This study was conducted to investigate what the perceptions of Career Guidance Counselors were toward young girls and High Status Subjects. The study was underpinned by the work done by a number of researchers in other countries. These researchers all proved that the subjects Mathematics and Physical Science were not gender biased and girls could do as well as boys. The subject packages girls chose at the end of their grade 9 year would have an impact on possible career choices they could make after the completion of grade 12. The study also seeks to explore reasons why girls were not choosing these subjects and if the Career Guidance Counselors were actively encouraging the girls to take these subjects. The study was a qualitative one using interviews based on questionnaires. The answers were carefully recorded and decoded. The Career Guidance Counselors were interviewed at their schools in the central Durban area. The schools selected were those fortunate enough to have counselors on their staff. Many schools do not have Career Guidance Counselors as they are unable to accommodate them with their limited resources. The study found that at many schools there was little if any encouragement from the Guidance Counselors to enter these subjects in grade 10. The two schools that did encourage their female learners to select these subjects found that their learners achieved very well. This study will show that urgent intervention needs to be made if our young girls are to take their rightful place in our society in a number of high status occupations. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2004.

It is widely acknowledged that effective schools owe much of their success to the calibre of their principals. Notwithstanding the central role played by these executive officers, very little attention has been given to the selection of secondary school principals internationally and more so in South Africa. The South African education system has recently undergone a not so silent revolution and all former departments of education have combined. The national Department of Education determines policy and local education is administered by provincial authorities. The State's policy of transformation, which is being implemented in all public schools, is bringing about many changes in schools and these have to be satisfactorily managed. Because of the complexity of the school as an organisation, the principal is subjected to changing demands especially in respect of his/her management tasks. Despite these changes requiring a new style of school management, the selection of secondary principals has, up till very recently, been done in a fairly arbitrary manner. Consequently, this project involves an assessment of the current selection procedures for secondary public school principals in KwaZulu-Natal. While it is accepted the selection procedure is relatively new and still evolving, it is hoped that this project will alert educational authorities to the salient weaknesses of the selection procedure and offer recommendations for its improvement. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, Durban, 1999.

Abstract not available. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, Durban, 1987.

The role of science education is to pass on knowledge and understanding of science and its practices to learners. Learners' perceptions of science should therefore reflect those of the scientific community. The purpose of this study was to establish if learners in one South African school shared nature of science views common to the scientific community. Two key questions framed this study: What are learners' perceptions of the nature of science? and What are learners' perceptions of science within the context of their daily lives? Quantitative data was collected using a cartoon-style questionnaire to address the first research question. Qualitative data was collected from a photographic activity in which learners were asked to take photographs of science within the context of their daily lives and offer explanations of why the photographic images were representations of science. This qualitative data was used to address the second research question and map out more fully the complexity of learners' perceptions of the nature of science. The findings of this study point towards a blur between learners' perceptions of science and their perceptions of technology and provide evidence that learners' perceptions of the nature of science are inadequate. However, this study also provides evidence to suggest learners do share some nature of science views with the scientific community. The findings of this study also lend support to the argument that the learning of science should involve an explicit initiation into the culture of science. This study is a grassroots account of some attempts to include the nature of science construct within learning programs. It is simply a snapshot of what happened in one South African secondary school at the cusp of curriculum change, a collection of learners' perceptions of science captured on film and an insight into some learners' perceptions of the nature of science. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.

A central requirement to accomplish a competent and effective education system is the inclusion of a post matric year to facilitate the transition from the protected academic leaning to the reality of the world at large. This strategy needs to emphasise the acquisition of formative information to minimise problems that might arise if life skills needs and tertiary learning barriers are not promptly identified and addressed. Michaelhouse a private school in Kwa-Zulu Natal- South Africa is faced with declining numbers in the post matric class called the sixth form. The study recommends that in order to improve the marketability of the sixth form programme, the following objectives need to be met by Michaelhouse. i. Be a centre of excellence providing high quality education in a supportive and caring environment. ii. Be entrepreneurial and innovative in encouraging more students to pursue the post matric offering. iii. Be responsive to the needs of the community and business sector in the provision of continuing education and training. iv. Prepare students to function effectively in an adult world. The purpose of this study is to establish the expectations of students with regards to the offering of a sixth form programme, in order that the Michaelhouse may customise the curriculum incorporating customer needs. This will be used as a marketing tool to attract pupils to Michaelhouse. / Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.

Prior to the present era, participation in curriculum decision-making at a school level has been very limited in South Africa. The decisions made at schools could be described as implementation as these were influenced to a large extent by the decisions that were made at a higher level. The education system was thus correctly described as very authoritarian and highly centralised at the hands of the authorities in the Department of National Education (NEPI: 1992; King & van den Berg (1991); Christie (1989); Kallaway (1984). The proposals of recent policy documents, such as NEPI (1992) and a Policy Framework for Education and Training (1994), tried to change the above scenario by proposing a broader participation by major stakeholders in schools like parents, learners and educators in curriculum decision-making of the schools. These policy documents culminated in the enactment of the South African Schools Act No.84 of 1996 which officially gave powers to major stakeholders in schools. Governing bodies consisting of learners, parents and educators became the most powerful structure in a school responsible for the governance of the schools. The governing bodies thus assumed powers and duties that they had never had or had little to do with in the past. Parents and learners were now expected to play a major role in the process of making curriculum decisions. This study aims at investigating what curriculum decisions schools make, who makes these and how this is done with an aim to determine the extent to which the major stakeholders (parents, learners and educators including the principal and other promotion post holders) in a school do participate in making major curriculum decisions in their schools. The study was conducted in two secondary schools in Amanzimtoti Circuit which falls under Umbumbulu district of the Durban South Region of the KwaZulu-Natal Province in the Republic of South Africa. A written questionnaire and a semi-structured interview were used to gather data from the respondents in the two secondary schools. To choose respondents from the two schools, a stratified random sample was used but, in a case where only one person occupied a post in that level, that occupant automatically became part ofthe sample. The main findings of the study were :- • Stakeholders interviewed (educators, learners and parents) do take part in cuniculum decision-making in the two secondary schools but, this happens differently for different levels. • Whilst many of the stakeholders interviewed are eager to take part personally in the curriculum decision-making process of their schools, not all of them have the confidence and the ability to do this. • Trust and confidence, by some of the respondents, in the principals and educators tend to make these respondents to lean back and relax, which then makes the principals and educators to be more prominent during the curriculum decision-making process. • All respondents have confidence and hope that the prospects for an all-inclusive and a participative curriculum decision-making approach are bright and promising for the future. The recommendations made include continued assistance to be given to schools in the form of in-service training and workshops for both parents, educators and learners, including the principals of schools, to equip all of them with the necessary skills for effective participation in curriculum decision-making in schools. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, Durban, 2001

In this study, a self-report questionnaire was used to obtain a picture of sources of stress amongst a sample of 150 adolescents (75 male and 75 female) at a secondary school in KwaZulu-Natal. Students scored the intensity of stress on a four point stress scale. In addition, students completed similar rating scales to assess self-esteem and depression amongst the students, and to obtain a picture of coping strategies they used. Findings revealed that students, both male and female, perceived the main sources of stress to be related to academic and life stress factors such as: the fact that there is too much schoolwork, being nervous to speak in front of the class, the worry that they may not pass grade 11, fear of being a victim of crime or violence, fear of losing a loved one, being prone to over-react to things, fear of not finding a job upon leaving school. Male students also reported fear of contracting a serious illness as a source of stress. The study found a significant negative correlation between stress and self-esteem, and a significant positive correlation between stress and depression. The findings on coping strategies indicates that the most frequently used coping strategies are: talking to friends, turning to religion, thinking positive thoughts. However, the number of students who responded in the categories 'often" and 'all the time" was fairly low: It is interesting to note that although students did not perceive family factors as key stressors in their lives, only 43 students talked to parents when experiencing stress. There was evidence of gender differences in the use of certain strategies. 25 males and 12 females indicated that they turn to religion 'all the time' as a means of dealing with stressors in their lives. More males (21) than females (6) use the strategy of talking to friends 'all the time'. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, Durban, 2003.

FOR MY MOTHER I love you I hate you I abuse And appreciate you You feed my guilty conscious I fuel your shattered soul Your misguided love and affection Have turned my heart into stone You are nothing You are everything You stole my voice You made me sing In this separation we create We grow together In love And in hate ……..Saron. The above poem is written by a learner who comes from a broken home. There are many children like Saron in our classrooms who have suffered consequences of parental separation and divorce. This study investigates the experiences of children from a secondary school in the Durban South Region. Their parents are either separated or divorced. The study was undertaken to ascertain how these learners are psychologically affected by their family situations. The rationale for the research study is grounded by statistics and a wide variety of literature that indicates that children from separated and divorced families experience multiple problems, develop abnormal behavioural patterns and seek attention and release from alternate sources. The research study is framed within the social constructivist paradigm to indicate how social phenomena develop in particular social contexts. In order to answer the research questions and gain clarity on the topic, data was gathered using narrative stories, personal narrative diary entries, time line representations and interviews. The narrative diary entries and time line representations were used as prompts for the interviews, whereby the researcher not only allowed the participants to discuss their experiences but also spent a prolonged period of time with them. The research study was qualitative in nature and aimed to achieve a greater level of depth by studying four participants. This was accomplished using the method of purposive sampling. The data obtained from the participants was transcribed and analysed using the open-coding technique and thematic analysis. The results revealed that even though the effects of the divorce and separation varied, the participants shared similarities with regard to their emotional state. They all experienced feelings of sadness, distress, abandonment, anger, helplessness, and stress. The results also indicated that the effects of divorce were on the participant’s behaviour, their families’ financial and economic situation, their academic school lives and integration at school. The participants reported both positive and negative effects of their parents’ separation and divorce. Taking all the data collected into consideration, the researcher was then able to make recommendations which would prove beneficial to all stakeholders. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood, 2010.

In the post de Lange period education was faced by uncertainty and change. There was a call for a greater contribution to education by the private sector and parent communities . This case study examines the response of a co-educational white high school, High School 139, to its environment. Different environmental types are discussed and the concept of turbulence introduced. The macro and meso environments of High School 139 are described with attention paid to the legal, political, economic, cultural, educational, sociological and technological factors which influence school management in times of uncertainty and change. Socio-political issues are addressed as well as problems relating to customers, suppliers and competition within the school. The case study explains how government funding at High School 139 was not adequate for the cost of education if standards were to be maintained and how the school management explored alternative approaches in order to meet these financial needs. The school introduced a ' Foundation Trust Fund ' and the way this was done, together with the impact on internal structures, is described. The academic and secretarial staff are one of any school's most valuable resources. Consequent the researcher sought the opinion of the staff on how the introduction of a Foundation Trust had affected their involvement at High School 139. This was done by means of a questionnaire and the results of this survey are presented in detail. The researcher concludes that turbulent environmental conditions are not likely to abate in the foreseeable future. Improvement in educational activity does not necessarily depend on mere money and more teachers being available, but on the articulation of practical and moral decisions. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, Durban, 1992.

There is a growing body of knowledge in the field of sociology of sports and education which speaks to the positive relationship between youth engagement in organised sports and school performance. These sources of knowledge are largely confined to the developed countries in Europe and North America addressing the impact of organised sports on Positive Youth Development (PYD). In a developing context such as South Africa, which is undergoing rapid transformation from the previous legacy of apartheid, youth are defined as being at risk especially in light of the vast levels of social and economic inequalities which threatens its newly found democracy. It is in this context, the study located in a historically disadvantaged high school in the township of Chesterville in the Metropolitan Area of Durban, examines the role of school sports engagement as an element of PYD in enhancing school performance. The study seeks to assess the applicability of PYD principles in a developing and historically disadvantaged context within a school setting with the purpose of making contribution towards intervention programmes for the vast majority of South African youth who are considered to be at risk. Using a sample of 100 male and female learners in Grades 11 and 12 with an equal distribution of sports engaged and non-engaged, the study tests the principles of two PYD elements in respect of school Competence and Contribution to community. The study is of an exploratory nature on the applicability of PYD programmes in a context such as South Africa and does not purport to be conclusive, but instead the merit of a study of this nature is to set the foundation for future research studies in the fields of sociology of sports and education in order to intervene on the different social, political and economic volatility that South African youth are challenged within a democratic era. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.