M.Ing. / The low level of living standard of South Africa's black population is a characteristic of its history. The economic growth and development of any country rely on its factors of production. The main factor of production that can not be neglected is its labour force. The labour force of South Africa is plagued by its history, where the strategy of the past government of that era was to ensure that the black population remains uneducated. South Africa has however moved beyond its past and is looking into the future where its people can live in harmony. The majority of the population fall between the ages of 15-35 classified as youth. Unfortunately the highest unemployment rate occurs amongst the black youth of South Africa. The challenge South Africa faces is to alleviate poverty and the high rate of unemployment. The focus is to boost the work force by changing the skills profile of the people, which is currently enforced by the government through the Skills Development Act. The study undertaken indicated that to achieve a better life for all a paradigm shift in the educational system of the country must be initiated. A much needed technical skills development is required. However the long term remedy could be to ensure that the schools provide quality learners who will be able to be utilised in the work place. Another important factor of production is technology innovation, the only set-back is that there is a small community of engineers in the country and the enrolment figures for this field of study are not promising. One of the root causes of this is the low percentage of mathematics and physical science learners completing school. As a result there are a low percentage of learners moving into a technical field of study especially engineering. One of ways to unlock South Africa's economic growth is an investment in its people and engineers are the most suitable custodians. The engineer can drive technology which is one of the portals to techno-economic growth. While humanity shares one planet, it is the planet on which there are two worlds, the world of the rich and the world of the poor. Raanan Weitz, 1986. We cannot rebuild our society at the expense and standard of living of ordinary men and women. We cannot develop at the expense of social justice. We cannot compete without a floor of basic human standards. Nelson Mandela The school in many underdeveloped countries is a reflection and a fruit of the surrounding underdevelopment, from which arises its deficiency, its quantitative and qualitative poverty. But little by little, and there lies the really serious risk, the school in these underdeveloped countries risks becoming in turn a factor of underdevelopment. Joseph Kizerbo, former Minister of Education, Burkino Faso

D.Ed. / The school is an institution that came into being on demand of the community and as such is also responsible to the community for all its activities. This entails that the teaching provided by the school should be directed, amongst other things, to the interests and needs of the learners and the community. To ensure that the teaching is systematic, purposeful and progresses according to specified contents, all school activities are organized by a programme, known as a curriculum. This research was directed at a definite aspect of formal teaching provision, viz. vocationally-oriented education and more specifically to technical education at secondary school level. Observation and commentary from various sources indicate that the relevance of technical education at school level is questioned by post-school "users of technical education". This is particularly pertinent if it is considered against the background of, inter alia, the appeal for a greater shift in emphasis of vocationally-oriented and vocational education, the revision of the broad curriculum for pre-tertiary education that is currently being undertaken and the economic, social and political climate that prevails in the RSA at present. The problem for the present research was defined against this background as the search for measures to ensure that the curricula for the technical field of study at school level comply with the needs and demands of the community with specific reference to the post-school "users of technical education". The purpose of the study centres around the development of a curriculum for technical education. As a result of restrictions imposed on the extent of the study the developmental activities were curtailed to the design of a part-theory that comprises a situation and goal analysis followed by the setting of guidelines for a structure whereby the contents for the electrical field of study (as exemplar for the technical field of study) can be selected and organized. In achieving this aim, brief consideration was initially given to the didactic-pedagogic founding of the school curriculum and curriculum development as a process. An extensive literature study was subsequently undertaken regarding technical education at school level (as a form of vocationally - oriented and vocational education). This literature investigation mainly covered two fields, viz. the historical development of technical education at school level in the RSA and definite aspects directly related to the provision of vocationally-oriented vocational education and specifically technical education at school level. Regarding the latter, consideration was given, amongst others, to relevance and differentiation as principles of educational provision, the task of the school with reference to the provision of generally-oriented and specialized education (vocationally-oriented and vocational education), the status of technical education as well as the rationalization of technical subjects at school level...

Many engineers perform managerial roles; however, their professional education in engineering usually does not include management education. Thus, this study examined the participation of the Nigerian licensed engineers in professional development activities in management. The study proposed (1) to determine if, in fact, Nigerian licensed engineers participate in management education and training; (2) to determine the management programs in which the engineers participated and whether participation was voluntary or required, or within Nigeria or overseas; (3) to test hypotheses dealing with these variables: age, management level, academic level, years of experience in a managerial role, and sector of employment; and (4) to identify the mean number of hours of participation. Also, the engineers were asked to judge the value of non-credit versus credit programs.

This mixed methods case study documents an effort to implement authentic science and engineering instruction in one teacher's ninth grade science classrooms in a science-focused public school. The research framework and methodology is a derivative of work developed and reported by Newmann and others (Newmann & Associates, 1996). Based on a working definition of authenticity, data were collected for eight months on the authenticity in the experienced teacher's pedagogy and in student performance. Authenticity was defined as the degree to which a classroom lesson, an assessment task, or an example of student performance demonstrates construction of knowledge through use of the meaning-making processes of science and engineering, and has some value to students beyond demonstrating success in school (Wehlage et al., 1996). Instruments adapted for this study produced a rich description of the authenticity of the teacher's instruction and student performance. The pedagogical practices of the classroom teacher were measured as moderately authentic on average. However, the authenticity model revealed the teacher's strategy of interspersing relatively low authenticity instructional units focused on building science knowledge with much higher authenticity tasks requiring students to apply these concepts and skills. The authenticity of the construction of knowledge and science meaning-making processes components of authentic pedagogy were found to be greater, than the authenticity of affordances for students to find value in classroom activities beyond demonstrating success in school. Instruction frequently included one aspect of value beyond school, connections to the world outside the classroom, but students were infrequently afforded the opportunity to present their classwork to audiences beyond the teacher. When the science instruction in the case was measured to afford a greater level of authentic intellectual work, a higher level of authentic student performance on science classwork was also measured. In addition, direct observation measures of student behavioral engagement showed that behavioral engagement was generally high, but not associated with the authenticity of the pedagogy. Direct observation measures of student self-regulation found evidence that when instruction focused on core science and engineering concepts and made stronger connections to the student's world beyond the classroom, student self-regulated learning was greater, and included evidence of student ownership. In light of the alignment between the model of authenticity used in this study and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), the results suggest that further research on the value beyond school component of the model could improve understanding of student engagement and performance in response to the implementation of the NGSS. In particular, it suggests a unique role environmental education can play in affording student success in K-12 science and a tool to measure that role.

It is important that students understand not only how their local watershed functions, but also how it is being impacted by impervious surfaces. Additionally, students need experience exploring the scientific and engineering practices that are necessary for a strong STEM background. With this knowledge students can be empowered to tackle this real and local problem using engineering design, a powerful practice gaining momentum and clarity through its prominence in the recent Framework for K-12 Science Education. Twenty classes of suburban sixth-graders participated in a new five-week Watershed Engineering Design Unit taught by their regular science teachers. Students engaged in scientific inquiry to learn about the structure, function, and health of their local watersheds, focusing on the effects of impervious surfaces. In small groups, students used the engineering design process to propose solutions to lessen the impact of runoff from their school campuses. The goal of this evaluation was to determine the effectiveness of the curriculum in terms of student gains in understanding of (1) watershed function, (2) the impact of impervious surfaces, and (3) the engineering design process. To determine the impact of this curriculum on their learning, students took multiple-choice pre- and post-assessments made up of items covering the three categories above. This data was analyzed for statistical significance using a lower-tailed paired sample t-test. All three objectives showed statistically significant learning gains and the results were used to recommend improvements to the curriculum and the assessment instrument for future iterations.

O objetivo do estudo foi analisar como as estratégias de ensino e de avaliação são utilizadas por professores da Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná na formação de engenheiros. Os principais fatores que justificam a realização deste estudo são o pequeno número de estudos que tratam das questões pedagógicas no ensino de engenharia, o contexto atual de valores que exige uma multiplicidade de fun- ções do engenheiro e a influência que as estratégias de ensino e de avaliação exercem no processo de formação. O estudo fundamenta-se em conceitos desenvolvidos por diversos autores das áreas de educação em engenharia e didática do ensino superior que discutem a história, os problemas, as necessidades de mudanças nessa área e estratégias de ensino e de avaliação nesse nível de ensino. A abordagem metodológica adotada foi o delineamento misto sequencial explanatório, composto de uma fase quantitativa, seguida por uma fase qualitativa que ajuda a entender com maior profundidade os resultados quantitativos obtidos na primeira fase. O estudo foi conduzido em três câmpus da Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná. Os sujeitos da pesquisa foram professores que ministravam disciplinas específicas e/ou profissionalizantes de 11 cursos de engenharia. Na primeira fase do estudo, quantitativa, foi desenvolvido um questionário para a coleta de dados. O instrumento foi validado por um painel de especialistas, testado em um estudo-piloto e administrado a uma amostra constituída por 199 professores. Os dados obtidos foram submetidos a testes da estatística descritiva e da estatística não paramétrica. Os resultados indicaram a frequência de utilização de estratégias de ensino e de avaliação; a adoção de condutas relacionadas ao processo ensino-aprendizagem; a importância que os professores atribuem a vários aspectos relacionados à aquisição de habilidades didático-pedagógicas; e a influência de algumas características pessoais e contextuais sobre a definição de estratégias de ensino e de avaliação utilizadas. Com base nos resultados quantitativos foi elaborado um protocolo de entrevista semiestruturada, administrada a 17 professores. O conjunto de resultados mostrou que a maioria dos professores não conhece e/ou não utiliza estratégias de ensino sugeridas pelas propostas de aprendizagem ativa e de avaliação formativa, mas que, entretanto, no desenvolvimento das aulas procuram promover uma participação ativa dos alunos nas discussões sobre os conteúdos ministrados, desenvolver e avaliar aspectos superiores à capacidade de memorização e de reprodução; que os processos de ensino e de avaliação desenvolvidos são centrados no professor; que os principais fatores que influenciam a definição das estratégias de ensino e de avaliação utilizadas são características diretamente relacionadas à prática didática; que a aquisição de habilidades didático-pedagógicas ainda acontece principalmente por meio da experiência no cotidiano da sala de aula. Esta pesquisa contribuiu para que se tenha uma compreensão mais ampla a respeito da prática didática nos cursos de engenharia, mas fica evidente a necessidade de mais estudos que venham a identificar outras especificidades dessa área do ensino superior. / The objective of the study was to analyze how teaching and assessment strategies are used by teachers of the Federal University of Technology – Paraná in training of engineers. The main factors that justify this study are the small number of studies dealing with pedagogical issues in engineering education, the current context of values that require a multiplicity of functions of the engineer and the training process under the influence of teaching and evaluation strategies. The study is based on concepts developed by several authors of the areas of engineering education and higher education didactics who discuss the history, problems, the need for changes in this area and strategies of teaching and evaluation in this level of education. The methodological approach adopted was the explanatory sequential mixed method design, composed of a quantitative phase followed by a qualitative phase that helps to understand in more depth the quantitative results obtained in the first phase. The study was conducted in three Campi of the Federal University of Technology - Paraná. The research responsibles were teachers who taught specific and / or vocational disciplines in 11 engineering courses. In the first phase of the quantitative study, a questionnaire was developed to collect data. The instrument was validated by a panel of experts, tested in a pilot study and administered to a sample of 199 teachers. Data were submitted to descriptive statistics and non-parametric statistics. The results indicated the frequency of use of teaching and evaluation strategies; the adoption of behaviors related to the teaching-learning process; the importance that teachers attribute to various aspects related to the acquisition of didactic-pedagogical skills; and the influence of some personal and contextual characteristics on the definition of teaching strategies and evaluation used. Based on the quantitative results, a semi-structured interview protocol was administered to 17 teachers. The answers of the teachers allowed a deepening of the results obtained in the quantitative phase. The set of results showed that most teachers do not know and / or do not use teaching strategies suggested by the active learning and formative evaluation proposals, but that, in the meantime, in the development of the classes, they seek to promote an active participation of the students in the discussions about content taught, develop and evaluate superior aspects to the ability of memorizing and reproducing; that the process of teaching and evaluation developed, they are focused on the teacher; that the main factors that influence the definition of teaching and assessment strategies used are characteristics that are directly related to didactic practice; and that the acquisition of didactic-pedagogical abilities still works mainly through the everyday classroom experience. This research contributed to a broader understanding of didactic practice in engineering courses, but it is evident that more studies are needed to identify other specificities of higher education.

The research problem reflected a lower number of female postgraduate students and academics as compared to their male counterparts within the Faculty of Engineering at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. A descriptive survey was disseminated to a stratified sample of undergraduate final year students in the disciplines of Chemical, Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Electronic, Computer and Bioresources Engineering. An online survey was also sent to the nine female academics within the Faculty. The study indicates that the social and academic environment within the Faculty of Engineering at the University of KwaZulu-Natal was not a deterrent to female graduates studying further and entering academia. The exam performance of both male and female students was similar and neither the drop-out rate nor failure was due to gender but rather to the choice of degree. An issue of concern to both the student and the academic group was the low numbers of female academics. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)

Thesis (PhD (Curriculum Studies))-- University of Stellenbosch, 2009 / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to develop a curriculum framework for engineering introduction programmes offered at a higher education institution, using a case study design. The South African government is attempting to redress the social inequalities which prevailed in the education sector during the apartheid era. One of their efforts has involved the widening of access to diverse groups in society in order to increase participation within the higher education sector. However, many students attempting their higher education studies are academically under prepared. This is mainly due to insufficient life skills, communication skills, numeric skills and literacy skills. The lack of these skills has inspired various international and national higher education institutions to develop academic programmes aimed at bridging the gap that exists between secondary schooling and higher education. Introduction programmes for prospective engineering students have to ensure high-quality curriculum development procedures in order to secure these students’ academic success throughout their engineering studies. This, in turn, leads to quality graduates and addresses the huge shortage experienced by the industry. An overview of the contextual and conceptual views on curriculum development is given against the backdrop of the current higher education legislation in South Africa. The overview regarding curriculum development links the introduction programme curriculum to generic learning outcomes specifically set at the National Qualification Framework Level 4. It suggests the application of continuous assessments, in line with outcomes-based education criteria, together with quality assurance in order to fit the Higher Education Quality Committee and the Engineering Council of South Africa’s accreditation criteria applicable to higher education institutions. During the design and methodological stages, it was established, by means of a theoretical investigation, that the first phase of this study determines whether students that successfully completed the introduction programme perform academically better than students entering the diploma programmes directly. The theoretical investigation also established that the second phase of this study determines if the diploma students dropped out of the programme for reasons other than academic performance. A triangulation approach was used to increase the validity of the empirical part of the study and to enhance the rigorous use of both quantitative and qualitative data. The study results shed light on the need for introduction programmes. In addition, it proposed a curriculum framework for improved engineering introduction programmes at the Vaal University of Technology. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie studie was om kurrikulumraamwerk vir oorbruggingsprogram vir ingenieurswese-studente in hoër onderwys te ontwikkel. Die kurrikulumraamwerk is ontwikkel deur middel van gevallestudie wat die implementering van oorbruggingskursusse in die ingenieurswese indringend ondersoek het. Die huidige Suid-Afrikaanse regering poog om die sosio-politieke wanbalanse as nalatenskap van apartheid, uit te wis. Dit word gedoen deur middel van inisiatiewe waarin onder meer hoër onderwys prominente vennoot is wat aan diverse samelewing gelyke geleenthede bied. Die huidige, meer toeganklike bedeling in hoër onderwys in Suid-Afrika het groot toename van studente uit histories agtergeblewe gemeenskappe tot gevolg gehad. Die meeste studente wat in hierdie konteks die hoëronderwyssektor betree, blyk in groot mate onvoorbereid te wees vir hoër onderwys vanweë hul gebrek aan lewens-, kommunikasie-, numeriese en taalvaardighede. Hierdie tendens kom ook op internasionale vlak voor. Dit het inisiatiewe ten opsigte van akademiese ontwikkeling op nasionale sowel as internasionale vlak genoodsaak. Die doel van akademiese ontwikkeling is primêr om die gaping tussen die skool en hoër onderwys te oorbrug. Oorbruggingskursusse moet van hoë gehalte wees om sodoende te kan verseker dat voornemende studente vir hoër onderwys, en vir die doel van hierdie studie meer spesifiek ingenieurstudente, van groter akademiese sukses verseker kan wees. Die suksesvolle implementering van oorbruggingskursusse vir ingenieurswese-studente behoort in groot mate tot beter gehalte gegradueerde te lei en bydrae te lewer tot die vraag na ingenieurswese-studente vir die nywerheidswêreld. Kontekstuele en konsepsuele beskouings ten opsigte van kurrikulumontwikkeling in die hoër onderwys in Suid-Afrika word deur generiese leeruitkomste bepaal. Hierdie uitkomste is op vlak 4 van die land se Nasionale Kwalifikasieraamwerk vasgepen. Dit het ook tot gevolg dat alle programme volgens amptelike Departement van Onderwys-dokumente aan deurlopende assessering onderwerp moet word, dat die gehalte van die kursus onderworpe is aan die gehalteversekeringskriteria van die vi Hoëronderwys se Gehaltekomitee (‘HEQC’) en dat dit moet voldoen aan die vereistes van die Ingenieursraad van Suid-Afrika. Teoretiese raamwerk is tydens die ontwerp- en metodiekstadium van die studie daargestel. Die doel van hierdie eerste fase van die studie was om te bepaal of diplomastudente wat die oorbruggingskursusse suksesvol voltooi het, akademies beter gepresteer het as daardie studente wat nie die oorbruggingskursus gevolg het nie. Die tweede studiefase het bepaal of die diplomastudente hul studies vir redes gestaak het wat moontlik nie met akademiese sukses verband hou nie. Die navorsing het van triangulasie gebruik gemaak, ten einde die doeltreffende gebruik van sowel kwantitatiewe as kwalitatiewe data te verhoog. Die resultate van die studie werp lig op en onderstreep die behoefte aan oorbruggingskursusse. Die navorsing beveel kurrikulumraamwerk aan vir die ontwerp van verbeterde oorbruggingskursusse in die ingenieurswese aan die Vaal Universiteit van Tegnologie.

There has been an increase in the use of partnerships as a policy prescription for improving education since the mid 1980's. This trend builds on nearly a century of reform movements in education. In order to improve education policy, this study focuses on the question of whether math and science education partnerships as typically constituted provide the necessary conditions for the adaptive management (sustainable and adaptable action) of local education problems by the participants. This qualitative study uses data derived from the views of 32 experts on math and science partnerships collected during an internet-based application of the Delphi methodology designed to develop testable elements of a logic model of partnerships in math and science education. The results of this study suggest that the implementation and content requirements built into grant programs that include partners as a condition in aid most often result in a narrow programmatic focus among the participants. Organizations choose to participate in disjointed serial interventions that support organizational needs or goals based on the availability of funding and partners for particular programmatic activities. They choose partners from among those who are interested in similar or complementary activities. The primary focus of STEM education partnerships is therefore on implementing and sometimes evaluating the funded programmatic activities and not on building a broader learning community. Activities or education problems that are not funded tend to be excluded from the activities and dialog of the policy-induced partnership. By limiting the scope of the collaboration we are limiting the potential for adaptive management and the value of these partnerships.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education