The purpose of the study was to explore the implementation of the curriculum and assessment policy statements in the selected primary schools in Limpopo Province. An empirical investigation following qualitative approach was carried out to investigate the views of teachers from two primary schools in Capricorn District. Two curriculum advisors were interviewed as well as five teachers to find out their views and experiences on the CAPS training and implementation issues and challenges. The study confirms that teachers are not well prepared to meet the challenges of the CAPS. The time set aside for training is limited, the resources needed to support teachers and the implementation are inadequate and some of the trainers are not well prepared. The study recommends that the Department of Basic Education continues engaging with trainers, school management teams, teachers and learners and determine specific strategies, based on the school contexts, to improve the provision of training, resources and support to enable effective and efficient curriculum implementation. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

Presently all over the world, there is a great concern among teachers, parents, organisations, community leaders and higher education lecturers about the problems that beset teaching and learning particularly in the teaching programmes, for example, for under-qualified teachers studying at a distance. Most distance education (DE) programmes are concerned with education of adults and it seems fairly obvious that the research plans should be informed by the theories and research about learning in higher education institutions. In terms of teacher education, such studies could, inter alia, focus on teacher development, curriculum planning, learner support programmes, communication and evaluation of DE. DE itself refers to a field of education that focuses on teaching methods and technology with the aim of delivering teaching, often on an individual basis, to learners who are not physically present in a traditional educational setting such as a classroom. Distance learning is becoming an increasingly popular way of studying, and most universities now provide courses using this mode of teaching and learning. Today’s learners, though, are demanding high quality, consumer-focused and flexible courses and learning resources, and active learner support. This means that providers of DE need to reconsider key issues about learner support systems, to ensure that this is delivered appropriately and effectively. This study focuses on learner support in DE education for under-qualified teachers. The concept, learner support, can be traced far back to Vygotsky’s concept of the zone of proximal development, which refers to a learners’ optimal developmental potential if assistance that is timely and appropriate is provided by another person (Vygotsky, 1978). The appeal of the concept of the zone of proximal development lies in the fact that it directs attention to the need for maximum support in the learning process, and does so in a way that emphasises that good teaching is necessarily responsive to the state of understanding achieved by particular learners. Learner support systems may include the resources that the learner can access in order to engage in the learning process, for example, libraries or the resources that relate to the mediation of the communication process such as the media or technology. This study acknowledges that there are different kinds of learner support structures, but argues that there are critical or main components of support services which are registration support, learner support services, contact sessions, technological support and feedback strategies. Therefore, this study focuses on the role played by these five learner support structures as used in the programmes of DE under-qualified teachers at The University of South Africa (UNISA). Supported by empirical data, this study seeks to argue that instructional designers and tutors in the programmes of under-qualified teachers studying through DE need to ensure quality learning support as learning environments are increasingly designed according to the principles of resource-based and independent learning. In a sustainable learning environment, support must be designed according to principles that ensure that learners progress from teacher-directed activity to self-regulated activity. The challenge to deliver a high-quality learner support system, and for tutors and administrators to assume a central educational role in developing effective distance learning environments, the need for teaching and research is increasingly emphasised in research literature. Finally, it is hoped that this piece of work will help to promote more discussion and debate about the use of learner support programmes in DE institutions in particular, and in teaching and learning in general. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Didactics)

It is generally agreed that during the apartheid era secondary school History education was perceived as either an indispensible aid toward furthering the National Party’s social and political programme of separate development by some sections of the South African community or as an insidious form of indoctrination by other sections of the community. One of the contentions of this thesis is that this form of apology or indoctrination was less successful than is generally believed. The white English and Afrikaans-speaking sections of the community, although practising very different cultures shared many perceptions, including the perception that secondary school History education was less important than was the study of other subjects. The result was that at least since the 1960s, History was a subject in decline at most South African white secondary schools. History education enjoyed a mixed reception on the part of black secondary school educators during the apartheid era although the majority of black secondary school educators and learners, particularly after the 1976 Soweto Uprising, rejected the subject as a gross misrepresentation of historical record. The demise of History as a secondary school subject during the post-apartheid era is well documented. The case is made that this is due to factors such as poor teaching and the tendency by school administrations to marginalise the subject. My own 2008 and 2012 research indicates that while many South African adults display a negative attitude toward secondary school History education, secondary school learners have a far more positive outlook. The finding of this thesis is that the future for History education in South Africa is not as bleak as many imagine it appears to be. / History / D. Litt. et Phil. (History)

This study centres on curriculum development for a master craftsman level in the Printing, Newspaper and Packaging Industries which is didactically sound and takes cognisance of the dynamic vocational education and training milieu in which it occurs. Curriculum and curriculum development is viewed from a systems perspective and incorporates the specific andragogic didactic needs of the learner target group as well as the unique needs of an industrial sector. Because the National Qualification Framework model advocates an outcomes-based approach to curriculum development this necessitated the identification of a suitable standards generating process to articulate the master craftsman unit standards into a qualification capable of being recognised by the National Qualification Framework. The nature and complexity of the underpinning knowledge, skills and competencies for the master craftsman level were quantified and qualified by means of skills and competency profiling and the development of a job outcome taxonomy of skills, knowledge and attributes which incorporated critical cross field and fundamental skills, and their underpinning knowledge requirements. Using aspects ofvarious vocational education and training models and empirical research course content was sourced, evaluated and developed into appropriate modules of learning that are congruent with the accepted competency based modular training system used in the Industries. Course maps that integrate theory and practice were developed with multi skilling milestones linked to learner certification. Evaluation of resources for the delivery of the Master Craftsman Programme was facilitated by means of a provider quality assessment and accreditation system. The interactive teaching-learning situation and the evaluation processes and procedures were developed to enhance the assessment of applied competencies in the world of work. A pilot study and unit standards generating activities are to be used as a means of implementing and institutionalising the master craftsman curriculum. The findings of this study revealed that by viewing the curriculum from a systems perspective and using a suitable curriculum development model a creative master craftsman curriculum development process could take place. The competency profiling technique and taxonomy of competencies, skills, knowledge and attributes enabled the curriculum process to be a top-down approach which is outcomes-based. / Didactics / D.Ed. (Didactics)

The purpose of this study was to establish the perception of Grade One teachers regarding the school readiness of Reception Year learners in relation to the new national Curriculum Assessment and Policy Statement (CAPS). The study also provides recommendations on how to implement CAPS in Grade R so that teachers, learners and parents experience the easiest possible transition to Grade One. The research took the form of a case study, building on current trends related to the subject of Reception Year CAPS curriculum implementation, and using the Interpretive approach as its essential, functional paradigm, which focuses on experiences of the world based on the culture and previous experiences of each individual, with an emphasis on mutual understanding. By using this strategy to explore Grade One teacher perceptions regarding the school readiness of the Reception Year learners, this project was centred on an in-depth and detailed analysis of a person, group or situation as a sample of the whole, and involved a systematic collection of data and analysis. This led to a conclusions-based report on the findings, all the while focusing on five Grade One teachers and their Head of Department at a public primary school in Pretoria, Gauteng. Preliminary findings suggested that learners coming into Grade One could in fact be adequately prepared during Grade R for successful assimilation in the CAPS curriculum material, if all stakeholders overcome the challenges they face during this important phase of academic development. This study has shown that varying amounts and levels of training amongst the teachers is a hindrance to proper CAPS curriculum implementation and therefore, the Head of Department, the school and ultimately the Department of Education has to ensure parity in the area of teacher training in terms of CAPS curriculum implementation. The study has shown that, due to the different sites where learners did their Reception Year, the school and the Grade One teachers faced learners who came into their classrooms with differing levels of exposure to the formal schooling system. Some learners may have no CAPS curriculum exposure at all. This means that, if the Department of Education is to succeed in implementing the CAPS curriculum in Grade R, then it needs to assist schools more in the form of providing funds for primary schools to build and add space for the Grade R classrooms. Finally, the study showed that a language backlog remains one of the main challenges learners have to face. Historically, Early Childhood Development Centres were never required to use English as a medium of instruction. In fact, teaching in the preschool classroom, which includes Grade R, is still mostly done in one of many mother tongue languages, depending on the location of the centre. With the move to make Grade R part of formal schooling and moving the Reception Year class to a primary school, CAPS requires careful curriculum implementation from Grade R to Grade Three, although instruction in English is only required from Grade One. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Specialisation in Curriculum Studies)

It is generally agreed that during the apartheid era secondary school History education was perceived as either an indispensible aid toward furthering the National Party’s social and political programme of separate development by some sections of the South African community or as an insidious form of indoctrination by other sections of the community. One of the contentions of this thesis is that this form of apology or indoctrination was less successful than is generally believed. The white English and Afrikaans-speaking sections of the community, although practising very different cultures shared many perceptions, including the perception that secondary school History education was less important than was the study of other subjects. The result was that at least since the 1960s, History was a subject in decline at most South African white secondary schools. History education enjoyed a mixed reception on the part of black secondary school educators during the apartheid era although the majority of black secondary school educators and learners, particularly after the 1976 Soweto Uprising, rejected the subject as a gross misrepresentation of historical record. The demise of History as a secondary school subject during the post-apartheid era is well documented. The case is made that this is due to factors such as poor teaching and the tendency by school administrations to marginalise the subject. My own 2008 and 2012 research indicates that while many South African adults display a negative attitude toward secondary school History education, secondary school learners have a far more positive outlook. The finding of this thesis is that the future for History education in South Africa is not as bleak as many imagine it appears to be. / History / D. Litt. et Phil. (History)

This study centres on curriculum development for a master craftsman level in the Printing, Newspaper and Packaging Industries which is didactically sound and takes cognisance of the dynamic vocational education and training milieu in which it occurs. Curriculum and curriculum development is viewed from a systems perspective and incorporates the specific andragogic didactic needs of the learner target group as well as the unique needs of an industrial sector. Because the National Qualification Framework model advocates an outcomes-based approach to curriculum development this necessitated the identification of a suitable standards generating process to articulate the master craftsman unit standards into a qualification capable of being recognised by the National Qualification Framework. The nature and complexity of the underpinning knowledge, skills and competencies for the master craftsman level were quantified and qualified by means of skills and competency profiling and the development of a job outcome taxonomy of skills, knowledge and attributes which incorporated critical cross field and fundamental skills, and their underpinning knowledge requirements. Using aspects ofvarious vocational education and training models and empirical research course content was sourced, evaluated and developed into appropriate modules of learning that are congruent with the accepted competency based modular training system used in the Industries. Course maps that integrate theory and practice were developed with multi skilling milestones linked to learner certification. Evaluation of resources for the delivery of the Master Craftsman Programme was facilitated by means of a provider quality assessment and accreditation system. The interactive teaching-learning situation and the evaluation processes and procedures were developed to enhance the assessment of applied competencies in the world of work. A pilot study and unit standards generating activities are to be used as a means of implementing and institutionalising the master craftsman curriculum. The findings of this study revealed that by viewing the curriculum from a systems perspective and using a suitable curriculum development model a creative master craftsman curriculum development process could take place. The competency profiling technique and taxonomy of competencies, skills, knowledge and attributes enabled the curriculum process to be a top-down approach which is outcomes-based. / Didactics / D.Ed. (Didactics)

The purpose of this study was to establish the perception of Grade One teachers regarding the school readiness of Reception Year learners in relation to the new national Curriculum Assessment and Policy Statement (CAPS). The study also provides recommendations on how to implement CAPS in Grade R so that teachers, learners and parents experience the easiest possible transition to Grade One. The research took the form of a case study, building on current trends related to the subject of Reception Year CAPS curriculum implementation, and using the Interpretive approach as its essential, functional paradigm, which focuses on experiences of the world based on the culture and previous experiences of each individual, with an emphasis on mutual understanding. By using this strategy to explore Grade One teacher perceptions regarding the school readiness of the Reception Year learners, this project was centred on an in-depth and detailed analysis of a person, group or situation as a sample of the whole, and involved a systematic collection of data and analysis. This led to a conclusions-based report on the findings, all the while focusing on five Grade One teachers and their Head of Department at a public primary school in Pretoria, Gauteng. Preliminary findings suggested that learners coming into Grade One could in fact be adequately prepared during Grade R for successful assimilation in the CAPS curriculum material, if all stakeholders overcome the challenges they face during this important phase of academic development. This study has shown that varying amounts and levels of training amongst the teachers is a hindrance to proper CAPS curriculum implementation and therefore, the Head of Department, the school and ultimately the Department of Education has to ensure parity in the area of teacher training in terms of CAPS curriculum implementation. The study has shown that, due to the different sites where learners did their Reception Year, the school and the Grade One teachers faced learners who came into their classrooms with differing levels of exposure to the formal schooling system. Some learners may have no CAPS curriculum exposure at all. This means that, if the Department of Education is to succeed in implementing the CAPS curriculum in Grade R, then it needs to assist schools more in the form of providing funds for primary schools to build and add space for the Grade R classrooms. Finally, the study showed that a language backlog remains one of the main challenges learners have to face. Historically, Early Childhood Development Centres were never required to use English as a medium of instruction. In fact, teaching in the preschool classroom, which includes Grade R, is still mostly done in one of many mother tongue languages, depending on the location of the centre. With the move to make Grade R part of formal schooling and moving the Reception Year class to a primary school, CAPS requires careful curriculum implementation from Grade R to Grade Three, although instruction in English is only required from Grade One. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Specialisation in Curriculum Studies)

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / In die studie is daar gepoog om aan te toon waarom die ondervindingsmod~l vir taalleer die aangewese model vir effektiewe tweedetaalleer is. Die kommunikatiewe onderrigbenaderingswyse, onderhandeling in die klaskamer en die belangrikheid van die prosessillabus in tweedetaalverwerwing is bespreek. Die taalonderwyser se rot as fasiliteerder van leer in kommunikatiewe FAfrikaanstaalonderrig in die interaktiewe klaskamer met klem op leerdergesentreerde onderrig is uiteengesit. Daar is verder aangetoon dat daar ten opsigte van die rot van die onderwyser 'n paradigmatiese verskuiwing moet plaasvind, veral noudat beginsels van uitkomsgebaseerde onderrig wat deel van kurrikulum 2005 vorm, in 1998/1999 in aile Suid-Afrikaanse skole ingestel is. Die onderwyser is nou 'n fasiliteerder van kennis, nie 'n oordraer daarvan nie. Belangrike aspekte van leer wat leerders se tweedetaalleer be'invloed, is bespreek, byvoorbeeld klaskamerkommunikasie, fasilitering, suggestopedia, faktore wat begrip van leerstof be'invloed, onderwyser - en leerdergedragswyses, positiewe /eeratmosfeer, behandeling van leerderfoute, Jeerderpersepsies, kommunikatiewe strategiee en evalueringsmetodes. 'n Verskeidenheid taallesse wat op T2-Afrikaans en die T2-taalklaskamer betrekking het, en wat verskillende onderrigteoriee, uitkomsgebaseerde onderrig en die ses taalvaardighede integreer, word in hoofstuk 5 ge'illustreer. / In this study it is shown why the discovery model of language learning is the appropriate model for effective language learning. The communicative teaching approach, classroom-negotiation and the importance of the process syllabus in second language acquisition is discussed. The language teacher's role as facilitator of learning, in communicative L2 - Afrikaans language teaching in the interactive classroom with a learner-centered focus is explained. It is further shown that the role of the teacher must undergo a paradigm shift especially now that principles of outcomes based education which forms part of curriculum 2005 has been introduced into all schools in South Africa in 1998/1999. The teacher is now a facilitator of knowledge and not a transmitter thereof. Important aspects of learning that influence learners' second language learning are discussed, for example classroom communication, facilitation, suggestopedia, factors that influence the understanding of subject matter, teacher and learner behaviours, positive learning atmosphere, treatment of Ieamer errors, learner perceptions, communicative strategies and methods of evaluation. A variety of language lessons which integrate various teaching theories, outcomes based education and the six language learning skills which are related to L 2-Afrikaans and the L 2-classroom are illustrated in Chapter 5. / Afrikaans and Theory of Literature / M.A. (Afrikaans)

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / In die studie is daar gepoog om aan te toon waarom die ondervindingsmod~l vir taalleer die aangewese model vir effektiewe tweedetaalleer is. Die kommunikatiewe onderrigbenaderingswyse, onderhandeling in die klaskamer en die belangrikheid van die prosessillabus in tweedetaalverwerwing is bespreek. Die taalonderwyser se rot as fasiliteerder van leer in kommunikatiewe FAfrikaanstaalonderrig in die interaktiewe klaskamer met klem op leerdergesentreerde onderrig is uiteengesit. Daar is verder aangetoon dat daar ten opsigte van die rot van die onderwyser 'n paradigmatiese verskuiwing moet plaasvind, veral noudat beginsels van uitkomsgebaseerde onderrig wat deel van kurrikulum 2005 vorm, in 1998/1999 in aile Suid-Afrikaanse skole ingestel is. Die onderwyser is nou 'n fasiliteerder van kennis, nie 'n oordraer daarvan nie. Belangrike aspekte van leer wat leerders se tweedetaalleer be'invloed, is bespreek, byvoorbeeld klaskamerkommunikasie, fasilitering, suggestopedia, faktore wat begrip van leerstof be'invloed, onderwyser - en leerdergedragswyses, positiewe /eeratmosfeer, behandeling van leerderfoute, Jeerderpersepsies, kommunikatiewe strategiee en evalueringsmetodes. 'n Verskeidenheid taallesse wat op T2-Afrikaans en die T2-taalklaskamer betrekking het, en wat verskillende onderrigteoriee, uitkomsgebaseerde onderrig en die ses taalvaardighede integreer, word in hoofstuk 5 ge'illustreer. / In this study it is shown why the discovery model of language learning is the appropriate model for effective language learning. The communicative teaching approach, classroom-negotiation and the importance of the process syllabus in second language acquisition is discussed. The language teacher's role as facilitator of learning, in communicative L2 - Afrikaans language teaching in the interactive classroom with a learner-centered focus is explained. It is further shown that the role of the teacher must undergo a paradigm shift especially now that principles of outcomes based education which forms part of curriculum 2005 has been introduced into all schools in South Africa in 1998/1999. The teacher is now a facilitator of knowledge and not a transmitter thereof. Important aspects of learning that influence learners' second language learning are discussed, for example classroom communication, facilitation, suggestopedia, factors that influence the understanding of subject matter, teacher and learner behaviours, positive learning atmosphere, treatment of Ieamer errors, learner perceptions, communicative strategies and methods of evaluation. A variety of language lessons which integrate various teaching theories, outcomes based education and the six language learning skills which are related to L 2-Afrikaans and the L 2-classroom are illustrated in Chapter 5. / Afrikaans and Theory of Literature / M.A. (Afrikaans)