A dissertation submitted in the fulfilment of the requirements for the Master’s Degree in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education, Faculty of Education at the University Of Zululand, 2019. / Career education is a statutory practice in South African public schools through the subject Life Orientation. Literature reveals that not much attention is given to the provisioning of career education in schools. Therefore, this study aimed at determining the perceptions of education officials, school principals, LO educators and learners on the provisioning of career education in schools. The sample comprised 2 education officials, 4 school principals, 4 LO educators and 200 grade 12 learners. The main objective of the study was to determine if education officials, school principals, LO educators and learners thought that career education in schools met the career development needs of learners. A convergent parallel mixed methods research design was used, in which one-on-one interviews and the questionnaire were used to collect qualitative and quantitative data respectively. A qualitative thematic content analysis was used to analyse qualitative data, whilst for quantitative data, an excel spreadsheet was used to capture and analyse data. The findings revealed that the main career education provisioning strategy included a five-pronged career development support programme funded through the HIV and AIDS conditional grant and delivery in the classroom as part of the subject Life Orientation (LO). Education officials and school principals perceived career education in schools as meeting the career development needs of learners. Learners as well, perceived career education in schools as meeting their career development needs. LO educators thought that career education did not meet the career development needs of learners. Some of the gaps and challenges identified by participants were lack of educators dedicated solely for career guidance, lack of a national career guidance structure and policy, lack of a career counselling service, lack of appreciation of the role of the school in career decision-making. Parental and community influence, and the elusive role of LO and its educators in career education delivery in schools. The study recommends the making of Career Guidance a stand-alone offering in schools by, among other things, appointing Career Development Educators.

It became known that South African learners’ learning outcomes rank poorly on the international stage, even if compared to less developed parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. The root cause of this problem is assumed to lie with the concern of illiteracy, which was argued, could be combated inter alia by ensuring that every public school has a stocked and functional library serviced by a fulltime proficient librarian. The aim of the study was to investigate the role of principals in establishing and managing functional school libraries in the King Cetshwayo District, KwaZulu-Natal. A qualitative investigation was done amongst school principals and their teacher librarians at five Dlangubo Circuit Schools. Data were collected by means of in-depth interviews and document analysis. The study revealed that the principals lack the training and resources to fulfil their role in establishing and maintaining functional school libraries. Recommendations were made on how principals might solve these problems in the future. / Dit het aan die lig gekom dat Suid-Afrikaanse leerders se leeruitkomste swak in die internasionale arena vertoon, selfs indien dit met minder-ontwikkelde dele van Sub-Sahara-Afrika vergelyk word. Daar word aanvaar dat die oorsaak van hier probleem vermoedelik die probleem van ongeletterdheid is, wat onder andere oorkom kan word deur te verseker dat elke openbare skool oor ’n toegeruste en funksionele biblioteek beskik wat deur ’n voltydse, bekwame bibliotekaris bestuur word. Hierdie studie ondersoek die rol van skoolhoofde in die vestiging en bestuur van funksionele skoolbiblioteke in die King Cetshwayo-distrik in KwaZulu-Natal. Daar is by vyf skole in die Dlangubu-streek ’n kwalitatiewe ondersoek met behulp van skoolhoofde en hulle onderwyser-bibliotekarisse gedoen. Data is met behulp van diepgaande onderhoude en dokumentanalise versamel. Die studie het aan die lig gebring dat die skoolhoofde ’n gebrek aan opleiding en hulpbronne het ten einde hulle rol in die vestiging en handhawing van funksionele skoolbiblioteke te vervul. Aanbevelings is gemaak oor hoe skoolhoofde in die toekoms moontlik hierdie probleme kan oplos. / Kuvele ukuthi imiphumela yokufunda abafundi baseNingizimu Afrika isezingeni eliphansi mayikeliswe neyamazwengamazwe ngisho noma isiqhathaniswa neyezingxenye ezingaka thuthuki kahle zase- Sub-Saharan Africa. Umsuka walenkinga kusolwa ukuthi udalwa ukungakhuthazwa ukufunda izincwadi nokubhala ,okuyinto okuthiwa ingaqedwa phakathi kokunye ngokuqinisekisa ukuthi zonke izikole zomphakathi zinomtapo wolwazi onezinsizakufunda nezinsizakusebenza ezanele ezisezingeni labantwana nothisha futhi owenganyelwe uthisha oqeqeshiwe ngokusebenza komtapo futhi osebenza ngokugcwele ukuqondana nomtapo wesikole. Inhloso yocwaningo ukuphenya indima yothishanhloko ekusunguleni nasekuphatheni imitapo esebenza ngendlela efanele ezikoleni zase e-King Cetshwayo District, KwaZulu-Natal. Uphenyo olunzulu lwenziwe kothishomkhulu kanye nakothisha ababakhethe ukuthi babuye babhekane nokusebenza nokuphathwa kwe -mitapo yolwazi ezikoleni zabo ezinhlanu ezise Dlangubo Circuit. Ulwazi lwaqoqwa ngama in-depth interviews kanye nokuhlaziywa kwezincwadi abasebenza ngazo ukuze umtapo wolwazi wesikole usebenze ngendlela efanele.Lolu cwaningo luveze ukuthi othishanhloko bashoda ngoqeqesho kwezokuphathwa komtapo wolwazi ezikoleni kanye nezinsizakufunda kubalwa nezinsiza kusebenza eziqondene nokusebenza kahle komtapo wolwazi ezikoleni ukuze bakwazi ukufeza indima yabo ekusunguleni nasekuphatheni gendlala imitapo yolwazi esebenza kahle ezikoleni zabo. Izincomo zenziwe ezikhombisa ukuthi othishanhloko bangazixazulula kanjani lezi zinkinga esikhathini esizayo. / Educational Management and Leadership / M. Ed. (Education Management)

South African learners’ poor performance in general, and in the national matriculation examinations, has necessitated the introduction of various curriculum implementation improvement programmes in the country. The Jika iMfundo Programme (JiP) is a campaign of the Programme to Improve Learning Outcomes (PILO) that was piloted, on scale, in two districts of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa, in 2014, to improve the learning outcomes in the province by supporting educators and school managers to improve curriculum coverage and implementation. This study employs a constructivist worldview to explore the experiences of educators and school managers in the King Cetshwayo District of KZN with the implementation of the JiP. The study addresses the issues of the preparation of stakeholders for curriculum change, the challenges experienced in implementing the programme and the adequacy of resources and support that are required to implement the JiP. A qualitative approach, and a multi-case study design involving nine educators, three department heads and three principals, to investigate the key research questions within three primary schools in the King Cetshwayo District were adopted. The educators were all teachers of mathematics from grades 1-7 and were purposively selected as respondents. Data were elicited through semistructured, one-on-one interviews, document analysis and observations. Since the data represented the perspective of individuals, data analysis was descriptive and interpretive in nature and was reported under pre-set and emergent themes. The main finding from the study is that, although the majority of educators and managers have a positive attitude towards the programme and are utilising the knowledge and skills attained through the training, the resources and support provided to implement the programme, the following factors inhibit efficacious implementation: lack of consultation, inadequate training, lack of sufficient learner resources, inadequate support from schools and the district and the fast pace and organisation of the mathematics curriculum. School contextual factors also affect the implementation of revised curriculum. Other factors like inadequate or non-reflection by educators on their curriculum coverage and insufficient opportunities for conversation around curriculum coverage at schools were also identified by the researcher as areas needing attention. Consultation with educators on future educational changes, more frequent training sessions, the provision of adequate learner resources, reduction in class sizes, a review of the mathematics curriculum for the Foundation Phase are some of the recommendations made in the study. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

The decision by some public primary schools situated in the King Cetshwayo District, in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, to use English as language of learning and teaching (LoLT) in teaching isiZulu-speaking learners in Grade 1 classrooms, is a matter of concern. English is not the learners’ home language and the practice is also against the policy of the Department of Basic Education. In considering the recommendation by the South African Constitution, Acts and language policies of the country, it is expected to see all Foundation Phase (Grade R-3) learners being taught in their home language. The aim of this study was to explore the use of English as LoLT in teaching Grade 1 isiZulu-speaking learners. The interpretivist/constructivist paradigm underpinned the study as did the Language Acquisition Theory proposed by Skinner and Teacher Efficacy Theory by Bandura. This study adopted a qualitative multiple-case study as it aimed to explore the use of English as the LoLT in teaching Grade 1 isiZulu-speaking learners. One-on-one, semi-structured interviews, observations and document analysis were used as data collection instruments. A purposive sampling of six Grade 1 teachers from three public primary schools was employed. Thematic data analysis method was used to analyse collected data. Data collected were analysed, categorised into codes and themes were identified. Overall, it was found that the communities regard the schools, offering English as the LoLT in teaching Grade 1 IsiZulu-speaking learners, as the best performing schools, though the language policy was not taken into consideration and the teachers are challenged in using the target language in their teaching. It was found that five Grade 1 teachers used English in conjunction with isiZulu and only one teacher used a minimal amount of isiZulu to clarify concepts for learners to understand. It was concluded that some teachers found themselves frustrated in using English as the LoLT due to lack of proper mentoring and support from the School Management Teams (SMTs). It is recommended that the provincial Department of Education, under the leadership of the Member of the Executive Council (MEC), should review the language policy and give some clarity to ensure that schools receive guidance on how to choose the most appropriate LoLT. It is also recommended that the SMTs should provide the proper mentorship programmes, especially for teachers who are new in the school where English is used as the LoLT. / Qeto ea likolo tse ling tsa mathomo tsa sechaba tse seterekeng sa King Cetshwayo, KwaZulu-Natal, Afrika Boroa, ho sebelisa Senyesemane e le puo ea ho ithuta le ho ruta (LoLT) ho ruta bana ba buang Senyesemane lihlopheng tsa 1 tsa phapusi, ke taba ea ho ameha. Senyesemane hase puo ea lehae ea liithuti ebile mokhoa ona o khahlanong le leano la Lefapha la thuto ea motheo. Ha re hlahloba khothatso ea Molao-motheo oa Afrika Boroa, Liketso le lipuo tsa puo tsa naha, ho lebeletsoe ho bona liithuti tsohle tsa thuto ea Sehlopha sa Motheo (R-3) li rutoa ka puo ea habo bona. Sepheo sa thuto ena e ne e le ho hlahloba tšebeliso ea Senyesemane joaloka LoLT ho ruta barutoana ba 1 ba buang Senyesemane. Paradigm ea li-interpretivist / constructivist e ile ea tšehetsa thuto joaloka Sephiri sa Thekiso ea Lipuo e hlalositsoeng ke Skinner le Teacher Efficacy Theory ea Bandura. Phuputso ena e ile ea amohela thuto e nang le mekhoa e metle e le hore e hlahlobe tšebeliso ea Senyesemane jwale ka leleme la ho ruta barutoana ba 1 ba buang IsiZulu. E mong le e mong ho ea ho e mong, lipuisano tse sa tšoaneng, litlhaloso le tlhahlobo ea litokomane li ile tsa sebelisoa e le lisebelisoa tsa ho bokella data. Sampula e hloekileng ea basoue ba tšeletseng ba likhaolo ho tloha likolong tse tharo tsa sechaba tsa pele e ne e sebelisoa. Tsela ea ts'ebetso e sebeliselitsoe ho hlahloba lintlha tse bokelitsoeng. Lintlha tse bokelitsoeng li ile tsa hlahlojoa, tsa aroloa ka mekhoa le lihlooho tse fumanoeng. Ka kakaretso, ho fumanoe hore sechaba se nka likolo, se fana ka Senyesemane e le leleme la ho ruta le ho ithuta lithuto tsa mphato wa pele wa barutoana ba Sezulu, e le likolo tse ntle ka ho fetisisa, le hoja polelo ea puo e sa hlokomeloe 'me basoue ba phephetsoa ho sebelisa sepheo puo ha ba ruta. Ho fumanoe hore mesuoe e mehlano ea Bakala 1 e sebelisitse Senyesemane hammoho le Senyesemane mme mosuoe a le mong feela o sebelisitse Senyesemane se fokolang ho hlakisa maikutlo a hore baithuti ba utloisise. Ho ile ha fihleloa qeto ea hore basuoe ba bang ba ile ba iphumana ba tsielehile ha ba sebelisa Senyesemane e le LoLT ka lebaka la ho hloka tataiso e viii nepahetseng le ts'ehetso ea Lihlopha tsa Tsamaiso ea Sekolo. Ho kgothaletswa hore Lefapha la Thuto la profinse, tlas'a boeta-pele ba Lekhotla la Tsamaiso (MEC), le lokela ho hlahloba leano la puo le ho fana ka ho hlaka ho netefatsa hore likolo li fumana tataiso mabapi le mokhoa oa ho khetha LoLT e nepahetseng ka ho fetisisa. Ho boetse ho kgothaletswa hore basebeletsi ba SMTs ba fane ka ts'ebetso e nepahetseng ea ho fana ka ts'ebetso, haholo-holo ho mesuoe e mecha sekolong moo Senyesemane se sebelisoang e le LoLT. / Isinqumo sezinye izikole zamabanga aphansi emphakathini wesiyingi iKing Cetshwayo, KwaZulu-Natali, eNingizimu Afrika, sokusebenzisa isiNgisi njengolimi lokufunda nokufundisa (LoLT) ekufundiseni abafundi beBanga 1 abakhuluma isiZulu, kuyindaba yokukhathazeka. IsiNgisi akulona ulimi lwasekhaya lwalaba bafundi kanti futhi lesi senzo siphambene nenqubomgomo yoMnyango Wezemfundo Eyisisekelo. Uma ubhekisisa izincomo zomthethosisekelo waseNingizimu Afrika, imithetho nezinqubomgomo zolimi lwezwe, kulindeleke ukuthi bonke abafundi bamabanga aphansi (Grade R-3) bafundiswe ngolimi lwabo lwasekhaya. Inhloso yalolu cwaningo kwakuwukuhlola ukusetshenziselwa isiNgisi njengolimi lokufunda nokufundisa (LoLT) ekufundiseni abafundi beBanga 1 abakhuluma isiZulu. I-interpretivist / constructivist paradigm yalekelela lolu cwaningo njengoba kwenza i-Language Acquisition Theory ehlongozwa u-Skinner Kanye ne-Teacher Efficacy Theory ka-Bandura. Lesi sifundo sithatha uhlelo lwe qualitative multiple-case study njengoba sihlose ukucwaninga ukusetshenziswa kwesiNgisi njengolimi lokufunda nokufundisa lapho kufundiswa abafundi beBanga 1 abakhuluma isiZulu. Izingxoxo zomuntu nomuntu kusetshenzisw imibuzo ehlelwe kahle, ukubuka lapho kufundiswa kanye nokuhlaziywa kwamabhuku kwasetshenziswa njengamathuluzi okuqoqa ulwazi. Isampula elicacile labafundisi abayisithupha beBanga 1, abavela ezikoleni ezintathu zamabanga aphansi lasetshenziswa. Indlela yokuhlaziya ulwazi ye-Thematic yasetshenziselwa ukuhlaziya ulwazi olwaqoqwa. Ulwazi olwaqoqwa lwahlaziywa, lwahlukaniswa ngamakhodi nezindikimba. Ngokujwayelekile, kwatholakala ukuthi imiphakathi ibheka izikole, ezihlinzeka isiNgisi njengolimi lokufunda nokufundisa (LoLT) ekufundiseni abafundi beBanga 1 abakhuluma IsiZulu, njengezikole ezenza kahle kakhulu, nakuba inqubomgomo yolimi ingabhekiwe futhi othisha behlangabezana nobunzima lapho besebenzisa lolu limi olukhethiwe ekufundiseni kwabo. Kwatholakala ukuthi othisha abahlanu beBanga 1 basebenzisa isiNgisi ngokuhlanganyela nesiZulu kanti uthisha oyedwa kuphela wasebenzisa isiZulu esincane kakhulu lapho ecacisa imibono ukuze abafundi baqonde. Kwatholakala ukuthi abanye othisha bazithola bexakekile lapho besebenzisa isiNgisi njengolimi lokufunda nokufundisa (LoLT) ngenxa yokungatholi ukulekelelwa okufanele kanye nokusekwa amathimba okuphatha izikole (SMTs). Kunconywa ukuthi uMnyango Wezemfundo wesifundazwe, ngaphansi kobuholi beLungu loMkhandlu oPhethe (MEC), ubuyekeze inqubomgomo yolimi, ubuye unikeze izikole inqubo ecacile ukuqinisekisa ukuthi izikole zikhetha ulimi lokufunda nokufundisa ngendlela okuyi yona yona. Kuyanconywa futhi ukuthi amathimba aphethe izikole ahlinzeke ngezinhlelo ezinhle zokulekelela othisa, ikakhulukazi othisha abasha esikoleni lapho isiNgisi sisetshenziswa khona njengolimi lokufunda nokufundisa. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Curriculum and Instructional Studies)