Thesis (Ph. D. (Education)) -- University of Limpopo, 2016 / The purpose of this research was to investigate teachers’ professional proficiency in terms of geography as a subject and English as the language of learning and teaching, the level of difficulty of the textbooks in terms of their difficulty of terminologies and structure, and the impact of code-switching from LoLT into local African languages on learners’ growth in geographical terminologies and communicativeness in English thinking in geography. These issues were considered by the researcher as barriers to learning and teaching of geography in grade 12 in the Limpopo Province. For the investigation of the barriers, the researcher chose research design comprising qualitative, quantitative, explorative and descriptive approaches pertinent to the study. The central figure in the investigation was the learner; the study was underpinned by the constructivist approach. The researcher considered triangulation of methods when gathering data due to the comprehensiveness of the sought data. The method employed was to gather literature on similar studies conducted by scholars elsewhere to shed light to the researcher of the problem under investigation. Structured questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, participant observations were used to collect data on focal learning and teaching activities. The researcher was keen in determining how teachers employed their preferred methods of teaching geography and the attitudes and perceptions of the learners to the activities that were part of the lessons. The researcher involved (n=16) subject teachers, and administered a 20-item questionnaire to learners. (n=407) responded to a 15-item questionnaire. Curriculum teachers (n=10) were interviewed separately from the pool of the said (n=16), subject advisers (n=2) were interviewed to provide first-hand experience. The findings affirmed that there was poor professional proficiency; textbooks were a recognized learning barrier to second language English learners in terms of the difficulty of the language which was linked to geographical concepts coined in English, teachers’ lack of linguistic competence in LoLT to supplement the difficult textbooks. The result was that this led to resorting to code-switching that deprived learners of practice in the language to attain effective learning and good performance in examinations.

Thesis (Ph. D. (Language Education)) -- University of Limpopo, 2016 / This study investigates the challenges for an implementation of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) at three FET Colleges in Limpopo Province. The implementation of RPL in the South African education system is seen as an essential tool to drive transformation in FET Colleges. RPL was designed to play a unique role in the provision of the higher level skills required to support the socio-economic growth and development of the nation. With all these good intentions, RPL is virtually non-existent in our public FET Colleges. This is a qualitative case study in which both exploratory and descriptive designs were used. Data was collected from observations, documents, interviews and questionnaires from the learners and educators. Twenty one learners and seven educators were interviewed. Questionnaires were distributed to nine educators. The purposive sampling method was used. The significant findings are that there are no RPL policy guidelines, no quality management systems, a shortage of accredited staff and equipment prescribed for RPL, and lack of management and leadership commitment to implementation of RPL. This study therefore recommends the urgent implementation of RPL in FET colleges to promote access and to urgently address the needed skills for the nation. The research also recommends an effective model on quality assurance which appears to be compromised in colleges. The research also recommends effective and efficient training of educators, as this study revealed that the educators have low academic qualifications. While the Ministerial Task Team on RPL recommends a holistic approach to implementation, this research recommends an effective training model for the FET educators to implement RPL.

Thesis (MPA.) --University of Limpopo, 2017 / Refer to document

MPM / Oliver Tambo Istitute for Gverment and Policy Studies

MPM / Oliver Tambo Institute of Governance and Policy Studies / See the attached abstract below

Widespread social and economic changes, together with rapid development in technology, are very evident both globally and locally. These changes require adaptations and responses to be made, particularly to the knowledge, skills and value systems that underpin social and economic structures. The primary means for affecting these adaptations and responses are through education and training systems. Significant restructuring of the fundamentals of the South African education and training system is underway. Change is evident primarily at strategic levels and to a lesser extent at operational levels. This study investigates responses that can be made at the operational level. Community learning centres, or CLCs, are examined in terms of their potential as institutions that can offer learning programmes and facilities that are responsive to education and training needs of stakeholders in communities. These stakeholders are identified as learners in the community involved in formal and non-formal learning; national, provincial and local government; donor and development agencies; neighbouring industry and organised labour. This study begins with an examination into broader socio-economic developments and issues that can influence services offered by CLCs. These issues include globalisation, changing approaches to education and training and the impact of converging technologies on education and training. Further education and training (FET) and skills development programmes are then scrutinised. These two education and training strategies are considered pivotal to meaningful future South African socio-economic development, which motivates the need to find innovative implementation approaches. Community centres are then generally reviewed, with emphasis shifting to CLCs. CLCs are considered within the context of implementing FET strategies and skills development programmes. Guidelines are then formulated for CLCs to structure their institutional profile to that of a "flexible, resource-based learning institution". This format emerges from the study as being the most suitable for implementing FET strategies and skills development programmes. / Dissertation (MEd (Education Management))--University of Pretoria, 2000. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

Bibliography: p. 155-160. / The Emil Weder High School is in the small rural town of Genadendal, which is situated about 150 kilometres south-east of Cape Town, near Caledon. While doing field work for the Education Foundation early in 1994, one of the schools I Weder High School. It was the last of visited was Emil six House of Representatives schools that I visited, and I immediately noticed a difference at Emil Weder, compared to the other schools. The school buildings and surrounding fields and gardens were very neat and well maintained, the students were neatly dressed and very polite· and the staff were far friendlier than we had previously encountered. My initial impressions of a well-run school were confirmed, when I found out that the school is achieving outstanding academic and extra-mural results. I naturally assumed that this was the norm at the school and was very surprised to find out that it was, in fact, a fairly new phenomenon and that as recently as 1990 the school had experienced student unrest, boycotts, vandalism, gang activities and very poor academic results (in 1990 only 48% of their matriculants passed). Yet, in 1991 the pass rate was 88%, in 1992 it was 100% and last year they had a 98,8% pass rate (one failure). The topic to be researched Based on the above information I developed the hypothesis that certain school-level policy changes had occurred at Emil Weder from 1990 onwards which had led to the establishment of a culture of learning at Emil Weder High School. The purpose of my study was to find out whether policies had in fact changed at the school, and to what extent these new policies could explain the dramatic improvement in Matriculation results at the school. The study was conducted in two distinct phases, one in March 1994 and the other in September 1994. The initial study formed part of the Education Foundation and served to give an overview of how the school operated at the time. The follow-up study took much longer as it involved conducting in-depth interviews with teachers, ex-students and parents. The study revealed that by adopting a multi-level approach to improving the school, with the achievement of better Matriculation results being the major area of focus, the school not only improved these results, but that the school also started achieving better outputs in other areas as well.

Includes bibliography. / This study is a critical analysis of educare policy in South Africa with recommendations towards effective provision for the preschool child. The need for a radically revised policy, structure and provision system is based on the inadequacies, inefficiency and ineffectiveness of the present system. A quantitative descriptive research design is used in which use is made predominantly of secondary data and field experience of the writer. Data collection was hindered by the lack of information available and the reluctance of certain authorities to provide information as requested. The historical development of educare in South Africa is outlined. Legislation which, impacts on educare is recorded and the present education and care policies and structures are described. The extent of educare provision is quantified focusing on who is provided for and who is not. Gil's (1981) framework for Analysis and Synthesis of Social Policies is used in analysing educare policy within the Social Planning and Administration paradigm. The study contends that there is no clear unitary discernible educare policy in existence and this has resulted in fragmented structures controlling educare in this country. Particular attention is made to the ideological and value underpinnings of educare policy, structure and provision. The result is an array of services which are uncoordinated and inadequate in terms of the need and demand. The study concludes by making recommendations aimed at eliminating the inadequacies highlighted. A radically revised educare policy is proposed. A three-tier structure with defined responsibilities and functions at each level is suggested. It is the writers belief that implementation of these recommendations will contribute to the solution of problems faced in the educare field today.

M. Tech. (Department of Information and Communication Technology, Faculty of Applied and Computer Technology) Vaal University of Technology. / The speedy growth of Internet based information and communication tools produced a new field of prospects for educational organizations to reach their aims. One of the options is crowdsourcing. Crowdsourcing was recently the answer to the growth for providing different applications in areas such as education, financing, and entrepreneurship. South African schools are considerably failing in education. A big challenge is when it comes to the mathematics delivery method which ends up affecting the learners’ performance. When compared to other middle income nations, South Africa is ranked third from the bottom in terms of its performance when it comes to mathematics. This study designed a conceptual crowdsourcing tutoring framework. The framework defines the use of how crowdsourcing can contribute to tutoring grade 11 and 12 mathematics in order to improve the learners’ performance. A prototype was developed to illustrate the crowdsourcing tutoring framework. The simpleKmeans algorithm was used in the prototype. The algorithm was used to select learners, tutors and appropriate textbooks for the virtual class. The prototype system proved to be effective as it was able to cluster students according to their performance and tutors according to their student pass rate. Through the usage of a clustering simpleKmeans algorithm, this study was able to create a virtual class that illustrated how all the components come together for the proposed crowdsourcing tutoring virtual class. The use of the prototype system was able to fill the virtual class with students who obtained low average marks and educators with the pupils who had the highest pass rate. This study was able to build a virtual class with the following components: learners, tutors and textbooks. Objectives and research questions of this study were fulfilled. In future studies the researcher will endeavor to make the system recommend textbooks without using the textbooks used by the teachers who produced the best results.

Thesis (M.Com. (Development Theory and Policy))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, School of Economic and Business Sciences, 2017 / The South African higher education student protests which began in October 2015 have culminated in the student body voicing increased demands for the implementation of free fee higher education. Key policy stakeholders and commentators have been critical of this demand stating that such a policy would be regressive and ‘destructive’ due to the fact that the rich dominate the student cohort, the net result of which would be the poor funding the higher education of the rich. There is a continued emphasis on the private benefits that higher education provides graduates, therbey necessitating tuition fees. This paper has shown that these arguments, dating back to the 1970s, have weak theoretical foundations. The view that the rich dominate the student cohort is questioned with the finding that only 18% of the households containing students are classified as rich. As the rich provide 97% of personal income tax revenue and 76% of value added tax revenue it would be difficult for the poor to fund the rich. The states ‘chronic underfunding’ of the higher education system comes amid ‘budgetary pressures’ highlighting the continued adherence of the state to fiscal austerity measures. These austerity measures have increasingly shifted the financial burden of higher education onto students. A financial burden that 80% of households are deemed to require financial assistance to meet. In reducing state funding to the higher education system, in real terms, the private benefits of higher education are used to lure students into paying ever increasing tuition fees, even taking on debt in order to do so. / GR2018