The debate on how students of different abilities should be organised and taught is probably as old as the introduction of formal schooling. It has generated a lot of debate in the past and continues to do so in the present millennium. This debate has invariably divided the world of educational research into two distinct camps. On one hand are proponents of ability grouping who claim that this grouping approach creates homogeneity which make it possible to tailor teaching to individual needs and thus raise achievement. On the other hand, are the exponents of mixed-ability grouping, who argue that ability grouping denies equality of educational opportunities to many young people, limiting their life chances and increasing social segregation. However, there is an emerging trend which posits that teachers should view students' mixed-abilities as an asset, which if properly exploited can result in effective instruction for the benefit of all students regardless of their many individual differences. This emanates from the realisation that there are different types of intelligences, and that it is not always possible for an individual student to posses all the types of intelligences. Therefore, students from diverse backgrounds, endowed with multiple intelligences, can help one another understand the content better as they will perceive the content from their diverse experiential backgrounds. This qualitative study concerned itself with investigating how mixed-ability grouping can be optimised for effective instruction at the junior secondary school level in Botswana. The study made use of literature study, focus groups, follow-up interviews and lesson observations. Major findings were that teachers are not optimising mixed-ability grouping for effective instruction. Instead, teachers have problems in teaching mixed-ability classes, with most of their teaching being teacher-centred. However, teachers can optimise mixed-ability grouping through the use of student-centred instructional strategies such as cooperative learning, small-group instruction, peer teaching and student research. Gifted students could be catered for through curriculum compaction, enrichment and extension work, while mentally challenged students could be offered remedial work. These cited teaching strategies are differential and they make use of the diverse abilities found in mixed-ability classes. / Educational Studies / D.Ed. (Didactics)

The subject Music in junior secondary schools in Botswana exhibits areas of concern. While commendable efforts have been made in ensuring access to and equity in education, a corresponding commitment to the improvement and quality of education, by way of ensuring effective delivery in the classroom, has not been realised. The objectives of the Music syllabus are more inclined toward music literacy, at the expense of listening, movement, singing and instrumental playing. The syllabus design undermines the potential of music education to foster creativity, imaginative thinking and self-actualisation among the learners. Also, Western music receives more coverage than non-western musical genres. The following research question guided the study: <ul> <li> What are the problems regarding the teaching of Music in the junior secondary schools in Botswana, and what solutions can be recommended?</li> </ul> The following sub-questions received attention: <ul> <li> To what extent are the teaching methodologies used effective (or ineffective)?</li> <li> To what extent does the teaching of Music take into account a learner’s acquired skills, knowledge, attitudes and experiences?</li> <li> What is the amount and quality of professional support given to music teachers?</li> <li> To what extent are the assessment strategies used effective?</li> <li> To what extent are the available resources adequate (or inadequate)?</li> </ul> Thus, the aim of the study has been to determine the status quo, to make an analysis of the progress (or lack thereof) made in the development of music education, to identify the problems associated with teaching Music as a subject, and to come up with proposals for coping with and managing the situational constraints. Information was gathered from an intensive scrutiny of the Music curriculum and a literature study. To this was added information gleaned from questionnaires sent to selected Music teachers and school pupils. The study determined that: there are definite imbalances in the treatment of learning objectives and genre coverage, with an inclination towards music literacy, and unclear directions towards the development of creativity, imaginative thinking and self-actualisation; there is an over-emphasis on Western models and music; there is a prevailing feeling that the performance and listening aspects of Music are difficult to assess; the amount of professional support provided to music teachers and to schools is minimal with a lack of proper mentorship for less experienced teachers; and, there is insufficient allocation of facilities and resources. Thus the following recommendations have been suggested: more indigenous musical arts should be incorporated into the curriculum, with an increase in the Popular music content as a way of responding to the learners’ interests; capacity-building workshops should be conducted; methods of appraising teachers should be reviewed to make them more subject specific; supervisors of music education programmes in schools should be further equipped with the necessary skills to appropriately carry out supervision; the Department of Curriculum Development and Evaluation should involve South African experts in their Arts and Culture curriculum in order to make assessment more relevant and accurate; the Teaching Service Management and the Teacher Training and Development departments should take appropriate steps towards an across-the-board improvement of music education through subject Music.Copyright / Dissertation (MMus)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Music / unrestricted

The aim of this research was to examine the extent to which the pedagogical practices of Business Studies teachers in Botswana junior secondary schools conform to pedagogical practices recommended for imparting practical business skills relevant to the world of work. It also aimed to identify the strengths and weaknesses of teachers’ current practices with a view to proffer a teaching model that would help to maximize learner acquisition of business skills and competencies. Literature related to the pedagogy of business education subjects was reviewed to give a general conceptual and methodological foundation for the investigation. An overview of the methodological approaches and the qualitative research design selected for application to the study were provided including the data-gathering procedures and the conceptual framework that supported and informed the research. The major findings of the study were that Business Studies teachers subscribe mainly to the transmission paradigm of teaching. Teachers’ failure to use constructivist pedagogies prescribed in the syllabus were attributed to a multiplicity of challenges they face in their day-to-day practices. The challenges that beset the pedagogy of business subjects emanate from a variety of sources such as the scarcity or non-availability of teaching materials and resources, a congested syllabus and problems associated with striking a balance between the theoretical and practical aspects of the subject. Teachers indicated that the Business Studies syllabus is too long and with the little time allocated to teach it on schools timetables, it is impractical to expect them to complete the syllabus using constructivist teaching approaches which they perceive as pedagogically burdensome and time-consuming. Despite the teachers’ constraints in creating constructivist learning environments, the use of an entrepreneurial pedagogy in the form of the mini enterprise whereby students are involved in setting and running a concrete enterprise is prevalent. The study concluded by suggesting a pedagogical model, based on the findings, to improve Business Studies curriculum delivery. It was also recommended that support structures aimed at monitoring and ensuring that the delivery of business education is done according to the stipulated business curriculum standards be put in place. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Didactics)

A quantitative and descriptive type of study design was followed using structured self-administered questionnaires distributed among 84 conveniently selected male adolescent learners from Nanogang Community Junior Secondary School (NCJSS) in Gaborone. The purpose of this study was to describe factors that influence the uptake of safe male circumcision (SMC) as a human immune-deficiency virus (HIV) prevention strategy among male adolescent learners. The study findings show that protection from HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) was found to be the main reason for adolescent learners undergoing male circumcision (MC) (p<.01). Reasons such as maintenance of genital hygiene, culture, religion, and the enhancement of sexual pleasure were not found to be significant factors. Misconceptions such as the belief that girls do not like circumcised partners were found to be the main reason for adolescent learners not undergoing MC (p<.05). A number of factors which were claimed in previous studies to be obstacles for the uptake of MC, such as surgical complications, peer pressure, stigma, and discrimination, were not found to be major obstacles / Health Studies / M.A. (Public Health)

為瞭解國民中小學學生學習電腦相關行為及現況,本研究以台北市國民中學三年級學生1251人及國小六年級學生1201人為研究對象,經運用電腦經驗調查表.認知需求量表.數學焦慮量表.電腦態度量表及電腦素養測驗卷等研究工具,獲得所需的資料,再以chi-square考驗.皮爾遜積差相關. t-test.典型相關.多元(逐步)迴歸及因徑分析等方法進行統計分析,結果 有以下幾點發現: 一. 國民中小學學生電腦經驗.電腦資源.電腦態度與電腦素養現況方面 1. 國中與國小學生之電腦經驗有顯著的差異存在. 2. 國中與國小學生之電腦資源部份有顯著的差異. 3. 國中與國小男女學生之電腦經驗部份有顯著的差異存在. 4. 國中與國小男女學生之電腦資源部份有顯著的差異存在. 5. 國中學生與國小學生在電腦焦慮與電腦有用性兩電腦態度上有顯著差異. 6. 國民中小學男學生之電腦態度(焦慮與自信)顯著較女生好. 7. 國中學生之電腦素養(軟硬體.應用與影響.操作.倫理)顯著較國中學生佳. 8. 國民中小學男學生之電腦素養(軟硬體.應用與影響.操作)顯著較女生佳. 二. 影響國中小學生電腦態度方面 1. 電腦經驗與國中小學生之電腦態度有顯著之正相關. 2. 電腦資源與國中小學生之電腦態度有顯著之正相關. 3.認知需求與國中小學生之電腦態度有顯著之正相關. 4. 數學焦慮與國中小學生之電腦態度有顯著之相關. 5. 數學成就與國中小學生之電腦態度有顯著之正相關. 6. 認知需求.每星期使用電腦的時間.每星期閱讀電腦書籍及雜誌的.家中電腦週邊設備的情形.自己或與他人共同使用電腦以及是否有電腦學前經驗等六個變項對國中小學生之電腦態度有顯著的預測效果,預測解釋力為32%. 三. 影響國中小學生電腦素養方面 1. 電腦經驗與國中小學生之電腦素養有顯著之正相關. 2. 電腦資源與國中小學生之電腦素養有顯著之正相關. 3. 認知需求與國中小學生之電腦素養有顯著之正相關. 4. 數學焦慮與國中小學生之電腦素養有顯著之相關. 5. 數學成就與國中小學生之電腦素養有顯著之正相關. 6. 每星期閱讀電腦書籍及雜誌的時間.家中電腦週邊設備的情形.自己或與他人共同使用電腦.電腦焦慮.電腦自信以及電腦喜歡等六個變項對國中小學生之電腦素養有顯著的預測效果,預測解釋力約為52%.四.整合模式分析方面1. 國中學生之電腦經驗與電腦資源對其電腦素養之影響,主要是來自直接效果的影響(經驗:57.32%;資源:73.31%), 而認知需求對電腦素養之影響主要是透過電腦態度間接效果的影響(89.06%).2. 電腦經驗與電腦資源對國小學生電腦素養之影響, 來自間接效果的影響約佔(經驗: 67.55%;資源:52.32%),認知需求對國小電腦素養的影響主要是透過電腦態度的間接效果,佔61.29%. With the expansion of computer technology, it is important to prepare individuals for success in our increasingly computerized society. Therefore,factors that impact decisions regarding attitude and literacy of computer should be expored. Several factors should be considered: (1) individual characteristics, (2) computer experience, (3) computer resource, (4) cognitiveneed, (5) mathematics anxiety, and (6) mathematics achievement. The purposes of this study were : (1) To find out the situation of information education in junior secondaryand primary school at present; (2) To find out the situation of the computer attitude and literacy in junior secondary and primary school students at present; (3) To examine the relationship and effects toward computer attitudes and literacy of many factors. 1251 junior secondary and 1201 primary school students were measured by (1)individual characteristics and computer experience questionnare, (2) Cognitive Need Scale , (3) Mathematics Anxiety Scale , (4) Computer Attitude Scale, and(5) Computer Literacy Test. The mainly statistical methods are chi-square, pearson product moment correlation, t-test, canonical correlation analysis, multiple(stepwise) regression analysis and path analysis. The results of the analysis of data indicated the following : (1) There were significant sex and school level differences of attitude and literacy toward computer. Boys were better than girls. Primary school students were better than junior secondary school; (2) There were significant correlations between computer experience, computer resource, cognitive need, mathematics anxiety, mathematics achievement, and computer attitude; (3) There were significant correlations between computer experience, computer resource, cognitive need, mathematics anxiety, mathematics achievement, and computer literacy; (4) Computer experience, computer resourse, cognitive need and computer attitude were significant predictors for computer literacy. Computer attitude was the best significant predictor. Recommendations were made for information education , school , family,educational organization and future additional research , to improve the attitude and literacy toward computer of junior secondary and primary school students.

A quantitative and descriptive type of study design was followed using structured self-administered questionnaires distributed among 84 conveniently selected male adolescent learners from Nanogang Community Junior Secondary School (NCJSS) in Gaborone. The purpose of this study was to describe factors that influence the uptake of safe male circumcision (SMC) as a human immune-deficiency virus (HIV) prevention strategy among male adolescent learners. The study findings show that protection from HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) was found to be the main reason for adolescent learners undergoing male circumcision (MC) (p<.01). Reasons such as maintenance of genital hygiene, culture, religion, and the enhancement of sexual pleasure were not found to be significant factors. Misconceptions such as the belief that girls do not like circumcised partners were found to be the main reason for adolescent learners not undergoing MC (p<.05). A number of factors which were claimed in previous studies to be obstacles for the uptake of MC, such as surgical complications, peer pressure, stigma, and discrimination, were not found to be major obstacles / Health Studies / M.A. (Public Health)

The aim of this research was to examine the extent to which the pedagogical practices of Business Studies teachers in Botswana junior secondary schools conform to pedagogical practices recommended for imparting practical business skills relevant to the world of work. It also aimed to identify the strengths and weaknesses of teachers’ current practices with a view to proffer a teaching model that would help to maximize learner acquisition of business skills and competencies. Literature related to the pedagogy of business education subjects was reviewed to give a general conceptual and methodological foundation for the investigation. An overview of the methodological approaches and the qualitative research design selected for application to the study were provided including the data-gathering procedures and the conceptual framework that supported and informed the research. The major findings of the study were that Business Studies teachers subscribe mainly to the transmission paradigm of teaching. Teachers’ failure to use constructivist pedagogies prescribed in the syllabus were attributed to a multiplicity of challenges they face in their day-to-day practices. The challenges that beset the pedagogy of business subjects emanate from a variety of sources such as the scarcity or non-availability of teaching materials and resources, a congested syllabus and problems associated with striking a balance between the theoretical and practical aspects of the subject. Teachers indicated that the Business Studies syllabus is too long and with the little time allocated to teach it on schools timetables, it is impractical to expect them to complete the syllabus using constructivist teaching approaches which they perceive as pedagogically burdensome and time-consuming. Despite the teachers’ constraints in creating constructivist learning environments, the use of an entrepreneurial pedagogy in the form of the mini enterprise whereby students are involved in setting and running a concrete enterprise is prevalent. The study concluded by suggesting a pedagogical model, based on the findings, to improve Business Studies curriculum delivery. It was also recommended that support structures aimed at monitoring and ensuring that the delivery of business education is done according to the stipulated business curriculum standards be put in place. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Didactics)

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of School Intervention Teams (SITs) in assisting learners with Special Educational Needs (SEN) at community junior secondary schools (CJSS) in Botswana. This case study was guided by the cultural-historical theory on cognitive development by Lev Vygotsky and Bill Hettler’s theory on wellness dimensions. The study used mixed research approach which combined qualitative and quantitative method. The data collection instruments used included questionnaires which were completed by members of SITs, semi-structured oral interview which was specifically planned for SIT coordinators and lastly, document analysis. This research task was carried out under the permission of University of South Africa (UNISA) Ethics Clearance Committee and Ministry of Education and Skills Development (Botswana). Letters of consent were obtained from the school heads, SIT coordinators and members of SIT in the sampled community junior secondary schools (CJSS). The findings of this study showed that the effectiveness of SIT is dependent upon availability of positive attitude and support towards Inclusive Education by school management team, teachers, parents, external stakeholders (Botswana examinations Centre, Central Resource Centre, Principal Education Officers for Special education). Effectiveness of SIT is also enhanced by availability of resources such as teaching learning aids, office and classroom for remediation of the identified learners. Therefore, there is still a great gap between special education recommendation and their implementation in CJSS in Botswana and this hinders the effectiveness of SITs. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of School Intervention Teams (SITs) in assisting learners with Special Educational Needs (SEN) at community junior secondary schools (CJSS) in Botswana. This case study was guided by the cultural-historical theory on cognitive development by Lev Vygotsky and Bill Hettler’s theory on wellness dimensions. The study used mixed research approach which combined qualitative and quantitative method. The data collection instruments used included questionnaires which were completed by members of SITs, semi-structured oral interview which was specifically planned for SIT coordinators and lastly, document analysis. This research task was carried out under the permission of University of South Africa (UNISA) Ethics Clearance Committee and Ministry of Education and Skills Development (Botswana). Letters of consent were obtained from the school heads, SIT coordinators and members of SIT in the sampled community junior secondary schools (CJSS). The findings of this study showed that the effectiveness of SIT is dependent upon availability of positive attitude and support towards Inclusive Education by school management team, teachers, parents, external stakeholders (Botswana examinations Centre, Central Resource Centre, Principal Education Officers for Special education). Effectiveness of SIT is also enhanced by availability of resources such as teaching learning aids, office and classroom for remediation of the identified learners. Therefore, there is still a great gap between special education recommendation and their implementation in CJSS in Botswana and this hinders the effectiveness of SITs. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)