The purpose of this study was to develop the i-STEM programme, an awareness initiative that would improve the participation of young women in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields in South African universities. That would serve as an intervention measure to young women’s significantly low numbers in the STEM fields, causing a gender disparity in those fields. Young women are said to be overrepresented in the fields that are at a lower level, the so-called soft disciplines and of short-term duration at tertiary level. The STEM fields, on the other hand, are well-remunerated and high-status careers, perceived as the main solution for the unprecedented socioeconomic challenges that the world is experiencing, as a result of, mainly, climate change and lack of food security. The literature reviewed was focused on the participation of young women in the STEM fields in South Africa, Africa and globally, assisting the study to investigate the reasons for low numbers of young women in the STEM fields. The mixed method approach was of benefit to the nature of this study, a quantitative and qualitative enquiry. The study was conducted at two universities with completely different profiles, contact sessions and modes of content delivery. The third institution was the government department relating to higher education. For research design, data was collected from 111 participants who were involved with the STEM fields and/or university education. Two (2) lecturers, two (2) government officials and two (2) young female students were interviewed and 105 other participants completed the questionnaires. Some data were collected from participating institutions’ documents. Interpretation and analysis of such data, was done through concurrent, triangulation design, where data collection was done concurrently, i.e. in the same phase, in both the quantitative and qualitative manner. The main findings blamed the different ways in which boys and girls were socialised in their communities. Girls were more exposed to matters pertaining to food and caring while boys were more exposed to cars and machines, resulting in girls preferring socially orientated careers and the boys, mechanical ones. Those findings were used as the impetus to construct Phases 1, 2 and 3 of the developed awareness programme, i.e. ‘Identification’, ‘Induction’ and ‘Implementation’, whereby the departments of Basic Education and Higher Education and Training, together with universities, would identify learners and students as mentees and mentors, who will become the advocates for breaking the above stereotypes. Another discovery was that there is an element of cultural stereotyping in society, that the STEM fields were difficult and therefore meant for men, since they are supposed to be more demanding and not for women as soft targets; hence the environment was unsupportive of women. It also related to the classification of certain jobs as men’s and others as women’s territory. That theory was further extended through the finding that the STEM fields were more-costly than the social sciences and that most of them require a longer study period. As a result, young women who anticipate becoming mothers and wives, avoid them as careers, in consideration of their future cultural roles. Those findings influenced the last four phases of the i-STEM programme, i.e. ‘Impression’, ‘Integration’, ‘Intensification’ and ‘Ignition’, whereby cultural and classist stereotypes would be determined through baseline information and rooted out by synergy in terms of resources, research and effort by local, national and international stakeholders, as guided by the programme. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

In this dissertation a study will be made of university performance in the Science Faculty of the University of Natal, Durban. In particular, we will develop models that can be used to predict the success rate of a student based on his or her matriculation results. These models will prove useful for selecting students to universities. They may also be used to assist sponsors, bursars and donors in allocating funds to deserving students. In addition, these models may be used to identify students who might experience difficulties in their studies at university. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1994.

This study investigates the perceptions of learners and staff of the Dental Technology Extended First Programme (EFYP) currently offered in the Department of Dental Services at the Durban University of Technology. The EFYP has been offered since 1995 in order to meet the needs of under prepared learners in the Dental Technology programme as well as to address transformation of the programme. The Dental Technology EFYP has evolved over a number of years and was one of the first extended programmes offered in South African higher education. No evaluation of this programme has occurred since its inception. Moreover, the present study is particularly relevant as it has been conducted at a time that the Department of Education is concerned with low throughput rates in South African tertiary education. It is hoped that insights into this programme gained from this study will be of benefit to educators either currently providing foundation provision or those contemplating foundation provision in the future. It is noted that little research into foundation provision has, to date, been conducted in South Africa. For this study, learners currently registered in the Dental Technology programme and staff from the programme were interviewed in semi-structured interviews, and the main themes concerning foundation provision emerging from the study were identified. I conclude that the current EFYP is an academically sound programme contributing to the academic development of individual learners as well as to the overall success of the Dental Technology programme. Learners were unanimous in their belief that the EFYP contributed positively towards their academic advancement. Furthermore, learners noted the contribution that the EFYP made to their integration into higher education through a range of interventions such the departmental mentorship programme. Staff, also, favourably viewed the EFYP as academically successful. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.

The study examines the evolution of academic support programmes (ASPs) at predominantly White universities in South Africa. The participating institutions include: University of the Witwatersrand, University of Natal, Rhodes University, and University of Cape Town. Since they are selected on the basis of pioneering the establishment of ASP in South Africa and the extent of effectiveness achieved by ASP programmes, the relationship between the stated goals of academic support and the approaches, as well as strategies used to achieve them, are assessed. Throughout the focus is on whether or not the programmes are effective in reducing the failure and drop-out rates at these universities. The important variables in the intervention process are scrutinised. They include the conceptual framework guiding the formulation and implementation of the programmes and the environment in which ASP operates. A more wider context of ASP is explored to determine those factors that have a significant influence on the successful implementation of the programmes. Among those identified are institutional policy regarding the perceived requirements of disadvantaged students and what are considered to be appropriate strategies for dealing with their disadvantages. For this purpose the experiences of international ASPs are investigated to establish similarities, or lack thereof, with the South African experience. The measures adopted in the United States to deal with the inadequacies of the schooling system, as it impacts on the tertiary sector of education, have especially appealed to educationists in South Africa, since the educational context of Blacks in the United States of America is believed to have many parallels in South Africa. For different reasons racism in the educational arena has resulted in Blacks being underprepared for tertiary education in both countries. The important task then is to ascertain whether the strategies used to resolve the problems encountered by these students at colleges and universities in the United States have any relevance for the South African situation. The focus then shifts to what appropriate measures are necessary to bring about a dispensation that will allow maximum benefit to flow from ASP for both disadvantaged students and educational practice in tertiary institutions. It is the author's firm belief that, without scientifically derived solutions, the mistakes committed by local ASPs and elsewhere will be repeated in South Africa, thus delaying ASP from realising its full potential so that institutional policy-makers, staff and students may reap the fruits of functional ASPs that are both efficient and effective. South Africa has the advantage of entering the ASP field when accumulated knowledge on the subject will provide the opportunity to build on the strengths of others and learn from their weaknesses, and so enhance the chances of success for the programmes here. In an attempt to contribute towards making this objective a reality, wenty-four criteria have been formulated from ASP experiences at the four universities surveyed which participated in the investigation. From conducting interviews with ASP personnel faculty staff and students and personally visiting campuses and, among other things, perusing their records and scrutinising annual reports, it was possible to decide that the best way to address the problem of ineffective ASP is to draw up criteria that can be used, in future, for purposes of setting up ASP units and evaluating the performance of both newly established ones and those already existing. Regular attendance at ASP conferences and the invaluable exposure, through presentation of papers at these and other fora and subsequent exchanges of information and sharing of perspectives, have convinced the writer of the urgent need to approach the problem systematically, scientifically and rationally. Finally, it is contended that without a procedure for the implementation of the criteria, there is the risk of selecting and using them randomly. Hence the grouping of the criteria according to their common characteristics and functioning will expedite the implementation process and reduce the risk of failure as a result of poor sequence and incorrect utilisation. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, Durban,1994.

The Student Support and Development Services (SSDS) at Further Education and Training (FET) colleges represent a holistic and systemic approach to addressing barriers to learning and development. College SSDS are based on the acknowledgement that all FET students need support and development and that, when addressing needs of the college student, it is done in a holistic, integrated, intersectional and inclusive manner.<br /> <br /> The SSDS therefore strive to develop competencies, knowledge, skills and attitudes in a systemic and holistic manner. The aim of the study was to design, implement and evaluate SSDS at the FET colleges in the Western Cape Education Department and to establish a Lecturer Support and Development Team (LSDT) at each FET college, which would include the following services.<br /> <br /> <ul> <li>student counselling services</li> <li>academic development and learning support</li> <li>occupationald evelopmenat nd careerg uidance</li> <li>life skills education and health education, and</li> <li>college institutional development</li> </ul> Student counselling services at FET colleges aim to render comprehensive student services with a holistic developmental aspect of the student in relation to his/her social, emotional, physical and cognitive dimensions. The staff of the LSDT are the first line of contact for the troubled student. Academic development is aimed at the students who enter the FET sector with inadequate schooling, education and training. Orientation programmes include bridging the gap between schooling and FET education and training. Bridging programmes and remedial programmes are offered to students to compensate for their academic backlog and to accelerate their education and training up to a level suitable for FET.

This research is an attempt to determine the extent to which the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) in higher education promotes social transformation. Through analysing the case study of the University of the Western Cape (UWC) RPL programme, some conclusions on this matter were drawn. This research, a qualitative study, analyses key official documents, institutional reports, learning portfolios - produced by RPL candidates wherin they narrated their autobiographical learning histories - extensively. In addition, qualitative data were incorporated into this study to assist in the construction of the context within which RPL is being offered ...

This study investigated access to and use of Information and Communication Technology by students at the University of the Western Cape. It examined how the issues of access and use play out at the microlevel of a historically disadvantaged institution in South Africa by investigating the institutional arrangements and practices of different computer laboratories.

Submitted in fulfillment of 1he requirements of the Master of Technology degree in Commercial Administration, Department of lnformation and Corporate and Management, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2015. / The higher education landscape in South Africa has undergone significant change and transformation in recent decades, obliging all higher education institutions to be more competitive and provide services of quality to attract and retain students. Since their emergence as universities in the years of 2003-2004 Universities of Technology (UoTs) have been required to engage in research and to improve research output and throughput rapidly despite having their roots in a former colonial and apartheid era in which they were required to play a purely technical role. Importantly, the government funding formula for universities in South Africa is now the same for all public universities (based on publications and throughput) even though traditional universities were always research-oriented. This makes it likely that UoTs will continue to lag behind traditional universities if drastic measures to increase research capacity are not put in place. In order to service the provision of this sustainable research output different measures and research structures have therefore been designed by UoTs to support the increasing pressure to produce M and DTech graduates and upgrade the qualifications of teaching staff. The purpose of this study was therefore to investigate the administrative support of research services and structures at faculty level at a selected UoT; to provide insights in terms of staff and student perceptions of postgraduate support and to make recommendations as to how to enhance existing research services and improve research structures to support research functions. The study was a case study of a selected UoT. It used mixed method research to enable the researcher to collect both qualitative and quantitative data from academics and M and DTech students and Faculty Research Office staff members. Questionnaires and interviews were used as data collection instruments. Supported by the Gap Model of service quality and delivery and an adapted SERVQUAL instrument, the study sought to determine staff and postgraduate students' perceptions and expectations of research structures and service quality across four dimensions, namely reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy. Analysis of the data revealed that Faculty Research Offices across each of the six faculties were lacking in certain respects in providing research support and development in each of the four identified service dimensions. They were particularly lacking in terms of communicating the nature and details of the research support services they offer. The study concluded that with improved research structures and more skilled personnel all research activities could be incorporated and be facilitated by Faculty Research Offices, taking these functions away from departmental research committees where these exist. It also concluded that by communicating these research services through faculty orientations, workshop sessions, and online forums, academics and students' awareness would be enhanced. This could also have a positive impact on handling research matters and processes, improving the reliability of the research office services and allowing students to associate with the research office on a more regular basis. This study therefore recommended that the identified quality gaps should be attended to in order to improve research services. Further, issues of research capacity development and support and service quality need to be urgently considered by the institution in order in the longer term to be in a position to improve enrolment and graduation rates, increase scholarly publications and contribute to the knowledge society. Inviting research experts and drawing on the greater experience and expertise of their Australian counterparts in the ATN network (with whom SA UoTs have a formal MoU) could lead to further research and development in the area investigated. This should go a long way in ensuring progress and growth in research output within the faculties of the institution investigated and could be of interest to other UoTs facing similar challenges.

The purpose of this study was to look at how principals and educators managed and experience the implementation of Quality Assurance policies in secondary schools in KwaZulu Natal focusing on the bttegrated Quality Management System that is currently in place. This study was designed as a qualitative exploratory and descriptive survey. Data was collected in 2007 by visiting schools and conducting interviews with the principals and educators. School managers fell into two groups. One group was positive about Integrated Quality Management System and other group negative. Even though there were differences, all agreed that lntearated Quality Management System was good if it was to be introduced at a pace suitable to the educators. Educators preferred Integrated Quality Management System to systems that were not transparent. They then recommended that Integrated Quality Management System should not be linked to the educators' remuneration as this destroys what could be good about IQMS / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Education Management)

Before 1959 Blacks were admitted to study at certain White universities; Kollege ya Bana BaAfrika and Fort Hare. In 1959 Parliament passed two Acts of far reaching significance in the history of university education for Blacks in South Africa. These were the Extension of University Education Act (Ac t No . 45 of 1959) and the Fort Hare Transfer Act (Act No. 64 of 1959) . The first Act provided for the establishment of the university colleges of the North and that of Zululand. The second Act provided for the transfer of Fort Hare to the then Department of Bantu Education. This study will show why government found it necessary to establish Black universities, together with their merits and demerits. Suggestions are given as to how Black universities could become universally accepted academic institutions. Although dealing with Black university education in general , particular reference is made to Turfloop. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (History of Education)