A RESEARCH REPORT SUBMITTED TO THE DIVISION OF SPECIALIZED EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND, JOHANNESBURG, IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE DSGREE OF MASTER OF EDUCATION (SCHOOL COUNSELLING) / There is generally a lack of research in the area of self concept development in the classroom, as related to Black education in general, and at Black colleges of education in particular. The importance of self-concept in the academic situation and the need to develop it in Black education was a motivating reason for the current research study. The study was undertaken at the Soweto College of Education. (Abbreviation abstract) / Andrew Chakane 2019

This research report looks into the factors that cause truancy among secondary school pupils. The aim is to establish ways in which the African Secondary School teachers can manage the problem. It is argued that the causes of truancy are multifaceted. Thus in attempting to understand these causes and to develop strategies to manage truancy, several approaches are considered, which focus on the individual truant, the family, the community and, in particular school, related factors. Empirical research was undertaken in the Galeshewe, Kimberley area with particular reference to Tlhomelang High School. Questionnaires were administered with the staff and interviews were conducted with both staff and pupils. Data was also obtained from official records. It is concluded that a major cause of truancy is the absence of a culture of teaching and learning. A number of recommendations are proposed to manage these problems. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1992.

This study investigated how rural children with disabilities and their families in the Qwaqwa Region of the Free State province experience disability. The aim was to examine the various social, cultural, economic, and political factors that impact the lives of the children and their families. It also explored what support systems are available for the children and the families in this rural context. Seventeen children with disabilities and their families were selected through a process of purposive sampling from three areas in the region: Mabolela, Makgalaneng, and Bolata. Nine of the children are currently in primary schools, and eight do not have access to formal schooling. This was a qualitative study. The research method was the semi-structured interview. The main caregiver in each of the families was interviewed. Interviews were conducted in Sesotho and audio-taped. These were transcribed, and then translated into English. The findings in the study reveal that despite the fact that various legislation and policy documents in South Africa make special reference to the protection of the rights of rural children with disabilities, the rights of the children and families in this study continue to be violated. The study revealed the urgent need to address barriers to learning and development that these children are experiencing which are largely located in the system. Some of these are: poverty and underdevelopment; negative attitudes; lack of education and rehabilitation services, lack of access to information; inadequate social and psychological support; lack of community based and accessible support services; lack of access to information about disability; poor access to resources such as health care, and social welfare; lack of coordination between professional services and departments in the province. The study has implications for planning services to address the needs of children with disabilities and their families in this rural context. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, 1999.

This dissertation, a qualitative case study, investigates issues of language and identity among sixteen young black women studying at Technikon Natal. I examine the ways in which identities are structured by discourses of which language practices are an important part. The research participants' need to learn English is also interrogated against a scenario of South Africa during and post-apartheid. In Chapter 1, I give historical background on the educational structures and legislation which affected my research participants before 2000, and then briefly describe their present context of study. The literature on which my dissertation is based is reviewed in Chapter 2. Humanist theories of motivation for second language learning, for example, Gardner's (1985), are rejected in favour of Norton Peirce's (1995) notion of investment in second language learning, which builds on Bourdieu's (1977 - 1991) concepts of capital, and views the second language learner as inseparable from her social world. However, the emphasis in Chapter 2 is given to some of the central ideas of poststructuralist thinking, particularly those pertaining to the undermining of totalising theories, and those arguing in favour of multiple subjectivity. Chapter 3 contains both my research methods, which were mainly social constructionist, as well as the broad discourse analysis techniques I deployed for my data analysis. Notable in Chapter Four, in which I present and analyse my findings, is the power of ethnic discourses to govern the use of their own and other languages by their subjects. Significant, too, are the shifts in subjectivity which individuals experience as they integrate new discourses into their lives. Amongst my conclusions in the final chapter is the notion that, from a poststructuralist perspective, code switching may allow the simultaneous display of more than one identity; that the use of English by black South Africans is fraught with contradictions, and that indigenous African languages appear vulnerable to the pressure from powerful English discourses. I also discuss the limitations of this research and make recommendations for future research, and end with the particular insights into language and subjectivity I have gained as a lecturer in my current teaching context. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2002.

The study was undertaken to observe and participate in the process and development of a language policy for a rural secondary school in Peddie in the Eastern Cape. This was done in collaboration with parents, learners, and teachers. The researcher acted as a researcher, facilitator and learner in the process that Iead to the final product. Twenty four learners were selected from Grade 8 to Grade 10. These learners formed three focus groups. A questionnaire and lesson observation were used to establish what was taking place in the school with regard to language practices and preferences by learners, teachers and parents. Lesson observations were recorded by a tape recorder. Outcomes are that Xhosa is the dominant language to which the learners are exposed. They only have the exposure to 'chunks' of English in class and when they read magazines, newspapers and listening to radio and TV. Teachers code switch. This is supported by both learners and their parents. Parents want their children to improve performance by being taught in the medium of a language they understand well enough. The study shows different perceptions about the language that should be used as LOLT. Parents in the study favour English as LOLT, while parents in general favour Xhosa. This view is also held by both teachers and learners. At a conscious level when teachers and learners talk about the language to be used as LOLT, they favour English, but when they are faced with the reality of the class they are ambivalent, hence they code switch. The study finally reports on the divergent views of the parents, on one hand, and those of the teachers and the learners on the other hand. The divergence will be resolved in a workshop, part of the broader process of school language policy research, which is beyond the scope of the research reported in the thesis. The final product, in the form of the school language policy, will then be drafted for presentation to the School Governing Body (SGB) for ratification and writing up process.

The under-provision of education for black South Africans has reached crisis proportions. While the education for black people in general is discriminatory and unequal, black rural people suffer further deprivations as there is a serious imbalance in the allocation of resources and the provision of education between urban and rural areas. Black education in the rural areas has been historically neglected for political and socio-economic reasons and, as a consequence, rural blacks have limited or no access to education. The purpose of this' study is to examine an aspect of rural education; viz: black farm schools in the 'white' commercial farming areas. It is argued that the provision of farm schools is intricately linked to the labour requirements of farmers and consequently farm schools cannot be understood independently from the social relations within commercial farming areas. The impact of local decision-making on the process of farm schooling is also significant and is an important aspect of this study. This thesis explores the political and socio-economic processes that have structured the provision of education within a small farming community, looking specifically at the effects of particular interest groups on the provision of black farm schools. The study operates on three levels. The first level provides a theoretical framework within which rural education can be better understood. It is argued that the bias towards urban areas is reflected in the current theoretical debates on the role and function of education ·in South Africa. As these theories are generally incapable of explaining rural education, an alternative model is proposed. As education cannot be understood in isolation from the rest of society, the second level of the study locates farm schooling within the broader political and socio-economic systems. This is done from two perspectives. The first perspective focuses on black education in general, tracing aspects of its development and highlighting the impact .of economic interests, white political control and black resistances to this development. The neglect of rural education is also contextualised historically and politically. The second perspective looks at rural education at a macro-level. The historical origins of the farm schools system and the effects of the relationship between agricultural capital and the state, and between farmers and farm workers on the process of farm schooling is examined. The final level of the study focuses on the micro-situation and provides an in-depth analysis of the political and socio-economic dynamics which have impacted upon the provision and process of farm schools within a specific farming community. In an attempt to understand the types of issues effecting farm schooling in this area, the attitudes of farmers, farm workers, farm- children and farm school teachers towards education are investigated. Four main issues were identified and are discussed in depth, viz: I) factors effecting the provision of black farm schools; 2) the relationship between education and the economic structure of the area; 3) the value of education; and 4) socio-economic factors effecting education in the area.

This study pointed out that without parental involvement in the children's education, the latter cannot fulfil its pre-set goals. The family together with the community, have to contribute a lot to the development and improvement of the education system. Implications of parental involvement, together with parents, and children's rights was discussed. The latter fact was supplemented with the educational laws of South Africa and the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. To determine the problems experienced by teachers in dealing with parents, concerning school related matters, teachers and parents' responses are discussed in this study. In this study America and Britain have been put as examples as far as parental involvement in children's education is concerned. It was concluded that the government together with the parents have to take drastic steps to rectify the situation in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape Province. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (History of Education)

No doubt can exist that discipline and authority in Black schools, including Tsonga secondary schools, is at present undergoing a very difficult period. One crisis follows another and there are constant threats of boycotts and violence, threats which only too often become reality. This dissertation is an attempt at revealing the possible causes for this problem, by means of a phenomenological investigation into those essentials which are preconditions for the implementation of pedagogically accountable authority. The concept of authority, with special reference to Tsonga traditions and the place and role of members of the tribe and family, in enforcing authority, are examined. Guidance, assistance, acceptance, and the essential components of the relationship structure are given attention. As the dissertation is concerned with the school situation, the teacher's person, personality and his training also received attention. Recommendations for further study and possible ways to alleviate the situation, are suggested. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Fundamental Pedagogics)

D.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / As a family constitutes the primary educational relationship of a child, and a child's development depends almost entirely on these relationships, it stands to reason that one would expect children with well-balanced personalities to be found in families characterized by a reasonable degree of sound family relationships that ensure concern, care, love and guidance. This is because men and women are not only themselves; they are also the region in which they were born, the city apartment or farm where they learned to walk, the games they played as children, the old wives' tales they overheard, the food they ate, the schools they attended, the sports they participated in, the poems they read and the God they believe in. Man is thus not only himself, but also what his environment makes of him (Purkey, 1970:34; Loubser, 1993: 13). It can,therefore, be concluded that children who grow up in an unhealthy family will probably grow up unhealthy as a result...

M.Ed. (Educational Management) / Please refer to full text to view abstract