In exercising their professional duties professional planners inevitably impact on the environment. In the past, more often than not, this impact has been allowed to occur without sufficient forethought, and usually to the detriment of the environment. In this research it is proposed that this undesirable state of affairs arises from inadequacies within the professional education of the planners, and that greater emphasis on the environmental education of planners is called for. From the perspective of a participative approach to curriculum development, the opinions of professional planners in the Port Elizabeth area were canvassed to establish baseline data in respect of their environmental education needs. To provide further information and a background against which the perceptions of the professional planners could be assessed, the opinions of the learned societies of the planning professions and of key environmentalists were also sought. In all these opinion surveys postal questionnaires formed the basis of the methodology employed. The extent of environmental education presently available to professional planners at tertiary institutions in South Africa and overseas, with particular emphasis on that available in the civil engineering discipline, was also investigated. The surveys revealed a strongly felt need for environmental education within the planning professions. The natural environment, the social environment, environmental ethics and interdisciplinary action all emerged as acceptable themes of the said education. A number of environmental topics to be covered were also identified. Block-release and part-time courses emerged as the most popular format for such environmental education offerings. The limited environmental education practice within the civil engineering discipline at South African tertiary institutions was noted, and the overseas practice in this regard provided useful insights. The data gathered as outlined above, formed the basis from which proposals towards an environmental curriculum for professional planners were made. Although these proposals focused primarily on the civil engineering discipline within the ambit of technikon-based educational programmes, wider multi-disciplinary applications remained an important concern. In the first instance, proposals aimed at expanding the environmental component of the existing first-qualification course were suggested. Secondly, proposals in respect of a post-first qualification, interdisciplinary, environmental study programme leading to a technikon degree were formulated.

M.Ed. (Curriculum Science) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Ed. (Curriculum Studies) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Ed. / The implementation of Outcomes-based education by the Department of Education in 1998 has shown adverse implications on the ability of educational managers to manage the curriculum effectively because most of them were not reskilled and ready during implementation. This has far reaching implications for educational management in general and therefore requires a review in order to maintain high levels of efficiency and effectiveness in management. The purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which educational managers were equipped with professional skills and knowledge for successful implementation of OBE. It also aimed at determining the involvement of stakeholders during the implementation of OBE. Educational managers and educators who were purposely selected from primary schools were interviewed during focus group interviews using a tape recorder. Verbatim-transcribed data was analysed using the constant comparative method. The research findings suggest that transformation in educational management is necessary for the successful implementation of OBE.

M.Ed. / The building and construction industry is currently hampered by an unacceptably high number of incidents (accidents) which occur in the industry yearly. This results in huge financial and labour losses. Training of workers in occupational health and safety could address some of the causes of these incidents (accidents). In order to provide relevant and effective training for this industry their training needs regarding occupational health and safety training need to be determined. Based on these needs guidelines could be set to ensure the development of applicable training. In this study the needs of the building and construction industry is determined from which the researcher provides guidelines for curriculum development. The first chapter provides an introductory orientation to the study and provides an overview of incidents (accidents) in the building and construction industry. Chapter two is devoted to a literature study of occupational health and safety. Chapter three consists of a literature study with the aim to provide parameters for the empirical research component in the study. In chapter four the empirical data, collected by means of qualitative research, is analysed. Chapter five relates the findings of the study to the theory of curriculum development. In conclusion chapter six consists of conclusions and recommended guidelines for the development of an occupational health and safety curriculum for the building and construction industry, which forms the product of this study. The value of this study is that the guidelines provided are the result of empirical qualitative research conducted with various role-players in the building and construction industry. Therefore the results are the perceptions and opinions of the role-players in the industry and not the direct assumptions of the researcher.

M.Ed.

D.Ed. / The training and development opportunities available in Human Resources in a country play an important role regarding the growth and progress of such a country and its people. The parameters wherein training and development is conducted determine to a large extend the direction the country takes towards the efficient productivity of individuals. In South Africa, in the past, the political system of apartheid, which created unequal opportunities between different races, played a major adverse role in the education and training facilities of its employable population. As a result common education standards became a victim of political expediency, and the school system created a forum of unequal education. After research conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council in 1980 to investigate the education system in South Africa it was concluded that it is impossible to implement a system focussed on equal quality education overnight. It is not until after the first multi-cultural election in the history of South Africa in 1994 that this situation started changing. The National Qualifications Framework and The South African Qualifications Authority was established. That brought about major change in the education and training system in the country, and it also shifted the emphasis to lifelong learning. It became apparent that for the quickest beneficial results a program of adult education had to be initiated to work hand in hand with the more gradual development of equal education at undergraduate levels. The shift that needs to be made from the traditional school system to the training of adults is however a difficult one. Adult education is not yet established in South Africa.

M.Ed. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

This study investigates the criteria teachers use when selecting and evaluating learning support material, in particular, English second language textbooks. The study seeks to determine what informs the criteria that teachers use for selection. The study is conducted against the backdrop of Curriculum 2005 (C2005) and outlines the C2005 revision process and the subsequent introduction of the Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS). Through a series of focus group interviews, the researcher explores the criteria teachers use for evaluation. Many of the teachers in this study did not have clearly articulated criteria; rather, they drew on implicit criteria and mentioned favoured qualities or attributes that they looked for in a textbook. In addition, the teachers in the focus groups used criteria that had been ‘told’ rather than ‘owned’ and had not developed their own sets of criteria. This research concludes that teachers are caught between two conflicting sets of criteria: those of their pre-service training and those of the new curriculum, which is currently being mediated to them through brief orientations. Drawing on recent literature, the researcher argues that in order to shift deep-seated literacy practices, teacher training needs to be prolonged, in-depth and ongoing.

The problem was three—fold: (1) to document formative influences on a population who possessed enlightened and cherishing attitudes toward art; (2) to compare their experiences with relevant aspects of Harry S. Broudy's notion of enlightened cherishing; (3) to assess what implications these findings might have for the most recent British Columbia fine arts curricula. Procedure Fifty personal interviews were conducted with a population consisting of visual artists, art critics, art historians, art teachers, art gallery curators, aestheticians, art collectors, and an art consultant. The instrument was an open—ended question schedule which allowed for separate analysis and interpretation of experiences which were: (1) educational (formal) vs. extra-curricular (informal); (2) studio art experiences (aesthetic expression) vs. art critical/historical/aesthetic—based experiences (aesthetic impression). From these taped interviews, thirty were chosen for transcription. The resulting data were categorized and qualitatively analyzed. Comparisons were made with prior research relating to art attitudes, with aspects of Broudy's theory and, finally, with aspects of the British Columbia fine arts curricula. Conclusions : The research supports Broudy's recommendations for more teacher training in art, for art classes at elementary level to occur on a daily basis and for art classes to be given equal status with other subjects in schools. The research does not support Broudy's recommendation that specific art exemplars be chosen by curriculum designers for implementation in the classroom by teachers. Instead, the research suggests that operational-definitional standards in art be suggested by curriculum designers so that teachers may make their own choices for exemplars and, when appropriate, even use exemplars from the realm of what Broudy refers to as popular art. Recommendations : Out of this study come the following recommendations for art education in British Columbia: — that the level of training for elementary generalists be upgraded in areas of aesthetics, art history, and studio methods. — that more art monospecialists be recruited at both elementary and secondary school levels. — that both teacher training and art curricula include references to the significant role (in nurturing a cherishing attitude toward art) played by: a teacher's encouragement of the student's progress in art; open-ended and imaginative teaching strategies allowing for some independence for the student; sound evaluation practices; and knowledge and enthusiasm for the subject area. — that the implementation of art curricula in schools be mandatory and that the art curricula include information on the use and choice of art exemplars (works, materials, and processes). — that time for art (aesthetic expression and aesthetic impression) equivalent to that allotted for other subjects be provided at the elementary school level. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate