Submitted in fulfillment ofthe requirements for the degree MASTER OF EDUCATION in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education of the UNIVERSITY OF ZULULAND, 2006. / The growing number of educators leaving the teaching profession to take up teaching posts in other countries indicates that they are unhappy with the present working conditions. This "brain drain" results in a shortage of trained educators necessary to ensure the success of our democracy. The status of the profession is at an all time low. Literature pertaining to the factors which impact on educator morale and its implications on educator efficiency were reviewed. All- factors that could possibly impact on educator morale were investigated. The research has revealed that the negative factors present in the profession far outweigh the positive factors. These push factors result in many educators leaving the profession. The descriptive method of research was used to collect data with regards to educators' perceptions of the influence of morale on educator efficiency. An empirical survey comprising a structured questionnaire was completed by educators in the Amanzimtoti Ward of Kwazulu-Natal. The data that was collected reveals that certain factors do impact negatively on educator morale and consequently affects the efficiency of educators. Some of these factors are; • learner discipline and interest, • low salary and benefits, • changing methodology and educational policies, and • parental apathy. Based on the findings, the study recommends that the working conditions for educators be improved and the workload be reduced. All stakeholders should be involved in the disciplinary committee and in drawing up the code of conduct. Educators should enhance the status of the profession by behaving in a professional manner and by improving the quality of work.

The study reported in this thesis explores the experiences of Educators-As-Lay-Counsellors (EALCs) of the Read-me-to-Resilience (Rm2R) intervention strategy with black South African orphans in order to theorise about the value of providing EALCs with a ready-made intervention tool in the interest of supporting their resilience. EALCs are educators who are assigned the role of pastoral carer or are voluntarily fulfilling this role. Most educators who fulfil lay counselling roles are not formally equipped to be skilled helpers. Not only are educators in general poorly trained to cope with the social and emotional needs of orphaned and other vulnerable children, but working as an EALC has additional challenges. One possible way of supporting EALCs to be resilient in the face of the challenges endemic to being a lay counsellor in South Africa in the 21st century is to support EALC access to counselling tools and resilience-supporting interventions. However, existing resilience and other literature does not document how valuable providing EALCs with ready-made counselling tools/intervention programmes might be. Thus, the purpose of this study was to theorise about the value of providing EALCs with ready-made intervention tools. A secondary, but related purpose was to explore EALCs‟ experiences of the Rm2R intervention strategy as a pathway to resilience for orphaned South African learners and for the EALCs themselves. To achieve this purpose, 16 South African educators voluntarily implemented the Rm2R (as an example of a ready-made intervention) for 11 weeks with orphaned learners. Its usefulness was investigated using a pre-intervention/post-intervention design and qualitative data generation techniques (the draw-and-write technique, focus group interviews and research diaries). Participating educators reported that using the Rm2R intervention promoted their positive adjustment to the challenges of lay counselling. This included the development of a positive attitude towards lay counselling roles, and greater counselling competence and cultural awareness. Four resilience-supporting pathways were reported for orphaned learners, including the promotion of life skills, positive distraction, constructive attachments and an appreciation of cultural resources. Although the Rm2R intervention was useful as a ready-made intervention, refinements were suggested to address frustrations experienced during implementation. These findings allowed theorisation about the usefulness of providing EALCs with ready-made interventions. The study concluded that there is limited value in providing EALCs with a ready-made intervention tool in the interest of supporting EALC resilience. / PhD (Educational Psychology), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

The study reported in this thesis explores the experiences of Educators-As-Lay-Counsellors (EALCs) of the Read-me-to-Resilience (Rm2R) intervention strategy with black South African orphans in order to theorise about the value of providing EALCs with a ready-made intervention tool in the interest of supporting their resilience. EALCs are educators who are assigned the role of pastoral carer or are voluntarily fulfilling this role. Most educators who fulfil lay counselling roles are not formally equipped to be skilled helpers. Not only are educators in general poorly trained to cope with the social and emotional needs of orphaned and other vulnerable children, but working as an EALC has additional challenges. One possible way of supporting EALCs to be resilient in the face of the challenges endemic to being a lay counsellor in South Africa in the 21st century is to support EALC access to counselling tools and resilience-supporting interventions. However, existing resilience and other literature does not document how valuable providing EALCs with ready-made counselling tools/intervention programmes might be. Thus, the purpose of this study was to theorise about the value of providing EALCs with ready-made intervention tools. A secondary, but related purpose was to explore EALCs‟ experiences of the Rm2R intervention strategy as a pathway to resilience for orphaned South African learners and for the EALCs themselves. To achieve this purpose, 16 South African educators voluntarily implemented the Rm2R (as an example of a ready-made intervention) for 11 weeks with orphaned learners. Its usefulness was investigated using a pre-intervention/post-intervention design and qualitative data generation techniques (the draw-and-write technique, focus group interviews and research diaries). Participating educators reported that using the Rm2R intervention promoted their positive adjustment to the challenges of lay counselling. This included the development of a positive attitude towards lay counselling roles, and greater counselling competence and cultural awareness. Four resilience-supporting pathways were reported for orphaned learners, including the promotion of life skills, positive distraction, constructive attachments and an appreciation of cultural resources. Although the Rm2R intervention was useful as a ready-made intervention, refinements were suggested to address frustrations experienced during implementation. These findings allowed theorisation about the usefulness of providing EALCs with ready-made interventions. The study concluded that there is limited value in providing EALCs with a ready-made intervention tool in the interest of supporting EALC resilience. / PhD (Educational Psychology), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The use of computers in the classroom could allow both educators and learners to achieve new capabilities. There are underlying factors, however, that are obstructing the adoption rate of computer use for instructional purposes in schools. The study focused on these problems with a view to determining which critical success factors promote a higher adoption rate of computer usage in education. This study derived its theoretical framework from various technology adoption and educational models Methodology: The nature of the study required a . Furthermore, it investigated ways in which computer technology could enhance learning. mixed methods approach to be employed, making use of both quantitative and qualitative data. Two questionnaires, one for the educators and one for the principals of the schools were hand-delivered to 60 secondary schools. Exploratory factor analysis and various internal consistency measures were used to assess and analyse the data.Conclusion: Educationists and policy-makers must include all principals and educators when technological innovations are introduced into schools. All these role-players need to be cognisant of the implications if innovations are not appropriately implemented. Including the use of computers in educator training programs is important so that pre-service educators can see the benefits of using the computer in their own teaching. / South Africa

Submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MA (Counseling Psychology) in the Department of Psychology at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2009. / The reported study evaluated the effectiveness of the Zululand University HIV/AIDS peer educator programme. The evaluation was surnmative in nature. The research design was a pre-post-test control group design and both qualitative and quantitative methods were used for data collection and data analysis. The outcome measures used for the evaluation were changes in participants' HIV/AIDS knowledge, attitude, and behavioural practices. Results indicated that changes had occurred in the experimental groups attitudes regarding HIV/AIDS, knowledge of HIV/Aids, and the behavioural practices of the participants. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted on attitude, knowledge, and behavioural practices between gender and groups. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that there were no significant differences in knowledge, attitude, or behavioural practices for both gender and groups. However, a qualitative analysis revealed that the programme was significantly beneficial to participants with regards to their own relationships and empowerment. It has been suggested that further research should be conducted using a larger time frame and larger sample for evaluation.

This research report investigates the critique that selected independent schools have about the new curriculum in South Africa, the National Curriculum Statement (NCS). The NCS was introduced in response to the implementation of a political democratic dispensation in South Africa, in an attempt to marry the philosophy of democracy to education. The NCS is fundamentally different to the apartheid curriculum in that it is based on democratic values that are derived from the South African Constitution. The independent school sector has been vocal in its critique of the NCS. This study thus investigates this critique in an attempt to uncover the reasons that underlie it. Methodologically, this research project is located in the qualitative paradigm. The research participants comprised teachers and heads of curriculum from three schools in the independent sector, as well as managers from the Independent Examinations Board (IEB). The IEB is the assessment body to which the independent school sector belongs. The independent school sector that this study focused on is upper middle class high-fee paying schools, which are located in the ex whites-only suburbs in South Africa. To gather data from the research participants, I used questionnaires and interviews. The combination of structured and unstructured interviews allowed me to systematically probe the research participants’ understandings and views on the NCS. The themes that emerged from the findings are: (1) the old curriculum is used as a benchmark for the NCS; (2) democratic values teaching in the NCS is regarded as optional and (3) educators continue to hold on to their identities in alignment with the past curriculum. One of the key factors that is used to judge the worth of an independent school is the academic results that the school achieves. This has prompted the independent school sector to continue with the same pedagogical practices that they used in the past curriculum, since they have provided the sought-after academic results. In this regard, very little democratic values teaching is taking place in the schools, as intended by the implementation of the NCS. The IEB, as the assessment body, continues to focus on assessment practices that are largely reminiscent of the past curriculum where the main focus was on summative forms of assessment (form of assessment that is used to record a judgement of the performance or competence of a learner), rather than on formative forms of assessment (form of assessment that gives feedback to the learners so that they can improve their performance). This research project concludes with possible suggestions for each group of research participants that could assist them to implement the NCS as it was intended; that is, as a democratic values-based transformational curriculum. Recommendations for future research are also made.

Meaning-making is an important process to the personal and professional development of students in higher education. Today’s educators need to acknowledge and encourage the meaning-making process in order for these quarter-life students to enjoy an enriched life of meaning, as well as excel in academia. I challenge educators to apply meaning-making to their own lives in order to gain a deeper understanding of their personal purpose in their lives and as educators on college campuses. Written within a Scholarly Personal Narrative methodology, my thesis proposes that, through the deep and personal meaning-making process, students and educators can create a more meaningful experience in the classroom on today’s higher education campuses.

Thesis advisor: Joseph O'Keefe / This qualitative case study examined how central office administrators (COAs) and principals in one school district made sense of the new Massachusetts Model System for Educator Evaluation (MMSEE) and how COAs communicated their understanding and expectations of MMSEE to principals. Specifically, this study utilized the sensemaking property of enactment as central to its conceptual framework; thus, sensemaking was defined by what COAs enacted to implement MMSEE for principal evaluation. Data gathered from semi-structured interviews with COAs and principals revealed that COAs and principals lacked consistent understanding of MMSEE implementation. The data also illustrated that COAs and principals viewed communication about MMSEE in different ways. The study indicated that the district has invested in developing principals to be instructional leaders but has not yet created coherence between district initiatives and MMSEE expectations. The study recommends that COAs clearly communicate to principals the alignment of enacted district level supports with MMSEE evaluation. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2016. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

This dissertation presents three separate studies designed to examine perspectives on employment for individuals with disabilities from employers and educators. First, a literature review was conducted on the studies published in the past decade to provide an update of employers' attitudes toward employees with disabilities. Investigated factors included studies? methodologies, research procedures, and employer characteristics. Research findings indicated that employers increasingly showed favorable attitudes toward individuals with disabilities and demonstrated willingness to hire workers with disabilities. Employers' previous experience with workers with disabilities was associated with positive employer attitudes. Secondly, 168 employers and 105 educators were surveyed regarding their perspectives on valued employability skills for entry-level employees with and without disabilities. The second study primarily focused on examining employers' perspectives of the most valued employability skill areas and specific employability skills as well as associated employer factors (i.e., respondents' genders and types of business/industry). Differences between employers' expectations for employees with disabilities and for those without disabilities were analyzed. The study results presented findings on important employability skills and discrepancies between rating for employees with and without disabilities were discussed, and reported the effects of respondent factors. Lastly, the third study investigated and compared both employers and educators' expectations on important employability skills. Study identified differences of ratings on important employability skills between employers and educators. Study also found out how they viewed differently on employability skills for employees with and without disabilities. To sum up, this dissertation revealed updated trends of employers' attitude toward workers with disabilities. It also identified critical employability skills viewed by employers and educators for entry-level workers with disabilities. The comparisons between employers and educators' perspectives provided information on what schools should include or emphasize in vocational preparation programs to prepare students with disabilities for future employment.

Recent research by Boyd et al (2009) and Murray (2007) designed to explore the experiences of new academics moving into higher education from vocational and professional backgrounds, indicates that the transition from clinical practice to academic roles can be challenging. Additional research by Hurst (2010) further demonstrates that despite having established successful clinical careers, clinicians often experience feelings of uncertainty and inadequacy following such a move, taking between 1.5 and 3 years to socialise into their new academic roles (Hurst, 2010). In addition, the transition of pre-registration nurse training into higher education is relatively recent, following its wholesale relocation from schools of nursing located in the National Health Service to higher education institutions in the early 1990s. This move was initiated in response to growing concerns that the traditional apprentice model of pre-registration training, with its focus on functional competency, failed to give nurses the freedom or status required for professional development (UKCC, 1986). Therefore, given the relative recency of the move and growing evidence of the difficulties experienced by health professionals, it is pertinent to examine how they have managed the transition. Therefore, the purpose of this constructivist study is to investigate the academic role of the nurse educator and its contribution to the formation of personal academic identity. Undertaken over a three year period, this study uses intensive interviews with 14 academics employed in pre-1992 and post-1992 universities. Data analysis using grounded theory techniques provides a rich and detailed picture of nurse educators' personal academic identities, juxtaposed by a number of institutional, social and professional drivers. The main findings also signify congruence with previous studies (Boyd et ai, 2009, Murray, 2007) and indicate academics experience multiple challenges when making the transition into higher education. Challenges inhibit their ability to assimilate into an academic identity and realise academic roles, a position leading respondents to express concern about the efficacy of the competency based curricula and their ability to meet the wider educational needs of pre-registration nursing. The reciprocal processes of data collection, analysis and theory generation leads to the production of a model of academic identity transformation and explicit recommendations that may be used to direct the ongoing development of nurse education.