Thesis (M.Sc.)(Mathematics)--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Includes summary. Includes bibliographical references. Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M. Sc.)(Mathematics)--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Includes summary. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 102-108).

M.Ed. / The research conducted for the purpose of this study clearly showed that outcomes-based education (OBE) potentially offers a remedy for this country's ineffective education system which often fails to equip learners adequately to face the future with confidence and achieve success in the adult world. OBE enables each learner to achieve optimally within the limitations of his/her personal ability and prepares learners for life after school. Since teachers play a vital role in the successful implementation of OBE, it is essential that they should truly understand this paradigm shift and should wholeheartedly support the accompanying change in focus. In teaching mathematics, the aim is that the learner should understand it well enough to actually apply mathematic principles in everyday life. To start with, a special effort should be made to make the syllabus content more meaningful by showing learners how their knowledge of mathematics can be applied in everyday situations and how it can be of value once they have left school. Once the OBE approach has been implemented, Mathematics pupils will be much more skilled when they leave school. In addition to being able to use their knowledge of mathematics confidently, they will have achieved a higher level of emotional maturity, which is an important asset, regardless of whether they continue their studies at a tertiary institution or enter the world of work. Teachers who consider OBE in this light will find that the change-over is much easier. The best way to prepare for the new system of education is undoubtedly to read as much as possible about it and to access any other available sources of information. Once a person has accepted and embraced the idea of OBE, he/she will find that the many new related terms an phrases are much easier to understand. This can then be followed by practical implementation, which will demand that teachers design their own strategies for the effective achievement of specific outcomes by their pupils. Much more than ever before teachers will have to develop their entrepreneurial skills, and this should be an exciting experience! The urgent need for a more effective approach to teaching in South Africa is spelled out most clearly by the poor results obtained in Mathematics at school level, and by the anxiety generally associated with the study of this subject. As a result relatively few learners are interested in continuing their studies in the fields of mathematics and science, which will inevitably lead to a critical shortage of skilled engineers, economists, etc.

M.A. / Jean Piaget (1896-1980) played a major role in laying the groundwork for many of our current beliefs about cognitive development. By examining children's answers to particular questions and how they reached those answers, Piaget concluded that children's thinking was qualitatively different from adults and that it had its own special logic. Piaget was concerned with explaining the universal aspects of cognitive development rather than individual differences between people. While specific beliefs and ideas of different cultures may vary, Piaget posited that the stages of cognitive development, namely, sensori-motor, preoperational, 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 OutcomesBased 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. The aim of this study was to explore, on a theoretical level, whether OBE is a marked improvement on the old system, particularly with regard to cognitive development, or whether the old system is equivalent to or better than OBE as a facilitator of the development of the concrete operational and formal operational stages. As this was a literature survey, an extensive theoretical analysis on Piaget's theory as well as on the premises of OBE was done, in order to determine whether there are theoretical links between OBE and Piaget's theory. Theoretical links were found between OBE and Piaget's theory, hence the pertinent and salient aspects of both Piaget's theory and the premises of OBE were reformulated in terms of the following hypotheses for the next stage of the research: • Children exposed to OBE will show an accelerated cognitive development when compared to children who have not been exposed to OBE. • There is a relationship between OBE and cognitive development. These hypotheses will have to be followed up by an empirical study where the cognitive development of learners from an OBE system will have to be compared with the cognitive development of learners from a non-OBE system. The research design of such a study will have to be such that the proposed hypotheses could be tested.

Bloom (1956) states that learning is the permanent change in the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains of a learner. Considering that learners have different learning styles and educators have different teaching methodologies, the question that I have been paying special attention to since I started teaching is: "How do I know that learning has really taken place?" The only way to determine if learning has taken place, i.e. whether there is a permanent change in the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains of the learner, is to measure the learning. The conventional measuring tools in a content-based education system are tests and examinations. This approach often results in a tendency towards awarding learners with a once-off qualification and not necessarily providing them with the academic and life skills needed to enter the workplace. Although outcome-based education creates the opportunity to change the product-driven and rote learning measuring in content-based education to the process-driven and authentic assessment of learning in outcome-based education, the question of whether learning has really taken place still exists. The focus of this study is therefore the assessment of learning in outcome-based education to confirm that learning has really taken place. This study comprises of action research of six cycles of one year each (1997 - 2002) and pertains to changing the Further Diploma in Education (Computer-assisted Education) qualification as presented by the University of Pretoria, from a content-based (1997 - 1998) into an outcome-based education approach (1999 - 2002). What initially seemed to be an easy task in 1999, turned out to be a complex challenge to discover all the aspects contributing to the successful implementation of outcome-based assessment of learning South African education, training and development. The findings of the study indicate that is not possible simply to convert evaluation in content-based learning into assessment in outcome-based learning. Outcome-based learning is a totally different way of doing and it takes time to make an internal mind-change as well as a change that can be observed externally. It also reveals that it is not possible to eliminate content-based learning in favour of outcome-based learning. There is a place for both and both are imperative to the needs of learners. The complex problem of assessment in outcome-based learning has no straightforward solution. It can only be stated that if all aspects are considered, there is a fair chance to end up with a permanent change in the cognitive, affective and psychomotor skills of a person, i.e. that learning has taken place. There is a real need for information on the following aspects to be considered in an integrated and holistic approach to assessment of learning in outcome-based education: ~ The governmental policy and current educational philosophy ~ The design, development and implementation of the learning programme ~ The facilitation of learning ~ The portfolio of evidence of learning ~ The quality assurance of the assessment of learning This study is only an introductory study and more research needs to be done regarding assessment of learning in outcome-based education in South Africa. Copyright / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Humanities Education / PhD / Unrestricted

In the last decade, the concept of competence has become a powerful ideological force as a component of public policy in the post-compulsory sector of vocational/technical education in Canada. It has served as a device for articulating vocational policy and practice to the changing conditions for capital accumulation in the context of economic and social restructuring. This process of articulation is most readily visible at the level of broad public policy statements and political rhetoric calling for reform of the relation between education and work. Less clear is how competency measures give practical expression to these broad policy objectives at the level of routine curricular and institutional arrangements. These issues form the central empirical focus of the thesis, through an investigation of the work process of teachers and administrators involved in implementing competency measures in the college setting. The central argument is that competency measures effect a fundamental transformation in the organization of curriculum decision making in the college setting. They accomplish the suppression of broad, long-term educational goals in favour of narrow, short-term ones, as a means to increase "flexibility" in labour supply. They limit the use of educational theory as the basis of curriculum decisions and replace it with a set of ideological procedures for constituting "needs" and "requirements" related to job performance. These changes are brought about in part through the imposition of formal, documentary information systems to replace the discretionary judgment and interpretive practices of instructors, making the instructional process accountable within a centrally determined policy process. Through this re-organization of educational decision-making, learning is displaced by managing as the form of praxis which gives shape to curricular organization. The form of competence that is brought into being is not a feature of the performance ability of individuals but an aspect of "good management practice" in educational settings. / Education, Faculty of / Graduate

No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D. (Education))--Rhodes University, 2006.

Currently, there is an increase in competency-based education programs in higher education institutions in response to student and employer needs. However, research is lacking on effective practices for developing competencies, assessments, and learning resources for these programs. The purpose of this qualitative Delphi study was to gather expert opinions about effective practices for developing competencies, assessments, and learning resources in competency-based programs in higher education. The conceptual framework was based on principles of andragogy, critical subjectivity, and social constructivism. Ten long-term specialists in developing competency-based programs in higher education served as participants. Data from 3 rounds of interviews were coded and categorized using Delphi methodology. Eighteen principles for effective practices were agreed upon for developing competencies, 15 principles for effective practice were agreed upon for developing assessments, and 16 principles for effective practice were agreed upon for identifying and leveraging learning resources. Areas of disagreement related to competencies, assessments, and learning resources were identified, with evidence that the variation in rankings presented by participants was due to the unique contexts of different higher education programs. The research from this study contributes to positive social change by providing an emerging list of effective practices useful in developing programs that help students graduate sooner with both a degree and skill set relevant to employers and to their future personal satisfaction.

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South Africa's education and training policy legislates that in order to be formally accredited all South African education and training programmes should be outcomesbased. The design and implementation of outcomes-based programmes can be a complex process and there are few exemplars. This study examines the design and implementation of the Ready for Business programme. The Ready for Business programme was designed to assist Grade 11 and Grade 12 learners from disadvantaged backgrounds to gain the necessary knowledge, skills and values to succeed in higher education business studies. The programme was piloted by the Siyabona Education Trust as a Delta Foundation project from 1997-2000. This study outlines the move towards outcomes-based education within a South African context. It specifically focuses on Spady's (1994) theory of transformational outcomesbased education and how this can be translated into practice within a South African education and training context. This study applies a programme evaluation approach within a constructivist-interpretive paradigm to assess the effectiveness of the design of the Ready for Business programme and its implementation by the Siyabona Education Trust. Essentially, the evaluation follows the principles of fourth generation evaluation. Data is gathered from the programme stakeholders through individual interviews, group interviews and questionnaires. A final group interview with stakeholders provides the foundation for further refinement of the programme. The researcher makes recommendations for improvement of the design and implementation of the programme based on the findings of the study. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Suid Afrika se onderwys- en opleidingsbeleid vereis dat aile onderwys- en opleidings programme uitkomsgebaseerd moet wees ten einde formeel geakkrediteer te word. Die ontwerp en implementering van uitkomsgebaseerde programme kan 'n komplekse proses wees. Daar bestaan egter min nasionale modelle. Die Ready for Business model is on twerp om Graad 11 en Graad 12 Ieerders, van voorhen agtergeblewe gemeenskappe te ondersteen om hulle in staat te stel om die nodige kennis, vaardighede en waarders aan te leer ten einde suksesvol te wees in hcer onderwys besigheidstudies. Hierdie model is tussen 1997 en 2000 geloods deur die Siyabona Education Trust as deel van 'n projek van die Delta Stigting. Hierdie studie skets die beweging tot uitkomsgebaseerde onderwys binne 'n Suid Afrikaanse konteks. Dit fokus spesifiek op Spady (1994) se teorie van transfonnatoriese uitkomsgebaseerde onderwys en hoe dit geimplernenteer kan word binne die Suid Afrikaanse onderwys- en opleidingsbeleid. Die studie pas 'n evalueringsprogram binne 'n konstruktivistiese paradigma toe om die effektiwiteit van die Ready for Business program en die implementering daarvan te bepaal soos geloods deur die Siyabona Education Trust. Die evaluering geskied primer volgens die beginsels en vierde generasie evaluering. Data is bekom deur beide individuele en groeponderhoude, asook deur vraelyste. 'n Finale groeponderhoud met die rolspelers le 'n verdere verfyning van die program ten grondslag. Gebaseer op die bevindinge van die studie, maak die navorser gevolglik voorstelle vir die verbetering van die ontwerp en implementering van die program. IV