A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg in fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Johannesburg 2019 / The research explored in-service teachers’ classroom practices in teaching for conceptual understanding with a particular focus on the topic of Chemical Change. The topic is taught at different levels in the FET, being Reactions in aqueous solution at Grade 10; Redox reactions at Grade 11; and Electrolytic cell at Grade 12. The study was inspired by continual reports of South African Grade 12 learners’ failure to adequately answer examination questions that demand a conceptual understanding of scientific knowledge on the topic Chemical Change. The study aimed to understand current teaching and learning processes in real life classrooms as well as to evaluate the spiral nature of the Physical Science curriculum. Special focus was on how Physical Sciences teachers’ teaching approaches foster meaningful learning to enable learner conceptual understanding and access to scientific content. Physical Science curriculum documents were scrutinised for features of a spiral curriculum. The study followed an explanatory interpretative qualitative research paradigm with a case study methodology. The five participating in-service teachers, teaching a total of six classes were drawn from five different schools in three different districts of Gauteng province. Eighteen lessons were audio and video recorded, three lessons from each class and five teacher interviews we done. Scott, Mortimer and Aguiar’s model of pedagogical link-making (PLM) was used to analyse the lessons. PLM comprises three aspects, link making to support continuity, link making to support knowledge building and link making to promote emotional engagement. Pedagogical link-making to support continuity was used both to analyse the spiral nature of the Physical Science curriculum and to analyse how the teachers sequenced the scientific concepts during the teaching and learning process. Pedagogical link making to support knowledge building was used to evaluate how teachers used the five pedagogical teaching tools that enable learners to actively construct knowledge. The Physical Science curriculum was found to be limited in its claims to a spiral nature at least for the topic Chemical Change and its essential concepts from Grade 10 to 12. Fundamental concepts such as Oxidation numbers (Grade 10) and Electrolytes (Grade 11) were not included in the curriculum in the respective grades. The lesson presentations by the teachers showed challenges in macro and meso link-making especially in the introductory lessons which hampered continuity from related past and future chemistry topics. Link-making at the micro level was well executed by all participants while the use of meso link-making increased from the first lesson to the third lesson. As far as link-making for knowledge building is concerned, I found that four of the five teachers used integration more than differentiation between everyday ways and scientific ways of explaining. Also, the use of both integration and differentiation increased from Grade 10 to 12. Two findings emerged with respect to making links between scientific concepts. Firstly, teachers generally illustrated the links between connected concepts very well. However, the second finding was that teachers seldom involved their learners in the linking of scientific concepts. In other words, teachers tended to retain authority in terms of conceptual engagement thus, compromising learning of conceptual understanding. There was hardly any link-making between scientific explanations and real-world phenomena with only one out of five teachers managing this. In terms of modes of representation, teachers successfully got learners to use multiple modes of representation. Finally, there was variation in how teachers moved between different scales and levels of explanation within a continuum in the way the triangle of levels of thought was used by the participants. On the one extreme of the continuum, all 3 levels of explanation were used by both teachers and learners while on the other teachers only used one level of explanation, either the macroscopic or symbolic. For meaningful learning to be a reality in science classrooms, the findings of my study suggest a need for both in-service and pre-service teachers to be introduced to approaches that promote conceptual understanding. The findings of this study recommend that the policy-makers consider the revision of the topic Chemical Change and align it to the features of a spiral curriculum. / MT 2019

Contrary to many efforts by the new South African government in its commitment to widen access to educational opportunities and the provision of a free education for all, dropping out of school episodes remain a major threat to the gains of the past nines years in the new South Africa. Using the second wave of 'Transitions to Adulthood in the Context of Aids in South Africa' dataset, this dissertation investigates dropping out of school episodes. A dropout refers to an adolescent who discontinued his/her education before completing grade 12. In particular the study investigates the major determinants of dropouts. Reasons cited for dropping out of school varies from economic, individual, social and school based. It was found that the major contributor to the dropping out of school episodes in KwaZulu-Natal is poverty. Hence the impact of poverty is widely acknowledged as being among the most serious problems facing post-apartheid South Africa. It is against this backdrop that this dissertation seeks an immediate response by government to invest in human capital, particularly in education, as means to alleviate poverty. The government among others therefore should recommit itself in providing and funding education for all. Both access and opportunities to schooling need to be widened. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, 2003.

In this study I am aiming to improve my practice as a Social Justice Educator of educator-students, basing my methodology primarily on Jean McNiff's (2002) approach to self-reflective action-research. The self-reflective action-research requirements mean that the study is necessarily an iterative process. I construct tools from within my praxis that has informed my work as a social justice educator. I apply these tools to the work of students (that has been informed by my praxis) to evaluate how well this same praxis lives up to its purpose. Through the same process I seek to improve the tools with which to better frame and name the praxis, for its improvement. From my own and collective writing, working, learning and reading experiences I have aimed to do this by constructing a Trajectory Model describing an understanding of social justice education to apply to the Self-Reflective Action-Research (SR-AR) Reports of our Advanced Certificate in Education (ACE) students. I use this process to draw conclusions about the Trajectory Model and indications of social justice educator practice. The Trajectory Model - containing the Critical Elements for indicating social justice education-praxis - is the model I construct for and in this research - for use in our ongoing developmental praxis as social justice educators. The Trajectory Model, for social justice education, is constructed - and hence understood through - a series of layered models of informing concepts and theories. The Trajectory Model is my attempt to describe the standing; yearning-imagining-dreaming; gazing; seeing; thinking-naming and framing; and doing subjective being for social justice - in a way that is communicable and usable to articulate indicators of what I - in this contextual space, time and community of practice - understand to be critical in being a social justice educator 1. The trajectory Model discussion focuses particularly on three Critical Elements: Position and Stance; Indigenous Knowledge Construction; and Agency and Praxis. They are to be 'read' as being embedded within 'imagination and yearning' for a socially just, non-oppressive society - and they all imply self-reflexivity as an integral aspect of their existence. Thus while there are six numbered elements or aspects in the Trajectory Model, it is the three 'intersecting circles' (of the model diagram) that I name to be the central or Critical Elements - the other three being contextualising or 'embedding' 'aspects' rather than 'elements'. Through this process I came to the following primary conclusions: The method of researching the reports was inadequate for the purpose of drawing any but the most tentative conclusions about growth of social justice practice from the work contained in the reports. However, they proved of some value in students' self-reflections on their own social justice praxis. Through the process of engagement and analysis, indications emerged that the constructed tools have value for the purpose of facilitating analysis and articulation of social justice educator praxis through the provision of a conceptual structure to name and frame the work. This has beneficial implications for social justice educator pedagogical development with regard to both praxis and research possibilities for our community of practice as social justice educators at UKZN in the future. The self-reflexivity and collective engagement of the research process in this study has helped to strengthen my practice as an educator of social justice educators, primarily through improving definition and mapping of critical elements in educating for social justice, as I understand it, in relation to current understandings and practiecs in the literature. 1. The discussion in the Introduction to this study, on the reason for using an alternative set of words to the "dreaming, seeing, being" terminology, pertains. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

Universities in South Africa have emerged from an exceptionally fragmented and divided past and are responding to this by reconceptualising and restructuring their institutional governance structures. This is been done through the introduction of policies and strategies aimed at transforming institutional landscapes and creating environments that are conducive to meeting the demands and pressures of a transformed SA. Previous studies have indicated that there is a need for institutional transformation and change at newly merged universities in SA. However, very little is known about the possible role the arts could play in institutional change and transformation processes and what Badat refers to, when referencing the process of institutional transformation, as “the dissolution of existing social relations and institutions, policies and practices, and their re-creation and consolidation into something substantially new” (2009:456). The goal of this research study is to explore the views, opinions and perceptions of key stakeholders and decision-makers at a comprehensive South African university, in this case, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU), in order to gain their insights into the role the arts could play in creating and consolidating a transformative institutional culture at a merged university in SA. The data was obtained from semi-structured interviews with 16 key decision-makers and stakeholders at NMMU. Based on the thematic data analysis, the responses from these key stakeholders indicate that there is wide support for the arts to play a role in the establishment of a transformative institutional culture and it appears that not only should the arts play a role, they should play a central role.

M.Ed. / The main aim of the inquiry looked at community education, in this regard being the empowerment of school communities in effective and efficient running of schools for the new education system adopted in South Africa. The introduction of the South African School Act to meet the demands of the country's constitution, necessitates community involvement for shared-decision making, and fully informed participation by all stakeholders in the running of our schools. In empowering school communities, problems experienced by teachers, parents, learners, governing bodies relating to suspensions and expulsions of African learners were addressed, and an insight into stakeholders' roles was explicitly outlined. The contribution therefore, of this study, is the identification of sources of frustrations and troubles experienced in this regard. The findings provide school communities with a clear exposition of the roles and functions of stakeholders. Power implementation, in expulsion specifically, is clearly indicated to be on the Head of Education, which if perceived unfair can be appealed through the Member of the Executive Committee for Education in the Province. No management team, no governing body or a parent has the right to remove a learner from a school through whatever route — mutually agreed upon by other stakeholders — unless confirmation of that removal is from the HoD, but also with a placement of that learner into another school followed by a support structure created for him/her. All stakeholders will be aware of what the right of education refers to after reading through this research as recommendations clarified. Therefore, the field investigation clarified some of the typical problems about suspension and expulsion experienced by the research sample.

Inclusion has been embraced in many communities as a useful strategy in addressing learner diversity. Juveniles in correctional centres are usually different and have various needs. Applying inclusion in such a setup is envisaged to address the needs of diverse learners. The study focuses on how inclusion can be used as a strategy to promote social wellness of juvenile offenders in a bid to reduce recidivism and to facilitate smooth social re-integration. The aim of the study was to investigate and explore ways in which inclusion can be used to promote social wellness among juvenile offenders. The ecosystemic theoretical framework was used as a lens to explore the impact of social systems in the development of juvenile offenders. Qualitative research design was used and data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews. Ten juveniles and teachers were selected in a Gauteng correctional centre on the basis of availability and willingness. Participants were informed that their participation was voluntary and all the information concerning the study was communicated to them. They were given consent forms to complete after they had agreed to participate. Findings revealed that education at the centre promotes social wellness and had resulted in positive behavioural change among most juveniles. Relationships among juveniles and with stakeholders also improved with education received at the centre. The major challenges faced were that teachers had not received adequate training in inclusion and inadequate psycho-social support was given to inmates. It was recommended that teachers be given in-service training in inclusion and how to deal with learners with behavioural challenges. More psycho- social support should be provided and family involvement to be intensified. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

Inclusion has been embraced in many communities as a useful strategy in addressing learner diversity. Juveniles in correctional centres are usually different and have various needs. Applying inclusion in such a setup is envisaged to address the needs of diverse learners. The study focuses on how inclusion can be used as a strategy to promote social wellness of juvenile offenders in a bid to reduce recidivism and to facilitate smooth social re-integration. The aim of the study was to investigate and explore ways in which inclusion can be used to promote social wellness among juvenile offenders. The ecosystemic theoretical framework was used as a lens to explore the impact of social systems in the development of juvenile offenders. Qualitative research design was used and data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews. Ten juveniles and teachers were selected in a Gauteng correctional centre on the basis of availability and willingness. Participants were informed that their participation was voluntary and all the information concerning the study was communicated to them. They were given consent forms to complete after they had agreed to participate. Findings revealed that education at the centre promotes social wellness and had resulted in positive behavioural change among most juveniles. Relationships among juveniles and with stakeholders also improved with education received at the centre. The major challenges faced were that teachers had not received adequate training in inclusion and inadequate psycho-social support was given to inmates. It was recommended that teachers be given in-service training in inclusion and how to deal with learners with behavioural challenges. More psycho- social support should be provided and family involvement to be intensified. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

The study records narratives told by 11 black and coloured ex-pupils, who between 1992 and 1998 gained access to being educated at a private European school in the suburbs of Johannesburg. The contextualised stories of how they developed "texts of identity" for themselves within the multicultural setting of the school were used to explore a process called "rewriting the self". The identity of the school also is contextualised within its own socio-cultural community, as well as that of multiculturalism in schools. The study is placed within a postmodern Community Psychology epistemology, with a social constructionist "lens" attached to it. The excess of a social construction "lens" (such as "anything goes") is countered by defining the key notions of "texts of identity" - a "sense of self", "human diversity" and "multiculturalism" - within the collapsed boundaries of sameness and differences, global and local, as well as personal and collective notions of the self. The notion of transformation is contextualised as part of the process of "rewriting the self". This is illuminated by means of discourses of the past and human agency/empowerment as well as those related to the South African history of colonisation and apartheid. Narrative discourses also are introduced as a related epistemology and used to construct the ex-pupils' narratives within an Action Research mode, formulated in three ever-widening and interlocking phases. In the process of re-telling their stories the ex-pupils gained self-knowledge regarding how their schooling experiences allowed them to "stretch across (their) boundaries" and re-identify themselves anew. The vantage point was achieved by means of the ex-learners deconstructing their stories as part of a series of reflexive conversations. The insights yielded in this manner achieved the objective of the narrative research procedure. Viewed in a wider South African context, the ex-pupils' personalised stories highlight important issues that help or do not help South Africans make sense of their past and re-identify themselves within new boundaries. One issue that still hamstrings South Africans "rewriting the self" is the dominant discourses of the past regarding race and culture. It is suggested that a "common humanity" discourse (as well as that of "hybridity") be developed more fully as the way out. / Psychology / D.Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

Thesis (PhD)--University of Stellenbosch, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: There are learners in the South African education system that reside and live within highrisk situations. These high-risk situations impact on the family-, scholastic and community contexts and also the relationship variables existing between these systems. The risk situations in which these learners live, cause and/or on occasion lead to early school exiting, teenage pregnancy, alcohol and substance abuse, the choice of living on the streets, youth misbehaviour and gangsterism. It is therefore important to determine and recognize the environmental contexts in which these learners find themselves to on the one hand reach a better understanding of this phenomenon, and on the other hand to organise effective aid and assistance initiatives. The following can be reported in this regard: Inconclusive evidence exists with respect to the exact nature of the problems, which confront primary school learners from high-risk situations. A shortage of effective strategies exists to support primary school learners from high-risk situations. This research is undertaken from a social constructionist, contextual ecosystemic perspective. The research is founded on a combination of both qualitative and quantitative methodological approaches and is undertaken within the interpretive research paradigm. An encompassing literature review was undertaken during which the following aspects were described and determined, namely: The problems encountered by learners from high risk situations. Recommendations from South African state departments regarding the assistance and support for learners from high-risk situations. Guidelines collected from the literature regarding the assistance and support for learners from high-risk situations. The empirical investigation is aimed at identifying the nature and extent of the prominent problems being experienced by learners from high-risk situations. Guidelines were developed by which learners from high-risk situations can be assisted and supported. These guidelines were developed on the basis of the research results yielded by the empirical investigation and a synthesis derived from literature exploration and the integration of empirical findings. The research focuses on Grade Seven learners from ten selected primary schools in the Boland region. The investigative instruments used during this research were the questionnaire, photo analysis and the focus interview. The research findings have shown that learners are more inclined to leave the school prematurely because of insufficient relationships that exists between the family, the community and the school. An integrated approach between these contexts is therefore essential to develop strategies in order to prevent learners from dropping out of school. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Daar is leerders in die Suid-Afrikaanse onderwyssisteem wat 10 hoë risikoomstandighede woon en leef Hierdie risiko-omstandighede het 'n impak op hulle gesins-, skolastiese en gemeenskapskontekste asook die verhoudingsveranderlikes wat daar tussen hierdie sisteme bestaan. Die risiko-omstandighede waarin hierdie leerders leef, veroorsaak en/of lei soms tot byvoorbeeld voortydige skoolverlating, tienerswangerskappe, drank- en dwelmmisbruik, die keuse van 'n lewe op straat, jeugwangedrag en bendevorming. Dit is van belang om die omgewingskontekste van hierdie leerders te begryp en te verreken om enersyds tot 'n beter begrip van die fenomeen te kom, maar om andersyds effektiewe hulpverleningsinisiatiewe te ontwikkel. Die volgende kan in hierdie verband gemeld word: daar bestaan onvoldoende inligting ten opsigte van die wesenlike aard van die probleme wat leerders uit hoë risiko-omstandighede aan primêre skole ervaar; daar is 'n gebrek aan effektiewe strategieë om leerders uit hoë risiko-omstandighede aan primêre skole te ondersteun. Hierdie navorsing word onderneem vanuit 'n sosiaal-konstruksionisties, kontekstueelekosistemiese perspektief Die navorsing steun op 'n kombinasie van beide kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe metodologiese benaderings en word onderneem vanuit die interpreterende navorsingsparadigma. 'n Omvattende literatuurstudie is onderneem waartydens die volgende aspekte beskryfen beredeneer is: die probleme wat leerders uit hoë risiko-omstandighede ervaar. aanbevelings uit staatsdepartemente in Suid-Afrika oor die ondersteuning van leerders uit hoë risiko-omstandighede. riglyne vanuit die literatuur oor die ondersteuning van leerders uit hoë risikoomstandighede. Die empiriese ondersoek is daarop gemik om die aard en omvang van die prominente probleme wat leerders uit hoë risiko-omstandighede aan primêre skole ervaar te identifiseer. Riglyne waardeur hierdie leerders ondersteun kan word, is ontwikkel. Hierdie riglyne is ontwikkelop grond van die navorsingsresultate van die empiriese ondersoek en 'n sintese vanuit die literatuurverkenning en die integrasie van die empiriese bevindings. Die navorsing fokus op graad sewe-leerders aan tien geselekteerde primêre skole in die Boland-streek. Drie ondersoekinstrumente word tydens hierdie navorsing gebruik, naamlik die vraelys, foto-analise en die fokus-onderhoud. Die navorsingsresultate het getoon dat leerders meer geneig is om die skool voortydig te verlaat as gevolg van gebrekkige verhoudinge tussen die gesin, die gemeenskap en die skool. 'n Geïntegreerde benadering tussen hierdie kontekste is daarom belangrik om strategieë te ontwikkel wat sal verhoed dat leerders die skool voortydig verlaat.

The study records narratives told by 11 black and coloured ex-pupils, who between 1992 and 1998 gained access to being educated at a private European school in the suburbs of Johannesburg. The contextualised stories of how they developed "texts of identity" for themselves within the multicultural setting of the school were used to explore a process called "rewriting the self". The identity of the school also is contextualised within its own socio-cultural community, as well as that of multiculturalism in schools. The study is placed within a postmodern Community Psychology epistemology, with a social constructionist "lens" attached to it. The excess of a social construction "lens" (such as "anything goes") is countered by defining the key notions of "texts of identity" - a "sense of self", "human diversity" and "multiculturalism" - within the collapsed boundaries of sameness and differences, global and local, as well as personal and collective notions of the self. The notion of transformation is contextualised as part of the process of "rewriting the self". This is illuminated by means of discourses of the past and human agency/empowerment as well as those related to the South African history of colonisation and apartheid. Narrative discourses also are introduced as a related epistemology and used to construct the ex-pupils' narratives within an Action Research mode, formulated in three ever-widening and interlocking phases. In the process of re-telling their stories the ex-pupils gained self-knowledge regarding how their schooling experiences allowed them to "stretch across (their) boundaries" and re-identify themselves anew. The vantage point was achieved by means of the ex-learners deconstructing their stories as part of a series of reflexive conversations. The insights yielded in this manner achieved the objective of the narrative research procedure. Viewed in a wider South African context, the ex-pupils' personalised stories highlight important issues that help or do not help South Africans make sense of their past and re-identify themselves within new boundaries. One issue that still hamstrings South Africans "rewriting the self" is the dominant discourses of the past regarding race and culture. It is suggested that a "common humanity" discourse (as well as that of "hybridity") be developed more fully as the way out. / Psychology / D.Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)