Thesis (MPhil (Curriculum Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / Over the past 10 to 15 years significant changes have taken place in higher education. Higher education institutions have been influenced by globalisation, an information explosion, shifts in teaching approaches to facilitate learning and new approaches to governance. Some of these factors have had implications on the decision-making processes which were traditionally used in higher education. Amongst these demands for change, the one which has apparently presented the most challenges is the demand for accountability to the stakeholders of higher education institutions. These stakeholders include the government, students, different communities and the constituents of the labour market. In order to meet the demands for accountability, an instrument referred to as quality assurance was introduced at all higher education institutions. Many institutions resorted to adopting a managerial approach to manage quality assurance and to facilitate efficiency. In using this approach, more regulation and demands for compliance were sought. The managerial approach appeared to be more bureaucratic than the traditional collegial ethos of universities. Lecturers experienced that their autonomy was being undermined and their academic freedom restricted. Therefore they often resorted to resistance. In this study the literature overview revealed that there is a strong debate as to which approach to quality management is most suited to higher education. A case study was conducted at Helderberg College, which is a private higher education institution in the Western Cape Province. The aim of this study was to explore how lecturers reacted to the concept of quality assurance, but more specifically, which approach to quality management they preferred. The main objective was to establish what lecturers would regard as a suitable quality assurance framework that would contribute to accountability and trust. Findings from the study suggest that there is no single model for quality assurance which would suit every institution, and Helderberg College in particular. The preference indicated by staff was for a collegial approach, which may include elements of managerialism to address the demands for efficiency, whilst protecting the autonomy of the lecturers. Other elements that were identified as likely to promote trust and accountability within a quality assurance framework, were shared vision, consultation, collaboration and involvement in decision-making processes.

Thesis (MPhil (Curriculum Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Agtergrond tot die studie: As gevolg van die druk wat op die sukses van eerstejaarstudente by hoëronderwysinstellings geplaas word, word ‘n hulpgroep in ‘n eerstejaarsmodule, Finansiële Rekeningkunde, in die B.Rekeningkunde graadprogram by die Universiteit van Stellenbosch aangebied. Die hulpgroep is daarop gemik om studente, in besonder die voorheen-benadeelde eerstejaarstudente, te help om sukses te behaal in Finansiële Rekeningkunde. Die hulpgroep het verskeie kenmerke. Daar is byvoorbeeld 6 lesings per week in plaas van die normale 4 lesings en bywoning van die lesings is verpligtend. Die hulpgroep grootte word beperk tot ‘n maksimum van 70 studente om aktiewe leer aan te moedig. Op Vrydae is daar ‘n tutoriaalklas waar studente ‘n vraag uitwerk in die klas met die hulp van studente-assistente. ‘n Verskeidenheid bystandsprogramme en hulp word jaarliks aangebied om die deurvloeikoerse van eerstejaarstudente te verhoog en ook om vir studente ‘n positiewe eerstejaarservaring te verseker. Die probleem is dat al hierdie bystand en hulp baie tyd en spesiale insette van dosente en die departement verg, sodat die vraag ontstaan of dit werklik waarde toevoeg. ‘n Verdere kwessie behels die studente se belewenis van so ‘n hulpgroep. Dit was dus noodsaaklik om hierdie en soortgelyke vrae te ondersoek en vas te stel of ‘n hulpgroep beantwoord aan die doel waarvoor dit geskep is. Opsomming van die werk: Daar is gebruik gemaak van ‘n gevallestudie-ontwerp. Die doel van die studie was om vas te stel wat studente se belewenisse van ‘n hulpgroep by die eerstejaarsmodule in Finansiële Rekeningkunde is. ‘n Kombinasie van die kwalitatiewe en kwantitatiewe navorsingsbenadering is in die ondersoek gebruik deur middel van vraelyste, onderhoude en die analise van prestasiepunte. Gevolgtrekking: Die algehele gevolgtrekking wat uit die ondersoek voortgevloei het, is dat die hulpgroep positief deur die studente beleef word. Verskeie implikasies en voorstelle om die hulpgroep van Finansiële Rekeningkunde aan die Universiteit van Stellenbosch meer doeltreffend te maak, het uit die studie voortgevloei. Voorstelle vir verdere navorsing is ook gemaak. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Background to the study: Due to the pressures that are being placed on the success of first year students at higher education institutions, a support group was established in a first year module, Financial Accounting, in the B.Accounting degree programme at the University of Stellenbosch. The support group is aimed at helping students, in particular previously disadvantaged first-year students, to achieve success in Financial Accounting. The support group has various features. There are, for example, 6 lectures per week instead of the normal 4 lectures and attendance of the lectures is compulsory. The size of the support group is limited to a maximum of 70 students in order to promote active learning. On Fridays there are tutorial classes where students work on a question in class with the help of student assistants. A variety of support programmes and help are offered annually to increase the pass rates of first year students and also to ensure a positive first year experience. The problem is that all this support and help is very time consuming and requires special inputs from lecturers and the department. This raises the question if it actually adds value. Another issue that was considered is how students experience being part of such a support group. It was thus necessary to investigate this as well as related questions to establish whether a support group meets the purpose for which it was created. Summary of the work: A case study design was used. The purpose of the study was to establish the experiences of the students of a support group at the first year module in Financial Accounting. A combination of qualitative and quantitative data was used in the study, generated by means of questionnaires, interviews and the analysis of performance marks. Conclusion: The overall conclusion that resulted from this study is that the support group is experienced positively by the students. Various implications and suggestions on how to improve the efficiency of the support group in Financial Accounting at the University of Stellenbosch were a direct result of this study. Suggestions for further research were also made.

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Leadership development is an essential and valuable tool for capacitating police leaders in the South African Police Service to deal with the diverse challenges that they face in the policing environment. There seem to be a need for leadership development processes that can stimulate change, and for perspective transformation to enable police leaders to find alternative ways of dealing with the challenges experienced in their working environment. This thesis explored transformative learning as a tool to enhance the leadership development processes of police leaders. The essential elements of transformative learning are: centrality of experience; critical thinking; rational discourse; and policy praxis. Theory development were chosen as best to carefully construct the foundational argument through non-empirical literary-based sources, in which the literature itself became the database towards theoretical formulation in this non-empirical study. The alignment and integration of the elements of transformative learning were explored as a strategy to capacitate police leaders to: reflect on past experiences; think critically about ways of dealing with policing challenges based on experiences; discuss these challenges with other police leaders; and act on reflections made during leadership development processes. The study is limited to the analysis of the status of leadership development in the South African Police Service, which was the context of this study. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Leierskapsontwikkeling is ‘n essensiële en waardevolle hulpmiddel om leiers in die Suid-Afrikaanse Polisiediens te bemagtig om die uiteenlopende uitdagings waarmee hulle te kampe het, beter te hanteer. Dit blyk egter dat daar ‘n behoefte is vir leierskapsontwikkelingprosesse wat intrinsieke verandering en ‘n paradigmaskuif vir polisieleiers te weeg kan bring en wat hulle in staat kan stel om die uitdagings binne hul beroepsveld meer doeltreffend te hanteer. Hierdie tesis ondersoek transformatiewe leerteorie as ‘n instrument om leierskapsontwikkeling van polisieleiers te bevorder. Die hoofelemente van transformatiewe leerteorie is: sentralisering van ondervinding; kritiese denke; rasionele diskoers en beleidsvorming. Teorie-ontwikkeling as navorsingsmetodologie was selekteer as die mees geskikste metodologie om die argument deur nie-empiriese literêre bronne te konstrueer, waarvolgens die gekose literatuur die databasis van die teoretiese formulasie rondom die argument gevorm het in hierdie nie-empiriese studie. Groepering en integrasie van bogenoemde elemente was ondersoek as ‘n strategie om polisieleiers te bemagtig om te reflekteer oor vorige ondervindinge; kritiese denkwyses oor hantering van uitdagings in beroepsveld met inagneming van vorige ondervindinge toe te pas; diskoers oor uitdagings met ander polisieleiers te hê en om aktief te reageer op refleksies tydens leierskapsontwikkelingsprosesse. Die studie is beperk tot die analise van die status van leierskap in die Suid-Afrikaanse Polisiediens as konteks waarbinne hierdie studie onderneem is.