Learners’ Physical Science performance in South Africa has been under discussion for several years, the challenge being that it has been exacerbated by continuous changes in the curriculum. Systems that have been put in place have yielded insufficient satisfactory solutions to both underperformance in the subject and sustainable good performance. Although interventions by curriculum policymakers have been ineffective, the issue at hand remains that teachers need to implement good teaching practices in order to ensure that all learners receive quality education. Physical Science teachers are custodians of a subject that may address scarce skills in the education system, so the quality of teaching must be optimised. Teachers need to implement intervention processes put in place by other stakeholders to reduce the negative perceptions that most people have about Physical Science. This study investigates how various factors related to the quality of teachers may affect the performance of Grade 12 learners in this subject. Since past studies have presented a broad spectrum of these factors, this study has categorised them as those directly related to teaching and those indirectly related to teaching. As a basis for data collection the researcher first established the overall status of the Physical Science teachers and investigated how the factors identified affect teaching. A mixed method approach was followed, and given the breadth of the study, available raw data was collected through questionnaires, interviews and observations. Data collected on factors indirectly related to teaching showed that these factors affect factors directly related to teaching and both of them affect the performance of the teacher, and consequently those of learners. These findings revealed that the performance of Physical Science cannot be based on one factor only, but on a combination of factors that are interrelated and should be integrated for effective teaching practices. Recommendations have been made to the National and Provincial Department of Education, District offices, school management teams and Physical Science teachers to reinforce other strategies that have been in place in order to improve or sustain good performance of the subject and to close gaps that have not been identified as possible intervention strategies. They include upgrading qualifications with the current content and methodologies to match the changing curriculum, restructuring workshops so that they are informed by the teacher’s needs, stabilising the curriculum to avoid many changes in short periods of time, retraining of teachers, relevant appointment of Heads of Departments (HoDs) into subject management positions, utilisation of support groups by teachers, proper management of the subject, proper screening of Physical Science learners and provision of teaching and learning resources. / Science and Technology Education / M. Ed. (Natural Science Education)

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Thesis (M.Ed.(Curriculum Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / The liability for the decline in performance in Grade 12 Accounting learners in Ehlanzeni District has been levelled against lack of resources in schools, teachers’ inability to execute their duties and poorly trained teachers. Arising from this indictment, this study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of assessment methods used for Grade 12 Accounting learners in Sikhulile and Mgwenya Circuits in Ehlanzeni District of Mpumalanga Province. A qualitative survey case study was used as a research design. Data was collected using one-to-one interviews among five Accounting teachers, five Heads of Department and five Principals. Qualitative data was presented using thematic and narrative analysis. The key findings were: (1) inadequacy of Accounting workshops and non-attendance by teachers, (2) lack of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) by Accounting teachers, (3) Accounting content gaps among learners and difficulties in the content area such as Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Statement, (4) shortage of Accounting Learning Teaching Support (LTSM), (5) inadequacies in pedagogical technological devices for teaching, learning and assessment in Accounting, (6) poor teaching and assessment methods used in Accounting and (7) inadequate support from the Department of Education. The study recommends increased frequency of workshops and making attendance compulsory, strategies to improve the pedagogical content knowledge of Accounting teachers, providing in-service training in Accounting to EMS teachers, improved supply of educational resources, improving the schools’ digital infrastructure such as internet connectivity and accessibility to digital devices, improving teachers’ pedagogical skills and digital skills and palpable Departmental support to teachers

Thesis (M.Ed. (Curriculum Studies) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / The main purpose of this study was to investigate enablers and inhibitors to implementing inclusive education in the Foundation Phase of rural schools in the Capricorn district, Limpopo province. The study was conducted in three primary schools (Foundation Phase) in the Capricorn district of Limpopo Province, South Africa. All the sampled schools have or once had special needs learners. This study employed qualitative research approach, which was backed by the case research design. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, focus group and document reviews. The interviews were backed by a tape recorder for quality and storage purposes. Eleven Foundation Phase teachers were sampled (but 10 interviews were used because the voice recording device I used to record, damaged the voice clip of an interview I had with T3A, and it was impossible to schedule another meeting due to school examinations commitments). These teachers were sampled using the purposive sampling technique. Data were analysed through the thematic data analysis method. The reviewed documents were The South African Schools Act (SASA), Education White Paper 6 (WP6) and Screening, Identification, Assessment and Support policy (SIAS). The findings were as follows: teachers showed an appealing understanding of inclusive education and teachers and policies agreed that Foundation Phase learners are susceptible to exclusions and priority must be projected towards them. Teacher training (inclusion workshops) and curriculum (lesson) differentiation are the chief enablers to implementing inclusive education at the sampled schools, yet challenges are pertinent. Unproductive workshops, overcrowded classrooms and a lack of resources, exclusion of rural teachers’ views on inclusion policies and issues of foreign learners are some of the factors that appeared key factors to inhibiting inclusion at the sampled schools.

A qualitative investigation was conducted to explore the characteristics of high quality teachers. This study used a phenomenological methodology, enabling the researcher to gather information from a purposeful selection of people directly identified as high quality teachers by their principals. This study employed processes of data collection commonly used in observational analysis and included the use of interviews found in qualitative design. The researcher was able to extract meaning using the coding process and the constant comparative method. Information was sorted into themes that supported and aligned with the research questions leading to a deeper understanding of the phenomenon. This was accomplished through thorough analysis of interviews and observations. Teacher participants were asked to participate in an interview prior to the classroom observation, be observed in the classroom, and participate in a post observation interview. Additionally, individual interviews were conducted with the principals of the teacher participants. The quality of data sources led to the triangulation of results giving credibility to the study. The study findings were conclusive regarding the key characteristics of high quality teaching. There was a clear relationship between high quality teaching and the use of a variety of instructional strategies, the ability to engage students in learning, the use of higher order questioning as a prevalent teaching strategy, the establishment of clear classroom expectations and the maintenance of those expectations, clear and deliberate communication to facilitate home and school partnerships, and a high level of passion for content and the profession of teaching. Other emerging themes may be utilized to connect high quality teaching to additional characteristics. These characteristics offer suggestions for further research to determine how strong the correlation is between high quality teaching and these themes. The themes included having a caring disposition, high expectations, being self-reflective, having content knowledge, being a team player, and having a strong work ethic. The research findings were evidenced and supported by a thorough literature review, the results of principal and teacher participant interviews, the results of classroom observations of teacher participants, and document analysis. The researcher also specified recommendations for future practice and suggestions for future research. The results from this study contribute to the body of knowledge on the exploration of the characteristics of high quality teachers.

The out of field phenomenon, that is, educators who teach outside their field of expertise, adds complexity to the education environment. This growing phenomenon in South African schools impacts colleagues, learners, parents, governing bodies and school management. Teaching characteristics that ensure success in classrooms are threatened by the out of field phenomenon. It puts extra strain on school management's responsibility to provide quality management and jeopardises effective teaching and quality learning. This problem was investigated by a literature study and an empirical investigation using a qualitative approach. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with selected participants who shared their experiences of the phenomenon. Findings indicated that the existence of the out of field phenomenon should be recognised in order to provide substantial educator support and sufficient staff development programmes. It is recommended that new evidence-informed knowledge about the out of field phenomenon can contribute to improve effective decision making and policy developing in this regard. / Education management / M.Ed.

The primary purpose of the study was to investigate the factors that cause most Lesotho secondary schools to perform poorly in the Cambridge Overseas School Certificate examinations. The findings of the study show that the problems that contribute to the ineffectiveness of most secondary schools are multiple and interrelated. These problems can be identified at the macro or policy-making level at the Ministry of Education, and at the micro or the individual school level. At macro level, there appears to be a lack of adequate capacity among the senior management staff to perform the management and governance functions effectively, so that substantive improvement could be realised in the day-to-day operations, and academic results of schools. An upshot of this is that the professional support that the Ministry of Education provides to secondary schools is inadequate. Furthermore, despite the deepening poverty in Lesotho, the state does not provide textbooks to learners in secondary schools. Consequently, many learners do not have all the textbooks, and this affects their learning negatively. At micro level, the problems that contribute to the ineffectiveness of most secondary schools include teacher tardiness, teacher absenteeism and a lack of learner determination. It is contended that these factors indicate that the management of the school principals is weak. Moreover, because of poverty, many parents fail to pay school fees for their children on time. As a result, many learners are frequently sent back home by the principals to fetch money, and this reduces their academic learning time. The study also revealed that prior academic achievement of learners in primary schools is, to a large extent, a major predictor of their achievement in secondary schools. In this regard, the highly effective schools, which have selective admission policies and accept mainly Form A applicants, tend to consistently outperform the average and less effective schools, which have open admission policies. In order to improve the academic performance of secondary schools, it is recommended that the Ministry of Education officials, principals, teachers and learners should work more diligently and refocus their efforts on the core business of schools, namely, teaching and learning. / Teacher Education / D. Ed. (Education Management)

Acknowledging the various benefits that can be reaped from good quality education in schools, the primary aim of this study was to explore and investigate the effect of the BETD Graduates on the quality of education in primary schools, in Kunene region. Seventeen primary school principals took part in the study. They completed a questionnaire and the data was analysed using a qualitative method. Four main categories were investigated: (i) socio-demographic information (ii) the implementation of the BETD skills (iii) job performance and (iv) organizational effectiveness. This study suggests that there is a strong relationship between the type and quality of teacher education and its effect on the achievement and performances of learners in particular and the school in general. Therefore the quality of education in schools can be determined by the quality of the teachers on the ground. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Education Management)

The aim of this study was to find out the perceptions on the principals’ implementation of instructional leadership in the Amajuba District of KwaZulu-Natal with a view to provide guidelines that may be employed to enhance the execution of this role. Scholars believe that instructional leadership can assist in the transformation of schools into effective schools with consistent high learner achievement. In the Amajuba District schools show fluctuation in their grade twelve results, hence the need to investigate the principals’ implementation of instructional leadership. The grade 12 results were used because it is assumed that the variance is indicative of the differences in the principal’ leadership roles in these schools. This qualitative study examines the principals’ instructional leadership role. Data was gathered by means of literature study and focus group interviews. Four interviews were held: three with Deputy Principals and Heads of Departments, and the fourth one comprised of principals of the six selected secondary schools. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

Many schools in South Africa face challenges of poor teacher performance as a result of implementing performance evaluation systems that are not developmental. In an attempt to resolve the current implementation challenges of the South African Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) which is theoretically aligned to the TQM principles, the focus in this study is on the perceptions of school-based managers and educators regarding the effectiveness of the developmental supervision model as a possible tool for improving the quality of teaching. A mixed methods research design characterised by the explanatory sequential design was used to address the research questions. Out of the 350 randomly selected participants in all 15 districts of the Gauteng Province responded to the quantitative phase in the form of questionnaires. This was followed by analysis of the qualitative data from three focus group interview sessions that were conducted in Sedibeng East, Sedibeng West and Johannesburg North districts of the Gauteng Province in order to get in-depth explanations on perceptions of school-based managers and educators. Each of the three focus group interviews comprised of ten purposefully selected participants embracing two principals, two vice principals, two HODs and four educators per district. The results indicate that school-based managers and educators strongly believed that the developmental supervision model is an excellent tool for improving quality of teaching by applying implementation strategies comprising of the clinical supervision, self-directed supervision, peer supervision and connoisseurship strategies. These results were based on the opinion of the participants that the characteristics of the developmental supervision implementation strategies align with the Total Quality Management principles which were perceived to have a positive influence on improving the quality of teaching. The same supervision strategies were also found to match different levels of teacher development according to their levels of expertise and commitment. In contrast, the IQMS performance evaluation process, which also involves self-evaluation and peer evaluation, was believed to lack compliance with the developmental supervision strategies and the TQM principles during practical implementation because of characteristics related to the traditional inspection approaches to professional development. It is therefore recommended that the developmental supervision model should be introduced in South African schools to effectively implement the IQMS in order to ensure improved quality of teaching. / Educational Management and Leadership / D. Ed. (Education Management)