No doubt can exist that discipline and authority in Black schools, including Tsonga secondary schools, is at present undergoing a very difficult period. One crisis follows another and there are constant threats of boycotts and violence, threats which only too often become reality. This dissertation is an attempt at revealing the possible causes for this problem, by means of a phenomenological investigation into those essentials which are preconditions for the implementation of pedagogically accountable authority. The concept of authority, with special reference to Tsonga traditions and the place and role of members of the tribe and family, in enforcing authority, are examined. Guidance, assistance, acceptance, and the essential components of the relationship structure are given attention. As the dissertation is concerned with the school situation, the teacher's person, personality and his training also received attention. Recommendations for further study and possible ways to alleviate the situation, are suggested. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Fundamental Pedagogics)

South Africa has recently made a significant move towards support for deaf learners in inclusive education settings. Educators in inclusive classrooms are considered primary resources for the development of the strengths and competencies of these learners. Successful inclusion of deaf learners often depends on the skills of classroom educators. Nevertheless, educators often have little or no knowledge regarding support for deaf learners in inclusive classrooms. The experiences of deaf learners were investigated in order to understand the unique needs of these learners. The aim of the research was to add bottom-up approaches to the range of curriculum adaptations necessary to support deaf high school learners within inclusive education in South Africa. A mixed methods approach was employed, using both quantitative and qualitative approaches in a triangulation research design. The findings that emanated from the quantitative research served to complement the findings from the qualitative study. The results of the empirical study were supported by the literature review to formulate practical guidelines for assisting educators to accommodate the curriculum in order to support deaf learners. These guidelines might enable educators to respond positively to the needs of deaf learners and ensure that their inclusion in the regular school is successful. / Inclusive Education / D. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

M.A. (Psychology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / The main aim of this research was to do an exploratory study of the value-orientations and perceptions of the Zulu pupi Is in Sebokeng in order to enable teachers to understand the Zulu pupils better and thus be in a posi tion to teach them more effectively. The phenomenological strategy served as a basis from where the research was undertaken. This strategy made provision for the employment of various methods such as action research, literature study, word- and concept analysis. A questionnaire was used to determine the value-orientations and perceptions of the standard eight and ten Zulu pupils. For the purpose of empirical investigation a total of 224 standard eight and ten Zulu pupils was drawn from Botebo-Tsebo and Moghaka secondary school s • This was the total number of all standard eight and ten Zulu pupils in the two fore-mentioned schools during the academic year 1991. The most important findings of the research are as follows: * The typical value code of the Zulu child is not compatible with the values promoted in the school. * The beliefs of the Zulu pupils range from tradi tional belief in ancestors to those of modern times. A large percentage of the pupils are Christians. However, they still support the traditional religion. * The present Zulu pupil is inclined towards individuality rather than group consciousness that characterized traditional culture. * When comparing the valueing of school related matters, it was found that the standard ten pup! Is were relatively more positive to schooling than their standard eight counterparts. * Another important finding is that Zulu pupils prefer nonintegrated schools. They give preference to schools for their own people.

M.Ed. (Educational Management) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

1.1 MAIN PROBLEM A major concern in South African schools, especially in the disadvantaged areas, is the absence of effective leadership. Problems such as a lack of planning, an absence of vision, unfair resource allocation and feelings of uncertainty indicate a lack of meaningful leadership within the schools (Sterling and Davidoff, 2000:5). South Africa currently lacks a coherently explicit policy for the in-service training of school leaders. Until recently there has been no literature specifically addressing the problems school leaders face in black schools, no black professional organization for black school leaders, few opportunities for the discussion of ideas between departments, and few opportunities for training both before and after taking up a leadership position (Taylor and Tsukudu, 1995:111). The types of skills needed by School Management Teams(SMTs) for the effective management of schools depend on factors such as the needs of individual senior management members, the schools, the education system, the existing expertise of SMT members and their previous training. The purpose of skill development is to help develop and improve both the individual and the team performance of leaders responsible for managing schools in order to improve the functioning of schools(Mashinini and Smith,1995:133-135). In a growing number of developed and developing countries, a need for the more effective management of schools is becoming more important. Good management is regarded as essential if resources, both human and material, are to be used to maximum benefit so that schools make a valuable contribution to the economic and social well-being of societies (Taylor and Tsukulu, 1995:108). According to Sterling and Davidoff (2000:3), South African education is in a process of reconstruction and change. For those involved in education, the context feels unstable and at the point of delivery, the school, pressure is experienced. In addition to these problems, the socio-economic conditions result in many learners expecting not to be employed after completing their studies. This contributes to a feeling of despondence and demotivation amongst learners, which is often expressed in absenteeism, and a lack of commitment to their own education. Since 1996, reports by people in educational authority have confirmed a need for proper management training for managers in the South African educational system. In the past managers have been appointed to managerial positions such as head of department (HOD), deputy principal and principal without proper prior training. They have had to learn through trial and error and have made mistakes in the process. This situation is considered as neither inductive nor productive to a culture of teaching and learning (Deventer and Kruger, 2003:62). A study conducted by Steyn (1998:131-137) concluded that in the new South African dispensation, principals need to work closely with their first line managers in order to perform their 2 functions effectively. Steyn is of the opinion that a participative orientation in schools will be more effective than a centralized hierarchical orientation. The picture described above concerning the South African system and problems currently faced by teachers depicts a difficult environment which will not change overnight and one which requires effective intervention measures. This leads to the following problem, which will be addressed by this research. What management development skills do SMTs need to enhance their ability to manage schools effectively?.

M.Ed. (Multiculturalism and Education) / The teaching of Afrikaans faces a variety of problems and challenges in a changing society. It is also evident that in future the teaching of Afrikaans will run parallel with marketing as a dynamic communication medium among the inhabitants of South Afrika (Botha, 1990:85). The above implies that Afrikaans as a language will still be taught as one of the official languages of South Africa. This also coincides with Strydom's remarks (Botha, 1990:85/86) that a new look of Afrikaans needs to be considered with regard to the unfolding of the multicultural reality of South Africa to all those learning the language. Emphasis, in the aim of teaching Afrikaans, rests in its functional use in societal context. Thus it has become inevitable that teachers who teach Afrikaans especially in black high schools require sufficient training. The importance of a well trained teacher for literature teaching cannot be disputed. Kuhn (1989:84), referring to the literature teacher, said "Die onderwyser se benadering in die vak bepaal die kwaliteit van interaksie tussen die teks en die leser grotendeels". In other words the teacher's role is vital in the teaching of literature. The teaching of Afrikaans literature in black high schools involves a considerable host of issues, namely stereotypes, negative attitudes and underqualified teachers. Students in literature classes appear not to understand Afrikaans literature. They are passive which means that literature teaching is dominated by teacher talk. The teacher goes to the extent of over explaining, trying to cover the syllabus. At the...

M.Ed. / This study focuses on the problems of language and pedagogy in the teaching of English to second language learners. The aim of the study firstly, was to investigate the problems confronting teachers of English when teaching a heterogeneous classroom population which has both first language and second language learners and secondly, to investigate the problems facing Black pupils who were a minority group in the heterogeneous classroom. An extensive literature review was undertaken to examine core areas of the multicultural education and second language teaching and learning which were pertinent to the problem of this study to ascertain if the problems were peculiar to South African schools. The theory framework constructed from the review concluded with the theoretical premise that the problems confronting teachers and pupils were not peculiar to South African schools. The investigation included data collection from two sources or constituents, namely the teachers of heterogeneous classrooms in a rural independent school and their Black pupils. These data were consolidated, reduced and clustered, culminating in empirical findings which were confirmed using different methods and sources.The main emergent patterns indicated that the second language learners had not mastered reading skills, were not capable of expressing themselves in formal writing and encountered difficulty in translating from their vernacular to English. This confirmed that teachers of English in these heterogeneous classes were enountering enormous difficulty in harnessing the full potential of the second language learners.

M.A. (Politics) / Public administration enables public institution officials to do their work, for instance educators to teach. The activity of public administration comprises six generic processes which are functions because they all have a specific purpose aimed at particular outputs. Secondary schools would not function without policy-making, organising, financing, determination of work procedures, control and staffing processes which are imperative to expedite functional activities. This studyis primarily based on the staffing process and staff development in particular. One of the mostserious and disturbing educational problems confronting educationists, policy-makers, learners, parents and the community is the restoration of the culture of teaching and learning. This studywill identify contributing factors towards the low performance morale of educators as a result of which mosteducators feel less motivated and committed to their tasks. Someeducators feel that they are not involved in all matters that affect their field of work, e.g. the budget. Staff development will ensure that educators' confidence is enhanced for the delivery of qualityeducation. The studywill indicate the role of the Department of Education, the principal and the governing bodiesin staff development and training activities. Intensive in-service training and retraining of educators is regarded as being essential for the successful implementation of the new education system of outcome-based education (OBE). The purpose of this studyis to cover such staff development aspects as the motivation of educators who lack commitment, the induction and orientation of newly appointed educators, building of a team spirit as stressed by OBE, delegation of authority for empowerment and the training and development for sustained performance...

The question of learner participation or involvement in school governance has been a thorny issue in South Africa for decades. This study investigated secondary learners’ participation in the governance of their schools through representation by the Representative Council of Learners (RCLs), formerly known as school representative councils (SRCs). The study attempted to find out how learners participation is perceived by both the RCLs and the School Management Teams (SMTs). The study was conducted in five secondary schools in the Eastern Cape townships of Grahamstown. The research participants were members of School Management Teams and Representative Councils of Learners from these schools. The study was oriented in an interpretive paradigm following a qualitative approach. Questionnaires and in-depth semi-structured interviews were used to explore the perceptions of the two groups involved. The Department of Education documents that sanction RCL participation were referred to throughout and especially when analysing the respondents’ views. The main finding of the study is that learner involvement in school governance is still problematic, though it is presently provided for by policies that govern schools, including the South African Schools Act and the Guides for Representative Councils of Learners of 1999, in which their roles are outlined. The findings of the study reveal an indecisive and autocratic mindset among educators regarding the issue of learner involvement in governance and management. Furthermore, the Department of Education documents in place betray a narrow conception of RCL participation in school governance and still display an element of mistrust towards the learners concerning their roles in governance. As a result of these forces, the democratic potential of learner participation is undermined, and RCLs compromised as legitimate stakeholders.