This study investigates the nature and extent of teacher's understanding of assessment in the context of an outcomes-based education system at a Hammersdale Farm School. The study also investigates the nature of assessment techniques used by educators at the school and whether these techniques were implemented in a manner that enhances learner performance. The educator level of assessment literacy or illiteracy was also examined. Learner's experience of assessment was also investigated. The subjects in this study were eleven educators and twenty-two learners. The research methodology was in the form of a qualitative case study. Individual interviews of educators, learners questionnaire as well as document analysis were used to investigate educator's assessment, literacy or illiteracy, learner's experience of assessment and whether assessment (there) techniques are implemented in a manner that embraces principles of outcomes-based education. The results revealed that educators show an understanding of assessment in an outcomes-based education system. There has been a shift from the traditional way of conducting assessment, which was by means of tests and examination only. Educators conduct assessment continuously and employ a variety of strategies, which help educators collect data about learner's performance. The data collected enables educators to give constant feedback to learners and also report to parents about their children's performance. However, findings also revealed that there is some illiteracy with regards to assessment planning and implementation. (Educators attempts are dwarfed by the tradition of summative type of assessment that educators have been exposed to all their lives. The study has also revealed that though educators engage in continuous assessment and employ various assessment strategies; examinations are still considered as the strategy to be used for making decisions and public judgments due to lack of clearly formulated school assessment policy. There is minimal participation of parents in their children's learning, which is due to illiteracy with regards to transformational policies and curriculum issues. Some parents, because of work commitments, financial constraints and not living with their children, makes participation almost impossible. The implication of this study is that the school needs to have a clearly formulated assessment policy, which reflects OBE principles. The policy should state clearly how assessment is to be planned and implemented in an outcomes-based education system. The school also needs to have a staff development programme which is an ideal platform for sharing meanings and interpretations with regards to assessment implementation in an outcomes-based education system. The development programme will also help educators revisit and review their assessment policy to ensure that assessment implementation is on track. Parent participation in their children's learning could be made a reality through workshops. Parent's workshops would help develop parents on transformational policy and curriculum issues. This will ensure maximum parent participation in their children's learning and also ensure that parents provide necessary support to sustain effective learning. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2003.

This study uses a practitioner research approach to focus on poorly performing schools in grades 10 –12 in the Samungu Ward, and looks at the value of using a systems thinking approach to address the problems of poor performance, as compared to the traditional, reductionist approach that is usually applied by the schools and the Department of Education in the implementation of its policies. The research moves from the premise that schools are complex learning organisations and that their problems should be addressed within the context of the systems thinking approach, in which the organisation is seen as a whole with emergent properties, a layered structure, and with processes which enable it to adapt in response to environmental pressures (Checkland, 1999:21). The research has used some aspects of the Soft Systems Methodology as a tool to process the information collected from the participants, because the Soft Systems Methodology “concentrates on learning from organizational and contextual ambiguity and appreciating socially conditioned problem situations with a view to changing relationships and making improvements.” (Jacobs 2004:140) The study has looked at the problem formulated during the discussion with the stakeholders and has juxtaposed the value of the use of Systems Thinking with that of the traditional approach, either in the intervention programmes or in the formulation of solutions. The research concludes with recommendations made in terms of the systems thinking approach, having discovered that the traditional approach fell short in yielding the desired outcome during the implementation process of the policies. From a practitioner research perspective, the study has also led to the implementation of some of its recommendations, which seem to be viable and has produced the desired outcome. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2009.

As the political milieu in South Africa changed in 1990, a new curriculum framework guided by the principles of Outcomes Based Education (OBE) emerged. The paradigm shift from a traditional to an OBE curriculum was difficult for many teachers, especially the shift away from the traditional paper and pencil methods of assessment to using formative assessments methods. The issues of assessment are further compounded in Technology Education because of its unique methodology. Within the South African context, Technology Education must include conceptual knowledge of technology products as well as procedural knowledge on the designing and manufacturing of such products. Technology Education is thus concerned with developing learners’ capability. As a result, assessment in Technology becomes complex because we are looking for more than just a display of knowledge, understanding and manual skills. It is against this backdrop that this study aims to explore Grade 7 teacher assessment practices in Technology Education within the Pinetown District and to gain a better understanding of what teachers assess in Technology Education. This was done by examining how they carried out their assessments and by exploring the reasons for such practices. The research questions addressed in this study were: What are Grade 7 teachers assessing in Technology Education? ; How do Grade 7 teachers carry out these assessments? ; Why are Grade 7 teachers employing particular assessment strategies? Middleton’s revised concept of problem space, as well as the influence of social constructive influence on learning and assessment that forms the theoretical framework of this study. Guided by the interpretive paradigm, this research was qualitative in nature and a case study approach was used to explore it aims. The case study approach allowed the researcher an opportunity to study the participants’ common and unique features in depth within a limited time scale. Participants for this study were selected by purposive sampling by virtue of their professional experience in teaching Grade 7 Technology Education within the senior phase. Data collection methods used to obtain data relevant to the research questions were observation of Technology lessons, document analysis of learners’ books and educators’ portfolios, as well as semi-structured interviews. It has emerged from the findings that although Technology Education has gained momentum over the years in South Africa. Greater attention needs to be paid towards assessment of the learning area because no proper guidelines regarding assessments have been provided for teachers. Teachers are assessing aspects of Technology Education that they feel are relevant and which they are comfortable with. Greater emphasis is placed on completed tangible products rather than the designing and the learning process that the learner engages in. Emphasis is placed on assessment for attainment of marks and not for life-long learning. Lack of pedagogical knowledge in the field of Technology Education and limited knowledge of appropriate assessment strategies in Technology Education have also emerged as major contributing factors for Grade 7 teachers for assessing Technology Education in the manner that they are. It is recommended that appropriate and adequate professional development workshops be held for teachers of Technology Education so that these short coming are addressed. Subject advisors need to play a more active role in the development of Technology Educations and meet on a regular basis with the teachers to keep abreast of new trends and to tackle challenges. This is necessary so that Technology Education in South Africa can reach its true potential in developing enterprising, creative problem solvers as envisaged in the constitution. / Thesis (M. Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2013.