published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

The study examines the culture of students' violent behaviour, with a focus on socialisation provided by schools and teachers. It explores the beliefs and wishes of teachers, students and parents in some townships of Gauteng Province about the role of teachers in addressing and preventing students' antisocial and violent behaviour in schools. The thesis offers six chapters divided into two components. The first component, chapters one to three, systematically explores socialisation of children by the home and the school. It discusses the historical/theoretical foundations of antisocial and violent behaviour of children/youth from low economic groups. The study utilises literature on strain theory on sociological considerations of adolescents' deviance from Durkheim (1897) to Messner and Rosenfeld (1994) in order to provide an in-depth appraisal of theoretical paradigms and thereafter. The second component, chapters four to six unpacked the research by analysing data from interviews and observations collected from township participants. It identifies five socio-educational factors that deterred students' antisocial behaviour. These included: teachers' attribution for success and failure; teachers' theoretical/practical leadership; the quality of the teacher-student relationship; the level of support to teachers and the function of home and community. The findings identify the approach to antisocial and violent behaviour in Gauteng townships to be punitive. Participants regard township school violence, especially in secondary schools, as serious. The present study concluded that socialisation fostered by a supportive teacher, acting with efficacy and caring, working with parents and the community, can prevent antisocial and violent behaviour. Furthermore, the study uncovered patterns indicating that socio-educational measures are a constructive means to respond to antisocial and violent behaviour.While sometimes justified as responses to antisocial and violent behaviour, reactive measures (like corporal punishment, student expulsion, incarceration) may be less effective than socio- educational measures in instilling prosocial behaviour. / Institute Educational Research / D.Ed. (Socio-Education)

A study was undertaken to examine the culture of violent behaviour, with a focus on socialisation provided by schools and educators. The role of teachers in addressing and preventing student antisocial and violent behaviour in school was explored. Participant observations and in-depth qualitative research interviews were conducted in United States public schools from September, 2000 through August, 2001. Analysis of recorded and transcribed data from initial interviews and observations revealed five socio-educational factors that precluded student antisocial behaviour. These factors included: teachers' theoretical/practical orientation; teachers' attributions for success and failure; the quality of the teacher-student relationship; the importance of home and community; and the level of support available to teachers. Preliminary interviews with five teachers and in-depth interviews with nine AfricanAmerican (Black) educators, from schools where violence was a serious problem were then conducted. Analysis of these qualitative interviews revealed four categories of educational dynamics that served to prevent violence, or moderate its severity: the teacher's qualities; the classroom context; the school context; and parental involvement and support. Within these four categories, nine specific factors were identified that served to prevent violent behaviour. These included: personal teaching efficacy; a caring teacher-student relationship; an academic activity orientation within the classroom; a sense of community within the classroom; obvious classroom ownership by the teacher; clear expectations that have been internalised by the students; support for teachers from administration; a supportive rather than threatening stance taken by police assigned to the school; and a high level of involvement by parents. The present study concluded that in addition to the socialisation fostered by a supportive, engaged classroom and school context, the teacher, acting with efficacy and caring, and working with parents and community, can prevent violent and antisocial behaviour. The study revealed patterns indicating that socio-educational measures are constructive means to respond to antisocial and violent behaviour. While sometimes justified as responses to antisocial and violent behaviour, reactive measures (like corporal punishment, student expulsion, and medication), may be less effective than socioeducational measures in instilling prosocial behaviour. Guidelines for the prevention of violent and antisocial behaviour are provided, with recommendations forfuture research. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Socio-Education)

It has become obvious that a worldwide awareness of the quality of children’s behaviour and therefore also of learner-behaviour exist (Lewis, 2001:307). Moreover, according to Lee and Powell (2005:83), the whole of America has turned concerned interest towards the dilemmas that are associated with the troublesome behaviour of young people at schools. The purpose of this non-experimental, descriptive survey was to react to Gossen (in Lee & Powell, 2005:85) who advocates the restructuring of school discipline to create an atmosphere that would support learners in re-adjusting their behaviour. As a result, the main aim of this study is to examine how learner discipline can be managed in Thabo Mofutsanyana District as informed by the literature study and empirical survey. This aim is conceptualised into objectives and was achieved by investigating the nature of learner discipline, investigated how learner discipline in the Thabo Mofutsanyana District was managed. A quantitative method of gathering data was used in this study. According to Leedy and Omrod (2005:950, quantitative research methods are those that seek to objectively measure the variables of interest. To qualify and quantify the effects of learner’s perception on behavioural choices, this study offers a guide to the data collection and analysis, which provides useful information that is relevant to pre-service and practicing educators. For the purpose of this research, structured questionnaire was selected as a research tool. Tuckman (2008:230) explains the fact that questionnaires are used by researchers to convert information directly given by people into data. The findings suggest that classroom management has an impact on how learners learn and how educators manage learning in a classroom situation. Findings also suggested that by means of a classroom policy, an educator can use rules and procedures to regulate all aspects of the classroom environment and all the actions and behaviour within the classroom. Also, findings confirm that the following issues are pivotal to schools when developing classroom policy: a good classroom policy must clearly reflect the objectives (long-term) and aims (short-term) for which the class is striving, the policy should also be consistent, be acceptable to the majority, facilitate decision-making about certain matters and make provision for the class rules and procedure. In conclusion, an overview of the challenges identified by this research project, as well as the aspects in need of further research, is highlighted. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

The way in which educators’ competency to enforce disciplinary measures in the classroom is influenced by learners’ fundamental rights is investigated in this study. An in-depth literature study was conducted, and questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data at five rural high schools in the Southern Cape. The research findings indicate that participants’ understanding of the stipulations of important relevant acts and government notices is insufficient to manage problem situations regarding discipline with confidence. There is undoubtedly a need for information sessions and/or workshops that not only convey information on a theoretical level, but apply the stipulations of relevant legal sources and the principles of effective classroom management to educators’ daily classroom situations in a practical and functional way. A positive approach to discipline and restorative disciplinary measures that are based on respect and the positive development of learners are upheld, and various important principles that will promote more effective classroom management are suggested. / Teacher Education / M. Ed. (Onderwysbestuur)

The researcher is concerned about the lack of attention given to withdrawn early adolescents (WEAs) at school. During early adolescence, the foundations for lasting character, personality traits and social interaction are laid. Learners exhibiting withdrawal behaviour are described as being quiet, reserved, removed or distant. Attempts by educators to get them involved in lessons often end in failure and this causes educators to become frustrated and confused about how to deal with these learners. The aim of this study is therefore to establish the factors that contribute to withdrawal behaviour in early adolescents. The researcher devised an identification instrument that makes the identification of WEAs much easier for educators. He also established the deep seated fears and anxieties of WEAs and ascertained how they would like to be treated by their educators. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

No description available.

This micro-ethnographic study looks at the meetings between different cultures in the music classroom and how these can be characterised. It deals with what happens in the meeting between music teacher and student groups, given that the music teacher does not have so much teaching time with the students compared with teachers in other subjects. The purpose of the study was to raise awareness around the notion of leadership in the music classroom. In the study, six different music lessons in three different classrooms are analysed. Observations were recorded as field notes and sound recordings. Informal discussions with music teachers were also conducted in order to achieve as broad an empiricism as possible. The results of the study illustrate different approaches to discipline and leadership in the music classroom, how these might shape different class cultures, and the consequences that follow from this. / Denna mikroetnografiska studie handlar om möten mellan olika kulturer i musikklassrummet, samt hur dessa kan gestalta sig. Vad som sker i mötet mellan musiklärare och elevgrupper med utgångspunkt i att musikläraren inte har så mycket undervisningstid med eleverna i relation till andra skolämnen. Syftet med studien är att skapa medvetenhet kring ledarskap i musikklassrummet. Studien innefattar sex olika musiklektioner i tre olika musikklassrum. Observationer har dokumenterats genom fältanteckningar samt ljudupptagningar. Även informella samtal med undervisande musiklärare har förts för att uppnå en så bred empiri som möjligt. Studiens resultat belyser olika förhållningssätt kring ordning och ledarskap i musikklassrummet samt hur detta kan tänkas forma olika klasskulturer och vad för konsekvenser detta medför.

The purposes of this study were (I) to determine the relationship of teacher temperament to effectiveness in the classroom and (2) to determine the relationship of the teacher's temperament to the teacher's sex, to the grade level taught, to the area taught (special education or regular education), and to the subject taught. It was hypothesized that (I) there is no significant relationship between the teacher's temperament and his effectiveness in the classroom, (2) there is no significant relationship between the teacher's temperament and sex, (3) there is no significant relationship between the teacher's temperament and the grade level he teaches (elementary or secondary), (4) there is no significant relationship in the teacher's temperament and the area he teaches (special education or regular education), and (5) there is no significant relationship between the teacher's temperament and the subject he teaches.

M.Ed. / The central theme of this study is the development of guidelines to create more effective classroom management in "township" schools. In the research the focus is based on the factors which influence classroom management and what the learning facilitators would do for the improvement thereof. The investigator's involvement with classroom management and the run-up to this research will be enunciated in the following two paragraphs. The researcher is employed in the Department of Educational Management and Educational Studies of the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences at the Technikon Northern Gauteng. The Faculty of Health and Social Sciences has at task the training of learning facilitators that are principally accommodated in "township" schools after completion of their studies. With effect from 1996 a four year B.Tech (Education) degree course with Educational Management as a major subject is implemented at.the above-mentioned Faculty. Classroom management is a component in the instructional programmes of Educational Management and of which the researcher is co-responsible for the instructional presentation thereof. Indicators that are symptomatic of the undesired discipline in the schools have been observed during teaching practice. The indicators are among others a lack of punctuality and a high percentage of daily absenteeism. On the ground of the preceding discussion and prompted by regular reporting on the unacceptable functioning of some schools, as well as the poor annual school-leaving results, the aim of this study is to: -qualitatively determine what the present standing of classroom management in "township" schools is; and -lay down guidelines to establish effective classroom management in "township" schools. The findings of this study indicates that: various and diverse factors contribute to unproductive classroom management; classroom management is not separate (independent) actions, but is intertwined with the interests and needs of the school, parents, learners and a dynamic society. On the ground of the research results the investigator is of the opinion that short, as well as long-term solutions should be put into operation in making classroom management more productive.