The dissertation describes the experiences of senior secondary students taking an online course for the first time to further their language education. The experiences are presented from the perspective of students, of supervising teachers and the 'virtual' teacher. Issues of importance with younger learners are identified and discussed and guidelines for the conduct of online courses at school level developed. It is proposed that online courses may have a worthwhile place in school education if specific learning needs can be met using this medium.

This thesis considers the nature of primary, intermediate and district high school buildings designed by the Building Department of the Canterbury Education Board from its consolidation in 1916 until its termination in 1989. Before 1916, the influence of British models on the CEB’s predecessors had been dominant, while after that date, Board architects were more likely to attempt vernacular solutions that were relevant to the geographic situation of the Canterbury district, the secular nature of New Zealand education and changing ideas of the relative importance of the key architectural drivers of design i.e. function and form. One development, unique to Canterbury, was that for a short period, from 1924-29, a local pressure group, the Open Air Schools’ League became so powerful that it virtually dictated the CEB’s design policy until the Board architects George Penlington and John Alexander Bigg reassumed control by inflecting the open-air model into the much acclaimed veranda block. The extent to which Board architects had the freedom to express themselves within a framework of funding control exercised by the Department of Education was further circumscribed by successive building codes that, at their most directive, required national standardisation under the 1951 Dominion Basic Plan and to a slightly lesser extent under the1956 code and associated White Lines regime. Following World War 2, the use of prefabricated structures had prompted the recognition that better designed relocatable rooms could hold the key to a more flexible and effective allocation of resources in an environment increasingly subject to rapid demographic change. By the end of the period, the exploitation of new construction technologies and modern materials led to the dominance of the relocatable CEBUS buildings in Canterbury schoolyards. A concurrent development was the response of architects A. Frederick (Fred) McCook and John Sinclair Arthur to the Department’s call to design more flexible spaces, i.e. open planning, to facilitate a change in pedagogical method. Other issues raised in this study are the CEB’s solutions to the challenges of building on the West Coast, and the recurring need to ensure structural integrity in a region where there was a continuous risk of seismic activity.

The Eastern Cape Department of Education has become like a problem child in the Republic of South Africa. It is a cause for concern to both the provincial and national government. This is a department where service delivery is problematic. Schools are not built or renovated and children are taught in dilapidated structures or sometimes under trees. Hardly a week passes without the department making the headlines in the media for the wrong reasons. It is widely accepted that the department is dysfunctional and education is in a crisis. The department has emerged as the number one culprit of engaging in corrupt activities in the province. Public officials in the department have been identified as being at the helm of these corrupt activities. In the 200/10 financial year, the Auditor General issued a disclaimer to the department and highlighted a lack of direction, accountability and a total breakdown of internal control systems and supply chain management within the department. Numerous fraud risk indicators were identified during the audit and underlined by findings that are indicative of fraud and corruption within the department. This unfortunate state of affairs is contrary to the requirements of section 195(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa which provides for the democratic values and principles governing public administration including inter alia, that: A high standard of professional ethics must be promoted and maintained. Efficient, economic and effective use of resources must be promoted. Public administration must be accountable. This raises several questions about the ethical fitness of public officials in the department as the custodians of the public resources and trust. Though several reasons abound for this unfavourable state of affairs in the department, the researcher has singled out unethical conduct by public officials in the department and its impact on service delivery. The approach followed in this research was to analyse the 2009/10 Department of Education Annual Report and the 2009/10 Auditor General’s Report to the Eastern Cape Department of Education. The analysis confirmed the existence and occurrence of multiple cases of unethical conduct in the department. At the end scientific recommendations are proposed to alleviate this ill.

Studies on women principals and leadership have been conducted in both developed and developing countries. Not much research on women leadership has been undertaken in Sekhukhune region in rural Limpopo, South Africa. The study’s interests were in the representation of women in leadership in this region. It sought to explore leadership experiences of women principals working in secondary schools in rural areas. In addition, the study sought to understand what led to their appointment, particularly in a deeply traditional and patriarchal society such as Sekhukhune region, considering both barriers as well as enhancers and how they impacted on their progress to principalship. Data were collected by means of qualitative methods; semi-structured interviews were held with six women principals from public schools only. Structured observation was also conducted during school visits, as well during interviews wherein field notes were also taken. School documents such as SGB and minute books, some policy documents, noticeboard documents, time-books, attendance registers were analysed. Existing literature on women and leadership was reviewed. Data collected was transcribed, analysed, interpreted, and findings were presented. Women principals spoke of their everyday work experiences within the context of sharing challenges and strengths in their careers. The study found out that women are their own motivators, which serves as a strong enhancer. However, women still face organisational barriers particularly in the selection procedures where gender discrimination is evident. Findings revealed that women principals continue to face myriad administrative and personal challenges when caring out their managerial duties. These include resistance from communities and staff often displayed by stereotypical attitudes and discrimination. In order to cope with some of the challenges, participants in this study innovatively employed various leadership styles such as care and nurturing, collaboration, androgyneity and spirituality. Stereotyping still exists as leadership is viewed from a male perspective. In conclusion, this study discovered that women principals displayed some values of liberal feminism in their leadership experiences; they demonstrated that they can do great things by taking part in the public sphere. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Educational Leadership and Management)

The research centres on the degree to which the no-fee-paying policy is influencing the financial management of schools in Soshanguve. The no-fee-paying policy stems from the Education Laws Amendment Act 24 of 2005 according to which the levying of mandatory fees was abolished at public schools that are declared no-fee-paying institutions. The state funded these newly declared no-fee-paying schools in order to create greater access to quality education and to improve the educational resources and equipment in impoverished schools. According to the findings of this research, there is little or no financial management in the former underprivileged schools in Soshanguve. This lack of proper financial management in these schools appears to be due to the lack of capacity within both the schools and the school governing bodies themselves. In addition, there appears to be a lack of equality and equity between the formerly underprivileged schools and the advantaged schools. In the words of Fiske and Ladd (2004b:248), equality and equity seem to be elusive. Schools in the cities are still advantaged since the parents are paying fees and schools are managing their funds, while parents in the township schools (especially in Soshanguve) have been found to be unsupportive financially. This is probably because communities around the schools are, in the main, poverty stricken. / Public Administration and Management / D. Litt. et Phil. (Public Administration)

The purpose of the research in this mini-dissertation was to explore the perceptions of teachers regarding the implementation of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) in one of the schools in Nzhelele West Circuit. The particular area was chosen because there are a number of rural, disadvantaged schools. The study further identified and clarified the possible obstacles to the implementation of CAPS. This study was exploratory and qualitative in nature, and adopted a case study research design to investigate teachers’ perceptions of the implementation of CAPS in the chosen area. The research was performed with a sample of purposively selected participants, namely the principal, one Head of Department, and four teachers. Semi-structured interviews, observation and document analyses were the methods of data collection. Document analysis was used to corroborate the data collected through observation and interviews. The findings indicated that teachers were not ready to accept and implement the new curriculum. Although the findings highlighted the differences in their knowledge regarding the introduction of CAPS, they shared the same sentiments regarding the interpretation and understanding of CAPS content and components. Furthermore, this study revealed that some encounters impeded teachers from successfully implementing the CAPS. It was clear that teachers required comprehensive orientation and further training on the subject, as well as relevant teaching and learning support material, support and frequent monitoring, proper infrastructure, and a conducive teaching and learning environment. The findings highlighted that without the mentioned challenges, it was not possible to successfully implement CAPS. Based on the findings from interviews, observations and document analysis, the study made the following recommendations: in order to ensure effective CAPS implementation, the Department of Education and curriculum designers have to consult widely and involve teachers and parents during the planning phase. In addition, teacher development has to be a priority in the process of introducing every new curriculum, and teachers need to be monitored and supported in order to enhance the quality of teaching and learning. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

This study sought to investigate how teachers in Grade 9 conceptualize and implement the Natural Science Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) in KwaZulu Natal. In South Africa, there have been major curriculum changes since the dawn of democracy in 1994. These changes have been criticized by various stakeholders in the education sector, including unions, parents and teachers. Since 1994, the curriculum has been revised constantly to address the concerns raised by the society. This study therefore sought to develop an understanding of what influences educators in their endeavors to implement Natural Science CAPS in Grade 9 classrooms. The study further aimed at understanding, from the educators’ perspectives, how policy implementation challenges their traditional ways of teaching and learning. This study adopted a qualitative research design. Focus groups interviews, observations and documentary analysis were used as method of data collection to answer the research questions. Purposive sampling was used to select 9 teachers from six different schools in three districts in the Province of KwaZulu Natal (KZN), namely Zululand, uThungulu and uMzinyathi to participate in the study. The findings reveal that the participants are knowledgeable about the CAPS principles and they all use prescribed principles in their planning, albeit in different ways.The study reveals that workshops and in-service training organized by the Department of Basic Education were useful in preparing teachers to implement CAPS even though the period of training was insufficient. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

This research investigated issues teachers face Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) implementation at Foundation Phase primary schools in Nzhelele East Circuit. Curriculum implementation promotes thinking and learning of new things in the teachers’ day to day working environment. Foundation Phase teachers are pillars contributing to the children’s success in future. If children become passive, this passiveness will be reflected in the following stages, namely developmental and progressive stages, through the school system. Republic of South Africa transcended many stage of changes in all different sectors of society since the inception of the new democratic government in April 1994. The curriculum change was done in order to address the concerns, cited by teachers in different schools. Those four concerns were: “complaints about the implementation of the National Curriculum Statement (NCS), teachers who were overburdened with administration, different interpretations of the curriculum requirements, and poor performance of learners”. In this mini dissertation, the researcher found that implementation the CAPS by teachers is a risk-taking exercise, because teachers were not trained well. The curriculum advisors responsible for training them were not having depth of knowledge of Foundation Phase. The curriculum advisors are there as a result of secondment. The teachers were devoid of capacity of knowledge, values and skills towards the implementation of the CAPS. Some teachers were not having time to improve their qualifications as they were still having Junior Primary Teachers Diploma (JPTD). In presenting this argument, the theoretical framework, constructivism learning theory, was particularly suitable within the area of education in curriculum implementation. Constructivism learning theory refers “to the idea that learners construct knowledge for themselves; each learner individually (and socially) constructs meaning as he or she learns”. The objectives of the study were:- to explore the way in which Foundation Phase teachers experience the execution of their tasks in the implementation of the CAPS; to establish how the resources are used through in the implementation of the CAPS; to determine the type of assistance by School Management Teams (SMTs) in the implementation of the CAPS; and to investigate how Foundation Phase teachers’ understanding and assessment of the CAPS influence their teaching practices of curriculum implementation. This study used a qualitative approach, and the methods used included a focus group interview with foundation phase teachers, individual interviews with heads of departments (HoDs) and school principals (SP), observation, document analysis of the CAPS in Nzhelele East Circuit. This study revealed the teachers’ frustrations and unease regarding curriculum change, assessment, previous policies, and workload, knowledge on the CAPS documents, and training and resources. This research should encourage the Limpopo Education Department to take heed of the responses of the teachers at the sampled schools, as this can easily be rectified through the intervention of the Department by funding the training of teachers in implementing the CAPS. The recommendations should be considered well in the correct implementation of the CAPS. It is also recommended that education specialists from the provincial government be appointed to visit schools in order to assist and evaluate the implementation of curriculum. It is also recommended that the DBE must make a re-training to all Foundation Phase teachers for a week during school vacation. The challenges that are facing the CAPS can be minimal if the recommendations could be adhered to. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Curriculum and Instructional Studies)

The impact of HIV and AIDS has threatened to destroy the education sector in South Africa. This qualitative study set out to investigate the psychosocial problems and needs of educators infected with HIV and/or affected by HIV and AIDS in Johannesburg Inner City schools. The study explores and describes the need to develop and implement a comprehensive and holistic treatment, care and support programme for educators infected with HIV and/or affected by HIV and AIDS. This study also reviews HIV/AIDS policies and programmes implemented by the Department of Education to indicate that these interventions are not effective in addressing the problems and needs of these educators. Therefore, the study contends that the Department of Education should revise and reformulate these HIV/AIDS policies and programmes to cater for the needs of educators infected with HIV and/or affected by HIV and AIDS. Ten educators infected with HIV and/or affected by HIV and AIDS from two selected Johannesburg Inner City schools participated in this study. Phenomenological strategies and in-depth interviews were used to capture day-to-day personal life experiences of these educators. The findings of the study reveal that there is a need for an urgent response by the Department of Education to develop and implement treatment, care and support programmes for educators infected with HIV and/or affected by HIV and AIDS. / Sociology / M.A. (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV/AIDS)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between attitudes towards supervisory support after training and work performance of employees at the Department of Education’s Nkangala District in Mpumalanga during 2008. The sample comprised a complete sampling frame of HR and finance personnel. A five-point Likert scale was used to evaluate the attitudes of respondents towards supervisory support, and their work performance scores were correlated with the ratings of the attitudes towards supervisory support after training. Pearson’s product- moment correlation coefficient (PPM) was used to assess the relationship between the two variables. The results showed no significant relationship between attitudes towards supervisory support and work performance. The ANOVA test found that a significant (p= .016) difference only existed between attitudes towards supervisory support and educational level. The hypothesis stated in this study was therefore rejected. / Human Resource Management / M. Tech. (Human Resource Development)