A Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements For the Degree of PhD in Community Psychology University of Zululand, 2007. / South Africa hails from a legacy of racial discrimination and other related forms of discriminatory practices. In the decades prior to the democratic elections of 1994, race separation was the defining feature of schooling. However, post-democracy, racial integration became the defining feature. Racial integration in schools has not proceeded smoothly, partly because both learners and educators were not prepared for the complexities that accompany racial and cultural mixing. The absence of an educational programme geared pointedly towards multicultural education in the South African context, thus becomes vital. The primary purpose of this study was to generate guidelines for such a programme. Through a phenomenologica! approach, this study focused on the experiences of a total of eight learners and seven teachers, who constituted the sample. Qualitative research methods were used in the form of vignettes, open-ended questionnaires, focus-group interviews and direct observation, with a view to obtaining deeper insight into the experiences of integration, as well as the problems facing both iearners and teachers in respect of integration in a secondary school. In addition, the study explored solutions to integrated schooling as seen by the participants. The Contact Hypothesis, together with the results of the data analysis, was used to underpin the guidelines for multicultural education. The themes that emerged were: the need for equal status among learners, common goals, cooperation rather than competition, quality activities specifically designed to promote positive integration, authority sanction for integration, as well as compromise in respect of language, relevant education, role of teachers, learner initiatives, forced integration, parent involvement, accepting differences, promoting cultural awareness, the need for open communication, and tolerance. The researcher was thus able to access themes that were then used to develop guidelines for multicultural education in the South African context. The outcomes of the investigation were discussed within the context of international and local literature, which reviewed contact as a means of promoting positive integration, as well as. multicultural intervention strategies. The study concluded with a brief discussion on the limitations of the investigation and recommendations for further research. It is anticipated that that this research endeavour will provide insight into the effective role that educators, learners, parents and the community can play in improving racial integration in secondary schools in South Africa.

This study examines how school principals practice relational leadership for effective school-parental engagement in a multicultural setting. In South Africa, the post-apartheid education transformation created a situation in which schools are no longer allowed to discriminate against learners. As a result, a new multicultural setting has emerged in which schools are bound to accommodate learners from various cultural backgrounds. This shines the spotlight on school principals’ leadership and how they develop a school vision based on common values and redesign the school in a way that reflects the post-apartheid setting. The leadership role of principals is crucial for school-parental engagement in multicultural school settings. This is a qualitative study that used a case study design. The purposively selected sample consisted of 18 participants from six public schools in the Tshwane North and South. Data was collected using individual interviews. The theory of relational leadership was applied to examine how school principals can practice this leadership style to enhance parental engagement in multicultural school settings. Using thematic analysis, data was then grouped into themes in line with the research questions. The study found that the relational leadership by principals for school-parent engagement in a multicultural setting is limited and ineffective owing to a lack of multicultural sensitivity among most principals. The findings of the study also revealed that though many principals have tried practising different styles, such as instructional, distributive, collaborative and transformational leadership, to enhance parental engagement, these practices are seen as a limited solution. Therefore, the study suggests the need for principals to adopt a new leadership approach that creates a strong relationship between the principal and parents, taking into account the cultural context in which the school operates. The study recommends principals practice relational leadership for effective parental engagement in multicultural school settings. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria 2020. / Education Management and Policy Studies / MEd / Unrestricted

The deseg regation of schools in the post-1994 era in South Africa has led to an exodus of African children from township schools to multicultural suburban and inner city schools. This migration places African children in a multicultural school environment where the dynamics pose challenges for coping and adaptation if these children are to succeed academically. The challenge is even greater for adolescents who are also wrestling with critical developmental issues of adolescence in their quest for identity development and consolidation. Goleman (1995: 34) asserts that in order to succeed in any aspect of living, an individual requires emotional intelligence. Likewise, African adolescents who attend school in multicultural environments need to be emotionally literate to cope successfully and to adapt to the demands of the new schooling environment. In the light of this assertion, this study aimed to determine the extent to which emotional intelligence mediates the identity development of African adolescents in multicultural schools. The five domains of emotional intelligence investigated in this respect were: self-awareness, self-regulation, self-motivation, empathy and effective relationships. Six schools were selected for the empirical investigation: three from the townships and three from the suburbs. 226 African adolescents from suburban and 240 from township schools participated: a total of 466 participants. The findings revealed that self-awareness, empathy and effective relationships play stronger mediating roles in the identity development of African adolescents in township schools while self-regulation plays a stronger mediating role for African adolescents in suburban multicultural schools. The two groups did not, however, differ significantly regarding the mediating role of self-regulation in their identity development. Further mediating roles of emotional intelligence to the identity development of African adolescents were investigated according to gender, stage of adolescence and a preferred language for learning and teaching. Finally, a model was proposed for developing empathy among African adolescents who attend schools in suburbs. / (D.Ed. (Psychology of Education))

The deseg regation of schools in the post-1994 era in South Africa has led to an exodus of African children from township schools to multicultural suburban and inner city schools. This migration places African children in a multicultural school environment where the dynamics pose challenges for coping and adaptation if these children are to succeed academically. The challenge is even greater for adolescents who are also wrestling with critical developmental issues of adolescence in their quest for identity development and consolidation. Goleman (1995: 34) asserts that in order to succeed in any aspect of living, an individual requires emotional intelligence. Likewise, African adolescents who attend school in multicultural environments need to be emotionally literate to cope successfully and to adapt to the demands of the new schooling environment. In the light of this assertion, this study aimed to determine the extent to which emotional intelligence mediates the identity development of African adolescents in multicultural schools. The five domains of emotional intelligence investigated in this respect were: self-awareness, self-regulation, self-motivation, empathy and effective relationships. Six schools were selected for the empirical investigation: three from the townships and three from the suburbs. 226 African adolescents from suburban and 240 from township schools participated: a total of 466 participants. The findings revealed that self-awareness, empathy and effective relationships play stronger mediating roles in the identity development of African adolescents in township schools while self-regulation plays a stronger mediating role for African adolescents in suburban multicultural schools. The two groups did not, however, differ significantly regarding the mediating role of self-regulation in their identity development. Further mediating roles of emotional intelligence to the identity development of African adolescents were investigated according to gender, stage of adolescence and a preferred language for learning and teaching. Finally, a model was proposed for developing empathy among African adolescents who attend schools in suburbs. / (D.Ed. (Psychology of Education))

M.Ed. / Since 1994, South African schools are increasingly becoming more diverse due to the implementation of new legislation to foster democratization in schools. Many schools whose communities were until 1994 defined along racial lines are increasingly becoming mixed in terms of learner, staff and parent bodies. Other external factors such as the increasing movement of people across the globe as a consequence of increasing globalization may also be contributing to the apparently growing diversity at schools. Such increasing diversity could pose challenges regarding fostering a culture of teaching and learning at these mixed schools. Therefore, school management and leadership, need to have the skills, knowledge and appropriate attitudes that are required in order to ensure that the culture of teaching and learning is advanced in ethnically diverse school. Considering her experience as a teacher at both private and public schools in South Africa over the last ten years, the researcher has observed significant changes in learner population across many schools with resulting implication to teaching and learning. These changes have placed tremendous demands on school principals and teachers who have to deal with the challenges such as, culture mismatch between student-student and student-teacher interaction, social tension and antagonism, communication problems, misinterpretation of values and behaviors that thus influence the process of teaching and learning. Hence, the researcher opted to do an investigation into how school leadership and management in ethnically diverse schools will advance opportunities that encourage a culture of teaching and learning. In order to do the investigation, the researcher firstly employed an extensive literature review to explore how the leadership and management of ethnically diverse schools advance opportunities that cultivate a culture of teaching and learning. The research design and methodology employed involved a mixed method approach consisting of quantitative as well as qualitatative methodologies. During the first phase of the empirical study, the researcher carried out the quantitative method of data collection where a set of questionnaires were filled in by the principal and the HoDs of the selected schools. In order to validate the findings of the quantitative survey, the researcher employed in-depth individual interviews with the teachers and students of the selected schools. Through qualitative analysis of the data, the research findings confirm that the diverse culture of schools in Johannesburg North includes characteristics of both traditional and liberal multicultural education. Also, societies are becoming more complex in terms of social, economic and political needs. Therefore, the implication of the findings are that, in addition to teaching the basic skills of reading, writing and math, school leadership and management should advance a culture of teaching and learning that will involve social justice issues where students will learn to become reflective, moral, caring and active citizens as is inherent in liberal multicultural education. Finally, the researcher recommends that regular survey on different aspects should be carried out in ethnically diverse schools in order to get such schools to open up to the demands of liberal multicultural education.

The South African educational system has undergone many changes since 1994. The integration of previously segregated education departments has made it possible for different cultures to be in the same classroom. However, it is the researcher's view that the vast majority of learners in multicultural secondary schools do not exit the system with the skills and attitudes needed to contribute positively to nation-building. This is borne out by the fact that many learners continue to prefer the company and assistance of their own cultural groups for work in class and out of class. Incidents of racial conflict, religious intolerance and cultural discrimination are reported among learners from time to time. The researcher believes that the basis for creating a new society, that is free of fear and discrimination, lies in the imparting and assimilation of nation-building values at multicultural secondary schools. A qualitative method of research was employed as it lent itself to naturalistic inquiry, detailed thick description, inquiry of depth and direct quotations to capture people's personal perspectives and experiences. An extensive literature study of nation-building, nation-building values and multicultural education was conducted. The empirical study was conducted at a local multicultural secondary school. Research techniques such as observation, interviews, completion of an open-ended questionnaire and discussions were used. The researcher was able to ascertain the values that underpin nation-building; the factors that militate against the promotion of nation-building values and strategies that can be used to promote these values at multicultural secondary schools. He has made significant proposals to the Department of Education, which should be carefully considered. Ultimately, the promotion and assimilation of nation-building values at multicultural secondary schools should lead to a progressive and peaceful nation. / Educational Studies / (D.Ed.(Psychology of Education))

The South African educational system has undergone many changes since 1994. The integration of previously segregated education departments has made it possible for different cultures to be in the same classroom. However, it is the researcher's view that the vast majority of learners in multicultural secondary schools do not exit the system with the skills and attitudes needed to contribute positively to nation-building. This is borne out by the fact that many learners continue to prefer the company and assistance of their own cultural groups for work in class and out of class. Incidents of racial conflict, religious intolerance and cultural discrimination are reported among learners from time to time. The researcher believes that the basis for creating a new society, that is free of fear and discrimination, lies in the imparting and assimilation of nation-building values at multicultural secondary schools. A qualitative method of research was employed as it lent itself to naturalistic inquiry, detailed thick description, inquiry of depth and direct quotations to capture people's personal perspectives and experiences. An extensive literature study of nation-building, nation-building values and multicultural education was conducted. The empirical study was conducted at a local multicultural secondary school. Research techniques such as observation, interviews, completion of an open-ended questionnaire and discussions were used. The researcher was able to ascertain the values that underpin nation-building; the factors that militate against the promotion of nation-building values and strategies that can be used to promote these values at multicultural secondary schools. He has made significant proposals to the Department of Education, which should be carefully considered. Ultimately, the promotion and assimilation of nation-building values at multicultural secondary schools should lead to a progressive and peaceful nation. / Educational Studies / (D.Ed.(Psychology of Education))

The influx of Black pupils seeking admission to Indian schools began in 1990 after the Democratic Movement's "all schools for all people" campaign was announced. The medium of instruction in Indian schools is English which is also the mother tongue. Therefore Black pupils who come on transfer from schools in the KwaZulu township are immediately faced with a language problem as they are taught in the mother tongue untii standard three, when they switch to English. This research project arose as a result of the researcher's experience with Black pupils, whom he - felt were severely linguistically underprepared for academic study in the senior primary phase. Furthermore, most present day teachers were trained for monocultural schools and have little or no experience of multicultural education. The main problem that this research focuses on includes the learning problems encountered by Black pupils in Indian primary schools and the concomitant teaching problems their teachers experience. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Didactics)

The influx of Black pupils seeking admission to Indian schools began in 1990 after the Democratic Movement's "all schools for all people" campaign was announced. The medium of instruction in Indian schools is English which is also the mother tongue. Therefore Black pupils who come on transfer from schools in the KwaZulu township are immediately faced with a language problem as they are taught in the mother tongue untii standard three, when they switch to English. This research project arose as a result of the researcher's experience with Black pupils, whom he - felt were severely linguistically underprepared for academic study in the senior primary phase. Furthermore, most present day teachers were trained for monocultural schools and have little or no experience of multicultural education. The main problem that this research focuses on includes the learning problems encountered by Black pupils in Indian primary schools and the concomitant teaching problems their teachers experience. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Didactics)