This study focuses on how school management teams manage the school-based continuous professional development of the teachers at their schools. The assumption is that continuous professional development - if school-based - may be more practical in implementing changes because the teachers will be working in a familiar context when managing their own development and in meeting the specific needs of their school. At present the professional development of teachers consists mainly of external workshops and courses. Teachers then return to the school context that has not changed to accommodate what has been learnt at these workshops or courses. The lack of feedback or follow-up has done little to encourage teachers to implement any changes in their teaching practice. The study also explores the practice of school management teams in creating collaborative school cultures for the implementation of schoolbased continuous professional development. The rationale for this study is based on the urgent need for continuous professional development to be part of the schools’ development of teachers. The National Policy Framework for Teacher Education and Development provides the frame of reference. There is, however, a gap in the policy on how continuous professional development should be implemented to create a collaborative school culture and the role that the school management team plays in doing this. The aim of the study was to determine how school management teams managed continuous professional development at their schools; to identify the challenges they faced in managing school-based continuous professional development; and to explore the strategies that contributed to successful school-based continuous professional development. The research methodology employed in this study is a Triangulation Mixed Methods Design. Qualitative and quantitative data was collected simultaneously and analysed separately to understand the research problem. The sample consisted of principals, deputy principals and heads of department of primary schools who were interviewed. Questionnaires were administered to Level 1 teachers at these schools. The interviews were analysed by identifying emerging patterns, themes and categories. The questionnaires were analysed by presenting descriptive statistics about the schools and then inferential statistics were determined that correlated and tested the hypotheses. The results were reported in the form of summaries from the interviews and graphs from the questionnaires. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

Thesis (Ph.D. (Educational Management)) -- University of Limpopo, 2020 / Continuous professional development (CPD) embraces the idea that individuals aim for continuous improvement in their professional knowledge and skills beyond the basic training initially required to carry out the job. CPD is especially critical in schools where the kind of education that students receive is heavily dependent on the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of educators. The purpose of the study was to explore the influence of continuous professional development in promoting quality teaching and learning leading to enhanced student achievement in South African schools. The study was based on a qualitative research approach. The interpretive paradigm and case-study research design were adopted. The researcher employed three research methods of data collection namely; individual interview, focus group and documentary evidence. The population from which the study sample was drawn is defined as all Pietersburg Circuit secondary schools in Polokwane urban. Five schools were drawn from the population to make a sample for the study. Two subjects for the study were principals and educators. The sample consisted of 5 principals and 10 educators to give a total sample size of 15. The research engaged purposive sampling technique. The idea behind purposive sampling was to concentrate on participants with those particular characteristics ideal to supply relevant research data that best enabled me to answer research questions. The researcher chose thematic data analysis. Thematic analysis basically entailed arranging data according to themes evolving. Data was triangulated to determine if data results from different sources supported each other. Findings revealed that both principals and educators were well conversant with the concept of continuous professional development. Continuous professional development in schools was mainly put through school-based, educator-initiated and externally-initiated approaches. Additionally, the findings revealed that the educators were minimally consulted and involved in professional development needs-identification and analysis. Furthermore, study findings showed that evaluations of informal continuous professional development programmes prevailed in schools, but the majority response alluded to the total failure by schools to institute deliberate, planned and documented evaluations. The professional development of educators is regarded as crucial in developing professional skills. Furthermore, it is looked upon as a direct contribution to student achievement. Professional development of educators has long been a key and logically positioned undertaking for improving educator iv satisfaction as well as hope for improved classroom instruction and student achievement. As a result, continuous professional development comes as both a big challenge as well as the best solution to effective teaching and learning in schools. On the basis of the findings of this study, some recommendations were made and possible areas for further research suggested. The primary recommendation of this study is for continuous professional development to match and attempt to address the identified needs of the educators and students alike. That would likely have the desired consequence of a more empowered and enriched educator with the capacity to efficiently and effectively raise student achievement. It could be assumed that, by allowing educators a voice in their own professional development, they would embrace a more vested interest and feel compelled to contribute more.Key concepts Continuous professional development, needs-identification and analysis, educator consultation and involvement, monitoring and evaluating professional development programmes, school-initiated professional development, educator-initiated professional development, externally-initiated professional development, student achievement.

Alle Lehrkräfte benötigen für ihre Profession spezifische digitale Kompetenzen, um das Potenzial digitaler Medien zum Lehren und Lernen nutzen zu können und um Schüler:innen zu befähigen, kompetent mit digitalen Medien umzugehen. Es fehlt an wirksamen Fortbildungsangeboten. Diese Dissertation möchte einen Beitrag dazu leisten und geht zwei Forschungsfragen nach: 1) Wie sollte eine fächerübergreifende Fortbildung für Lehrkräfte weiterführender Schulen inhaltlich, methodisch-didaktisch und organisatorisch gestaltet sein, um die professionsspezifische digitale Kompetenz der Teilnehmenden für sie zufriedenstellend zu fördern? 2) Welche Wirkung hat die konzipierte Fortbildung auf die selbsteingeschätzte digitale Kompetenz und das berichtete berufliche Handeln mit digitalen Medien? Die theoretische Grundlage für die Konzeption der Fortbildungsreihe bilden der Europäische DigCompEdu-Rahmen und der aktuelle Forschungsstand zu wirksamen Lehrkräftefortbildungen. Als forschungsmethodische Grundlage wurde der iterative Design-Based Research Ansatz gewählt. Das zu Beginn theoriegeleitet entwickelte Fortbildungskonzept wurde mit Hilfe qualitativer und quantitativer Methoden in drei Zyklen mit insgesamt 13 Fortbildungsgruppen und 247 Teilnehmenden weiterentwickelt und evaluiert. Aus der Studie resultierte ein für die Mehrheit zufriedenstellendes und evidenzbasiertes Konzept einer vierteiligen Fortbildungsreihe mit umfassenden Materialien, welches die selbsteingeschätzte digitale Kompetenz signifikant verbessert und das berichtete berufliche Handeln mit digitalen Medien nachweislich verändert. Ferner konnten die aus der Literatur identifizierten Merkmale zur inhaltlichen, methodisch-didaktischen und organisatorischen Gestaltung wirksamer Lehrkräftefortbildungen für diesen Kontext bestätigt, konkretisiert und ergänzt werden, woraus Gestaltungsempfehlungen für zukünftige Lehrkräftefortbildungen zur Förderung der professionspezifischen digitalen Kompetenz abgeleitet werden konnten. / To harness the potential of digital technologies for teaching and learning in schools, and to enable students to use digital technologies competently, teachers need specific digital competencies for their profession. This thesis aims to address the lack in effective Continuous Professional Development (CPD) courses in digital competences by answering the following research questions: 1) How should an interdisciplinary in-service training course for secondary school teachers be designed in terms of content, methodological-didactic and organisational aspects in order to satisfactorily promote the profession-specific digital competence of the participants? 2) What is the impact of the designed CPD course on the self-assessed digital competence of the participants and in their reported professional use of digital technologies? The European Framework DigCompEdu and the state-of-the-art research on effective CPD for teachers form the theoretical basis for the design of the CPD course. The iterative Design-Based Research approach was chosen as the research methodology. The initial theory-based CPD design was continuously re-designed and evaluated in three cycles with a total of 13 groups and 247 participants using qualitative and quantitative methods. The study provided an evidence-based concept for a four-part CPD course that is acceptable to the majority of respondents and that significantly improves the self-assessed digital competence. Furthermore, the design principles identified in the literature for effective CPD in terms of content, methodology, didactics and organisation could be confirmed, specified and extended for the context of the interdisciplinary promotion of DigCompEdu competences of teachers at secondary schools. Finally, recommendations are derived for the design of future CPD courses to promote the digital competences of the profession.

The poor performance by South African pupils in The Third International Mathematics and Science Study highlighted the importance of and need for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for South African mathematics teachers. For these teachers, the sudden, rapid and dramatic advent of the World Wide Web (WWW) and its communication conduit, the Internet, with its multimedia capabilities, interactive tools and telecommunication facilities, seems full of potential as a catalyst for significant and sustained online CPD activities. However, the Internet's usefulness for mathematics and spontaneous mathematical interaction is severely limited. Against this background, the motivation for this study was born out of two beliefs - a belief that context needs to be considered in online endeavours, particularly given the disparities that exist between disadvantaged and advantaged teachers in the South African context; and the belief that a bottoms-up approach to community formation allows space for a self-organizing system whose continual health and functioning is dependent upon local ownership and member identification. Having developed a mathematics-friendly online forum environment (ODEM) that allows teachers to include mathematical expressions in their posts, this study investigated the personal and situational tensions impacting on the use and value of this appropriate forum environment as a reflective tool in pursuit of CPD. Two groups of disadvantaged and advantaged mathematics teachers were separately provided with Personal Computers and home Internet access, thereby creating opportunities for reflection, communication with colleagues and the exchange of knowledge and ideas. Little evidence of community growth was found, while disadvantaged teachers faced more tensions than advantaged teachers in using the ODEM. Despite these differences, both groups' tensions pointed to their real (and thus forum) needs not being addressed. These forum needs are related to issues arising from their practice and the need for a channel of communication to a Subject Advisor that should actively manage these needs. A vertical relationship with the Subject Advisor is preferred over collegial interaction, over the needs to include expressions in their posts, or to reflect on their practice. Until teachers' needs are resolved, the ODEM is thus perceived to have potential value. The results furthermore informed a model that can be used by a Subject Advisor to determine teachers' tensions and needs in context, thereby ensuring appropriate online CPD strategies. / Mathematics, Science and Technology-Education / Ph. D. (Mathematics, Science and Technology-Education)

The poor performance by South African pupils in The Third International Mathematics and Science Study highlighted the importance of and need for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for South African mathematics teachers. For these teachers, the sudden, rapid and dramatic advent of the World Wide Web (WWW) and its communication conduit, the Internet, with its multimedia capabilities, interactive tools and telecommunication facilities, seems full of potential as a catalyst for significant and sustained online CPD activities. However, the Internet's usefulness for mathematics and spontaneous mathematical interaction is severely limited. Against this background, the motivation for this study was born out of two beliefs - a belief that context needs to be considered in online endeavours, particularly given the disparities that exist between disadvantaged and advantaged teachers in the South African context; and the belief that a bottoms-up approach to community formation allows space for a self-organizing system whose continual health and functioning is dependent upon local ownership and member identification. Having developed a mathematics-friendly online forum environment (ODEM) that allows teachers to include mathematical expressions in their posts, this study investigated the personal and situational tensions impacting on the use and value of this appropriate forum environment as a reflective tool in pursuit of CPD. Two groups of disadvantaged and advantaged mathematics teachers were separately provided with Personal Computers and home Internet access, thereby creating opportunities for reflection, communication with colleagues and the exchange of knowledge and ideas. Little evidence of community growth was found, while disadvantaged teachers faced more tensions than advantaged teachers in using the ODEM. Despite these differences, both groups' tensions pointed to their real (and thus forum) needs not being addressed. These forum needs are related to issues arising from their practice and the need for a channel of communication to a Subject Advisor that should actively manage these needs. A vertical relationship with the Subject Advisor is preferred over collegial interaction, over the needs to include expressions in their posts, or to reflect on their practice. Until teachers' needs are resolved, the ODEM is thus perceived to have potential value. The results furthermore informed a model that can be used by a Subject Advisor to determine teachers' tensions and needs in context, thereby ensuring appropriate online CPD strategies. / Mathematics, Science and Technology-Education / Ph. D. (Mathematics, Science and Technology-Education)

Le sens de l’exercice soignant se fonde sur le “vivre ensemble” et se nourrit d’un important besoin de réflexion éthique que l’on retrouve tant chez les étudiants qu’auprès des professionnels de santé. Pour autant, l’exercice de la réflexion et le développement de la formation à l’éthique ont été peu présents en formation initiale et dans le parcours de la majorité des professionnels en activité. La posture individuelle réflexive ne suffit pas et doit être complétée par une démarche collective de réflexion éthique associant le patient, sa famille ou ses proches, au dialogue interdisciplinaire. La commission « éthique et professions de santé » (rapport A Cordier 2003) a identifié un manque de lieux et de temps pour les soignants, leur permettant de « formaliser » leur réflexion éthique. Cette thèse se propose d’identifier les dispositifs à construire, au travers de séquences de simulation en santé, afin d’accompagner les acteurs du soin dans cette démarche de questionnement à priori mais aussi à postériori,.Des questionnaires seront utilisés afin d’enrichir et de conforter l’hypothèse centrale.Un autre axe de recherche tentera d’objectiver les variations du niveau de pertinence des principes éthiques en jeu, en fonction des contextes et ceci au travers d’observations menées lors de réunions pluridisciplinaires, entre professionnels du soin..Enfin et en réponse à la question de départ, il apparait qu’un programme de Développement Professionnel Continu (DPC), conçu comme « nouvel espace de la réflexion » semble être une opportunité à saisir, pour aider les acteurs du soin à clarifier les situations et à construire en collégialité, le sens de leur pratique. / The meaning of the nursing exercise is based on the notion of “living together” and feeds on an important need for ethical reflection both from students and healthcare professionals. However, the reflection exercise and the development of training in the field of ethics have been scarce in initial training and in the career path of most of professionals in service. The individual reflexive position is not sufficient and must be completed by a collective approach of ethical reflection in which the patient, his/her family or his/her close relations are associated with interdisciplinary dialogue. The “Ethics and Health Professions” committee (as per the A Cordier report in 2003) pointed out a lack of locations and time for the nursing staff, which could allow them to “formalize” their ethical reflection. This thesis suggests identifying the systems to be created in order, for example of the sequences of simulation in health, to accompany nursing players in this questioning approach a priori but also exposit. Questionnaires will be used to enhance and consolidate the main assumption. Another research focus will attempt to objectify changes in the level of relevance of ethical principles involved, according to contexts and through observations conducted during multidisciplinary meetings between health professionals. This approach will attempt to validate another hypothesis. Finally, to answer the initial question, it appears that a Continuous Professional Development program (DPC), designed as a “new area for reflection” seems to be an opportunity that must be seized, to help care providers to clarify situations et build their practice purpose in a collegial manner.

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the knowledge of student nurses regarding the cost concepts in health economics, specifically the efficient allocation of resources and determining the cost of interventions, in order to prepare them to deliver cost-effective yet quality nursing care. An explorative and descriptive quantitative design was used. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Respondents were student nurses studying towards becoming professional nurses in their final year of study (comprehensive programme). The results revealed an apparent lack of knowledge among student nurses regarding cost concepts in health economics, although respondents agreed that knowledge of health economics is essential for nursing practice. The results led the researcher to draw a strong conclusion that there is a need for the inclusion of a module regarding health economics in the nursing curriculum and in continuous professional development (CPD) workshops and in-service training. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

Educational dispensation has brought about radical changes in schools, particularly with reference to curriculum changes and delivery, not only internationally but specifically in South Africa. With a move towards the introduction of new curricular in schools, the concept Continuous Professional Development has been revisited and thus has propagated further review on new approaches of teaching and learning, which leads to the need for establishment of school-based professional development of educators to meet the new challenges of curriculum changes. The school based training of educators should not be seen as short courses or workshops done for the educators, only to be left without a continuous support and guidance. It should be noted that school based educators are part of the community of learners with the shared purpose of ensuring quality learning experiences of all learners, every day, without exception and this is reinforced by the following goals: -- Providing of all school personnel with opportunity of further developing, and enriching their professional skills and knowledge. -- Challenging all school personnel to examine their attitudes and beliefs regarding the capacity of all students at high level, as well as their accountability for continuous improvement in student performance (Fer, 2005:2). The problem is how to cultivate the culture of school based continuous training and participation of all educators in the programmes. The Employment of Educators Act offers enormous possibilities for educators’ professional development. The principal is tasked with the responsibility of establishing staff development progammes, both school based, school focused and externally directed (Personnel Administrative Measures (PAM) of 1998, as determined by the Minister of Education in terms of the Employment of Educators Act, 1998). It also stress that curriculum delivery is the basic of training in order to effect changes. This study draws a distinction between short courses and workshops, and continuous professional development. Short courses is about training educators for about three to five days and leave the on their own. Continuous professional development means training educators on regular bases with follow ups after thereafter. Finally, principals and School Management Teams should ensure that there school based professional development programmes are established at schools and all educators should participate to ensure appropriate curriculum delivery. / Dissertation (MEd (Leadership))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Education Management and Policy Studies / MEd / unrestricted

The transition from apartheid to democracy in South Africa, which began in 1994 led to a change in a plethora of policies and/or legislation. In recent years there has been much debate on how the standard of education provisioning in schools could be raised in the light of the introduction of the much debated Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS) and thereafter the National Curriculum Statement (NCS). These reform initiatives have brought about confusion and a sense of unsettledness amongst educators, including principals as well as their School Management Teams. Furthermore, the abovementioned and other policies required educators to acquaint themselves with either the materials that are used or the content of the curriculum and the planning and presentation of lessons. This entails in some occasions that educators who are more experienced have to assist the less experienced ones since they understand the RNCS and more recently the NCS better than the others. According to me this emphasises the importance of educator development towards raising the standards in schools. Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is a process that fits the role of an educator as a lifelong learner. The aforementioned is captured in the Norms and Standards for Educators (2000). The need for more attention to be accorded to the professional development of practising educators is emphasised in the Report of the Ministerial Committee on Teacher Education (2005). This report led to the development of the National Policy Framework for Teacher Education and Development which has as its aim to attempt to address the need for suitably qualified educators in South Africa. The National Policy Framework for Teacher Education and Development will be used in this study along with the Integrated Quality Management Systems (IQMS) as tools to achieve the continuous development of educators in South African schools. The Personnel Administration Measures (PAM) of 1999 are also used since they stipulate the roles and responsibilities of the educator, including those of the principal, deputy principal(s) as well as the heads of department. In particular it stipulates that the principal (Department of Education, 1999:10) is responsible for the development of staff training programmes, school-based, school-focused and externally directed, and to assist educators, particularly new and inexperienced educators, in developing and achieving educational objectives in accordance with the needs of the school. This research project deals with the challenges experienced by educators regarding their own Continued Professional Development (CPD). It thus aims at coming up with an empirical account of the challenges experienced by the said educators. The study will focus on, among others, the educators’ experiences in the implementation of the IQMS as a developmental tool for educators in schools. It looks at the roles that different staff members in senior positions in terms of the CPD of the educators. These include the developmental opportunities available in the sampled schools. Carefully selected and drafted interview questions assisted me in soliciting answers from the sampled educators. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

The implementation of the National Curriculum Statement was problematic to the culture of teaching and learning in various South African schools. If challenges experienced by educators, such as inadequate resources, financial constraints and lack of training, are not addressed, this will have far-reaching consequences not only for our education system but also for the type of skilled learners that will be produced and for the economic growth of the country. This qualitative investigation was conducted in a single school in Limpopo Province with the aim of finding out which challenges the implementation of the NCS presents to FET educators. The sample consisted of educators and learners from grades ten to twelve as well as members of the SGB, SMT and district education officers. Data were collected through questionnaires and interviews. It was found that the implementation of the National Curriculum Statement was problematic and far from satisfactory. The study highlights the need for the Department of Education to prioritise educational resources for schools and educator training in curriculum implementation. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)