Workplace English skills for Grade 9 languages in C21 argues that a most valuable contribution of any educational programme in a developing country is the imparting of (English) workplace skills to school-leavers. The Introduction ascribes, in part, the current lack of these skills in school-leavers to (British) colonial education policy which was perpetuated and aggravated by the National Party during the apartheid era and which distinguished, on racial grounds, between mental and manual labour. During South Africa’s international isolation – imposed because of its policy of apartheid and leaving it unprepared for major global economic changes – globalisation became a significant force in international commerce, creating an increased demand for workplace skills (in English) that could attract foreign capital and direct investment. The newly elected ruling party’s answer to both the socio-political and educational legacy of apartheid education was Curriculum 2005. In contrast to the National Party’s content-based curriculum, the newer outcomes-based approach to education, revised as C21, initially failed because of poor management and not because of any inherent conceptual flaws. The research methodology that Chapter One outlines is essentially traditional in its use of the scientific method although it reflects the changing face of contemporary research that is often transdisciplinary, heterogeneous, heterarchical, organisationally transient, socially accountable and reflexive. This approach enlists input from many fields and subject experts in the hope of addressing a problem in the community in which the research is conducted. The literature survey shows that this thesis contributes to the corpus of research by exploring the need and relevance of workplace skills in the context of Curriculum 2005 – an approach hitherto not explored in the context of secondary education. Chapter One also outlines the theoretical base of this study. Chapter Two focuses on resolving conceptual obstacles to integrating workplace skills into the outcomes-based language teaching context. Work is described as a phenomenon that comprises both process and product, thus bridging the conceptual chasm that traditionally separates the classroom from the workplace. A brief overview of the structure of Curriculum 2005/C21 shows that this curriculum does not conflict, conceptually, with the teaching of workplace skills. The focus then shifts to the identification of those workplace and workplace literacy skills that are currently in demand and that are in harmony with the fundamental principles of this curriculum design. Chapter Three illustrates the fact that workplace skills do not conflict with generally accepted communicative principles of language teaching. A tentative theory of workplace skills that comprises the principles of the newest curriculum, Curriculum 2005, workplace skills and communicative and task-based English language teaching is proposed. Chapter Four offers a model that can be used to design workplace literacy activities for the language classroom. Two tasks are designed according to this model, then tested in the classroom and, finally, subjected to analysis. The data analysis reveals certain weaknesses in the model. Changes to the model are proposed. The study closes with a synopsis of the argument in each chapter. Finally, the evaluation also briefly describes alternative research avenues. / Thesis (Doctor Litterarum (English))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / English / unrestricted

This study examines the strategies used by facilitators at Adult Basic Education and Training Centre in order to determine whether the facilitators are responsive to adult learning principle and practices. If inappropriate strategies for the facilitation of learning are used, adult learners are likely to become bored, frustrated, overwhelmed or unable to cope with the challenges of learning. This may contribute to the high drop-out rate that many adult education programmes face. The failure to retain adult learners in ABET programmes may result in adult learners relapsing into illiteracy, which then poses a problem as the overarching goal of the South African government is to eradicate illiteracy. This study aims at answering the following research questions: <ul> <li>What are the perceptions of adult learners of the facilitation of learning in the programmes they are enrolled for?</li> <li>What are the strategies used by ABET facilitators to promote cooperative learning?</il> <li>How do ABET facilitators promote self-directed learning among adult learners?</li> </ul> The theoretical framework on which this study is based is constructivism. Constructivist theory advocates a paradigm shift from traditional methods of teaching to a more learner-centred approach of instruction and learning. Thus, constructivist theory embraces Outcomes-based Education that emphasises that active participation by learners should be the backbone of all learning activities. Both facilitators and learners are required to focus on the outcomes that should be achieved during each learning activity. This study employs a mixed-methods approach that includes quantitative and qualitative research methods. The research design for this study is the case study method. The population of this study comprises adult learners and facilitators at Gaegolelwe Adult Centre. A simple random sampling was used to select forty-seven adult learners to participate in this study. Convenience sampling was used to select 4 facilitators. The methods of data collection used were questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and observations. The findings of this study are the following: <ul> <li>Facilitators at Gaegolelwe Adult Centre cater moderately for learners with different learning styles.</li> <li>Learners are engaged in different learning activities, such as completing tasks individually, in pairs or in groups and are involved in research orientated activities in order to discover things for themselves.</li> <li>Facilitators promote active participation during learning opportunities.</li> <li>Most adult learners demonstrate responsibility towards their own work. However, some do not, and this may be attributed to many competing social roles that must be balanced against the demands of learning.</li> <li>Learners are challenged to develop critical thinking, problem-solving and higher order reasoning skills.</li> <li>Cooperative learning as one strategy of facilitating learning is not utilised to the maximum.</li> <li>It has been observed that the lecture method is predominantly used by facilitators; this is not in line with constructivist learning theory as the latter emphasises the use of different methods of facilitation in order to accommodate learners with diverse learning styles.</li> </ul> The following recommendations have been made: <ul> <li>Facilitators with extensive teaching experience should be engaged to facilitate adult learning. However, they should be educated and trained in methods of facilitating adult learners.</li> <li>Male adults need to be mobilised through mass literacy campaigns to join ABET programmes.</li> <li>Learners should be given the opportunity to make an input in the development of strategies for facilitating learning.</li></ul> Copyright / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Early Childhood Education / unrestricted

Since the implementation of Curriculum 2005 and the Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS) in 2004, educators seem unsure of how to manage teaching and learning in the classroom. They find it difficult to develop their own teaching style, display leadership in class, plan and organize effectively to optimize teaching and learning experiences for their learners. The RNCS moved away from homogeneous ability grouping to heterogeneous grouping. Emphasis is placed on the acceptance of individual needs and differences, and equal learning opportunities. Large class groups and masses of administration have left educators with little time to spend with individuals. Group work seems to be the answer and a popular way to organize class work, especially if the educator controls the action well, but learners have minimal contact with the educator who mainly supervises and little cognitive development or interchange happens. Learners sit in groups, but mostly do not work collaboratively as groups. They talk to each other, but work as individuals. The aim of this qualitative study at a parallel medium primary school was to determine the utilization of co-operative learning in the management of a productive Grade 3 class. The results of the study were compared with findings of a similar Dutch study conducted by Veenman, Kenter&Post in 2000. Data was collected through observation, a semi-structured educator interview, and semi-structured group interviews with Grade 3 learners, randomly selected from a class list, the educator’s reflection on group formation, official documents like lesson plans and written assignments of learners based on two open questions put to them. From the study it is clear that the aim of co-operative learning is to empower learners to gain confidence, develop to their full potential to become responsible and disciplined citizens of our democratic society. To reach these goals, educators should fully understand co-operative learning implement it in a structured and well-planned manner. As educational leader in a productive classroom the educator needs to be well organized, creating a culture of teaching and learning in class. Learners, exposed to harmonious classroom relationships in a well-managed productive classroom where participation of all members are encouraged and valued and open communication is part of daily processes in class, will participate freely, be resourceful, happy, helpful and co-operative and be able to make the most of co-operative learning approaches in class through responsible, enthusiastic and confident participation. / Dissertation (MEd (Education Management Law and Policy))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Education Management and Policy Studies / MEd / unrestricted

Life skills education and training programmes, which offer skills to help people cope with everyday life, have in recent years become a highly popular method of intervention and prevention in social work. It is a proactive method and supports the developmental approach of social welfare. The research entailed the development, implementation and evaluation of the Personal and Interpersonal Life Skills Programme. The intervention research model was employed as foundation for the design and development of the programme and the ecological perspective as the theoretical framework. The study highlighted the school as an appropriate context within which to improve the life skills of learners. The main goal of the study was to develop and implement a personal and interpersonal life skills programme for Grade 7 learners in the senior phase of a school, and to evaluate whether participation in the life skills programme would lead to personal growth (self-empowerment) and social competence and thus contribute to the optimal social functioning of children in the classroom, school, family and community (capacity building). A descriptive design with a quasi-experiment, the one-group pre-test-post-test experiment, was used in this study. A non-parametric statistical test was utilized because the data was measured on an ordinal scale (Wilcoxon signed-rank test). The Life Skills Programme was implemented over twelve sessions, lasting about one-and-a-half hours, held twice weekly over a period of six weeks. Using experiential learning within the groupwork method, the programme was subsequently implemented with Grade 7 learners at a traditional black primary school in Pretoria and their ages varied from approximately 12 to 16 years. Forty learners constituted the sample in the study and a non-probability sampling procedure was used. In the school context it is expected that the social worker will include all learners in the classroom (classroom intervention). The sample was divided in six smaller groups with 5 to 7 learners in each group. The study found that the Personal and Interpersonal Life Skills Programme had a statistically highly significant effect (all items = p value ¡Ü 0.01) on the personal and interpersonal life skills development of the Grade 7 learners in the senior phase of the General Education and Training Band in the particular primary school. It is recommended that this intervention programme be implemented and facilitated by a social worker who is part of the multidisciplinary education support personnel. Copyright 2002, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. Please cite as follows: Bender, CJG 2002, A life skills programme for learners in the senior phase : a social work perspective, MA dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-011222002-110633 / > / Thesis (MA (Social Work))--University of Pretoria, 2004. / Social Work and Criminology / Unrestricted

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Thesis (DMus)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Music / unrestricted

Doctor Educationis / The aim of this research was to establish how successfully schools in the foundation phase (Grades 1 and 2), where training and implementation of OBE has been completed, were able to reach the goals of OBE. As part of the broader goal, this investigation attempted to clarify whether the inclusionary approach of OBE was working in primary schools in the foundation phase based on its central premise that all students can learn and succeed, but not on the same day and in the same way. More specifically, this investigation attempted to establish: (i) How successfully had the 66 specific outcomes been implemented in Grade 1 and Grade 2? (ii) What was the level of success of implementation in the different learning areas? (iii) What was the level of success in the implementation of mastery learning? (iv) How many learners had been moved from special education sites to regular education sites? (v) Did schools have the resources to deal with diversity? (vi) Had there been sufficient human resource development to ensure teachers had been trained to deal with diversity? And (vii) Did teachers feel they could teach all learners? In order to arrive at the above-mentioned aim, this study included a survey in a sample of primary schools in the Western Cape. A survey was conducted in 108 primary schools which constitutes 10% of the primary schools in the Western Cape Province. The 108 schools were chosen based on socio-economic and rural/urban considerations. Schools were identified on the following basis: 25% of the poorly resourced schools in urban areas, 25% of the well resourced schools in urban areas, 25% of the poorly resourced schools in the rural areas and 25% of the well resourced schools in the rural areas. Regarding the results of the study concerning the specific outcomes and learning areas, in grade one and grade two results relating to the specific outcomes and learning areas revealed that the majority of teachers rated the level of success at average and below. For example, the range of those teachers who indicated average and below in grade 1 was from 41.03% to 81.96% and in grade 2 from 43.56% to 79.50%. In most learning areas, the number of teachers who In Grades one and two, both language, literacy and communication and indicated average and below was substantial, for example, in grade 1; Natural Sciences, 81.96%, Technology, 78.43%, Economics and Management Sciences, 72.87%. Similar results have been found in Grade 2, for example; Natural Sciences, 79,50%, indicated average and below was substantial, for example, in grade 1 levels across geographical and socio-economic contexts. For example, the urban poor had the lowest results in Grade two and the urban rich experienced the lowest results in Grade one. This suggests that the implementation of OBE was generally poor. The poor results of the urban rich in relation to the other categories suggest that the implementation of OBE has failed in affluent urban schools yet it is normally expected that affluent schools would perform well in relation to the other categories. This is another indication that the implementation of OBE has generally been poor.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The research was prompted by two main issues prevalent in South African education in the last decade. These were particularly the critical state of the schooling system, especially in the educationally disadvantaged schools (mainly ex-Department of Education and Training) and the relationship of the teacher to teaching and the related issue of teacher upgrading. The resultant effect was that the educationally disadvantaged communities became more and more disadvantaged over time because of decreasing mental stimulation and mental development. The answer lay in finding a theory of intellectual growth and development which takes into account the learning environment of the disadvantaged child. The Educational Support Services Trust (ESST) has been active in addressing this very issue since 1986. It provides appropriate learner-centred mediational texts to disadvantaged pupils around the country. These materials concentrate on the development of practical intelligence by relating leaming to everyday experience. The Teachers' Methodology Project was designed to change the teachers who were using the ESST materials from being disseminators of information to being managers of a learning-centred classroom environment. The idea was to change the way that teachers thought about teaching and learning. This was accomplished by sharing the methodology of the existing pupils' materials and theories of cognition and mediation with them so that they could become adept at mediating at the level of deconstruction of complex ideas and using this knowledge in the construction and development of their own learning materials, thereby contributing to the mental development of their pupils. My experience as a staff member of the ESST and my background in education provided an entry point to this research via Feuerstein et at's (1980,1991) criteria for mediation, Haywood's (1993) mediational teaching style and a range of other theories and ideas including group work and co-operative learning, graphic organisers, and the ESSTs own theory of mediatory text (Sinclair, 1991). These were consolidated into a learning-centred approach to teaching in which the learner, the teacher and the task become part of the total learning-centred environment. The research began as an investigation of the Teachers' Methdology Project (TMP) and an effort to track teachers' development but grew to include the development of the conceptual mediational framework on which the project was based. This resulted in the development of a classroom observation instrument which was used to evaluate how teachers mediated in their classrooms and how they interacted with pupils. The TMP was implemented through a series of workshops during which teachers examined their assumptions about teaching and learning: explored new avenues for facilitating learning; experienced a learning-centred approach to teaching; acquired new strategies for and knowledge of, theories and atttitudes to teaching and learning and were able to reflect on and practise newly acquired skills in a supportive collegial environment. The research employed a qualitative approach and therefore the documentation of the process took considerable effort. An experiential framework (Kolb, 1974) was used to analyse the process and the results. This mediational experiential framework resulted in a methodology which addressed teachers' attitudes and cognition in a life-related way, taking into account their personal knowledge and experience. The methodology is replicable and has been used in basic adult education and other settings. In addition, the methodology can contribute to the understanding of how Outcomes-based Education could be implemented in South Africa.

The major purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of using animal organ dissection in general, and its use specifically in problem-solving as a teaching strategy in Grade 11 Life Sciences education. A multiple methods research design was used for this study. The data collection methods for the quantitative approach were the pre-test, post-test and a questionnaire. The pre-test and post-test had predominantly problem-solving questions. The questionnaire and the tests were administered to 224 learners from four Pretoria East secondary schools from different environments. The data collection methods for the qualitative approach were the interviews with the Grade 11 Life Sciences teachers of the selected schools, lesson observations and relevant document analysis. The interviews were conducted with six Grade 11 Life Sciences teachers teaching at the four selected schools. Findings from both the quantitative and the qualitative approaches were integrated to give an in-depth understanding of the study. The findings show that there were significant differences between the means of the pre-test and the post-test for the total for the whole group of 224 learners. The variables in which the tests were categorised were the rote learning, problem-solving and three learning outcomes of the National Curriculum Statement (NCS). The way in which the learners answered the questions in terms of terminology they used, the confidence they displayed, the level of answering and the explanations they gave when they wrote the post-test were significantly different from when they wrote the pre-test. The significant differences between the means of the pre-test and the post-test may possibly have been due to the intervention. This showed the effectiveness of the intervention which was animal organ dissection in problem-solving. The study also showed that most teachers are not well-acquainted with problem-solving strategies which made it challenging for them to use animal organ dissections to develop problem-solving skills in learners. The attitudes of the teachers and learners towards animal organ dissection and its use in problem-solving as a teaching strategy were predominantly positive with less than a quarter of the whole group being negative due to a variety of reasons which include: moral values, religion, culture, blood phobia, squeamishness and being vegetarian. The majority of learners acknowledged the importance of animal organ dissections in developing skills like investigative, dissecting and problem-solving skills. This acknowledgement resulted in them being positive towards the use of animal organ dissections in problem-solving. One can conclude that animal organ dissections can be used in problem-solving as a teaching strategy in Life Sciences education. The level of learner engagement with animal organ dissections can determine the level of development of problem-solving skills as was evidenced by the differences between the mean scores of the four schools. The study recommended that the teachers should be encouraged to use animal organ dissections more frequently where it is applicable to develop problem-solving skills in learners and not merely let the learners cut, draw and label the organ. Teachers should also focus on problem-solving in general and develop this as a prime strategy. All activities should be prepared by the teacher and implemented in class to encourage and develop problem-solving skills. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / restricted

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This study begins with an ethnographic self-study which allows for a reflection on traditional learning experiences. This study is located in the context of the initial development of dental health professionals within those higher education institutions that endeavour to provide education and training in a rapidly changing context. This context is characterised by the simultaneous need to address the blurring of boundaries and the dichotomies that exist such as the first world and the third world, the developed and the less developed world, the rich and the poor, health and wealth, the private and the public sectors, the formal and the informal sectors, the advantaged and the disadvantaged, the privileged and the underprivileged. The definitions, concepts, theories and principles around curricula and professional development are examined in an effort to extend into discoveries of educational research usually beyond the purview of dental health practitioners, policy makers or higher education specialists involved in training these dental health practitioners. It poses key questions regarding the nature of professional competences within dental health science undergraduate studies and how the curricula are organised around these perceptions of competence. Investigative tools include participant observation, interviews and questionnaires which have included both education deliverers - the teaching staff - and education consumers - the students. The areas of access by students to programmes (input), activities whilst in the programmes (throughput) and their competences at the exit end of the programme (output) are examined. It was found that institutions and programmes are paradoxically positioned declaring missions to be globally competitive and internationally recognised and at the same time wanting to reach out to the population who are disadvantaged and who form a majority. Whilst the needs of the wider community is for basic dental services and primary health care, the resources appear to be geared for producing technologically-superior professionals who will cater for a largely urban and middle class populations. The resources available, particularly human resources, for this training, are going through a critical shortage. Simultaneously demands are being made to challenge the epistemological rationale of the curriculum practice of the training sites at both universities and technikons (now known as universities of technology). These findings reveal that the SAQA demands and the proposed transformation of higher education provided an impetus for schools and departments within universities and technikons and their institutes to look at educational concepts and to transform curricula. This shift was found to be hampered by a variety of causes which included territorial protection, lack of a deep understanding of the education and training concepts and lack of human, physical and financial resources. It was also found that traditional designs of programmes are locked into tribal boundaries which restrict movement beyond these. The boundaries are ring-fenced by historical legacies and practices which confine programmes within these borders and continue to cement the fragmented development of dental health science professionals. The education and training of the different dental health science occupational categories are fragmented between institutes, within institutes and with three separate professional regulating bodies and, seemingly, disjointed functioning national and provincial departments of health and education. This (education and training) is found to be dominated by the traditional mould of teaching, learning and assessment with pockets of change in some schools and departments. Teaching units in the form of subjects, which operate as discrete units and remain entrenched by the habituations of subjects and departments within schools, restricts movement in the competence-based direction. The framework offered by this thesis sets broader and more fluid principles and guidelines which embody the notion of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values and which course designers and educators can utilise so that renewed ways can emerge for their programmes. This allows for a cross over into each other's territories (regulatory, institutional and the health and educational services) that will allow for courses to be designed more holistically and rationally with appropriate transformatory potential.

Lecturers at three Nursing Colleges in the Gauteng Province in South Africa where this study was conducted raised their concern that a large proportion of learners reaching the senior phase have difficulty solving patient care problems and even making specific decisions regarding patient care. These learners are also unable to formulate nursing diagnoses and develop nursing care plans. This lack of essential critical thinking skills is evident during the assessment of their assignments, tests as well as clinical formative assessments. These skills can be developed within learners throughout their four-year training, if exposed to outcomes- based education (OBE) and problem-based teaching strategies especially starting on the first level of their training course. The current nursing education programme, at these Nursing Colleges where this study was conducted is an outcomes- and problem-based curriculum. It is important that teaching strategies utilized by nurse educators are appropriate for the specific curriculum implemented because they greatly differ from the traditional teaching strategies. The purpose of this study was to investigate the teaching and assessment strategies utilized in the facilitation of learning for the first year level students in the subject General Nursing Science (GNS I). The focus of the study was on the first year of training because it is expected that development of critical thinking be started at this level. A quantitative, contextual descriptive research method was utilised. The sample consisted of lecturers (N=23) and students (N=680). The lecturers from each of the three colleges were addressed during a personnel meeting regarding the study and a suitable date and time was set for the distribution of the questionnaires to the lecturers and to first year learners during the last block of the academic year. The questionnaires were distributed to the lecturers and the learners on the agreed date and time and the researcher was present to clarify any misunderstanding regarding the tool. The questionnaire consisted of appendix E, which was distributed to lecturers and appendix F, which was distributed to the learners. Respondents were requested not to give any identifiable information on the questionnaires and to place completed questionnaires in the box provided in each of the venues to ensure confidentiality and anonymity. Data from the study indicated that not all of the teaching strategies and assessment methods utilized by the educators are appropriate and conducive for the stimulation of critical thinking skills. The majority of the lecturers facilitate through a lecture method and assessments are mostly done through written tests and examinations. On the other hand teaching facilities at the colleges are inadequate, for instance small group facilities are not available. Recommendations are as follows: <ul> <li> More lecturers should be encouraged to obtain a Masters Degree qualification in Nursing.</li> <li> All lecturers should utilize the OBE educational strategies.</li> <li> In their facilitation of GNS I lecturers should accommodate older students, because they were never exposed to an OBE approach in their basic education.</li> <li> Lecturers should utilise a variety of teaching strategies that will ensure development of critical analytical thinking.</li> <li> Lecturers should utilize a variety of assessment methods.</li> <li> Students should be encouraged to seek information on their own, specifically regarding case studies because this actively involves them as they are solving problems, making decisions and draw conclusions in relation to GNS I.</li> </ul> Copyright / Dissertation (MCur)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Nursing Science / unrestricted