Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Poor performance by South African students especially in literacy and numeracy are at a level of national crisis. Theory, as well as international and national systemic tests, show that the reasons for this is both multiple and extremely complex. In this study I investigated the problems relating to learner achievement levels in South African education. The main question arising from this problem, which I addressed, is: What are the possible factors that contribute to learner achievement levels in South Africa? My conceptual focus is on pedagogic practices and the socialization of identity, and how these relate to learner achievement levels, working from the premise that children from different social classes experience schooling differently. My focus is on the classroom, phase and school contexts, whilst locating these in the wider national, continental and global contexts. The disciplinary approach used in this study is in the domain of sociology of education, drawing specifically on the work of leading sociologists Pierre Bourdieu and Basil Bernstein. Bourdieu’s notions of ‘habitus’, ‘field’ and ‘cultural capital’ helped in understanding structure and agency, and the interiority and exteriority of social relations, whereas Bernstein’s ‘code theory’ and his work on curriculum, pedagogic practices and pedagogic discourse was used to describe how formal knowledge is realized and transmitted, and its effects on different social groupings. Methodologically, this study is located within a qualitative interpretivist research paradigm. Research was conducted in three purposively selected public primary schools in the Western Cape using a qualitative multiple case study research design. The bounded cases were Grades 1, 4 and 7 learners in relation to their teachers and principals. The rationale for selecting these particular cases stems from the fact that research in these particular areas of schooling is lacking. The significance of the study lies in the fact that previous research on learner achievement used teacher behaviour as a predictor for achievement, whereas this study focused primarily on learner behaviour and the learners’ views on their own achievement. The study employed in-depth data collection procedures including questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, classroom observations and various document related sources. The contextual analysis reveals that there is clearly a need to understand the nature of the learner, what they bringing into school and how they make sense of schooling. Furthermore, it shows that the ways in which learners exercise their agency is reinforcing underachievement. It further reveals that teachers are under pressure to get learners to adhere to the middle-class ethos of schooling and as a result are pushed into the regulative discourse compromising the instructional discourse within pedagogy. Pedagogically, the analysis reveals that teachers are under pressure in terms of curriculum coverage having to work within restricted time-frames, and having to meet the requirements of the ANAs that they do not see the possibility to relax framing in terms of pacing. As a result they are leaving their learners behind. Furthermore, the unnecessary strong framing at the level of pacing, not making the evaluation criteria explicit, and the heavy reliance on systemic testing, as in the case of the ANAs, is creating homogenised and standardised learner identities, which translate into differential learner experiences and ultimately differential learner achievement levels. / National Research Foundation (NRF)

This study investigates resource provisioning as a predictor of learner achievement in public schools in Limpopo province. Research evidence indicates that the resourcing of schools in developing countries, such as South Africa, is characterised by huge disparities and that attempts should be made to equalise resource provision. Most research studies on this topic have focused on the relationship between school resources and student achievement in the developed countries with little or no attention being paid to what determines resource provision, distribution and utilisation in the developing countries. Nationally, a number of research studies have investigated policy implementation in terms of concepts such as access, equity, inequality and redress in studying the impact of such policy on the public schooling system. Research evidence has subsequently shown some contrasts in the way in which school resources are allocated, distributed and utilised in public schools. There is, therefore, a need to focus on the predictors or determinants of learner achievement in South Africa. This research study is a quantitative study. Statistically, it applied correlational coefficients and multiple regression to determine the level of school resourcing (i.e. allocations, distribution and utilisation of school resources). The sample comprised 272 representatives from the school management teams, educators and school governing bodies (SGBs) of sixty-eight public schools from different quintiles (1-to-5). This sample were selected from five identified districts (i.e. Capricorn, Mopani, Vhembe, Sekhukhune and Waterberg) using a probability stratified and random sampling technique. In each of the 68 public schools, six representatives, namely, the principal, Educator, HODs and SGB members, were selected randomly to make up the sample. It is clear from the study that resource provision was shown to be a predictor of learner achievement in public schools. The study highlighted that the way in which school resources are allocated, distributed and utilised has an influence on learner achievement. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Education Management and Policy Studies / PhD / Unrestricted

The Effect of Interactive Television as an Instruction Delivery Method in Rural Secondary Schools on Learner Achievement, Motivation and Anxiety By Douglas S. Miller September 2012 Greater academic pressures have been placed on rural schools to provide effective learning that will allow students to fulfill high school graduation requirements and prepare for entry into post-secondary institutions. Rural schools are confronted with many problematic issues including remote locations, limited resources, and shortage of qualified teachers. To relieve academic pressures, many rural secondary schools are turning to distance education as a solution. Distance education satisfaction of rural school districts that are currently using Web-based online curriculum may be premature. Although asynchronous Web-based online classes can provide rural secondary students with required graduation courses or advanced classes, the effectiveness of the online modality may be lacking. Most secondary students have not acquired motivational and time management skills and the maturity necessary to successfully learn in an independent asynchronous online environment. Although rural school districts seem to be satisfied with merely filling academic course shortages, few research studies have been conducted to provide guidelines for determining the quality and effectiveness of the distance learning courses. A relatively new distance learning delivery method used within rural secondary education is digital Interactive Television (ITv). The instructional objective of ITv is to provide a better delivery format for interaction and synchronous communication between the instructor and the learner, regardless of location. Remote and rural learners interact synchronously through audio and visual technologies, combining all locations simultaneously to extend a traditional classroom environment. The purpose was to conduct an in-depth case study to investigate the effect of ITv on student motivation, achievement and anxiety in four selected public rural secondary schools. The primary objective was to determine if ITv used in rural secondary schools affected student achievement. The findings revealed that motivation and anxiety had no effect on achievement for the students enrolled in ITv courses. The participants were comfortable using ITv, similar to a traditional classroom, and no stressful detractions occurred which allowed for positive learning to take place and above average academic scores. Unlike Web-based online courses, students felt that the immediate live assistance was available as needed during the ITv class and that their academic scores would be better.

This study aims to determine the effect of school conditions on learner reading achievement in primary schools in South Africa. Reading skills are not only imperative for further study but are essential for economic and meaningful citizenship. Initiatives such as the Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign, geared to improve the quality of education for all children and to ensure improved learner achievement have resulted in an increase in educational spending. Despite such initiatives, learner achievement remains poor. In order to measure the relative relationship between school conditions and learner reading achievement, this study focused on selected variables from the PIRLS 2006 South African data, notably from Grade 5 learner reading achievement, teacher and school questionnaires. A secondary data analysis through multiple regression technique was utilised in an attempt to measure those school conditions that may enhance or impede learner reading achievement. This study follows the tradition of school effectiveness research by utilising the context-input-process-output (integrated model for school effectiveness research) model as espoused by Scheerens (2000; 2005). The integrated model was adapted combining school and classroom factors in order to measure the effect of school wide processes on learner reading achievement. Although this study was unable to measure the effect of educational leadership on learner reading achievement, it found significant school and classroom factors associated with learner reading achievement. This study highlights the importance of improving the teaching and learning of literacy across all 11 official languages. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / tm2015 / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / MEd / Unrestricted

This study aimed to investigate whether there was evidence of variation in the quality of School-Based Assessment (SBA), with specific reference to Grade 9 mathematics. Assessment has been a prime focal point for educational reform in recent years. In the South African context, there are common external assessments carried out below Grade 12. However, assessments are placed entirely in the hands of individual teachers. Moderation and monitoring as quality assurance mechanisms are also conducted internally at varying degrees, which raises the issues regarding the validity, reliability, and credibility of SBA tasks. Learner achievement in mathematics had recently been a debated issue in national and international assessments. Furthermore, South Africa's Grade 9 learners have been performing below the expected levels in mathematics as compared to the rest of the world. A qualitative research approach was used within a case study research design. Purposeful sampling was employed, and five schools with 15 participants were selected. The data were collected through questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, observations and field notes, and were triangulated by document analysis in order to make the findings and conclusions more reliable. This study revealed that there is a varying degree in the quality of mathematics SBA tasks, and a lack of knowledge about quality assurance mechanisms. In addition, the study revealed that the participating teachers lacked knowledge on how to develop high quality SBA tasks. This study followed Scheeren's input-process-output model (2004), which was further adapted to provide an opportunity to identify enhancing or impeding issues associated with the quality of SBA and learner achievement at Grade 9 level. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / MEd / Unrestricted

In this investigation, two schools - a control school and an experimental school – were compared in terms of learner performance in two traditional grade 11 mathematics tests, namely the pre-intervention test and the post-intervention test. Both schools completed the two tests simultaneously. Educators saw both tests before intervention. In the experimental school, four grade 11 mathematics classes were studied. The four classes were given worksheets that complied with an open-ended approach (OEA) to mathematics teaching and learning for learners to work independently on, with the teacher only facilitating. The learner-centredness expressed in the OEA complied with learner-centredness as envisaged by the National Curriculum Statement (NCS), and was predominantly constructivist in character. Throughout the five-month intervention, the author observed proceedings in two of the four classes in the experimental school, ensuring that questions the teacher asked complied with the OEA. The two classes would be referred to as monitored classes. The other two classes at the experimental school worked on the worksheet, with the teacher having been briefed about what was expected of the learners using the worksheet -basically that the learners would have to take own initiatives in solving the mathematics problems with minimal teacher intervention. The two grade 11 mathematics classes were monitored, but not as frequently as the monitored classes. The classes will be referred to as unmonitored classes. At the control school the educators followed their usual (traditional) teaching approach. Both the experimental and control schools followed the same grade 11 mathematics work schedule. The educators in the control school taught without any interference from the author, but the classes at the control school were occasionally observed by the author. In addition to the intervention comparison, the author also gathered qualitative information about participating educators' and learners' experiences and opinions about the OEA at the experimental school by using interviews. The results of the pre-intervention test showed no statistical difference between the experimental and control school performance, meaning that the learners from both schools were of comparable pre-requisite knowledge. In the post-intervention test, learners from the two monitored classes meaningfully outperformed those from the two unmonitored experimental classes and those from the control school. However, there was no significant difference in performance between learners from the two unmonitored classes and those from control school, The study concludes that the appropriate OEA intervention was responsible for the good results of the monitored classes., and then uses the gathered qualitative information to design a model for the successful implementation of' OEA in mathematics classes. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

In this investigation, two schools - a control school and an experimental school – were compared in terms of learner performance in two traditional grade 11 mathematics tests, namely the pre-intervention test and the post-intervention test. Both schools completed the two tests simultaneously. Educators saw both tests before intervention. In the experimental school, four grade 11 mathematics classes were studied. The four classes were given worksheets that complied with an open-ended approach (OEA) to mathematics teaching and learning for learners to work independently on, with the teacher only facilitating. The learner-centredness expressed in the OEA complied with learner-centredness as envisaged by the National Curriculum Statement (NCS), and was predominantly constructivist in character. Throughout the five-month intervention, the author observed proceedings in two of the four classes in the experimental school, ensuring that questions the teacher asked complied with the OEA. The two classes would be referred to as monitored classes. The other two classes at the experimental school worked on the worksheet, with the teacher having been briefed about what was expected of the learners using the worksheet -basically that the learners would have to take own initiatives in solving the mathematics problems with minimal teacher intervention. The two grade 11 mathematics classes were monitored, but not as frequently as the monitored classes. The classes will be referred to as unmonitored classes. At the control school the educators followed their usual (traditional) teaching approach. Both the experimental and control schools followed the same grade 11 mathematics work schedule. The educators in the control school taught without any interference from the author, but the classes at the control school were occasionally observed by the author. In addition to the intervention comparison, the author also gathered qualitative information about participating educators' and learners' experiences and opinions about the OEA at the experimental school by using interviews. The results of the pre-intervention test showed no statistical difference between the experimental and control school performance, meaning that the learners from both schools were of comparable pre-requisite knowledge. In the post-intervention test, learners from the two monitored classes meaningfully outperformed those from the two unmonitored experimental classes and those from the control school. However, there was no significant difference in performance between learners from the two unmonitored classes and those from control school, The study concludes that the appropriate OEA intervention was responsible for the good results of the monitored classes., and then uses the gathered qualitative information to design a model for the successful implementation of' OEA in mathematics classes. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Effective principal's instructional leadership yields high achieving schools (Dhlamini, 2008:105; Hallinger and Heck, 1998; Hargreaves, 1994; Hopkins, 2001; Effective principal’s instructional leadership yields high achieving schools Khuzwayo, 2005; Kruger, 1999; Mbatha, 2004; Mthombeni, 2004). Annual National Assessment (ANA) (DoE, 2009) and Systemic Evaluation (SE) in 2001 and 2007 (DoE, 2008) revealed that South African learners are not able to read and write, and that their numeracy skills are not well developed. The performance is also evident in the Grade 12 performance which has not shown great improvement over the years. In an effort to address the poor performance as experienced in schools, the department of education introduced Resolution 1 of 2008 (DoE, 2008) which requires principals to provide professional leadership which is based on curriculum management; and to take accountability for the quality of learning that takes place within the school. The poor learner achievement in schools triggered the question about the quality of education provided in the primary schools and the instructional leadership provided by primary school principals as it is a foundation to the schooling system. A qualitative approach was used to explore the practices of primary school principals as instructional leaders and the implications for learner achievement. Six primary schools in the Tshwane West district in Gauteng province were sampled for the research. The research revealed the following distinguishing factors by those schools that performed extremely well in the Annual National Assessment (ANA) (DoE, 2009) and Systemic Evaluation (SE) in 2001 and 2007 (DoE, 2008): <ul> <li> The principal has to establish good relations amongst and between educators and learners and also foster two-way communication.</li> <li> The principal should make sure that academic results are analysed and interventions strategies are followed to improve learner achievement.</li> <li> Educators should be encouraged by the principal to perform a self-reflection of their teaching performance. The principal has to provide support for underperforming educators and encourage them to develop themselves professionally.</li> <li> The principal needs to conduct class visits.</li> <li> The principal should ensure that teaching and learning time is protected and that educators and learners attend classes punctually.</li> <li> The principal needs to keep abreast of the curriculum and instruction changes and provide the necessary support and guidance.</li> <li> The principal has to ensure that instruction is given priority and is central to the school’s activities.</li></ul> The above-mentioned factors proved to be essential in the instructional leadership of the primary school principal in ensuring improved learner achievement in schools. Copyright / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

Magister Educationis - MEd / This study explored the dialogical argumentation instruction approach to determine whether it enhanced grade ten learners‟ understanding of the chemical equation concept. Toulmin‟s argumentation pattern and the contiguity argumentation theory underpin this study and was used to construct the dialogical argumentation instruction methodology, which was used as the intervention strategy. Information and communication technology and computer-assisted learning were used as contextual environment for this study. This study is located in the interpretive paradigm and the data was collected and analysed using both qualitative and quantitative methods based on a quasi-experimental research design model. A survey questionnaire, open-end and fixed choice questionnaires and a chemistry achievement test was used to collect data from a high school in the Western Cape Province

South Africa has a unique cultural, historical, socio-economic and linguistic contextual complexity that influences the implementation the intended curriculum and educational policies. The contextual complexity continues to result in Science teachers entering into the teaching profession with a wide spread diversity in background and qualifications. The secondary data analysis used a concurrent mixed methods approach (QUAL + quan) to explore the interconnection between teacher characteristics, classroom practices and learner achievement in Physical Science. The primary sample consisted of 18 schools that were stratified by district and quintile. From the available data, nineteen Grade 12 Physical Science teachers with varying levels of qualifications and experience were analysed. A combination of qualitative and quantitative instruments, specifically, Science teacher questionnaires, Science lesson observations and Science teacher interviews, were explored. The data was analysed quantitatively using descriptive statistics, frequency tables and Pearson correlation coefficients. The qualitative data involved content analysis and the presentation of case studies and the themes that emerged. Significant Pearson correlations indicate a positive relationship between years of related experience and pass rates and also pointed to an interconnection between professional qualifications, related experience and learner achievement. Differences in teacher characteristics were also indicators of competency in content knowledge and ultimately influenced classroom practices. Four case studies are offered in an attempt to provide in-depth descriptions of the teacher characteristics and practices for Grade 12 Physical Science teachers in Gauteng. Recommendations for future research, teacher training and policy implementation are presented. The diversity in teacher characteristics, particularly in Physical Science classrooms, influences the classroom practices that teachers select in their day-to-day teaching and impacts learner outcomes in terms of achievement. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / unrestricted