Thesis (M.A. (Research Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references.

This descriptive study attempted to determine the effects of the Arizona State Board of Education Basic Skills Competency mandate within selected schools in Arizona. The study was based on the assumptions that school board members', teachers', and administrators' perceptions are valid resources for determining the effects of the mandate, and that three years is a sufficient amount of time for effects of the mandate to be perceived. The objectives of the study were to identify the procedures selected schools developed in compliance with this mandate and to determine the effects of the mandate on the school budget, teacher attitude, teacher behavior, teacher classroom processes, student attitude, student work and study habits, school testing program, curriculum objectives, teacher basic skills teaching preparation, addition or reassignment of school personnel, and course additions and deletions. A modified Delphi technique, using two questionnaires, was used to collect the data. The first open-ended questionnaire asked the selected jury to list (1) problems encountered by administrators, teachers, and students in implementing the mandate, (2) positive effects of the requirements on administrators, teachers, and students, (3) effects of the requirements on the school curriculum, and (4) anticipated outcomes of such requirements. Items for the second questionnaire were formulated from the responses submitted on the first questionnaire. Respondents were asked to respond on a Likert-type scale registering agreement or disagreement with 37 items. They were asked to indicate which five of the 37 items would have the most lasting effect on the function and organization of the schools. The information from the second questionnaire was punched on cards and computer analyzed. Means, standard deviations, modes, and frequency distributions were determined. An analysis of variance was done to determine differences in how the groups viewed each item. The Scheffe test was computed for each item showing a significant difference at the .05 level. An administrative questionnaire was sent to all selected prinicpals and head teachers to determine the procedures used for determining student competency, when the procedures are administered, and whether remedial activities or classes are available for students who fail to meet the competency standards. The highest rated effects of the mandate were more students being referred for special education and/or other remedial evaluation and teachers becoming more aware of student basic skill needs. The lowest rated effects were electives being decreased for some and being replaced by remedial or basic skills classes and the competency requirements having very little effect in the schools. The groups chose basic skills receiving more emphasis in the elementary grades as the item which would have the most lasting effect on the function and organization of the schools. The Administrative Questionnaire showed that all responding schools use more than one procedure to determine student competence. Students have more than one opportunity to pass a competency evaluation, and remedial classes or activities are available for students who have failed a competency evaluation. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that (1) more than one evaluation procedure continue to be used to evaluate student competence, (2) students be given several opportunities to meet required standards, (3) remediation continue to receive emphasis in the classroom, (4) reading and concept levels of textbooks be closely examined, (5) itemized progress reports be used to report student progress, (6) all subject areas develop competency standards, (7) teaching and reinforcement of basic skills be emphasized at all grade levels, (8) remedial resources not become an isolated part of the school's programs, and (9) students, regardless of the severity or number of deficiencies, be given an opportunity to participate in an elective program.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Victoria University (Melbourne, Vic.), 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Murdoch University, 2008. / Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts and Education. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 157-161).

Thesis (M. Sc.)(Science Education)--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 96-103).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Washington State University. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (D.Phil. ( Faculty of Education))--University of the Western Cape, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

The introduction of OBE in South Africa, a developing country, has been characterized by problems relating to the implementation process. Thus a comparative analysis of OBE was conducted in Australia, a developed country, to compare the implementation process. A small scale sample investigation was carried out in 11 Australian and 11 South African classrooms. Findings were that Australia is a country found to be we!! resourced, politically and economically stable, with at least 10 years experience in OBE. Furthermore, small classroom sizes, support structures and teacher aides have enhanced the implementation of OBE in Australia. However, the findings indicated that similar problems have emerged in Australia and South Africa regarding the structure of OBE, assessment and reporting and the extra workload associated with the implementation of OBE. This suggests that there are problems inherent in the system of OBE. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Comparative Education)

The introduction of OBE in South Africa, a developing country, has been characterized by problems relating to the implementation process. Thus a comparative analysis of OBE was conducted in Australia, a developed country, to compare the implementation process. A small scale sample investigation was carried out in 11 Australian and 11 South African classrooms. Findings were that Australia is a country found to be we!! resourced, politically and economically stable, with at least 10 years experience in OBE. Furthermore, small classroom sizes, support structures and teacher aides have enhanced the implementation of OBE in Australia. However, the findings indicated that similar problems have emerged in Australia and South Africa regarding the structure of OBE, assessment and reporting and the extra workload associated with the implementation of OBE. This suggests that there are problems inherent in the system of OBE. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Comparative Education)

D.Litt. et Phil. / Jean Piaget (1896-1980) played a major role in laying the groundwork for many of our current beliefs about cognitive development. While specific beliefs and ideas of different cultures may vary, Piaget posited that the stages of cognitive development, namely, sensori-motor, pre-operational, concrete operational and formal operational, unfold in the same sequence at roughly the same ages, irrespective of cultural and educational background. The new political changes in South Africa have transformed the education policies from the content-orientated, rote-learning based curriculum of the past, to a skills-based, interactive learning approach called Outcomes-Based Education (OBE). OBE aims to move away from the old ¡¥tabula rasa¡¦ education policy towards a dynamic learning system that involves learners at a critical level of intelligence. OBE presents itself as compatible with developments in cognitive psychology, particularly Piaget¡¦s theory of intellectual development. With the recent change in curriculum, this research investigated whether children in South Africa have attained concrete and formal operations as OBE purports to encourage. The research takes a closer look at children¡¦s cognitive abilities as assessed by Piaget¡¦s theory of development. With reference to South African education ¡§as part of the far-reaching political, social and economic changes, aimed at an egalitarian and healthy society, the new political dispensation has replaced the previous education policy with a constructivist, Outcomes Based Educational approach.¡¨ (Skuy et al, 1999, p. 3). This study was conducted on children from grades one through to grades five, at two primary schools. One of the schools implemented OBE „b 4 years ago (experimental group), whilst the other has not as yet implemented OBE (control group). The measuring instruments consisted of Piaget¡¦s cognitive tests for assessing the concrete and formal operational stages. Piaget¡¦s tests are designed to look for a particular type of understanding/reasoning that typifies a particular developmental stage (Bybee & Sund, 1982). The tests consisted of one-to-one interviews designed to evaluate concrete, transitional and formal operational patterns of thought. Due to the relatively small sample group (ten participants per group) and the fact that the data is ordinal, the analysis was carried out using non-parametric and descriptive statistics. Thus, the results of Piaget¡¦s tests were compared to OBE related marks and academic marks using Spearman¡¦s Correlation Coefficient for ranked data, in order to better understand the nature of the relationship between OBE and cognitive development. Since the data is categorical, i.e., categorised as concrete operational and formal operational, the results of each child in the OBE school were also compared to the results of each child in the non-OBE school using the Mann-Whitney-U test (Howell, 1995) in order to determine whether there is a difference between OBE-cognitive development and Non-OBE-cognitive development. The aim of this study was to establish whether O.B.E is indeed a better approach than other methods of teaching with reference to cognitive development. The conclusion that can be drawn from this study is that O.B.E is not necessarily a more superior system to that of other teaching systems, and that in fact, the more traditional methods of teaching may enhance cognitive development more than O.B.E. / Dr. Alban Burke