This research is about bullying in schools. The aim of the study was to investigate how the problem of bullying is understood in schools, its causes, types, effects, general patterns and strategies to curb this bullying problem in schools derived from the bioecological theory, through interviewing teachers, learners and principals at secondary school level. Qualitative approach and a case study were used. This qualitative research was conducted at three inclusive secondary schools in Johannesburg North District in Gauteng province in South Africa through engaging eighteen learners in Grade Eleven and Twelve in focus groups. One focus group composed of six learners was conducted at each of three participating schools. Nine teachers, three from each of the three participating schools were involved in semi- structured interviews to solicit data on how they understand bullying, its causes, types, effects, general patterns and ways of addressing bullying in schools. Three principals, one from each of the selected schools also participated in this study. All the participants participated in this research through invitation to voluntary participation after being made aware of the purposes of the study by the researcher. Thus, a purposive sample of three principals, nine teachers and eighteen learners was used by the researcher. Semi- structured interviews and focus group interviews were used as research instruments in this study. Teachers and principals were engaged in semi- structured interviews and learners were involved in focus group interviews. The bio- ecological theory and the wellness theory were used as theoretical frameworks in this research to understand bullying, its causes, types, effects and general patterns, so as to come up with strategies to address bullying that target the learners’ social contexts rather than the learners themselves as is with the case with the psychological model. Before conducting this research, the researcher obtained ethics clearance from the University of South Africa’s ethics committee, clearance was also obtained from Gauteng Department of, clearance from Johannesburg North District as well as acceptance letters from participating inclusive secondary schools. The researcher also obtained assent from the eighteen Grade eleven and twelve learners who participated in this study. Assent was also obtained from parents of learners who participated in this research. Consent was also obtained from the nine teachers and three principals who participated in this research. After conducting focus group discussions and semi- structured interviews with teachers and principals, the researcher transcribed data verbatim for the purposes of analysing it. After transcribing data, it was colour coded, then categorised and categories were further fused into themes which were discussed in chapter five in relation to literature reviewed in chapter two. Some interesting findings were discovered in this research. Lack of resources, violence and violent video games were found to be causes of bullying in schools. ‘Gangsterism’ and peer influence were said to be general patterns of bullying in schools. Low academic performance and absenteeism were said to be effects of bullying in schools. Physical bullying, verbal bullying, emotional bullying, social bullying, sexual bullying, teacher- learner bullying, learner to learner bullying, gender based bullying and cyber bullying were said to be some types of bullying prevalent in schools. Working with various stakeholders in education such as organisations like Love Life, S.E.N.C.A, South African Police Services and Community Based Youth Centres as well as other professionals like social workers, psychologists and specialist teachers was found to be helpful address bullying in schools. Findings also indicated that involving parents and community leaders in school activities assist to address bullying in schools. Installing cameras and suggestion boxes, reporting all forms of bullying installing cameras, bullying awareness campaigns, training staff and having bullying lessons in the school timetable were mentioned effective methods of eradicating all forms of bullying in all schools. However, the study recommends that, teachers and principals be staff developed on issues related to how bullying is understood in schools in relation to its causes, types, effects, general patterns and strategies to stop it in school. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive education)

Education is a human basic right. The process of education and learning is the key to social, cultural and political participation, personal and community economic empowerment and national development. Human immunodeficiency virus and Acquired Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) represent the largest single threat to this education process. In 2004, the estimated number of people living with HIV in the Eastern Cape Province was 828 993. HIV prevalence in the Eastern Cape showed an increase from 28% in 2004 to 29, 1% in 2005, which is comparative to the overall prevalence in South Africa. Based on the research findings, school principals need training to get knowledge, managerial and counseling skills and management strategies to write, implement and monitor a school HIV and AIDS policy and how to integrate HIV and AIDS education in curriculum in all grades. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

Violence in schools creates a climate of insecurity and fear, which impairs and impacts on the core educational purpose of schools. Accordingly, the main purpose of installing and implementing security measures at schools is to create a safer environment wherein individuals can move freely and feel secure in going about their daily schooling activities. The nature and extent of school violence was briefly examined within this study to assess the effectiveness of security measures within the schools. It is important for any institution to first examine and identify the specific risks it is facing before those risks can be addressed successfully. Security measures are valuable and helpful resources that can assist in creating safe and secure school environments. As this study highlighted, the more security measures a school had, the safer the scholars and the educators felt and the lower their crime rates appeared to be. / Educational Studies / M. Tech. (Security Management)

The current rapid school curriculum reform initiatives in the South African education system require teachers to develop continuously in order to understand and implement them effectively. Conversely, most teachers’ continuing professional development (CPD) activities based on curriculum change implementation are inadequate to produce their intended results. Teachers continue grappling with limited subject content knowledge, how to teach and assess in the outcomes-based way, and how to evaluate and select high quality textbooks. Extant studies suggest that most CPD approaches used thus far are typically loosely-matched to the teachers’ actual CPD needs, unrelated to classroom realities, and are seldom followed-up. These limitations imply deep-rooted problems and issues concerning how the relevant management structures within the various levels of the Department of Basic Education manage teachers’ CPD for curriculum change implementation. This qualitative case study examines the role of curriculum coordinators and school management teams (SMTs) in managing teachers’ CPD for curriculum change implementation, respectively, at the selected area offices and secondary schools in the North West Province. Through purposive sampling, this study involved the following participants: four curriculum coordinators, eight subject advisors, 24 principals, 24 Heads of Departments and 24 teachers. Empirical data were collected by means of interviews and document analysis. Data analysis followed Tesch’s steps for open coding. The findings suggest that the identified curriculum coordinators and SMTs are ineffective in discharging their role of managing teachers’ CPD for curriculum change implementation. They lack sound understanding of their role, and they also experience a litany of practical impediments. These barriers, inter alia, include limited training for CPD managers, shortage of relevant resources, difficulties of finding a suitable day and time for teachers’ CPD, CPD managers’ work overload and teachers’ change weariness. The implications of these findings on the quality of teachers’ CPD for curriculum change implementation are outlined. Relevant guidelines are developed to address the above challenges. It is anticipated that the findings and recommendations in this study will provide valuable and timely contributions in the fields of teacher development and curriculum change implementation. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)

This study focuses on the manner in which the School Management Team (SMT) manages physical abuse among learners, providing guidelines on how to act in a proactive and constructive manner. A qualitative approach was used and the research was designed as a single case study. National education specific law and policy regulating learner misconduct, the SMT’s management of physical abuse of learners as well as the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Basic Education’s policies were used to benchmark my evaluation of current management practices with regard to physical abuse among learners against such laws and policies. The research findings on the current management practices, factors that contribute to physical abuse, reasons and effects of physical abuse and the role of the SMT in handling physical abuse were based on an analysis of School A’s Code of conduct for learners and its Discipline Policy and information extracted by means of interviews. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

This research investigated the instructional leadership roles of selected township principals. Its main focus was therefore to explore and understand the roles and practices engaged in by township principals in order to influence effective teaching and learning in their schools. A qualitative research method was used to conduct a case study with two schools. A total of six participants were purposefully sampled: two principals and four teachers. The data was collected using individual interviews, document analysis and observations. From the data, five themes emerged in this study. Although the findings revealed that there are some principals with a weak and partial understanding of what instructional leadership entails, these principals do put a remarkable effort into executing their instructional roles. Instructional leadership development programmes are necessary for all School Management Team (SMT) members. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

Instructional leadership (IL) is a powerful tool that is used by principals to manage schools. There is a need for principals to fully embrace this concept of leadership and understand how educators respond to their IL. This study investigated the response of educators to principals’ IL. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six teachers at a selected high school. The results found that teachers were comparatively impressed by the principal’s IL. The principal showed partial involvement in managing an instructional programme and promotion of a culture of teaching and learning. The results will enable principals to understand the reaction of teachers to their IL, thereby empowering them to be better instructional leaders. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Educational Management and Leadership)

This study deals with the impact of educational policy on the National Senior Certificate: Pre-1994 and Post democracy South African case. The qualitative approach was used in this study, and the research findings were based on the analysis of documents. The transition from apartheid education to the present education system in South Africa has not been without challenges. In the past, South African education reflected the fragmented society in which it was based. Outcomes based education (OBE)/Curriculum 2005 (C2005), since its inception, was riddled with challenges. OBE/C2005 by its nature is complex. It is not user-friendly for developing countries such as South Africa. The aim of this study is to explore the impact of educational policies on the 2008 National Senior Certificate results. Historical-educational research is undertaken with the view of putting the education phenomenon into proper perspective. Venter (1985) is of the opinion that historical education investigation refers to the systematic placing of historical education variables in the spotlight. The general, continual pedagogical and fundamental problems are accentuated against the multiplicity of historical detail. This then makes historical-educational research an orderly (systematic and controlled) process of knowledge enrichment (Venter & Van Heerden 1989:106). The National Senior Certificate was established in terms of National Education Act 27 of 1996. Curriculum 2005 has been described in policy documents as a “paradigm shift” because it represents a radical departure from the previous curriculum in terms of the following: theoretical underpinnings, structure and organisation, teaching and learning process, and assessment (South Africa, Department of Education 1997:1). Pre-1994, the researcher discovered that the education of black people in rural areas in particular and South Africa in general was, in most instances, negatively impacted by policies of the previous government (1948-1953). The apartheid government used poor funding models to ensure that there were low teacher-pupil ratios and teacher qualifications were of unequal standard. Unequal pattern of spending continued well into the post-1994 democratic era. This poor funding model which impacted negatively on rural schools made infrastructural provision in rural areas difficult. Post -1994 democratic dispensation, the researcher discovered that the government have competitive legislative policies in place, but the challenges lay in the fact that those policies were impulsively implemented. Hence the many challenges. This is shown by the frequency of curriculum changes which took place in a very short space of time. Stakeholders played a major role in insuring that schools received quality service by challenging some of the decisions the government was taking. The government has had to take the recommendations into account. / Public Administration and Management / M.Admin. (Public Administration)

This research focuses on the issue of parent involvement at selected secondary schools in the Zeerust District of the North West Province in order to gain an understanding of relevant participants’ views on the following aspects that relate to the management of parent involvement: the concept of parent involvement, ways in which parent involvement should be realised, its benefits and challenges, as well as strategies to improve the management of parent involvement in the education of learner children. The theoretical frameworks that informed this study were Epstein’s theories of overlapping spheres and her typology of parent involvement, as well as Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model. These frameworks provided a meaningful lens for interpreting data and making recommendations in the final chapter. The researcher undertook an extensive literature study and conducted interviews with principals, SGB chairpersons, as well as selected SGB parent members and other active and inactive parents from the selected schools in the Zeerust district. The research shows, inter alia, that parent involvement has various benefits and that it faces several challenges which affect the management thereof. Benefits concern improvement in terms of academic performance of learners, provision of teaching and learning resources, relationships between parents and the school, learner motivation and school attendance. Challenges to parent involvement that were identified were time constraints of parents, poor communication between home and school, parents’ lack of interest and commitment, principals’ limitations in terms of the management of parent involvement, parents’ limited education, negative parental attitudes and negative teacher attitudes. Key recommendations were made in terms of Bronfenbrenner’s micro, exo- and macrosystem for addressing the management of parent involvement in a synergetic manner. They concerned, inter alia, the national Department of Basic Education in the macrosystem, provincial Departments of Basic Education in the exosystem and schools and parents in the microsystem. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

Around the world, managing the behavioural rights of teachers and learners in schools remains a complex problem for all involved in the teaching and learning situation. From a legal standpoint, the crux of this study relates to why school managers and teachers feel disempowered by learners’ rights. Over and above the duty of all citizens not to infringe on other peoples’ human rights (e.g. the horizontal application of the Bill of Rights contained in Section 2 of the Constitution, SA, 1996), teachers also have a legal obligation to promote and protect learners’ rights (e.g. a vertical application of the Bill of Rights contained in Section 2 of the Constitution, SA, 1996). It is this extra mandate that results in teachers feeling disempowered by learners’ rights. Learners’ rights are protected because teachers are representative of the state and, as such, the vertical application of human rights arises where learners are protected against any possible abuse of power. Moreover, a further ‘imbalance’ is created by children’s rights (Section 28, SASA, 1996). In particular, their right to protection and to having their best interests is regarded as of paramount importance. The study examined the role of the principal, SMT, SGB and RCL in managing the behavioural rights of teachers and learners. A qualitative investigation at three public high schools in the North Metropolitan District of Cape Town was done. Data were collected by means of document analysis as well as by in-depth interviews with five teachers and five RCL members at each of the three participating schools. The findings of the study revealed that the behavioural rights of teachers and learners are managed by the school management leadership style, by the ineffective support from teacher unions, by the functionality of the SGB, by the muted voice of the RCL and in a conflicting manner by some parents. The study recommends that principals, SMTs, SGBs and RCLs be empowered in order for them to manage the behavioural rights of teachers and learners effectively. The principals, SMTs, SGBs and RCLs that adopt a democratic leadership style which favours support, collaboration and conflict resolution can thus take firm hold of a golden opportunity – the opportunity to sustain and promote the managing of the behavioural rights of teachers and learners. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Educational Management)