M.Ed. (Education Psychology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

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M.Ed. (Media Science) / The position of Afrikaans as a national language In South Africa has been a contested one since the 17th century settlement and occupation of the Cape by the Dutch and British settlers, and it Is not surprising that today, when the country faces critical questions relating to nationhood, cultural identity and language use In a profound way, its position again emerges as a crucial point of debate (Alexander, 1989:15). The Afrikaner group and the majority of their white South African adherents place great value on the historicity of the language. This is testified through the 'taalstryd" waged dUring an after the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) and the present-day status of the Afrikaans language as a major item on the negotiations agenda. This historicity and centrality of Afrikaans is contested by other language and cultural groups, who claim that Afrikaans is loaded with exclusivity and racism and that it therefore does not qualify in its claim for national status. The events of 1976 in Black schools and the subsequent years of considerable debate in public and academic forums, quite clearly Illustrates the Intensity of the contest surrounding the position of Afrikaans (Alexander, 1989:26). The Indian population group has always stressed its cultural heritage and at times this has occurred at the expense of Afrikaans as a language. Priority Is assigned to vernacular languages and Afrikaans is neglected in the process. The result is that the language is hardly spoken except in the Afrikaans classroom. It is against this background that this research project will examine the use of pictures In the teaching of Afrikaans at Indian secondary schools.

D.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / Since 1989 most of the schools in Lenasia which were under the auspices of the now dissolved House of Delegates, began to 'admit black children. Most of these children live at the informal settlements in Lenasia. Soon after the admission of these children many Indian teachers expressed their difficulties with them, especially with regard to language, teaching and learning. Teachers also complained that children from the informal settlement lacked discipline, they often came to school late and they had difficulty in completing their homework. As a result of the several complaints from teachers the researcher decided to conduct a study on the experiences of children from the informal settlements at predominantly Indian schools in Lenasia. A pilot study revealed that the experiences of the children at the informal settlements also needed to be taken into consideration. Standard six children from the informal settlements, parents from the settlements and members of the camp education committee were identified as the target populations in the study. A qualitative research design that is explorative, descriptive and contextual, specifically to the experiences of standard six children from the informal settlements was used for the study. The study was conducted in two distinct phases. Phase one of the study involved the collection of data on the experiences of standard six children from the informal settlements both at their schools as well as their place of residence. Data was collected through the use of phenomenological interviews, focus group discussions, life studies and a projective test. Phase one of the study also focused on the analysis of the data that were obtained. The analysis of the data showed that children from the informal settlements had several negative experiences both at their schools as well as at the informal settlements which caused them to feel disempowered...

The investigation contributes to a broader understanding of the hegemonic role of teacher organisations and their relation to the dominant structures in society. It also contributes to educational theory since it extends the traditional assertion of an individual teacher who acts as an agent of capitalism and who serves to foster the interests of the State, to teachers who operate through an organisation which becomes more powerful in articulating this hegemony. The historic evidence shows that for much of the period under investigation these teacher organisations have either endorsed, or else have failed to challenge in significant ways, the use of education by the State to ramify the ideology and practice of apartheid. In addition these organisations have had no power to compel action from political and educational authorities. Decades of compliance with State policy, or unwillingness to forcefully articulate the obvious injustices of that policy, have inevitably led to a position whereby established teacher bodies became inward looking. Ultimately, these teacher bodies could not offer a fundamental critique of the apartheid education system and therefore could not empower their members to transform society as they worked within a structural-functional and liberal framework. However, the research also shows that teachers as a collective group became capable of resisting dominant ideologies, especially during the post-1984 period. Progressive teacher organisations, fuelled by the labour movement and African nationalism convicted many conservative teacher bodies to eschew ethnicity and agitate for a unified, democratic non-racial, non-sexist State with a single Ministry of Education. This period saw an escalation in the struggles of resistance by teacher organisations against a newly established Tri-cameral parliamentary system. These empowered members effectively resisted the increasing bureaucratisation and political interference in education through which the State sought to control teachers. The study offers a new way of perceiving teacher organisations as they become involved in long term struggles of transformation which incorporates the reconstruction of a post-apartheid society. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (History of Education)

The investigation contributes to a broader understanding of the hegemonic role of teacher organisations and their relation to the dominant structures in society. It also contributes to educational theory since it extends the traditional assertion of an individual teacher who acts as an agent of capitalism and who serves to foster the interests of the State, to teachers who operate through an organisation which becomes more powerful in articulating this hegemony. The historic evidence shows that for much of the period under investigation these teacher organisations have either endorsed, or else have failed to challenge in significant ways, the use of education by the State to ramify the ideology and practice of apartheid. In addition these organisations have had no power to compel action from political and educational authorities. Decades of compliance with State policy, or unwillingness to forcefully articulate the obvious injustices of that policy, have inevitably led to a position whereby established teacher bodies became inward looking. Ultimately, these teacher bodies could not offer a fundamental critique of the apartheid education system and therefore could not empower their members to transform society as they worked within a structural-functional and liberal framework. However, the research also shows that teachers as a collective group became capable of resisting dominant ideologies, especially during the post-1984 period. Progressive teacher organisations, fuelled by the labour movement and African nationalism convicted many conservative teacher bodies to eschew ethnicity and agitate for a unified, democratic non-racial, non-sexist State with a single Ministry of Education. This period saw an escalation in the struggles of resistance by teacher organisations against a newly established Tri-cameral parliamentary system. These empowered members effectively resisted the increasing bureaucratisation and political interference in education through which the State sought to control teachers. The study offers a new way of perceiving teacher organisations as they become involved in long term struggles of transformation which incorporates the reconstruction of a post-apartheid society. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (History of Education)