This dissertation studies how Catholic schools in a post-feminist world approach the topic of educating women both with a professional mindset but also with a Catholic understanding of the importance of motherhood. The theoretical framework of the dissertation draws on second-wave feminism as well as Catholic scholars on feminism, with a special focus on scholars using Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. The study aims to reveal specifically how four faithfully Catholic high schools in geographically different areas of the United States are united in a mission to educate students to live an integrated life, through a personal faith based on reason, virtue ethics, vocation, and exemplars. Through interviews with alumnae, teachers, and administrators, the study concludes that the schools’ vision of a fully integrated virtuous life is a prerequisite for the girls to peacefully make vocational decisions about balancing professional life and motherhood. The alumnae and the school administrators show that while the mission is clear, the execution of the mission in all four schools is fraught with tensions because of the conflicts between the integrated life view and mainstream cultural views regarding happiness and fulfillment.

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the educational aspirations and future expectations of working class youth in an all-female Catholic high school. The ethnographic methods of primarily interviews and participant observation were used to discover the plans and the decision processes of approximately 21% of the senior class. Sixty girls were interviewed four weeks before graduation, as well as 20 teachers and administrators. Almost 100% of the sample (59) planned to attend college the following fall. While most institutions were competitive, only one planned to attend a most competitive, most selective institution, although several met the admissions requirements to do so. One-fourth of the sample planned to attend community colleges. The institution helped to facilitate the process of college entrance. However, many of the girls' decisions were determined before high school, and most were influenced by family members, most of whom had never attended a finished college. It was observed and reported by the girls that the all-female environment enhanced their educational experiences.

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate opportunities to learn (OTL) algebra by grade ten learners at three Catholic secondary schools in South Africa. Performance in mathematics is poor and is a great cause for concern. Despite the government’s effort to make education open and available to all, underperformance has continued among the black majority who were previously marginalised in the former regime. This thesis focuses on the OTL which are afforded learners who are given the chance to attend classes. This thesis met its aims through an extensive review of related literature and the implementation of practical research. The latter was carried out through case studies conducted in three schools where lessons were observed and interviews conducted with the respective teachers. Literature on how OTL mathematics are created is lacking in South Africa. Real OTL still needs to be created if the expected level of performance is to be achieved. The research produced a number of key findings: the learners were given the right to attend class but were subjected to different OTL, learning to convert within and between the different registers of representation of algebraic concepts is necessary to provide learners with OTL, it is not enough for learners to master certain facts and procedures, and learning is enhanced if the means to make the conversion necessary for concept building is developed and the OTL provided. The teacher’s approach influences the way OTL are realised and utilised by learners. The main conclusion drawn from this research is that the OTL afforded the grade ten learners were not the same and that different chances to make conversion within and between registers of representation of algebra concepts were given. Giving the teachers guidelines without expounding the meaning of specific terms such as ‘convert’ leaves gaps in their practices and results in some learners receiving adequate OTL and others not. This research argues for a more involved capacity building programme for in-service teachers to acquaint them with the expected learner-centred approaches to lesson delivery as well as familiarise them with the terminology used in defining terms in the syllabus. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate opportunities to learn (OTL) algebra by grade ten learners at three Catholic secondary schools in South Africa. Performance in mathematics is poor and is a great cause for concern. Despite the government’s effort to make education open and available to all, underperformance has continued among the black majority who were previously marginalised in the former regime. This thesis focuses on the OTL which are afforded learners who are given the chance to attend classes. This thesis met its aims through an extensive review of related literature and the implementation of practical research. The latter was carried out through case studies conducted in three schools where lessons were observed and interviews conducted with the respective teachers. Literature on how OTL mathematics are created is lacking in South Africa. Real OTL still needs to be created if the expected level of performance is to be achieved. The research produced a number of key findings: the learners were given the right to attend class but were subjected to different OTL, learning to convert within and between the different registers of representation of algebraic concepts is necessary to provide learners with OTL, it is not enough for learners to master certain facts and procedures, and learning is enhanced if the means to make the conversion necessary for concept building is developed and the OTL provided. The teacher’s approach influences the way OTL are realised and utilised by learners. The main conclusion drawn from this research is that the OTL afforded the grade ten learners were not the same and that different chances to make conversion within and between registers of representation of algebra concepts were given. Giving the teachers guidelines without expounding the meaning of specific terms such as ‘convert’ leaves gaps in their practices and results in some learners receiving adequate OTL and others not. This research argues for a more involved capacity building programme for in-service teachers to acquaint them with the expected learner-centred approaches to lesson delivery as well as familiarise them with the terminology used in defining terms in the syllabus. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

This research was based on ‘Catholic secondary education and identity reformation in Zambia’s Southern Province. Its main purpose was to explore the nature and scope of the undesired identity reformation experienced in Catholic secondary schools in Zambia’s Southern Province as well as suggest possible ways of how the problem can be resolved. The study was guided by the following main research question ‘How has a conflict of values between the evolving Catholic education policies and Zambian national education policies affected the identity of Catholic secondary schools in Zambia’s Southern Province?’ This question formed the main basis for the achievement of the study’s overarching purpose highlighted earlier. A qualitative methodology was utilized to gather data for this research. Data was gathered using semi-structured interviews, focus group interviews/discussions and documentary/content analysis. Research participants included: the Secretary of Catholic education, the PEO, school headteachers, teachers of RE, parents and grade twelve learners. Key documents analyzed using document analysis were Catholic education policies and Zambian national educational policies. The following findings resulted from the study: a conflict of values is non-existent between Catholic education policies and Zambian national education policies; there are four real/major causes of undesired identity reformation in Catholic secondary schools in Zambia’s Southern Province; the various contemporary challenges experienced by Catholic secondary schools in Zambia’s Southern Province are responsible for the undesired weakening of the school’s ‘academic’ and ‘religious’ mission; RE has experienced undesired changes at the levels of its nature, role and place in the Catholic secondary school curriculum over the years; Catholic secondary schools in Zambia’s Southern Province can be characterized as ‘partially Catholic’; realigning Catholic secondary schools with Catholic education policy involves returning such schools back to Catholic educational practice as recommended in Catholic education policies. The main conclusion of the study was that undesired identity reformation is present in Catholic secondary schools in Zambia’s Southern Province but it is not linked to a conflict of values in Catholic education policies and Zambian national education policies. To resolve the problem of undesired identity reformation in Catholic secondary schools, all study recommendations emphasized an urgent return by the schools to educational practice as recommended in Catholic education policy if they are to regain their lost desired total-Catholic character or identity. / Educational Foundations / D. Ed. (Philosophy of Education)