Post-1994 South Africa adopted a new education system that would break the past practices of the apartheid education system. The immense disparity in the provision of education for the vast majority of South Africans was the main reason for educational transformation. Curriculum change emerged as key focus in restructuring the educational system and strong emphasis was placed on effective management and leadership of curriculum in schools. The changes in curriculum meant that school principals had to operate within new paradigms of management and leadership of curriculum; this potentially brought about many challenges. A qualitative research design was employed to answer the research questions which would be integrated with the aim of the study in a logical way. The aim of the study was to explore the challenges faced by primary school principals in curriculum management. Data was generated by means of open-ended interview questions and non-participative observation to provide a rich description and explanation of what challenges principals face in managing the curriculum in their particular contexts. The literature review revealed that principals do face many challenges in the quest to effectively manage the curriculum to achieve the desired goals. As curriculum leaders, they have an important role to play in setting the tone to provide direction, executing their roles as both curriculum leaders and managers, and building democratic schools. To keep up and cope effectively with the constant and rapid educational change, principals are also urged to be supportive, demonstrate supporting leadership and professionalism, and acquire new learning and thinking skills to manage the curriculum. Therefore, by developing a better understanding of the curriculum, the principal will be able to give effective direction and empower his staff, by guiding and supporting them in curriculum practices. Ironically, leadership skills are essential for providing effective leadership; the leader must possess a sense of purpose and direction. The challenge is to develop leaders’ sensitivity and knowledge so that they know when to be directive and when to act within a collaborative framework. The research findings indicated that principals try to fulfil their roles and responsibilities as curriculum leaders but face some challenges such as lack of knowledge, resources, low motivation of educators and a large workload, among others. The study concludes by pointing out that although principals try to perform their roles and responsibilities as curriculum leaders, they still require training and ongoing support to execute certain aspects of their duties. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Education: Visual Art Education in the Faculty of Education at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2012 / This thesis investigates the factors, specifically the constraints, that influence the choices intermediate phase teachers make when planning visual art lessons. The study is also concerned with how teachers deal with factors that they identify as constraints to teaching visual art. The study is framed within an interpretive framework and the work on teacher knowledge by Shulman (1986; 1987). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four class teachers, three Arts and Culture teachers, and four visual art teachers using a phenomenological methodology. Interviews were analysed systematically by indexing and organizing the data using the knowledge base for teaching as described by Shulman (1987) and Turner-Bisset (1999).<p></p> The patterns in what teachers consider when planning visual art lessons, and their reasons for doing so, was better explained by a teacher’s training in visual art education rather than his/her role as a class, Arts and Culture, or visual art teacher. In this study, the teachers who are trained in visual art education generally work in situations with few contextual problems and their focus, when lesson-planning, centres around the best way visual art content knowledge can be integrated into lessons. In comparison, most of the teachers who are not trained in visual art education mentioned numerous contextual problems that affected their ability to teach visual art. These teachers plan their visual art lessons around what they believe they are able to manage within the context of the school they are working in, rather than specific visual art related outcomes. In addition, their lesson-planning decisions are generally based on limited visual art content knowledge and pedagogy. Hence, compared to teachers trained to teach visual art, their application of visual art content knowledge is haphazard and does not build on the foundation of the curriculum.<p></p> Limited contact time and support from management are two contextual factors that were found to impact the way teachers in this study plan visual art lessons. To mitigate for the lack of contact time, the teachers trained in visual art education endeavoured to manage their lesson time efficiently and to setup clear routines with their learners so as to minimize the amount of time spent on non-learning activities.

M.Ed. (Educational Management) / The school is an educational institution that has been established in order to facilitate education. Prior to the establishment of schools, education was the responsibility of the parents and the community. Schools therefore came into existence when it was realised that parents could no longer cope with the specialised skill of transferring the increased knowledge necessary for the cognitive development of the child (Stone, 1988:22). The school is a means of handing down norms and a philosophy of life and is also an agent of the redevelopment and renewal of society (Stone, 1988: 18). Education is an existential necessity which is aimed at leading the child from nonadulthood to adulthood. Education which is a means to maturity formally takes place at a school. Therefore a school is seen as an institution for initiation of the development towards adulthood (Stone, 1988: 17). For the school to attain this objective, it has to consider the total person of the child, that is, a holistic approach towards education has to be adopted. Education has to transmit culture to the pupils in the service of the community from which it springs (Castelyn, 1985:49). Through the medium of its teaching, the school should educate the child to enable him to assume his role in civilized society as a mature adult. This can be achieved through the selection, ordering and presentation of subject matter in such a manner that the children acquire knowledge and skills that can be used to ensure a meaningful existence (HSRC, 1981a:11)...

The introduction of outcomes based education (OBE) in the form of Curriculum 2005 (C2005), the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) and the Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS) in post-apartheid South Africa resulted in a shift from a content-centred to a learner-centred view on education. This transition took place rapidly as the new government wanted to introduce a democratic education system after the divisive Bantu education system from Apartheid. However, after the changes were implemented, education in South Africa was theoretically outcomes based but practically many educators were still teaching in a content-centred manner. The research puts forward the proposal that drama-in-education (D-i-E) is a useful means by which to align the practical and theoretical goals of OBE within the context of South Africa's current RNCS. This hypothesis drives the main research question: "Can D-i-E be an effective teaching methodology to realise the goals of the RNCS and generate OBE learning environments in a South African high school?" D-i-E is a learner-centred teaching methodology and in practise it meets many of the goals and Critical Cross-Field Outcomes (CCFOs) of OBE. Some of these include the fact that learners can: • Practice problem-solving skills; • Engage with critical and creative thinking; • Grow cultural and aesthetic sensitivity; • Work effectively in groups; and ii. • Learn in inclusive environments that cater for different learning styles and levels. The research examines the use of D-i-E as an outcomes based methodology by which the RNCS could be implemented in the classroom. This is explored through the use of qualitative research in the form of a case study investigation at a South African high school. The case study was conducted with Grade 11 and Grade 12 Dramatic Arts learners and involves an analysis of a D-i-E approach to learning. The conclusion that D-i-E is an effective outcomes based teaching methodology which could assist educators in realising the RNCS was largely reached through participant observation of D-i-E classes and by analysing the learners' journals in which they reflected on D-i-E experiences. The learners' feedback about the experience was generally positive and they reflected that they found D-i-E beneficial because of the fact that it engaged them experientially. They also reflected that D-i-E provided them with a more meaningful and exciting way of learning. These findings are however only generalisable to the type of context (Dramatic Arts learners from a well-resourced girls' high school) in which the research was conducted. The findings provide detailed insight into a specific case study and may be beneficial to educators in South Africa who aim to make use of the same or similar methodologies in their classroom practice. D-i-E also supports many of the underlying tenants of OBE such as learner-centredness, learner diversity and inclusive learning, and can effectively aid educators in implementing the RNCS in an outcomes based way.

The thesis illustrates the contention that an outcomes-based system with its underlying philosophy of social constructivism cannot operate effectively within a traditional school system. Restructuring of an institution is necessary to accommodate the outcomes-based system. Using the research instruments of interviews, questionnaires, journals, participant observations and collection of physical artefacts, two case studies investigating systemic factors as they influence science learning were conducted in two South African schools. The one school, St Sebastian's College, was an extremely well resourced school while the other, Mtunzini High School was a middle class school in comparatively deprived circumstances. Attempts were made to introduce an outcomes-based education course involving a group of grade 8 learners in the respective schools. Difficulties in implementation were encountered and at best only very limited success was achieved. There were two reasons for this. First, particularly in the case of St Sebastian's College, I designed a course which was over ambitious in that it was not suited to the developmental stage of the learners. Second, traditional schooling systems follow a perspective of education termed 'the structure of the disciplines' which fosters a system of rigid time tabling, compartmentalisation of subjects and emphasis upon summative assessment. In contrast, the curricula I designed involved a 'cognitive' perspective which required flexible time scheduling, integration of subjects and developmental assessment. The conflicts which arose include time constraints and resistant attitudes on the part of learners and teachers. The thesis culminates with some suggested steps to follow should a school community wish to restructure. These include a shared vision, employing organised abandonment, capacity building and commitment to a systemic perspective.

Since the collapse of apartheid and the first democratic elections of 1994, education in South Africa has undergone fundamental transformation and part of this transformation was the reconstruction of the school curriculum. The new curriculum, known as Curriculum 2005 and developed in 1997, introduced Technology as a new learning area. This study is based on the inclusion of ‘indigenous technology and culture’, a new aspect introduced in a revision of Curriculum 2005. The broad goal of the study was to examine and explore pedagogic practice in relation to the inclusion of ‘indigenous technology and culture’ in the revised National Curriculum Statement for Technology. The study was informed by an examination of literature pertaining to philosophy of technology, indigenous knowledge systems and technology education. The review of the literature highlighted the contested nature of ‘indigenous knowledge systems’. Philosophies on the nature of technological knowledge were reviewed in order to explore the meaning of ‘technology’, and a comparative review of curriculum reform in regard to technology education in various parts of the world was conducted. This study presented an attempt to determine the rationale for the inclusion of ‘indigenous technology and culture’ in the revised National Curriculum Statement for Technology in South Africa and to explore and examine what teachers’ existing practices were in this regard. It also examined a process of participatory co-engagement with a focus group of teachers. This process was an attempt to implement ‘indigenous technology and culture’ of the curriculum in a more meaningful way. A case study approach using an in-depth, interpretive design was used. A questionnaire, document analysis, interviews and focus group discussions were used to conduct the investigation. What emerged from the data analysis was that there was unanimous support for the inclusion of ‘indigenous technology and culture’ in the technology curriculum, but implementation had been problematic. This was partly due to difficulties with the interpretation of this aspect in the curriculum as well as a lack of meaningful teaching and learning for various reasons. The study revealed that teachers face multiple dilemmas in implementing ‘indigenous technology and culture’ as an assessment standard. These dilemmas are pedagogical, political, conceptual, professional and cultural in nature. The intentions of the study were to build a comprehensive understanding of ‘indigenous technology and culture’ and to determine how a focus group of teachers were dealing with this new inclusion. The interpretive study concluded with implications and recommendations for further studies.

In this study I investigated the attitudes and experiences of Grade four ESL learners and teachers in learning and teaching through the medium of English. The sample for the study was purposive and the design was a multiple case study which involved five primary schools from the rural environs of KWT. Grade four ESL teachers and learners of the five chosen primary schools participated in this study. The objective of this research study was to investigate the attitudes and experiences of grade four ESL teachers and learners in learning through the medium of English in order to establish how these experiences and attitudes may have an influence on teaching for effective school learning. The research method used was qualitative with a small quantitative component. The following research tools were used in collecting data: Language surveys, classroom observation schedules, teacher questionnaires, teacher level interviews, language comprehension tests and learner level interviews. The data were generated to provide answers to the main research question which was: ―What are Grade four ESL teachers‘ and learners‘ attitudes and experiences of learning through the medium of English in five primary schools in the KWT district? The analyses of data generated from the language surveys confirm that in the KWT rural schools from grade one to grade three isiXhosa is used exclusively. It is in grade four where the official transition from isiXhosa to English begins. The data generated from the language surveys further confirm that both learners and teachers use isiXhosa as their mother tongue and English is an additional language for both groups. The analysis of data generated from learner interviews suggests that the most prevalent attitude from the learners is that English is a hindering factor to school learning because they do not understand it. However, the learners also highlight the need to study English because it is the language of success and aspiration which is normally used in the global village. The analysis of the data generated from teacher questionnaires and the teacher level interviews also suggests that English is a barrier to school learning for ESL learners. ESL learners do not achieve optimally in English medium school learning. However, the same data suggest that English is still preferred to be the LoLT because it is perceived to be the language of success and aspiration. Moreover, the majority of written materials is in English and English is perceived to be an international language. The analysis of the data generated from language comprehension tests suggests that it had an effect on performance when the learners wrote a test that they had seen in another language. This is indicated by the learners‘ better levels of performance in the language tests when they have seen in another language. The main finding of the study is that English medium learning makes school learning difficult. The transition from isiXhosa medium learning to English medium learning in grade four is early. Teachers resort to code switching as a language strategy for effective teaching in order to minimise the blow caused by the use of English as the LoLT.

M.Ed. / For many years, Environmental Education was marginalised in the school curriculum, as it was seen to belong with subjects like geography and biology. This alienated it from the majority of teachers who are not trained in science related subjects. Thus only few pupils, who happened to have studied under science oriented institutions or teachers, were exposed to this field of knowledge. On 24 March 1997, the national Ministry of Education launched a new Outcomes Based Education (OBE) system for South Africa, called Curriculum 2005. This marked the end of different education systems that had existed in South Africa, and also opened new avenues for cross curricular issues such as Environmental Education, which did not form part of the school curriculum in the past. The primary aims of the study are: to investigate ways in which Environmental Education could benefit and support Curriculum 2005; to document the process that led to the infusion of Environmental Education into the school curriculum; and to determine needs and problems of teachers implementing Curriculum 2005 and suggest possible solutions for their problems. The data for this study was collected by using qualitative techniques of consultative synthesis; group open-ended interviews; public forums; field studies; observations and literature research related to different aspects of Environmental Education activities. In addition, a questionnaire was used in four regions that constitute the Northern Cape Provincial Education Department. The realities are that teacher education programmes in many institutions do not include courses in Environmental Education. Education about the environment has not been a visible priority in many countries, including South Africa. As indicated in this study, the situation in the Northern Cape clearly gives evidence of this. On the other hand, teachers had serious misgivings about their competence to teach Environmental Education. The enthusiasm reflected by teachers in the province, their potential and willingness to learn, are but a few indications of the possible success of Environmental Education in the province. The major/main problem identified is the OBE terminology which seems to hamper the implementation of Curriculum 2005. Thus, the success of Environmental Education in South African formal education depends on how well teachers adapt to, understand, are prepared for and committed to Curriculum 2005. I believe that if Curriculum 2005 succeeds, Environmental Education will also succeed. If it fails, Environmental Education will probably fail too, since is regarded as an integral part of the curriculum.

M.Ed. (Curriculum Studies) / The purpose of this study is to determine whether affective considerations have a claim on inclusion in the curriculum and, if so, how these claims may be accommodated. The target group is the adolescents in their secondary school phase. Current research has indicated beyond doubt that curriculum planning can no longer be restricted to the cognitive domain. Feelings and emotions are involved in every learning experience and hamper or enhance cognitive development. Therefore the teacher's responsibility should be extended to include the education of feeling and emotion as well. The study proposes an approach based on sound educational principles and scientifically acquired data. The point of departure is the widely accepted principles and criteria for curriculum design. The relatively new communicative curriculum provides a useful framework, but it has innate weaknesses. Only if care is taken to counter the possible effects of such weaknesses, will the new sillabi have a chance of success. Affective aims should, however, not oust cognitive aims. Intellectual development is the primary goal of the school curriculum. A continuous stream of interaction flows between the affective and the cognitive fields. On all levels of curriculum design the approach should be to take the development patterns of the adolescents as the vantage points, formulate aims to accommodate affective development and only then to choose the relevant cognitive aims. Such an approach will hopefully lead to the achievement of a more balanced education for the volatile adolescent.

MPM / Oliver Reginald Tambo Institute of Governance and Policy Studies.