This study aims at investigating the managerial imperatives of teen motherhood in public secondary schools in the Mamaila circuit, Limpopo province. The focus is on the managerial imperatives of teen mothers that principal must fulfil; the experiences of principals that have teen mothers in their school; the ability of the principals to fulfil these managerial imperatives; and the kinds of support principals give teen mothers. The study was informed by the legal framework entrenched in Chapter 2 (Bill of Rights) of the Constitution of South Africa, especially such concepts as equality, human dignity, security, the interest of the child, the right to basic education and the safety of learners. In South Africa it is illegal to expel pregnant girls in terms of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (hereafter Constitution) (RSA, 1996a). Schoolgirls who become pregnant are allowed to return to school after giving birth (Kaufman, De Wet and Stadler, 2001:147). The learner pregnancy policy (DoBE, 2007) puts obligations to principals to deal with each case confidentially (i.e. to respect the human dignity of the learner); to support the learner by encouraging her to continue with education prior to and after the delivery of the baby; to put in place appropriate mechanisms to deal with unfair discrimination, hate speech or harassment that may arise. The findings have revealed that most of the principals are not aware of the departmental policy on learner pregnancy, but they acknowledge that it is unconstitutional to expel a pregnant learner. Principals find it difficult to liaise with learners who are on maternity leave in terms of giving them school tasks as advocated by the learner pregnant policy (DoBE, 2007). Learners who are entitled to receive a child-support grant disrupt school on the social grant payday by queuing for permission to go to local pay points. Principals also experience late-coming and absenteeism from teen mothers due to a lack of reliable people to care for their babies during the school day. The performance of teen mothers deteriorates due to the household chores of taking care of the baby and having no time to attend extralessons or afternoon study sessions at school. The study has also revealed that principals engage the local clinics officials to present pregnancy awareness with the learners as a way of educating them. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T16:32:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Jose Luiz Germano Martins.pdf: 7399670 bytes, checksum: f232372788ff6f44dcc45214d078f7b8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-02-27 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / Understanding the school space as multiple, heterogeneous, and that relationships between students are not only based on educational´s criteria of educational performance and behavior, this study investigated the social relations among elementary students focusing on those that designated by the school as those with poor academic performance in public schools in two different networks , considering that different processes could occur school exclusion given the different forms of organization that these systems could provide. To this end, we selected two classes of second grade of elementary education at two different public schools in which the selection occurred because it is public schools, well organized, with a good position for observation, located in a neighborhood with good human development index. The choice of second grade students of elementary school was due these students already have a school career with "negative mark" root, but had not established as definitive yet. As procedures for data collection was initially used sociometric testing and observations. The first served for the analysis of social relations among all students in the class (rejection rates and acceptance), using three indicators: groups of study, leisure and friendship that made it possible to place students in the social context of school . The test also served to define the students who were the object of observation, made during a school year, in different social spaces on school (classroom, lobby, recreational, outgoing, free activities, etc), creatinging comparative scenes situations of interaction. The theoretical references were used; Goffman for understanding how the marks interfere with social relationships developed; Dubet, especially with regard to the "strategic logic" to analyze the various initiatives of the students in order to locate themselves at school; Elijah whose concept of configuration possible to analyze the different groups formed in various social situations. The main findings can be summarized as follows: a negative mark of poor academic performance is not as essential in all activities among the students, while a student looking to use different strategies to cope with his colleagues, the other is isolated almost of all activities, which seems to show that their difficulties in social relationships with classmates are much more complex problems than the low income, social class settings, including low-income students, change significantly according to the activities involved. In this sense, one can conclude that the influence of low-income school in the relations between students plays a secondary role, except those specifically as academic. The results were pointing to the fact that the criteria of the activities are more important than the brand that carries the student, since, varying with the study sites and personal strategies for each student, the results of more or less accepted or rejection, also change / Entendendo o espaço escolar como sendo múltiplo e heterogêneo e que as relações entre alunos não se constituem somente com base nos critérios pedagógicos de rendimento e comportamento, o presente trabalho investiga as relações sociais estabelecidas entre alunos do ensino fundamental, com foco naqueles que são designados pela escola como os que apresentam baixo rendimento escolar, em duas escolas públicas de redes diferentes. São averiguados que critérios e que aspectos são privilegiados por esses alunos para o estabelecimento dessas relações sociais, nos diferentes espaços e em distintas atividades desenvolvidas no ambiente escolar, procurando investigar a relação entre baixo rendimento escolar de alunos do ensino fundamental e as interações sociais estabelecidas entre eles e os demais alunos da escola. Para tanto, foram selecionadas duas classes da 2ª série do ensino fundamental de duas escolas públicas distintas. A escolha dessas escolas se deu por tratar-se de escolas públicas, bem organizadas, com uma boa situação de observação, localizadas num bairro de classe média/alta. Além disso, poderiam ser encontradas influências diversas nos processos de exclusão escolar, uma vez que as redes públicas são diferentes. Mediante essa necessidade, foram escolhidas salas da 2ª série do ensino fundamental, pois se presume que esses alunos já possuam uma trajetória escolar que permite verificar se alguns desses alunos já têm algum tipo de marca negativa sedimentada, que os inclua no rol dos alunos com baixo rendimento escolar. Como procedimentos de coleta de dados foi inicialmente utilizado o teste sociométrico que serviu para a análise das relações sociais entre todos os alunos da classe (índices de rejeição e de aceitação), por meio de três indicadores: agrupamentos de estudo, de lazer e de amizade, assim como para a definição dos alunos que foram objeto de observação, realizada no decorrer de um ano letivo, nos diferentes espaços sociais da escola (sala de aula, entrada, recreio, saída, atividades livres, etc.), com a criação de cenas comparativas de situações de interação. Para entender as marcas que tais alunos possam adquirir, o referencial de Goffman é fundamental, para a compreensão de como as marcas sociais interferem nas relações desenvolvidas. Da mesma forma que Dubet propicia estudar a escola na perspectiva de espaço social multifacetado e desinstitucionalizado, em que os alunos são obrigados, em cada experiência social vivida, a incorporar aquilo que este autor denomina como lógicas da ação: a integração, a estratégia e a subjetivação . Finalmente, é utilizado o conceito de configuração de Elias, por se tratar de uma rede de interdependências que liga os homens, formando um nexo, uma estrutura de pessoas mutuamente orientadas e dependentes.Cada um desses autores possibilita, com sua teoria, a análise do coletado nas pesquisas de campo, por meio dos instrumentos de pesquisa já citados e suas representações, tanto nos diferentes tipos de sociogramas elaborados, como nas observações nos espaços escolares. Foram encontrados resultados que apontam para o fato de que os critérios das atividades realizadas são mais importantes que a marca que o aluno carrega, uma vez que, variando com os locais estudados e as estratégias pessoais de cada aluno, os resultados de maior ou menor aceitação ou rejeição, também se modificam

MA (Psychology) / Department of Psychology / Students enter university with the hope to graduate and become successful one day but those hopes are shattered when their academic results decrease. Despite poor performance and poor results of students’ academics, there has been a need to investigate why students’ performance differs significantly. Students achieve low academic performance due to psychological, social and behavioral problems which arise during academic life. The aim of this study is to explore factors contributing to poor academic performance faced by students at a selected department rural university, Limpopo province. The study was conducted at the University of Venda (UNIVEN), situated in the scenic Vhembe District of the Limpopo Province. A qualitative approach using phenomenological design was used for this study. A sample of 15 students was selected from the target population using non-probability purposive, convenient random sampling method. Data were collected through a semi-structured interview. An interpretative phenomenological approach was used to analyse data. The study findings indicate that revealed that low levels of social support from parents, friends and family contribute to anxiety experienced by students at the university. In addition, Students developed low self-esteem, low self-confidence as a result of poor academic literacy, low marks and lack of social support. The study recommends that Head of the Department to have an open session for students to discuss matters concerning the teaching and learning style offered to them and ways to improve. / NRF

In Botswana secondary schools, a positive climate is more of an ideal than a reality. It is the task of stakeholders particularly the headteacher's to create and sustain a conducive learning environment to improve pupils' academic and behaviour standards. To a large extent, the headteacher, as an individual occupying the highest official position in the school, determines how the school is run. His/her expectations, values, beliefs, relationships with teachers and the examples he/she sets for the whole school shape the climate in the school. The headteacher can promote or inhibit a positive climate through his/her leadership behaviour pattern. Thus, the headteacher's leadership style is significant in creating and sustaining a positive school climate. This study has been undertaken to examine the connectedness between headteacher leadership style and school climate. This research focuses on the improvement of climate in Botswana secondary schools through the headteacher's appropriate use of leadership styles in different situations with a view to answer the following questions: What different leadership styles are employed by school headteachers? What are the different types of climates in schools? Are the leadership styles of school headteachers responsible for the climate that exists in their schools? What are the implications of the headteachers' leadership styles for school climate? How can school climate be improved? What roles can the headteachers, teachers and other stakeholders play to improve school climate? The research report comprises six chapters: Chapter one contains the background information of the research, statement of the research problem, aim and objectives of the research, demarcation of the study, definition of concepts, research methods and the research structure. Chapter two presents a review of literature on leadership styles, factors affecting it and discussion of models from different perspectives form part of this chapter. However, the emphasis is on Hersey and Blanchard's situational model which proposes the appropriate use of leadership styles to suit situations. Chapter three covers a review of relevant literature on school climate and factors affecting it. Chapter four presents detailed report on the empirical study. Questionnaires each of which contains items on leadership styles and school climate were responded to by secondary school teachers and interviews were conducted with headteachers. Chapter five contains data analysis and interpretation. Various leadership styles used by headteachers and the corresponding climates were identified. The findings indicated that the type of climate that exists in schools is related to the headteachers leadership style. It emerged that organisational climates vary in schools and that the participating leadership style promotes an open organisational climate. Implications for school performance and for the nation's vision (Vision 2016) was given. Chapter six presents findings from the literature study as well as the empirical study, conclusions based on the findings and recommendations for improvement for practice and further research. / Educational Studies / DED (EDUC MANAGEMENT)

In Botswana secondary schools, a positive climate is more of an ideal than a reality. It is the task of stakeholders particularly the headteacher's to create and sustain a conducive learning environment to improve pupils' academic and behaviour standards. To a large extent, the headteacher, as an individual occupying the highest official position in the school, determines how the school is run. His/her expectations, values, beliefs, relationships with teachers and the examples he/she sets for the whole school shape the climate in the school. The headteacher can promote or inhibit a positive climate through his/her leadership behaviour pattern. Thus, the headteacher's leadership style is significant in creating and sustaining a positive school climate. This study has been undertaken to examine the connectedness between headteacher leadership style and school climate. This research focuses on the improvement of climate in Botswana secondary schools through the headteacher's appropriate use of leadership styles in different situations with a view to answer the following questions: What different leadership styles are employed by school headteachers? What are the different types of climates in schools? Are the leadership styles of school headteachers responsible for the climate that exists in their schools? What are the implications of the headteachers' leadership styles for school climate? How can school climate be improved? What roles can the headteachers, teachers and other stakeholders play to improve school climate? The research report comprises six chapters: Chapter one contains the background information of the research, statement of the research problem, aim and objectives of the research, demarcation of the study, definition of concepts, research methods and the research structure. Chapter two presents a review of literature on leadership styles, factors affecting it and discussion of models from different perspectives form part of this chapter. However, the emphasis is on Hersey and Blanchard's situational model which proposes the appropriate use of leadership styles to suit situations. Chapter three covers a review of relevant literature on school climate and factors affecting it. Chapter four presents detailed report on the empirical study. Questionnaires each of which contains items on leadership styles and school climate were responded to by secondary school teachers and interviews were conducted with headteachers. Chapter five contains data analysis and interpretation. Various leadership styles used by headteachers and the corresponding climates were identified. The findings indicated that the type of climate that exists in schools is related to the headteachers leadership style. It emerged that organisational climates vary in schools and that the participating leadership style promotes an open organisational climate. Implications for school performance and for the nation's vision (Vision 2016) was given. Chapter six presents findings from the literature study as well as the empirical study, conclusions based on the findings and recommendations for improvement for practice and further research. / Educational Studies / DED (EDUC MANAGEMENT)