This study focuses on the extent to which the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) Professional Development (PD) orientation programme for Intermediate Phase educators achieved its intended outcomes. The study was conducted with 17 Intermediate Phase educators who attended the NCS PD orientation programme, which was presented by the Department of Education officials. This orientation programme was aimed at ensuring that Intermediate Phase educators are equipped with the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes to implement the NCS effectively. The participants in this study are all Intermediate Phase educators in Mpumalanga Province, Nkangala Region. The researcher used both quantitative and qualitative methods in gathering data. Questionnaires, interviews and documentary analysis were used as data streams. The study revealed that the NCS PD orientation programme achieved its intended outcomes but the majority of teachers are still struggling to implement the NCS in line with the requirements of the NCS policy. The research also revealed that the support these educators obtain from the district subject advisors result in these educators developing a dependency syndrome and therefore compromising their professional roles as designers of learning programmes and constructors of knowledge (constructivist approach to teaching and learning). Copyright / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted

The learning difficulties prevalent among mathematics students are widely documented. This case study explores the difficulties experienced by National Certificate (Vocational) Level 2 mathematics students at a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) College in Gauteng in the learning of functions. The primary research question was: What conceptual and procedural knowledge difficulties do NC(V) L2 students experience when learning the concept of functions in mathematics? Qualitative data was generated from the students (n=17) through lesson observations, test responses and interviews. The convenient sample of students all belonged to one L2 mathematics class. The findings revealed that the students experience conceptual knowledge difficulties in terms of defining a function, identifying functions, translating between representations of functions, and interpreting the behaviour of a function. The findings also revealed procedural knowledge difficulties prevalent among the students. The errors that students committed in this regard included factorisation errors, structural errors, misapplication and modification of the rules. In general, the findings indicated that the students in this sample lack procedural knowledge and conceptual understanding of functions. The lesson observations revealed a prevalence of several misconceptions regarding functions among the students which were seemingly not recognised nor remedied by the teacher. The teacher’s instructional practices thus appeared to be among the possible sources of the difficulties that the students experience in the learning of functions. This finding was also confirmed by the students during the interviews. Shaky foundations from previous grades were also a factor. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / MEd / Unrestricted

This is a four year longitudinal study into learner experiences of transition from the General Education and Training band to the Further Education and Training band in science. The study focused on Natural Science in the GET band and Physical Science in the FET band and used both quantitative and qualitative methods. The learners who participated in the study were a unique cohort. They were in grade 1 when Curriculum 2005 was introduced in 1997. They were also the last group of learners in 2005 that completed their compulsory schooling (grade 9) under the outcomes based C2005 in which content was not prescribed. The curriculum was revised and content was re-introduced in 2006 when they started grade 10 (FET) with teachers who were mostly not trained in Outcomes Based Education. In 2008 they were the first matriculants from the new curriculum. Their progress and experiences from the GET band to the FET band should have therefore generated a lot of interest from both the political and educational perspectives. This study is exploring their particular situation. There is a gap between curriculum 2005 and the National Curriculum Statement. Learners in this study who were doing grade 9 Natural Science in 2005 under c2005 were greatly disadvantaged by the curriculum that did not prepare them adequately for grade 10 Physical Science. Initially, there was an increase shown in interest in science from grade 9 to grade 10 but this interest declined as learners progressed to grade 12. During their progress from the GET phase to the FET phase their transition was characterized by a decline in interest in Physical Science caused by lack of practical work, loss of the closer student-teacher relationships and disappointment when their expectations of teaching strategies were not met. They themselves described the transition as difficult. However, the achievement in the examination of those who were post positivist-oriented was better than the achievement of those who were empiricist-aligned. When faced with problems of conceptual understanding, they resorted to guess work and rote application of concepts and algorithms. Although these findings were derived from a study of learners in only one school from a poor township in South Africa, they are consistent with other reports in the literature. Copyright / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / unrestricted

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur den fria leken på svenska förskolor är begränsad för att gå i linje med förskolans uppdrag som det är presenterat i läroplanen. För att uppnå detta har vi intervjuat sju förskollärare på två svenska förskolor angående deras syn på den fria leken och hur den är begränsad. Det insamlade materialet är sedan analyserat med hjälp av Michel Foucaults teorier samt Jennifer M. Gores mikro-praktiker om makt för att synliggöra hur den fria leken är begränsad och varför. De tre centrala teman som presenteras i läroplanen är: säkerhet och välmående; grundläggande och demokratiska värderingar samt lärande, utveckling och livslångt lärande. En hierarki bland dessa teman blev uppenbar där säkerhet ses som viktigast följt av de grundläggande och demokratiska värdena och sist lärande, utveckling och livslångt lärande. Vi fann även att förskollärarna hellre reglerar leken så att den stämmer överens med läroplanen än att bryta den samt att läroplanens tolkningsbarhet leder till olika strategier bland förskollärarna för att uppnå deras önskade resultat.

In-service education and training (INSET) has become a key vehicle for the professional development of educators in the school context. However, its role and impact has yet to be fully comprehended. This study resulted from the realization that educators often attend short training courses without being tracked or monitored afterwards. Using an illuminative approach to evaluation, this study aimed to establish the impact of INSET on educators’ ability to effectively implement the Life Orientation (LO) curriculum, after attending national INSET in 2005. It was also important to gauge if educators had gained the knowledge and skills to deal with emergent issues not addressed during the training. The field of adult education offered a particular lens through which I aimed to look at both LO and INSET. The sample selected for this study consisted of three teachers teaching at co-educational government schools in Johannesburg, who attended the 2005 Gauteng provincial training in LO for grade 10. Data collection methods included questionnaires, naturalistic observations, semi-structured interviews and document analysis. The findings of this study suggest that the success of this INSET programme depends heavily on the individuals who attend them and their personal experiences and beliefs. The study concluded that for educators to implement LO effectively they would not only have to develop professionally but they should also be committed to lifelong learning.

Recently a new national curriculum was introduced in Swedish grade schools. This study set out with the purpose to investigate how teachers have interpreted and perceived the new policy documents during their first year in action. The theoretical framework consists of Aristotle's qualification of knowledge which divides knowledge into three forms: episteme (scientific knowledge), techne (practical knowledge, skills, and crafts) and phronesis (practical wisdom). Through the lens of Aristotle's three forms of knowledge, we analyze the results of our semi structured survey which consists of both closed, semi-open, and open questions. The data consists of eleven survey answers by history teachers across the country. The results illustrate that teachers have interpreted and perceived the new national curriculum differently, and have, therefore, drawn different conclusions based on their different circumstances. However, the teachers seem to share a mutual understanding that subject knowledge is more emphasized in the new national curriculum. Most of the teachers devote time to practical knowledge in their lesson plans, but argue that the development of practical wisdom, however, is rather a spontaneously occurring form of knowledge that is not or cannot be planned ahead as easily. Lastly, the results of this study indicate that training, collegial communication, and consultation can have an impact on the understanding of a curriculum.

This qualitative exploratory case study covers Lebanon’s conflicted history that has left its people with unfulfilling history education. The purpose was to explore potential stakeholders and possible factors to motivate participation in Lebanon’s process towards a formal history education. Previous research has shown a need to combine stakeholders with a top-down approach to resolve conflicts over history education in post-conflict societies such as Lebanon. The study was conducted through a sample of digital articles representing people from Lebanon. The sample was analysed with a Qualitative content analysis. The findings showed that sceptical individuals have the potential to act by both enabling and challenging historical narratives in the social space they have access to. Stakeholders such as teachers and historians are today already organised to move history forward within education. Potential factors that could motivate Lebanese to participate in the process were cognitive- and financial rewards that today are left out. These findings showed an optimistic outlook on the long struggle over history education in Lebanon and could work as a recommendation for further research.

The research study investigated the history of the curriculum standards movement in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the context of the national standards movement in order to explain how and why the Commonwealth of Virginia arrived at the decision not to adopt the Common Core State Standards based on descriptive evidence. The study utilized a qualitative methodology with a two-phase data collection process. First, documents from the Virginia Board of Education and the Virginia Department of Education were collected and analyzed using the constant comparative method (Maykut and Morehouse, 1994). Second, data were collected from major figures in the history of Virginia public education over the last 20 years, including former Superintendents of Public Instruction, through in-person interviews. Data from the interviews were analyzed using the constant comparative method (Maykut and Morehouse, 1994). An interview protocol was developed, tested for content validity, and piloted prior to conducting the interviews. Categories that emerged from the data analysis for both research questions were identified and descriptive evidence was presented related to both research questions. Three major conclusions from the study were identified and discussed that appeared to influence Virginia's decision not to participate in the Common Core State Standards: the Virginia Standards of Learning are an institutionalized system; the Virginia Standards of Learning had bipartisan political support; and confidence in the Standards of Learning outweighed confidence in the Common Core State Standards. / Ed. D.

The integration of knowledge and skills across subjects and terrains of practice is crucial for achieving applied competence as defined in the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) (Department of Education 2003:3).). Physical science underperformance has plagued out Further Education Training (FET) schools sector for some time and therefore this study which is directed at the possible causes of poor performance and to device strategies that could assist physical science teachers to teach more effectively addresses a crucial gap in the performance of the country’s education provision. Emanating from the above, this study focused on the impact of National Curriculum Statement principle in the teaching of physical science in Grades 10 to 12 around Sekhukhune district. The study looked at integration as a principle endorsed in the National Curriculum Statement and how this is implemented by teachers in the teaching of physical science in grades 10-12.A literature study on the impact of National Curriculum Statement principle in the teaching of physical science was undertaken. A qualitative approach was used to obtain data from Grades 10-12 teacher in FET around Sekhukhune district. Data were collected in the form of participant observation, semi-structured and focus group interviews. The results indicate that teaches had no clear idea of integrating the relevant concepts in the subjects they were teaching (physical science). It was also found that teachers did not receive adequate in-service training specifically targeting the principle of integration. The study recommends the professional development of physical science teachers. The study indicated that the continuum model of integration is suitable for the implementation of concepts integration. It is believed that if the continuum model of integration could be used and followed by teacher as a guiding principle in the integration process, the challenges experienced by teachers in this regard will be minimized. / Science and Technology Education / M. Ed. (Natural Science Education)

The integration of knowledge and skills across subjects and terrains of practice is crucial for achieving applied competence as defined in the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) (Department of Education 2003:3).). Physical science underperformance has plagued out Further Education Training (FET) schools sector for some time and therefore this study which is directed at the possible causes of poor performance and to device strategies that could assist physical science teachers to teach more effectively addresses a crucial gap in the performance of the country’s education provision. Emanating from the above, this study focused on the impact of National Curriculum Statement principle in the teaching of physical science in Grades 10 to 12 around Sekhukhune district. The study looked at integration as a principle endorsed in the National Curriculum Statement and how this is implemented by teachers in the teaching of physical science in grades 10-12.A literature study on the impact of National Curriculum Statement principle in the teaching of physical science was undertaken. A qualitative approach was used to obtain data from Grades 10-12 teacher in FET around Sekhukhune district. Data were collected in the form of participant observation, semi-structured and focus group interviews. The results indicate that teaches had no clear idea of integrating the relevant concepts in the subjects they were teaching (physical science). It was also found that teachers did not receive adequate in-service training specifically targeting the principle of integration. The study recommends the professional development of physical science teachers. The study indicated that the continuum model of integration is suitable for the implementation of concepts integration. It is believed that if the continuum model of integration could be used and followed by teacher as a guiding principle in the integration process, the challenges experienced by teachers in this regard will be minimized. / Science and Technology Education / M. Ed. (Natural Science Education)