Magister Educationis - MEd / Bullying is rife at South African schools. Previous studies published in 2008 revealed the frequency of bullying amongst high school learners to be 36% in Cape Town and 41% at national level of the total number of high school learners who participated in the investigation. This behaviour amongst learners hampers efforts to raise educational standards and improve schools in our country. Besides, the vicious cycle of bully/victim relationships has a negative influence on individual learners. In South Africa, bullying behaviour in schools has been found to lead to problems such as a low self-esteem, low academic performance, absenteeism, depression, and consequently school dropout. In this study the frequency and different forms of bullying experienced by learners in South African schools were investigated using questionnaires, individual interviews, and focus group interviews with grade 10 learners and their teachers at three selected schools in the Western Cape. Questionnaires were administered to two grade 10 classes in each of the three selected schools. Analysis of the questionnaires was followed by two sets of interviews: individual interviews with one female grade 10 learner and one male grade 10 learner at each of the three selected schools, and focus group interviews with two male grade 10 teachers and two female grade 10 teachers in each school. The findings confirm that bullying is rampant in the three selected schools. A mean of 96% of the respondents reported that bullying happens at their school. In addition, a mean of 38% of the respondents stated that bullying happens every day at their school. Furthermore, all the different types of bullying, that is, physical, verbal, emotional, and cyber-bullying, occur at the three selected schools, and each of them is influenced by individual and contextual factors. However, this investigation discovered that the most flexible and influential cause of peer bullying is the contextual (that is, ‘inside of school’) factors. This study also revealed that learners at the three selected schools experience various consequences of bullying such as lowering of self-esteem, high rates of absenteeism, self-harm, inability to make progress in their studies, insecurity, and isolation of victims. Finally, some recommendations to address the issue of school bullying are made in respect of schools, teachers, parents and learners. Recommendations are also made in respect of future research on bullying.

Magister Artium (Social Work) - MA(SW) / Despite the vast research on drugs, gang violence and gangsterism in South Africa and specifically in the Western Cape, little is known about the experiences of school-going adolescents who reside in the areas ravaged by these gangs. The general image that emerges from the literature is negative and apathetic about the plight of adolescents residing in gang infested communities as they are usually seen and referred to as part of the problem. Previous studies and literature have therefore omitted the actual experiences of non-gang related adolescents as a result of the existence of gangs and gangsterism in their communities. This research explored these experiences in detail focusing specifically on school-going adolescents between the ages of 16 to 18 and mostly targeting Grade 11 in Hanover Park- Western Cape. The population of the study was therefore all adolescents within the area of Hanover Park with the specific sample of study targeting mainly the school-going non-gang affiliated adolescents of Hanover Park, preferably those doing Grade 11 and registered at a Hanover Park school. The researcher also explored and looked at the experiences of the school-going adolescents through use of focus groups with at least eighteen (18) learners from each of the two selected high schools in Hanover Park. These 18 participants from each school were divided into three different groups implying that the researcher ran three separate focus groups at each of the schools. This was also be supported by the use of qualitative semi- structured interviews that were conducted with at least 6 participants from the focus group sessions with 1 participant being selected from each group. This ultimately gave perspective on the unexplored views and experiences of school-going learners in Hanover Park that are assumed to be non-gang affiliated but experience the pressures and existence of gangs in their communities

Magister Curationis - MCur / Clinical facilitators act as leaders who influence the learning of learner nurses. As leaders, they are involved in the provision of guidance and accompaniment of learners in the clinical learning environment. Learning environments are surroundings, forces, and external stimuli that influence learners, either positively or negatively. Therefore, it is very important that learners are managed in such a way that clinical practice increases professional competency, including independence and self-directedness. One way of achieving this goal is to adjust a leadership style of a clinical supervisor according to the maturity level of a learner in the clinical learning environment. The leadership styles and maturity levels as outlined by the Hersey- Blanchard Theory informed this study. At hospitals in the Western Cape, learner nurses are accompanied by clinical facilitators who act as leaders in the clinical practice according to their learner nurse maturity level. The relationship between leadership styles of clinical facilitators and the maturity levels of learner nurses in the clinical learning environment at Western Cape Hospitals is unknown. The purpose of the study was to explore and describe the relationship between the leadership styles of clinical facilitators and the maturity level of learner nurses in the clinical learning environment of Western Cape hospitals. In this study; a quantitative, descriptive, explorative, and comparative design was followed. The accessible population was all the clinical facilitators (N = 30) allocated to 2nd, 3rd and 4th year learner nurses (N = 641) at Western Cape hospitals. Stratified sampling was used and the sample size was calculated by applying the proportional allocation of sample sizes. A similar questionnaire for clinical facilitators and nursing students was developed from a literature review and based on a 4-point scale. It took around 30 minutes to complete the questionnaire. Most of the components (sections) of both instruments obtained a Cronbach’s alpha (α) above the acceptable standard value of .7. Data was analysed by using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 21 software program. A descriptive and inferential data analysis was conducted and the Pearson’s correlation calculated. Reliability and validity of the research process was ensured and ethical principles adhered to. Out of four components, two indicated a weak positive relationship between the leadership style of a facilitator and the maturity level of a learner nurse. Most learner nurses indicated that they were mature (able and willing) while the clinical facilitators indicated that they focused more on the selling and participation styles of leadership. The general results indicated that there was a weak positive relationship (r = 0.15) between the leadership style of the clinical facilitators and the maturity level of learner nurses.

Magister Educationis - MEd / Rwanda has taken a strong move towards language-in-education policy shift whereby English became the sole medium of instruction in 2008, despite her rich linguistic diversity. The language shift occurred at the time when the country had resolutely embraced Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) as one of the country’s key development plans for socioeconomic development. In spite of these changes, research on multilingualism and digital identity in Rwanda is very limited. Given the pressing need for Rwanda to play an increasing role in the global economy, it is important to explore the ways in which the new generation negotiates multilingual digital identities in second language learning. The aim of this study, therefore, was to investigate the ways in which secondary school learners used digital technologies to negotiate new identities in two or more languages in order to understand the implications for English second language learning in the multilingual context of postcolonial Rwanda. Specifically, my interest was to examine Grade 11 learners’ current digital practices and the ways in which existing multilingual repertoires were drawn on as resources in navigating digital literacies. I also aimed at understanding how such practices could be harnessed as resources for English second language learning in the classroom. This study is informed by post-structural theories of identities as well as of Bourdieu’s theory of habitus, field and capital. The post-structural frame of analysis underlying issues of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) has also been important to establish a bridge between the learners’ digital practices and their English learning processes. It draws on debates around digital literacies, multilingualism, and identity, theories of access to ICTs and digital technologies and English as Additional Language Acquisition. The research sites were two urban based high schools mainly selected for their proximity to digital technologies, namely cyber cafes and/or computer laboratories and by their representativity in terms of gender and subject choices. Drawing on the qualitative research tradition and informed by ethnographic methodology, the study investigated Grade 11 learners’ insider views of the affordances of digital technologies for language learning. To reach this end, non-participant observations, focus group discussions and a questionnaire were used. Issues of research ethics namely, informed consent, anonymity and confidentiality were adhered to throughout the research process. With regard to access to technologies, the research findings reflect Bourdieu’ post-structural theory notion of ‘habitus’ as they show that the social dimensions the learners were involved in influenced their engagement with several digital technologies. In relation to Warschauer’s model of access, this study was able to identify the following: (1) material access’ linked to the learner’s access to the internet connection; (2) skills access’ concerning the learner’s ability to interact with computers and communicate with peers or fellow friends by typewriting and (3) usage access’ associated with the learner’s opportunity to use ICT facilities. The findings also generated insights into the learners’ construction of multiple digital identities and the fluidity and hybridity of ‘youth digital literacies’. The learners created a form of global digital identity by simply interacting or engaging with various multimodal literacies. Findings also indicated that learners negotiated digital identities by immersing themselves in Social Networking Sites (SNS) that fall under ‘Web 2.0’, an online platform which online users make use of to interact, share and perform different activities, focusing chiefly on social media. It was observed further that learners constructed a national language identity in the digital world by visiting mostly popular sites whose medium of communication was the national vernacular “Kinyarwanda”, thus stimulating the sense of national language identity of ‘ Rwandaness’. Additionally, it was apparent that Grade 11 learners had a great sense of attachment to their language as a significant characteristic of their digital practices through ‘translanguaging’ which became one of the resources in the digital space. The findings also indicate that technology served as a bridge between learners’ digital practices and their learning of English as an additional language, although language power relations were apparent as English was conferred a status of symbolic capital. The study concludes that various forms of access to ICTs do not only inform and strengthen Grade 11 learners’ process of learning English as additional language, but also support the construction of their multiple identities. There is a need to capitalize on face-to-face interaction and integrate ICT in teaching and learning so that learners can create their own learning space whereby they construct their digital identities as adolescents in the different languages they get exposure to.

Magister Educationis - MEd / This study facilitated and evaluated the pedagogical approaches to the literacy pandemic that has afflicted South African learners, particularly high school learners in grade 8 and 10 in the English Home language classrooms. One of the key aims of the study was to find alternate and innovative pedagogical methods to increase the literacy levels in South African schools with the underlying focus being on promoting reading among High School learners. The objective of the study was to provide recommendations based on the findings of the research data, that could assist the educators and the school management on how to facilitate, guide and support high school learners in term of promoting reading through text selection, text evaluation and innovative teaching methodologies. Based on the proposed research questions, aims and objectives, this study was conducted using a qualitative approach to obtain data. It was proposed that the knowledge of the factors which demotivate learners from reading could be used to help educators to promote reading among high school learners. It was also proposed that this information would provide valuable insight that could be used to address the low literacy level at the school. The qualitative research approach method allowed me to conduct interviews; classroom observations; pose open-ended questions and allow for further discussion and investigation based on responses from participants. The study was situated within an interpretive, qualitative research paradigm using a case study design. The research was conducted in the Western Cape at a government high school named Cravenby Senior Secondary School (CSS). The motive behind choosing a government funded school is based on my belief that schools such as these need support given that one finds that the majority of South African learners are in the government schools. The research participants we derived from the focus group sampling method which consisted of 12 learners per group thus having 24 learners altogether from grade 8 and grade 10. Four educators also participated in the study; three of the four educators taught the grade 8 learners and two of the four educators taught the grade 10 learners. The research instruments included, for the learners, a demographic information sheet, interviews, questionnaires and classroom observations. The participant educators had to complete an information sheet, questionnaire, and participate in an individual interview as well as classroom observation. Content analysis was used to analyse and qualitative data by virtue of a three-stage open coding process for the content analysis. This was organized according to the main and sub-questions. The responses from the research participants were presented in the form of a summary in linear notes and summary tables. Key themes and issues were highlighted as themes and sub-themes in alignment with the theoretical framework. The findings of the study illustrated learners do in fact read too little and that their academic achievements are largely motivated by the amount of time they spend on reading. The study also proves that learners will read and engage with texts which they are able to relate to. The findings revealed that they the selection of texts which should be read and studied in high schools needs to be reevaluated and aligned to the needs and interests of learners and their daily realities. Based on these findings and those that are discussed in chapter four recommendations were made on how to assist high school educators in their various roles to teach; guide; support; facilitate and evaluate literacy and promote reading among high school learners. / National Research Foundation (NRF)

This research paper aims to look at the social impact of the Internet on Gauteng high school learners. This study was conducted to establish the kinds of activities that learners performed on the Internet and the length of time they spent on the Internet in order to evaluate the social impact that these activities may have on them. Using a sample of 50 learners from two high schools in the Gauteng region, qualitative and quantitative data was collected through the use of questionnaires. The results suggest that there is both a positive and a negative social impact of the Internet on Gauteng high school learners. Learners engage in Internet chat rooms and reveal their personal information to people they meet online. Further, they arrange for face to face meetings with their online friends. This puts the learners at risk of getting hurt because they meet people whose intentions they do not know. The positive social impact of the Internet is that it creates an environment where learners seek information which is needed for educational purposes. The research concludes that parents, teachers and the government need to be aware of the social impact of the Internet so that where need be they can work together to come up with strategies that will minimize the exposure to harmful content on the Internet by the learners. / Dissertation (MIT)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Informatics / unrestricted

The main objective of this research was to explore how teachers teach reading comprehension to Grade 3 Tshivenda-speaking learners. The research was prompted by the low performance of reading amongst these Grade 3 learners in this area. This study was a qualitative study. The paradigmatic position of the study was the interpretive paradigm. Data was collected through individual teachers’ interviews, focus group interviews, classroom observations and content analysis. Interviews and focus group discussions were taped, transcribed, analysed, and data was categorised into themes. Three schools, each with two Grade 3 classes, were selected. Learners were involved because the main aim was to observe teachers teaching reading comprehension to them. This study did not attempt to measure learner performance, but investigated the teaching of reading comprehension to Grade 3 Tshivenda-speaking learners. The aim of this was to investigate how teachers teach reading comprehension in their classrooms. The study developed a conceptual framework from the literature review, consisting of five phases. These phases were identified and developed as it became clear that, in order to teach reading comprehension effectively, various parties involved in schools need to be actively involved in the different phases when teaching reading comprehension education of learners. In addition, the learning and developmental theories consulted in this study were related to the conceptual framework. The research implies that reading comprehension can be taught and learnt, which further supports the development of the conceptual framework for this study. The findings of the study revealed that the participating teachers had limited understanding of reading comprehension strategies. They regarded teaching comprehension as a challenge as they do not know what comprehension strategies are and how to apply them. Additionally, they are stressed, confused and frustrated, because learners cannot read and understand the text. Furthermore, responses showed that teachers are uncertain of how to teach reading comprehension. Teachers spent little time on reading comprehension with learners, with no uniform approach amongst them on how to teach reading comprehension. Guided practice and time to practise comprehension strategies were absent in classrooms. The teachers also showed a lack of theoretical knowledge and practical experience about teaching comprehension strategies, which seems to result in teachers’ developing a negative attitude towards their learners (who struggle to read). Interviews and classroom observations revealed that, although the participating teachers said they understood what reading comprehension was, there was no correlation between what they said and what they did in practice in their classrooms. The results measured against Zimmerman’s (1998) applied social model of self-regulated learning, show that teachers lack the theoretical knowledge of teaching reading comprehension. In addition, participants were not satisfied with the intervention strategies and policies provided by the Department of Education. They felt neglected because guidelines were only in English and not in African languages, like Tshivenda. As such, no guidelines to teachers written in Tshivenda with Tshivenda examples exist. Workshops had not been helpful to Tshivenda teachers either. The study also revealed a lack of learning support materials, no variety of reading materials for learners and, in some schools, no readers at all. Lastly, the study shows that these teachers do not have access to research literature on the teaching of reading comprehension and rely on their own experience. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Early Childhood Education / unrestricted

The South African Management Development Institute (SAMDI) is a Schedule 1 department with the mandate for capacity building in the public service. One of its core programmes is the Integrated Management Development Programme, which consists of the following programmes: <ul><li> Foundation Management Development Programme (FMDP) for first level supervisors;</li> <li>Emerging Management Development Programme (EMDP) for junior managers;</li> <li>Advanced Management Development Programme (AMDP) for middle managers; and the<li> <li>Presidential Strategic Leadership Development Programme (PSLDP) for senior executives.</li></ul> All these programmes have been based on solid training needs analyses, competency frameworks and cutting edge research. However, these programmes will only have an impact on service delivery if it succeeds in transferring knowledge to delegates attending it. This study will focus specifically on the EMDP, and subsequently the research question for this project is: ”Is there an increase in the knowledge of delegates that attended the EMDP?” After the analysis of the statistics it became clear that the null-hypothesis (H0 = there is no increase in the knowledge of delegates that attended the EMDP) should be accepted, as no significant differences between the pre- and post-course results could be found. / Dissertation (M.COM (Business Management))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Business Management / unrestricted

Exploring the relationship between early oral reading fluency ability and reading comprehension achievement among an ethnically and racially diverse sample of young learners from low-income families, attending elementary school within a large public school district in southeast Florida is the purpose of this longitudinal study. Although many studies have been conducted to address the relationship between oral reading fluency ability and reading comprehension achievement, most of the existing research failed either to disaggregate the data by demographic subgroups or secure a large enough sample of students to adequately represent the diverse subgroups. The research questions that guided this study were: (a) To what extent does early oral reading fluency ability measured in first, second, or third grade correlate with reading comprehension achievement in third grade? (b) To what extent does the relationship of early oral reading fluency ability and reading comprehension achievement vary by demographic subgroup membership (i.e., gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status) among a diverse sample of students? A predictive research design using archived secondary data was employed in this nonexperimental quantitative methods study of 1,663 third grade students who attended a cohort of 25 Reading First funded schools. The data analyzed derived from the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills Oral Reading Fluency (DIBELS ORF) measure administered in first, second, and third grades and the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test of the Sunshine State Standards (FCAT-SSS) Reading administered in third grade. Linear regression analyses between each of the oral reading fluency and reading comprehension measures produced significant positive correlations. Hierarchical regression analyses supported the predictive potential of all three oral reading fluency ability measures toward reading comprehension achievement, with the first grade oral reading fluency ability measure explaining the most significant variance in third grade reading comprehension achievement. Male students produced significant overall differences in variance when compared to female students as did the Other student subgroup (i.e., Asian, Multiracial, and Native American) when compared to Black, White, and Hispanic students. No significant differences in variance were produced between students from low and moderate socioeconomic families. These findings are vital toward adding to the literature of diverse young learners.

The purpose of this study was to find out whether factors such as the learners’ learning styles, their cultural backgrounds, instructional approaches and strategies used by teachers and the lack of exposure to relevant resources had an influence on the declining English proficiency among learners. The researcher is currently an English teacher in one of the schools in the Qumbu Education District. The researcher expressed concern about the learners’ declining performance in aspects of English language like reading, writing and speaking. The idea of carrying out this study became necessary as English is a compulsory first additional language for most of the schools. Most of the subjects offered in South African schools are taught in English; moreover, English is an internationally-recognized medium of communication. One therefore, has to master the use of English to a certain extent so as to be a successful scholar. The sample consisted of 20 English senior phase teachers who were randomly selected from 13 schools in various circuits around the Qumbu Education District. Data was collected through the use of questionnaires which focused specifically on the learners’ learning styles, their cultural backgrounds, instructional approaches and strategies used by teachers, and also the lack of exposure to relevant literature. These questionnaires were administered by the researcher in person. The data were analyzed and interpreted statistically and also presented through tables and discussions. The findings of this study revealed that the geographical locations of the selected schools for the research study, limited exposure to English-related resources, workload of English teachers, teaching and learning approaches, and knowledge acquisition strategies employed by teachers and learners contribute to the decline in English proficiency among the learners. If these could be attended to effectively, English proficiency could improve among learners. In conclusion, recommendations have been made both for action and possible further research.