The past two to three decades have seen unprecedented expansion in enrolments in Universities across the world. Increased participation rates in Higher Education, however, has not been matched by a corresponding increase in success rates as reflected in students' poor retention rates and unsatisfactory outcomes. One strand of explanation claims that students, for a variety of reasons, come to university `unprepared' and suffer an articulation gap in the transition between high school and university; the other explanation seeks to move away from the deficit perspective and puts emphasis on the need to enrich experiences of students to enable them to exercise agency and change constraining circumstances in order to succeed. This study reports on one programme, a grounding programme known as the Life, Knowledge and Action (LKA) in one South African university. One of the central purposes of the LKA is to enrich students' first year experiences through liberating dialogue embedded in its pedagogical architecture. A sequential mixed methods study was carried out. A survey of first year students who had been exposed to the LKA was first carried out. This was followed by a case study of purposively selected first year students. Findings show that LKA promoted dialogue in varied ways depending on the level of the pedagogical architecture. At Umzi level students as peers across disciplines exchanged ideas freely about their circumstances and social issues. At the Ekhaya level where the abakwezeli (facilitators) were active, power dynamics emerged between students and the facilitators which had the effect of diminishing dialogical moments. At village level, there was not much discussion; instead there was a lot of lecturing. Dialogue was limited to a few minutes of discussion at the end of the lecture. The other finding was that seen from Archer's lens of morphogenetic analysis, the `articulation gap' can be seen as a structural constraint, that can be addressed through liberating dialogue which enables the students to question the status quo. There was evidence that through dialogue in the LKA, students felt that it liberated them in the sense that it exposed them to different perspectives as well as enabled them to explore alternatives. It can be concluded that through an appropriately designed dialogical pedagogy, students can be empowered to transform the structural constraints to their education and create enablers that can help them succeed in their learning. There is evidence that within the LKA pedagogical architecture, the students have the opportunity to take responsibility for their learning and thus enabled to exercise agency. It is recommended that the processes that take place at each level of the LKA architecture must be further studied with a view to discovering mechanisms at work that may undermine the liberating thrust of the programme. As a liberating core curriculum, LKA must not be limited to first year students; consideration must be given to roll it out across the levels of the undergraduate offerings.

M.Ed. / South African education is emerging from one phase of history, the phase of a segregated education system, into another phase where the nature is still to be defined. This emergence will bring along with it transformations unknown over the previous phase of educational history which lie mainly on the level of humanity, that is to say changes affecting the beliefs, attitudes, norms and values of the individuals and the community they belong to. The whole concept of man-in-the-world as the establishment of the world, the environment of the educator as well as the educand in this total situation, leads us to conceive of education as an interhuman phenomenon. The establishment of relationships in the world is a continuous effort to give completeness to man's existence by appropriating and adopting the historical development of the cultural situation. The interaction and the close relationship of culture and education in general is indisputable. For education to succeed, man comes to the fore while his culture forms the background. The opening up of "white schools" to all the population groups in South Africa did not bring about a greater understanding of the complexity and pluralistic nature of the South Africa society. The cultural factors in education play an important role in the application of universal educational and cultural principles in the provision of education. The cultural position of the black learner in Model C or multicultural schools has been eroded and is being marginalised by socio-political and educational issues quite beyond his area of competence as a learner. As a result, the expectations the teacher has of the black pupils are too great and are daunting for the pupil. Both the teacher and the learner are not competent enough, they are being dis-empowered. It is at this point that problems in the teaching-learning situation manifest themselves. The transformation process currently taking place in most multicultural schools has many problems relating to this. There are definite areas of concern which need to be looked into, solutions to be found and implemented in order to assist the black pupil. and his teachers to find their feet in the new education dispensation. Essentially a ground motive in every community is a motive of that particular community, the driving force behind all activities, including educational activities - the spiritual root of a particular community, so to speak. The cultural aspects in education will probably remain one of the most critical areas determining whether South Africa can in fact achieve the same education through one and the same department, one and the same curriculum, one and the same examination format. This study will attempt to research the cultural aspects of education concentrating on Model C schools and will put forward some recommendations for the implementation of solutions to the problems the black learner is confronted with.

Bibliography: pages 136-142. / This dissertation is a report of my work in schools in the Eastern Cape while assisting the Primary Education project (PREP) to develop a resource pack for in-service education. In-service education has received much attention in recent years in South Africa. Both the state sector and non-government organisations have provided various in-service interventions in an attempt to improve both the qualifications of teachers and the results of pupils in schools. However, the dismal state of education in ex-DET schools bears witness to the fact that such interventions have by and large been ineffectual. This study shows how one project developed and trialled parts of a distance learning in-service course in conjunction with junior primary farm school teachers. The need for innovative and creative models of distance education is explored and our understanding of the nature of distance learning is detailed. The study goes on to include an analysis of the political economy of farm schools. It also details the constraints acting upon teachers in such schools and shows how these impacted on the study. The research procedures and methods of data collection are outlined and a framework for analysing the data is developed and justified. The actual data generated during the study is then measured against this framework in order to gauge its effectiveness as an in-service intervention. Finally, I draw conclusions and make certain recommendations based on the evidence presented. Whilst these recommendations are tentative, they may have relevance in terms of future in-service education policies and procedures.

Bibliography: p. 151-153. / The dissertation, "Institutional Change in Higher Education: A Case Study" examines efforts to bring about fundamental institutional change at the University of Natal over a period of some 1 0 years, 1988 to 1997. The case study is characterised as being of an embedded single case design. It is an instrumental rather than an intrinsic study. It attempts to extend understanding of the complex social phenomenon of institutional change in higher education, through analytic generalization. The two sub-units of the case study relate to different attempts by the executive of the University of Natal to bring about consensus on the need for fundamental change and the nature of the change: through a more-or-less conventional strategic planning process; and by the adoption- as a strategic initiative- of the notion of becoming a learning organization. The two sub units are examined on the strength of University documents and interviews with past and present University office bearers and staff, within a conceptual framework of organizational theory derived mainly from Mintzberg, McGregor, and Senge. Both the strategic planning approach and the learning organization approach are seen to have failed as means of engineering consensual change and in the latter half of 1997 the University experiences a restructuring crisis as a result of financial pressures. A puzzle around restructuring, viz. why the University should pursue structural change which goes beyond the needs of simple cost-cutting and efficiency, is addressed first in terms of a perceived need for innovation, within the foregoing organizational theoretical framework. The analysis is then extended (effectively recontextualised) within a more pedagogic , social and political theoretical framework which is dependent largely on Bernstein. This analysis sees the changes being pursued at the University of Natal as being consistent with a shift in higher education generally to a market-dominated, competitive discourse in which University lecturers become knowledge entrepreneurs, competing within the institution and between institutions for scarce resources in response to perceived market needs . In this process, the narcissistic and introjected identities of academic departments, in which professionals in bounded disciplines determine priorities themselves , are replaced by projected identities and priorities are determined outside the discipline and the University. This cannot happen overnight. However , plans at the University of Natal to remove their administrative authority from academic departments are seen as a step in this direction.

South Africa's decade of democracy inevitably gave rise to a transformed South Africa. She enjoys international status in the world and is one of the foremost countries in Africa. This status requires communication to engender good relations. Language is one of the key issues facing South Africa. There are eleven official languages in South Africa alone and a host of other languages in the world. English plays a very important role. It has become the lingua franca for South Africans. This qualitative case study investigated how English how English was taught to primary school pupils. Five teacher-trainees were observed and the lessons they delivered were captured on video camera. The trainees and the pupils have as their mother tongue, Xhosa. The researcher used purposeful sampling when selecting the teacher-trainees. The schools chosen were in close proximity to the college where the trainees lodged. This was convenient and economical. The purpose of the study was to establish how orientated the trainees were towards the communicative approach, the recommended approach by the Collegiate of Education, an arm of the University of Transkei. All colleges of education in the former Transkei fell under the jurisdiction of that Collegiate. Another factor was the transformation and its impact in the classroom. This study addressed the following issues. * Colleges of Education in transition * General educational transformation * State of feeder schools * Culture of learning and teaching The literature study included current changes in education that appeared in newspapers of the day. The paradigm shift from the apartheid system to present day was examined in this qualitative research. The focus of this empirical study was on the method of teaching English adopted by the teacher-trainees. Left to their own resources, the trainees delivered lessons. The data obtained from these lessons were analysed and interpreted using an evaluation sheet. There was clear indication that the lessons generally were teacher-centred. There was a lack of healthy communication in the classrooms. The passive pupils responded to questions posed by the trainees. The pupils were not given much chance to talk freely to the trainees or even among themselves, though they were seated in groups and groupwork was indicated.. Emerging out of these findings are implications for all concerned : the prospective and present teachers ; tertiary teacher training institutions ; and the Department of Education. In conclusion, there is recommendation for INSET and PRESET training for teachers, not only for English language teaching but also other subjects across-the-curriculum as the medium of instruction in a majority of schools in South Africa is in English. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Didacties)

Thesis (masters)--University of South Africa, 2001.

Thesis (doctorate)--University of South Africa, 2001.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Masters of Technology: Public Relations Management, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South African, 2015. / The Southern African Higher Education system in the post-apartheid period had to respond to the various discriminatory practices that existed during the apartheid era. This entailed responding to inequalities in the education system at various levels. As far as higher education was concerned there was a need to serve society based on the principles of equality, equity and inclusivity. One such response was to merge higher education institutions such as ML Sultan Technikon and Technikon Natal to form the Durban Institute of Technology now referred to as the Durban University of Technology (DUT). The merger process revealed numerous challenges one of which was the human resource issue that underpinned the merger of staff between the two technikons which differed in practice. The rationale for this study was that staff at DUT were experiencing alienation; mistrust and a lack of shared purpose. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of internal communication in the transition process of the merger at the DUT. The objectives were to examine existing organisational communication tools; to evaluate staff perceptions of the current methods of communication utilised in the internal communication process; and to determine how internal communication has contributed to the transition process. The study used a quantitative research method; this enabled an evaluation of the role of internal communication in a higher education setting during a transition process. The sample population was 400 administrative and academic staff from across the seven campuses. Staff were assessed via a survey questionnaire. The data was analyzed using SPSS. The study found that living and coping with change in the work environment is a fact of life for organisations and individuals. The success of any change programme depends on the organisation’s ability to communicate effectively with its employees; therefore internal communication plays a pivotal role in any change programme. Staff at the DUT had limited communication from Management during the change phase. They were of the opinion that effective internal communication could improve productivity in the workforce.

Thesis (MPhil (School of Public Management and Planning))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / Some aspects of South African higher education transformation have been bleak, indicating that the trajectory of innovative teaching and affordability requires attention for the foreseeable future. At CIDA we have seen a different picture of this, in other institutions there may be other milestones yet to reveal other gains of transformation. Briefly, this paper tells the CIDA transformation story; other institutions of higher learning in South Africa can learn from its approach and share in the remarkable sense of determination and commitment demonstrated by CIDA. The purpose of this work is to reflect on CIDA’s pattern breaking that can aid better student equity transformation in the South African higher education system. A limitation of the study is that we examine only one factor at a time and it may not adequately account for what happens when all the factors interact at the same time. It emerged from the discussion that CIDA innovative teaching involves awareness of students’ educational needs, views and emphasis on the physical experience of emotions and reasoning. Students are encouraged to be self-confident and feel good about themselves and others through participation and opportunities for spirituality and diversity.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Republic of South Africa has a population made up of different racial groups. The differences are far reaching. There are differences with regard to the geographic location, wealth, educational levels and quality etc. amongst the racial groups. This has been the case for many years. A new democratic government came into being in South Africa in 1994. The advent of the democratic rule brought along a number of changes. The big change has been the observed concerted effort by the government to improve on the quality of life of the lot of the previously disadvantaged people of South Africa. This effort is observable in almost all spheres of government. One of the areas where such attempts are being made is in education. Several programmes have been put in place to improve the educational level and quality of the majority of the previously disadvantaged people. Much money, effort, time and energy are put into these programmes. The main question is whether these programmes are yielding the results that were intended. In this study, I tried to evaluate the impact of one such programme. I chose the TOPS school management programme as an example of these programmes. The programme was operational in eight areas of the Republic of South Africa. Its activities ended in 1996. I chose the case study approach in this study. The evaluation is summative in nature. One school which participated in the programme was chosen, to see what impact the programme had on its effectiveness. A second school that had not participated in the programme was brought into the study for purposes of comparison. The conclusion I reached is that school management programmes have a significant impact on the effectiveness of the schools that participate in such programmes. This became very clear in the study. The school that participated in the TOPS management programme was found to be very effective. The school met quite a number of requirements for effectiveness. The performance of the programme school was found to be much better than that of the comparison school. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die populasie van Suid Afrika bestaan uit 'n verskeidenheid van rasse wat nog verder verskil as gevolg van geografiese ligging, welvaart, opvoeding ens. Dit was die geval in baie jare. Sedert 1994 het 'n nuwe demokratiese regering die bewind orrgeneem. Sedertdien het daar baie veranderinge plaasgevind. Die grootste hiervan is dat die regering 'n poging daarvan maak om die lewenskwaliteit van die vorige minderbevooregte lede van die samelewing te verbeter. Die verandering is opmerklik in aIle afdelings van die regering. Onderwys is seker die afdeling wat die meeste aadag gegee word ten opsig van verbetering. Verskeie programme word aangebied. Hierin word baie geld, arbeid en energie in geploeg. Die groot vraag egle is word die regte resultate ontvang? In hierdie ondrsoek poog ek om die inpak van hierdie programme te evalueer. Ek het die TOPS sckool bestuur program uit gekies om te evalueer. Hierdie program was in agt streke van die Republiek aangebied; tot en met 1996. In hierdie opsig het ek die gevalle studie metode toe gepas, en die evaluasie is opsommend van aard. 'n Skool wat deelgeneem het aan die program is uit gekies om te bepaal watter inpak die program op sy efektiwiteit gehad het. 'n Ander skool wat nie deelgeneem het aan die program nie is gebruik om as vergelykend op te tree. Die resultate toon aan dat die skool wat deelgeneem het aan die program baie verbeter het. Dit is 'n bewys dat skool bestuur programme 'n beduidende en waardevolle inpak op efektiwiteit het. Die skool wat deelgeneem het aan die TOPS skool bestuur program was baie meer effektief en het verskeie vereiste standaarde maklik gehaal. Die resultate van die skool wat aan die program deelgeneem het was beduidend beter as die vergelykende skool