The quality of education in especially the Further Education and Training phase (FET) is recognised as one of the most significant challenges facing the South African government. Low teacher morale, lack of parental involvement, learners' ignorance in taking responsibility for their own learning and other educational problems are all identified as contributing factors. This study was undertaken to investigate how critical thinking skills can contribute to promoting quality teaching and learning in secondary schools with specific reference to the FET phase. The study also sought to make recommendations that will assist teachers to integrate critical thinking skills into the teaching and learning experiences in the FET phase. The nature of quality teaching and learning, the nature of critical thinking skills and the correlation between the concepts to improve the quality of education were researched by means of a literature study. A quantitative research design followed, using questionnaires as research instrument. From the research conducted it was found that learners in the FET phase do not take responsibility for their learning and therefore many of these learners still do not perceive learning as important. However, effective learning could take place if learners are confident, independent, active participants and explore a variety of learning strategies. Teachers, on the other hand, should adopt particular forms of behaviour to foster certain types of learning. The ability to teach critical thinking skills to learners poses a great challenge as many teachers are not trained to do so. This has a great influence on the exposure of an integrated constructivist method of teaching and learning and therefore inflicts on the delivery of quality teaching and learning in the FET phase of secondary schools in South Africa. / MEd, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2011

The focus of this research study was the assessment of intrapreneurship within public Further Education and Training (FET) Colleges that were earmarked by govemment to spearhead the alleviation of skills shortages in South Africa. Managers within four colleges in the Free State province of South Africa were selected as the study. Establishing an intrapreneurial climate within public FET Colleges can play a significant role in improving the effectiveness and efficiency of services rendered, contributing to the long term sustainability of these institutions. Colleges face various challenges including a lack of intrapreneurial spirit and a fragmented approach regarding their visions, missions and strategic thrusts. The primary objective of the study was to assess the level of intrapreneurship within the four public FET Colleges and to make recommendations on how to improve the level of intrapreneurship within these institutions. A number of secondary objectives were set to support the attainment of the primary objective. A comprehensive literature study was conducted, which was followed by an empirical study. By means of self -assessment and supervisor assessment, perceptions of managers were tested in relation to entrepreneurial characteristics. Furthermore, relationships were determined between demographic variables and intrapreneurship constructs. Following upon a detailed analysis of data in chapter 4, it was concluded that managers regarded the current intrapreneurial climate at FET Colleges as being average. Based on the findings of the empirical study and the insight gained during the literature study, recommendations were made on the fostering of intrapreneurship within the colleges. A framework of practical guidelines and an action plan were compiled that could facilitate the process, thereby assisting public FET Colleges in South Africa to fulfill the vision of the National Department of Education of "...a modem and vibrant nationally co-ordinated FET college system that builds a foundation for lifelong learning and is responsive to the needs ofthe 21 st century". / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.

The present era in South Africa is one that is marked by substantial change due to unparalleled advancement in the field of technology, globalisation and competitive markets. These changes have placed new demands on the education sector in South Africa, especially further education. In 2000/1 South Africa's Further Education and Training (FET) sector has been rejuvenated through a process of transformation when 152 former Technical Colleges and Colleges of Education merged to form 50 multi-campus FET Colleges. The rationale behind this merging process is to curb the serious skills shortage which is threatening economic growth in this country through offering vocational education and training; and to raise quality in the education sector. This re-engineering process in education is founded on principles of equity, human rights, democracy and sustainable development. Change, however, is also about people and their ideas, fears, capacity and ability to stand and work together towards a more prosperous future for all. Transformation or change such as with mergers is dependent on employees' total commitment towards realising the organisation's objectives. High levels of organisational commitment tend to encourage loyalty, higher levels of productiveness and general job satisfaction. For change initiatives to be successful though, communication across all hierarchical levels is of the utmost importance. Management is expected to provide employees with just treatment, provide acceptable working conditions, clearly communicate what is regarded as a fair day's work, and give feedback on how well the employee is doing. Employees, in return, are expected to clearly show a good attitude, follow directions and be loyal towards x the organisation. The psychological contract is utilised to investigate the scope of change in an employment relationship. The psychological contract is a contract setting out mutual expectations between employer and employee - a contract that forms the backbone of any new relationship such as with a merger. The researcher makes use of the psychological contract (by utilising the Tilburgse Psychologisch Contract Vragenlijst (TPC)) to explain employer obligations; violation of employer obligations; employee obligations; relational/transactional contract values; commitment; intention to leave; and change perceptions. Should either employment party not fulfill its contractual terms in any way, the psychological contract will be breached or violated and the employee might attempt to balance the situation by reducing his or her job efforts, badmouthing the organisation, resorting to absenteeism or even petty theft. The worst case scenario in this destructive process is that the employee might leave the organisation. The purpose of this research study is to determine the effect (if any) that the mergers might have had on the psychological- and employment contracts in the four FET Colleges that have remained in the Free State Province. A cross-sectional survey design was used to reach the objective of this research and an English translation of the aforementioned questionnaire (TPC) was randomly distributed amongst the total population of 375 employees at the Free State FET Colleges involved in this study. A response rate of 53% (n = 200) was achieved. Results from other authors who have used the TPC Questionnaire in their research offer support for the validity and reliability of the scales used. The statistical analysis was carried out with the SPSS program (SPSS, 2006), a program that is used to conduct statistical analysis regarding reliability and validity of the measuring instruments, descriptive statistics, t-tests, analysis of variance, correlation coefficients and multiple regression analysis. XI In Article 1 the researcher focused on the effect of mergers with regard to the influence of communication on the psychological contract as a possible factor affecting the intention to qUit. A multiple regression analysis (with intention to quit as dependent variable; and employer obligations, employee obligations, and communication as independent variables) was performed and 22.2% of the variance in intention to quit is predicted by communication and employee obligations (F = 28.07, p< 0.01). A practically significant correlation coefficient (p < 0.01) of a medium effect (r > 0.30) exists between communication and relational/transactional values and between communication and intention to quit. In Article 2 the effect of mergers, workplace changes and the violation of employer obligations on the psychological contract were evaluated, with special reference to job satisfaction and organisational commitment. In the above article a practically significant correlation coefficient (p < 0.01) of a medium effect (r> 0.30) was found between • change and job satisfaction; • job satisfaction and: commitment, employer obligations, employer violations; • commitment and: employer obligations, employer violations; and • employee obligations and: employer obligations, employer violations. A multiple regression analysis (with job satisfaction as dependent variable; and employer violation, organisational commitment, and change as independent variables) was performed and 29.9% of the variance in job satisfaction is predicted by employer violations, change and commitment (F = 27.668, p< 0.01). Recommendations for the organisation as well as for future research were made. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Sociology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2008.

The focus of this research study was the assessment of intrapreneurship within public Further Education and Training (FET) Colleges that were earmarked by govemment to spearhead the alleviation of skills shortages in South Africa. Managers within four colleges in the Free State province of South Africa were selected as the study. Establishing an intrapreneurial climate within public FET Colleges can play a significant role in improving the effectiveness and efficiency of services rendered, contributing to the long term sustainability of these institutions. Colleges face various challenges including a lack of intrapreneurial spirit and a fragmented approach regarding their visions, missions and strategic thrusts. The primary objective of the study was to assess the level of intrapreneurship within the four public FET Colleges and to make recommendations on how to improve the level of intrapreneurship within these institutions. A number of secondary objectives were set to support the attainment of the primary objective. A comprehensive literature study was conducted, which was followed by an empirical study. By means of self -assessment and supervisor assessment, perceptions of managers were tested in relation to entrepreneurial characteristics. Furthermore, relationships were determined between demographic variables and intrapreneurship constructs. Following upon a detailed analysis of data in chapter 4, it was concluded that managers regarded the current intrapreneurial climate at FET Colleges as being average. Based on the findings of the empirical study and the insight gained during the literature study, recommendations were made on the fostering of intrapreneurship within the colleges. A framework of practical guidelines and an action plan were compiled that could facilitate the process, thereby assisting public FET Colleges in South Africa to fulfill the vision of the National Department of Education of "...a modem and vibrant nationally co-ordinated FET college system that builds a foundation for lifelong learning and is responsive to the needs ofthe 21 st century". / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.

<p><font size="3"> <p>The aim of this research was to investigate the use of social media (SM) in improving the quantity and quality of passes in computer programming in South Africa&rsquo / s Further Education and Training (FET) colleges. The study addresses the high learner failure rates in computer programming at National Certificate (Vocational) (NCV) level 3. A preliminary investigation identified that increased lecturer contact time with the students could positively affect the quantity and quality of passes in computer programming. The social medium of Facebook (FB) was studied to assess whether it could enhance contact time with students.</p> <p>In investigating factors affecting computer programming passes at the College of Cape Town, the study identified how SM technologies can assist in increasing contact time for students outside normal college time. Four groups on FB were created to allow learners to ask questions, interact with the lecturer and peers on the subject. A mixed approach was employed using qualitative and quantitative data. Test scores for previous years (2011) were compared to current (2012) test scores for the NCV 3 learners. Statistical functions calculated the average passes and total number of passes. Furthermore, a total of thirty questionnaires were used to check the learners&rsquo / perceptions toward the use of SM outside the class to enhance performance..</p> <p>More lecturer contact time on FB for one student group scored better in terms of the quantity and quality of passes. The groups using FB (with more practice time or more technical contact time) produced results which were far better than in previous years (2010 and 2011). The fourth group using FB for more peer interaction also did fairly well with an increase at the end of the year (2012) of 35% pass in programming at level 3 - up from 30% in 2011. It is the researcher&rsquo / s view that, once internet access is evenly spread, it has the potential to increase performance in subjects like computer programming. A further look at the certification of level 4 learners for programming subjects indicated an improvement could be possible by the introduction of SM at level 3 - where much of the bottleneck lies.</p> <p>As this research was limited to a single FET college it cannot be generalised. Further research spread across various FET colleges countrywide will serve to confirm these findings and determine new insights into the whole process of using SM to improve passes in computer programming at NCV level 3.. The practical recommendation is that FB should be used for this stated purpose. In respect of academic recommendations, the researcher intends to implement the same study with learners at level two and level four.</p> </font></p>

<p><font size="3"> <p>The aim of this research was to investigate the use of social media (SM) in improving the quantity and quality of passes in computer programming in South Africa&rsquo / s Further Education and Training (FET) colleges. The study addresses the high learner failure rates in computer programming at National Certificate (Vocational) (NCV) level 3. A preliminary investigation identified that increased lecturer contact time with the students could positively affect the quantity and quality of passes in computer programming. The social medium of Facebook (FB) was studied to assess whether it could enhance contact time with students.</p> <p>In investigating factors affecting computer programming passes at the College of Cape Town, the study identified how SM technologies can assist in increasing contact time for students outside normal college time. Four groups on FB were created to allow learners to ask questions, interact with the lecturer and peers on the subject. A mixed approach was employed using qualitative and quantitative data. Test scores for previous years (2011) were compared to current (2012) test scores for the NCV 3 learners. Statistical functions calculated the average passes and total number of passes. Furthermore, a total of thirty questionnaires were used to check the learners&rsquo / perceptions toward the use of SM outside the class to enhance performance..</p> <p>More lecturer contact time on FB for one student group scored better in terms of the quantity and quality of passes. The groups using FB (with more practice time or more technical contact time) produced results which were far better than in previous years (2010 and 2011). The fourth group using FB for more peer interaction also did fairly well with an increase at the end of the year (2012) of 35% pass in programming at level 3 - up from 30% in 2011. It is the researcher&rsquo / s view that, once internet access is evenly spread, it has the potential to increase performance in subjects like computer programming. A further look at the certification of level 4 learners for programming subjects indicated an improvement could be possible by the introduction of SM at level 3 - where much of the bottleneck lies.</p> <p>As this research was limited to a single FET college it cannot be generalised. Further research spread across various FET colleges countrywide will serve to confirm these findings and determine new insights into the whole process of using SM to improve passes in computer programming at NCV level 3.. The practical recommendation is that FB should be used for this stated purpose. In respect of academic recommendations, the researcher intends to implement the same study with learners at level two and level four.</p> </font></p>

Das Poster stellt einen Ansatz für den Einsatz von Web-2.0-Technologien in der Weiterbildung in der Ernährungsindustrie dar. Neben der Unterstützung von Blended Learning Szenarien werden auch selbstständiges Lernen sowie der informelle Erfahrungsaustausch zwischen den Teilnehmern ermöglicht und gefördert.

Thesis (M Distance Ed)--University of South Australia, 1994

Selection for tertiary education, defined as including both higher education and technical education at post-secondary level, becomes an important issue where the number of applicants exceeds the number of places. This thesis explores selection for tertiary education as a complex problem in which selection processes are shaped by and must fit with the educational context. A general systems model is developed to guide the analysis of this problem. The model situates procedural and technical aspects of selection within a broader context including fundamental policy issues of control and equity, social values and structures, and background historical and cultural factors. Many countries have experienced selection pressures in recent times. These pressures have included increasing unmet demand, increasing diversity of applicants and increasing diversity in secondary education. It has been suggested that only through case studies of particular countries can an understanding of different systems be developed. This study offers such a case study focussing on the Australian state of Queensland. Queensland offers aspects which are typical of Australia as a whole, especially in terms of enrolment trends. Each state and territory in Australia has a different interface between secondary and tertiary education. In Queensland, an important feature of this interface was the abolition of university entry examinations in the early 1970s, as a result of the Radford Review, and their replacement by a system of school-based assessment. This innovation is situated within its historical context and analysed as a paradigm shift. Implications are drawn concerning the processes of educational and institutional change. Technical issues in comparing and aggregating achievement measures are also examined in relation to the type of data provided by school-based assessment in Queensland. The evolution of moderation and scaling of achievement data in Queensland is analysed and a distinction drawn between comparability and equivalence, the former relating to within-subject comparisons, the latter to between-subject comparisons. A taxonomy of different scaling approaches is developed and distinctions among these approaches explored. It is shown that appropriate choice of approach depends on the assumptions and requirements of the context and not just on technical efficiency. A distinction is also drawn between strategies for equitable comparison of achievement information and equitable strategies for making selection decisions. A major review of tertiary selection procedures, the Viviani Review, occurred in Queensland in 1990. This review is analysed in detail in terms of its processes, recommendations and implementation. It is shown how this review consolidated the system of school-based assessment and represented a paradigm shift concerning both achievement information and selection strategies. Possibilities for future development inherent in the new paradigm are discussed. The analyses of both the Radford Review and the Viviani Review illustrate the general systems model by showing how tertiary selection is a complex issue in which procedural and technical issues need to be situated within the broader context. Four themes emerge from the analysis of the Radford Review and are evident in the Viviani Review: the trend towards democratisation of educational decision processes; the trend towards greater openness, diversity and choice; the tension between local and central control of assessment decisions; and the tension between evolution (gradual change) and revolution (paradigm change). Criteria for evaluating selection systems are identified and applied to the Queensland system, resulting in conclusions about its degree of success. From the case study, general issues of significance for all tertiary selection systems are identified and discussed: the changing demography of secondary and tertiary education; reforms in senior secondary school curriculum and assessment; the issue of control (responsibility and accountability); the issue of equity (access and comparability); the choice and combination of information in selection decisions; and alternative views of the admissions process. Conclusions are also drawn about the management of change and the management of stability. Finally, it is concluded that all evaluations and analyses of selection systems need to adopt a systems approach in which the complex interactions among various factors are taken into consideration.

Studiens syfte är att undersöka barnskötares och blivande psykoterapeuters perspektiv på lärande i spänningsfältet mellan formell utbildning och informellt lärande i praktiken. För detta syfte ska barnskötare som utbildar sig till förskollärare och blivande psykoterapeuter undersökas. De fyra forskningsfrågorna är följande; (1) Hur värderar och upplever barnskötare och blivande psykoterapeuter relationen mellan formell utbildning och informellt lärande i praktiken? (2) Hur värderar och upplever barnskötare och blivande psykoterapeuter att deras lärande förändrats över tid? (3) Hur värderar barnskötare och blivande psykoterapeuter sitt lärande i relation till olika personer omkring dem? (4) Vilka skillnader och gemensamma drag finns det mellan barnskötare och blivande psykoterapeuter? Studiens empiriska insamling grundas på en enkätundersökning och urvalet omfattar totalt 11 barnskötare från Stockholms universitet och 43 blivande psykoterapeuter vid Stockholms universitet samt Uppsala universitet. Studien analyseras genom Ellströms teori om kognitivt- och kontextuellt perspektiv på lärande, anpassnings- och utvecklingsinriktat lärande samt Bertells teori om lärande på första- och andrahands arenan. Studieprocessen visar att det finns mycket lite tidigare forskning angående de undersökta professionerna och deras lärande under vidareutbildning, därför är studien ett viktigt bidrag till kunskapsfältet. Den data som agerar grund för analyserna i studien är insamlade genom en webbenkät. Mätningarna utförs via programvaran PSPP. Ur studiens resultat framgår det att de två professionerna var likartade i sin inställning som behandlade relationen mellan formell utbildning och informellt lärande i praktiken. Det går även att utläsa att respondenternas inställning indikerar på att de nu närmar sig eller befinner sig i det utvecklingsinriktat lärande, vilket har behandlats i förändring av lärande över tid. Samt att studiens resultat indikerar på att respondenternas lärande i relation med andra varierar beroende på profession och relation. Den största skillnaden mellan professionerna i studien visar sig när de ska värdera i vilken utsträckning de diskuterar nya kunskaper de lärt sig med sin chef. Gemensamma drag går att se i att de gärna diskuterar nya kunskaper de lärt sig med sina kurskamrater. Studien resulterar i slutsatser med hänsyn till semiformella relationer. Där kurskamraternas roll i respondenternas lärande ifrågasätt och visas i ett annan dimension. Detta med hjälp av en relativt ny teoretisk utgångpunkt. / The purpose of this study is to investigate the nurse and intended psychotherapists perspective on learning in the field between formal learning and informal learning in practice. For this purpose, the nurses that educate further to preschool teachers and intended psychotherapists is examined. The four research questions are as follows; (1) How does the nurses and the intended psychotherapists valuate and experience the relation between formal education and informal learning in practice? (2) How does the nurses and the prospective psychotherapists valuate and experience that their learning changes over time? (3) How does the nurses and the prospective psychotherapists valuate their learning in relation to different persons around them? What differences and common attribute is there between a nurse and a prospective psychotherapist? The empirical collection of the study is based on a survey and the selection covers in total 11 nurses from Stockholm university and 43 intended psychotherapists at Stockholm university and Uppsala university. The study is analyzed through Ellströms theory about cognitive- and contextual perspective on learning, adaptions- and development-minded learning and Bertells theory about learning at the first- and secondhand arena. The study process shows that there are less research made earlier about the investigated professions and their learning during further education, therefore the study is an important contribution to the field of knowledge. The data that the analyzes is founded on in the study is gathered through a web survey. Measures are executed through the software PSPP. It is clear that from the result of the study that the two professions where similar in its positions that treated the relations between formal education and informal learning in practice. It is also possible to interpret that the attitude of the respondents indicates that they are approaching or found themselves in the development-minded learning, which have been addressed in the change of learning over time. Furthermore the result of the study indicates that the respondents learning in relation to others varieties depending on profession and relation. The biggest difference between professions in the study shows when they are to assess in what extent they discuss new knowledge they have learned with their manager. Common features to be seen is that they willingly discuss the new knowledge they learned with their classmates. The study leads to conclusions in respect to semiformal relations. Where the classmates role in the respondents learning is questioned and shown in a another dimension. This with the help of a relative new theoretically point of view.