A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the Degree of Master of Education in the Department of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, Faculty of Education at the University of Zululand, 2019. / This study sought to determine the NSC learners’ level of understandings of exponential and logarithmic functions; grade twelve teachers’ self- assessment of their readiness to teach exponential and logarithmic functions; the relationship between the educators’ self-concept about their ability to teach exponential and logarithmic functions and the actual performance of their learners; and whether or not the educators’ MCK and PCK impacted learner achievement in exponential and logarithmic functions. The study developed a conceptual framework from literature which consisted of two major components depicting learner and educator readiness. These models illustrated factors that could possibly affect the ability of the learner to succeed in understanding instruction related to exponential equations and logarithmic functions, as well as those that would prevent educators from delivering optimum instruction to learners. This study used a mixed-methods research paradigm, as there was need to collect both quantitative and qualitative data in order to adequately answer the four research questions. The survey research design was used, and data were collected through a researcher-designed test (for learners) and a researcher-designed questionnaire for educators, focusing on their MCK and PCK. The research sample, consisting of nine school principals, nine mathematics educators, and 242 mathematics learners based in nine randomly selected schools, was drawn from a target population of high schools in the uMkhanyakude education district, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Analysis was done using the SPSS version 23 software programme. The results revealed that learners had basic understanding of exponential and logarithmic functions in most aspects of the topic, although their performance was border line. For the educators, although all they were suitably qualified in terms of their minimum requirements for registration with the South African Council for Educators (SACE), their performance on the same test taken by their learners was only marginally above the performance of their learners. The educators’ responses to the question about their readiness to teach exponential equations and logarithmic functions were v mixed shedding some light on why many of them were unable to solve the same problems given to their learners. On the relationship between educators’ self-concept about their ability to teach exponential and logarithmic functions and their learners’ performance, the results showed that learners whose teachers considered themselves to be suitably qualified, knowledgeable and able to teach exponential and logarithmic functions performed significantly lower than learners whose teachers considered themselves not to be suitably qualified, knowledgeable and able to teach exponential and logarithmic functions. The results of the questions which sought to establish the impact of educators’ MCK and PCK on learner performance in exponential and logarithmic functions drew a blank, suggesting that there was no relationship between teachers’ MCK and PCK, on one hand, and learner performance, on another.

Published Article / The complexity, uniqueness and importance of performance management systems provide the milieu for the author's demonstration that staff performance remains at the heart of an institution. However, the trick is whether institutions have developed the skill of unleashing this potential. This requires a comprehensive approach, which stresses the merits of improving individual and institutional performance. This article explores one institution's perspective, experiences and challenges that were discovered during the Cinderella case study of a Further Education and Training College in South Africa. One of the distinctive features of a performance management system is that it can become a crucial quality assurance tool to ensure results.

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Britain has a culture of long working hours, resulting in significant levels of work-related stress. Teachers are arguably the professional group most likely to experience pathological stress and burnout as a result of working long hours. Research in schools suggests that teachers’ work orientations are strongly influenced by factors of personal identity, social background, career stage and personal resilience to stress. In Further Education (FE) research hitherto has emphasised the impact of Government policy and managerial style on teacher behaviour, and notions of teacher professionalism. There has been less research into the impact of FE teacher identities and attitudes towards work upon their working lives. This thesis investigates the relatively under-researched area of work culture within a single FE College, in an attempt to discover the reasons underlying teacher’s reactions to the pressures of overwork. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were carried out with 13 teachers and managers to investigate teacher responses to the work culture of the College. Based upon existing theoretical models of stress and burnout, three groups of potential determinants are explored: personal identity, the social context of the College, and the impact of external political, economic and social factors. The research confirms the existence amongst College teachers of a culture of working long hours, and identifies examples of stress and burnout. Interview responses support previous research findings concerning the central importance of teacher identity. Interview data underline the importance of personal factors in determining teachers’ responses to workload and their resilience to stress. A model is developed which summarises potential teacher responses to workload stress, and proposes ways in which these may be linked to factors of teacher identity and work cultures. The findings also highlight the pivotal role of managers and work teams in supporting teachers, particularly those most emotionally susceptible to stress.

Purpose: This thesis proposes a first conceptual model using data gathered in 2012, to delineate the assessed alignment between the Maltese government’s policy for the further education sector (FE) and FE organizations’ missions. Although alignment models exist, no research has been published detailing the FE sector and the usefulness of such models in small island states. Methodology: Since alignment is multifaceted, a complementarity blended approach was used to help uncover its complexities. Data were collected from seven FE vocational and academic organizations via questionnaires to academic staff; interviews with principals and other internal and external stakeholders; content analysis of mission statements. Findings: Assessing alignment to create the conceptual model showed that there is only moderate alignment between organizational mission and government policy while organizational missions in practice differ significantly from organizational mission statements. Due to their brevity, mission statements can only capture a part of such organization mission. There may be occasions where organizational realities exceed the expectations of a mission statement thus turning conventional wisdom on its head. Significance: By utilizing systems theory a new conceptual model based on inputs, outputs, organizational processes and feedback is proposed together with a new metaphor of an operating theatre to add to existing metaphorical explanations of the field. Such an alignment model explains the FE sector in the small island state of Malta. The use of a complementarity blended method may be useful to explain educational alignment in other small states.

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The aim of the research was to explore the effect of teaching sociology through transformational pedagogical practices on the student learning experiences in an English FE College as well as the experience of teachers making use of transformation teaching practices. The research project was grounded in literature on the critical theory of teaching and learning (Freire 1996, hooks 1994, Allman 2010, Amsler 2014, Canaan, 2010, McLaren 2006, Neary 2012, Roggero 2011). A key feature of transformational teaching practice and the social theory that underpins it is the emphasis on the power of human agency and the ability of individuals to transform their own historical and material conditions. The qualitative research methods used reflect the power of human subjectivity and included narrative life stories and semi-structured interviews. Twenty seven participants took part in the research consisting of 15 current, and 5 former Sociology Undergraduates and 7 teachers on the programme, including myself. This work was done at the HE Institution where I work as a lecturer. The research was written in an innovative, humanised style in order to reflect the on-going and developmental praxis associated with critical and transformational teaching practices.

A dissertation presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Magister Educationis in the Faculty of Education at the CAPE PENINSULA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY 2013 / This study explores the experiences and perceptions of students enrolled in an inclusive Further Education and Training College in South Africa. A qualitative, phenomenological design using interviews was found to be the most suitable approach to data production that would allow for the examination of feelings and perceptions around students’ inclusion. The guiding questions for the study were: 1. What are the day-to-day experiences and expectations of students enrolled at one Further Education and Training college in the Western Cape? 2. What feelings and perceptions are generated by these experiences and expectations? The data was analysed using a constant comparative method of analysis in order to accentuate the meanings that student experiences held for them. Bronfenbrenner’s Ecosystemic Theory has been used to describe the way different systems and structures influence the development of students. Through Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, students’ needs are examined, revealing what their perceptions of inclusion are. The findings have indicated that while institutional intentions might express details of what is deemed to be inclusive, students’ experiences and voices are often not taken into consideration, with the result that full inclusion is not achieved.

This diploma thesis deals with further education in the Czech Republic and in Germany. The aim of the thesis is to compare the systems of further education in these countries in the field of legislation and state funding and then to identify similarities and differences between the systems. The necessary context for the comparison will be provided by the introductory part of the thesis devoted to the institutionalization of further education, its terminology and the participation of adults in further education in the Czech Republic and in Germany. Each area of further education mentioned above (including legislation and state funding) will be analysed on the basis of professional literature, legal documents, documents of ministries, statistical data and research reports of specialised research institutions. The analysis will be followed by a comparison of these areas and a systematization of basic similar and different features of both systems of further education. Keywords further education, Czech Republic, Germany, institutionalization of further education, participation in further education, legislative framework, further education laws, further education funding, financial instruments

Abstract The present study was designed to understand how the program of Teachers¡¦ Further Education on Wednesdays (TFEW) in elementary schools was executed in Penghu; and to evaluate the execution process and the effect of the program. Including discussing the percentage of the goal achievement of the TFEW program and analyzing what the factors influencing the goal achievement of the TFEW program were. Concrete conclusions and suggestions were reached from this study, to give references to the government education institutions and schools for the future TFEW program execution. On the basis of the policy execution and evaluation, the researcher set up the execution evaluation framework and the study method. The population was all the teachers, directors, and principals in Penghu elementary schools. ¡§Questionnaire survey¡¨ was used in this study. The valid samples were 405 questionnaires. The results were analyzed statistically by means, standard devotions, frequency percentage, t-test, chi-square test, and one-way ANOVA. The results were as follow: 1. The execution of the program of Teachers¡¦ Further Education on Wednesdays (TFEW) in elementary schools was basically fine in Penghu, but it was not popular for the teachers to be involved in drawing up the plans. Attending the other schools¡¦ workshop at the same time was the main reason for teachers¡¦ absence. Accidental other activity arrangement was the biggest obstacle that influenced the program execution. Most of the topics of the various workshops were Computer and Information Technology technique. The designated topic speech was the main way of the various workshops. Most of the speakers were the teachers from the school. Most of the teachers were basically satisfied to the activity arrangement, but there were significant differences in different sex, ages, teaching years, school scales, and school locations. Most of the senior teachers liked out - school visit, but the juniors liked real practicing most. 2. The execution evaluation framework of this study included process evaluation and outcome evaluation. The process evaluation discussed the factors influencing the execution effect and the goal achievement. The outcome evaluation analyzed the percentage of the goal achievement. 3. The percentage of the goal achievement of the execution of Teachers¡¦ Further Education on Wednesdays (TFEW) in elementary schools was moderate, it was still fine. And the first (highest) of the goal achievement was to promote the teachers doing research and study automatically, and then the second was to promote the teachers professional development, the third was to satisfy the school¡¦s developmental requirements, and the last was to resolve the teaching problem. 4. The percentage of the goal achievement of the execution of Teachers¡¦ Further Education on Wednesdays (TFEW) in elementary schools varied with different ages, teaching years, positions, school scales, and school locations. 5. The main factor that influenced the percentage of the goal achievement of Teachers¡¦ Further Education on Wednesdays (TFEW) in elementary schools was the teachers who attended the workshops and the executors who planned the workshops. 6. The factors that influenced the percentage of the goal achievement of the execution of Teachers¡¦ Further Education on Wednesdays (TFEW) in elementary schools might vary with ages, educational degrees, teaching years, positions, school scales, and school locations.