<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>

Magister Commercii (Infomation Management) / 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’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. 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’ perceptions toward the use of SM outside the class to enhance performance.. 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’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. 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.

Magister Artium (Social Work) - MA(SW) / The Further Education and Training Colleges Sector is a new phenomenon and attract students from school who are unprepared for the rigours of further education and training. This could have a direct impact on retention and throughput of first-year students in the sector. Against this backdrop student retention and success or throughput is a critical topic for further education and training in the public FET Colleges. The goal of this research was to explore and describe the challenges of retention and throughput from the perceptions and experiences of successful first-year students based on the assumption that lessons can be learned from this. The objectives were to explore and describe successful first-year students’ perceptions and experiences of retention and throughput a selected FET college; make recommendations to the management of the FET college sector; and to describe the role of social work to increase retention. An explorative, descriptive and contextual research design was adopted for the purpose of the study. It was conducted at Northlink FET College, Protea campus in Bellville, Cape Town. The population encompasses academic inclusion criteria for homogeneity and included all successful first-year students who met the minimum pass requirements for all their subjects in the national examination results of November 2007 and the supplementary examination results of February 2008. Non-probability purposive sampling was used to select the sample of 21 participants. Focus group interviews were facilitated by a semi-structured interview guide. The interviews were conducted in English and Afrikaans to accommodate the diversity of the participants. The data analysis and verification were done according to the framework recommended by Cresswell (1998). The findings of the study revealed that the following factors are strong predictors for student retention and success: Environmental influences within the college contribute to successful throughput and retention. These include financial aid, student support and developmental services, monitoring student progress, study programs and safety of the college. Public internet, library and transport services were experienced as important essentials which contributed significantly to the retention and success of the participants. The participants experienced the lack of an internet and library service, and study facility at the campus a major challenge to overcome. Student support in the form of group support or peer help, study groups, student counselling and referral for rehabilitation services were key determinants or predictors for the retention and throughput of the participants. The importance of trusting relationships also featured as key factors in the form of family and role models contributing to the success and persistence of the participants. Relationships in the academic environment with the academic staff and their communication styles of practicing such as flexible communication channels and democratic authoritarian relationship building contributed significantly to the receptiveness of learning and the success and persistence of the participants.Key factors with regards to the significant strengths of the participants which have contributed to their retention and throughput highlighted by the findings of the study included self-efficacy with its underpinning developmental intrinsic aspects self-discipline,self-esteem, independent decision-making, locus of control and acquiring essentials skills to adapt to student life. These attributes are strong predictors of student success and retention as have emerged from the findings of the study. Personal challenges such as hard times, drug abuse, learning disabilities, health problems and single parenting were indicated by the participants as strong predictors to rise above these adversities by persisting and succeed to enjoy a good quality life. The participants’ perception of education and employment were inter-linked toward an outcome for economic benefit and also perceived as a strong predictor for retention and throughput. Other factors indicated by the participants that have contributed to their retention and throughput, are neighbourhood and socio-economic background. The findings of this research study are generally in line with most of the studies conducted at community colleges internationally, and with some of the studies conducted at institutions of Higher Education in South Africa.

In its first decade of democracy the South African government embarked on radical reforms to the apartheid education system. One such set of reforms concerned the restructuring of the further education and training (FET) college sector. The implementation plan for the restructuring of the FET college sector, entitled Reform of South Africa’s Technical Colleges (Department of Education, 2001), was released in September 2001. The reorganisation of the FET college sector brought with it the prospect of meeting the objectives of the country’s Human Resource Development Strategy (Department of Education, 2001). Colleges would be transformed so that they offered learners the “high-quality, lifelong learning opportunities that are essential to social development and economic competitiveness in a rapidly changing world” (Department of Education, 2001:5). The study has its origins in a deceptively simple research question: What are the organisational and cultural influences and constraints on policy implementation? Much has been written about why policies fail to be implemented as planned (McLaughlin 1987; Guiacquinta, 1994). Based on the extensive data generated in this research I found explanatory power in a conceptual framework that uses the dual lenses of restructuring, focusing on “changing the use of time, space, roles and relationships to improve learning” (Fink&Stoll, 1998:308); and reculturing, which focuses on “the process of developing new values, beliefs and norms” (Fullan, 1996:420). The new government policy for FET colleges proposed a dramatic re-organisation of the sector through mergers in order to position these institutions so as to meet the socio-economic and human resource needs of a transforming society in line with global trends. Yet, an analysis of the sector revealed system-level problems relating to the structure and culture of the FET colleges that would undermine the implementation of the new policy. The comparative case study method was used to conduct this research on three technical colleges – two state-aided and one state college – as the “cases” under investigation. Data was collected over a one-year period using a wide variety of data collection methods including in-depth interviews (both individual and focus group sessions), document analysis, the review of minutes of meetings and other communiqués, selected photographs and structured questionnaires. The first major finding of this study is that the restructuring of the FET colleges through mergers was constrained by structural or the organisational inefficiencies in the system, that is, the lack or absence of the structures required for effective implementation of policy. The second major finding of this study is that the restructuring process underestimated the depth and resilience of the FET college culture, and that this institutional culture militated against effective implementation. In other words, there was no strategy for reculturing these institutions. This research further demonstrates the consequences of attempted restructuring without reculturing and the implications of not taking into account implementation matters involving institutional culture, values, behaviour and working styles. Successful change has more to do with the professional values, beliefs and assumptions held by implementers than with the voluntary adoption of the reform, irrespective of whether it is mandated at the national or provincial levels. Implementers choose practices and changes that fit best with their pre-existing beliefs and which are consistent with the organisation’s culture. Furthermore, the insights gained from this study that structure and culture are inextricably linked have both practical and theoretical significance. The study not only offers insight into the reorganisation of the FET colleges in South Africa, but also serves to extend our understanding of the importance of culture and structure as two neglected dimensions of systemic reform. In this study I highlighted several issues that could serve as a springboard for future research into this neglected sector (FET colleges) of the education and training system: · longitudinal rather than snapshot studies of institutional cultures and their unfolding effects on college restructuring; · empirical and conceptual accounts of college cultures that examine the impact of micro-political activity on the change trajectory; and · studies on how college systems change or restructure as opposed to individual colleges. In sum this research found that there were several structural (capacity, resource, leadership, support, communication, planning and advocacy) and cultural (beliefs, values, assumptions, understanding and practices) factors that constrained policy implementation. The study further argues that restructuring without reculturing encourages symbolic rather than substantive change. The thesis concludes that the restructuring (mergers) resulted in a fragmented, rather than a coordinated, FET system. / Thesis (PhD (Education Management and Policy Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This study was about the provision of epistemological access to Grade 10 to 12 learners in the business-related subjects of Accounting, Business Studies and Economics at two public high schools in the Western Cape Province. The aim of the study was twofold. Firstly, it investigated whether the Grade 10 to 12 learners had adequate subject content knowledge and skills in Accounting, Business Studies and Economics. Secondly, it wanted to identify the challenges that the learners at the two high schools were experiencing in these subjects and the reasons why.

This study was conducted at the TVET College X in Gauteng province. The main aim of the study was to establish the way in which national certificate vocational learners are prepared by work integrated learning for industry. Twenty participants were sampled qualitatively from Campus X. The unemployment and poverty rates are high in South Africa and are accompanied by income inequalities, hence the implementation of further education and training policies in an effort to reduce these high rates. Researchers concur that South Africa needs to invest in education and training in order to bring the country’s human capital to a level that is consistent with sustainable economic development. The establishment of a dual education system which integrates theory and practice is possible through the effective implementation of a curriculum that embraces work integrated learning. A high percentage of the learners at college X are exiting the national certificate vocational programme without either practical experience or exposure in industry. The study was based on the following research question, namely, How are national certificate vocational learners prepared by work integrated learning for industry? The study findings, which emerged from the structured interviews which were conducted, revealed that lecturers are informed about what WIL is but not on how it should be implemented and, thus, they are generally not very enthusiastic about it. It would appear that they tend to see WIL as the obligation of the college management and WIL facilitators and, thus, are prepared to convey only what is in the curriculum. However, the curriculum does not include a variety of obligatory WIL exercises. While learners understand what WIL entails, they are concerned that the workplace placement component of their learning is not prioritised as this may later place them at a disadvantage when applying for attractive jobs in the labour market. Existing literature highlights the difficulties experienced in WIL implementation and the lack of implementation models, with this possibly being the reason why learners are not being viably prepared by WIL. A work integrated model for national certificate vocational institutions to better prepare learners for industry was developed based on the findings of the study. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Education Management and Policy Studies / MEd / Unrestricted

In South Africa, there are various stakeholders involved in career guidance services (Stead & Watson, 2006, P.160). The teaching of career guidance within the context of Life Orientation (LO) at schools is the responsibility of Life Orientation teachers. This study explores the experiences of Life Orientation teachers in teaching career guidance in rural high schools at Lephalale Municipality. The study used qualitative approach to obtain rich information about the experiences of Life Orientation teachers in teaching career guidance at rural high schools. The study was conducted in two rural high schools in the Palala North Circuit of Lephalale Municipality. The sample comprised of two Further Education and Training (FET) Phase Life Orientation teachers from two rural high schools (one from each school). The participants were purposefully and conveniently selected. The data was collected by means of the semi-structured interviews. The data was analysed using the inductive thematic data analysis where themes, subthemes and categories emerged. The findings of the study reflected both the negative and positive experiences of Life Orientation teachers in respect of their teaching of careers and career choices, training and support needs, and the career- related activities such as career exhibitions in which both the learners and LO teachers participate. The results of the study will be shared with the two schools in the Palala North Circuit and the Department of Education, Waterberg District in the Limpopo province. It is hoped that the results generated by the study might assist the training personnel or facilitators (education or subject specialists) to know the type of training and support that LO teachers require and to also inform policy makers to develop a model of teaching career guidance at rural high schools. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Educational Psychology / MEd / Unrestricted

DEd (Curriculum Studies) / Department of Curriculum Studies / See the attached abstract below

Thesis (M. Ed. (Educational Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2013 / This research was based on the challenges faced by lecturers in the implementation of the National Certificate Vocational (NCV) curriculum at Mopani South East FET College. The common idea was that the new NCV curriculum in South Africa was going to keep abreast of changes with the population. However, the implementation of the NCV curriculum was not as effective as expected. This was demonstrated by the fact that in 2007, numerous students in NCV Level 2, did not manage to progress to the next level. The through-put rate was low in almost all the programmes. Therefore, the researcher was led to believe that lecturers were finding it difficult to implement the new NCV curriculum. In order to explore challenges faced by lecturers in the implementation of the NCV curriculum at Mopani South East FET, the researcher discussed different perspectives of and the rationale for curriculum change and implementation in different parts of the world including South Africa. The curriculum changes and implementation were discussed considering some of the countries, such as Romania, China, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United States of America (USA), Malawi, Mozambique and South Africa. Scholars have proven that for effective curriculum implementation, there are a number of ideas, which cannot be undermined, especially when there are curriculum changes. It referred to issues, such as the availability of curriculum plans, proper curriculum implementation management and leadership and continuous development of all the implementers. The aim of the study was to explore the challenges faced by lecturers in the implementation of the NCV curriculum at Mopani South East FET College. There were three objectives to this study, Firstly, to establish obstacles, which hindered the implementation of the NCV curriculum, secondly, explore what the causes for these obstacles were, and thirdly, describe the extent, to which these obstacles affected the implementation of NCV curriculum. The challenges faced by lecturers in the implementation of the NCV at Mopani South East FET College were investigated in order to achieve the stated objectives. The findings of this study provided conclusions and implications to NCV curriculum lecturers as well as policy makers; and added a body of knowledge in curriculum implementation. v A qualitative research method was used for the purpose of this study. Interviews and document analyses were used in order to gather information. The findings from this research project focused on four themes a) physical resources; b) student matters; c) staff matters and d) management matters. After considering the findings and results from the interviews and documents analyses, the researcher was convinced that further research could be undertaken in line with the relevant lecturer qualifications, academic and staff development for the FET sector, articulation of the NCV curriculum by businesses, monitoring and evaluation of the NCV curriculum implementation by campus, college management, as well as relevant provincial and national officials. In conclusion, the researcher believes that this study would play a very significant role to assist lecturers teaching or lecturing the NCV programmes, additionally, add to the body of knowledge in curriculum implementation and be of use to policy makers. Eventually, it will assist in bringing the desired expectations by Mopani South East FET College and the Department of Higher Education and Training (DoHET) to fruition.

<p>Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is the process of recognizing and crediting a person for his/her knowledge and experience however attained and promoting that person along a development pathway. In South Africa RPL has been promoted for social justice purposes related to access and redress. However these intentions have been lost within current educational discourses despite being rooted in several policies. Recently the role of vocational education has received increased prominence as a means to provide skills development. However there is often a disjuncture between policy formulation and implementation and this has given rise to this study of how RPL policy has been implemented within public Further Education and Training (FET) colleges. This paper investigates the RPL policies and practices in two public FET colleges and analyses how these employ social justice intentions of access and redress. The study reveals that there are similar conceptions of RPL amongst lecturers but varying RPL practices in these colleges.</p>