time as challenges that inhibit them to provide the needed support. Their concerns were also confirmed by the findings of the conducted classroom observations. The mistakes and omissions made by practitioners when carrying out Grade R daily routine activities indicated a lack of proper guidance and support. It was also confirmed during practitioners’ interviews that, practitioners worked on their own without any classroom support or guidance. The problems noted were exacerbated by the lack of professional qualification of practitioners. This study made recommendations and proposed a functional model of supervision and support that could address the challenges of poor supervision and support at Grade R classes. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)