RESEARCH PROJECTS: 1 RESEARCH PROJECT ONE: A literature review: Constructivism: An alternate approach to teaching and learning. Abstract The constructivist perspectives on learning have helped enhance science educators' understanding of how students make sense of their lived experiences. Constructivism purports to be a transformation of the traditional curriculum. As such this article starts with a brief overview of behaviorism: the scientific approach to education. The main tenets underlying constructivism, how constructivism guides educators to change their classroom practice, and the implications to science teaching have been reviewed. 2 RESEARCH PROJECT TWO (Empirical study): Being Constructive: College students' learning of work and heat as aspects of the energy concept based a constructivist approach. Abstract This study is an extension of a literature review on constructivism as an alternate teaching and learning approach discussed in research project one. It is an empirical study concerning the use of a learning module based on a constructivist approach to develop pre-service student teachers' understanding of work and heat as aspects of the energy concept. The data consisted mainly of transcripts of students' interviews, written responses to questionnaires designed in the form of a worksheet, and comments from non-participant observers and students. The results seem to suggest that a carefully designed learning module based on a constructivist teaching and learning approach may be a valuable tool in developing pre-service student teachers' understanding of work and heat. 3 RESEARCH PROJECT THREE (Empirical study): A College in transition: A case study of the readiness of a college in the Eastern Cape province to implement Outcomes-Based Education in an Education Development centre. Abstract Curriculum 2005 premised on Outcomes-Based Education is the new curriculum framework for South Africa. It signifies a paradigm shift in education from the traditional 'telling-listening' relationship between the teacher and the learner to one that emphasises leamer-centred approach to the teaching process. Teachers, though recognized as crucial to the educational transformation process in the country have also being identified as ill-equipped to meet the challenges posed by Outcomes-Based Education. This study starts with a brief overview of the South African curriculum and the main tenets underlying Outcomes-Based Education. The institutional conditions and whether the lecturers at a college in the Eastern Cape province perceive the need for a change in their classroom practice were also investigated. Bearing in mind the need for further research to validate the findings of this study, positive indicators that emerged from the study suggest the readiness of the college to implement Outcomes-Based Education at the proposed Education Development Centre.

The premise of this thesis is that "learning", particularly in terms of students and universities, is capable of being seen as a specific and developed culture. This study is a contribution to the ethnography of that learning, the ultimate aim being to produce a descriptive theory of learning as a cultural system. This research was conducted within the context of the recent proposals made by the South African Commission on Higher Education. The proposals relevant to this study were, broadly, increased access to higher education and national funding for academic staff development programmes. There are, however, serious obstacles in the way of realising the aims of the higher education system outlined by the NCHE. Given the limited time and resources available for higher education development, it is imperative that the major flaws and obstacles in the system be identified and addressed as soon as possible. In view of this need, it was the concern of this study to conduct research which would assist in the designing of staff development programmes for academics teaching in English-medium tertiary institutions, like Rhodes University, where more than half the intake of first-year students already speaks English as a second, or other, language. Founded on the social constructionist view of knowledge, the aim of the study was to identify the needs of academic staff as well as the possible obstacles to the implementation of a "Language Across the Curriculum" policy. A genre-centred, ethnographic approach was used to access a disciplinary discourse community (the Psychology Department) in order to describe the practices of the community as well as to analyse the community's orders of discourse, particularly those which occurred at points of contact between lecturers and first-year students. It is argued that staff development programmes should promote the use of collaborative learning, which implies a reframing of the roles of both academic staff and students.

Text in Afrikaans / OPSOMMING `n Verkennende en beskrywende studie is onderneem om wetenskaplike gefundeerde riglyne ten opsigte van die benutting van onderrigtegnieke vir praktykopleiers beskikbaar te stel vir maatskaplikewerksupervisie aan voorgraadse studente. Om supervisie effektief te kan aanwend, moet praktykopleiers van onderrigtegnieke kennis dra en dit kan aanwend. Die literatuurstudie fokus op die onderrigfunksie van supervisie en `n klassifikasie en beskrywing van onderrigtegnieke wat binne die supervisieproses aangewend kan word. Al twee-en-twintig supervisors/praktykopleiers wat betrokke is by gesinsorgorganisa- sies in die Metropool- en Bolandstreek, Wes-Kaap is betrek. `n Gestruktureerde vraelys is as data-insamelingsmetode benut. Die bevindinge en resultate toon aan dat voortgesette opleiding deur middel van informele opleidingstrategieë van praktykopleiers noodsaaklik is, om hul kennis ten opsigte van die onderrigfunksie van supervisie uit te brei asook die benutting van onderrigtegnieke aan te moedig. Verdere navorsing kan fokus op die benutting van onderrigtegnieke uit die Gestalt- of ander benaderings tydens supervisie. SUMMARY An exploratory and descriptive study was undertaken to provide scientifically based guidelines regarding educational techniques used by practical trainers when providing social work supervision to undergraduate students. To apply supervision effectively, practical trainers must have knowledge of educational techniques and be able to apply these. The literature study focuses on the educational function of supervision and provides a classification and description of educational techniques that can be applied within the supervision process. The sample included twenty-two supervisors/practical trainers at family welfare organisations in the Metropolitan and Boland regions, Western Cape. A structured questionnaire was used to gather data. The findings and results show that continuing education through informal training strategies by practical trainers is essential to expand their knowledge of the educational function of supervision and to encourage the use of educational techniques. Further research should focus on educational techniques from the Gestalt approach or other approaches. / Social work / M.Diac.

Text in Afrikaans / OPSOMMING `n Verkennende en beskrywende studie is onderneem om wetenskaplike gefundeerde riglyne ten opsigte van die benutting van onderrigtegnieke vir praktykopleiers beskikbaar te stel vir maatskaplikewerksupervisie aan voorgraadse studente. Om supervisie effektief te kan aanwend, moet praktykopleiers van onderrigtegnieke kennis dra en dit kan aanwend. Die literatuurstudie fokus op die onderrigfunksie van supervisie en `n klassifikasie en beskrywing van onderrigtegnieke wat binne die supervisieproses aangewend kan word. Al twee-en-twintig supervisors/praktykopleiers wat betrokke is by gesinsorgorganisa- sies in die Metropool- en Bolandstreek, Wes-Kaap is betrek. `n Gestruktureerde vraelys is as data-insamelingsmetode benut. Die bevindinge en resultate toon aan dat voortgesette opleiding deur middel van informele opleidingstrategieë van praktykopleiers noodsaaklik is, om hul kennis ten opsigte van die onderrigfunksie van supervisie uit te brei asook die benutting van onderrigtegnieke aan te moedig. Verdere navorsing kan fokus op die benutting van onderrigtegnieke uit die Gestalt- of ander benaderings tydens supervisie. SUMMARY An exploratory and descriptive study was undertaken to provide scientifically based guidelines regarding educational techniques used by practical trainers when providing social work supervision to undergraduate students. To apply supervision effectively, practical trainers must have knowledge of educational techniques and be able to apply these. The literature study focuses on the educational function of supervision and provides a classification and description of educational techniques that can be applied within the supervision process. The sample included twenty-two supervisors/practical trainers at family welfare organisations in the Metropolitan and Boland regions, Western Cape. A structured questionnaire was used to gather data. The findings and results show that continuing education through informal training strategies by practical trainers is essential to expand their knowledge of the educational function of supervision and to encourage the use of educational techniques. Further research should focus on educational techniques from the Gestalt approach or other approaches. / Social work / M.Diac.