The study aimed to investigate the reading life histories of two educators, focusing on how they were taught to read and came to understand reading, and how this understanding has shaped their teaching of reading in the classroom. Two language educators teaching English in the Intermediate and Senior Phase in a rural primary school in KwaZulu-Natal were chosen for this research. A life history approach was undertaken to gather rich data which was analysed and presented in a life history narrative. The research revealed that the participants’ educational development was severely affected by poverty, violence and the repercussions of apartheid, which all had a negative impact on their education. In spite of this, the participants’ were taught to value reading from an early age by concerned adults in their lives. These adults, although not highly educated themselves, actively instilled early reading habits in the participants, and tried to ensure that they were given the opportunity to be educated so that they could aspire to a better life. The participants’ experiences of learning to read and reading in primary school and high school gave them only a limited understanding of reading and reading practices. The tertiary institutions where they trained as teachers failed to equip them with adequate skills and strategies to teach reading well in their own classrooms. As a result, although both educators believe that they were well trained, they lack adequate strategies for truly effective development of reading in their classrooms. Consequently, they fail to facilitate sound reading skills in their learners, yet are not fully aware of the shortcomings in their own practice. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2013.

The Vocational Training landscape in South Africa changed in 2000 when the 153 Technical Colleges merged to form 50 macro Further Education and Training (FET) Colleges with new vocational programmes. In an endeavour to assist prospective students in making an appropriate choice of programme, placement tests prior to registration were implemented. The Competency and Placement (CAP) test was developed to identify gaps in the students’ knowledge of the grade 9 curriculum in order to identify high risk students prior to registration. This study aims to discover whether results of the CAP test of students at Boland Further Education and Training (FET) College correlate with their final year-end results in numeracy and literacy, and to what extent the test could be used to predict students’ future achievement. Data from 710 students were used to determine the correlations between their CAP scores and their year-end examination results. A Pearson product-moment coefficient (r) was calculated to indicate the extent of correlation for different groups. The coefficients of determination (r²), a coefficient used in the prediction of future outcomes, were also calculated. It was found that there were correlations of different strengths for different groups, but the coefficients of determination did not indicate that the CAP test could be used to predict the outcomes of the final year-end examinations. Therefore it can be concluded that the CAP test is not a valid instrument to predict academic success and should be used only to identify grade 9 mathematics and English skills gaps, according to the purpose of its design. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2013.

It is suprising that many people, especially in rural areas, remain illiterate despite efforts by the government to have all people of South Africa literate. This study examines factors that make it impractical or unattractive for people who live in rural areas to attend public adult literacy classes. These conditions relate to their cultural and socio-economic background, and have a direct effect on their apathetic attitude towards adult schooling. The study further looks at illiterate people's perceptions, motivations and expectations in relation to adult education. This is very important since once their needs and aspirations regarding provision of adult education have been optimally addressed, they could be interested to attend adult classes. Thus, the high rate of illiterate rural people could be reduced. The researcher, who is also a member of the Luthuli rural community, has a very good understanding of the cultural background of the people of KwaLuthuli. This made it possible for him to comprehend each and every piece of information that was presented during interviews. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.

The South African Language in Education Policy (LiEP) of 1997 and the Department of Education National Curriculum Statement (2002) require that learners‘ mother tongue is maintained and developed and used as a language of learning and teaching (LOLT) for the first three years of the Foundation Phase. English is recommended as the (LOLT) from Grade 4 upwards. This sudden change presents enormous language challenges especially in Grade 4 as teachers and their learners negotiate transition from isiZulu as first language (L1) to English as LOLT. This study investigates language challenges that Grade 4 learners and their teachers encounter in three South African mainstream schools as they negotiate transition from isiZulu to English as Language of Learning and Teaching (LOLT) and the implication of these challenges on language policy development. The study adopted a qualitative-interpretative methodology. Six Grade 4 teachers were purposively selected from three mainstream schools in KwaZulu-Natal for interviews three of which were observed and interviewed after the classroom observations. Data was generated through pre-observation interviews, video-recorded lesson observations, and post-observation interviews. The data collected was analysed and interpreted using an open coding in order to answer the study‘s critical questions. The findings revealed that serious language challenges occur whilst teaching Grade 4 learners in English as a FAL due to learners‘ limited knowledge of grammar and vocabulary in the LOLT. The study also revealed limited understanding ability, (s)low articulation, poor performance and participation, and psychological distress emanating from learners‘ social problems as part of the challenges. The study further showed that teachers frequently switched to the mother tongue to ensure sufficient meaningful communication in their classrooms. Additionally, the study revealed teachers‘ exclusion in policy formulation and development process and lack of adequate training which exacerbates teachers‘ ignorance of the policy contents leading to the teachers‘ indiscriminate use of code-switching. These worsen learners‘ language difficulties, thus under-develop the learners, and create unequal opportunities for effective learning by all learners through English as LOLT. They widen the gap and hinder education when teachers are not able to negotiate the transition from the foundation phase to Grade 4. Teachers were convinced that the study by EFAL learners of English in the Foundation Phase would go a long way in alleviating the language and learning challenges encountered by learners in Grade 4 and thus improve the quality of communication and interaction that needs to take place in the classroom between the learners and their teachers as they negotiate transition to English as LOLT. The study recommends a review of language policy that will integrate quality in the learning of English in the Foundation Phase, in addition to learning the mother tongue throughout high school education. It also recommends an increased participation of teachers in policy-making processes and intensification of teacher professional development in language teaching in relation to the language in education policy. / Thesis (M.Ed)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.

Poor learner discipline, a problem for both educators and learners at South African public schools, ranges from violence to issues with classroom management. As a result of learner-on- learner violence, learners generally feel that schools are unsafe places to be in (Premdev, 2008). Schools have become challenging contexts for effective teaching and learning to take place in, owing to the presence of bullying, disobedience, drug addiction, vandalism, rape, assault, use of obscene language and disrespect for teachers (Anderson, 2009). With examination results on a downward spiral, De Lange and Mbanjwa (2008) report that poor learner discipline in schools is strongly implicated in learner underachievement. This study, which is an exploration of educators’ and learners’ perceptions of poor learner discipline, is underpinned by research in the construction of masculinities, which submits that masculine identity is a gendered social construction, and as such, is subject to transformation. The research project suggests that whilst schools, by virtue of the ways in which they tend to be organised, condone and perpetuate the formation of hegemonic masculinities in boys, they are also able to effect meaningful change and usher in emancipation to this locale. Some of the key findings include:- • Poor learner discipline in boys reflected their own constructions of dominant male gender identities, formed as a result of their life experiences in a world embedded with notions and practices of patriarchal hegemony; • Poor learner discipline and the ineffective management thereof contributed to a poor teaching and learning environment that disadvantaged all learners; • Female educators relinquish their agency to successfully deal with poor learner discipline when they choose to let male educators handle their disciplinary problems, thereby becoming complicit in entrenching notions of male superiority; • Male educators tend to resort to the use of corporal punishment; • Violence in the home and wider community is reproduced in learners at school. The study discusses approaches that may be employed in achieving a more just and empowering teaching and learning context for educators, as well as learners at schools. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2013.

This thesis evaluates a piece of educational printed material, The Women's Handbook. which was produced in the late 1990s as part of a joint project between the Midlands Women's Group (an NGO working around women's rights in the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal), the Centre for Adult Education of the then University of Natal, and the national Commission on Gender Equality, a statutory body set up by the 1996 Constitution of South Africa. As a member of the Centre for Adult Education's staff I was integrally involved in the process of conceptualising and developing the Handbook, and was the overall co-ordinator of the project. As a result of the wide-spread changes in local government, as well as in development planning and processes, in the early 2000s the Centre and the Midlands Women's Group began considering the advisability of producing a revised edition. Although anecdotal evidence suggested that the Handbook had been widely used by the women to whom it had been distributed, it was decided that a thorough evaluation of the Handbook should be undertaken before any attempt was made to revise it. This thesis is a record of this evaluation. It begins with a theoretical exploration of what it means to evaluate an intervention, and uses this to argue that an evaluation of the Handbook requires a consideration of its theoretical underpinnings and of best practice in the field of materials development for adults with low levels of education, as well its use and impact. It then moves on to look at the Handbook in some detail, including the rationale for its development. The use and impact of the Handbook is then discussed, after which an attempt is made to identify the theoretical underpinnings of the Handbook. Best practice both in terms of product and process is discussed, and the Handbook compared to this. The concluding chapter then attempts to account for the findings. In its structure at least, then, this is not a 'typical' thesis. The review of pertinent literature, for example, is not contained in a single chapter, but rather dealt with within the appropriate chapter. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

The study is an exploration of the processes of racial integration within a school. The purpose of the study is twofold: 1. To understand the pattern, extent and nature of racial integration between learners in the classroom and on the playgrounds. 2. To determine whether there are any barriers that prevent the interaction of learners of different races. The school that was selected to participate in the research was an ex-House of Delegate's secondary school in KwaDuguza in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. The participants in the study were the principal, two deputy principals, two level one educators and two focus groups of African and Indian learners. Each focus group was made up of six learners, two males and four females. They were representative of the gender and racial composition of the school. The research was a case study that used various qualitative methods of data collection. A questionnaire was administered to a selected sample of educators and learners to determine attitudes and perceptions of racial integration. These were followed up by semi-structured interviews that allowed the researcher to probe deeper into issues raised in the questionnaire. A week's observation schedule of learners in a classroom and the learners on the playground was conducted. This was followed by a review of school documents. The varied methods of data collection revealed that positive racial integration is not taking place in the school. Although the educators and the learners are aware of the need for a fundamental change in the policies, organization and curriculum of the school they are unsure of how these changes need to be effected and what the nature of the change should be. In the absence of any concrete directions from the Education Department, an 'adds on' approach to integration is used . The result of such an approach is the polarization of learners along racial lines. The study concludes with recommendations for educators and the Department of Education. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2005.

The broad theme of this investigation is Human Resource Management (HRM) in education. It has been widely publicised both in the media and other areas that the salary bill for state paid educators represents the major area of expenditure. More than ninety percent of the education budget at Al-Fallah is spent on salary bill. It therefore becomes necessary to ensure that, newly appointed educators and those appointed into promotion posts who are earning these salaries do justice in their jobs and produce the goods. School management teams have to ensure that these newcomers settle into their new jobs as quickly as possible. It is therefore important that the educators who are the most expensive assert in the school, are managed effectively. Induction and mentoring should not be optional. Failure to provide staff induction can result in long-term problems for both employers and employees. All newly recruited, promoted or transferred staff need an induction programme which takes account of their particular circumstances. Using a variety of approaches will stimulate interest and help to satisfy the different learning needs of individuals. Communication, as always is of paramount importance, thus regular opportunities for feedback and discussion should form an integral part of the programme. This project has attempted to investigate the management of induction and mentoring, at a school in north of Durban. It has been found that no formal programmes of induction and mentoring exist at the school. It is therefore recommended that the management together with, and in consultation with staff members, draw up and implement policy on induction and mentoring. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.

This study investigated ABET tutors' knowledge, understanding and application of the principle of learner-centredness. The study was conducted at three adult education centres in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal. Using questionnaires, interviews, classroom observation and analysis of documentary evidence such as learning programmes, tutors workbooks and learners' workbooks, the researcher was able to determine and assess the ability of ABET tutors to interpret and apply the principle of learner-centredness in practical classroom situations. The study showed that not all ABET tutors base their learning programmes on learners' needs, which is a key principle of learner-centredness (Jarvis, 1985). The study showed that some ABET tutors are not conversant with the policy framework of ABET and that this seems to affect classroom practice. The study revealed that Centre managers are not complying with Department policy with regard to monitoring and supporting tutors. Furthermore, the findings from this study expose some of the flaws in the implementation of ABET, like the lack of professional competence on the part of some ABET tutors. This lack of professional competence is cause for concern and requires attention from the ABET Directorate at district level. Key recommendations emerging from the study are that the ABET Directorate should conduct more monitoring of ABET centres and should provide more training for ABET tutors and centre mangers, as proposed in the Multi-Year Implementation Plan of 1997. In particular, tutors could benefit from workshops on needs identification and analysis. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.

Among all the other files in my cabinet is one marked 'adult education'. It is a bulky file of documents dating back a number of years. It contains reports, articles and official documents both from NGOs and the Department of Education. The content of the collected document files include the pros and cons surrounding the long debate regarding the history of adult education provision at the Beatrice Street YMCA (BS YMCA). Another issue surfacing in these files is the issue of fund-raising, as a lack of funds poses serious concerns about the provision of adult education. The economic, social and political situations presented to the BS YMCA an irresistible challenge, especially in the city of Durban and surroundings. The Board of Management is sensitive to the needs of young people and has identified adult education as a means of offering support. Adult education provision at the BS YMCA offers invaluable skills. These skills include survival English (i.e. communication and numeracy), functional (workplace and society) and compensatory tools (life skills). It was not an easy road to travel for them, especially as the core need of the young people is employment. Over the years there were much needed changes in the adult education programmes offered at the BS YMCA. The development of educational policies from 1993 became the vehicle for the new dispensation in adult education. Adult education programmes at the BS YMCA changed from a traditional (teacher-centered) approach to a participatory approach based on dialogue. (which was more learner centered). The new programmes aim to offer more employment opportunities. The provision of adult education by the BS YMCA has been recognised by different educational departments over the years. The BS YMCA , being part of the educational struggle for transformation , was instrumental in pioneering "finishing schools" in the 80s. Skills training was also introduced to the BS YMCA educational programmes in 1994. The initiated programmes are vital in addressing the needs of the young people in the city of Durban. This dissertation is concerned with the history of adult education provision at the BS YMCA, whose concerns include a holistic approach regarding the mind , body and spirit (The world alliance of YMCAs 'Red Triangle '). The BS YMCA's philosophy and origins of the Red Triangle show a link between the body, mind and soul. The history of provision of adult education at the BS YMCA was a struggle of a non-governmental organisation becoming a state public center. There is also a link between curriculum design and social change of young people. In conclusion, the study aims to examine various adult education curricula changes over the years. These changes address responsible attitudes towards civil society and the effects of social evils and personal guidance. / Theses(M.Ed)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.