Black urban schools in South Africa are frequently beset by problems such as inadequate facilities and resources; poor motivation among teachers and pupils; poor family relations and a high incidence of violence. Against this background and in view of evidence that effective parent involvement in education addresses many of these problems, this study explored parent involvement in black urban communities. A literature study investigated existing theories and models of parent involvement; the urbanisation of and educational provision for black people in South Africa in historical perspective and the limited involvement of black parents in schools. Furthermore, legislation concerning education and parent involvement since 1994 was reviewed. A qualitative investigation of parent involvement in three primary schools in a black urban community in Gauteng was conducted. Data gathering was done by participant observation; in-depth interviews with three principals and focus group interviews with three groups of teachers and four groups of parents. Data were analysed, discussed and synthesised. The major findings emerged: school-home relations are shaped by the context of a particular school and community; as a result of changing family structures, children are cared for by different caregivers who require advice on parenting; poverty and overcrowded living conditions adversely affect family life and thus, home-school relations; caregivers experience difficulty in adjusting to changed family circumstances; young people often display behavioural problems and a lack of discipline; poor motivation to learn; are sexually active and require parental and teachers' guidance. Conditions in urban schools were exacerbated by disruption in primary and secondary schools during the apartheid era. Parents require advice in preparing children for school and supporting them at school. Teachers need parental support to fulfil their multiple roles; guidance in implementing a school policy on parent involvement; improving communication between the school and home; involving parents in children's home learning and decision making in the school. While the current government policy to establish governing structures in schools is commendable, it is recommended that, because comprehensive parent involvement programmes have long-term positive effects, parent involvement should be implemented more broadly than envisaged by present policy. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Comparative Education)

The poor quality of state controlled black education in South Africa in the past was mainly caused by low pupil per capita expenditure and poor teaching. This resulted in many problems. Because of past neglect, as well as the increase in number of children to be educated, black education must be revitalised. Government funding is not adequate, therefore, privatisation and semi-privatisation of education is a recommended solution. Community and business involvement is encouraged, and state control should be reduced. Short-term strategies have been fairly successfully implemented. With a view to proposing strategies for the upliftment of black education, the upgrading of teachers through improved INSET and PRESET Q!_Qfil_~mmes is considered a priority. Already implemented models, such as Promat, TOPS and the Molteno Project should be investigated. These programmes have been successful to varying degrees. Strategies have been proposed based on the above findings and guidelines for further research suggested. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Comparative Education)

The general aim of this thesis is to illuminate the process of learning as it occurs in formal and informal contexts. The study focuses on South African scholars attending school in rural areas where the contrast between learning in formal and informal learning contexts is more pronounced than that in urban areas. The research draws on rural scholars' local knowledge of formal and informal learning contexts in order to gain a rich insight into how cognition is situated in different learning contexts. This is accomplished through investigating the structure of the respective learning tasks, the mediators involved, the task objectives and the means for achieving these objectives in the different learning contexts. The thesis draws on a socio-cultural approach to the study of cognitive development to probe the activity of learning in a formal and informal learning context. Through the use of a context sensitive methodological methods especially Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) tools and techniques, it was possible to illuminate tacit local knowledge structures and to get participants to actively explicate their understandings related to learning in different contexts The research results illustrate the assertion that the activity of learning is fundamentally situated in the learning context from which it arises. Learning is framed by the community of practice which structures affordances for situated learning, through mediation, within zones of proximal development. Learning in a formal context such as the school is often abstract, rule-based, standardised and theory related. Learners also find it difficult to reflect on the learning tasks and the mediational means used in a formal learning context. In contrast, the learning which takes place in an informal setting is often practical, individualised, flexible and environment based. This learning is structured around everyday activities and is dynamically defined and supported. In a situation where a learner is exposed to dislocated learning contexts, the essential goal of educational initiatives is to bridge the gap between the two. This can be achieved through mediators creating effective zones of proximal development which facilitate the individuals adaptation between learning contexts. Exposing rural scholars' local knowledge of learning in formal and informal contexts allows for a fuller understanding of the cognitive development structured within formal and informal communities of practice. It is this understanding that is necessary to address the situation where learning contexts, drawing on different knowledge bases find ways of thinking, prove challenging and/or conflicting to the scholar.

South Africa is a complex multilingual country. In the majority of schools in the Eastern Cape, a province in South Africa, the teachers and learners share the same home language, isiXhosa, but teach and learn mathematics in English. The purpose of this study was to encourage teachers to use the home language as a resource to teach mathematics in multilingual classes. The study follows a mixed method design, using both qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data were collected from a survey and poetry, which teachers crafted, in which they highlighted their perceptions about language in their lives. They also reflected on their practices and submitted pieces of contemplative writing. Quantitative data were collected from participating teachers who administered a pre-test to their learners as well as a post- test approximately nine months later after conducting an intervention. The results showed that where strategies, such as the implementation of exploratory talk and code switching which used language as a resource, had been introduced mathematical reasoning improved and classroom climate became more positive. The learners’ lack of confidence in being able to express their reasoning in English was prevalent throughout the reflective writing. By enabling learners to use isiXhosa in discussions the teachers felt that the learners gained in both confidence and mathematical understanding. This study has demonstrated that using the learners’ and teachers’ home language unlocks doors to communication and spotlights mathematical reasoning, but there is still an urgency to encourage learners to become fluent in Mathematical English. It is important to note that a positive classroom climate is essential for learners to build confidence and to encourage them to attempt to formulate sentences in English - to start on the journey from informal to formal usage of language as advocated by Setati and Adler (2001:250). My main conclusion is that an intervention that develops exploratory talk by using language as a resource can improve learners’ mathematical reasoning. I wish to emphasise that I am not advocating teaching mathematics in isiXhosa only, but the research has shown the advantages of using the home language as a resource together with English in Eastern Cape multilingual mathematics classes. Learners need to be able to express themselves in English, written and spoken, in order to achieve mathematically. This study therefore shows that teachers can gauge their learners’ improvement in mathematical reasoning after an intervention that develops exploratory talk in class by using the home language as a resource.

This thesis reflected upon the historical roots of the problems which prevent parents, teachers and the state from fulfilling their societal functions in such a way that a culture of teaching and learning is established. It was emphasised that during the traditional period (1554-1799) parents, teachers and the state (chiefs) played a leading role in the upbringing of children to the extent that there were few factors militating against the establishment of a culture of teaching and learning. From 1799 up to 1910 education was under the control of missionaries. Missionaries made the mistake of encouraging the weakening of traditional values once effectively employed in raising children. Parents were not given an opportunity to play an effective role in the education oftheir children. Schools lacked resources. Teachers were poorly paid and ill qualified. In spite of these shortcomings, missionaries did more good than harm in creating favourable conditions for teaching and learning. It was also indicated that from 1910 up to 1953 education was under the control of the missionaries and provincial administrations (backed by the Union Government). The era was characterised by: • The state giving increasing financial assistance to schools • The teachers' fight for the improvement of their conditions of service and resources. • The limited participation given to parents in educational matters concerning their children. It was further indicated that when Bantu Education was introduced in 1953, schools became political battle-fields. Through the influence of political organisations, parents, teachers and school children organised strikes took place in protest against the Bantu Education system. The state relied on repressive measures to control education. The activities of political organisations and the state led to the breakdown of the culture of teaching and learning. The threatening situation in the country towards the late 1970s caused the state to realise the urgency of bringing reforms into education. The reforms brought about by the state were rejected by parents, teachers and school children. This resulted in the continuation of the crisis in education. Despite the dawn of the New Dispensation in 1990 parents, teachers and the state are worried by the deepening education crisis manifested in factors such as violence, increasing use of drugs and the Aids epidemic. Finally, it was indicated that there are no instant solutions to the deepening education crisis. What is important is that parents, teachers and the state should make a united effort to bring about a gradual improvement. / Educational Studies / D. Ed.(History of Education)

This study explores approaches and strategies to implement in multicultural English-medium secondary schools for the management and education of black pupils with limited proficiency in English. It attempts to identify means of enhancing and accelerating the mastery by such pupils of English at a level sufficient to support their cognitive-academic needs. An account is given of those elements of the South African education system that have contributed to the disadvantagement that such children bring to the multic,llttu'al classroom. Relevant theories of bilingual education create a theoretical context for the qualitative research that follows, in which the experiences are recorded of educators at three schools where the needs of limited-English-proficient (LEI') pupils have been addressed. Data gathering was by means of focus-group interviews. Based Oll this research, guidelines are offered to help multicultural schools design policies and implement programmes to accommodate the needs of LEP pupils. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Comparative Education)

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / In hierdie proefskrif word die verband wat daar tussen politiek en onderwys bestaan vanuit 'n histories-pedagogiese oogpunt belig sodat daar tot grondige gevolgtrekkings gekom kan word ten opsigte van die onderwysbedeling in Suid-Afrika. Daar word aangedui dat politiek en onderwys vanaf die vroegste tye 'n vervlegting toon. Onderwys en politiek is mede-afhanklik van mekaar en het ook sekere verwagtings van mekaar. Onderwys en politiek is menslike skeppinge en as sodanig moet dit mekaar beYnvloed. In Suid-Afrika bet die onderwys vir n geruime tyd 'n krisis beleef. Sekere bevolkingsgroepe was nie tevrede met die onderwys wat bulle ontvang bet nie, terwyl ~n ander groep die onderwys doelbewus gemanipuleer bet tot voordeel van homself. Die gevolg hiervan was dat die onderwys in Suid-Afrika ernstig verpolitiseerd geraak bet en sodoende die onderwys nadelig beYnvloed bet. Om die Heropbou- en ontwikkelingsprogram van die suidAfrikaanse regering te laat slaag, is dit noodsaaklik dat daar 'n gesonde wisselwerking tussen die politiek en onderwys moet wees. Alle groepe behoort inspraak in die onderwysbelange te he en waar moontlik moet die kultuur van die betrokke groep in die onderwys eerbiedig word. Dit is egter noodsaaklik om te besef dat alle groepe deel vorm van 'n verenigde Suid-Afrika en dat die kinders onderrig moet word om tot hulle volle potensiaal te ontwikkel en tot voordeel van die staat. Die staat moet ook toesien dat onderwys ongehinderd aan al sy burgers verskaf word sonder dat party politieke belange op die voorgrond tree. / In this study the relationship that exists between education and politics is highlighted from a historical-pedagogical point of view, so that conclusions can be made regarding a future educational system for South Africa. It has been shown that politics and education are closely linked. Education and politics are dependant on one another and have certain expectations of one another. Education and politics are created by man and as such must influence each other. Education in South Africa has for some time been in a crisis. Some population groups were not satisfied with the education they received, while another group manipulated education to its own advantage. The consequence of this was that education in South Africa became politicised. This has had a negative effect on education. For the Redevelopment Program to succeed it is necessary that there is a balance between politics and education in South Africa. Each population group must have a say in its own affairs and, where possible, each group's culture must be respected. It is, however, necessary to realize that all the population groups are part of a united South Africa and that all the children must be educated to the best of their abilities and to the advantage of the state. The state, however, must ensure that education can take place without hindrance to all its people and that no political party may use education to its own benefit. / Educational Studies / D.Ed. (History of Education)

This study, in the main, focuses on the racial imbalances and inequities that characterised South African education between 1965 and 1992. A historical background of the South African educational system as well as an account on the apartheid ideology and its impact on education is presented. For the four principle racial groups in South Africa, namely, the Africans, Indians, Whites and Coloureds, a historicaleducational survey of the imbalances and inequities prevalent in pre-primary, school-based and post-secondary education in respect of access to education, financing of education, and human and physical resources is given. As a way forward, some recommendations for the redressing of the imbalances and inequities identified in this study are presented. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (History of Education)

The research was undertaken to analyse and evaluate the nature and quality of interactions in multicultural primary school classrooms. Special attention was focused on the influence 25 independent variables had on the dependent variable, namely group membership. Literature indicates that warm and nurturant relationships within the family help the child to achieve independence and promote social adjustment outside the home. Literature also reveals that self-acceptance and acceptance of others are dependent on the self-concept, and that acceptability in peer groups is enhanced by characteristics such as friendliness, cooperation, emotional stability and intellectual ability. It is essential to mention that some researchers claim that within multicultural classrooms, pupils often interact in racially and culturally segregated patterns. Others maintain that no racial and cultural discrimination is evident in the choice of friends in multicultural classrooms. The empirical research was undertal<.en by administering four measuring instruments, namely own designed questionnaire, the sociogram, the self-concept scale for primary school pupils and the children's personality questionnaire to 121 standard five pupils in multicultural primary schools. The administering of these instruments was aimed at determining the influence of the independent variables on the dependent variable. The stepwise discriminant analysis method revealed that of the 25 independent variables, only six, namely family background, friendship skills, gender, scholastic achievement and personality factors E (submissive versus dominant) and Q3 (undisciplined versus controlled) contributed to the variance in group membership. The multiple discriminant function was used to determine how close the individual scores of children were, in a given friendship group. The general pattern obtained, indicated that children choose each other on the basis of similar characteristics. A point that clearly came to light, is that race and language/culture do not contribute to the variance in group membership. Children formed various friendship groups across racial and cultural lines. In view of the aforementioned findings, the researcher made recommendations on ways in which parents and teachers can create suitable teaching and learning environments for children from diverse cultural milieus. / Psychology of Education / D.Ed. (Psychology of Education)

The primary purpose of this research was to investigate the extent to which rural schools understand and perceive the concept of participative management. The concept of participative management has been viewed as an ideal style of leadership and management for school development purposes. In South Africa’s case, it is an educational policy which is expected to reign in all school management bodies. Many theorists envisaged participative management as enhancing active involvement of relevant stakeholders and it has been advocated by many scholars who believe it is the best leadership style in implementing democratic values to education, particularly South African rural education, which is still in a transitional stage. As an interpretive orientated study, this research had an interest in understanding the research participants’ subjective experiences as well as their general perception of participative management. As case-study-driven research, it sought to investigate their understanding of the concept in their natural setting. This included various meanings they aligned with and attached to participative management, their attitudes, their interpretations and feelings towards it. The study employed a focus group data gathering technique in collecting data. The findings of this study suggest that participative management has been embraced by rural school management to a certain extent. There are potentially positive aspects that have been brought by participative management to the school, namely, shared vision, common goals, shared decision-making and general involvement of relevant stakeholders. However, the study has depicted a lack of ethical values on the side of some stakeholders and this hinders the smooth implementation of participative management. The study has also revealed that there are challenges facing rural schools in terms of parental involvement in school governance. Challenges such as lack of commitment to the school, illiteracy among adults and communication breakdown between the school and its parents are still rife in rural schools. Besides these challenges, the blood of participative management is flowing steadily in the veins of the rural school communities.