M. Tech. Education / This study examines the factors that impacts on the benefits and challenges of Information and Communication Technology in some selected primary schools in central Johannesburg district 14. The study also investigates the level of availability of ICT facilities in these schools, the capacity for using ICT facilities for teaching and learning, the perceived benefits of using ICT and the challenges facing the use of ICT in these schools. The population consisted of all the educators school management teams and principals of these schools.

This research investigated the extent to which the Inclusive Education policy (Education White Paper 6) has been implemented in primary schools in the Wakkerstroom Circuit in Mpumalanga province since its inception in 1997. The investigation took place during the period between March 2013 and July 2014. The people who participated in this study were primary school teachers, including four principals from the sampled primary schools; the representative from the district-based support team, Inclusive Education Department (curriculum implementer); and the circuit manager of the Wakkerstroom Circuit. Data was collected from teachers using a questionnaire, and structured interviews were used to collect data from the district-based support team representative and from the Circuit manager. Data from the questionnaire was analysed statistically, and data from structured interviews was analysed qualitatively. Results showed that the Inclusive Education policy was not implemented in primary schools in the Wakkerstroom Circuit as it was planned by the Department of Education and described in Education White Paper 6. Recommendations included the availability of an implementation guide for primary schools regarding Inclusive Education; involvement of stake holders in the implementation of Inclusive Education (parents and experts in different relevant fields); involvement of primary school teachers in planning the Inclusive Education policy; providing primary schools accommodating learners with special education needs with relevant resources; and training of in-service primary school teachers in Inclusive Education. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

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

This study examined the role that attributional style played in the academic achievement and school performance of a sample of 150 black primary school learners in grades 5 and 6 in an inner city school in the Johannesburg area. The Children’s Attributional Style Questionnaire (CASQ, 1984) was administered to determine the attributional styles. The questionnaire was comprised of 10 subscales and from this an overall level of optimism or pessimism was obtained. The academic achievement of the learners was measured by obtaining the end of year academic results of 1997 and 1998 from the mark schedules of each teacher. The results did not reveal significant correlations between attributional styles and academic achievement. This was contradictory to the existing literature. It appears that, in this disadvantaged group in South Africa, it is not attributional style that impacts upon academic achievement and school performance. However it appears that learned helplessness in terms of Seligman and Maier’s (1967) original formulation, rather than attributional style as in the reformulated theory of Abramson, Seligman & Teasdale (1978) may impact upon academic achievement in this community.

Thesis (MBA) --University of Limpopo, 2010 / Quality has always been a central concern in education. Parents are ready to pay more for the best value for their money, in order to give their children the quality education. The South African education system seems to have very sound policies, but one wonders if they are well implemented, and whether customers do in deed get what they expect (customer satisfaction) from the process. The Department of Education department introduced Integrated Quality Management System in 2003 as a strategy to be used in order to improve the quality of education and improve on the performance of educators in the country. The provincial department of education‟s attempts at implementing Integrated Quality Management System since early 2004 have not been without problems; however, more especially after the signing of the Agreement on the Occupational Specific Dispensation, there has been some uncertainty about the current status of Integrated Quality Management System. The purpose of this research is to investigate the extent to which service organisations such as public schools in Limpopo Province particularly in the Mankweng cluster deliver quality service as expected by their internal and external customers.

Thesis ( M.A. (English Studies) --University of Limpopo, 2014 / Research shows that successful readers make use of prior knowledge. This is supported by schemata theory (Herczog & Porter, 2012; Xigo-hui, Jun & Wei-hua, 2007; Zhang 1993). In this study, the researcher intended to increase the schema of the selected sample and test the theorem. Two groups were selected as samples comprising an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group had the advantage of being exposed to a topic over a month and on the day of the test the two groups were combined and the results from the test were analysed. The outcomes showed that the experimental group out-performed the control group proving that prior knowledge increases chances of comprehension. In the initial test both groups had performed poorly. Many learners in the experimental group would have performed better if they could comprehend the English language. The students who used their schema on the experimental group did better than those who did not. / the National Research Foundation

This study examines multigrade teaching in selected schools in Canada and its implications for improving multigrade teaching in South Africa, where over 50 % of primary schools are multigrade and the teachers have not received preparation in multigrade teaching. The case study method was adopted because it allowed for 'an intensive, holistic description and analysis' of the multigrade classroom. The approach is interpretivist, based on the assumption that social phenomena are 'socially constituted' and 'valuationally based'. Research techniques included a literature review, interviews and observations. Four classrooms with grade combinations ranging from two grades to eight grades (Kindergarten to grade 7) were studied. Despite problems such as the lack of official recognition, inadequate teacher education and support - problems common to both Canada and South Africa - the Canadian teachers managed their classrooms effectively. This was indicated by their understanding of the children's needs, their integration of the curriculum for teaching across the grades and the learning areas, their use of effective instructional strategies and their involyement of parents in the classroom. A reason for their success may be that their teacher education includes child-centred, activity based approaches, integration of the curriculum, critical thinking, flexibility and effective instructional strategies, which they may adapt for effective multigrade teaching. The study found that successful multigrade teaching depended on the teacher. For South Africa, this may imply that intervention programmes should focus on relevant preparation and support for multigrade teachers. The emphasis on material resources in the implementation of Curriculum 2005 has not been balanced with adequate training on policy, curriculum and instructional strategies. Teacher education should include methodologies that are experiential, reflective and participatory. A variety of instructional strategies should be employed in the multigrade classroom. The respondents in the study believed further that multigrade teaching is more beneficial than single-grade teaching because it caters for the diversity of needs amongst children and allows for peer tutoring, thereby exploiting Vygotsky's theory of the 'zone of proximal development'. Thus, instead of viewing multigrade teaching as a temporary phenomenon, it should be viewed as an opportunity for improving school effectiveness.

Many white primary schools in South Africa have acquired computers which are being used in various ways. In my experience few members of staff are confident enough to use the computers in the school for educational purposes. Those who have been using them, generally have been doing computer literacy. The teachers in our school expressed the view that they would like to be able to use the computer, but that they lack the necessary skills and therefore would welcome some form of training. In my opinion computers should form an integral part of a child's learning environment. It has, for some time formed a part of his social environment, either in the home or in the workplace. For computers to be used effectively in the classroom, it follows that the teachers need to be trained to use them. In an attempt to overcome this problem, I designed and presented an in-service course, which used selected computer assisted learning (CAL) programs with teachers. These teachers then used these programs with the pupils in their class and evaluated the pupils' reactions to the innovation. As a result of the observations and the feedback provided by the sample of teachers, it is suggested that this might be a possible approach to in-service training for other schools. With adaptation it should be possible to follow this approach in any school which has a computer and someone on the staff who is willing to take the initiative to implement such an innovation.

The introduction of the computer into the educational arena is unique as pressure for its inclusion has come not from educationalists, but from public demand based on the conviction that exposure to computers is an essential ingredient of modern education. This has resulted in computers being added to school curricula before there has been careful research into its educational implications, making huge demands on teachers involved in the innovation. South African primary schools involved in computer education have followed international trends in their adoption of computers, initially perceiving computer education as a separate subject added on to the present curriculum. However, changing trends in computer use internationally are now beginning to reflect educators' changing perceptions of the nature of primary education, and educators are calling for the use of computers to be integrated into the curriculum rather than being seen as an area of study in themselves. This investigation attempts to outline general trends and perceptions of computer use in a South African primary school. Despite a high level of computer usage at the observed school, the computer was seen by teachers, in the main, as an extra subject, and has not yet led to any significant changes in teaching styles and methods. The research suggests that two main issues need to be resolved before computer education in primary schools reflects the present paradigm shift towards learner-centered educational practices. Firstly, there is a need to rethink the delivery of the curriculum towards one which promotes a greater degree of problem solving and decision making on the part of the learner. Secondly, it would appear that teachers need to be made more aware of this trend.

This research investigated the extent to which the Inclusive Education policy (Education White Paper 6) has been implemented in primary schools in the Wakkerstroom Circuit in Mpumalanga province since its inception in 1997. The investigation took place during the period between March 2013 and July 2014. The people who participated in this study were primary school teachers, including four principals from the sampled primary schools; the representative from the district-based support team, Inclusive Education Department (curriculum implementer); and the circuit manager of the Wakkerstroom Circuit. Data was collected from teachers using a questionnaire, and structured interviews were used to collect data from the district-based support team representative and from the Circuit manager. Data from the questionnaire was analysed statistically, and data from structured interviews was analysed qualitatively. Results showed that the Inclusive Education policy was not implemented in primary schools in the Wakkerstroom Circuit as it was planned by the Department of Education and described in Education White Paper 6. Recommendations included the availability of an implementation guide for primary schools regarding Inclusive Education; involvement of stake holders in the implementation of Inclusive Education (parents and experts in different relevant fields); involvement of primary school teachers in planning the Inclusive Education policy; providing primary schools accommodating learners with special education needs with relevant resources; and training of in-service primary school teachers in Inclusive Education. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)