Die ontwikkeling van perseptueel-motoriese vaardighede is noodsaaklik om skoolsukses in graad 1 te verseker. Sodanige perseptueel-motoriese vaardighede word beïnvloed deur faktore soos die onderwyser se houding, en kennis en die gebruik van leer- en onderrigsteunmateriaal (LOSM). Om skoolsukses in graad 1 te verseker moet die leerder skoolgereed en skoolryp wees. Skoolgereedheid en skoolrypheid word beïnvloed deur eksterne faktore, soos die sosio-ekonomiese omstandighede, samelewing, gemeenskap, kultuur, die skool, die onderwyser, beskikbaarheid van leer- en onderrigsteunmateriaal, ouers en gesinstrukture. Daar is met die proefskrif gepoog om eerstens die effek van ʼn leerondersteuningintervensie op perseptueel-motoriese vaardighede van graad R-leerders in gedepriveerde omgewings te bepaal. Tweedens is daar bepaal of die leemtes in graad R-onderwysers se kennis van perseptueel-motoriese vaardighede die skoolgereedheid van graad R-leerders kan beïnvloed. Die derde doelstelling was om die verband tussen sekere biografiese veranderlikes en die graad R-onderwyseres se houding teenoor die ontwikkeling van perseptueel-motoriese vaardighede van graad R-leerders te bepaal. Die vierde doelstelling het die impak van die gebruik van toepaslike LOSM op die ontwikkeling van graad R-leerders se perseptueel-motoriese vaardighede, met die fokus op klein- en grootmotoriese vaardighede bepaal. Om doelstelling 1 te ontleed het die proefskrif eerstens gepoog om die effek van ʼn leerondersteuningintervensie op skoolgereedheid gebaseer op perseptueel-motoriese vaardighede van graad R-leerders in gedepriveerde omgewings te bepaal. ʼn Leerderondersteuningintervensie wat gefokus het op die ontwikkeling van perseptueel-motoriese vaardighede van graad R-leerders vanuit lae sosio-ekonomiese samelewings is saamgestel. ʼn Kwantitatiewe navorsingsmetode is gevolg met ʼn drie-groep-voortoets-natoets-ontwerp. Die populasie vir hierdie doelstelling het bestaan uit drie graad R-skole wat deur middel van ʼn gerieflikheidsteekproef gekies is. Twee kwintiel 1-skole, ʼn kontroleskool (n = 30) en ʼn eksperimentele skool (n = 25), asook een kwintiel 3-skool (n = 22) is gekies. ʼn Leerderondersteuningintervensie wat gefokus het op die ontwikkeling van perseptueel-motoriese vaardighede is oor ʼn tydperk van nege maande by die eksperimentele skool (skool E) geïmplementeer deurdat hulp aan die onderwysers verleen is en die leeromgewing van die leerders opgegradeer is. Die leerders is voor- en na die intervensie deur middel van ʼn skoolgereedheidstoets geevalueer. Die resultate is deur middel van ʼn variansie-analise (ANOVA), kovariansie-analise (ANCOVA) en afhanklike t-toetse geanaliseer om die verskille tussen en binne groepe te bepaal. ʼn Beduidende verband tussen skoolgereedheid en perseptueel-motoriese ontwikkeling is gevind waar faktore soos die omgewing, minimum leer- en onderrigsteunmateriaal en beperkte kennis van die onderwyser ʼn rol gespeel het. Vanaf die voortoets tot die natoets was die persentasie skoolgereedheid onderskeidelik soos volg kontroleskool 1 (32% - 56%), kontroleskool 2 (58% - 70%), eksperimentele skool (34% - 66%). ʼn Groter verbetering in die skoolgereedheid kan by die eksperimentele skool waargeneem word. Die resultate het aangedui dat ʼn perseptueel-motoriese intervensie leerders in lae sosio-ekonomiese omgewings kan help om faktore soos ʼn gebrek aan LOSM, leemtes in onderwysers se kennis en houdings wat skoolgereedheid moontlik kan beïnvloed, te oorkom. Doelstelling 2 het die verband tussen leemtes in graad R-onderwysers (n = 25) se kennis van perseptueel-motoriese ontwikkeling en die stand van perseptueel-motoriese vaardighede by graad R-leerders ondersoek. ʼn Gekombineerde-navorsingsmetode vanuit ʼn post-positivistiese paradigma is hiervoor onderneem en dit is volgens ʼn fenomenologies-interpretivistiese perspektief uitgevoer. ʼn Selfopgestelde vraelys wat bestaan het uit geslote-en oopeind-vrae is as meetinstrument gebruik om vyf-en-twintig (n = 25) graad R-onderwysers se kennis oor die ontwikkeling van perseptueel-motoriese vaardighede van graad R-leerders in die Potchefstroomdistrik, in te win. Die vraelys het bestaan uit die invul van biografiese gegewens, tien vrae waar die onderwyser se kennis met betrekking tot perseptueel-motoriese vaardighede bepaal is, sestien vrae waar ʼn scenario met ʼn foto en beskrywing geskets is en die onderwyser die korrekte perseptueel-motoriese vaardigheid daaraan moes koppel en agt vrae waar die onderwyser se kennis ten opsigte van die ontwikkeling van perseptueel-motoriese vaardighede in graad R bepaal is. Die inligting uit die vraelyste is deur middel van Atlas.ti™ en statistiese ontleding geanaliseer. Interne itemkorrelasie van die vraelys is vasgestel en ʼn Cronbach Alpha met ʼn waarde van 0,74, gebaseer op die statistiese analise, is bepaal. Die resultate het leemtes in graad R-onderwysers se kennis met betrekking tot aspekte wat verband hou met perseptueel-motoriese onwikkeling getoon. Onvoldoende opleiding is by 80% van die respondente geïdentifiseer, wat tot die leemte in die onderwysers se kennis kon bydrae. Verder het dié onderwysers nie oor die voldoende kennis beskik oor die volle omvang van die Kurrikulum- en Assesseringsbeleidsverklaring nie en ʼn groot persentasie was onseker oor hoe om kurrikulumvoorskrifte effektief te implementeer. Die verband tussen sekere biografiese veranderlikes en die graad R-onderwyseres se houding teenoor die ontwikkeling van perseptueel-motoriese vaardighede van graad R-leerders is vir doelstelling 3 bepaal. ʼn Kwantitatiewe navorsingmetode is gevolg waar graad R-onderwysers (n = 25) wat volgens beskikbaarheid geselekteer is, ʼn selfontwikkelde vraelys voltooi het, waar die hoeveelheid tyd wat aan verskillende vakke bestee word, aangedui is. Resultate is statisties geanaliseer deur gebruik te maak van beskrywende statistiek sowel as Spearman se rangorde-korrelasie om te bepaal of daar ʼn verband bestaan tussen die onderwysers se houding, soos gemeet aan die hoeveelheid tyd wat aan die onderrig van die verskillende vakke in graad R bestee is, die ouderdom en ondervinding van die onderwysers, die aantal leerders in die klas en die sosio-ekonomiese omstandighede van leerders in die klas. Tweerigting-frekwensietabelle is verder gebruik om Chi-kwadraattoetse en Cramer’s V wat die sterkte van die verband tussen ras, taal van onderrig en die vrae wat verband hou met houding te bepaal. ʼn Beduidende verband is gevind tussen ouderdom en ondervinding van die respondente en die hoeveelheid leerders in die klas, die sosio-ekonomiese omgewing en die tyd wat aan onderrig van vakke bestee word. Hierdie aspekte kan moontlik bydra tot die onderwysers se houding ten opsigte van die onderrig van Lewensvaardighede, wat perseptueel-motoriese ontwikkeling insluit. Indien dié aspekte aangespreek kan word deur intervensie en indiensopleiding, kan die onderwyser se houding teenoor die onderrig van Lewensvaardighede moontlik verander, wat sal bydra tot groter klem op die ontwikkeling van perseptueel-motoriese vaardighede. Doelstelling 4 het die impak van die gebruik van toepaslike leer- en onderrigsteunmateriaal op die ontwikkeling van perseptueel-motoriese vaardighede met die fokus op groot- en klein (fyn) motoriese vaardighede by die graad R-skole bepaal. Om die doelstelling te bereik is leerders van twee skole binne dieselfde sosio-ekonomiese omstandighede se skoolgereedheid tydens ʼn voortoets bepaal. ʼn Gekombineerde navorsingsmetode met ʼn tweegroep-voortoets-natoets-ontwerp is gevolg. Leerders van twee graad R-skole (kwintiel 1) met ʼn gemiddelde ouderdom van 5,2 (± 0,5) jaar in die Potchefstroomdistrik is met ʼn gerieflikheidsteekproef geselekteer. ʼn Perseptueel-motoriese intervensie, wat gefokus het op die ontwikkeling van perseptueel-motoriese vaardighede is deur middel van onderwyser-ondersteuning en die skep van ʼn effektiewe leeromgewing, vanaf Februarie tot November (nege maande) by die eksperimentele skool (n = 25) uitgevoer, terwyl geen addisionele hulpverlening in die kontroleskool (n = 30) plaasgevind het nie. Die kwantitatiewe resultate is ontleed deur middel van ʼn afhanklike- en onafhanklike t-toets en ʼn ANCOVA is gebruik om verskille tussen en binne die skole te bepaal. Die kwalitatiewe navorsing is deur middel van ʼn multi-metode-benadering met die fokus op foto-analise en beskrywende inligting geanaliseer. Voor intervensie was geen van die leerders in die twee skole skoolgereed nie. Na die intervensie was die aangepaste gemiddeldes wat behaal is in die natoets vir klein- en grootspier-koördinasie by die eksperimentele skool prakties betekenisvol beter as dié van die kontroleskool. In die eksperimentele skool was 17 uit 20 leerders na die intervensie skoolgereed, terwyl daar uit die kontroleskool slegs 8 uit 28 leerders skoolgereed was. Die resultate dui daarop dat perseptueel-motoriese vaardighede van leerders vanuit ʼn lae sosio-ekonomiese omgewing met effektiewe LOSM gestimuleer kan word om hul skoolgereedheid te verbeter. Vroeë intervensie in die vorm van onderwyser-ondersteuning en opgradering van die leeromgewing wat fokus op die ontwikkeling van perseptueel-motoriese vaardighede in graad R, kan moontlik agterstande in die verband aanspreek en sodoende bydra tot die verbetering van skoolgereed. Op grond van bogenoemde resultate kan daar tot die gevolgtrekking gekom word dat die graad R-leerder in gedepriveerde omgewings se perseptueel-motoriese ontwikkeling wel deur verskeie faktore negatief beïnvloed kan word. Van hierdie faktore is onder meer die onderwyser se houding, leemte in kennis, onvoldoende opleiding en beskikbaarheid van leer- en onderrigsteunmateriaal. Daar word gevolglik aanbeveel dat leerders wat in lae sosio-ekonomiese omgewings grootword aan ʼn vroeë intervensie, wat fokus op die ontwikkeling van perseptueel-motoriese vaardighede en effektiewe LOSM, blootgestel moet word. Daarbenewens behoort onderwysers se leemte in kennis oor perseptueel-motoriese vaardighede asook hul houding oor die belangrikheid van perseptueel-motoriese vaardighede aangespreek te word deur onder andere indiensopleidingsprogramme. Die belang van die aanstelling van goed opgeleide onderwysers, gerig op vroeë kinderontwikkeling behoort ook by die Departement van Basiese Onderwys aandag te geniet. Sodoende kan dié leerders se agterstande tydig oorkom word en hul skoolgereedheid verbeter word. / PhD (Human Movement Science), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Recognition of prior learning, better known as RPL, was introduced to training institutions in South Africa after the fall of Apartheid. The objective of RPL was to redress inequalities brought about by Apartheid when disadvantaged groups had less access to training opportunities. RPL was introduced with a combination of associated training and education initiatives such as the National Qualification Framework and the South African Qualifications Authority, all directed for a similar purpose. The South African Nursing Council agreed with the principles of RPL and published a policy document aimed to guide nurse educators to enhance RPL implementation in South African nursing education institutions. Despite the support from accessible legislative and regulatory documentation, RPL is implemented insufficiently in nursing education institutions. The lack of RPL implementation was also identified by the researcher in the Limpopo College of Nursing. This College of Nursing can be described as a symbol of post-Apartheid re-integration whereby nursing colleges centralised into one administrative management office with campuses, satellite campuses and over 120 nurse educators. The research question asked was what are nurse educators’ perceptions of the implementation of RPL in nursing colleges in Limpopo Province? The aim was to support nurse educators to enhance the implementation of RPL in nursing colleges in Limpopo Province. A qualitative, phenomenological, explorative, descriptive and contextual research design was followed. Seven (n=7) individual, in-depth, unstructured interviews were conducted with nurse educators employed at the X Campus and Y Satellite Campus of the Limpopo College of Nursing. Transcribed interviews were analysed and resulted in three main themes and nine sub-themes. Firstly, the participants voiced their agreement that RPL should be implemented and identified specific benefits and challenges thereof. Secondly, there should be a RPL assessment package that should be open and transparent, be able to assess academic performance against college standards and should minimise inequalities. The third main theme was the need for enhanced awareness of RPL implementation in nursing colleges. Nurse educators lack knowledge about RPL and should therefore be more awareness thereof. In addition RPL should be promoted as a beneficial mechanism to the learning process. These results were discussed with a literature integration and in the majority of results literature confirmed these findings. Conclusion statements were formulated from the research results and served as the basis for the formulation of recommendations to support nurse educators with the implementation of RPL in nursing colleges in Limpopo Province. The recommendations were directed to firstly the policy makers in nursing education; secondly to the nursing education institutions and thirdly to the nurse educators. Areas for further research were listed. Strategies to enhance trustworthiness and the adherence of ethical considerations were supported throughout this study. / MCur, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The objectives of this study were to investigate existing theory regarding the conceptual learning of young learners and to determine what core concepts Grade 5 learners need to learn. An empirical investigation as to whether these learners were familiar with the mother tongue words for the identified core concepts in syllabuses and textbooks, and to investigate whether they could recede these concepts into English (the medium of instruction in their classrooms) was also undertaken. The role of conceptual awareness in learning was discussed based on Piaget's, Vygotsky's and Clark's theory. They explain how concepts and knowledge are acquired and also how language affects this process. Learners are required to know the concepts of what they learn and should recede the information or concepts into the language used for a specific learning task. In the case of this study it was English. The study revealed that many learners who were investigated in this study did not possess the knowledge to encode many of the core or broader concepts in Tshivenda, their mother tongue. Learners also seemed to learn some concepts and the English encoding for them simultaneously. The findings showed, however, that most learners in Grade 5 could not recede many of the concepts that they possessed in L1 into English the Mol. It was clear that many learners in this study were not ready to switch from mother tongue instruction to English Mol in Grade 5. Their lack of conceptual awareness coupled with the lack of adequate English proficiency to learn the subjects in English may have been influenced by a number of possible reasons. Some reasons that were suggested were the following: a lack of prior knowledge of concepts that occur in Grade 5 syllabuses and textbooks; poorly trained teachers who are unable to assist learners to create links between existing knowledge and new knowledge; poor socio-economic circumstances and illiteracy and teachers who may lack English proficiency and cannot teach all subjects confidently in English. Some implications for the findings were suggested such as the following: if teachers are aware of the demands made on the conceptual framework of learners and the possible limitations that• they have regarding their conceptual readiness to learn, intervention is possible. Much can be done regarding the strategies that teachers may employ to enrich, expand, reconstruct, revisit or adapt concepts for learning. Such strategies include visual scaffolding, an enriched conceptual and language programme and a planned and structured approach to teaching language across the curriculum. / Thesis (M.A. (Applied Language and Literary Studies))--Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, 2001

Recognition of prior learning, better known as RPL, was introduced to training institutions in South Africa after the fall of Apartheid. The objective of RPL was to redress inequalities brought about by Apartheid when disadvantaged groups had less access to training opportunities. RPL was introduced with a combination of associated training and education initiatives such as the National Qualification Framework and the South African Qualifications Authority, all directed for a similar purpose. The South African Nursing Council agreed with the principles of RPL and published a policy document aimed to guide nurse educators to enhance RPL implementation in South African nursing education institutions. Despite the support from accessible legislative and regulatory documentation, RPL is implemented insufficiently in nursing education institutions. The lack of RPL implementation was also identified by the researcher in the Limpopo College of Nursing. This College of Nursing can be described as a symbol of post-Apartheid re-integration whereby nursing colleges centralised into one administrative management office with campuses, satellite campuses and over 120 nurse educators. The research question asked was what are nurse educators’ perceptions of the implementation of RPL in nursing colleges in Limpopo Province? The aim was to support nurse educators to enhance the implementation of RPL in nursing colleges in Limpopo Province. A qualitative, phenomenological, explorative, descriptive and contextual research design was followed. Seven (n=7) individual, in-depth, unstructured interviews were conducted with nurse educators employed at the X Campus and Y Satellite Campus of the Limpopo College of Nursing. Transcribed interviews were analysed and resulted in three main themes and nine sub-themes. Firstly, the participants voiced their agreement that RPL should be implemented and identified specific benefits and challenges thereof. Secondly, there should be a RPL assessment package that should be open and transparent, be able to assess academic performance against college standards and should minimise inequalities. The third main theme was the need for enhanced awareness of RPL implementation in nursing colleges. Nurse educators lack knowledge about RPL and should therefore be more awareness thereof. In addition RPL should be promoted as a beneficial mechanism to the learning process. These results were discussed with a literature integration and in the majority of results literature confirmed these findings. Conclusion statements were formulated from the research results and served as the basis for the formulation of recommendations to support nurse educators with the implementation of RPL in nursing colleges in Limpopo Province. The recommendations were directed to firstly the policy makers in nursing education; secondly to the nursing education institutions and thirdly to the nurse educators. Areas for further research were listed. Strategies to enhance trustworthiness and the adherence of ethical considerations were supported throughout this study. / MCur, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The objectives of this study were to investigate existing theory regarding the conceptual learning of young learners and to determine what core concepts Grade 5 learners need to learn. An empirical investigation as to whether these learners were familiar with the mother tongue words for the identified core concepts in syllabuses and textbooks, and to investigate whether they could recede these concepts into English (the medium of instruction in their classrooms) was also undertaken. The role of conceptual awareness in learning was discussed based on Piaget's, Vygotsky's and Clark's theory. They explain how concepts and knowledge are acquired and also how language affects this process. Learners are required to know the concepts of what they learn and should recede the information or concepts into the language used for a specific learning task. In the case of this study it was English. The study revealed that many learners who were investigated in this study did not possess the knowledge to encode many of the core or broader concepts in Tshivenda, their mother tongue. Learners also seemed to learn some concepts and the English encoding for them simultaneously. The findings showed, however, that most learners in Grade 5 could not recede many of the concepts that they possessed in L1 into English the Mol. It was clear that many learners in this study were not ready to switch from mother tongue instruction to English Mol in Grade 5. Their lack of conceptual awareness coupled with the lack of adequate English proficiency to learn the subjects in English may have been influenced by a number of possible reasons. Some reasons that were suggested were the following: a lack of prior knowledge of concepts that occur in Grade 5 syllabuses and textbooks; poorly trained teachers who are unable to assist learners to create links between existing knowledge and new knowledge; poor socio-economic circumstances and illiteracy and teachers who may lack English proficiency and cannot teach all subjects confidently in English. Some implications for the findings were suggested such as the following: if teachers are aware of the demands made on the conceptual framework of learners and the possible limitations that• they have regarding their conceptual readiness to learn, intervention is possible. Much can be done regarding the strategies that teachers may employ to enrich, expand, reconstruct, revisit or adapt concepts for learning. Such strategies include visual scaffolding, an enriched conceptual and language programme and a planned and structured approach to teaching language across the curriculum. / Thesis (M.A. (Applied Language and Literary Studies))--Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, 2001

The National Curriculum Statement (2002), in line with the South African Constitution (1996), views human rights, inclusivity and social justice as priorities in all learning areas of the curriculum. However, a document such as the Manifesto on Values, Education and Democracy (2001) illustrates the complexities of addressing this in practice. One of the reasons is that there are misconceptions about how the concept of 'human rights' should be interpreted in the educational realm. This study sets out to explore how primary school learners understand human rights teaching-and-learning (from a moral and value stance) and what factors influence this. The intention is to rethink and redefine human rights teaching-and-learning from a learner's perspective as well as to investigate the notion that regards human rights as 'misunderstood'. This research offers a new perspective on human rights in that it focuses on primary school learners. Therefore this study will provide another lens through which to consider human rights teaching-and-learning in classroom practice. A literature study and empirical research have been undertaken to investigate how learners understand human rights teaching-and-learning. The literature study explores ontological, epistemological and methodological perspectives of human rights teaching-and-learning. Qualitative observation, written narratives and focus-group interviews formed the bases of this empirical research. Ongoing triangulation is used to ensure that the research findings are valid and trustworthy. It seems that primary school learners do have an understanding of human rights teaching-and-learning, which is characterized by an emphasis on legal rights and the contextualisation of human rights within South African, value and educational contexts. Educational and societal factors are two of the factors that influence this understanding. It is clear that learners' understanding of human rights teaching-and-learning is not one-dimensional. However, there are certain ontological ambiguities in the views that learners hold of the significance of human rights teaching-and-learning -both within and beyond the curriculum. An indication of this is that learners' responses reveal that they are often uncertain about why they have to learn about human rights and the contexts and/or learning areas (other than Life Orientation) in which human rights teaching-and-learning should take place. Recommendations highlight the need to gain a better understanding of classroom practices so that teaching-and-learning can infuse a culture of human rights; to acknowledge that human rights teaching-and-learning should be more flexible; to use an implicit way of generating an understanding of human rights; to make human rights teaching and learning in classroom practice more authentic; and to consider 'a human rights beyond the curriculum approach'. This study also identifies areas in which further research should be done. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

The National Curriculum Statement (2002), in line with the South African Constitution (1996), views human rights, inclusivity and social justice as priorities in all learning areas of the curriculum. However, a document such as the Manifesto on Values, Education and Democracy (2001) illustrates the complexities of addressing this in practice. One of the reasons is that there are misconceptions about how the concept of 'human rights' should be interpreted in the educational realm. This study sets out to explore how primary school learners understand human rights teaching-and-learning (from a moral and value stance) and what factors influence this. The intention is to rethink and redefine human rights teaching-and-learning from a learner's perspective as well as to investigate the notion that regards human rights as 'misunderstood'. This research offers a new perspective on human rights in that it focuses on primary school learners. Therefore this study will provide another lens through which to consider human rights teaching-and-learning in classroom practice. A literature study and empirical research have been undertaken to investigate how learners understand human rights teaching-and-learning. The literature study explores ontological, epistemological and methodological perspectives of human rights teaching-and-learning. Qualitative observation, written narratives and focus-group interviews formed the bases of this empirical research. Ongoing triangulation is used to ensure that the research findings are valid and trustworthy. It seems that primary school learners do have an understanding of human rights teaching-and-learning, which is characterized by an emphasis on legal rights and the contextualisation of human rights within South African, value and educational contexts. Educational and societal factors are two of the factors that influence this understanding. It is clear that learners' understanding of human rights teaching-and-learning is not one-dimensional. However, there are certain ontological ambiguities in the views that learners hold of the significance of human rights teaching-and-learning -both within and beyond the curriculum. An indication of this is that learners' responses reveal that they are often uncertain about why they have to learn about human rights and the contexts and/or learning areas (other than Life Orientation) in which human rights teaching-and-learning should take place. Recommendations highlight the need to gain a better understanding of classroom practices so that teaching-and-learning can infuse a culture of human rights; to acknowledge that human rights teaching-and-learning should be more flexible; to use an implicit way of generating an understanding of human rights; to make human rights teaching and learning in classroom practice more authentic; and to consider 'a human rights beyond the curriculum approach'. This study also identifies areas in which further research should be done. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Thèse--Lille. / Bibliography: p. 334-340.

No

In terms of assessment practices, in all facets of education there is a strong focus on assessment at the end of learning. New trends in the literature motivate for the continuous use of assessment strategies in classrooms, with a learner-centred approach. Many questions arise on this topic: When lecturers review their own higher education classroom assessment practices, what will be the extent of their discovery? Are they still inclined to do assessment after teaching and learning has taken place? Or are they moving towards continuous classroom assessment practices in line with the new trends? Is there still a place for classroom assessment at the end of teaching and learning? Should the one or the other be used or should there be a balance between the various strategies? With students perceiving assessment as being judgemental and oppressive and as the most political of all educational processes (Reynolds et al., 2000:268), how does the power struggle unfold in the classroom? By means of participatory action research I encouraged lecturers to reflect critically on their own classroom assessment practices. The lecturers engaged in critical discourses regarding their teaching, learning and assessment strategies and subsequently engaged in transformative actions resulting from their critical reflections. The aim of the research was to determine whether an emancipatory praxis had been developed and whether their reflections had brought about change and improved their classroom assessments. I wished to understand how the changes they had experienced were infused with theories of empowerment, emancipation and liberation. The nature of curriculum praxis of classroom assessment was investigated to determine the status of classroom assessment in a specific higher education context and to see how the balanced assessment system is reflected and how classroom assessment develops as an emancipatory praxis. / MEd (Curriculum Development), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014