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. (Translation Studies and Linguistics)) --University of Limpopo, 2012 / The research reported in this mini-dissertation is an ethnographic case study which sought to investigate the development of biliteracy in one of the rural primary schools in the Limpopo province. Its focus is on how Grade 3 learners engage with texts and the strategies that teachers use to promote biliteracy (in English and Sepedi). Data collection methods included classroom observation, semi-structured teacher interviews and analysis of teaching and learning materials and the print environment. A brief analysis of the school’s language policy was also completed. The research revealed that the learners are hardly being taught to read and write whether in Sepedi, (their home language) or in English. While the school language policy states that English should be introduced in Grade 2, it is actually taught only in Grade 3. Additionally, as the learners do not understand English, the teachers frequently code-switch into Sepedi and therefore the learners hardly get any exposure to English. Many other negative aspects were uncovered. Out of the 28 lessons scheduled to be observed only 20 lessons actually took place. The learners are therefore not actually spending the allocated time on literacy development. The teaching is highly routinised with teachers, by and large, using an approach that emphasises repetition and rote-learning. The learners hardly ever get a chance to engage with texts independently. Even the textbooks available are not used but are stored away in the cupboards. Teachers painstakingly copy material from the textbooks on to the chalkboard and learners then copy this into their exercise books. The classroom environment is uninspiring, as there are hardly any learning materials on display. The interviews showed that the teachers had not been adequately trained to teach literacy and were in fact unaware of more effective ways of getting learners to engage with texts. They saw themselves as victims of frequent policy and curricular changes and blamed Government for poor training and lack of resources. The study in fact confirms findings of earlier research that the acquisition of literacy is simply not taking place in the poor, rural schools of South Africa and there is indeed a crisis in education in these schools.

Thesis (M.Ed. (Mathematics Education)) -- UNiversity of Limpopo, 2013 / In this study, I presented the exploration of Mpho’s growth in mathematical understanding. Mpho is a grade 10 mathematics learner. To fulfil such, a qualitative research method was employed. I explored her growth in understandings in the context of co-ordinate geometry, exponents, and functions. Data generation, management and representation were guided by the notion of teaching experiments. Analysis was done through mapping learner’s growth of mathematical understanding using Pirie-Kieren’s (1994) model. Findings suggest that learner’s growth in mathematical understanding can be observed, mapped and improved with the aid of probing questions.

Thesis ( M.A. (African languages)) --University of Limpopo, 2013 / The study discovered that above mentioned situation has hardly changed English in the in the school under review is fill medium of instruction of the majority of learners,power of Afrikaans. A major recommendation of the study is that African languages should be introduced as medium of infraction for African language speakers in all former model school

Thesis (M.ED.) --University of Limpopo, 2008 / Language prejudice is of two types: positive and negative. Negative prejudice is image effacing. It is characterized by negative evaluation of one’s own language or speech patterns and a preference for someone else’s. An example of this kind of self- -denigration is the case of David Christiaan, the Nama Chief in Namibia, who, in response to the Dutch missionaries’ attempt to open schools that would conduct their teaching using Nama as a medium of instruction, is reported to have shouted, “Only Dutch, Dutch only! I despise myself and I want to hide in the bush when I am talking my Hottentot language” (Vedder, 1981: 275 as quoted in Ohly, 1992:65. In Ambrose, et al (eds.) undated: 15).

Thesis (MEd. (Mathematics Education)) -- University of Limpopo, 2013 / In this study, I presented the exploration of Mpho’s growth in mathematical understanding. Mpho is a grade 10 mathematics learner. To fulfil such, a qualitative research method was employed. I explored her growth in understandings in the context of co-ordinate geometry, exponents, and functions. Data generation, management and representation were guided by the notion of teaching experiments. Analysis was done through mapping learner’s growth of mathematical understanding using Pirie-Kieren’s (1994) model. Findings suggest that learner’s growth in mathematical understanding can be observed, mapped and improved with the aid of probing questions.

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

Thesis (M.A. (Translation and Lingustics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2014 / The research reported in this mini-dissertation is a qualitative study, which sought to investigate the patterns of translanguaging in classrooms in the Foundation phase in a primary school in the Limpopo province. The aim of the study was to investigate the ways in which translanguaging is used by teachers and learners in the Foundation phase in a selected primary school in the Limpopo Province. The research focuses on how Grade 1 and Grade 3 learners and their teachers engage with texts and the strategies that teachers use to promote the use of two languages in classrooms to help learners to understand content and concepts in English and Sepedi. An innovative element of the research was the intervention teaching done by university lecturers to provide alternate practices for regular teachers in the school to discuss and engage with. The data collection instruments included classroom observations, audio and video recordings, interviews with the class teachers and a focus group discussion between the teachers. The data analysis involved identifying all instances of translanguaging that occurred in the lessons and to explore in what ways they facilitated learning. The results showed that hardly any translanguaging took place in the regular lessons and teachers seemed to be operating with a monolingual consciousness. Teachers also revealed in the focus group discussion that the Curriculum assessment and Policy Statement (CAPS) required them to keep the two languages apart and not to use both of them in lessons. In the intervention lessons, however, there were some examples of translanguaging, which seemed to facilitate interaction and greater participation from the learners. The mini-dissertation ends with some reflections on the findings, implications of the findings for future research and training, and recommendations to use the languages of school children as rich resources for teaching and learning.

D. Tech. Education / Language is considered to be a crucial means of gaining access to knowledge and skills. It is the key to cognitive development which promotes or impedes scholastic success. Communicative or language competence refers to the capacity of persons to select, recognise and organise the language variety appropriate to the occasion, situation and subject matter at hand. Language competency assists learners to construct and integrate acquired information to one's own understanding. It is therefore pivotal to encourage education reforms through core knowledge that building a strong oral language and early development could result in future academic success. This study examined the influence of language competence on the academic achievement of Grade 12 learners in selected schools of the Capricorn District (Limpopo Province in South Africa). The purpose of this study was to establish the challenges that learners and educators experience in communicating for teaching and learning purposes. The study also investigated the language factors that influence their academic achievement.

M. Tech. Business Information Systems / The integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) within South African schools created new possibilities for learners and educators to engage in new ways of information selection, gathering, sorting and analysis. However, the implementation of ICT in schools has had an impact on curriculum development and delivery of education around the world. The main objective of this study was to develop a framework for acceptance and use of E-learning by educators in South African secondary schools. This study intended to address the lack of interest shown by educators in integrating ICT into teaching and learning.