Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: There are many new developments in the field of schooling. Some of these developments - school based management, new curriculum developments and devolution of control to the school level have brought with it policy changes. Many educational leaders are struggling to keep pace with these changes that are taking place in the management of education. Others are struggling against the changes, while possibly not fully understanding the dynamics of these changes. In a time of rapid political and social change, the need for spelling out the concomitants of educational leadership has become both necessary and essential. Planned quality intervention by the state has completely underestimated the lack of managerial competencies among educational leaders. Quality in leadership is not a luxury item in educational transformation, changes in leadership are in fact central to instilling the democratic values and principles which underpin the new educational policies. There must also be a comprehensive strategy which addresses educational leadership as a school-wide intervention. There needs to be a more coordinated effort between provincial education departments and schools to bring their collective resources to bear on school quality change; but the process must be prioritised and co-ordinated by the state. This assignment seeks to establish what challenges and constraints educational leaders face in their attempts to effect transformation in South Africa. It details the daily strategies and plans used by educational leaders as they go about running their schools. Strategic opportunities in the policy field should be harnessed to drive education quality improvements. It is vital to link in-service development to policy implementation. Ultimately the monitoring and evaluation system in place must track the impact of the changes more carefully. This would allow departments to define future poiicies and programmes based on informed choices about which quality interventions make a difference. This is critical since the evidence shows that most changes have not always resulted in the planned leadership improvements. There is no reason for this trend to continue as this research shows that many schools have considerable advantages working in their favour: a relatively stable schooling infrastructure, a growing corps of qualified educational leaders and a policy environment in which there is optimism about change and transformation in the school sector. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Daar is huidiglik vele nuwe ontwikkelinge in die onderwysstelsel. Sommige van die ontwikkelinge: skool - gebaseerde bestuur, nuwe kurrikulum ontwikkelinge en die afwenteling van bestuur na skoolvlak, het verskeie beleidsveranderinge meegebring. Vele onderwysleiers vind dit problematies om tred te hou met die veranderinge in die bestuur van opvoeding. Ander weer, toon 'n weerstand teen die veranderinge, moontlik omdat hulle nie die dinamika van die verandering verstaan nie. In 'n tyd van politieke en sosiale veranderinge, is dit belangrik en noodsaaklik om gepaardgaande verskynsels van onderwysleierskap na vore te bring. Beplande bevoegde toetredings van die staat het die tekorte aan bestuursbekwaamheid van onderwysleiers heeltemalonderskat. Bevoegdheid in leierskap kan nie geag word as 'n luukse item in onderwystransformasie nie. Veranderinge in leierskap is inderdaad sentraal tot die vaslegging van die demokratiese waardes en beginsels wat die nuwe onderwysbeleidsverklaringe ondersteun. Daar moet 'n allesomvattende strategie en -toetreding wees, wat onderwys leierskap as 'n skool aangeleentheid aanspreek. Daar word 'n skool gekoordineerde poging tussen provinsiale onderwysdepartemente en skole benodig om hulle kollektiewe hulpbronne toe te wy aan skoolkwaliteitsveranderinge, maar die proses moet deur die staat gekoordineer en goedgekeur word. Hierdie werkstuk poog om te bepaal watter uitdagings en beperkinge opvoedkundige leiers in die gesig staar in hul pogings om by te dra tot tranformasie in Suid-Afrika. Die strategieë en metodes wat deur opvoedkundige leiers gebruik, word in die daaglikse bestuur van instellings, word gespesifiseer. Dit is belangrik om onderwysontwikkeling aan beleidsimplementering te koppel. Die monitering en evalueringstelsels wat in plek is, moet noodwendig tred hou met die gevolge van die veranderinge. Dit sal toelaat dat departemente hul toekomstige beleide en programme, op ingeligte en kwaliteitstoetredings baseer, wat 'n verskil maak. Dit is krities, want bewyse dui aan dat veranderinge nie altyd in die beplande leierskapverbeteringe eindig nie. Daar is geen rede vir die veloop van gebeurtenisse nie, want die studie wys dat die skole aansienlike voordele in hul guns het: 'n betreklike stabiele skoolinfrastruktuur; 'n groeiende komponent van onderwysleiers, en 'n beleidsomgewing waarin daar optimisme oor veranderinge en transformasie in die opvoedingssektor is.

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the light of the emphasis on the decentralization of school management in South Africa, the empowerment of all role players to be involved in decision-making has became crucial. My concern is with the experience of the process of empowerment by leaders in education. The implications of empowerment or the lack there-off for the school culture and climate, as well as the underlying role played by the leadership approach of educational leaders, are examined. By engaging in an interpretative analysis of data (questionnaires which contains the views of various role players) I examined the relationship between empowerment, school culture and climate, as well as transformational leadership. Empowerment is not a simplistic concept which is clear from the mutual coherence between the school culture and climate and the particular role assumed by the transformational approach. The particular interaction between transformational leadership, empowerment and the school culture and climate implies greater clarity from all role players about the impact of empowerment. In this way participative management can realise in a spontaneous manner and can change be seen as a unique opportunity to improve teaching and learning. KEY WORDS Empowerment, school culture and climate and transformational leadership. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In die lig van die klem op die desentralisasie van skoolbestuur in Suid-Afrika is die bemagtiging van alle rolspelers tot effektiewe deelname in besluitneming onontbeerlik. My besorgdheid is met die belewing van die proses van bemagtiging deur onderwysleiers. Die implikasies van bemagtiging of die gebrek daaraan vir die skoolkultuur en -klimaat, asook die onderliggende rol wat die leierskapbenadering van die onderwysleiers in die verband speel, is ook ondersoek. Verbind tot 'n interpretatiewe data-analise (vraelyste met die menings van verskeie rolspelers daarin vervat) het ek die verband tussen bemagtiging, skoolkultuur en -klimaat en transformatiewe leierskap ondersoek. Bemagtiging is nie 'n simplistiese begrip nie dit blyk onder meer uit die onderlinge samehang daarvan met skoolkultuur en -klimaat en die besondere rol wat die transformatiewe leierskapbenadering veronderstel. Die besondere wisselwerking tussen transformatiewe leierskap, bemagtiging en skoolkultuur en -klimaat vereis 'n groter duidelikheid by alle rolspelers oor die impak van bemagtiging. Sodoende realiseer deelnemende bestuur spontaan en word verandering as 'n besondere geleentheid beskou om onderrig en leer voortdurend te verbeter. SLEUTELWOORDE Bemagtiging, skoolkultuur en -klimaat en transformatiewe leierskap

This study investigates human resources management, training and development and their compliance with the skills development legislation and the link to the strategic goals of the Cape Technikon. The Cape Technikon is known as a previously &ldquo / white&rdquo / or advantaged institution. The institution's political history and consequent demographic profile display some scars of ignorance. This resulted in the institution's neglecting to invest in the development of those competencies needed to function in a constantly changing education, training and development environment. The success of any organisation depends on its human resources, who are the most important asset of any organisation, therefore effective and efficient human resources management and training and development management play a critical role in the well-being of employees. Human resources training and development policies, practices and activities guide the institution with implementation and should be considered to take on a strategic role to achieve their objectives.

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

M.Ed. (Psychology of Education) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

A  thesis submitted  to  the  Faculty  of Commerce,  Law  and  Management, University  of  the  Witwatersrand,  Johannesburg,   in  partial  fulfilment  of  the  requirements  for  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy, May 2016 / Universities  in  21st  century  emerging  knowledge  economies  seek  to  build  a  culture   and  practice  of  research  activeness  and  intensiveness.  How  do  university  research   sub-­‐‑systems  position  universities  to  push  through  conditions  of  adversity  to  realise   research  activeness  and  intensiveness?     Based  on  data  collected  from  an  exploratory  study  of  selected  research  active   universities  in  India  and  four  case  studies  from  a  single  research  active  university  in   South  Africa,  the  research  finds  that  university  research  sub-­‐‑systems,  operating  in   emerging  knowledge  economies,  are  engaged  in  quantum  research  games.  Research   complexity  and  adversity;  uncertainty  with  respect  to  the  outcomes  and  impact  of   research;  and  contestation  with  respect  to  resources,  values  and  value;  renders  the   university  research  game  a  quantum  game,  leading  to  the  research  entanglement  of   scientist-­‐‑researchers.       Epistemologically  located  in  social  constructionism  and  using  grounded  theory   analytical  methodology,  the  theory  of  positioning  universities  for  research  activeness   and  intensiveness  through  research  entanglement  identifies  four  trends  of   entanglement.    Research  actors  who  operate  in  a  habitual  state  of  heightened   entanglement  are  able  to  push  through  adversity.     It  is  theorised  that  the  position  of  leaning  towards  heightened  research  entanglement   creates  an  advantage  for  universities  towards  achieving  greater  research  activeness   and  intensiveness.  Where  the  position  of  leaning  away  from  entanglement  is   dominant,  this  may  create  institutional  stasis  and  an  inability  to  advance  the   institution  towards  greater  research  effort / GR2018

A research project submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MA in Research Psychology in the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, March 2016 / Despite 20 years of democracy, education in South Africa is still plagued by the inequalities carried over from apartheid. Concerns on issues of standardisation in education, which are linked to socio-economic status, make it increasingly difficult to determine what skills learners are leaving the schooling system with (Blignaut, 2009; Du Plessis & Webb, 2012; Lumadi, 2011; Maiyo, 2015; Watts, 2001). There is a need to bridge the gap that currently exists within education, and one way in which this is thought possible, is through the integration of technology in the classroom (Department of Education, 2004). In 2015 the Smart Schools Project was put in place to promote the implementation of technology in South African schools. One of the aims of this project is to standardise education through redressing the inequalities within the country. This study aimed to investigate the perceptions of parents, with regards to the introduction of technology within primary school classrooms in South Africa. In order to achieve the main aim of this study, perceptions of parents were explored from parents whose children were in private and government-funded schools. This study used a combination of two models in order to understand how parents’ usage and acceptance of technology could possibly influence their children’s interaction with technology. This study found that how parents come to use and accept technology is not influenced by socio-economic status. Further, it was noted that acceptance and usage impacted how they viewed technology being introduced in the classroom. / GR2017

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / This research is a contribution to the field of development evaluation. Much of the evaluation practice in development and public policy remains weak in scientific validity, and challenged by issues of attribution and comparability of results across different studies. After an in-depth review of the existing literature and an analysis of the current shortfalls and knowledge gaps in programme evaluation, the research proposes a methodological framework that allows for the empirical measurement and comparison of the impact of diverse types of interventions aimed at addressing a specific outcome of interest. The evaluation framework informs decision-making in social-economic development processes, by combing elements of theory-based counterfactual evaluation, multiple-treatment meta-analysis, mixed methods, and participatory approaches. The evaluation framework is tested in South Africa by utilising the proposed package of methods through two case studies presented in this thesis, to generate evidence for policy-makers, programme managers, and investors operating in the education sector. The first is an evaluation of the impact of the corporate social investments of Anglo American Platinum in Limpopo and North West provinces, that utilised geo-spatial features of mining operations to conduct a quasiexperiment. The second is a comparative analysis of major interventions implemented in South Africa to improve learning outcomes in public schools. The education meta-analysis is the first of its kind to be conducted in South Africa, and has revealed many locally-produced impact studies which had not previously been captured by international reviews on school interventions in developing countries. The empirical work conducted in this research confirms existing theories and reveals new insights into the role of the private sector, the proximity of schools to mines, psycho-social and economic factors, learner age and home language, educational material, quantity and quality of teachers, school management, and accountability systems, in affecting education outcomes. The research highlights some of the programmes and policies which have been most effective in South Africa’s schooling sector, while cautioning about the contextual factors and methodological design features which influence the effect sizes being reported in the evaluations of development interventions. The research concludes by reflecting on the experiences, data and cost analysis challenges, and the lessons learnt from the application of the proposed evaluation approaches in South Africa’s education sector. It discusses the limitations of the framework, and how this can be further refined for future use in other countries, sectors, and development policy contexts. / GR2018

Thesis (Ph.D. (Sociology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2004 / Refer to the document

Thesis (PhD. (Education)) --University of Limpopo, 2010 / This thesis is a study on the effect of resistance to change on quality education in Limpopo Province. The study investigated basic challenges in the change process at schools. The empirical research was done by using semi-standardized interviews where predetermined questions were posed to each participant in a systematic and consistent manner but allowed the participants to go on discussing issues on the effect of resistance to change on quality education beyond the questions confines. (cf. Struwig & Stead, 2001:98). Observations and perusal of documents complemented the interviews to gather information. Data was analyzed through tables. The study has revealed the reasons why do people (educators) resist change, pin-pointing the source of the resistance which makes it possible to see what needs to be done to avoid resistance or convert it into commitment to change. The literature review has brought to the light that change is not only needed because of what has happened in South Africa in the past, but made it very clear that education is changing everywhere in the world. South Africa has not only an opportunity to heal the crippled system of education but to simultaneously catch up with the world. The relevance of theory to the effect of resistance to change on quality education has been highlighted. The study is based on the ambiguity theories which stress uncertainty and complexity in schools and other organizations characterized by problematic goals, unclear technology and fluid participation in decision making with reference to the new approaches of facilitation and learning The study also attempted to look at policy initiatives with reference to uniform systems for schools and governance to promote quality education. Also, an attempt was made to integrate educational laws, policies and regulations with regard to the provision of quality education. Finally, recommendations to deal with resistance to change were high-lighted. In education, the megatrends are already making themselves felt for those who attempt to resist the change, the future holds frustration, unhappiness and ultimately defeat. For those interested in the improvement of quality education and for those who are willing to recognize the changes coming, there will be opportunities, challenges and the thrill of having participated in one of the most existing periods in history. It is the researchers wish that each South African hope to be equal to the task, for failure will have disastrous consequences not only for our learners, but ultimately for the System of Education and the entire Society.