The principal contribution of the study is a conceptual account of classroom activities in school science, which incorporates both ethical and conventional science understandings within a single conceptual framework. In order to illustrate and explore the strengths and limitations of the conceptual framework developed, an exploratory case study involving 7 science classes was conducted at 2 schools. The 'classroom practices and understandings' conceptual framework presents a novel approach for understanding activities of students and teachers in the science classroom. According to this framework 'understanding' is a grasp of inferential connections as part of either practical or cognitive types of activity, whereas a 'practice' is a set of activities organized by understandings, rules and characteristic aims, emotions, and projects. On this basis the grounds for a given understanding are described in terms of a unifying structure for both ethical and science understandings. In both cases 'authority in understanding' refers to the specific sources of authority for a given understanding, which may include authoritative individuals in addition to more conventional grounds such as reasons or evidence. Finally, 'richness' of understanding refers to the quality of such connections to sources of authority in understanding, and is thus is a measure of the strength of understanding generally. Classroom lessons developed for the exploratory case study focused on ethical questions of sustainability. These were implemented in the science classroom at two research sites, with the researcher acting as guest teacher. One site focused on study of ecology in grade 11; the other site focused on study of genetics in grade 10. At both sites student interviews were conducted to supplement the findings of the classroom-teaching component. The findings support the integrity of the conceptual framework, while highlighting significant challenges for seeking to make explicit the sources of authority in science students' ethical understandings. Building from the conceptual framework and cases studies, a number of further directions for empirical and theoretical research are suggested. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

Suspension as a form of an unfair labour practice can be of two categories. There could be a situation where an employer suspends an employee as a disciplinary sanction after an employee has committed an act of misconduct. This is often referred to as a punitive suspension. An employer may also suspend an employee pending a disciplinary hearing. In this case the employee has not yet been found guilty because the investigation into the alleged misconduct is still on going. The employee may be suspended as a way of preventing him from interfering with the investigation process into the alleged misconduct. This form of suspension is often referred to as a preventative suspension. It is very important to note the distinction between the two forms of suspension because the processes that are followed when effecting them are different. Failure to acknowledge the difference might result in a situation where an employer might be effecting a preventative suspension but the consequences might be that of a punitive suspension and end-up being an unfair labour practice. Suspension is a disciplinary measure, and it is important to note that in the event that the employer elects to implement a suspension, its conduct must be disciplinary in nature and intent and should be corrective rather than punitive.Unlike dismissals where the Code of Good Practice of the Labour Relations Act, No 66 of 1995 provides guidance on what constitutes procedural and substantive fairness, there are no guidelines on what constitutes procedural and substantive fairness when it comes to suspensions. This has resulted in a situation where suspension is treated as a minor aspect of disciplinary measures that is frequently abused as it is often on full remuneration. This, however, does not allow an employer to suspend employees at will, without merit and without following proper procedure. Suspension could have severe adverse effects on employees and often affects their reputation, goodwill, human dignity, self-esteem and the right to meaningful association and work. It is for this reason that suspension must be effected in a way that is procedurally and substantively fair.Punitive suspension is implemented as a sanction and is often without pay and is a last resort prior to dismissal. Preventative suspension occurs prior to a disciplinary hearing, with the aim of temporarily removing the employee from the workplace to enable the employer to conduct a proper investigation without interference. Unfortunately preventative suspensions are often abused by employers in that they protract over extended periods of time, making the preventative suspension punitive in nature, to the extent that the courts have been forced to intervene and lay down stringent requirements that must be met in order to prevent such abuse.There are various requirements for suspension which range from the intention of the employer, the audi alteram partem rule, sufficient reasons prior to suspension to period of suspension. Most employment relationships are governed by disciplinary codes or collective agreements, which often place limitations on the concept of suspension. Some codes provide for special leave at the option of the employee, which the employer often abuses instead of utilizing the preventative suspension option. This, however, is more often than not to suit a political agenda.In the event of non-compliance by an employer, an employee is not left remediless. An unfair suspension constitutes an unfair labour practice and an employee has the right to refer such dispute to the relevant labour forums like the CCMA or the relevant bargaining council. Employees are cautioned not to refer their disputes to the Labour Court for final relief, but rather to only approach the courts for urgent interim relief, like interdicts.

This thesis uses an ethnographic study to interrogate the policy discourse of capturing ‘child voice’ specifically in relation to a ‘looked after’ child. In recent years, attempts have been made to involve children who are ‘looked after’ in discussions and decisions about their care arrangements to ensure that their voice is heard. To ensure this happens, children ‘in care’ are asked about their care placement regularly as part of the care planning review process and their views are incorporated into decisions about their care plan. This study focuses on the lived experiences of a seven-year old female child, who I have referred to as ‘Keeva’, who is ‘in care’ under a Kinship Care arrangement. Over a period of a year, I was based in Keeva’s home one afternoon a week to gain insights about her lived experience as a ‘looked after’ child and how she represented herself. I also observed three care planning review meetings to see how her voice was captured by those charged with her care and how she was represented. I relate Keeva’s experience through seven narrative episodes to capture the rich complexity of the social world she inhabits. I explore aspects of her home and family, her interactions with others and her experience of exploring physical spaces both inside and outside the home. I suggest that these experiences underpin her sense of self and how she relates to others. Drawing on the ideas of Bourdieu, I suggest these experiences and her sense of place in the social order write themselves ‘onto her’ through her habitus and dispositions. Using a Foucauldian lens, I problematise the notion of voice as I contest that the child I observed engaged fully in the statutory processes that surround her. I suggest Keeva, a child who is ‘looked after’, will neither have nor feel she has the agentive properties to influence the care planning process. Instead, as her voice is irrevocably bound up in a bureaucratic process that is uncritically accepted as representative of her, she is obscured as a consequence. I also examine the multivocity in representations of Keeva highlighting the competing discourses of safeguarding, child protection and the ’rights-based’ agenda. I conclude that Keeva was not well represented in care planning reviews and had very little influence in decision-making about her care plan. Despite believing the opposite, those charged with her care failed to hear her or take note of what she said. Furthermore, there was an absence of criticality in representations of Keeva allowing Keeva to be constructed by those professionals involved with her care, in an unchallenged way. As a consequence she was silenced and less visible than the process itself.

The problem of this study is to survey the purchasing practices of a group of representative school districts and to determine the extent to which these practices follow the recommendations presented by authorities on school supplies procurement.

Underpinning the elements of strategy design and execution are assumptions, norms and beliefs which can be broadly characterised as strategic management practices. These strategic management practices are in evidence in all schools of strategy academic theory. Whilst there has been a great deal of work conducted into the processes of strategy design and execution, there is little study of strategic management practices. This research sought to uncover the contemporary strategic management practices in evidence at a select number of leading organisations through qualitative analysis of secondary data in the form of case studies and other publically available material. A nascent content based definition for the concept of strategic management practices was developed from the literature review and tested against the evidence uncovered. Additional themes uncovered from the data were incorporated into the proposed definition and a synthesised version developed based on the strength of the evidence uncovered. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

In this study the mixed methods research design was used to determine the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of secondary school science teachers in the implementation of the new Swaziland Junior Secondary Science Curriculum (SJSSC). The interactions between the teachers’ knowledge, attitudes, and classroom practices were also investigated. A total of 37 Form-1 Science teachers from 20 purposively selected schools in the Manzini region of Swaziland participated in the study. The 20 schools were located in urban, peri-urban and rural settings. The teachers responded to a survey questionnaire and a few selected teachers were interviewed and then observed teaching the new curriculum in their classrooms. The data for the study were analysed using both quantitative and qualitative techniques. The findings for the study showed that teachers generally have good basic knowledge of the curriculum. A majority hold positive attitudes towards it. However, the classroom practices for almost all the teachers are inconsistent with the requirements and demands of the curriculum. Generally, the teachers’ knowledge was not transferred to their classroom practices largely because factors such as inadequate school physical resources, large class sizes, and traditional teaching methods appeared to still influence the classroom practices and mediate the relationship between the teachers’ knowledge and their classroom practices. / Dissertation (MEd (Curriculum and Instructional Design and Development))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted

Magister Artium (Social Work) - MA(SW) / The HIV/AIDS pandemic with its tremendous impact has been a major cause of death and disruption of people’s lives. The youth of South Africa continues to be the most at risk and vulnerable by both being affected and infected by HIV/AIDS. There are non-conclusive research about the relationship between knowledge and behaviour of the youth in relation to HIV/AIDS. The goal of this research was to quantitatively explore the knowledge, attitudes and sexual practices of high school learners in the era of HIV/AIDS in a rural Free State town.The objectives of the study were to: • Explore the knowledge levels, attitudes and sexual practices of high school learners at a selected rural town;• Establish whether there is a difference in knowledge levels and sexual behaviour pattern of learners according to age at first sex; • Establish whether there is an association between knowledge levels and sexual behaviours; and • Explore problems experienced by participants when seeking information or help and what their suggestions are on prevention strategies.A total of 462 high school learners who were enrolled for grades 9, 10 and 11 in 2007 were selected to take part in the study. A self constructed questionnaire that also included open-ended questions for qualitative exploration was used to collect data. A total of 303 respondents responded.The SPSS programme was used for data analysis and open questions were analysed thematically. Measures were employed to ensure a form of face validity and reliability of the questionnaire. Results indicated poor knowledge levels of HIV/AIDS and positive attitudes towards people infected by HIV/AIDS. Teenagers’ sexual practices are rife but the majority of sexually active respondents have reported the use of condoms at first sex and last occasion of sex. Based on reported negative experiences at clinics, parental homes and schools regarding sexual health promotion and knowledge sharing, robust engagement of community leaders and elders working together with teenagers in programmes designed to enhance HIV/AIDS education is recommended.

Principals with effective leadership practices may positively impact the success in schools. Although the topic of leadership has been researched extensively, more research may be beneficial in determining how leadership practices may develop or change over the course of the career of a school principal. This study was designed to determine if the leadership practices of principals have changed over time and what factors may have influenced this change within their leadership practices. A qualitative research method with a grounded theory design was used in this study. After obtaining permission from several school districts in East Tennessee, the 11 participants were recruited through emails and phone calls. Interviews were semistructured with questions crafted to encourage discussion on the topic. After each participant was interviewed, the transcripts were coded to determine themes. After analysis of the coding, common themes emerged. Most participants reported that on-the-job experiences, previous roles in leadership, and a network of colleagues were the factors that influenced changes in their leadership practices. These findings supported research that found leadership practices evolved over time. Research also supported the common theme that experience is more of an influencer on leadership practices than content classes from principal preparation programs. The study may be useful for universities that offer principal preparation programs in planning more authentic experiences. Further research may be needed to determine the amount of time needed in authentic experiences to best prepare future principals.

The purpose of the study is twofold: (I) To select procedures based on principles of cooperation implies in American democracy; and (2) To apply these democratic procedures to the supervisory practices in secondary schools.

Magister Curationis - MCur / South Africa has the highest rate of HIV epidemic in the world, with the total number of PLWHA estimated at approximately 7. 97 million in 2019. Learning outcomes related to HIV and AIDS are embedded in the four-year Bachelor of Nursing programme. However, little is known in the South African context about the knowledge, attitude, and practice of nursing students regarding HIV and AIDS. The aim of the study was to examine the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of undergraduate nursing students towards HIV and AIDS.