Thesis (M.Ed.) -- University of the North, 1992 / Refer to the document

Teachers want to be in schools where their identities are authentically affirmed. However, some educators in predominantly Black schools perceive that they are not always afforded the same level of value and respect as their colleagues in mostly White or mixed schools. Instead, teachers in predominantly Black schools seem to have experiences associated with frustrations that often go unheard of or dismissed for various reasons. Schools with predominantly Black student populations are often associated with challenges in retaining teachers, commonly referred to as teacher retention or teacher turnover. This turnover can have an impact on the academic progress of the students due to a lack of consistency in keeping qualified teachers. After working in a predominantly Black school for 3 years, I began to question the influence of teacher experiences in these areas and how they relate to the retention rate. Conversations with fellow staff members about perceived inequities and muted concerns prompted an interest in this study. There is a commonly held belief that schools with predominantly Black student populations face challenges in achieving consistent academic success compared to their counterparts. This study will examine the factors that influence teacher retention in predominantly Black schools by reviewing the experiences of those who teach in these schools. I used Narrative Inquiry to help understand the factors that play a role in encouraging or discouraging teachers from predominately Black areas.

Doctor Educationis / The Department of Education of the South Mrican Government of National Unity has accepted democratic governance as one of the principles of its education and training programme. At school level, especially at historically black schools, there is also an increasing demand for meaningful involvement in the decision-making that affects school policy. Unfortunately educational leaders have generally not been empowered to make a meaningful contribution to the transformation of the schools into democratic teaching and learning organizations. This motivated the decision to undertake this thesis. The focus on the democratization of instructional leadership is meant to serve as an example and catalyst for the democratization of all other aspects of the school. In order to contextualize the investigation the main approaches to schooling in South Africa were interrogated against the background of the conservative, liberal and radical theories of democracy in western capitalist societies. The main finding is that, in spite of obvious differences, South African schooling is essentially another form of mass education used as the legitimating apparatus of state ideology. Within this framework Christian-National Education and liberalism form the dominant educational discourse in South Africa while the aspirations of the majority of blacks find manifestation in People's Education which embodies radical/nco-Marxist theories. In spite of the claims of it being basically neutral and value free, educational leadership in South Africa has generally been used to legitimate and reproduce the existing hegemony. An investigation of the positivistic, interpretive and critical research paradigms indicated that, given the South African context, critical action research with its emphasis on, amongst others, collaborative participation, empowerment and emancipation is the most appropriate means to effect the democratization of instructional leadership. Relevant theories and research findings from the literature on action research were then explicated and made applicable to instructional leadership. Special emphasis was furthermore placed on practicalities like the preparation of instructional leaders for action research, the role of facilitators, and the transformation of the instructional mission, and the structures and interaction patterns of the school. The relatively radical nature of the practical suggestions necessitated the identification of the various personal, professional, societal and political constraints which might impede the envisaged consensual and facilitative leadership. Without depreciating the substantiality and magnitude of the constraints, possible solutions are proffered to overcome these constraints. In the true spirit of action research, an effort is made to avoid prescriptiveness due to the uniqueness of each situation. The successful implementation of action research will eventually depend on the commitment and willingness of all the main role players and stakeholders to collaborate fully in the pursuit of democratic instructional leadership. It thus becomes imperative that what is legitimated as privileged school experience should not be an endorsement of a particular culture or ideology. Instead instructional leadership should aim at developing emancipatory forms of consciousness so that teachers and pupils can not only be consumers but also producers of knowledge, who can reject and/or mediate knowledge which serves to reproduce the existing social order.

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Thesis (MEdPsych (Educational Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study was conducted within historically black schools in the Western Cape. According to (HSRP@historicsschools.org.za) historically Black schools are identified as schools which under the apartheid government were racially segregated schools, situated mainly in residential areas populated by people classified as black, for the exclusive use of people in this racial classification category. The purpose of this study was to explore educators', parents' and learner understands of epilepsy. This study uses an interpretive research framework to obtain in-depth data on educators', parents' and learner’s knowledge of epilepsy, reactions of educators towards learners with epilepsy, the effect of epilepsy on learning and the inclusion of learners with epilepsy in a regular class. The thematic content analysis was the method of analysis. Participants’ experiences with regard to epilepsy were reconstructed according to themes. Recurring themes were linked with the literature. This study found that educators, parents and learners had little idea what epilepsy entails and their beliefs were often moulded by inaccurate information. Educators have received little or no training to provide meaningful support for learners with epilepsy. Despite policy changes the needs of learners with epilepsy are not met in the classroom. Educators and parents insist that they need information, skills and clear guidelines regarding epilepsy. Research indicates that educators find it difficult to cope with the demands of these learners, and often experience frustration and failure. It could benefit the schools if a supporting programme is developed to provide practical and comprehensive guidelines to assist educators to support learners with epilepsy. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie navorsing is in histories swart skole in die Weskaap onderneem. HSRP@historicschools.org.za beskryf ‘histories swart skole’ as skole wat tydens die apartheid-regime op grond van ras gesegregeer was, hoofsaaklik binne residensiële areas wat bewoon is deur mense wat as swart geklassifiseer is, vir die eksklusiewe gebruik van mense van hierdie rasseklassifikasie. Die doel van hierdie navorsing is om opvoeders, ouers en leerders se begrip van epilepsie te ondersoek. ’n Interpretatiewe navorsingsraamwerk is gebruik om in-diepte gegewens rakende opvoeders, ouers en leerders se kennis van epilepsie, opvoeders se reaksie teenoor leerders met epilepsie, die uitwerking van epilepsie op leer, en die insluiting van leerders met epilepsie in gewone klasse, in te win. Die tematiese inhoudsanalise is gebruik as ondersoekmetode. Deelnemers aan die studie se ervaringe van epilepsie is volgens temas gerekonstrueer. Herhalende temas is met die literatuur oor die onderwerp verbind. Die navorsing het bevind dat opvoeders, ouers en leerders weinig benul het van wat epilepsie is, en dat hulle begrip daarvan dikwels deur onakkurate inligting gevorm is. Opvoeders ontvang weinig of geen opleiding om betekenisvolle ondersteuning aan leerders met epilepsie te gee. Ten spyte van beleidsveranderinge word daar nie aan die behoeftes van leerders met epilepsie in die klaskamer voldoen nie. Opvoeders en ouers hou vol dat hulle inligting, vaardighede en duidelike riglyne rakende epilepsie nodig het. Navorsing wys dat opvoeders dit moeilik vind om raad te weet met hierdie leerders se behoeftes, en dat hulle dikwels frustrasie ervaar en voel dat hulle misluk het in hulle pogings. Die ontwikkeling van ’n ondersteuningsprogram, wat praktiese en omvattende riglyne daarstel om opvoeders met die behoeftes van leerders met epilepsie te assisteer, kan tot die voordeel van skole wees.

This study investigated the effects of integration on two black high schools and their communities in East Tennessee. The purpose of the study was to show how integration impacted these two communities both negatively and positively. The research method was qualitative and used the case study approach. Interviews of former students, teachers, and administrators of these two schools was a primary source of data collection. Further analysis of the data used the qualitative software package QSR NUD*IST 4.0. Data gained from the interviews, coupled with historical and current literature, as well as other published documents in relation to these two schools added further support to the results. Conclusions of the study suggest that integration played a role in the demise of these two black communities. However, it was not the sole contributing factor. Integration was simply the catalyst for inevitable change.

As a contribution to the general problem of Negro education, this study has undertaken to compare the holding power of the Negro schools and the White schools in Fort Worth, Texas, to determine whether or not there is a significant difference. It is also the purpose of the study to discover and analyze the reasons for the withdrawal and non-attendance of Negro students. A further purpose is to determine whether or not any significant difference has been achieved in the holding power of the Negro schools in the last three years by practices fostered by the Gilmer-Aiken school laws or by recent efforts made to equalize the educational opportunity afforded Negro scholastics with the educational opportunity afforded White scholastics in Fort Worth.

A Five-pillar conceptual framework -good social environment, focused instruction, well-trained and regularly supervised teachers, family background and language of learning and teaching- is used in this dissertation as a theoretical construct through which to make sense of persistent learner performance disparities between former white and former black schools in the South African public education system. This is a largely qualitative research project which employs a case study approach within a study area comprised of four purposive sample schools. The study is exploratory in nature in that it seeks to investigate why former white schools continue to perform better than former black schools despite massive educational changes made since 1994. I argue in this dissertation that teaching and learning processes between former white and former black schools are still fraught with huge inequalities, hence learner performance disparities. In other words, despite the investment, inputs and strategies since 1994, the education system in historically black schools is not working largely because of issues of classroom practice. A multi-method approach for data collection purposes was used in this study: testing, interviews, observations, intensive literature review and documentary analysis. Learner focus groups, maths teachers, teacher union representatives and school principals formed the backbone of research respondents in this project. The results show immense and unrelenting prevalence of inequalities and variations between former white and former black schools in terms of almost all aspects of teaching and learning processes. The essence of the results is that for the South African education system to achieve equitable learner performance across all schools, it must first achieve equity in terms of teaching and learning processes and needs.