One of the essential sectors that needed a drastic change in the post apartheid era in South Africa, was the education system or policy of the country. The government had a responsibility of combining together the nineteen different Departments of Education into which the schools were fragmented. It is in the interest of the country that, out of the eleven official languages of the country, learners should at least be fluent in two languages namely, the learner‟s mother language and any official language which will be treated as an additional language, thus, promoting additive bilingualism. This is on line with the country‟s constitution which has granted equal status to the eleven languages. That resulted in the formulation of two very imperative policies pertaining to schools; 1) The South African Schools Act (SASA) of 1996 which repeal all discriminatory policies of apartheid. On the issue of language the SASA placed the responsibility of choosing the school subjects to the School Governing Bodies (SGB) and 2) The Language-in- Education Policy (LiEP) of 1997 which is based on the recognition that South Africa is multilingual, and promotes learning of more than one official language. In an attempt to accomplish the constitutional obligation, and establish uniformity or equality in education, Curriculum 2005 which was later revised and known as the Revised National Statement and later revised and known as the NATIONAL Curriculum Statement, with the Outcomes Based Education as its approach, was introduced. The study investigated the experiences of educators with the implementation of NCS EFAL in Grade 11 in the Fort Beaufort Education District. English First Additional Language is used by the majority of schools as the Language of Learning and Teaching (LoLT). The study is located in the interpretive paradigm which sought to explore people‟s experiences and their views. Qualitative research approach was adopted in the study with the intentions of finding as much detail as possible on the experiences of educators with the implementation of NCS EFAL in the Grade 11 classrooms. Six EFAL educators in the Fort Beaufort Education District in the Nkonkobe Municipality were purposely selected for the study. Semi structured interviews consisting of precisely defined questions that were pre-prepared, yet at the same time permitted the EFAL educators to answer beyond what the researcher enquired, were also employed in the study. The results pointed out that all EFAL educators interviewed were qualified teachers and had specialized in English teaching. In addition, the study revealed that in the Fort Beaufort Education District, there were two categories of EFAL educators who were trained for the implementation of NCS EFAL; those who only received one week departmental workshop and those who on top of the one week departmental workshop, received a two year training in Advanced Certificate In Education (ACE) English Language Teaching (ELT) from a Higher Education. The dissimilarity between the two groups manifested in their respective schools between the educators and their Heads of Departments (HOD) who happen to have little knowledge of the implementation of the curriculum. It became evident that the group of educators who were trained in ACE ELT were more familiar with the requirements of the NCS EFAL. The other group which was not conversant with the NCS EFAL policies decided to maintain their old teaching methods. Key recommendations of the study: Policy makers should clarify terminology to be understood by all educators, the Department of Education should take full responsibility of retraining educators to ensure uniformity in training through the in-service trainings yearly.

What initiated this research was the need for the assessment of the National Curriculum Statement policy implementation. This was brought about by the observation that there was a general complaint in the province that educators are struggling with the implementation processes. It would seem that at the formulation of this policy the schools for learners with disabilities were not considered. The main objective of this study, is therefore, to assess the implementation of the NCS policy in relation to the principle of inclusivity regarding learners with disabilities in schools. This has been achieved through finding out how educators are coping in a situation where they are expected to improvise learning and assessment methodologies to cater for a large variety of disabilities of which they are not trained to work with. This study used two techniques, face to face interviews with the subject advisors in the districts as well as with the educators at the schools. Questionnaires were used in the case of managers at school and district levels. Qualitative research was used to accumulate sufficient data to lead to the understanding of the problems that are encountered at different levels. In terms of the findings, most of the respondents pointed out that the policy does not adequately cater for the needs of both the learners and the educators of the special schools. They further mentioned that the outcomes according to the policy do not stipulate what is expected of the learners with barriers to learning due to their disability conditions. According to the responses of the different categories of participants, it became clear that the implementation of the NCS policy is not very successful due to a wide variety of problems that are encountered by the implementers. The main complained about problem is the need for the adaptation of the curriculum to accommodate the learners with disabilities. Furthermore, there is a dire need for the implementers to make reference to all the disabilities found at these schools so as to deal with their situation accordingly. The NCS policy promises change for the better, however the necessary ramifications related to its implementation need to be successfully managed and dealt with properly. This has implications on areas of concern, mainly the training of educators on mastering the implementation and assessment processes which are key to meaningful education. Considering that inclusivity is about change of attitude and behaviour as well as teaching and learning methodologies, it becomes difficult for these changes to materialise if and when inclusivity is not applied properly at the schools for learners with disabilities. The effectiveness of inclusivity depends on the consideration of all the factors that would lead to a healthy environment in the case of these schools. This would mean putting of all the relevant structures in place as well as encouraging team work at all levels, from the educators, management and the community. The district officials should always avail themselves for monitoring and supporting services at these schools. The findings of this study, may contribute to the asking of many questions. This may lead to further debates which may give rise to the need for further research on many aspects that have come up in this study.

Thesis (Ph. D. (Administration)) -- University of Limpopo, 2016 / The thesis drew from a combination of phenomenology, interactionism and critical theories because South Africa in itself consists of a polity with national dynamics, within the matrices of globality in which connectivity plays a determining role, especially in terms of the capacity to competitively participate in the global knowledge economy. Guided by reading collectively and critically from the economic, physical development, policy analysis, interpretative as well as collaboration planning approaches, among others, and the mono-centric, multilevel and adaptive models of governance, the thesis constructed a conceptual argument that the primate enablers for modernized infrastructure, skills and culture attached to the preconditions for blended pedagogies, are modernized planning and governance. However, the attainment of planning, governance, infrastructure and skills is in itself inadequate to inculcate the culture necessary for the integration of elearning with conventional didactics. This observation is confirmed through international experiences that involve the developed countries that are in the very high and high Human Development Index (HDI) categories such as Australia, Poland and Korea as well as Thailand, Brazil and Algeria, respectively, where the presence of planning, governance, infrastructure and skills has not automatically precipitated a culture required for blended pedagogies. This evidence does not seek to underplay the significance of planning, governance, infrastructure and skills in the integration of e-learning with conventional didactics, but the thesis has established that the existence of modernized planning, governance, infrastructure and skills are a necessary, rather than a sufficient, condition. From the literature review, the thesis deduces that e-culture is a virtually sufficient condition for the establishment of blended pedagogies. Hence, variables such as GDP per Capita, Gross Fixed Capital Formation, Average Annual Growth of General Government Final Consumption Expenditure, Research and Development Expenditure and Public Expenditure on Education, that demonstrate the level of human development of a country, do not necessarily reflect capacity to enable the establishment of blended pedagogies. Such conditions do not always coexist with pre-eminence of communication using Internet and/or Mobile Phones, characteristic of the “Net Generation Culture”. The vi latter, as a specific form of e-culture, is heavily dependent on infrastructure and skills which are, among others things, reflected in Gross Fixed Capital Formation, Employment to Population Ratio, Labour Force Participation Rate, Labour Force with Tertiary Education, Total Electrification Rate as well as Employment to Population Ratio. The observation made above is corroborated by the experiences of developing countries such as Vietnam, Zambia and Kenya, which are in the medium and low HDI categories, wherein the absence of appropriate and adequate infrastructure, skills and e-culture together with planning and governance imperil the evolution of the national culture into that of the “Net Natives”. From an empirical perspective, consistent with the hybridization of philosophy, the thesis conveniently selected a target population that consisted of a total of 15 countries, wherein 14 of these observations provide a backdrop against which South Africa’s relative readiness and appropriateness of planning, governance, infrastructure, culture and skills for blended pedagogies are determined. A combination of purposive and quota sampling procedures was adopted to select the 15 countries across the four HDI categories. The 15 countries are classified in terms of the 2015 United Nations Development Programme HDI conceptions, which produced four levels of “very high”, “high”, “medium” and “low”. A total of 28 variables were selected for Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The thesis used secondary data sources for textual and empirical data, where the latter was largely drawn from the United Nations Development Programme Reports. The textual data were analysed qualitatively through thorough descriptions, classification and drawing of connections, the statistical data were organized into a 15 (observations) by 28 (variables) raw data matrix and analysed through the PCA. Verbal tools were used to provide thick descriptions of contexts regarding historical, social, demographic and economic backgrounds in order to situate the motive underlying the planning and governance of blending e-learning pedagogies with conventional didactics in South Africa. From a quantitative perspective, PCA was used for statistical modelling that standardized the data and produced a variety of useful statistical summaries such as Principal Components, Eigenvalues, Communalities, Correlation Matrix, Component Loadings, Component Scores and Scattergrams. vii Given that the raw data consisted of 15 observations by 28 variables, a 28 by 28 variables correlation matrix was generated. Of the 378 correlations that the thesis discovered, 183 are direct and 195 are indirect. However, 276 of the 378 relationships are negligible; only 102 correlations were strong and significant enough to deserve closer examination. Principal Component Analysis extracted a total of 15 Principal Components; and, the first seven according to the thesis, accounted for the cumulative percentage of 92% in the interrelationships. Furthermore, it is evident that Principal Component 1 consists of the characteristics of Modernized, Planning, Governance, Infrastructure, Skills and Culture, which are diametrically different from the Frustrated Development, Unsustainable State Intervention and Societal Inequalities, Limiting e-infrastructure, e-skills Constraint, Muted Development Potential and the Non-existent e-culture that are associated with the rest. Given the significance and strength of the eigenvalue and component loadings on Principal Component (PC) 1, it should signify the presence of enabling environments for e-infrastructure, e-governance, e-culture and e-skills consistent with modernized planning and governance of blended pedagogies. Therefore, a country that scores negatively on PC 1 and positively on PC 2 would represent a society that is far less prepared for blended pedagogies where an unrelenting state investment for e-infrastructure, e-governance, eskills and e-culture would translate into a replacement behaviour rather than integration of conventional didactics with digital technologies. This infers that the status of governance, infrastructure, skills and culture would remain less optimal for the adoption of blended pedagogies. For such countries, investing heavily in blended pedagogies without first creating the requisite conditions for engagement in the global knowledge economy would imply that they would have sought to exploit non-existent capacity in governance, infrastructure, skills and culture. South Africa's component score on PC 1 is -0.58, which would in terms of the analysis mean that this country lacks the character of modernized planning, governance, infrastructure, skills and culture that are necessary for engendering blended pedagogies. Countries such as Norway, Australia, Poland, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and Sri Lanka that have variably trotted the blended pedagogies score positively on PC 1. Besides, viii some of these countries have not been successful in blended pedagogies, notwithstanding their apparent enabling environments. Conversely, South Africa's component score on PC 2 is extraordinarily higher than all of the 14 countries; and, it is 2.15 points higher than the nearest score. It is important to recognize that South Africa's score on PC 2 is an extreme case and a virtual outlier that has no connection to the rest of the fourteen countries, especially those in the Medium and Low HDI. Overall, South Africa's component scores highlight the relative dearth of appropriate planning, governance, infrastructure, skills and culture, that are necessary for the adoption of blended pedagogies. Whereas the thesis finds that there is no direct correlation between the level of human development and adoption of blended pedagogies, the latter appears to be a result of convoluted processes that involve the creation of enablers for e-culture largely through planning, governance, infrastructure, skills and culture. These qualities are embedded with societal equality, equity of access to services, capital formation, employment, education as well as Internet infrastructure. The thesis therefore, concludes that South Africa's potential for human development is derailed through endless planning that has become an end in itself. Planning for its own sake, which defines South Africa's democratic history, means that modernized governance, skills and e-culture that are necessary for blended pedagogies have remained substandard. The thesis establishes that South Africa’s national as well as Information and Communication Technology (ICT) planning demonstrates ambition and interest, which is however pursued in the absence of effective governance of implementation and adoption of appropriate educational technologies. Evidently, South Africa is yet to attain modernized planning, governance, skills and culture appropriate for the implementation of blended pedagogies, notwithstanding the infrastructure provided in some of the schools for teaching and learning. Instead, South Africa’s pedagogic digital transformation is characterized by replacement of conventional didactics with e-learning rather than integration for blended pedagogies. Therefore, this evidence suggests that, although South Africa’s educational ICT infrastructure seems to be relatively modernized, the absence of appropriate and adequate planning, governance, skills and e-culture impairs the successful implementation of blended learning. The thesis, therefore, recommends ix that adoption of blended pedagogies should be supported through the creation of eculture in households, underwritten by modernized planning, governance, infrastructure and skills for competitive participation in the global knowledge economy.

MPM / Oliver Tambo Institute of Governance and Policy Studies

MA (Linguistics) / Department of Communication and Applied Linguistics / The purpose of this study is to investigate the content of the Further Education and Training (FET) Phase Home Language (HL) Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS). The Tshivenḓa HL content was translated from English for teaching and learning purposes. The study adopted both the qualitative and quantitative approaches in order to attain holistic results. Data was collected through the use of questionnaires from educators and subject advisors. Document analysis was also used (by analysing CAPS documents). The findings of this study will benefit the South African society, especially the Tshivenḓa HL educators and learners. The educators believed that the Tshivenḓa newspapers articles are not well-taught because they are not available in Tshivenḓa and educators did not know how to prepare them. The study also revealed that there are no prefixes but suffixes for formulating antonyms in the Tshivenḓa HL, however both are found in the English HL. Furthermore, educators complained about the shortage of film study resources in literature which the department of education delivers late. The findings of the study suggest that Tshivenḓa newspapers should be reintroduced as they aid learning for learners, and enable educators to plan their lessons. Prefixes in the Tshivenḓa HL should be introduced so that learners are able to attach them in their words, similar to what do they do in the English HL. In addition, ample resources for HL literature such as textbooks, Television sets (TV), overhead projectors for film study, and other resources should be delivered timely. / NRF

The integration of modern science and indigenous knowledge systems in the science education curriculum for South African schools represents social justice for the majority of South Africans as they determine the knowledge necessary for themselves and for future generations in the new South Africa. An exploratory research reveals tension and a dichotomous relationship between modern science and IKS, caused by false hierarchies that are influenced by factors such as colonialism, capitalism and modernisation to the exclusion of the core values held by indigenous people in their relationship with nature. The thesis demonstrates that the integration requires an epistemology that puts humanity first and a framework that accommodates both ways of knowing. This should allow for the best in the two systems of knowing to serve humanity in a dialogical manner. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Philosophy of Education)

South African educators have experienced problems understanding and implementing various previous curriculum policies such as Curriculum 2005 and the Revised National Curriculum Statement. These problems have made it necessary for the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to introduce the national Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) in 2012. CAPS was intended to improve teaching and learning, but as with the implementation of any new curriculum it implies the following: The need for educator training; Need for new resources; Change in policy; An increased workload. This qualitative study which was conducted at a primary school in the Imfolozi Circuit aimed to determine how CAPS is implemented and its implications on teaching and learning. Data collected from focus group interviews and document analysis revealed that while educators welcomed the introduction of CAPS for its clarity, structure, clear guidelines and time frames however they experienced challenges related to the quality and the amount of training, inadequate resources, increased workload and the impact of rapid pace of the curriculum on teaching and learning. Based on these results recommendations are made for the improvement of the implementation of CAPS. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

In the majority of schools gifted learners are given the same quantity and quality of academic work as their non-gifted classmates. In some cases gifted learners are left to look after themselves when they are done with class work or worse still, asked to teach their non-gifted classmates. Some educationists advocate for a differentiated curriculum between gifted and non-gifted learners. This study sought to establish the impact of enrichment programs to gifted Science learners. Forty gifted learners were identified and drawn equally into one of the two groups — experimental or control. These learners wrote a pre-test after which the twenty learners in the experimental group received enrichment. The forty learners then wrote the same post-test to assess their understanding of the concepts learnt. The cycle was repeated but with a different topic. Learners’ marks were compared and it emerged all twenty learners in the experimental group performed better than those in the control group. Gifted learners should therefore be given enrichment as it deepens, broadens, and sharpens their understanding of concepts. / Science and Technology Education / M. Ed. (Natural Science Education)

Thesis (M.Ed. (Adult Education)) -- University of Limpopo, 2017 / This study highlights the importance of effective curriculum implementation at a Public Adult Learning Centre in a rural community in Limpopo Province. The purpose of the study was to explore the curriculum implementation facing Mbetana Public Adult Learning Centre (MPALC) with the view to recommend appropriate strategies to improve the centre’s curriculum implementation capabilities. Since the study was premised on the interpretivist paradigm, a qualitative research approach was employed to give a detailed account of the curriculum implementation challenges from the perspective of people with lived experiences of MPALC’s curriculum implementation dynamics. The participants which include six learners, the Centre Manager and two facilitators, were chosen using the purposive sampling method. Purposive sampling was preferred because it gave the researcher an opportunity to target participants deemed to possess authentic accounts of MPALC’s curriculum implementation dynamics. Multiple data sources inclusive of silent observations, semi-structured interviews and document analysis were used to gather data. The study found out that the acute shortage of textbooks and stationery, absence of fit-for purpose learning infrastructure, low employee morale due to poor working conditions, inappropriate teaching methods, and the insensitive use of the English language regardless of the learners being predominantly Tsonga speaking people are some of the challenges that hampered the effective implementation of the curriculum guidelines at MPALC. The study recommends that the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) should partner with private companies through the public-private partnership frameworks with the view to improve the MPALC’s operating and financial leverage

Thesis (Ph.d.) - Central University of Technology, Free State, 2006 / The research investigates the use of the Communicative Learning Programmes in the English First Additional Language (EFAL) Senior phase classrooms in the Free State province. During the turn of the twentieth century, syllabi were tools that were designed and provided by the Department of Education to the schools. Recent changes in education in South Africa now expect educators to design these learning programmes. The Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS) details steps that educators can follow in order to design the learning programmes for their learning areas. Outcomes-Based Education encompasses the eight learning areas in the Senior phase, namely Languages, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Economic and Management Sciences, Social Science, Technology, Life Orientation, and Arts and Culture. The learning area that this study focuses on is Languages. EFAL is one of the languages that form the learning area of Languages. EFAL comprises six learning outcomes that have to be interpreted by the educators and achieved by the learners by linking teaching and learning with the accompanying assessment standards. Through the use of the communicative approach and co-operative strategies during group work, this study adds to the body of knowledge communicative learning programmes that Senior phase EFAL educators can use to assist and complement their current strategies.