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<p dir="ltr">This dissertation explores the intricate dynamics between the self-perceptions of undergraduate mathematics (UM) educators and their conceptions of excellent teaching practices conducive to student learning. Employing a sequential mixed methods approach, the study addresses two primary research questions. First, it investigates educators' self-perceptions within the realm of UM teaching, examining potential variances based on educators' Professional Status and Educational Institution (PSEI) affiliations and experience levels. Second, it delves into educators' perspectives on aspects of excellent UM teaching, scrutinizing potential disparities rooted in PSEI affiliations and experience levels, while also exploring the manifestations of Mathematics Teachers' Specialized Knowledge (MTSK) and teaching self-concept within these descriptors.</p><p dir="ltr">Drawing upon Shavelson's self-concept (1976) framework and Carrillo and colleagues' (2018) MTSK framework, data collection involved a Likert-style questionnaire augmented by open-ended inquiries, followed by qualitative case studies featuring eight participants from diverse Carnegie classifications. Findings demonstrate educators' overall confidence in their teaching abilities, with notable discrepancies observed among educators from associate's colleges and doctoral universities. Through thematic analysis, key dimensions of excellent teaching emerged, including active learning, student engagement, problem-solving, and positive learning environments.</p><p dir="ltr">This study yields implications for educational practice and institutional policy. Educators can leverage identified themes to inform professional development initiatives tailored to enhance UM teaching effectiveness. Furthermore, the validated instrument offers institutions a means to assess educators' confidence levels, facilitating targeted support within mathematics departments.</p><p dir="ltr">In conclusion, this dissertation contributes valuable insights into the multifaceted interplay between educators' self-perceptions, teaching practices, and student learning outcomes within the context of UM instruction.</p>

This study explores the various processes that constructed and transformed the undergraduate curriculum in a Faculty of Education at a South African university. It attempts to delve beneath the representation of post-apartheid curriculum change as a linear process. The thesis argues that scholars should attempt to unravel how the curriculum performs the task of social transformation at the site of the university by empirically investigating how the relationship between structure and action links with the ideals of post-apartheid higher education policy. Theoretically, this study posits that the deficit in the local literature on the use of the structure/agency relationship as a heuristic device for examining institutional change should be addressed with the relational sociology of Pierre Bourdieu. / Sociology / D. Phil. (Sociology)

This study explores the various processes that constructed and transformed the undergraduate curriculum in a Faculty of Education at a South African university. It attempts to delve beneath the representation of post-apartheid curriculum change as a linear process. The thesis argues that scholars should attempt to unravel how the curriculum performs the task of social transformation at the site of the university by empirically investigating how the relationship between structure and action links with the ideals of post-apartheid higher education policy. Theoretically, this study posits that the deficit in the local literature on the use of the structure/agency relationship as a heuristic device for examining institutional change should be addressed with the relational sociology of Pierre Bourdieu. / Sociology / D. Phil. (Sociology)