Outcomes-based education (OBE) (at least at a conceptual level) is moving from an instructionist (teacher as transmitter of knowledge) to a constructivist approach (teacher as mediator and facilitator in the construction of meaning). This shift requires teachers that move from a traditional teacher-centred classroom to a learner-centred classroom management approach. The policy originators label this shift as a “paradigm shift”, but in the training of educators in OBE, no training was offered in terms of a new approach to classroom management. In this study I argue that if OBE in the South African context really constitute a paradigm shift, then at conceptual level, it would require a new approach to classroom management. Against this background, the aim of the study is to conceptually interrogate the notion of constructivist classroom management and investigate how classroom management within a constructivist mode differs from traditional classroom management within an instructionist approach. This study is qualitative in nature and employs conceptual analysis in the form of conceptual historical analysis, conceptual cartography and hermeneutic analysis. The Wilsonian concept analysis was used to examine and distinguish between the defining attributes of the concepts “instructionist classroom management” and “constructivist classroom management” and their relevant attributes. Also, a typology of non-empirical questions applied to conceptual analysis was used. The Matrix of Paradigmatic Value Systems was used as a tool/lens to categorise “instructionist classroom management” and “constructivist classroom management” in terms of their paradigmatic roots. Credibility and authenticity was achieved through crystallisation instead of triangulation. Emerging from the literature and concept analysis, “instructionist classroom management” is informed and guided by the traditional paradigm – it is based on a mechanistic worldview. On the other hand, “constructivist classroom management” is compatible with the emerging paradigm – it has holistic and artistic features. Traditional classroom management is underpinned by the principles of scientific management whilst constructivist classroom management is informed and guided by contingency approaches to management theory. Based on the analysis done and the reflection on the data, it is posited that classroom management within a constructivist setting needs to move from traditional to contingency classroom management approach. On the surface, basic management principles such as, planning, organising, leading and control, appear to be similar, but this is a myth. For example, planning, seen from its traditional defining terms, approaches classroom management as a step-by-step process under control and directed by the teacher; and may restrict the degree to which learners become collaborators in the teaching and learning situation. Organising focuses on issues of group work and collaborates learning; control moves to accountability (where learners become part of the development of class rules and partners in ensuring order and discipline); and evaluation moves to ongoing assessment and feedback as a strategy to ensure continuous improvement and the facilitation of the construction of new knowledge. Thus, this study proposes rethinking a set of principles compatible to the emergent paradigm that should not only support the construction of knowledge in the constructivist setting, but also promote collaborative interaction. / Thesis (PhD (Education Management, Law and Policy))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

This study, based on a sustained, qualitative investigation into the instructional decision-making of three Grade Nine Natural Science teachers, addresses the dichotomy between policy and practice in the post-apartheid South African context. The main research questions that guided this study were: 1. How do secondary school teachers understand the critical differences between the traditional curriculum, the new outcomes-based curriculum and the revised version of this new curriculum? 2. Why and how do these teachers make strategic curriculum decisions at the interface of the three curricula in their classrooms? A comparative case study approach was taken, during which evidence of what the science teachers were doing in their classes was collected through prolonged, non-participant classroom observation of close to 30 lessons each. Insight into the rationale behind their practices, i.e. their pre-active and interactive decision-making, was gleaned from intensive pre-lesson and post-lesson interviews. The video-recording lessons were played back to them for stimulated recall of their interactive thinking and decision-making. Together with biographical interviews, teacher diaries, and the researcher’s field-notes, these instruments helped get a sense of the mechanics and dynamics of how these two science teachers make planning, teaching and assessment decisions in the fluidity of the present curriculum habitat in South Africa. The main finding from this study is that teachers do not make extensive use of their considerable decision-making space; I characterize this phenomenon as passivity in decision-making. It was found, further, that a number of decision-making frame factors have a bearing on teachers’ tendency to abdicate their decision-making authority; However, an unexpected finding was the extent to which the commercially prepared ‘outcomes-based’ learning support material shapes what happens in science classrooms. In theorizing teachers’ passivity-in-decision-making during complex curriculum change, I draw on and extend the scholarship on the intensification of teachers’ work, by arguing that South African teacher essentially cede their decision-making authority to ‘outcomes-based’ texts, in order to cope with the overwhelming and multiple threats of intensification of their work. The evidence in this study demonstrate that the veritable threats of intensification of teachers’ work, which typically accompany radical curriculum change in developing countries, stifles teachers’ opportunities to bridge the gap between policy and practice. / Thesis (PhD (Education))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

Please read the abstract in the section, 00front, of this document / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Humanities Education / DPhil / Unrestricted

With the transition to a new philosophy of education in post-apartheid South Africa a paradigm shift began from banking education to outcomes-based education. South Africa looked to other countries for a framework on which to build its curriculum. The first post-apartheid curriculum as well as the subsequent revised curriculum seems to be a contentious matter as outcomes-based education as practised in South Africa is widely criticised by educationists. This study endeavours to interrogate the structure and underlying principles of the current curriculum to gain an understanding of whether and how critical consciousness, learning support materials and environmental education feature in the national curriculum. The purpose of the study is to gain an understanding of what happens in South African environmental education classrooms especially with regard to the construction of meaning and the prospects for Freirean critical education. The research questions elucidate the nature of critical education and its capacity to inform the sociology of learning in environmental education within the South African context. The research purpose is therefore exploratory and descriptive. The research questions emerge from the literature review which informs the study and also conceptualises the key tenets of the inquiry. The literature study reveals that there is adequate mention in policy documents regarding the importance of learning support materials in teaching and learning, but there seems to be a gap in the literature about how learning support materials are currently used in South Africa to develop critical consciousness particularly in environmental education classrooms. This research attempts to address this gap. The research conducted falls within the conceptual framework of critical pedagogy. It is however the humanist approach asserted by Paulo Freire that premises the study. The research design and philosophy of the study is delineated and the researcher’s role in the research process is elucidated. An ethnographic case study positioned within the qualitative approach serves as the methodology by which the research questions are explored. The choice of methodology and the ontological premise of the study are accounted for and issues of quality are discussed with regard to credibility, transferability, dependability and conformability. The purpose of this study was not to find solutions and no definitive answers were sought or obtained. The findings of the study point to three critical contentions and the following was established: Firstly, that although the National Curriculum Statement pays lip service to some of the ideals of Freirean pedagogy, it is inherently behaviourist in that it has clearly defined outcomes and assessment standards that learners should attain regardless of learner diversity. Secondly, that the manner in which the educator facilitates the learning support materials is the determining factor in the attainment of the set learning outcomes by the learners. Thirdly, that the manner in which knowledge transmission happens in a lesson influences the development of critical consciousness in learners. The findings only serve as suggestions and the reader is invited to look at the possibilities that Freirean pedagogy has to offer and what might be possible in environmental education classrooms. The findings of the study cannot be generalised and have to be interpreted and applied by the reader within a specific context of teaching and learning. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Humanities Education / unrestricted

The National Education Department of South Africa has mandated a policy of outcomes-based education for all learners and educators in this country. Two of the most important principles of outcomes-based education are collaborative work in groups and continuous assessment by the teacher and peers. In Computer Studies, taken on the higher grade, learners are expected to construct algorithms and programs by themselves. In the real world such algorithms and programs would be constructed by groups of people working together. The researcher’s purpose of conducting this study was to breach the gap that exists between what is done in accordance with the outcomes-based curriculum in schools - and what is expected in the real world where collaborative work is the norm. The researcher used Bloom’s high-order thinking skills as his point of departure for this study and examined the implications of how they contribute to real-world situations in the school environment. To evaluate the South African curriculum for Computer Studies on the higher grade, the researcher compared the South African curriculum was the curriculum used in Australia for learners of the same age group. The results led to an intervention in which South African learners were examined on high-order thinking skills and programming in the real world. / Dissertation (MEd (CIE))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted

The purpose of this study was to explore the extent to which teaching strategies for theory content were utilised by nurse educators at a nursing college in Gauteng to determine whether these strategies complied with an outcomes- and problem-based nursing education programme and, if problems were identified, to make suggestions with regard to the appropriate teaching strategies. The aim of the study was to investigate what teaching strategies nurse educators utilised at a nursing college in Gauteng where an outcomes-based (OBE) and problem-based (PBL) nursing education programme was implemented. Teaching strategies used in the OBE approach are different from the traditional approach and nurse educators must master facilitation skills and guide learning of nursing students towards the attainment of outcomes, including critical cross-field outcomes such as problem-solving skills and critical thinking skills. Critical cross-field outcomes are essential life skills that learners should possess by the end of a specific course. A quantitative, non-experimental descriptive survey was used to explore the extent to which teaching strategies for theory content utilised by nurse educators at a nursing college in Gauteng, fit within an OBE and PBL nursing curriculum. Data from the study showed that educational facilities not accessible to students, were also not available to the students. These included the following: <li>Computer lab</li> <li>Internet</li> <li>Video conferences</li> <li>Teaching CD discs</li> It was also evident from the data collected that the respondents felt that library facilities were only available at another institution. From the literature studied on OBE and PBL, it became clear that, for the successful implementation thereof, students require access to computers and the Internet and these facilities should be made available to students to encourage and enhance self-directed learning, as it is an important component of PBL. The data collected clearly revealed that formal lectures were still very much utilised by nurse educators as a teaching strategy. This is a matter of great concern since formal lectures are of less importance in an OBE approach to learning. The data also indicated that nurse educators did not utilise research articles, which is again an essential part of OBE and PBL. On the other hand, the data were reassuring as it indicated that nurse educators utilised group discussions, small group activities and self-directed learning - all teaching strategies essential for OBE and PBL. Nurse educators indicated that a lack of training and in-service training were reasons why they felt only moderately competent in utilising OBE and PBL teaching strategies. Some also felt only moderately competent due to the lack of facilities, resources and support. Certain teaching strategies, such as PBL strategies, enhance critical thinking skills and assist in developing the learner’s decision-making skills. Therefore, it is important for nurse educators to make use of OBE and PBL teaching methods when facilitating learning. The South African Nursing Council [(SANC) 1993] states that “the purpose of nursing education is to develop the learner on a personal and professional level to become an independent, knowledgeable, safe practitioner with analytical and critical thinking skills”. Copyright / Dissertation (MCur)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Nursing Science / unrestricted

Magister Artium (Social Work) - MA(SW) / Global and national standards for social work training have for a very long time required that institutions of higher learning include a theoretical as well as a practical component into the social work programme. The integration of theory and practice is purposefully aimed at enhancing the student's competency and skills (SAQA, 2003:9). The introduction of Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) in South Africa (Government Gazette No. 19640, 1998) has confirmed the need for addressing challenges relating to integration of theory and practice. Assessments of social work fieldwork competence at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) indicate that the majority of the students in the third year of study struggle to integrate theory and practice resulting in low level competence in Intermediate Fieldwork Education (University of the Western Cape Quality assurance report: Intermediate Fieldwork, 2007). In addition to the aforementioned, student reports indicate that there is a perception that the classroom learning, the supervision and fieldwork practice often are not sufficient to facilitate the integration of theory and practice. The lack of integration of theory and practice results in students not achieving the expected learning outcomes. This is an urgent concern in social work education and it seems most appropriate to learn from the people who are closely affected by and involved in this issue. The focus of the study was thus on the challenges experienced by social work students, their lecturers and fieldwork supervisors at UWC regarding the integration of theory and practice at intermediate level in the context of OBE. Hence I used a qualitative approach as I wanted to study the challenges of theory and practice integration from an insiders' perspective. This is appropriate when the goal of research is to describe and understand a social issue. For this reason I selected an exploratory-descriptive research design and an instrumental research strategy to study the issue of theory and practice integration in the selected programme. The population of the study was third year social work students at UWC and also a selected group of third year social 'work students from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU), social work lecturers from UWC and field supervisors form agencies in the Western Cape where social work students are placed. Purposive sampling were utilized to select sixteen third year social work students from UWC, seven NMMU students, sixteen field supervisors and eight lecturers from UWC. Data were collected by means of individual interviews as well as focus group sessions from students and field supervisors and by means of written responses to an open -ended guide from lecturers. Data were analyzed by means of thematic, content analysis. Relevant literature findings on constructivism, cooperative learning and social work teaching and learning in particular were compared to the findings of the case study exploration. Literature pertaining to social work teaching and learning in the context of ELOs is limited and therefore further justifies the need for this research. The findings indicated that participants in this study experienced challenges with regard to theory and practice integration on various levels and to different extents. They attribute these challenges to a variety of factors relating to the construction of knowledge in the classroom and in the fieldwork setting as well as personal challenges experienced by students. Hence I made various recommendations with regard to collaborative teaching and learning strategies within the classroom and fieldwork setting as well recommendations based on the conclusions of findings relating to students' personal challenges.

This study explored how Grade R teachers at a pre-primary school understand and implement early childhood physical development practices, based on the Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS) for Grade R. The research took place in the form of a case study at a private pre-primary school in Rivonia, Sandton. Data was collected by means of document analysis of the RNCS for Grade R, a focus group discussion with purposefully selected participants and observations within the school. Analysis of the data was twofold, firstly utilising taxonomic analysis based on Anita Harrow‟s (1972) taxonomy of psychomotor learning (which formed the theoretical framework for the study), and secondly by means of a thematic analysis of data. Results and findings indicate that participants attributed significant importance to physical development in early childhood as a building block for the development of further cognitive skills and academic achievement. Participants demonstrated an in-depth and extensive comprehension of physical development pertaining to early childhood and their understanding thereof is reflected in their teaching practices offering varying opportunities and ways in which to learn. The school takes a whole-school approach to physical development by incorporating it into different contexts and enlisting the assistance of various role-players. Emerging themesreflect concern with the impact of modern lifestyle on children's physical development, current inadequacies of physical education programmes in schools, the need for teachers to remain informed and educated in physical development and the need for further development of the physical development section of the Grade R RNCS. Participants had various concerns with the curriculum in terms of what they perceived as its non-specificity, the participative versus quality performance approach, the lack of age-appropriate norms, and perceived irregularities with other areas of the Grade R curriculum. As a result, participants seemingly relied to a lesser extent on the RNCS to inform their implementation of physical development practices, relying instead on other sources of guidance. Participants therefore felt that the physical development section of the Grade R RNCS does not provide sufficient guidance and information for newly qualified or inexperienced teachers, especially those who have limited access to resources. Subsequently, this study highlights the need for teacher training as a means of improving the status of school physical education, assistance with and dissemination of information regarding early physical development in educational psychology practice and the need for further research in early physical development and the RNCS. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted

Thesis (M.A.(Language Education)) -- University of Limpopo, 2009 / The assessment of the current school reform effort emphasizes the neeed to improve the education of all learners. Assessing the academic achievement of every learner is an essential part of this reform, but one that presents a challenge for most schools, school districts and provinces. Traditional assessment practices have tended to exclude learners who are denied access to important educational opportunities that are based on assessment results. This problem is often more pronounced among learners who have to do Grade 9. This study focuses on assessment and discusses the advantages and challenges experienced by learners and educators. The aim of this study, therefore, is to assess educators’ success in the implementation of OBE assessment principles of English First Additional Language (EFAL) in Grade 9. This study was prompted by educator assessments, which have kept interesting the researcher because of traditional assessments which are at odds with OBE. Most importantly, assessment is no longer practised and determined in traditional ways. The educator must assess, in detail, the knowledge, skills and dispositions that learners must develop in order to achieve learning outcomes. The researcher recommends assessment to include English langauge learners, increase school accountability for all learners, have a shared vision of learner goals and standards, have an authentic picture of learning, and reflect assessment.

The Department of Education in South Africa altered the concept of teaching and learning from a traditional method to a new outcome based approach. The new curriculum prescribes certain outcomes that the learners must successfully master. One of the outcomes Grade 9 learners must manage is to become an entrepreneur and to be able to administer the small business as a profitable unit. The school managers, educators, parents and learners of the primary schools are eager participants in Market or Entrepreneur days. However, in the secondary schools, the enthusiasm and commitment to such an event, does not exist. The teaching and learning environment between the two institutions are worlds apart and launching such a day in secondary schools, is basically impossible. As a result learners, including the Grade 9 learners, have limited opportunities, to practise their entrepreneurial skills. Despite the various attempts made by the school managers and educators to compromise, secondary school learners are deprived of chances to exercise their skills within the school's safe environment. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Education Management)