Research report submitted to the School of Education, Faculty of the Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Education Johannesburg, July 2019. / In this study the researcher investigates what educators perceive the practices of mathematics HoDs to be in independent primary schools. A literature review was conducted and it was determined that there is a need for further research into the practices of HoDs at independent primary schools. A qualitative research approach was decided on and two case studies were done at two independent primary schools in Johannesburg. The data collected was recorded, compared and analysed to provide further insight into the perceived practices of HoDs. The findings show that there is not one set of practices of a HoD but multiple and that the practices of the HoD depend on the institution. The vision, mission and the culture of the institution, as well as the approach by senior management, will play a major role in what the practices of the HoD at that institution will be. It also leads us to conclude that arguing that there are set practices for HoDs is incorrect, instead it is the school context that will determine the practices of HoDs. From the findings the researcher attempts to provide a better understanding of the topic and makes suggestions into possible future research that could be conducted. / NG (2020)

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Humanities, School of Education, 2016 / Due to the contextual difference between rural schools and urban school, many rural learners have migrated to urban schools. The rural population movement in the urban contexts has resulted in an increased number of rural learners in urban schools and also contributed in the diversity of cultures, ethnicities and races in urban schools making it difficult for teachers to respond to every learner’s needs. This study hypothesises that rural learners are likely to face challenges in terms of inclusion and negotiating their identities in the new urban schools. This study describes the challenges faced by rural migrant learners in new urban school, and how these migrant learners construct their identities in the new urban context. The study focusses on one primary school in Johannesburg that has a large influx of rural learners over the years. Using the key concepts of social identity, social inclusion and social exclusion, this describes the lived experiences of migrated learners and how they negotiate their identities in a new urban context. Findings show that migrated learners face inclusive challenges both academically and socially and challenges in adapting to the new urban school environment. The factors that caused academic challenges were: language barrier, difficult subjects, and teachers’ intervention. Social challenges were, adapting to a new environment, interacting with other learners and learning a new culture of the school.

The Department of Education's commitment to transform the South African Education system from the apartheid era to the new democratic era has proved to be a challenging one. Overwhelming evidence indicates that conflict, violence, substance abuse and teenage suicides are escalating. Education has reached an impasse! Moral degeneration is increasing exponentially implying that academic or "book knowledge" alone is inadequate in addressing these issues. It is therefore imperative that existing strategies as well as new approaches in education be closely examined and revisited if necessary in order to reverse the present state of society to one that is safe and acceptable for all life forms. This research seeks to explore what values are being taught or caught at school and how these values are interpreted and expressed both by learners as well as educators within the school. The research has been conducted at two primary schools in the Durban area of Kabuli- Natal. One is a public school that is directed solely by the National Curriculum Statement. The other is an independent school that is directed by the NCS as well as a value-based education programme. This study has used the qualitative approach and is set within the interpretive paradigm. Semi structured interviews were used as the primary research instrument to generate data. In addition to this, observation and document analysis were used. These multiple methods have assisted in triangulating the data received in order to identify commonalities as well as inconsistencies. The analysis indicates that the aspect of human rights, respect and responsibility (3R's) is contained in the National Curriculum Statement and in the South African Constitution. However the major discrepancy lies in the effective promotion and implementation of these values at school. Findings show that learners displayed a clear understanding and appreciation of values when these values are integrated and reinforced everyday. This study concludes with the idea that a concerted effort must be made to promote the teaching of human values at schools. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2007.

M.Ed. (Curriculum studies) / The purpose of this study is primarily to establish whether or not the curriculum objectives of the primary schools in Davey ton are worthwhile. This study is prompted by the observation that pupils in Davey ton are reluctant to school and that they fail their examinations in area numbers. The rationale in this study is that learners become demotivated if they find the teaching learning activities incomprehensible or leaning less to them, that is, if they fail to interpret the learning experiences. In order to be meaningful and worthwhile, curriculum objectives (thus, the curriculum) must help people to meet their significant needs, such as helpin2 them to solve their social and economic problems, helping them to discover their potentials, helping them to find meaning in their life world, to pursue their goals, to lead a meaningful life and to survive. In short, to be relevant, curriculum objectives (thus the curriculum itself) must address the needs of the society wherein the schools operate. In evaluating the curriculum objectives, situation-analysis was conducted in order to find out what the community needs are. A random sampling of pupils, teachers, parents and some members of the community was done. Interviews were conducted. Pupils and teachers were asked to complete questionnaires. The results of the study indicated that the home and the school appear to be two different and incompatible worlds to the child's experience. What the child learns at school has no bearing~ to what the child experiences in the community or in real life. Learners seem to be unable to reconcile school learning with their practical daily experiences. The knowledge pupils gain from schools cannot help them to solve their social and economic problems. The learning in the schools is academically biased. Career education or vocational training is non-existent. Schools and parents do not co-operate. The most significant findings of this study is that the curriculum objectives of these schools do not address the needs of the community, and this casts's shadow of doubt whether pupils can really be motivated in pursuing studies wherein they find no solutions to the problems that beset them in their social, community or family lives. In the final chapter, recommendations are made on how to improve the curriculum objectives and how to make teaching learning activities in these schools meaningful and worthwhile.

Thesis (D. Tech.) - Central University of Technology, Free State, 2009

A research project submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MA in Research Psychology in the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, March 2016 / Despite 20 years of democracy, education in South Africa is still plagued by the inequalities carried over from apartheid. Concerns on issues of standardisation in education, which are linked to socio-economic status, make it increasingly difficult to determine what skills learners are leaving the schooling system with (Blignaut, 2009; Du Plessis & Webb, 2012; Lumadi, 2011; Maiyo, 2015; Watts, 2001). There is a need to bridge the gap that currently exists within education, and one way in which this is thought possible, is through the integration of technology in the classroom (Department of Education, 2004). In 2015 the Smart Schools Project was put in place to promote the implementation of technology in South African schools. One of the aims of this project is to standardise education through redressing the inequalities within the country. This study aimed to investigate the perceptions of parents, with regards to the introduction of technology within primary school classrooms in South Africa. In order to achieve the main aim of this study, perceptions of parents were explored from parents whose children were in private and government-funded schools. This study used a combination of two models in order to understand how parents’ usage and acceptance of technology could possibly influence their children’s interaction with technology. This study found that how parents come to use and accept technology is not influenced by socio-economic status. Further, it was noted that acceptance and usage impacted how they viewed technology being introduced in the classroom. / GR2017

No description available.

M. Tech. Education / The purpose of this study was to determine how delegation, as a management tool, is being used in primary schools in the Tshwane West District. There are indications in Tshwane West District primary schools which suggest that delegation is improperly employed or not used at all. In some cases, workloads become so unbearable that many people even at management level resign their posts. Many of the primary schools in Tshwane West District have been identified as underperforming primary schools by the GDE through the Gauteng Province Literacy Strategy. The study therefore endeavoured to determine the use of this most important tool in the daily duties of school managers.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.Ed)-Universtiy of Natal, Durban, 1998.

This study attempts to explore, through a qualitative approach, teachers' attitudes towards curriculum change in general and OBE in particular as a curriculum innovation. Teachers' perceptions, understandings of and readiness to implement OBE are assessed. The research attempted to explore their problems and fears concerning their role in this process of curriculum change. Curriculum change as a process and outcomes-based education as a new innovation is explored in relation to the peculiarities or two schools in particular and the South African context in general. The argument centres around the past curriculum and the post (1994) curriculum in relation to outcomes based education and briefly considers what lies ahead for the future curriculum. The practicality of implementation in the present, in schools, like and similar to those in this study and the views of several scholars, especially those of Fullan (1982), Bishop (1986) and Jansen (1997) on the process of curriculum change is examined. The impact of politics on educational transformations in general and in the South African context in particular is debated. The role of curriculum change in such a milieu and the impact it has on the teacher as implementor is examined through the views of the participants in this case study. Socio-economic criteria also influences what happens within schools, and this study shows that poverty hampers the process of curriculum change. A case study approach was used so that, an in-depth study of the schools could be done. The study focused on how the teachers in two schools in Reservoir Hills are engaged in the actual implementation of OBE including the question of what in-service training they received and how effective and relevant it has been thus far. This study served as an enlightening exercise for myself. A discussion of the participants views and my own observations and recommendations are presented. The constraints I encountered and the limitations of such a study are also outlined. I hope that this study adds to the pool of research data that is rapidly developing, in this particular area of study in our context, and inspires others to further the research. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1998.