The purpose of the study was to explore problems encountered in the teaching and learning of statistics in grade 11 and to offer ways of addressing them. A convenient sample of 100 grade 11 mathematics teachers and 448 grade 11 mathematics learners participated in the study. A descriptive survey design was used. Data were collected from the teachers using a teacher questionnaire, classroom observation schedule and teacher interview, and from learners through the use of a learner questionnaire, classroom observation schedule, diagnostic test and learner interview. The validity and reliability of all these instruments was established. Descriptive statistics and frequencies were used to analyse learner questionnaires, teacher questionnaires and learners‟ responses to a diagnostic test. Teacher and learner interviews were transcribed and classified according to themes. Classroom observations were analysed by using themes and checking for similarities and differences. The results showed that teachers had difficulty with the interpretation and calculation of measures of dispersion; representation and interpretation of data on graphs or plots; determining the five number summary; constructing and interpreting probability diagrams and tables; and interpreting probability terminology. Also, the results showed that learners experienced difficulties when using graphs to predict the results; interpreting and determining measures of dispersion; computation of quartiles when the total number of data values was even; representing data on graphs or plots; interpreting and determining measures of central tendency; constructing and interpreting probability graphs and tables; and interpreting probability terminology. The results found possible causes of the teachers‟ difficulties to be (1) their lack of statistics content knowledge; (2) inadequate textbooks; (3) in-service programmes which did not cover statistical topics, or which did not pay adequate attention to probability; and (4) teachers failure to attend these in-service teacher workshops. Further, the findings of the study were that the probable causes of learners‟ difficulties were (1) inadequate teaching of statistics topics in previous grades; (2) teachers‟ lack of content knowledge in statistics meant they had difficulty explaining concepts to learners; (3) inadequate learning material and learners‟ inability to use the statistics function mode on their calculators; and (4) learners‟ lack of conceptual knowledge of certain aspects of statistics. Lastly, the results of the study found that the possible ways to address the problems in the teaching and learning of statistics in grade 11 to be: (1) teachers should receive financial support from their schools/districts to attend in-service education and training programmes; (2) textbooks should be well written (provide thorough explanations) and contain all the information necessary to teach data handling and probability (i.e. formulae, more examples); (3) in-service teacher programmes should meet the needs of the teachers by offering topics that teachers find difficult to teach; and (4) more and longer inset programmes on probability, preferably five-day workshops, should be arranged. / Mathematics Education / M. Sc. (Mathematics, Science and Technology Education)

Reforms that have taken place in the South African education system since 1994 have led to changes in terms of how learning areas are taught in schools. There have been changes regarding the teaching of physical development activities in schools in recent years. Physical education as a subject was infused within life orientation (LO) as a learning area with physical development activities as one of the outcomes. The time to teach physical development activities has been reduced as other learning outcomes within LO have to be taught. This has led to situations where the teaching of physical development activities is undermined in many schools. Pressure to perform well in learning areas such as mathematics and literacy makes educators to devote less time on the teaching of physical development activities. To a larger extent, financial resources on the other hand, are being directed to other learning areas due to pressure to conform to international education standards. There is a need for school leaders to respond to new conditions of teaching. This research project deals with the leadership practices of heads of department (HODs) in the implementation of physical development activities. The study aims to investigate how HODs lead and manage the educators who teach physical development activities. Among other things, the study will focus on the HODs‟ leadership styles relevant to the teaching of physical development activities. The study will also look at challenges they experience in their departments, training needs and how they keep balance between teaching and monitoring educators who teach physical development activities. The researcher used qualitative research approach to collect information for the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with two HODs and four educators in two primary schools. The findings indicate that lack of experience and specialisation in the teaching of physical development activities has an influence on the HODs leadership style. More support is needed in the teaching of physical development activities in order to boost the confidence of those who are teaching this part of the learning area. Deployment of staff members to the relevant positions is one of the priority areas. An implication for schools, particularly HODs and school management teams is that the teaching of physical development activities is as important as the teaching of other learning areas. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

The focus of this study is on the Foundation Phase mathematical and pedagogical knowledge construction. This study is about how two lecturers and a number of final year B.Ed. Foundation Phase student teachers construct Foundation Phase mathematical and pedagogical knowledge during the initial teacher education programme. The initial B.Ed. Foundation Phase teacher education provides student teachers with different mathematical knowledge for teaching. A Foundation Phase mathematics pedagogical knowledge construction framework was utilised to generate and analyse data. The Foundation Phase mathematics pedagogical knowledge construction framework is developed with the assumption that the integrated learning knowledge and the process of pedagogical reasoning action is a continuous process. Furthermore, it is assumed that student teachers’ active participation in their learning and paddling through the pedagogical reasoning action process, leads to the construction of Foundation Phase mathematical pedagogical knowledge. The study utilised a qualitative case study design to investigate how two initial teacher education programmes construct Foundation Phase mathematical pedagogical knowledge in their programme to prepare student teachers to teach Foundation Phase mathematics. Data were collected from Foundation Phase mathematics lecturers through semi-structured interviews, focus group interviews with final year Foundation Phase student teachers as well as document analysis from the institutions to achieve triangulation. Data analysis and findings were based on themes and categories that emerged. The findings suggest that Foundation Phase mathematical and pedagogical knowledge construction is an interconnected and continuous process that includes different types of knowledge and pedagogical reasoning. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / tm2015 / Educational Psychology / MEd / Unrestricted

Department of Curriculum Studies and Education Management / MEDCS

Tidigare forskning visade att lärarutbildningar har misslyckats med att utbilda lärare kring normkritisk pedagogik där genus, kön och etnicitet är betydande faktorerna för elevernas resultat i skolan (Skolverket 2016a; Lundvall 2006; Barker 2017). Vårt syfte med studien var att ta reda på hur lärare arbetar med normkritisk pedagogik samt om och isåfall hur Linnéuniversitetet har förberett lärare i idrott och hälsa kring ämnet. Lärares åsikter och kunskaper inom ämnet insamlades med hjälp av kvalitativ metod med semistrukturerade intervjuer. Resultatet har analyserats genom Lee Shulmans (1986) teori om pedagogiska ämneskunskaper samt diskuteras utifrån begreppen ämneskunskaper, pedagogiska kunskaper och pedagogiska ämneskunskaper. För att få ytterligare perspektiv analyserades resultatet från tidigare forskning. Studiens resultat visade att lärare med examen från Linnéuniversitetet brister i pedagogiska ämneskunskap kring normkritik. Lärare är väl medvetna om de normer som existerar och har ett engagemang i att arbeta mot dem men har brister i kunskaper om pedagogiska kunskaper för att arbeta normkritiskt.

Thesis (M. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / The purpose of the research was to explore challenges encountered by teachers when teaching fractions to learners in grade 2 at schools in the Koloti Circuit. A qualitative approach including other research techniques, such as observation, document analysis and interviews, were mutually employed to collect data during the study. A pluralistic approach was employed when gathering data to enhance triangulation and further intensify the merits of the probed facts. Purposive sampling was employed to choose three grade 2 teachers from various schools to serve as participants in this study. The following challenges were uncovered as a result of the research: learners are from child-headed families; there is a high rate of learner absenteeism; parents do not attend consultative meetings; there is a high rate of teacher time-offs; there is a lack of teacher pedagogical content knowledge in mathematics; teachers have to teach in multi-grade classroom; teachers lacking background knowledge on implementation of inclusive classrooms resulting in inadequate support to learners with learning barriers; classrooms are over-crowded; uneven partitioning of circular representations was discovered, and there is lack of content-related workshops. The following were some of the recommendations that were established to counteract the challenges uncovered during the research study, namely: establishment of after-care centres with qualified tutors; provision of state paid security services in schools; teachers should create learner support materials to aid in the teaching of fractions to the learners; teachers should notify parents when their children are absenting themselves from school on regular basis without valid reasons; teachers should notify parents about the benefits of attending consultative meetings; memorial services for teachers should be conducted after learner contact time, competent and/or qualified teachers in arithmetic should be assigned to educate the subject; small schools should be merged to curb multi-grate teaching at schools; more classrooms should be provided to avoid over-crowding in the classrooms, and more content workshops should be organised in order to assist teachers who experience challenges with the teaching of fractions. In conclusion, the outcomes of this study could aid grade 2 teachers in instilling knowledge of fractions into their learners, crafted on the suggested recommendations that are drawn subsequent the challenges facing teachers were singled out, in order to improve learner performance in fractions. This could result in better performance by learners in mathematics at various schools.

Computer-mediated communication (CMC) offers opportunities to assist world language students to become global communicators in a digital society. However, perceptions of high school world language (HSWL) teachers on the suitability of these applications are not known. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore and document the professional perspectives of HSWL teachers who have taught over 10 years, to learn the benefits and obstacles that they must consider in teaching communicative language skills with CMC. The research questions explored possible reasons that would motivate or dissuade from teaching with these applications. The technology acceptance model extension (TAM2) provided the conceptual framework for this study because it elucidates the cognitive and social processes that affect teacher decisions when reviewing a technology to support their instruction. The collected data included 6 in-depth interviews, field observations, and document reviews. The data analysis began with a precoding based on TAM2, and coding to identify emergent themes such as student immaturity and content-specific professional development. In the findings, the teachers perceived CMC as unsuitable due to the digital divide and the focus on grammatical competence. However, the teachers noted the possible benefits of content-specific professional development. This study contributes to positive social change by providing insight into the current role of computer technology in HSWL instruction and suggestions for how to encourage teachers to adopt innovative uses of digital technology in their CLT practices.

In response to the continued reduction in higher education funding at the state and federal levels, educational administrators at both public and private institutions have had to reduce the number of course offerings, resulting in layoffs of those faculty members who do not meet regulated degree requirements for enough courses to retain their fulltime status. This study examined the effect of instructors' content knowledge (subject matter degree) on the results of the students' evaluations of teaching effectiveness (SETE) at a private for-profit junior college. The study employed an ex post facto causal-comparative research design. The data were analyzed through a hierarchical multiple linear regression in order to determine how much of the variance in students' responses on their evaluations of teacher effectiveness was accounted for by the instructors' content knowledge after controlling for gender, course experience, formal training in education and/or instruction, and time of day (session). The questions were categorized into four subscales using Shulman's Model of Pedagogical Reasoning and Action: comprehension, transformation, instruction, and evaluation. The data were then disaggregated into the following course subjects: English, math, natural science, psychology, and sociology. Results of the analyses suggest that instructors' content knowledge may have a negative effect on SETE results for the subscale evaluation. No effect of content knowledge was found on SETE data in the areas of comprehension, transformation, or instruction. The data suggest that the control variable of morning session has a negative effect on SETE data for the subscales comprehension, transformation, and instruction, while course experience shows evidence to suggest a positive effect within comprehension and transformation. When disaggregated by course subject matter, data suggest a negative effect of formal training on SETE results for English and psychology. Data also suggest a negative effect of morning session on sociology while course experience had a positive effect. The evidence suggests that a subject matter degree has no practical significance in defining instructional effectiveness from the perspective of the student, and that decision makers look to other assurances of instructional quality and not rely solely on a subject matter degree as a proxy for the requisite content knowledge.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of an instructional program designed to explicitly teach text structure awareness to fourth grade students to assist in their understanding of science content in a unit of study on weather. The changes that occurred in teacher thinking and practice were also examined throughout the process of developing and implementing the instructional program. A quantitative analysis was performed to reveal any differences in mean posttest scores between a control group and a treatment group. Results indicated that the treatment group students' science content knowledge was increased significantly more than the students in the control group. A qualitative analysis was also performed to reveal the changes that occurred while this program was implemented into science instruction. Results indicated that by using research and results to guide her instruction, the researcher became more refined as a teacher. Recommendations for further research are discussed.

This study was designed with two goals in mind. The first goal was to describe the formal and practical knowledge of intensive reading intervention teachers related to beginning reading instruction with at-risk first graders. A second goal was to understand any potential relationships between intensive reading teachers’ practical knowledge and formal knowledge. These two goals framed the study’s three research questions. To answer these three questions, the study was conducted in two phases. Phase one included 32 participants, all of whom worked in the role of a K-2 intensive reading intervention teacher. Each of these 32 participants completed a background questionnaire and a paper/pencil Teacher Knowledge Assessment (TKA). The TKA measured participants’ formal knowledge of beginning reading concepts. Participants’ scores on the TKA were then rank-ordered from lowest to highest to help guide the selection of phase two participants. Eight teachers in all participated in phase two of the study dedicated to the study of teachers’ practical knowledge of reading. Participants’ practical knowledge of reading was explored through three activities including a semi-structured interview, a concept-mapping activity and a videotaped reading lesson. Data analysis revealed several important findings. Intensive reading intervention teachers in this study’s sample differed in their formal knowledge of reading, measured by the TKA, and in their practical knowledge of reading, explored through interviews, concept-maps and reading lessons. The TKA revealed that study participants’ held more formal knowledge of concepts related to phonology and phonics and less formal knowledge of concepts related to morphology and syllable types. Related to practical knowledge, data analysis revealed that the teachers in this sample differed in their knowledge of beginning reading with subject-matter knowledge iv accounting for most of the differences. These gaps in subject-matter knowledge also impacted this sample of teachers’ use of instructional strategies and purposes of instruction. Data analysis also revealed insight into the relationships between this sample of teachers’ formal and practical reading knowledge. In this sample, intensive reading intervention teachers with more formal knowledge of reading concepts as measured on the TKA demonstrated more evidence of these concepts within their instruction provided to at-risk first grade readers. The participants in this sample who had less formal knowledge of beginning reading as measured by the TKA demonstrated less evidence of these concepts within their instruction provided to at-risk first grade readers. Participants with less formal knowledge did accurately calibrate their knowledge of the concepts tested on the TKA but did not equate the lower scores to their practical knowledge and overall teaching efficacy. The findings from this study added several important contributions to the literature on teacher knowledge and beginning reading instruction. First, the study was unique in its focus on intensive reading intervention teachers, thus contributing new findings related to a specialized group of teachers. Secondly, this study contributed descriptions of teachers’ practical knowledge with regards to beginning reading instruction. These descriptions are relatively absent in the current literature on teacher knowledge. Thirdly, the results from this study supported earlier findings in favor of a specialized body of subject-matter knowledge, especially related to beginning reading skills and concepts. Finally, the results contributed insight into the relationships between teachers’ formal reading knowledge and practical reading knowledge