Magister Artium (Human Ecology) - MA(HE) / The main objective of this study was to investigate the attitudes, perceptions and factors affecting the implementation of the Consumer Studies teaching portfolio in the Educational Management Developmental Centres (EMDCs) of the Western Cape Education Department (WCED). The sub-objectives were firstly to assess the teachers' attitudes toward the Consumer Studies teaching portfolio as an assessment tool. A second aim was to describe teachers’ perceptions of assessment methods in the Consumer Studies teaching portfolio, while a third was to identify the factors that affect the development of the said portfolio. / South Africa

South Africa has recently introduced a new curriculum – curriculum 2005 and its revised version, the Revised National Curriculum Statement to replace the pre-apartheid education curriculum. C-2005 had come with some major changes in the teaching and learning of most subjects in the school curriculum. Among its major changes, the new curriculum focused on Environmental Education (EE) as a theme to be offered across the entire basic education or General Education and Training (GET) level curriculum. The one implication of that new focus on Environmental Education was that all the children at the basic education level were to be introduced to EE concepts and content. While the new version of C-2005, in the form of the RNCS places arguably less focus on Environmental Education as a theme, it retains the focus on environmental learning through (for example) the first principle listed for the RNCS: “Social justice, a healthy environment, human rights and inclusively.” Furthermore, a number of learning area outcomes with an environmental focus have also been retained. The whole focus on environmental learning, whether as a principle or a theme, is an unprecedented change in the curriculum of South Africa. Not many teachers, policymakers, learners, and other education stakeholders however, have the necessary experience to make such a major focus on Environmental learning workable within the current provincial systems of the country. It is against this background that a research was initiated to find out how the various provinces have responded to this new curriculum focus on EE. The study sought to explore the distribution of Environmental Education Opportunities to learn in the Mpumalanga province. Data for the study were collected mainly through qualitative interviews and document analysis with Environmental Education coordinator, subject advisers and the subject teachers within the province. An important finding in the study among others is that the Mpumalanga Education Department (MDE) on its own appears to have limited intellectual and material resources with which to build the schools’ instructional capacity for the implementation of the new Environmental Education policies and programs. I concluded the study by positing possible approach for providing Opportunities to Learn Environmental Education through an interaction between governmental and non-governmental resources and programmes in Mpumalanga. / Dissertation (MEd (Curriculum and Instructional Design and Development))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted

No abstract available Copyright / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted

Magister Artium (Human Ecology) - MA(HE) / Assessment is a critical element for achieving the desired outcomes in out comes based education (OBE). In the subject area of Consumer Studies each teacher is required to compile a teaching portfolio about the assessment and classroom activities conducted in a given year. However, there is a paucity of research in the field of portfolio development for teaching Consumer Studies in the secondary school. The main objective of this study was to investigate the attitudes, perceptions and factors affecting the implementation of the Consumer Studies teaching portfolio in the Educational Management Developmental Centres (EMDCs) of the Western Cape Education Department (WCED). The sub-objectives were firstly to assess the teachers' attitudes toward the Consumer Studies teaching portfolio as an assessment tool. A second aim was to describe teachers' perceptions of assessment methods in the Consumer Studies teaching portfolio, while a third was to identify the factors that affect the development of the said portfolio. A structured questionnaire was used to determine the attitudes, perceptions and factors affecting the implementation of the Consumer Studies teaching portfolio. The questionnaire contained three sections, the first of which related to the participants' demographic information. The second section comprised three parts. The first dealt with factors that influenced the choice of the assessment method used in Consumer Studies. The second part focused on the participants' attitudes toward the assessment process, and the third on teachers' perceptions of constraints or barriers that impact on the assessment process. Section three centred around factors that relate to the process of compiling the teaching portfolio, such as. skills required for this purpose, activities that need to be reconsidered in the course of compiling the portfolio, and the benefits of the teaching portfolio as such. The SAS statistical package was used for an analysis of the data in this study. Therefore various statistical methods were applied. The independent variables were illustrated by using frequency tables. The non-parametric Friedman's test was used for analysis, because the data was not on an interval scale, and was therefore ranked. The pairwise comparison test was used to determine the association between factors for each assessment method used in the Consumer Studies teaching portfolio. Results were achieved by applying these methods of data analysis. Withregard to demographics, the mean age of the teachers in the study were female and 40, holding a Higher Diploma in the Education of Home Economics !Needlework. The results of the factors influencing the selection of an assessment method showed that no single factor could be linked to a particular assessment method. There are several factors that influence the selection of one specific assessment method. Choosing the learner portfolio as an assessment method is influenced by various factors such as planning for instruction, diagnosing student weaknesses, monitoring student progress, communicating student achievement, motivating students and assigning grades. These factors are selected among the assessment methods for observation-based, test-based and task-based assessment. The teachers displayed a positive attitude toward the assessment process, because they rated the assessment process as valuable, successful, efficient, important, good, fair, reputable, flexible and relaxed. There was a large percentage of teachers who felt that the assessment process was tense instead of relaxed. The teachers did not perceive any of the constraints or barriers as having a negative impact on the assessment process. The factors relating to the teaching portfolio included all the skills, activities and benefits required for compiling a teaching portfolio. Those demanding particular attention are self-reflection, journal writing, writing a teaching philosophy and self evaluation. Recommendations offered in this study are that training programmes be run for preservice and in-service teachers so that teachers can feel more confident when compiling a teaching portfolio. The National Department of Education should provide structure and assessment criteria to guide teachers in the development of a teaching portfolio. Published material about teaching portfolios should be made available to teachers. The teaching portfolio is a valuable assessment tool that can be used not only in the development of the teacher's teaching strategy, but also for determining a teacher's strengths and weaknesses m his or her professional career.

A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the Requirements for the degree of MA in Communication Science University of Zululand, 2002 / In this thesis I present my recommendations regarding the role of organisational com¬munication and record keeping in Outcomes-Based Education within the intermediate phase classroom. I reveal that the fundamental switch from the traditional educator-centred teaching to learner-centred teaching in Out-comes Based Education requires that both educators and learners be in command of a range of communication strategies in order to construct meaning in the real-world social contexts. It will also be illustrated that intra-personal, interpersonal and small group involvements are all essential for successful teaching and learning to take place. The importance of verbal as well as nonverbal communication skills are also given due attention. Outcomes-Based Education is based not on knowledge, but on how we think learning takes place. The focus is on the mind of the learner as an knaginer, an inventor, a creator of ideas. What is clearly evident with this approach is the manner in which learners constandv ne¬gotiate, renegotiate and construct their own meaning. The focus is on the individual and not on the group. With this in mind, we need to note that everyone learns differently and we need to assess accordingly. As educators we also need to recognise what learners have learnt and we need to find ways of acknowledging that learning has indeed taken place. Out-comes Based Education requires a cooperative method of teaching which allows for democracy in the classroom. Learners are allowed to contribute freely about their daily ex¬periences. Further to this I examine the forms of communication that learners and educators must be in command of to succeed in OBE. I further recommend tools that can be imple¬mented to successfully manage assessments in OBE classrooms. A flexible database of spread¬sheets will be presented which could be adapted to suit individual schools.

Submitted to the Faculty of Education in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education in the Departmrnt of Curriculum and Instructional Studies at the University of Zululand, 2006. / The present study examines educators' implementation of assessment in Outcomes-Based Education. The aim was to ascertain the extent to which educators use assessment methods, assessment tools, assessment techniques, forms (specific purposes) of assessment and reporting tools. Another aim was to determine whether educators' biographical factors (gender, teaching experience, qualification and teaching phase) have any influence on educators' usage of assessment methods, assessment tools, assessment techniques, forms (specific purposes) of assessment and reporting tools. To this end, a questionnaire was administered to a randomly selected sample of three hundred and three educators. The findings reveal that educators differ in the extent to which they use assessment methods. A very high percentage (66.3%) of educators report a moderate level of using assessment methods, 29.7% report a low usage level and 4% report a high usage level. The findings also indicate that educators' biographical factors have no influence on educators' usage of assessment methods. The findings show that educators differ in the extent to which they use assessment tools. A relatively high percentage (59.1%) of educators report a moderate level of using assessment tools, 6.2% report a low usage level and 34.7% report a high usage level. The findings further reveal that qualification and teaching phase have an influence on educators' usage of assessment tools. The findings reveal that educators differ in the extent to which they use assessment techniques. A high percentage (62.7%) of educators report a moderate level of using assessment techniques, 13.5% report a low usage level and 23.8% report a high usage level. The findings also indicate that teaching phase has an influence on educators' usage of assessment techniques. The findings show that educators differ in the extent to which they use forms (specific purposes) of assessment. A relatively high percentage (50.2%) of educators report a moderate level of using forms of assessment, 6.6% report a low usage level and 43.2% report a high usage level. The findings further indicate that educators' biographical factors have no influence on educators' usage of forms of assessment. The findings reveal that educators differ in the extent to which they use reporting tools. A high percentage (61.4%) of educators report a low level of using reporting tools, 34.6% report a moderate usage level and 4% report a high usage level. The findings also indicate that educators' biographical factors have no influence on educators' usage of reporting tools. On the basis of the findings of this study, a model for implementation process of assessment in OBE was proposed and recommended.

A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MA in Communication Science, at the University of Zululand, 2002. / In this thesis I present my recommendations regarding the role of communication during effective learning in the foundation phase classrooms. I focus on three issues that are important to effective learning, namely (1) the cognitive basis of learning, (2) the cognitive basis of communication and (3) the facultative role of communication during effective learning. In the empirical phase of my research I report the results of an attitude survey conducted among educators in the foundation phase of the greater Durban region regarding their understanding of the range of communication strategies that are required of them in order to successfully implement Outcomes-Based Education (OBE). I present an analysis of OBE and Curriculum 2005, and how it continually faced refinement to become suitable for the South African educational system. An array of communication forms is discussed and I show how they can influence the teaching and learning environment to benefit both educators and learners. I show that both educators and learners can develop and equip themselves with the appropriate communication skills to facilitate effective learning. I also present various constructsvist points of view that educators can identify with for effective learning when implementing OBE in foundation phase classrooms. / The University of Zululand

This paper will report on the findings of the research that was conducted in a private school in Johannesburg about mathematics teachers’ identities described in policy and how these are demonstrated in practice. The central questions that guided the study were: ‘How are identities of mathematics teachers described in the new mathematics curriculum policy?’ and ‘How are these identities demonstrated in practice?’ I anticipated comparing teacher’s personal pedagogic and official pedagogic identities in classroom practice for Further Education and Training (FET) band from learners’ perspective since learners are at the center of the Outcome-Based-Education (OBE). This study was informed by theoretical concepts of ‘identity’ from Gee (2001), Boaler and Greeno (2000), and Jansen (2001). Naidoo and Parker’s (2005), Jita and Vandeyar (2006) and Parker (2006) analyzed tension between personal pedagogic and official pedagogic subject identities of South African teachers provided me a contextualized framework for this study. My analysis confirms that although the two teachers’ identities still have tension, reconstruction of the ‘new face’ of the teachers is on progress that has relation with ‘the kind of teacher’ is referred by the NCS.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Comparative analysis of the CPD systems internationally and nationally revealed that CPD is mandatory for some whilst for other countries it is compulsory, but not mandatory for licensing purposes. Licensing occurs on a yearly basis, but CPD recognition is accredited over a time period with expiry deadlines and minimum requirements. A portfolio was a common method of recording and proof of evidence for CPD, and a continuous theme was that CPD is needed to ensure competency. The Nursing Act 33 of 2005 makes provision for CPD for nurses but to date the South African Nursing Council has not yet decided on a model of CPD for implementation for SA nurses. / South Africa

<p>Comparative analysis of the CPD systems internationally and nationally revealed that CPD is mandatory for some whilst for other countries it is compulsory, but not mandatory for licensing purposes. Licensing occurs on a yearly basis, but CPD recognition is accredited over a time period with expiry deadlines and minimum requirements. A portfolio was a common method of recording and proof of evidence for CPD, and a continuous theme was that CPD is needed to ensure competency. The Nursing Act 33 of 2005 makes provision for CPD for nurses but to date the South African Nursing Council has not yet decided on a model of CPD for implementation for SA nurses.</p>