Continuing Professional Development (CPD) of teachers is increasingly becoming a priority in most countries throughout the world. It is widely viewed as the most effective approach to prepare teachers adequately, and to improve their instructional and intervention practices, for when they enter the workforce (Fraser et al 2007). Despite the general acceptance of CPD programmes as essential to the improvement of education, reviews of professional development research constantly point out the ineffectiveness of most of these programmes (see Cohen and Hill, 1998 and 2000). Furthermore, many teachers express dissatisfaction with the professional development opportunities made available to them in schools and insist that the most effective development programmes they have experienced have been self-initiated (National Research Council, 2007). There is a consensus that many CPD programmes have yet to understand professional development from a teacher‘s perspective. This perspective acknowledges what drives teachers to enlist in these programmes and how such programmes can make a difference to them and their classrooms. Therefore, this study seeks to return the emphasis of professional development to the teachers. The study explores the teachers‘ perspectives of CPD in general, the personal meaning of CPD, and its meaning in the context of their work. By interviewing the teachers who were part of the Mpumalanga Secondary Science Initiative (MSSI) project (a seven year science and mathematics professional development intervention), I explore: the teachers‘ opinions of the intervention; its meaning to them and their work; and its impact on their classroom practices and students for the duration of the intervention and beyond. In this study, I explore data from an extensive and longitudinal study of teachers who were part of the CPD programme in greater detail. In discussing my data, I propose that CPD, however well intentioned and executed, is received differently by each teacher as a result of their personal circumstances and investment in the programme. I argue that the greater the unity between the personal circumstances and motivations of the teachers and those of the CPD intervention, the more likely the outcome will be meaningful for the participating teachers. In turn, the ability to sustain the benefits of the intervention will be enhanced. / Further Teacher Education / D.Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

Mentorship as a tool to develop the pedagogical and content knowledge of inservice teachers, regardless of experience, is a field in education which has gained popularity worldwide. The review of literature however, provided evidence that mentoring in education has primarily focused on the benefits received by novice teachers and not experienced teachers. Areas addressed in the literature review include the important role of continuous professional development programmes in the improvement of the teachers’ classroom practices and by inference, their learners’ achievements. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the experiences and understandings of seven experienced natural science teachers as mentees in a professional development programme (the ILLS project). Through the use of a qualitative case study approach, I examined the activities that supported the development of the participants as they interacted with the guided support of a mentor teacher, and aimed to understand how the mentees made sense of their experiences in this mentoring relationship. The activities included lesson-planning, classroom observations and reflection meetings and the professional development support, through mentoring, was embedded on-site and in-context. This research revealed that the mentee teachers were motivated by the opportunity to enhance their professional growth through the support of a mentor. The teachers also perceived that their subject content and pedagogical knowledge were enriched by participating in the mentoring process. / Science and Technology Education / M. Ed. (Natural Science Education)

This study focused on the challenges female school principals face in managing their schools effectively and the possible strategies to overcome these challenges. Ten schools from Mpumalanga province were purposively selected as research sites. Participants were the school principal and a member of the school management team of each school. Individual interviews with the school principals and an open-ended questionnaire to the school management team members were used to collect data. The findings revealed that a lack of confidence in female leadership with related gender discrimination, a lack of support and respect from staff and the community, and unfair practices with the promotion procedures of women are the main challenges that hamper female leaders in managing their schools well. The fostering of a positive attitude towards female leadership, a strong support system, female leaders empowering themselves and an effort to build good relationships with all stakeholders represent solution strategies. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

D. Tech. Education / It explores out-of-field teaching in northen KwaZulu-Natal and eastern Mpumalanga schools. It also looks at the impact out-of-field teaching has on teachers perceptions and experiences. The research attempts to determine the special needs that teachers require in order to serve in a different field.

Thesis (PhD (Curriculum Studies))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / In the Mpumalanga Province, the high rate of black African people aged 20 years or older who had no schooling, namely, 32% in 1996 and 30.1% in 2001, was a cause for concern. The unemployment rate in the province increased from 18.6% in 1996 to 26.3% in 2007. The unemployment rate for black Africans in particular increased from 20.3% in 1996 to 24.6% in 2001. The rural areas in the province are mainly populated by black Africans and since Mpumalanga is a rural province, the conclusion could be drawn that most of the people affected by these figures were found in the rural areas of the province. The Further Education and Training colleges (FET colleges) are the delivery arm of government in skills training programmes, which are primarily suited to the development of human resources in South Africa and especially in rural areas. A research project was carried out to investigate the role of the Further Education and Training colleges in the development of human resources in the rural areas of Mpumalanga Province. A questionnaire was administered to managers of industries, and another one to the managers of Further Education and Training colleges in the province. The results of the research project showed that Further Education and Training colleges did not make a significant contribution towards skills development of human resources in the targeted areas and that the existing offering of programmes were not addressing the critical needs of the people in these areas. Lack of funding contributed towards the limited involvement of the Further Education and Training colleges. It was shown that both Further Education and Training colleges and industries believed that through collaboration in a number of fields such as learnerships, sharing of resources, and planning together can improve their prospects for development. In interpreting the findings within the context of the literature review it was concluded that the role and involvement of Further Education and Training colleges in the rural areas should be directed by the genuine development needs of people in these areas. The identification of training and development needs is critical towards a successful intervention for the development of human resources in rural areas. Furthermore, the training providers targeting rural areas should be informed by both theoretical and practical considerations towards the provision of training intervention programmes. The research presented a number of recommendations, some of the most important being that Further Education and Training colleges be transformed, that there should be collaboration between Further Education and Training colleges and the private sector, that advocacy of the Further Education and Training colleges should take place, that the approaches to planning and development of skills training programmes should be meaningful, that training needs be identified and that funding should be made available for rural development projects.

The management control systems package has been the subject of recent studies but no study was found that examined the role of management control on service delivery in local government. The Victor Khanye Local Municipality in South Africa has experienced repeated service delivery protests attributed to a deficiency in the delivery of basic municipal services. An in-depth analysis was conducted on selected planning and budgeting aspects of the management control systems package and their role in the delivery of basic municipal services. This qualitative case study, carried out with semi-structured interviews, found that the Integrated Development Plan (IDP), the Service Delivery and Budget Implementation Plan (SDBIP) and the budget were used to improve the delivery of basic municipal services. Further research may be conducted on factors inhibiting 100% alignment between the IDP, the SDBIP and the budget, and to determine the role of a quarterly review system for low ranking employees on service delivery / Management Accounting / M. Phil. (Management Accounting)

Water temperatures are a fundamental water quality component, and a key abiotic determinant of fish distribution patterns in rivers. A river 's thermal regime is the product of a multitude of thermal drivers and buffers interacting at different temporal and spatial scales, including, inter alia, air temperatures, flow volumes (including groundwater flows and lateral inputs from tributaries), channel geomorphology and riparian vegetation. "Healthy" river systems are self-sustaining, with adequate thermal variability to maintain biotic diversity. Temporal variability of flow volumes and water temperatures, and how these change along the longitudinal axis of a river, contribute towards a rivers "signature". Rivers that have had their signatures altered through anthropogenic impacts may no longer be sustainable, and require varying levels of management. Successful river management should include a quantification of these signatures , a definition of the "desired" state which management aims to achieve, associated "thresholds" of change or concern, and monitoring programmes. Such an approach requires flexibility and adaptability, as well as appropriate tools being available to natural resource managers. Indices, the utility of which are enhanced when included in predicative modelling systems, are a common means of assessing system variability and change. The degree of confidence placed in such tools depends on the level of fundamental science, and the degree of system understanding, underpinning them. This research contributes to the understanding of the ecological significance . of water temperatures in variable semi-arid river systems, using the Sabie River (Mpumalanga, South Africa) as a case study, and indices derived from biological indicators (Chiloglanis , Pisces: Mochokidae) to quantify the effects of cumulative changes in heat units against a hypothesised critical water temperature threshold. Hourly water temperatures for 20002002 collected at nine sites in the main rivers of the Sabie catchment, together with biannual surveys of relative abundances and community patterns of fish collected using standard electrofishing techniques, were used to provide the basis for a modelling system which aims to provide river managers with a tool for quantifying changes to the thermal regime of the Sabie River. This modelling system consisted of a suite of pragmatic models, including multiple linear regression models for simulating daily maximum water temperatures, and simple cause-and-effect relationships between biological indices (change In condition factor and change in the ratio of relative abundances of two species of Chiloglanis) and annual metrics of time-of-exposure to heat stress. It was concluded that changes in the thermal regimes of the rivers in the Sabie catchment are likely to lead to changes in fish distribution patterns, and a decline in river health. Inherent system variability suggests that management decisions will be made in the face considerable uncertainty. Indirect management of water temperatures may be possible through maintenance of flow volumes and flow variability. However, the most appropriate management approach for maintaining fish diversity within these rivers is to ensure that obstacles to fish migration are minimized, to maximise the ability of river biota to respond to thermal changes, by accessing suitable alternative habitats or refugia. Future research should focus on extending the time series of water temperatures from such river systems, and further understanding the drivers and buffers contributing to the thermal regimes of variable semi-arid river systems in South Africa. Additional testing of the validity of the hypothesized relationships between abiotic processes underpinning biotic patterns should be undertaken. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.

The aim of the research was to establish the emotional experiences of adolescents who experience a discrepancy between their self-concept and ideal self-concept. An empirical investigation was carried out in order to establish the relationship that exists between the self-concept and the ideal self-concept of adolescents and certain emotions they experience. The investigation further identified the emotions that are prominent in the case of a discrepancy between the self-concept and the ideal self-concept. A Self-concept, Ideal Self-concept and Emotional Profile Index Questionnaire were completed by 250 adolescents. Trust and sociability showed the strongest positive correlations and depression, distrust and aggression the strongest negative correlations with aspects of the self-concept. In most instances no relationship existed between the ideal self-concept of adolescents and the emotions they experience. In terms of a discrepancy between the self-concept and the ideal self-concept, results indicated that trust was the most prominent positive emotion and depression, aggression and distrust the most prominent negative emotions. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Guidance and Counselling)

Thesis (M. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / The Department of Basic Education has a duty of ensuring that all children enjoy free and equal access to basic education despite their socio-economic status and backgrounds. The South African constitution also recognises universal access to quality primary education as a fundamental human right. This compels the Department of Basic Education to ensure that every child is provided with basic primary education at no cost, hence the expansion of no-fee schools and the National Schools Nutrition Programme. In an attempt to fulfil the Millennium Developmental Goal 2, which advocates for the provision of equal access to primary education, the multi-grade teaching practice was then introduced to ensure the provision of education to children in sparsely-populated and rural communities. However, this type of teaching practice comes with myriad difficulties which teachers face as they manage curriculum delivery. This study, therefore, seeks to examine the various difficulties that teachers face as they have to deal with multi-grade teaching and how they overcome those difficulties. The literature revealed that multi-grade teaching is not limited to the South African situation alone, but a global phenomenon practised in both developing and developed countries. It also emanates from the literature that multi-grade teaching, if used correctly and effectively could yield positive results. The study adopted a qualitative research approach. This study follows a case study design. Following that the study adopted the qualitative research approach, data collection tools linked to the approach were used and included: Interviews, document review and observations. A principal, teacher and parent from three schools managing difficulties associated with multi-grade classes were purposively sampled. The research findings, based on the interviews, document review, observation and the literature reviewed revealed that the insufficient backing from the Department of Basic Education, heavy workload of teachers and general shortage of teaching staff are some of the difficulties that teachers in multi-graded schools have to grapple with. Based on the findings, the researcher concludes that the dearth of intervention from the Department of Basic Education hugely affects the effective curriculum delivery in multi-graded schools. To mitigate the identified difficulties, the researcher recommended that a different post-provisioning norm and funding model for the multi-graded schools be experimented with.

This study explored how foundation phase heads of departments manage and support professional development in the foundation phase. The study also explored the support these heads of departments receive from external sources in managing and supporting teachers in their professional development. Teachers' perspective about their professional development and support from heads of departments were also explored. A qualitative approach, located in an interpretive paradigm, was adopted. Drawing on various elements of case study research designs, the study focused on six foundation phase HoDs, one Intermediate Phase HoD and five foundation phase teachers from different school settings in one of the provinces in South Africa. Interviews and document analysis were used as the primary tools for data collection. During the interviews, teachers outlined their views on the support provided by both heads of departments and external sources that work to enhance their professional learning. Through a cross-case analysis approach, the study indicated that teachers appreciated the support received from heads of departments and external sources. The main finding of the study was that there was little support for the heads of departments from external sources. Another finding was that there was minimal support for heads of departments from external sources, predominantly Non-Governmental Organisations. This study indicated the none availability of induction programmes for the newly appointed foundation phase heads of departments. It is recommended that the Mpumalanga Department of Education organise an induction programme for the newly appointed foundation phase heads of departments. The induction should focus mainly on leadership and management. Lastly, it is recommended that government officials from the district, province and nation provide external support that would benefit the foundation phase heads of departments. / Ifundorhubhululweli belihlola ngokuzeleleko kobana iinhloko zeminyango yezefundo ziphatha begodu zisekela njani ukukhula kwabosolwazi kusigabasisekelo. Ifundorhubhululweli, liveze isekelo lemithombo yangaphandle, lokuphatha nokusekela abotitjhere ekukhuleni kwabo ngokwelwazi. Indlela abotitjhere babona ngayo ukukhula kwabo ngokwelwazi nesekelo abalifunyana eenhlokweni zeminyango yezefundo nalo lihlolwe ngokuzeleko. Ifinyelelo lekhwalitheyithivi eliyi-interpretative paradigm ngilo elisetjenzisiweko. Ngokutjhejwa kwemihlobo eyahlukahlukeneko yeemfundosehlakalo, iinHloko zemiNyango ezisithandathu (HoD’s) zesigabasisekelo, iHloko yesiGaba (HoD) ngayinye nabotitjhere abasithandathu besigaba sisisekelo, ababuya eenkolweni ezihlukahlukeneko ngokuhleleka esifundeni sinye seSewula Afrika. Ukuhlunga nokuhlaziywa kwamadokhumende/kwemitlolo ngikho okusetjenziswe ukubuthelela ilwazi elaneleko. Ngesikhathi sokuhlungwa, abotitjhere baveze imizwa yabo ngesekelo ebalifunyana eenhlokweni zeminyango yezefundo nakumithombo yangaphandle ebasiza ukwandisa ilwazi labo kezefundo. Ngokwefinyelelo le-cross analysis, ifundorhubhululweli litjengise kobana abotitjhere bayalithokozela isekelo abalifunyana eenhlokweni zeminyango yezefundo nalelo elibuya kumithombo yangaphandle. Okukhulu okufunyenwe lirhubhululweli, litlhayelo lesekelo eenhlokweni zeminyango yezefundo elibuya kumithombo yangaphandle, kuqaliswe khulu eenhlanganweni ezingasekelwa mbuso (Non-Governmental Organisations). Ifundorhubhululweli litjengise godu itlhayelo lamahlelo wokufundisa iinhloko zeminyango yezefundo ezibekwe eenkhundleni ezitjha. Amahlelo wokufundisa iinhloko zeminyango yezefundo eziqedwa ukubekwa eenkhundleni, ezitjha azokuhlelwa mNyango wezeFundo eMpumalanga. Ukwethulwa kwabo kufanele kuqale zoburholi nokuphatha. Kokugcina, iinsebenzi zombuso ezibuya iiyingini, eemfundeni zenarha yoke zinikele ngesekelo langaphandle elizokuzuzisa iinhloko zeminyango yefundo yesigaba-sisisekelo. / Lolu cwaningo luhlola ukuthi izinhloko zeminyango yesigaba semfundo eyisisekelo ziyiphatha ziyesekele kanjani intuthuko yobuchwepheshe esigabeni semfundo eyisisekelo. Lolu cwaningo luhlole nangokwesekeleka okuvela emithonjeni yangaphandle okutholwa yilezi zinhloko zeminyango ekuphatheni nasekwesekeleni othisha ekuthuthukeni ebuchwephesheni emsebenzini wabo. Kwabuye kwahlolwa ukuthi othisha bakubuka ngeso elinjani ukuthuthuka kwabo emsebenzini wabo nokubheka ukwesekelwa kwabo yizinhloko zeminyango. Kwalandelwa indlela yokubheka ikhwalithi egaxwe emkhakheni wokuchazwa (interpretative) kwezinto. Kwacashunwa ezimpawini ezahlukene zokucubungula amadizayini okucwaninga kokwenzeka ngempela (case study), kwagxilwa kuZinhloko Zeminyango eziyisithupha zeSigaba Semfundo Eyisisekelo, eyodwa yeSigaba Semfundo Emaphakathi, nothisha abahlanu besigaba semfundo eyisisekelo abavela ezizindeni zemfundo ezahlukene kwesinye sezifundazwe zaseNingizimu Afrika. Kwasetshenziswa ukuhlaziywa kwama-intaviyu namadokhumenti njengamathuluzi okuqoqa imininingwane noma idatha. Ngesikhathi sama-intaviyu, othisha babenika imibono yabo ngokwesekelwa ababekuthola ezinhlokweni zeminyango nemithombo evela ngaphandle eyayibambisene ekuthuthukiseni ukufunda kwabo ubuchwepheshe. Lapho kusetshenziswa indlela yokuhlaziya ngokugamanxana kokucubungulwayo (cross-case), ucwaningo lukhombise ukuthi othisha bakuthokozela ukwesekelwa abakuthola kuzinhloko zeminyango nemithombo evela ngaphandle. Okubalulekile okwatholakala kulolu cwaningo ukuthi kuncane kakhulu ukwesekelwa ezazikuthola emithonjeni yangaphandle izinhloko zeminyango. Okunye okwatholakala ukuthi kuncane kakhulu ukwesekelwa izinhloko zeminyango ezazikuthola kuvela ngaphandle, ikakhulu eziNhlanganweni okungezona ezikaHulumeni. Lolu cwaningo lukhombise ukuthi azitholakali izinhlelo zokuzingenisa emsebenzini (induction) izinhloko zeminyango esigabeni semfundo eyisisekelo, Kunconywa ukuthi uMnyango Wemfundo WaseMpumalanga uhlele ukuba kube nohlelo lokuzingenisa emsebenzini izinhloko ezintsha zeminyango esigabeni semfundo eyisisekelo. Lokhu kungeniswa kumele kugxile ebuholini nasekuphatheni. Okokugcina-ke, kunconywa ukuthi izikhulu zikahulumeni ezivela esifundeni, esifundazweni nakuzwelonke zilethe ukwesekela okuzosiza izinhloko zeminyango esigabeni semfundo eyisisekelo. / Educational Management and Leadership / Ph. D. (Educational Leadership and Management)