This study is about a minority group which settled amongst a larger group which had dominated education and other cultural spheres. The focus is on the struggle by the Afrikaans-, previously Dutchspeaking, minority group in Natal for the right to educate their children in their own language, in their own schools. The dissertation traces general developments in the field of education prior to the Anglo Boer War and briefly views the situation during the War. In the next phase (1902 - 1910) the establishment of the early C. N. E. and church schools is under scrutiny. The focus then shifts more specifically to the context in which the first Afrikaansmedium High School in Natal was established, namely the Hoerskool Voortrekker in Pietermaritzburg. A detailed rendering is given of the conflicts surrounding the establishment of this school. The study then moves to the Durban area and traces the developments surrounding the founding of an Afrikaans medium High School there. A detailed overview is given of all aspects of the Hoerskool Port Natal since its establishment in 1941. Towards the last section, the study broadens its focus again in describing the developments in the whole of Natal, with specific reference to high schools. In the final analysis it compares briefly the uphill struggle for Hoerskool Voortrekker to be established, with the relative success story of Hoerskool Port Natal and it suggests various tentative reasons for these differences. OPSOMMING Hierdie studie gaan om ’n minderheidsgroep wat hul tussen n meerderheidsgroep, wat die onderwys en ander kultuuraspekte oorheers het, kom vestig het. Die fokus is op die stryd wat die Afrikaans-, vroeër Hollandssprekende, minderheidsgroep gehad het vir die reg om hul kinders in hul eie taal, in hul eie skole, te laat onderrig. Die verhandeling speur die algemene ontwikkeling op onderwys-gebied voor die uitbreek van die Anglo-Boere-oorlog na en gee ook 'n oorsig van die toestande gedurende die oorlog. Die volgende fase (1902 - 1910) handel oor die stigting van die C. N. 0.- en kerkskole. Die klem verskuif dan meer spesifiek na die toestande waaronder die eerste Afrikaanse hoërskool in Natal, die Hoërskool Voortrekker in Pietermaritzburg, tot stand gekom het. Daar word 'n volledige verslag oor die stryd en probleme wat, met die stigting van hierdie skool ondervind is, gegee. Die studie verskuif dan na die Durbangebied en vors die ontwikkeling van die eerste Afrikaansmedium hoërskool in die ge- bied na. 'n Volledige studie, wat al die aspekte rondom die stigting en ontwikkeling van die Hoërskool Port Natal dek, word gegee. In die laaste afdeling verbreed die studieveld en fokus op die beskrywing van die ontwikkeling van Afrikaansmedium hoërskole in die res van Natal. In die finale analise word daar 'n vergelyking getref tussen die opdraende stryd wat daar gestry is met die totstandkoming en voortbestaan van die Hoërskool Voortrekker, teenoor die relatiewe suksesverhaal van Hoërskool Port Natal en word daar verskeie moontlike redes vir hierdie verskille aangevoer. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1989.

South African higher education institutions are being increasingly plagued by high attrition rates (especially in first year) and low graduation rates. The students entering the higher education institutions have diversified considerably in terms of race, level of maturity and level of preparedness for the higher education system. This change in student characteristics has led higher education institutions to urgently investigate strategies to enhance the teaching and learning environment, so that these students can be empowered to transcend their backgrounds and achieve their potential. One such strategy identified by the Council of Higher Education is the matching of teaching styles to students' learning styles to improve the performance of the students and ultimately the retention rates of the institution.This study aimed to explore the learning styles of the first year anatomy students at a South African University of Technology, to ascertain any association between gender and these learning styles and to investigate the impact of matching teaching and assessment styles to student learning styles. The VARK learning style questionnaire was used to determine the students? learning styles. The VARK learning styles are based on four sensory modalities that a student may use to receive, process and transmit information. Sixty seven students completed the VARK questionnaire, the majority of whom favoured a combination of learning styles. The most commonly exhibited unimodal (single) learning style was the kinaesthetic mode, while both genders recorded a multimodal learning preference. No significant relationship was found between the performance of students whose learning styles were matched to the teaching and assessment styles and those where the learning styles were mismatched with the teaching and learning styles.This study served to highlight the diversity (in terms of learning styles) present among the first year anatomy students. The study advocates a teaching and assessment strategy that is balanced and is considerate of multiple learning styles rather than attempting to match the teaching and assessment strategy to the learning styles of the students. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2010.

The merging of 150 technical colleges into 50 multi-site Further Education and Training Colleges brought with it a lot of change; one of which was curriculum innovation. The latest curriculum to be introduced was the National Certificate (Vocational); a three year qualification aimed at providing a vocational qualification to those exiting at level 4 on the NQF. One of the programmes on offer is the National Certificate-Marketing. Several subjects make up this programme but this study focuses on marketing. The choice to focus on this subject was motivated by my years of lecturing on the subject, my involvement as an assessor and Head of the Marketing Subject Committee. The rationale of this study was to describe the classroom experiences of lecturers involved in the implementation of the National Certificate-Marketing programme. Data on the classroom experiences of FET college lecturers in implementing this new curriculum reform is absent. Out of four FET colleges that offer the National Certificate-Marketing programme, three colleges were chosen purposively. The sample comprised of two urban area campus sites and one rural area campus site. The theoretical poles underpinning the study are Phenomenology and Globalisation. Being qualitative in nature, the study sought to find the meanings that these lecturers have attached to their classroom experiences. To this end, Limited topical life history accounts of three FET college lecturers in KwaZulu-Natal were undertaken. The use of in-depth semi-structured interviews and photovoice as data collection methods were well suited to achieve this. The degree of flexibility that these methods offered enabled me to collect rich data that unveiled the classroom experiences obtained when implementing the new curriculum. The narrative approach was used to analyse the data. Main themes were drawn from these narratives and these were discussed in the last chapter. Both the findings and the discussion may have implications for management of classrooms, training of lecturers, and support for new lecturers and the enrolment of learners. In summary, the findings of the study suggest that lecturers have had a lot of challenges in implementing this curriculum including lack of proper initial training, inadequate resources, learner diversity, lack of commitment and enthusiasm from learners, increase in workloads, overly bearing recording and reporting processes and insufficient support structures. It was noted that these findings are similar to those of other education sectors both at home and abroad. In spite of these challenges, this study noted the enthusiasm, dedication, commitment and robustness with which the participants in this study have thus far implemented the curriculum. The ingenuity in their work and passion for their learners was also clearly demonstrated throughout the interviews and photovoice sessions. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2010

In this study I examine the current alternative forms of assessment that were employed in the foundation year of the Bachelor of Education course at Rhodes University in 1998. Since assessment is concerned with ascertaining the amount, and kind, of learning that has taken place, it links learning and teaching. As my role in the course was academic development, I was interested in the nature ofthe development that the course promoted, for lecturers and students. My main intention was to gain insight into students' experiences of the assessment practices. To this end I selected six students, photocopied all their academic writing for the year and interviewed them. In addition, to provide a holistic picture of assessment and marking, I interviewed the six lecturers who team-taught the course. The data thus included the course assignments of the six students and an interview with each student as well as with the course lecturers. The findings show that though policy documents advocate alternative forms of assessment, implementing such assessment is a complex matter for both teachers and students.

With an intention of opening a vantage point on the story of how curriculum is actually created, this study follows the recontextualising of the environmental discourse of the National Curriculum Statement (R-9) in three case sites. These are: Grade seven Department of Education training material developed to introduce educators to the NCS (R-9), Delta Environmental Centre an environmental education non-governmental organisation, a rural primary school situated south of Durban. Using elements of the Bernstein’s (1990) framework of pedagogic discourse, the study traces how the environmental discourse was de-located from the field of production and relocated into the pedagogic practice of each case. In trying to follow the continuity, changes and discontinuities in the official [environmental] discourse as it is recontextualised, the study utilises Bernstein’s conceptual constructs of selective appropriation and ideological transformation. These constructs of selective appropriation and ideological transformation enabled me to ‘look into’ each case and get a perspective of how to explain the recontextualising processes. The study acknowledged that discourses are shaped and steered by historical, political and economic realities and begins by tracing the genesis of the environmental discourse within formal curriculum policy in South Africa. This socio-historical review highlights the main factors and happenings that shaped the present curriculum discourse and its production as official policy discourse. The study highlighted that within each case the recontextualising story is unique but some clear patterns emerged as factors that impacted on recontextualising processes. These were the role of history and context, knowledge and experience of the discourse, ideology and emphasis, and the depth with which the discourse was engaged. The discussion of these factors gave valuable insights into the recontextualising of curriculum discourses. The study comments on the need to clarify the environmental focus in the Learning Areas and to actualise this into practice so that the discourse becomes an integral part of teaching, learning and assessment. The study also highlights the need for professional development opportunities that will enable educators to clarify the nature and focus of the environmental discourse in the NCS (R-9), and its articulation in Learning Area in context. In particular, the environment and social justice relationships appear to require greater clarity of focus and interpretation in recontextualising processes. There also appears to be a need to develop educators’ foundational knowledge of environmental issues to strengthen the recontextualising of this discourse.

In South Africa, in July 2001, the National Department of Education released White Paper 6 which underpins the notion of inclusive education. It states that the needs of all children should be catered for within the South African educational framework. Subsequent guidelines from the Department (2005; 2012) also provide a strong focus on understanding individual children’s learning styles and explain the concept and application of children’s multiple intelligences. However, on closer examination, it seems that the inclusive education, as well as barriers to learning referred to in the abovementioned guidelines, are indicated to mean catering for children at the lower-ability end of the learning spectrum. This research begins to explore the notion that high potential children might require special attention, though not at the expense of those with learning impairments. An education system that provides inclusive education to children at both the lower and higher ends of the learning spectrum would be more equitable, and would give all children an equal chance of reaching their full potential. One possible strategy for accommodating the diverse needs of learners is through differentiation (Department of Education, 2005). Differentiation is a way of teaching that aims to provide stimulating and enriching learning environments to a diverse group of children within a classroom. This might be achieved by separating the class into smaller groups based on ability, or by providing children with different tasks at the same time, with the same learning objectives but at differing cognitive levels (Rogers, 2007). Vygotsky’s work on the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and mediation provides a theoretical framework for proposing differentiation as a strategy. The data was gathered through an in-depth examination (using a combination of classroom observations, document analysis and teacher interviews) of mathematics teaching in Grade 1 in three schools in Grahamstown. My analysis was based on Vygotsky’s theories (the main tenets of which were the ZPD and scaffolding, as well as the role of socio-culture in learning), using Tomlinson’s (1999) differentiated instruction framework to provide structure to the study. The following themes emerged from the data: a focus on the teachers’ understandings of differentiation; the use of grouping as a superficial form of differentiation; a lack of teacher preparation and understanding in relation to task differentiation; and an underlying sense of ‘sameness’ in teachers’ understanding of their learners. In addition to the above, I did not observe evidence of real differentiation for high potential children and hope that this research contributes to extending teachers’ training (both academic and in-service) in this area, convincing teachers of the existence and importance of critical thinking abilities in our youngest learners, and initiating a move towards the drafting of Individual Education Plans for all our learners. During the period of my research I have been convinced that the use of differentiated instruction in classrooms is the way forward in educational thinking, particularly as it relates to the notion of inclusive learning. Clearly there are challenges to be addressed in terms of school timetables, curricula, teachers’ time frames and past education system inequalities such as we have here in South Africa.

A Thesis Presented to: The Faculty of Education Cape Peninsula University of Technology by Marie-Anne Ogle in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education Cape Peninsula University of Technology December 2010 / Many students in my Communication Skills class, especially those from rural areas, who had passed their Grade 12 English examination, were unable to express themselves competently, and as a result, they lacked the self-esteem and confidence to express their abilities. It has now been recognised that students are in need of a strong foundation that will bridge the gap from school to university and will allow them to cope with any situation within the workplace. The accent has changed from memorising factual knowledge, to acquiring literacy skills needed in everyday living and the world of work. It has become necessary to find a suitable means of helping these students to cope linguistically. This study uses grounded theory to focus on whether an intervention based on a natural approach to acquiring a language, could improve students’ oral and written skills as well as their confidence. Enthusiasm and the development of a love for language and an ‘I-can-do-it’ attitude were promoted instead of the traditional language exercises. Reading for enjoyment, participation and speaking out were encouraged – all underpinned by respect. The results of an oral presentation, a written essay and an interview with each candidate were analysed at the start of the seven-month intervention programme. A post-test of the three procedures was done to gauge change. An increase in both oral presentation marks and written work was also noted at the end of the intervention period. Themes such as confidence, learning to work with different people and understanding their ideas, an introduction to other cultures, tolerance and respect emerged. All these themes are part of the ‘envisaged learner’ in the Department of Education’s National Curriculum Statement Grades R – 9. The results have guided the development of a prototype intervention, which is central to the concept of self-esteem as a path for future literacy development in school and post-school education. Bolstering this sense of self-esteem is the key to working with new learners of English in the tertiary context.

M.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / The Rand Afrikaans University College for the promotion of Learning and Leadership (RAUCALL) was founded to address a specific educational need in the Republic of South Africa. Many children with academic and leadership potential from the less fortunate communities are never given the opportunity for tertiary education once they leave school. RAUCALL provides secondary school children with an opportunity that prepares them academically and develops their leadership qualities in order to ready them for tertiary studies. The College caters for children from disadvantaged communities who manifest academic and leadership potential and the primary aim is to identify these candidates who are most likely to fulfil these requirements. Initially, in the selection process many problems were experiencedand it became clear that possible candidates were not being identified. Improvement of the selection processes and procedures became necessary to target the group which would benefit most from the enriched education RAUCALL provides. The study focussed on three main areas. A literature study provided a background on the problems that could be experienced when selection takes place in a multicultural setting. Secondly an analysis was made of the RAUCALL selection procedures followed during 1992 and 1993. Thereafter a Human Resources selection model was described in order to make a comparison between the two models. This procedure provided an indication of where specific problems existed in the RAUCALL model. Improved selection procedures were described in chapter 4. The improved selection procedures were based on the Human Resources selection model. This model provided the framework for the proposed selection guidelines for RAUCALL students. Suggestions were made to improve the recruitment procedures with the object of targeting a wider group of potential candidates.

Higher education institutions in South Africa are under pressure on account of changes in their environment so those institutions which can adapt to the changes and continue to carry out their purposes will be the most successful. According to Wellins, Byham and Wilson (1991:21) the employee empowerment and energy that comes with a feeling of ownership, are necessary prerequisites for continuous improvement. When organisational values, leadership actions and human resources systems, for example, rewards, training, and organisational structures are focused on empowerment, continuous improvement actions result. These, in turn, could lead to competitive quality, increased productivity and improved customer service. This dissertation aims to assess what would be an appropriate strategic control model when implementing an empowerment strategy. To this end an empowerment process management model is presented, as well as an investigation into the most effective environment where empowerment can be implemented and the management style needed. Secondly, the characteristics of strategic control are considered and lastly, the particular circumstances of a tertiary education institution are discussed. The findings of this study are that the concept of strategic control and empowerment and the reality which exists at the selected higher education institution concur in certain instances, from the managers’ perspective. Further research to investigate the role of strategic control in implementing an empowerment strategy at the selected higher education institution when all role players are included, is recommended.

M.Ed. (Subject Didactics) / Please refer to full text to view abstract