Following the inception of the White Paper 6 in 2001 (Department of Basic Education, 2001), selected schools in South Africa have been transformed into inclusive schools, with the aim of enrolling all learners despite their (dis)abilities. Teachers however still seem hesitant to take care of this responsibility due to a variety of reasons. Against this background, the Department of Higher Education and Training, in collaboration with the European Union has undertaken an initiative focusing on the promotion of inclusive education policy implementation and teacher training in South Africa. As part of this initiative, the University of Pretoria was tasked to develop a postgraduate qualification in visual impairment studies. My study forms part of the broader funded project of the University of Pretoria. More specifically, my study focused on the process and value (or not) when utilising Participatory Reflection and Action (PRA) for the development of a qualification. Based on the assumptions that teachers and expert stakeholders in the visual impairment community would be able to co-conceptualise an advanced diploma for teachers, 17 schools were involved, situated in five South African provinces, with 255 teacher-participants. In addition, 50 expert stakeholders in the field of visual impairment participated in this study, which adopted a participatory research approach, implemented an instrumental case study design and utilised interpretivism as paradigm. For data generation and documentation, I relied on PRA-based activities, individual interviews, observation, field notes, a reflective journal and audio-visual techniques. Following inductive thematic analysis of the data that apply to the focus of my study I identified four main themes, with the related subthemes. These themes relate to utilising PRA to access research partners’ knowledge and expertise, value for participants of being research partners in a PRA process, value for personal and professional development of the participants and recommendations for future application of the PRA process. Findings of my study indicate that it is possible and beneficial to implement PRA when conceptualising a qualification. More specifically, PRA is suitable for accessing research partners’ knowledge and expertise when developing a qualification. PRA empowers participants to instil positive change and further equip themselves. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Educational Psychology / PhD / Unrestricted

Magister Educationis - MEd / Inclusive education (IE) is an international movement and South Africa is in the process of developing systems to support the process. The aim of this study was to develop narratives of teachers’ trajectories of collaboration in developing IE. The Department of Education acknowledged that collaboration between teachers and other professionals and between teachers and parents and the community at large is a critical strategy and skill for developing IE successfully (Department of Education, 2001). This study was conducted at a full-service school in the Western Cape Province which was selected purposively. Snowball sampling was used to select six teachers who were interviewed and observed in their collaborative spaces. This study used a qualitative approach and a case-study approach as a research design. It used Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) as the theoretical framework to understand how teachers respond to the diverse needs of all learners and how they collaborate with others in developing more responsive pedagogies. Multiple methods of data analysis, such as thematic analysis and CHAT, were used to analyze data collected. The study revealed that teachers collaborated in school-initiated collaboration practices as well as in Department owned collaboration practices. Teachers reported to have voluntarily participated in school-initiated collaboration practices as their school had a culture of sharing knowledge and skills and this enabled them to work closely with each other, whereas in Department owned collaboration practices teacher reported that they participated because they had to obey instructions from their employee. Teachers felt that the Department owned collaboration practices used top-down approaches which hindered some of their collaboration practices. Teachers reported to have encountered some benefits from as well as barriers to collaboration. This study concludes that if collaboration is a critical strategy for the successful implementation of IE in South Africa, the Department of Education (DoE) should give schools an opportunity to indicate their areas of need so that they can be trained accordingly. Secondly, the DoE should continuously provide training for teachers on collaboration. Lastly, the DoE and the school should encourage and monitor teachers to continue to create environments where they work collaboratively in decision-making and problem-solving.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Curriculum Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / The purpose of this study was to look at the crisis in the implementation of inclusive education and to reflect on the role of full-service schools in Sekhukhune district. Participants were purposively selected in this study. Most of the mainstream school‘s struggle to cater for special educational needs learners, resulting in many dropouts. The study collected data through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. The findings of the study have shown that many educators lack capacity on inclusive education, and full-service schools do not play a critical role in supporting neighbouring mainstream schools. The findings reveal that lack of capacity development like workshops and human resources are main factors contributing towards failure of full service schools to support neighbouring mainstream schools. In addition, inclusive education needs to be included in educator training at tertiary level qualifications. Therefore, further investigation of the impact of educator qualifications and implementation is recommended.

Thesis (Ph.D.(Curriculum Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2017 / Full-service schools have been introduced as a means to pilot the implementation of inclusive education in South Africa. The purpose of the study was to explore whether this model of full-service schools is ready to roll-out the implementation of inclusive education to all schools or not. The study followed a qualitative research approach and a case study design was adopted. Scaccia, Cook, Lamont, Wandersman, Castellow, Katz and Beidas (2015) readiness theory (R = MC2) was adopted. Sixteen teachers (16) and eight (8) Head of Departments (HoDs) from eight full-service schools were recruited to form part of the study. Data was collected through interviews, observations and document analysis. The study came up with five findings: i) the implementation of inclusive education was perceived as a good practice, ii) teachers did not acquire adequate training during pre-service training, iii) insufficient provision of resources, iv) lack of on-going support , and v) lack of collaboration amongst stakeholders. The overall finding of the study is that, although full-service schools in Limpopo Province appear motivated to implement inclusive education, they still lack the capacity to implement it. As a result, full-service schools in Limpopo Province are not yet ready to roll-out the implementation of inclusive education. Recommendations that may assist in realising a smooth roll-out to all other schools have been presented by the study. Keywords: Inclusive education, full-service schools, readiness theory / Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS-SAHUDA) and the National Research Foundation (NRF)

A free and appropriate public education is promised to every child in the United States. However, zero tolerance school discipline policies have broken that promise, pushing students out of the classroom and into the school-to-prison pipeline. Despite the growing body of research demonstrating negative social and economic impacts of exclusionary discipline, public school administrators have been slow to adopt innovative policies that provide rehabilitative alternatives. The purpose of this study was to compare, using the consequences of innovations application of Rogers's diffusion of innovations theory, the impact of various school district approaches to school discipline on suspension rates while controlling for race and socioeconomic status. This study used a quantitative, nonexperimental, nonequivalent groups, posttest-only research design using secondary analysis of data reported by 218 school districts in a New England state for the 2016-17 school year. Analysis of covariance indicated that there is a significant relationship between approaches to school discipline and suspension rates when controlling for racial and socioeconomic composition (p < .05). Race and economic disadvantage significantly influenced suspension rates (p < .001), and districts implementing alternatives differed significantly in their racial and socioeconomic compositions (p < .001). Policy implications include the promotion of alternative approaches to school discipline. Implications for social change include evidence to support the work of those addressing the needs underlying student behavior rather than crime and punishment models to produce safe and supportive schools and dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline.

Learners who are deaf and who are using the auditory oral approach are currently included in ordinary schools in South Africa. By default, most educators are not adequately trained to include these learners successfully. Transformation and train-ing, specific to the context of inclusive education, is thus undeniable. Therefore, in order to address the development of full-service schools to include learners who are deaf and who are using the auditory oral approach, a literature study on the nature of inclusive education with the focus on full-service schools to include the mentioned learners, took place. A qualitative study was conducted and data was gathered by interviews with six, learners, parents and educators. The findings were corroborated with the literature study with a view to addressing learner and system needs in order to include these learners successfully in a full-service school. Based on the findings, recommendations are made to address the development of full-service schools to include the mentioned learners. / Educational Studies / M. Ed.

Författarna finner att dagens teori saknar tydliga riktlinjer för hur praktiker i den svenska banksektorn bör använda sig av intern marknadsföring. Bristen av en klar definition av begreppet medför svårigheter att applicera teorin på strategiarbetet och använda de verktyg som finns att tillgå i befintlig forskning. Nuvarande forskning visar på vikten av intern marknadsföring i alla organisationer, och då främst inom servicesektorn. Studierna som har gjorts är emellertid baserade på sektorer utomlands, vilket innebär svårigheter för svenska banker att tillämpa resultatet inom sin egen organisation, menar författarna. Författarna ämnar därför undersöka intern marknadsföring och dess effekt på uppfattade konkurrensfördelar på den svenska banksektorn och författarna har valt att fokusera på svenska fullsortimentsbanker. Det genomförs genom en teoretisk bakgrund kring de begrepp och modeller som finns idag samt genom en kvalitativ undersökning av två aktörer inom den svenska banksektorn. Både ledning och medarbetare på de bägge bankerna har deltagit i undersökningen för att kunna återge en nyanserad bild av problematiken. Studien visar att det råder vissa likheter mellan forskningen och de undersökta fallen, men inom bägge fallstudierna råder det även vissa skillnader i hur den interna marknadsföringen används och vilka konkurrensfördelar den skapar för fullsortimentsbanker. Undersökningen bidrar med rekommendationer för praktiker som kan ge en tydligare bild för hur fullsortimentsbanker inom den svenska banksektorn kan agera för att skapa ytterligare konkurrensfördelar genom den interna marknadsföringen. / This paper examines the theoretical area about internal marketing and what competitive advantages it results in. Earlier research shows that internal marketing is vital for successful companies, especially in the service sector. However, there have been no published studies of the Swedish banking sector. That is why the authors have used two case studies within the Swedish bank sector to try to create guidelines that they can use to increase their competitive advantages by using internal marketing in their strategy planning.The theoretical part shows that most of the researchers agree that by using some effective tools and factors in the internal marketing a better and more adaptive organisation will be developed. Even though there are some vital tools, all the tools must be considered and implemented in the organisations. The case studies have been researched using qualitative methods, interviewing both leaders and employees, trying to give a nuanced description of the internal marketing. The result shows that there need to be an open dialogue between the employees and the leaders and that the dialogue will be better by effective use of tools within the internal marketing. The discussion shows that the Swedish banking sector can develop their internal marketing to gain even more competitive advantages.

The purpose of the research was to explore the experiences of educators regarding the training for the implementation of inclusive education in a Full Service school. A qualitative research design was chosen, using a case study. Three methods of gathering data were used, namely individual interviews, focus group interviews and observations. The study was conducted in a primary schools in the North West province that was converted into a fullservice school in 2008. The findings indicated that educators demonstrated misunderstanding of the Screening, Identification, Assessment and Support strategy. The misunderstanding can be ascribed to the kind of training educators received. The training lacked in–depth content and practical demonstration. Recommendations on the content and the dynamics of the training process are made. The overarching recommendation on the dynamics of the training indicated that the training should be revisited for improved methods of training. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

The purpose of the research was to explore the experiences of educators regarding the training for the implementation of inclusive education in a Full Service school. A qualitative research design was chosen, using a case study. Three methods of gathering data were used, namely individual interviews, focus group interviews and observations. The study was conducted in a primary schools in the North West province that was converted into a fullservice school in 2008. The findings indicated that educators demonstrated misunderstanding of the Screening, Identification, Assessment and Support strategy. The misunderstanding can be ascribed to the kind of training educators received. The training lacked in–depth content and practical demonstration. Recommendations on the content and the dynamics of the training process are made. The overarching recommendation on the dynamics of the training indicated that the training should be revisited for improved methods of training. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Hotel, Restaurant, Institution Management and Dietetics / Ki-Joon Back / Elizabeth B. Barrett / This study attempted to develop a multi-item scale that measures restaurant customers' emotional experiences and has desirable reliability and validity, and to examine the relationships among consumption emotions, customer satisfaction, switching barriers, and revisit intention in the full-service restaurant industry. In the process of developing a consumption emotion measurement scale, this study followed Churchill's (1979) paradigm during the early stage and confirmatory factor analytic approach suggested by Gerbing and Anderson (1988) and Anderson and Gerbing's (1988) in the later stage. The scale development process began with a specification of domain of construct, generation of 40 items, and data collection. The collected data were subjected to item refinement (i.e., outlier detection, descriptive and reliability analysis, and exploratory factor analysis). Four underlying dimensions of consumption emotions with 32 refined items were identified from the data. A new sample of data was collected for additional testing (i.e., reliability and validity). A confirmatory factor analysis using the new data indicated that the finalized measure using categorical dimension approach was unidimensional, reliable, and valid. The results of structural equation modeling supported the criterion validity indicating that the finalized measure behaves as expected in relation to additional construct. In study two, a theoretical framework for understanding the relationships among consumption emotions, customer satisfaction, switching barriers, and revisit intention was proposed and tested. A series of modeling comparisons provided a best fit model. A measurement model estimated on the basis of Anderson and Gerbing's (1988) approach tested validity of measures. The results of structural equation modeling using the data from a web-based survey addressed the effect of consumption emotions on satisfaction and revisit intention. The partial/full mediating impact of satisfaction was verified following Baron and Kenny’s (1986) suggested process. The switching barriers, two positive (i.e., preference and relational investment) and two negative (i.e., switching costs and lack of alternatives), that restaurant customers are likely to perceive were identified through the qualitative approach, using the guidelines suggested by Maxwell (2005). The quantitative approach validated the scale applicability. The moderating role of switching barriers in forming revisit intention was verified by testing for metric invariances. Grouping was done by using K-means cluster analysis. Measurement invariance tests supported full metric/partial metric invariances. Structural invariance tests and invariance tests for a hypothesized path provided the evidence of moderating effect of switching barriers. Finally, theoretical and managerial implications of the findings were discussed.