The purpose of this study was to explore solution strategies that can enhance the achievement of low-performing Grade 12 learners in the following mathematical aspects: finding the general term of a quadratic sequence, factorising third degree polynomials, determining the centre and radius of a circle, and calculating the angle between two lines. A convenience sample of twenty-five low-performing Grade 12 learners from a secondary school in Capricorn District of Limpopo Province participated in the study which adopted a repeated-measures research design. Learners were exposed to multiple solution strategies and data were collected using achievement tests. Findings indicated significant differences in learners‟ average scores due to the solution strategies used. In determining the general term of a quadratic sequence, learners‟ scores were significantly higher when they used formula and the table method than with the method of residues and solving simultaneous equations. Synthetic division made learners to achieve better scores than long division and equating coefficients in factorising third degree polynomials. The use of formulae to find the centre and radius of a circle made learners to have better achievement scores than completing the square. In calculating the angle between two lines learners‟ scores were better using formula and the cosine rule than using theorems. It was concluded that exposing low-performing Grade 12 learners to multiple solution strategies would enhance their achievement in the mathematical aspects explored in the study. Some of the solution strategies that made learners to achieve better results were not in the prescribed mathematics textbooks. The study therefore recommends that mathematics teaching should not be textbook-driven and that low-performing Grade 12 learners should not be regarded as beyond redemption. / Mathematics Education / M.Sc. (Mathematics, Science and Technology Education)

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe how teachers implement school-based psychosocial support to Grade 12 learners who have behavioural and emotional problems. As a secondary school teacher herself, the researcher frequently interacts with Grade 12 learners who have behavioural and emotional problems. Occurrences of behavioural and emotional problems are on the increase. This inference is based on the large number of reported learner problems in the School-based Support Team (SBST) records of a secondary school. The behavioural and emotional problems reported included violent aggressive behaviour, sexual and substance dependency, teenage pregnancy, early school drop-out and truancy. Learner problems may be caused by a variety of factors emanating from unmet development needs (Mwawenda, 2003), as well as biological factors and family and /or school factors (Papalia, Olds and Feldman, 2008). Kapp (2003), on the other hand, is of the opinion that a conducive environment may reduce learner problems and enhance improved learner wellbeing. This study forms part of the Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative (REPSSI) introduced to certain secondary schools in 2008. Ten teachers, who were part of the school-based team of the secondary school researched, participated in this initiative. REPPSI’s initial objective was to provide psychosocial support to children orphaned by HIV/Aids in South African Development Countries (SADC). The initiative focused on taking care of children’s developmental needs– social, emotional, behavioural, physical and spiritual. In the case of the school researched, this study was a pilot project to use REPPSI guidelines to provide psychosocial support to learners who have behavioural and emotional problems in participating schools. The study investigates how teachers implement psychosocial support based on the REPSSI Initiative. The study further explores how an ecosystemic approach can be used as an alternative approach to enhance the implementation of psychosocial services provided to learners. The study anticipates that an alternative approach will improve the school-based psychosocial initiative for adolescent learners who have behavioural and emotional problems in schools. The researcher used a constructivist paradigm to describe the school-based psychosocial support provided to adolescent learners who have behavioural and emotional problems. A case study design with 10 teachers in the school-based support team was selected. The participant teachers were conveniently and purposefully selected from REPSSI trained teachers. A focus group was used to facilitate semi-structured interviews. Ten participants shared their common perceptions and concerns (De Vos, Strydom Fouche’ and Delport, 2006) in a fairly short period (two sessions of one and half hours duration with teachers). Observations, photographs, reflective notes and field notes were used to gather information. A thematic content analysis of data was used to interpret data. To ensure rigour, it was verified with participants that they agreed with the results of the data analysis process. Debriefing meetings were also held with the researcher’s supervisor. The results of this study showed that teachers view need the pre and in-service training in ecosystemic approach to reduce behavioural and emotional problems of learners important. The results reveal that the use of ecosystemic approach by teachers and all role players in the adolescent learner’s life may enhance the effectiveness of school-based psychosocial support. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

This research was undertaken to investigate the role of motivation in influencing secondary school pupils to learn effectively. The researcher determined that without teacher motivation, pupils cannot learn to their full capacity. A number of motivational theories, principles and strategies, were found which if used properly can improve classroom learning. The ultimate decision concerning how and when to use them is in the hands of the teachers. Pupils should be inspired to perform and reach beyond their perceived limits which demands different learning incentives. As becoming adults, pupils must be encouraged to achieve positive learning and discouraged from negative behaviour that could harm their development. Learning motives remain the strongest driving force to improve pupils' performance as they change their learning behaviour towards achieving set goals. To re-establish the true meaning of education, both teachers and pupils should act responsibly as both bear blame for education having lost its meaning. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Philosophy of Education)

Van der Horst, H van R. / With the introduction in 1998 of Outcomes-Based Education in South Africa, educators will no longer be passive recipients of a curriculum developed within the ivory towers of a Department of Education. Curriculum development will be the task of every educator at the site of delivery. Media articles have painted a gloomy picture of the calibre of educator expected to manage the demands of Outcomes-Based Education. The researcher is of the opinion that there are many dedicated educators willing to accept the historic nature of the journey which lies ahead of them, and who, with the adoption of an encouraging, supportive approach to professional development, will be willing to work with, adapt, modify and improve the Outcomes-Based curriculum presented to them. Educators need to assume responsibility for the professional development of Learning Programmes and the learner support materials to ensure that learners get to grips with the new curriculum. This task can be achieved through high-quality in-service education, training and re-training of educators. This study describes workshops developed by the researcher to familiarise the educators with the Specific Outcomes Framework of Curriculum 2005, and to develop an in-depth understanding of the Specific Outcomes without which, the educators would be at a loss to develop meaningful Learning Programmes. Examples of Learning Programmes developed by some of the participating educators over a period of twelve months indicate the levels of proficiency attained through close monitoring and assistance offered by the researcher. Outcomes-Based Education has been successful where all involved have taken on the challenge to do their best and as we collectively strive to improve the standard of education in South Africa, let us, in the words of Jane Hofmeyer (Article (b),Sunday Times, 25/10/98), "look forward to the day when every child as an educational birthright, can claim access to competent, caring and committed teachers and schools that are organised for success." / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Didactics)

This study empirically compares the Classical Test Theory (CTT) and the Partial Credit Model (PCM) of Rasch focusing on the invariance of item parameters. The invariance concept which is the consequence of the principle of specific objectivity was tested in both CTT and PCM using the results of learners who wrote the National Senior Certificate (NSC) Mathematics examinations in 2010. The difficulty levels of the test items were estimated from the independent samples of learn- ers. The same sample of learners used in the calibration of the difficulty levels of the test items in the PCM model were also used in the calibration of the difficulty levels of the test items in CTT model. The estimates of the difficulty levels of the test items were done using RUMM2030 in the case of PCM while SAS was used in the case of CTT. RUMM2030 and SAS are both the statistical softwares. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the four different design groups of test takers. In cases where the ANOVA showed a significant difference between the means of the design groups, the Tukeys groupings was used to establish where the difference came from. The research findings were that the test items' difficulty parameter estimates based on the CTT theoretical framework were not invariant across the different independent sample groups. The over- all findings from this study were that the CTT theoretical framework was unable to produce item difficulty invariant parameter estimates. The PCM estimates were very stable in the sense that for most of the items, there was no significant difference between the means of at least three design groups and the one that deviated from the rest did not deviate that much. The item parameters of the group that was representative of the population (proportional allocation) and the one where the same number of learners (50 learners) was taken from different performance categories did not differ significantly for all the items except for item 6.6 in examination question paper 2. It is apparent that for the test item parameters to be invariant of the group of test takers in PCM, the group of test takers must be heterogeneous and each performance category needed to be big enough for the proper calibration of item parameters. The higher values of the estimated item parameters in CTT were consistently found in the sample that was dominated by the high proficient learners in Mathematics ("bad") and the lowest values were consistently calculated in the design group that was dominated by the less proficient learners. This phenomenon was not apparent in the Rasch model. / Mathematical Sciences / M.Sc. (Statistics)

A growing body of research has emphasised the social processes by which teachers – who are curriculum policy implementing agents – are trained and supported on how to practically implement policies in the classroom. Yet, little attention has been paid to the factors that influence teachers’ interpretation of curriculum policy and how their understanding of policy implementation influences the ways in which they respond to policies. Some research has already been done on the implementation of curriculum policies in schools, with findings centred largely on the disjuncture between policy and practice. Research has also established that much of what teachers are doing in the classroom does not reflect policy. Although teachers have opportunities to enhance the implementation of policy, there are also factors that negatively influence their implementation of educational policy. This is basically because of the gap between the policy makers and the implementing agents. The lack of a shared understanding between these two stakeholders’ results in a perception of policy as a set of strict rules and procedures meant to be followed by teachers. This study aims to develop an understanding of what influences teachers in their attempts to implement the curriculum policy on environmental education in the classroom. The study further aims to gain an understanding, from the practitioners’ perspectives, of how policy implementation challenges their habitual patterns of teaching and schooling and whether, to them, this implementation seems to threaten the conventional disciplinary curricular structures of fixed timetables and depending on textbooks, and leaves little room for outdoor or hands-on activities. The focus on teachers is motivated by the fact that they are the primary curriculum implementers in schools and as such, are expected to play a significant role in implementing the curriculum according to policy. This study advocates an interdisciplinary approach to implementing environmental education policy in teaching and learning in the Natural Sciences. This entails environmental education becoming part of the curriculum, and being taught as a cross-curricula component. In this context, environmental education will form part of teaching and learning in every learning area of the curriculum for the General Education and Training band of the South African education system. What this means for teachers is that they have to integrate environmental concepts or topics within their respective learning areas, and that they have to follow a learner-centred approach that allows learners the opportunity to become active participants, responsible for their own learning. This implies that, for learners to develop knowledge, skills, and correct attitudes regarding the environment, teachers have to use available, local teaching materials or resources. As the classroom becomes free from traditional teaching styles, learners become active and take responsibility for their own learning. They discuss and share ideas with one another, and the teacher becomes the facilitator of the teaching and learning process. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

South African learners continue to perform poorly in high school Circle Geometry. Lack of learner confidence and motivation in Mathematics may be the contributing factors to the low success rate in Circle Geometry. These factors, coupled with Conventional Teaching Instructions (CTI), may have contributed to the significant reduction in the number of learners enrolled for Mathematics, and provided a rationale for the study that explored a possible alternative teaching pedagogy to motivate and eventually improve learner performance in Circle Geometry. The study aimed to investigate the comparative effects of Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) and CTI on the performance and motivation of Grade 11 learners in the topic of Circle Geometry. The population of the study consisted of Grade 11 Mathematics learners from 65 secondary schools in the Ekurhuleni North District of Gauteng province in South Africa. Using convenience sampling techniques two schools with n=136 Grade 11 Mathematics learners and two teachers participated in the study. One school formed the experimental group (n=71) and the other school formed the control group (n=65). The study followed a quasi-experimental design with a non-equivalent control group approach consisting of pre-and post-test measures. Intact classes participated in the study as it was not possible to randomly select participants for the study. Both groups wrote a standardised achievement pre-test to ascertain their performance status at the beginning of the study. CAI was implemented in the experimental school while CTI was implemented in the control school. A similar post-test was administered on both groups to measure the comparative effects of each teaching method on the performance of learners. A questionnaire was also administered to both groups to measure the motivation of learners. A purposive sample (n=12) was selected from both groups to participate in semi-structured interviews to account for the results of the test and the questionnaire. A socio-constructivist theory framed the study. Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to analyse data. The results of this investigation indicated that the use of the computer software, GeoGebra, in the teaching and learning of Circle Geometry improved the performance and motivation of Grade 11 learners. / Mathematics Education / M. Ed. (Mathematics Education)

Inclusive Education has gained significant currency nationally and internationally. It demands that the teacher be able to meet the needs of learners with impairments in ordinary classrooms. The success of inclusive education rests on quality teacher preparation geared towards inclusive education. The focus of this investigation is on preparedness of mainstream primary school teachers in implementing inclusive education policy in the Nongoma circuit. The lack of teachers prepared to provide quality inclusive teaching to learners and the limitations of existing support structures both impact on inclusion. Through a questionnaire an effort was made to ascertain teachers’ preparedness for inclusive education in the Nongoma circuit. This measure was utilized to determine the extent to which teachers are prepared for the implementation of inclusive education in the classroom. It was also used to describe the nature of training provided by District Based Support Team in an advancement of inclusive education practices in the classroom. The researcher also identified enabling strategies required for teachers in an inclusive classroom environment. Finally, recommendations on strategies for the successful implementation of inclusive education in the classroom were made. The data was collected through a questionnaire. The researcher selected three wards Nongoma circuit as research sites with all teachers in the selected schools participating. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive education)

Although South African teachers have ample opportunities for professional development (PD), weak results of learners show that these opportunities have had a limited effect on the development of the Mathematics teachers’ instructional skills. The improvement of the teaching of Mathematics is regarded as a solution to learners’ poor performance, because teachers play a key role in the improvement of pupils’ learning. In the light of this, a Mathematics PD programme implemented in a province of South Africa was evaluated and served as a case study. The aim of this evaluation was to probe the quality of the programme since it had been suggested that improving the quality of teaching can be achieved by offering effective PD programmes. Thus, the evaluation was done in an attempt to establish the academic value of the intervention. The investigated programme – which was implemented in a rural and under-resourced setting – focused on FET Mathematics teachers and used mentoring and workshops as its key intervention implementers. Five teachers were involved in this programme. Data collection methods included semi-structured interviews, lesson observations, mentoring and workshop reports, the results of learners, and pre- and post-test results of the participants. The evaluation of the PD programme revealed the following: that the workshops addressed the participants’ content knowledge gap to a limited degree; that mentoring was able to assist with the individual classroom-related needs of the participants, and that the community of practice formed in the workshops helped the participants to develop by means of working together on lesson preparation, micro-teaching, and content knowledge exercises. Other findings revealed that the duration of the workshops were adequate, however their intensity was insufficient to effectively address the participants’ needs, and that the workshops were carefully planned, given that the same topics were repeated. The mentor teachers and other facilitators encountered challenges relating to the long intervals between the mentoring sessions, the limited post-lesson-observation discussion time, the significant distances between the involved schools and the heavy teaching load of the participants. Nevertheless, recommendations on improving the effectiveness of future PD programmes included careful selection of the dosage of interventions, site-based mentoring, to incentivise participants of PD programmes, alleviating the teaching load of overburdened participants and the creation of conducive environments in rural areas for the formation of communities of practice. / Mathematics Education / D. Phil. (Mathematics, Science and Technology Education (Mathematics Education))

Technology continues to progress due to the enormous growth of wireless technologies and mobile computing. Mobile devices such as handheld computers, smartphones and mobile phones are integrated into the daily lives of many people irrespective of their age, nationality or gender. These devices are embedded with computer functionalities and their ease of use and mobility functionality enable the people to use and move around with the mobile devices everywhere they go; the sophistication of these devices fascinates many learners thus they are fluent in using digital technology. The aim of this thesis is to describe how these devices are being utilised for learning purposes using the qualitative data collection method, to use the FRAME model to evaluate the usefulness of mobile digital technology and to also understand the educator’s role in the mobile age. This thesis explores the relationship between education (what is being taught), society (individual learners and their learning preferences) and technology (mobile tools used for learning), conceptualising the learner’s perspective. The research findings indicate that learners in the case study are enthusiastic about mobile educational technology, fluent in using digital technology and they prefer pen and paper for taking notes. The outcomes of this study suggest that although mobile technology has the potential to enhance teaching and learning, educators need to put more emphasis on providing technology-rich learning activities to empower high level of student involvement and take into consideration the learner’s learning preferences towards learning using mobile technology. / College of Engineering, Science and Technology / M.Tech. (Information Technology)