This research study is an examination of teacher engagement in pedagogy in the foundation phase, within the context of a literacy learning programme. The study explores what teachers know and do in foundation phase classrooms and how this impacts on learner performance. The study aims to identify areas of pedagogy that need to be strengthened so that all South African learners can compete with others, not only at national level (systemic evaluations), but also at international level in tests such as the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS) and Progress in Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS). The critical question of the study was: How do teachers‟ engagements in pedagogy influence their practice in the literacy learning programmes of selected foundation phase classes in KwaZulu-Natal? It is expected that the findings of my study will stimulate discussions on teacher development and classroom practices for improved learner performance. The research was conducted in three schools in urban KwaZulu-Natal. For purposes of confidentiality and anonymity, the exact location and names of the schools have not been indicated. These schools were selected on the basis of convenience sampling and are within close proximity of each other. Since teachers were the unit of study, learners were only involved as far as their participation in normal classroom lessons was concerned and where samples of their work were examined. This study is located in the interpretive paradigm. An interpretive approach allows me the flexibility to describe, make sense of and interpret teacher engagement in pedagogy within the literacy learning programme. A qualitative research method has been employed and involves the use of case studies as a means to gather information. First, individual face-to- face interviews were held with teachers; then literacy lessons in progress were observed, and finally, documents that the teachers used in planning, preparation and delivery of lessons were examined. Samples of learners‟ work were also examined. Results of the studies on teacher engagement in pedagogy revealed that teachers had followed the Foundations for Learning documents so religiously that they had neglected the essential components of pedagogy, namely the use of appropriate teaching strategies, creating of appropriate learning environments, establishing conducive learning climates, monitoring learners‟ achievements and giving feedback, and use of learner and teacher support materials. Arising from these findings, recommendations are made for these essential components to be considered when engaging in pedagogy for Foundation Phase learners. This study concludes with the recommendation of a teacher engagement model labeled The Teacher Engagement for Learner Improvement Model. This model focuses on improving learner performance and is built around the six interconnected components of pedagogy. The model suggests that the level of learners' achievements will improve as the level of teachers' engagement with these components increases. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood, 2011.

This study provides an overview of an environmental education programme being implemented in an organization (Umgeni Water), in Pietermaritzburg. In recent years assessment of this education programme’s performance has lost its focus to the detriment of the programme. This has then led to the aim of this study which is to develop a framework to assess the programme. The aim of the study was to develop a framework to assess Umgeni Water’s environmental education programme. Four sub-objectives were identified. These are; to review three learning models and select one best suited to Umgeni Water’s School Environmental Education Programme, to assess which components of the selected learning model are being practiced naturally by teachers, to assess Umgeni Water’s schools environmental education programme against the selected learning model and to develop an outline of a plan for the future of Umgeni Water’s environmental education programme based on the selected learning model. A qualitative research design was used and data collection was through semi-structured interviews and a focus group. One sample of teachers was drawn from schools that had used Umgeni Water’s programme of water treatment plant visits. A second sample was drawn from schools that had no exposure to this programme. The findings revealed that, to some degree, teachers in both instances were naturally applying the components of learning from the selected learning model although they were not aware of the model as such. The study recommends that Umgeni Water’s environmental education programme needs to focus on working with schools that are naturally applying the learning components since the findings revealed that the teachers in these schools could be key in teaching teachers from other schools. / Thesis (M.Env.Dev.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.

This study investigated perceptions of preservice primary student teachers of their teacher preparatory program. In particular, the study wanted to find out if the Philosophy of Kagisano, which encompasses the five national principles of democracy, development, self-reliance, unity, and botho, was integrated in the training of the preservice primary student teachers. The study addressed the following three research questions: 1. How do preservice primary student teachers perceive their preparatory program, including the integration of the national principles? 2. What pedagogical methods/teaching strategies and assessment techniques do teacher educators in primary colleges use? 3. How do primary teacher educators integrate the national principles (philosophy of Kagisano) throughout the program, including in their content, teaching strategies and assessment techniques? This qualitative case study used semi-structured, in-depth interviews with the participants, document analysis and classroom observations for collecting the data. Seventeen preservice student teachers at Fellow College of Education in Botswana were interviewed individually. These were third and final year students with a specialty in Social Studies. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and the grounded theory was used to analyze the data. The findings indicated that preservice teachers were taught “more” theory than application. The content that was taught at the College of Education was a repetition of the junior and senior secondary school content. The study also found that college lecturers do integrate the five national principles of democracy, development, self-reliance, unity, and botho in their content, and teaching strategies but did not integrate them in their assessment techniques. Furthermore, the study found that some inconsistency in the grading of students’ work existed. / Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community only / Department of Educational Studies

This thesis argued that Physical Education is marginalised in the South African primary school education sector. Through this marginalisation, Physical Education has been reduced from having full subject status, to being only one of the components of one of the primary school learning areas, namely, Life Orientation. Simultaneously, Physical Education finds itself in a situation in which it is generally being taught by a class teacher and no longer by a specialist Physical Education teacher. Possible reasons for this marginalisation are expressed, however, the argument that Physical Education is an imperative in the holistic development of the child, is also espoused. This thesis critically examined the route that South African primary school education is taking and focused on the issues of holistic education and development, Outcomes-based Education and Life Orientation.

[Truncated abstract] This thesis develops an understanding of how, historically, Education as an area of study (Education) has been constructed at each of the five universities in the State of Western Australia. The motivation for the study was the claim made by some academics that historically Education has been marginalised in certain universities in the UK, the USA and Australia, and that this marginalisation was intensified by a negative attitude towards its association with teacher preparation. Very little evidence, however, has been put forward to support this claim, thus highlighting a major neglected area of research. This thesis is a response to such neglect in relation to the situation in one state in Australia. The focus of the thesis is on the 'preactive curriculum' as represented in the plans and syllabi that outline what was included in programs and courses. An 'internal' analysis of relevant documents was conducted along with an 'external' analysis which considered the broader social, economic and political context. It was recognised that a study of the 'interactive curriculum' also needs to be conducted to gain insights into how the 'preactive curriculum' was mediated by lecturers and students. From the outset, however, it was deemed that this would constitute a further major study in itself. ... The most prominent were the 'academic', 'integrated', 'vocational', 'technical', 'pragmatic' and 'professional' orientations. The content of Education at the five universities also varied. Such variation offered breadth of opportunity for students. It also meant that, collectively, the universities served the needs of the State and their students by providing relevant and flexible curricula beyond what would have been possible in a 'one size fits all' model. Furthermore the claim that there was tension regarding the inclusion of 'Education' as an area of study within Australian universities generally, is not upheld for the Western Australian context. While this thesis contributes to an understanding of how, historically, Education as an area of study has been constructed in one State in Australia, much further research remains to be done in this field of curriculum history. In particular, future research could focus on the way in which Education, along with other areas of university study, have been constructed in the other states of Australia and overseas. The identification of areas of contestation and omissions from courses are also worthy of consideration. Finegrained studies of this nature could collectively make an important contribution to the understanding of the history of developments in the university curriculum at a macro level. Such work would, in the fullness of time, contribute to new understandings about institutionalised learning at tertiary level and provide historical insights to inform current practice as universities continue to try to find their way in a global society.

Acompanha: Plágio: não copie essa ideia / O presente estudo teve como objetivo verificar se as instituições de ensino superior (IES) desenvolvem políticas e ações para combater o plágio nos trabalhos acadêmicos, permitindo a criação de publicações relevantes. Para isso, definiu-se a seguinte hipótese básica: As políticas adotadas no combate ao plágio e as ações desenvolvidas pelas IES não o eliminam, contudo, gerando publicações pouco relevantes e com reduzido índice de citações. Como variáveis dependentes da hipótese básica, tem-se: publicações relevantes e quantidade de citações. As variáveis independentes da hipótese básica envolvem as políticas e as ações institucionais. Em se tratando dos objetivos, o estudo realizou uma pesquisa exploratória, efetuando uma análise predominantemente qualitativa do problema. Com relação aos procedimentos técnicos, adotou-se um levantamento, no qual o corpus documental foi constituído de 330 documentos (dissertações e teses) apresentados, no período de 2010 a 2012, junto aos cursos de Pós-Graduação (Mestrado, Mestrado Profissional e Doutorado) na área de Ensino, ofertados em 45 instituições de ensino superior. A coleta de dados foi efetuada utilizando a ferramenta de busca Google, sendo analisados 50 trechos (compostos de sentenças de até seis palavras), retirados das seções: introdução - cinco trechos; referencial teórico - 30 trechos; metodologia - cinco trechos; e, resultados e discussão - 10 trechos. A análise dos dados foi efetuada por meio de estatística descritiva. Constatou-se que a hipótese básica foi confirmada, pois as ações institucionais implementadas não eliminam os problemas decorrentes de plágio, em virtude da proporção de plágio obtido (1.942 trechos com plágio - acima de 11,0% dos trechos analisados). Adicionalmente, a divulgação dos resultados de algumas pesquisas foi realizada em periódicos sem indexação no Qualis da Capes (33,1%). Confirma-se que, apesar das recomendações encaminhadas pela Capes em 2011, poucas medidas foram implementadas nas IES para combater o plágio acadêmico. Conclui-se que, se as IES implementassem normativos internos e, periodicamente, orientassem a comunidade, efetuassem uma análise mais rigorosa dos documentos encaminhados, penalizassem severamente os responsáveis e intensificassem ações e medidas para o combate sistemático da desonestidade científica, o volume de plágio seria mitigado. / This study aimed at verifying whether Higher Education Institutions (IES, Brazilian Portuguese abbreviation) develop policies and actions to prevent plagiarism in academic works enabling the creation of relevant publications. To achieve such aim, the following basic hypothesis was defined: Policies adopted to prevent plagiarism and actions developed by IES do not eliminate it, therefore, generate publications of little relevance and reduced reference indicators. The variables dependent on the basic hypothesis were relevant publications and number of appearance in references. The basic hypothesis independent variables involved policies and institutional actions. Regarding the objectives, the study was developed as exploratory research, carrying out a predominantly qualitative analysis of the problem. In relation to technical procedures, a survey was carried out, in which the corpus comprised 330 documents (dissertations and thesis) presented from 2010 to 2012, from the Graduate Courses (Masters, Professional Masters and PhD programs) in the teaching area offered by 45 higher education institutions. Data was collected using the Google search tool, and 50 excerpts were analyzed (containing sentences of up to six words) from the sections: introduction, five excerpts; theoretical background, 30 excerpts; methodology, 5 excerpts; and results and discussion, 10 excerpts. The data was analyzed by employing descriptive statistics. The basic hypothesis was confirmed, since the institutional actions implemented did not eliminate the problems resulting from plagiarism as confirmed by the proportion of plagiarism found (1,924 excerpts with plagiarism – over 11.0% of the excerpts analyzed). In addition, the report of some research results was published in journals which are not indexed in the Qualis system by Capes (33.1%). Despite recommendations made by Capes in 2011, very few measures were implemented by the IES to prevent academic plagiarism. The results led to the conclusion that the IES should implement internal norms and instruct the community periodically. They should also carry out a stricter analysis of the documents sent, punishing severely those responsible for plagiarism and intensifying actions and measures to systematically fight scientific dishonesty. Such measures might mitigate the plagiarism volume.

This study is contextualised within the field of post-graduate, continuing teacher education, and the vibrant and demanding policy context that has characterised higher education in post-apartheid South Africa. Situated within a module specifically designed to address what is commonly understood to be the academic literacy development needs of students in the Bachelor of Education Honours programme at the former University of Natal, it aims to unveil the lived experiences of students taking this module. The module, Reading and Writing Academic Texts (RWAT), was developed in direct response to academics’ call that something be done about the ‘problem’ of students’ reading and writing proficiency. As a core, compulsory module, RWAT was informed by Systemic Functional Linguistics and drew on Genre Theory for its conceptual and theoretical framework. It foregrounded the genre of the academic argument as the key academic literacy that was taught. The motivation for this study came from my own increasing concern that the theoretical and conceptual framework we had adopted for the module was emerging as an inherently limiting and formulaic model of literacy, and was resulting in students exiting the module with little or no ‘critical’ perspective on any aspect of literacy as social practice. I was also keen, in a climate of increasing de-personalisation and the massification of education, to reinstate the personal. Thus, I chose to focus on individual lives, and through an exploration of a small group of participants’ ‘lived’ experiences of the RWAT module, ascertain what it is like to acquire an academic literacy. The key research question is, therefore: What is it like to acquire an academic literacy? The secondary research question is: How is this experience influenced by the mode of delivery in which it occurs? For its conceptual and theoretical framing, this study draws on social literacy theory and phenomenology, the latter as both a philosophy and a methodology. However, although the study has drawn significantly on the phenomenological tradition for inspiration and direction, it has not done so uncritically. Thus, the study engages with phenomenology-as-philosophy in great depth before turning to phenomenology-as-methodology, in order to arrive at a point where the methods and procedures applied in it, are justified. The main findings of the study suggest that, despite the RWAT module espousing an ideological model (Street, 1984) of literacy in its learning materials and readings, participants came very much closer to experiencing an autonomous model of literacy (Street, 1984). The data shows that the RWAT module was largely inadequate to the task of inducting participants into the ‘situated practices’ and ‘situated meanings’ of the Discourse of Genre Theory and/or the academy, hence the many ‘lived’ difficulties participants experienced. The data also highlights the ease with which an autonomous model of literacy can come to govern practice and student experience even when curriculum intention is underpinned by an ideological position on literacy as social practice. Finally, the study suggests that the research community in South Africa, characterised as it is by such diversity, would be enriched by more studies derived from phenomenology, and a continuing engagement with phenomenology-as-a-movement in order to both challenge and expand its existing framework.

This study sought to explore the interface between environmental education (EE) and school geography with a view to understanding a process of curriculum reform in the context of Lesotho. The research was based on the curriculum reform process that was initiated by a Danish donor-funded project, known as the Lesotho Environmental Education Support Project (LEESP), which operated from 2001 to 2004. Driven by a sustainable development imperative, the project was intended to assist Lesotho in the implementation of local action for Agenda 21 by introducing environmental education into the formal education system. Deviating slightly from much published research on geographical and environmental education, which focuses on how geography contributes to environmental education, this study explored how the latter has shaped the former in terms of content and pedagogy. Using the lens of critical curriculum theory, I sought to understand the political nature of the curriculum and of curriculum change, focusing on the LEESP curriculum policy development, dissemination and implementation at classroom level. The study employed Bernstein's concepts of classification and framing to illuminate issues of power and control between discourses, and between teachers and learners. Operating within an interpretive qualitative research orientation, the study used a case study method focusing on five secondary/high schools in Lesotho. The data was generated through document analysis, interviews and classroom observations. The study examined the assumptions, values and ideologies underpinning environmental education curriculum intentions as reflected in LEESP documents. It also investigated the social process of conceptualising and disseminating environmental education to understand the challenges faced as education practitioners made sense of environmental education innovations in the specific contexts of Lesotho, and how these could possibly influence what happens at the classroom level. The analysis of the LEESP documents revealed that while there are many areas of synergy between the LEESP environmental education policy guidelines and the national education ideals in Lesotho, achievement of the transformational visions of action competence, which was the overarching concept in the reform process, would require major structural changes. The study also highlights issues of participation, contestations, tensions and contradictions associated with the conceptualisation and dissemination of environmental education. At implementation level, there is a disjuncture between environmental education policy intentions and practice. Geography teachers in the research schools generally understood the existence of environmental education in their schools in terms of environmental management. The findings also revealed that while there is generally a strong environmental dimension in geography content, as reflected in both curriculum materials and classroom practice, the subject still retains its disciplinary boundaries and makes little use of knowledge from other subjects or the everyday knowledge of the learners. Finally, it emerged that while the geography teachers in their rhetoric espoused learner-centred methods, in practice they generally employed traditional teacher-centred and book-centred methods. The study concludes that a lack of change in school geography in Lesotho, of the sort envisaged in LEESP, may be attributed to contextual and structural factors such as an overemphasis on examinations, and certain perceptions on the part of teachers and learners embedded in the history and culture of their society. A model of teacher professional development capable of supporting curriculum change is therefore proposed.

This case study considers the relationship between context, school policy and environmental teaching and learning processes at a community-based early childhood development centre in South Africa. The study recognises that educational practices in the early childhood development field are shaped by historical, cultural, economic and political realities at both local and national levels. It is from the understanding that each school is a unique composition of these shaping factors that the research was designed to consider the community-based school participating in this study. By compiling a contextual profile, this study attempts to consider dominant contextual factors affecting the school. Through the critical discourse analysis of a school policy document, this study considers local level policy, and through the literature chapter, national policy. Teacher interviews provide insight into teacher understanding of school policy in response to contextual issues, as well as providing insight into how teachers perceive their translation of policy into teaching practice. Observations of lessons in the centre provided an. opportunity to see how context and policy translated into and influenced environmental teaching and learning processes. This study looks at how environmental education is addressed in the Raglan Road Child Care Centre, and provides insight into how environmental education within the context of the school and in relation to school policy may be strengthened. It comments on the tensions and ambivalences arising from the relationships between context, policy and environmental teaching and learning processes and makes recommendations to address these ambivalences in ways that are contextually relevant. The main recommendations were designed to be practically useful for the school involved in the study and are focused around engaging the ambivalences emerging from this study to open up 'spaces' for deliberating environmental teaching and learning processes and other tensions arising out of the study at an ECD level. Recommendations included: 1) engaging with the strong development focus in school policy and the educational focus in national policy and teacher discourse; 2) deliberating the ways in which school policy and national policy respond to risk; 3) engaging with the ambivalence in the school-parent relationship; 4) the re-alignment of the explicit curriculum and broadening the contextually-based view of whole child development; and 5) engaging the ambivalence in approaches to education at the centre.

In the context of ecological crisis and environmental deterioration, teaching about environmental issues and the preservation of the world’s environment has become increasingly important across the globe (Chi-chung Ko & Chi-kin Lee, 2003). Of the various subjects taught in secondary schools, Science is often perceived as one that can make a significant contribution to environmental education. It is in this light that the study has looked at how Grade 11 and 12 Biology teachers in the Namibian context implement Environmental Learning (EL). This study was constituted as a case study of two schools in Windhoek, in the Khomas region. The study investigated the implementation of EL in the Biology curriculum focusing on the constraints and enabling factors influencing the implementation. This study employed qualitative methods, specifically semi-structured interviews, classroom observations and document analysis in its investigation of EL implementation. Purposive sampling was done and piloting of interview and observation schedules was used to refine the schedules. Ethical issues were taken into consideration throughout the study. The key findings from the study are as follows: - Teachers’ knowledge and interest in environmental education influence how teachers facilitate EL; - There is a mismatch between EL theories and practice; - Teaching of EL is mainly informed by the syllabus and not other curriculum documents, - Current assessment policy and practice impact on EL; and - Possibilities exist for improving EL in Namibia’s Biology curriculum. These key findings have been used to make recommendations for the study which are as follows: - Strengthen the subject content and interest of teachers; - There should be a match between EL theories and practice; - Reorient curriculum documents and other learning support materials used for EL; - Change in assessment approaches; and - Translate constraints of EL into enablers. The study concludes by calling for further research into EL pedagogies. This can be used to improve EL implementation in the region where the study was situated.