The purpose of this study was to investigate educator perceptions of the implementation of Integrated Quality Management Systems (IQMS) in Further Education and Training (FET) Colleges in South Africa. Quality in education is presently put more firmly on the agenda not withstanding the fact that a vast range of literature is available to support the process of improving the quality in education. The department of education has made many attempts to introduce an effective appraisal system in support of quality education only to find that the previous appraisal systems were rejected by the educator force for the mere fact that it was perceived as a form of inspection and supervision rather than for development purposes. This study also focuses on a review of the integrated quality management system (IQMS), of its purpose, guidelines and its subsequent implementation in FET colleges in South Africa in 2004. The primary focus of the discussion is on the processes, the methods, the guiding principles and the pitfalls of the implementation of quality management systems in educational organizations To guide this discussion literature reviews on quality, quality education, quality management and quality management systems were undertaken. The empirical study entailed gleaning information from a structured questionnaire which was distributed to a sample group of lecturers at Sedibeng College for FET in the Gauteng Province. The questions were structured in a manner to gain information about the understanding of the operational principles of quality management, the aims and guiding principles of IQMS, the importance of quality control and the external relationships of the college. The major finding emanating from this study was that there was a need for intensive training in IQMS, thus a management's strategy for ensuring that IQMS is effectively implemented was proposed. The overall recommendation arising from this study includes ensuring that management designs a quality manual to guide the process of quality assurance. / Thesis (M.Ed. (Education Management))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.

The National Curriculum Statement (NCS) Grades 10 to 12 (Schools), implemented from 2006, led to changes in promotion requirements and assessment practices. The investigation aimed at acquiring information about the extent to which the differences in the promotion requirements and assessment practices contributed to the high retention rate of learners in the FET Band. An explanatory mixed method strategy was followed to obtain reliable and valid results in this research. Quantitative research consisted of questionnaires and a survey to investigate OBE, assessment practices, the Grade 12 examinations and the impact of changes in promotion requirements since 2006. Qualitative research consisted of an interview with an official from the National Department of Education that contributed to a better understanding of policy changes. Based on the findings of the research, recommendations were constructed to improve assessment practices and to provide scientific data on the consequences of policy changes on the promotion of learners. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Educational Management)

This study focuses on the role of school managers in addressing challenges associated with the implementation of continuous assessment (CASS) in the Further Education and Training (FET) band in Mopani District. It furthermore investigates to what degree school managers in the district engage in performing the “traditional” leadership and management roles which create a conducive atmosphere for the implementation of CASS. A thorough literature review provides an understanding of the emerging trends and challenges in the implementation of CASS internationally. Most of these challenges are analogous with those constraining the implementation of CASS in Mopani District. The data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews and questionnaires from purposively sampled district educators and school management teams (SMTs) who came from randomly selected schools. The findings enumerated the insufficient training for school managers and infrequency of performing “traditional” leadership and management roles as some of the factors hampering the implementation of CASS in the district schools. / Educational Studies / M. Ed (Education Management)

The system of employees motivation in a selected company is the title of this thesis that closely analyzes the system of employees motivation in a selected company and outlines some suggestions that could improve the management and performance in this area. Moreover, the focus is placed towards the motivation of employees in the workplace.

This diploma thesis deals mainly with the Operational Programme Education for Competitiveness and its area of support number 3.2 ? Support for the offer of further education, namely in the South Bohemian region. Currently, the support for the offer of further education in this region is realized particularly through letters of intents from the first round of the call for this area of support which have been approved for future fruition. The fruition of the projects drafted in these letters of intents will have a primary impact especially on target groups of factual projects. The letters of intents from the second round of the call are now being evaluated. Letters of intents from this second round approved for fruition will be officially announced after the meeting of the South Bohemian Regional Council, which will be held in June this year. In the fourth quarter of 2011, the third round of the call in the South Bohemian region will be announced. The effect of the money invested in the offer of further education will manifest itself no sooner than after the year 2013, in which the programming period will be ended and utilization of financial resources from the European Union funds will be dramatically limited. The representatives of the South Bohemian Region are well aware of the importance of supporting this issue and there is evident endeavour to fill up educational blanks of the people living on its territory, which are caused mainly by the changes in the employment market structure in this region. For the current programming period and for the support for the offer of further education in the South Bohemian region, the allocation of 196 000 000 CZK has been detached from the European Union funds. After the first call, 13% of this allocation were spent. It is difficult to foresee how the financial resources utilization within this area of support will be continued till the year 2013.

The aim of this study was to investigate seven in-service preschool teachers’ conception of their competence in physics, needs in further educational training and their perceptions around conditions surrounding physics education in preschool. The study is based on a phenomenographic approach where individual interviews have been conducted.The study shows that most of the preschool teachers feels that physics is difficult and something they are struggling with, both when it comes to teaching and understanding the subject themselves. Everyone in the study does not share these thoughts. The conception that also appears is that they do have good knowledge in the subject but not in teaching it. Most of the teachers are open minded in their needs of professional development. They express that they want education in the form of workshops, that both has a basic theoretical and practical approach. A minority feels that they can seek further development themselves through various types of literature. The study shows that there are many aspects of underlying conditions for why they do not teach preschoolers in physics. Perception that stands out are time-economic circumstances, their lack of knowledge in physics, lack of interest in the subject and arguments that indicate that they also use the preschoolers’ lack of interest as a defending argument. / Syftet med studien är att undersöka sju verksamma förskollärares uppfattningar kring deras egen kompetens, behov av fortbildning och deras uppfattningar kring förutsättningar för fysikundervisning i förskolan. Studien grundar sig på fenomenografisk teori och metodologi och semistrukturerade intervjuer har använts som datainsamlingsmetod.Studien visar att majoriteten av förskollärarna uppfattar sina kunskaper i fysik som mindre bra och upplever fysikämnet som svårt. De få som anser sig ha goda kunskaper i fysik uttrycker trots goda kunskaper i ämnet osäkerhet kring hur de ska undervisa i fysik. Studien visar att förskollärarna i allmänhet känner att de behöver kompetensutveckling framförallt i hur de ska undervisa i fysik i förskolan. Majoriteten av förskollärarna i studien vill ha fortbildning i form av workshops eller föreläsningar som har både teoretiska och praktiska inslag. Förskollärarnas uppfattningar om förutsättningar för fysik i förskolan visar på en mängd hinder för utvecklande av fysikundervisningen. De lyfter speciellt det tidsekonomiska begränsningar som finns, bristande kunskaper i fysik, bristande intresse i fysik och använder också barnens intressen som starkt argument till att de inte arbetar med fysik i förskolan.

The objective of master thesis "Recent trends in education of the unemployed people in Denmark and the Czech Republic" is to describe active labour market policy of Denmark and the Czech Republic. The focus is specifically on young unemployed people representing the group with the highest unemployment rate on the Europeans labour market. This master thesis introduces to the instruments of active labour market policy and focuses especially on education as the most effective instrument of active labour market policy. The thesis is a theoretical study, working with relevant information sources of these two countries and with documents of EU. The result of this thesis is to be acquainted with the recent trends of this area, e.g. support of the further education or internships as an instrument of education in praxis. Moreover the thesis contains inspiration for the Czech active labour market policy Keywords Unemployment, active labour-market policy, youth unemployment, education for unemployment people, internships, improvement of qualifications, further education

Magister Educationis - MEd / This research study, which is a case study, investigates strategies employed by educators to enhance the culture of teaching, learning and values in a Grade 12 Geography classroom in a secondary school in the Western Cape. In the contemporary school context educators are experiencing an increasingly challenging time to ensure learner achievement, participation and general interest in their school work. As Geography educator, I often grappled with the issues of low achievement and interest levels among learners. I realised that unless educators • employ effective strategies to develop resilient learners; • change their classroom practice to suit learner needs; • involve learners in decisions regarding their education; and • show a genuine interest in learners the demands and challenges would not be diminished. I conducted a local and global literature review on enhancing a culture of teaching and learning in the Geography classroom as well as a case study carried out by Grade 12 educators and learners at a secondary school in the Western Cape. The research study was an attempt to explore possible solutions to the challenges in the classroom. It focused on an initiative by the Grade 12 educators and learners in pursuit of more creative ways of dealing with Geography content. The research study was qualitative in nature and aimed to investigate strategies educators could employ to enhance a culture of teaching, learning and values in the Geography classroom. The research approach was interpretive and the design was a case study. Interviews, questionnaires and observations were used to collect the required data. The data collected shows that through this project, learners were sensitized on human rights and values issues. They discovered that learning could be an enjoyable experience. The skills, knowledge and values emerging from this project were invaluable, since it changed the way learners viewed the learning experience. The focus was particularly on the Further Education and Training Geography curricular experience. Over the past decade, challenges pertaining to learners’ attitudes to education have intensified. The factors impacting on learner achievement and attitudes are extensive, especially in impoverished and historically deprived communities. In modern society social evils like alcoholism, drug abuse, gangsterism and the associated violence and criminal behaviour are taking their toll. A direct consequence of societal moral decay manifests itself in behavioural problems e.g. aggressive behaviour, vandalism and general ill-discipline. The implementation of the new National Curriculum Statement has also impacted extensively on educators and learners alike. For many educators who were set in conventional methodologies, the process was complicated and difficult to adapt to. The new curriculum poses unique challenges with regard to planning, self discipline and work ethos. It has been associated with a total change in the approach towards teaching and learning. Many educators found it difficult to adapt to the new way of managing the curriculum. Evidence from the data confirmed that educators were willing to employ different strategies to address and improve learner performance. However, the appropriate conditions of teaching and learning are often non-existent. Barriers to teaching and learning need to be addressed efficiently to ensure a supportive and enabling learning environment. The data also showed that educators achieved more through this strategy than initially envisaged. This would pave the way for other initiatives and strategies to ensure improved classroom practice and subsequently enhance the culture of teaching, learning and values.

This study investigated the integration of computer-assisted education (CAE) at Butterworth High School. Before 1994, may areas of the Eastern Cape remained neglected as far as education was concerned. However, with the advent of democracy, the new government is giving high priority to education to both the formerly privileged and underprivileged areas. This study investigated the extent to Butterworth High School has integrated CAE into its school curricula and the problems if any, that are preventing this school from becoming a full-fledged CAE school with their possible solutions. To appraise the integration of computer-assisted education at Butterworth High School the Evolutionary Model developed by Miller (1997) was adopted. Recommendations for further integration were made. / Dissertation (MEd (Computer-Assisted Education))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted

Students with learning difficulties are said by many writers to be prohibited from having a valued learner identity and denied a voice in which to influence their educational circumstances. They are, it is argued, kept submerged in a ‘culture of silence’, where they are homogenised as a deficit category of learners and, therefore, perceived in a one-dimensional way. Such disabling barriers stem from practitioner assumptions and wider sociological influences, which are also part of this same culture. The by-products of this thinking have prevented practitioners from developing more interactive and enabling relationships with their students. Starting with a commitment to listen to student views, and explore accessible, flexible and innovative ways in which to advocate these, the research reported in this thesis sought ways to address this agenda. Set in a further education college, five student co-researchers, four practitioner co-researchers and a facilitator co-researcher embarked on a year long project to learn how the same students could be supported in contributing to their own learning. Being a transparent account, the inquiry was also interested in exploring the difficulties of this endeavour and whether student empowerment would alter the relational dynamics and, therefore, practitioner roles. As the facilitator was instrumental in introducing these ideas, she also examined her own influential role. Data were generated from observations and co-researcher experiences of engaging with roles, body collages, student interviews, photo voice, journals, portfolios and reflective meetings. These exploratory processes and methods were predicated upon the ideological frameworks of the social model of disability and multiple intelligences theory. The study revealed that renegotiated co-researcher roles and body collages were effective processes for enabling reciprocal engagement, causing students to empower themselves and leading practitioners to rethink in ways that had not been anticipated. These processes were also felt to be educationally effective in relation to curriculum aims. Whilst journals and lengthy meetings proved to be impractical and of little use, the reflective journal did prove to be an essential tool for the facilitator, allowing her to draw upon further evidence. The findings indicate that student voice can be raised through collaboration and forging relationships of trust and co-ownership. The thesis concludes by arguing that silences were broken, not least since these collaborative actions are still being used in the particular context in ways that are conducive to everyday practices. Although time and commitment are needed, these are valuable strategies that other marginalised educational communities may benefit from adopting.