This dissertation Is an investigation of educators' perceptions and practices of the key Constitutional Values in the Bojanala West Region High Schools. South Africa is experiencing an alarming increase of crime related incidents, such as, lack of accountability, dishonesty, violence and injustice, which is an indication of a decline in morality and values. Schools have their own problems, such as, lack of discipline and respect for authority especially by learners. The great challenge for education is for schools to transfer to learners not only the ability to learn and acquire skills for an increasingly complex world. It is also to ' assist in the building of character. Surely we all want our children to become adults who are caring, tolerant, fair, and respectful. We want our children to know and uphold the principles of; Democracy, Social justice and equity, Equality, Non-racism and Non-sexism, Ubuntu, An Open society, Accountability, The rule of law, Respect and Reconciliation. This is perhaps the expectation of parents and the South African Government alike. Data were collected from several sources. Questionnaires were distributed to High School educators in the four Area Project Offices in the Bojanala West Region, and structured interviews· were conducted. The findings indicated that educators agree that emphasis on the teaching of values is a solution to violence, social problems and lack of respect in our society, they further agree that the school has an important role to play in the teaching and imparting of the constitutional values to the learners. The interview responses indicated that educators are not aware of the existence of the Constitutional . values and the educational strategies to help them infuse the values into the curriculum, most of them indicated that they rely on their own Initiatives to Impart values to learners. Furthermore, the majority of educators interviewed Indicated that any attempt to give prominence to values in education should be done through the existing curriculum framework and not become an added imposition. / (M.Ed.) North West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2006

Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: It is true, to say that education in Venda in the Northern Province was experiencing and is still experiencing problems. Many schools in Venda - primary and secondary schools - have lost their vision. Statistics reveal that there is a large number of failures and dropouts at these schools with discipline dropping in almost all schools. Learners are no longer committed, they go to school late, they do not wear uniforms, they are not prepared to devote time and energy to their studies. They boycott classes and spend long periods of time not attending lessons. Daily classroom routines no longer receive their utmost attention, homework is not done resulting in many failing their examinations every year. In some of the schools, especially in the secondary schools, many learners are arrogant. They no longer respect their teachers and some schools have developed into battlefield - learners carry weapons such as guns to schools, they stab their teachers and principals with pangas and they also fight each other. The Research has revealed that many learners are unprepared for the responsibilities of being a student. On the other hand teachers also embark on strikes, sit-ins and chalk downs as some teachers are no longer loyal to their profession. They go to work late and leave early. At the end of the month they do not even go to work, while those that go, sometimes are unprepared for their lessons. Child (learners) abuse is also rife in some schools. There are also areas in the Province where learners do not receive stationeries, textbooks and prescribed books during the course of the year. Some learners are still taught in shanties built by the communities while some learners in the rural areas are still being taught outside, under trees. The research revealed that the situation which is prevailing in schools in the Venda area can be remedied by better relationship between the different stakeholders : parents, teachers, learners, Department, communities and churches. Of all the stakeholders, the parent is regarded as the primary educator since all others like . teachers, the Education Department, communities, churches etc. are assisting the parents in the task entrusted to them by God. The results also revealed that many parents in Venda do not participate in the education of their children causing poor results, high dropouts rate and the absence of discipline in the schools. Therefore, the role of parents in values education with special reference to the situation in Venda is significant. The effective involvement of the parents in these situations can be the best remedy. They are the most important stakeholders in creating conducive teaching and learning atmosphere. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Daar word beweer dat onderwys in Venda, in die Noordelike Provinsie verskeie probleme in skole ervaar het en nogs steeds ervaar. Heelwat skole in Venda; primêr sowel as sekondêr, het hulle doelstellings ten opsigte van gesag, dissipline, leerdoelsteIlinge in die klaskamer en samewerking met ouers verloor. Statistieke bring aan die lig dat skole te doen het met In hoë druipsyfer, onderpresteerders, uitsakkers en vroeë skoolverlating. Gesag en dissipline verval in byna al die skole. Leerlinge is nie meer entoesiasties en toegewyd in hulle skoolwerk nie. Laatkommery is algemeen, hulle dra nie meer die voorgeskrewe skooldrag nie en hulle is nie bereid om hulle tyd en energie aan hulle studies te bestee nie. Leerlinge boikot hulle klasse en bry weg van die lesperiodes. Huiswerk end opdragte word geignoreer en die eindresultaat is dat baie leerlinge jaarliks druip. Verwaantheid onder leerlinge kom veral in die sekondêre skole voor. Leerlinge respekteer nie meer hulle onderwysers nie en die probleem het al so handuitgeruk dat sommige skole in In oorlogsveld ontaard het. Onderwysers en medeleerlinge se veiligheid word bedreig deur wapens wat skool toe gebring word. Voorvalle waar onderwysers en hoofde met messe gesteek is, het al voorgekom. Gevegte onder leerlinge is algemeen. Die ondersoek/navorsing het verder aan die lig gebring, dat, leerlinge nog nie gereed is om as verantwoordelike studente op te tree nie. Leiding en gesag is steeds nodig. Leerlinge kan egter nie alleen verantwoordelik gehou word vir hierdie probleme nie. Onderwysers neem ook deel aan wegblyaksies, daag laat by die skoolop, is onvoorbereid vir hulle dagtaak, verlaat die skool sonder toestemming en kom nie skool toe aan die einde van die maand nie. Mishandeling van leerlinge kom in sommige skole voor. In sekere gebiede in die Provinsie ontvang leerlinge nie betyds skryfbehoeftes, handboeke en voorgeskrewe boeke nie. Sommige skole ontvang geen boeke gedurende die jaar nie. Sommige leerlinge ontvang nog steeds onderrig in vervalle klaskamers wat lank gelede deur die gemeenskap gebou is, terwyl leerlinge in die landelike gedeeltes van Venda nog steeds onderrig buite onder die bome ontvang. Die ondersoek het aangetoon dat hierdie situasies wat in die skole in Venda heers herstel kan word deur 'n beter verhouding tussen die verskillende insethouers nl. ouers, onderwysers, leerlinge, die Department, gemeenskap en kerke te skep. Ouers word nog steeds beskou as die primêre opvoeders en word bygestaan en ondersteun deur die verskillende insethouers in hulle Godgegewe opvoedingstaak. Verdere resultate van die ondersoek toon aan dat baie ouers in Venda nie deel het aan die opvoeding van hulle kinders nie en dit lei tot swak eksamenuitslae, swak dissipline en vroeë skoolverlating in skole. Daarom is die rol van die ouer in die opvoeding van waardes met spesiale verwysing na die probleemsituasie in skole in Venda belangrik.

M.Ed. (Education Management) / Schools receive detailed curricula from the Department of Education. The successful application of these curricula is mainly the task of the headmaster. In the school another curriculum, namely the hidden curriculum, also functions. Coming to grips with the hidden curriculum is, however, no easy task, seeing as it involves the conveying of values and norms which is, to a great extent, in the hands of the teachers of the school. The headmaster, as managerial leader, is responsible for both the successful application of the formal curriculum and the hidden curriculum. This application has to be done in such a way that the hidden curriculum will supplement and strengthen the formal curriculum. Through his managerial style the headmaster can create the necessary positive school climate which will facilitate the teachers task in this respect. By applying the hidden curriculum the educator is able to supply pupils with anchors which should be of inestimable value in life. These anchors include religion, national- ties and morality. These anchors should supply the adolescent with steadfastness in an ever changing world. Abovementioned anchors form an integral part of mans view of life. The conveyance of the educators view of life to the adolescent places an extremely heavy responsibility on the shoulders of the headmaster. He as educational leader, has to see to it that the hidden curriculum, as such, will be implemented in such a way that it complements the formal curriculum. As managerial leader the headmaster has to see to it that his staffs cultural values and view of life will correspond with the Christian principle. This implies that the view of life should be such that he can point the direction in which the school should move. The headmasters view of life is determined by his personal relationship with God, his fellow - man and other matters. It can be stated, that all the headmasters other relationships are determined by his relationship to God. The headmasters relationship towards his God is conveyed to both the teaching staff and the pupils of the school. The teacher~s relationship towards his God is also conveyed to the pupils in the same way. This principle becomes part of the way of life of the whole school community, and in this way the hidden curriculum becomes an integral part of the formal curriculum. Owing to the fact that the hidden curriculum is dependant on the teacher's view of life, it is essential that education will be and stay a particular matter. Blending of cultural ties can have traumatic consequences for the pupils and can even lead to a dualistic view of life. This will confuse pupils and the conveyance of values and norms won't take place, resulting in failure to achieve the goals of education.

Thesis(PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this dissertation the proposals made by the Department of Education towards the infusion of a culture of human rights and using dialogue as a facilitation strategy are problematised. It is argued that the lack of professional development programmes to assist educators in dealing with these proposals is one of the reasons why the infusion of a culture of human rights and dialogue as a facilitation strategy have not transpired as desired. Another apparent reason for the non-realisation of these ideals is that the classroom is not generally seen as an ethical community that has the propensity to anthropomorphise the ideal of infusing a culture of human rights through dialogue. The main focus of this enquiry was therefore to propose a normative theory of dialogue as a facilitation strategy as constitutive to the infusion of a culture of human rights in the context of an ethical community, aiming towards applying this theory in the form of an intervention research programme for selected in-service educators in the Mafikeng/Mmabatho area. The application assisted in determining the viability of the programme, specifically in terms of its theoretical underpinning, and the possibility of further developing it for the purpose of professional development of in-service educators beyond the scope of this target group. The theoretical underpinning of the intervention research programme consisted of a normative theory of dialogue as facilitation strategy characterised by: providing a dialogic stimulus, allowing for moments of deconstruction, critique and reconstruction, and finishing with debriefing and reflection. With regard to the human rights components, the focus was more on the infusion of a culture of human rights on a moral level than on an epistemological level. The intervention research process revealed how diverse groups of educator-participants responded to the intervention research programme. In addition, the research process demonstrated how and why the intervention research process could serve as a possible methodological framework for the design and development of professional development that is inclusive to a variety of education stakeholders. From this study it seems that the participating educators approved of and assimilated the intervention research programme and its underlying theory, albeit in different stages of the research process and with different concerns in mind. The work presented in this dissertation contributes firstly to a refined understanding of dialogue as a facilitation strategy in the South African context and secondly to an understanding of the frequently used notion of infusing the classroom with a culture of human rights in terms of its moral significance. Finally, it also focuses on and addresses the challenge of educator development and the organisation of facilitation strategies that are required to prevent human rights from being assimilated in inept educational paradigms. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie proefskrif poog om die voorstelle van die Departement van Onderwys rakende die infusie van ʼn kultuur van menseregte in die klaskamer en die gebruik van dialoog as fasiliteringstrategie te bevraagteken. Daar is geargumenteer dat die tekort aan professionele ontwikkelingsprogramme ter ondersteuning van onderwysers om hierdie voorstelle te implementeer een van die redes is waarom die infusie van ʼn kultuur van menseregte in die klaskamer en die gebruik van dialoog as fasiliteringstrategie nie tot sy reg kom nie. Die feit dat die klaskamer meestal nie gesien word as ʼn etiese gemeenskap wat oor die potensiaal beskik om die ideaal van die infusie van ʼn kultuur van menseregte in die klaskamer en die gebruik van dialoog as fasiliteringstrategie te verwesenlik nie, is nog ’n rede waarom hierdie voorstelle oënskynlik geen effek het nie. Die hooffokus van hierdie ondersoek was dus om ʼn normatiewe teorie ter ondersteuning van dialoog as fasiliteringstrategie wat bevorderlik is vir die infusie van ʼn kultuur van menseregte in die konteks van ’n etiese gemeenskap te ontwikkel. Hierdie teorie is toegepas in die konteks van ’n intervensie-navorsingsprogram vir geselekteerde indiens-onderwysers in die Mafikeng/ Mmabatho-omgewing. Die toepassing het gehelp om vas te stel wat die praktiese waarde van die program is, veral ten opsigte van die program se teoretiese onderbou. Die moontlikheid om die program verder te ontwikkel as ’n professionele ontwikkelingsprogram vir indiens-onderwysers buite die bereik van die studie, is sodoende ook ondersoek. Die teoretiese onderbou van die intervensie-navorsingsprogram het bestaan uit ʼn normatiewe teorie van dialoog as fasiliteringstrategie wat gekenmerk word deur ’n dialogiese stimulus, wat ruimte laat vir oomblikke soos dekonstruksie, kritiek en rekonstruksie, asook vir ontlonting en refleksie. Met betrekking tot die menseregtekomponent, was die fokus meer op die morele infusie van ʼn menseregtekultuur as op die epistemologiese infusie daarvan. Die intervensie-navorsingsproses het openbaar hoe diverse onderwyser-deelnemers op die intervensie-navorsingsprogram reageer. Die navorsingsproses het ook gewys hoe en waarom intervensie-navorsingsprosesse kan dien as ʼn moontlike metodologiese raamwerk vir die ontwerp en ontwikkeling van professionele ontwikkelingsprogramme wat ʼn verskeidenheid van onderwysbelanghebbendes in ag neem. Van die resultate kon daar afgelei word dat die deelnemende onderwysers die intervensie-navorsingsprogram en onderliggende teorie goedgekeur en geassimileer het. Dit was egter duidelik dat elke groep deelnemers die program verskillend geassimileer het en dat hul verskillende probleemareas ervaar het. Die werk wat in hierdie proefskrif weergegee word het eerstens ʼn bydrae gemaak tot die begrip van dialoog as fasiliteringstrategie in die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks, en tweedens tot die verstaan van die idee rakende die infusie van ’n menseregtekultuur in die klaskamer waarna telkens verwys word. Laastens het dit ook gefokus op die uitdaging van onderwyserontwikkeling en die organisering van fasiliteringstrategieë wat benodig word om te verhoed dat menseregte geassimileer word in paradigmas wat onvanpas is vir die onderwys.

This study investigated the seemingly conflicting and incompatible ideological positions that post-apartheid South Africa appears to straddle. On the one hand, South Africa is an aspiring liberal democracy courtesy of its constitution of 1996, which is liberal in that it enshrines a wide range of rights and freedoms for the individual. On the other hand, the same constitution recognises the institution of traditional leadership, whose claim to power is hereditary and not by popular vote. Thus the study established that South Africa is an aspiring liberal democracy that is also heavily steeped in African traditions and cultures. It offered a rebuttal of the view that existence and recognition of traditional institutions of politics and governance in a liberal democracy is a fundamental contradiction. Drawing on the literature the study showed that liberal democracies such as Japan, the United Kingdom (UK), Belgium, The Netherlands and Spain, have had monarchies from time immemorial. But their monarchies are not a hindrance to either liberalism or liberal democracy. The study underscored the importance of Ubuntu as a socio-cultural discourse in South Africa, more so given that South Africa is an African country whose population is 80 per cent African. Concomitantly the study proposed a philosophy of education that amalgamates some aspects of liberal education with some aspects of African traditional education. Aspects of liberal education that were found to pertain to the amalgamation are ‘cultivating humanity’ and ‘narrative imagination’, while aspects of African traditional education are the values and principles implicit in Ubuntu, the latter understood as a humane normative concept. At a practical classroom level the study proposed that such an amalgamated philosophy of education would be attained through storytelling and the teaching of history through chronology and causation. As a form of ‘narrative’, storytelling reveals the finite in its fragile uniqueness and illustrates how the past influences and shapes the present, and how the present determines aspects of the past that are useful and meaningful today. Similarly the teaching of history through chronology and causation enables the students to organise their historical thought processes and construct their own probable historical narratives. The teaching of history through chronology and causation therefore offers the students multiple opportunities to gain a better understanding of historical events, and lessons that can be learn from such events. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Philosophy of Education)

M.Ed. / This study was undertaken out of concern for the many youths in the community of Lotus Gardens who were involved in deviant and delinquent behaviour in and out of school. The findings of the essay describe possible factors that placed these youth at risk of dropping out of school and impacts on their social and emotional development. Their views regarding out-of-school programmes were investigated, as well as the different types of community programmes that could be introduced for the remediation and support of at risk youth. The research was carried out with seven at risk youth from the Lotus Gardens Secondary School who also resided in Lotus Gardens. The seven participants were interviewed in a focus group as well as individually. The data collected was analysed through open coding. The analysis brought to the fore numerous insights. The first was, that various factors combined to place youth at risk of dropping out of school. These could be broadly related to the family, the school, the environment, and the influence of peers. The second important insight, was that the entire school system needed to change to effectively address the complex problems faced by at risk youth. This included a change in the attitude of teachers and an amendment to the curriculum. The school itself, in future, needs to become more community orientated and function as a community facility to eliminate some root causes which place youth at risk. Thirdly, the inquiry showed that there was overwhelming support for the idea of community education programmes, not only to support at risk youth, but to assist youth in general, and parents and the community as a whole. The study revealed that through these programmes, stronger family ties would develop, thereby laying the foundation for a sense of community. This would address some of the factors that place youth at risk and may even eliminate others. In the light of the above analysis it is recommended that, from a community education perspective, the concept of a core-plus school, be given serious consideration. If considered, it could guide the community in addressing some of the social problems faced by the community, which would encompass the problem of at risk youth. Furthermore, in the long term, it would empower the community to address other social problems they might face in today's decadent world.

M.A. / This study entailed research into the variables that play a significant role in the development of student culture, the specific nature of student culture at RAU and extent of the relationship between student participation in student culture and their work ethic/work orientation. In the qualitative phase of this study a total of 10 in-depth group interviews were conducted with 21 students in order to determine the nature of student culture at RAU. From these interviews certain variables of student culture at the RAU were identified and used to construct a questionnaire that was completed by a representative sample of 1000 students (quantitative phase). The questionnaire consisted of questions on the biographical- and academic background of students, their work ethic/work orientation and various aspects of student culture and -subcultures. By means of factor analysis and item analysis, eight scales were developed. These scales measured the work ethic/work orientation of students, the extent to which students regard academic merit as important, their participation in student culture, their conformation to academic student norms and the extent of their identification with the academic-, occupational-, college- and outside-campus student subcultures. The scales were further analysed in terms of the biographical- and academic background of students, making use of one-way analysis of variance and Scheffe's paired comparisons, Hotelling T2 and t-tests and Pearsons correlation's. Using bundle analysis four student subcultures, namely the active-, passive-, hardworking- and occupational subcultures, were identified at the RAU. These subcultures were also analysed in terms of students' backgrounds making use of crosstabulations with Chi t- tests. It was found that students have a relatively high work ethic/work orientation: The most important factors that bring about a difference in terms of students work ethic/work orientation are gender, the faculty within which students study, the method students use to pay for their studies and the RAUstudent subculture that students belong to.

A. The Aims The modern adolescent is frequently accused of being morally lax; his judgement of moral issues is held in question; and parents, church and school are accused of having lost their influence on present-day youth. The writer wes lnterested in finding out whether these accusations could in fact be substantiated amongst a sample of adolescent school-children in a selected urban area. The aims of the research, therefore, were as follows :- (i) to investigate the judgement of these adolescents in certain given areas of moral behaviour, (ii) to determine whether there were any appreciable differences between the Afrikaans-speaking and English-speaking adolescents of the sample in their judgements of these moral issues, (iii) to determine whether there were any appreciable differences between adolescent boys and girls of the sample in their judgement of these moral issues, (iv) to explore the influences which caused the tested adolescents to re-act as they did.

Moral degeneration is a universal phenomenon which negatively affects many societies, also the South African society. The South African society, with specific reference to family life and school life is experiencing a serious moral breakdown. The media is constantly reporting this breakdown, which is evident in social ills such as a general lack of discipline and self-discipline, violence, poverty, unemployment, a high crime rate, promiscuity, school vandalism and corruption. The literature study indicates that these moral ills have negative implications for society and for education, and that they are mainly the result of a lack of a positive value system in society as a whole. This study aims at determining the role of “values education” in addressing the problem of moral degeneration. The conceptual framework upon which the study is based is known as social reconstructivism. It is a philosophical theory which proposes that society should be transformed by addressing the social problems which it experiences. An ethnographic research design and grounded theory were employed. Questionnaires were distributed to 200 learners from four public schools in order to determine their value systems. Trends that were found after the analysis of the questionnaires were further explored by means of in-depth interviews with some of these learners. The main data collecting instrument was the semi-structured interview (individual and focus group interviews). The participants were parents, principals, teachers, community leaders and learners, who are all important stakeholders in education. Data were collected in the Eastern Cape Province over a period of five months. The empirical research findings were compared to literature findings. Both these findings revealed that, to an alarming extent, the moral code in South African society is on the decline. Currently education in the home, school and community does not convey a positive value system to learners - thus perpetuating the problem of a society in decline. In the light of the findings, guidelines have been developed in order to improve school practices and to suggest possible solutions to the social problems that endanger the future prosperity of the South African society. / Education / D. Ed. (Socio-Education)

Moral degeneration is a universal phenomenon which negatively affects many societies, also the South African society. The South African society, with specific reference to family life and school life is experiencing a serious moral breakdown. The media is constantly reporting this breakdown, which is evident in social ills such as a general lack of discipline and self-discipline, violence, poverty, unemployment, a high crime rate, promiscuity, school vandalism and corruption. The literature study indicates that these moral ills have negative implications for society and for education, and that they are mainly the result of a lack of a positive value system in society as a whole. This study aims at determining the role of “values education” in addressing the problem of moral degeneration. The conceptual framework upon which the study is based is known as social reconstructivism. It is a philosophical theory which proposes that society should be transformed by addressing the social problems which it experiences. An ethnographic research design and grounded theory were employed. Questionnaires were distributed to 200 learners from four public schools in order to determine their value systems. Trends that were found after the analysis of the questionnaires were further explored by means of in-depth interviews with some of these learners. The main data collecting instrument was the semi-structured interview (individual and focus group interviews). The participants were parents, principals, teachers, community leaders and learners, who are all important stakeholders in education. Data were collected in the Eastern Cape Province over a period of five months. The empirical research findings were compared to literature findings. Both these findings revealed that, to an alarming extent, the moral code in South African society is on the decline. Currently education in the home, school and community does not convey a positive value system to learners - thus perpetuating the problem of a society in decline. In the light of the findings, guidelines have been developed in order to improve school practices and to suggest possible solutions to the social problems that endanger the future prosperity of the South African society. / Education / D. Ed. (Socio-Education)