Thesis (MEd )--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This qualitative study explores the effect that staff deployment has on the morale and professional attitudes of educators who have been identified as being in excess at their schools. The study was done by doing interviews with teachers who have been affected by rightsizing and redeployment and principals who have had to manage the process. The Department of Education goes through an annual process of determining the school‘s staff establishment for the next academic year. This determination is based on the number of learners enrolled at the institution. The CEMIS statistics are used to determine the number of learners enrolled at the school and the schools‘ staff establishment for the next academic year. If a school‘s learner numbers have increased since the last survey, the school will gain some teaching posts. Conversely, if the learner numbers have dropped a number of educators at the institution, as determined by the education department, have to be identified and declared in excess. Change associated with staff redeployment can have a negative impact on the morale and motivation of teachers. A school‘s functioning and ability to supply quality education can also be compromised as a result thereof. This is especially true when schools do not have the financial resources to employ additional teachers out of school funds. The problem is researched by exploring the ‗lived experiences‘ of selected teachers at primary schools in two of the education districts that fall under the WCED. Educators who were selected to participate in the study were individuals who had been declared in excess and who were redeployed or who were awaiting redeployment. Teachers were given the opportunity to relate their individual experiences. Their accounts of the process reflect how these experiences affect behaviour, professional attitude and general health. My discussion of their perceptions pays particular attention to their perceptions of how their general health and well-being were affected. Two principals (who managed the process at their respective schools) also shed some light on their experiences of the effects of downsizing. It seems that whilst there are cases where the process of rightsizing and redeployment is handled with the necessary care and circumspection, this is not always the case. Too often rightsizing and redeployment are handled in a clinical way, which creates the impression that the principals are biased and unsympathetic. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie kwalitatiewe studie ondersoek die effek wat personeel ontplooing op onderwysers het wie oortollig verklaar word by hul skole. Dit beoog ook om vas te stel tot watter mate die persoon se professionele gedrag en moraal geaffekteer word hierdeur. Tydens die studie was data ingesamel deur onderhoude te voer met onderwysers wie oortollig verklaar is, en prinsipale wat hierdie proses moes bestuur. Jaarliks gaan die Departement van Onderwys deur 'n proses waar skole se onderwysvoorsiening vir die volgende jaar bepaal word deur die aantal leerders wat by die skool ingeskryf is. Die stelsel wat deur die WKOD gebruik word om leerder inskrywings by skole te bepaal, word die Sentrale Opvoedingsbestuur en Inligting Stelsel genoem. Fundameteel tot die proses is die feit dat indien 'n skool se leerdertal vermeerder het sederd die vorige opname, sal die skool addisionele onderwysers win. Indien die inskrywingstotaal egter gedaal het, word die aantal onderwysers wat aan die skool voorsien word verminder. Verandering wat deur die onderwyser herontplooiing teweegbring word kan 'n negatiewe uitwerking op die moraal en motivering van onderwysers het. Die funksionering van skole en hul vermoeë om gehalteonderrig te voorsien kan ook negatief beïnvloed word daardeur. Dit is veral skole wat dit nie kan bekostig om addisionele onderwysers aan te stel en uit skoolfonds te besoldig nie, wat die swaarste getref word hierdeur. Die probleem word nagefors deur te kyk na 'n paar onderwysers in primêre skole in twee opvoedingsdistrikte wat onder die WKOD werksaam is. Onderwysers wat deel vorm van die studie is persone wat oortollig verklaar is en verplaas is, of wie nog wag op verplasing. Hierdie studie het onderwysers se ervaringe van die herontplooingsproses bestudeer. Onderwysers was die geleentheid gegee om hul ervaringe met die naforser te deel en sodoende lig te werp op hoe die proses hul gedrag, professionele houding en algemene gesondheid geraak het. Die naforsing het getoon dat terwyl daar gevalle is waar die proses van regstellende aksie en herontplooing met die nodige sorg en omsigtigheid hanteer word, is dit nie altyd die norm nie. Hierdie proses word ten tye op 'n kliniese wyse hanteer en dit skep die indruk dat die prinsipaal onsimpatiek is en nie neutraal staan in die proses nie.

Thesis (MEd)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The reseach in this study focusses on how teachers express the forming of a role-identity amid historically disadvantage circumstances. The lense used to highlight and understand the underlying relationship between role-identity and school culture, is school context. The focus is on the biography and professional training of respondents in order to determine how teachers mediate their professional roles. We must understand teachers within the boundaries of a socio-cultural context, their biography and professional training. These factors, which contribute to the forming of role-identity, can negatively affect the receiving and implementation of policy. The assumption made by this study, is that there is a gap between transformation policies and school culture, which has an influence on the role of the teacher. A better understanding of teacher circumstances can inspire a multi-dimensional approach to teaching. The result was that my thesis tried to generate empirical evidence to understand teachers in under-privilege schools more fully. Teachers develop their self-identity within the framework of experience and expectations about themselves and their teaching. The professional identity of teachers consists of being skilled in subject area, level of training, preparedness and formal qualifications. Respondents construct their one-dimensional professional identity within an under-privilege context. The school climate hinders the simultaneous execution of the three roles that I refer to in this study. Some of the hindrance factors are the manner in which the school accepts the lack of learning area knowledge, racism and the abuse of contact time. Poor management and lack of community control, tolerates the shortcomings and one-dimensional approach of teachers. The study makes use of a theoretical framework, supported by literature. I used qualitative indepth-investigation for the collection of data. I used semi-structured interviews as an instrument to answer the research question and to achieve the proposed outcomes. I achieved my main finding by using empirical-interpretive techniques. The finding was that personal socialisation and professional training, together with contextual factors influence the foundation of teacher identity. The base identity is the foundation upon which teachers formulate their role-identity. My research shows how the respondents position themselves in relation to the prescribed teacher roles. Their identity forming takes places within the context of under-privilege circumstances, moral diffusion and transformation in education. I describe the construction of their conceptual space of role-identity. I furthermore present analyses of how the respondents form their role-identity. I base the most important finding of this study on one-dimensionality. Each of the selected teachers expresses their professional mediation of their roles within the context of a specific exposed school culture. The study shows the complex variations of this one-dimensionality amongst the four teachers. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die navorsing in hierdie studie konsentreer op hoe onderwysers gestalte gee aan hulle identiteitsvorming te midde van histories benadeelde omstandighede. Skoolkonteks is die lens wat gebruik word om die onderliggende verwantskap tussen rol-identiteit en skoolkultuur te verstaan. Die fokus is op respondente se biografië en professionele opleiding ten einde vas te stel hoe hulle die voorgeskrewe onderwyserrolle medieër. Onderwysers moet verstaan word binne die grense van 'n sosio-kulturele konteks, hulle biografiese verhale en professionele opleiding. Hierdie faktore is bydraende aspekte wat 'n invloed het tydens die vorming van rol-identiteit, sowel as tydens die ontvang en implementering van beleide. Die aanname wat deur hierdie studie gemaak word, is dat daar 'n gaping tussen hervormingsbeleide en skoolkultuur bestaan wat die rol-identiteit van die onderwyser beїnvloed. 'n Beter begrip van onderwyser-omstandighede, kan 'n multi-dimensionele benadering tot onderwys inspireer. Gevolglik het my tesis gepoog om empiriese bewyse te genereer wat kan bydrae tot 'n vollediger begrip van onderwysers in minder-bevoorregte skole. Onderwysers ontwikkel 'n self-identiteit binne die raamwerk van ervarings en verwagtinge oor hulleself en hulle onderrig. Die professionele identiteit van die onderwyser bestaan uit vaardigheid op vakgebied, vlak van opleiding, voorbereiding en formele kwalifikasie. Binne die minder-bevoorregte konteks waarin hierdie respondente onderrig, konstrueer hulle 'n een-dimensionele professionele identiteit. Die skoolklimaat belemmer die gelyktydige uitvoering van veral die drie rolle waarna ek in hierdie studie verwys. Sommige van die belemmerende faktore waarna verwys word, is die skool se gelate aanvaarding van gebrek aan leerarea kennis, rasisme en die misbruik van onderrigtyd. Gebrekkige bestuur en gemeenskapsbeheer vergemaklik verder die onderwyser se tekortkominge en een-dimensionele benadering. My studie word onderskraag deur 'n teoretiese raamwerk wat met behulp van literatuurwerke saamgestel is. Die proses van data-insameling is met die hulp van 'n kwalitatiewe indiepte-ondersoek gedoen. Die semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude wat gevoer was, het gedien as instrument ter beantwoording van die navorsingsvraag ten einde die beoogde doelstellings te bereik. My kern bevindinge het ek verkry vanuit empiriese-interpretatiewe tegnieke. Hiervolgens is bevind dat persoonlike sosialisering en professionele opleiding tesame met kontekstuele faktore, 'n invloed het op die samestelling van die identiteitsbasis van die onderwyser. Hierdie identiteitsbasis vorm die grondslag waarop onderwysers hulle rol-identiteit formuleer. My navorsing wys hoe die onderwysers in my studie hulleself posisioneer in verhouding tot hulle voorgeskrewe onderwyserrolle. Hulle identiteitsvorming geskied binne die konteks van minder-bevoorregte omstandighede, morele diffusie en onderwys transformasie. Ek beskryf hierdie konstruksie as hulle konseptuele ruimte van rol-identiteitsvorming. Verder bied hierdie studie 'n analise van hoe respondente hulle rol-identiteit vorm. Die vernaamste bevinding van hierdie studie is dat die geselekteerde onderwysers elk op 'n een-dimensionele basis uiting gee aan 'n professionele medieëring van hulle rolle binne hierdie skool se kultuur. Die studie wys die komplekse variasies van een-dimensionaliteit onder die vier onderwysers.

Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) put many interventions in place to provide quality education to all schools, but barriers still remained in low-income communities. Most barriers developed due to inadequate resources such as: poor teacher training, lack of community involvement, lack of transportation, poor service delivery and sustainability within the community. Numerous communities suffered discrimination in the form of unjust distribution of social benefits and resources. The Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), however, expects all learners to follow the same curriculum and achieve the same type of quality education. This is impossible when schools have inadequate resources. The aim of the research was therefore to explore how teachers understood the concept of quality education through their lived experiences at a low-income school. This exploration took into account what teachers viewed as contributing to or hindering a quality education, both at personal and interpersonal levels in the school. It also considered how the school system, the WCED and the social environment contributed to positive or negative outcomes regarding quality. This was important as teachers were seen as the key agents towards change in quality education. Social constructionism and a social justice approach provided the foundation of this research and enabled the voices of previously disadvantaged communities to be heard. In keeping with the theoretical frameworks of the study, a qualitative, interpretivist research approach was used. Participants were selected through purposive sampling and focus group discussions as well as individual interviews were used to generate data. Digital audio recordings were made of the group and individual sessions, which were then transcribed. The data collected in this study were analysed through thematic analysis. The research findings indicated that teachers experienced numerous barriers with regards to contextual factors and unjust distribution of resources. Furthermore, teachers reflected that with good pedagogy they were able to maintain quality education, by teaching a curriculum that was relevant to the context of the learner, even when resources were limited. This process was very time-consuming and not cost-effective. However, even though teachers were able to recognise the barriers present in their school they insisted that there were many positive aspects to working in a low-income school. These findings led to recommendations that were centred largely on meeting some of the support needs of teachers in low-income communities. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die Wes-Kaapse Onderwysdepartement (WKOD) het baie intervensies in plek gestel om gehalte-onderrig te verskaf aan alle skole, maar baie hindernisse was steeds teenwoordig in lae-inkomste gemeenskappe. Baie van die hindernisse het ontstaan as gevolg van onvoldoende hulpbronne soos: swak onderwysopleiding, gebrekkige gemeenskapsbetrokkenheid, onvoldoende vervoer, swak dienslewering en volhoubaarheid in die gemeenskap. Daar was teen talle gemeenskappe gediskrimineer in terme van ongelyke verspreiding van sosiale voordele en hulpbronne. Die Kurrikulum- en Assesseringsbeleidsverklaring (KABV) verwag egter dat alle leerders dieselfde kurrikulum volg en dieselfde tipe gehalte-onderrig behaal. Dit is onmoontlik om te bereik indien skole onvoldoende hulpbronne het. Die doel van die navorsing was dus om onderwysers se konsep van gehalte-onderrig te verstaan deur hulle beleefde ervaring in ʼn lae-inkomste skool te ondersoek. Die ondersoek het in ag geneem wat onderwysers beskou het as ʼn bydrae of ʼn hindernis tot gehalte-onderrig, op sowel persoonlike as interpersoonlike vlak in die skool. Daar is ook gelet op watter positiewe of negatiewe invloede die skoolsisteem, die WKOD en die sosiale omgewing op gehalte-onderrig het. Dit word as belangrik geag omdat onderwysers gesien word as die belangrikste agente vir verandering in gehalte-onderwys. Sosiale konstruksionisme en ʼn sosiale geregtigheidsbenadering is die grondslag van hierdie navorsing en stel die stemme van voorheen benadeelde gemeenskappe in staat om gehoor te word. In ooreenstemming met die teoretiese raamwerke van die studie is ʼn kwalitatiewe, interpretivistiese navorsingsbenadering gebruik. Die deelnemers is deur middel van doelgerigte steekproeftrekking geselekteer en fokusgroepbesprekings en individuele onderhoude is gebruik om data te genereer. Digitale klankopnames is gemaak van die groep- en individuele sessies, wat toe getranskribeer is. Die data wat in hierdie studie ingesamel is, is ontleed deur middel van tematiese analise. Die navorsing het aangedui dat onderwysers talle struikelblokke ondervind het met betrekking tot kontekstuele faktore en onregverdige verspreiding van hulpbronne. Verder het onderwysers weerspieël dat hulle met goeie pedagogie in staat was om gehalte-onderwys te beoefen deur die kurrikulum binne die konteks van die leerder te onderrig, selfs wanneer hulpbronne beperk was. Hierdie proses het egter baie tyd in beslag geneem en was nie koste-effektief nie. Selfs al was onderwysers in staat om die struikelblokke in hul skool te herken, het hulle steeds die positiewe aspekte van werk in ʼn lae-inkomste skool uitgelig. Hierdie bevindinge het gelei tot aanbevelings wat grootliks handel oor ondersteuning van die onderwysers in lae-inkomste gemeenskappe deur vervulling van hulle behoeftes.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

Ausgehend von narrativen Interviews, Beobachtungen und gemeinsamen Erfahrungen während eines interkulturellen Lehrerfortbildungsprojekts im ländlichen Haiti wird in dieser Arbeit ein detailliertes Bild der Lebenswelt ausgewählter haitianischer Grundschullehrer/-innen gezeichnet. Insbesondere wird den Fragen nachgegangen, welchen Hindernissen diese Lehrer/-innen in ihrer eigenen Ausbildung begegneten, welche professionellen und sozialen Herausforderungen ihre alltägliche Berufsausübung mit sich bringt und wie ein genaues Verstehen ihres Hintergrunds und ihres Alltags dazu beitragen kann, sowohl die Qualität ihres Unterrichts als auch ihre sozio-ökonomischen Aussichten zu verbessern. Verspätete und unzureichende Ausbildung, ein geringer Verdienst und herausfordernde Arbeitsbedingungen, sowie weitgehende Vernachlässigung durch den Staat kennzeichnen die Realität dieser Lehrer/-innen. Dennoch zeigen sie Elan und vertrauen auf eine bessere Zukunft. In dieser Studie kommen die haitianischen Lehrer/-innen selber zu Wort. Darüber hinaus wird der Prozess der interkulturellen Kommunikation und Reflexion, der mit einem solchen Projekt und einer derartigen Recherche einhergeht dokumentiert. / This study offers a detailed description of selected Haitian primary school teachers’ living and working conditions based on narrative interviews, observations, and common experiences during a cross-cultural in-service teacher training program in rural Haiti. The research is focused on the following questions: What type of obstacles did primary school teachers in rural Haiti encounter in their own education, what professional and social challenges are faced in the daily routines of these teachers, and how can a thorough knowledge of both their backgrounds and the conditions of their current lives help to improve the quality of their teaching as well as their prospects for socio-economic advancement? The reality of these teachers is characterized by a delayed and limited education, low remuneration and challenging working conditions, as well as a more or less complete lack of state support. Nevertheless, they demonstrate vitality and trust in a better future. Central to this study are the Haitian teachers’ viewpoints, but the process of cross-cultural communication and reflection going on during such a program and research is documented as well.

<p>The purpose of this study is to determine what alternative forms of assessments are being practiced in a public school with an international programme and to explore the teachers` attitudes towards the use of alternative assessment procedures. Various assessment models and strategies have been investigated and discussed, as pre¬senting a part of the educational practice in the primary classrooms that engage the International Baccalaureate/ Primary Years Programme at the elementary school level (age range 6-11) in the years 0-5.</p><p>While defining my research problem, I have started from hypothesis that practicing of alternative assessment has an important positive role in the international schools supporting, promoting and improving student learning.</p><p>International schools are facing both challenging and complexity of assessment pro¬cess while striving to apply both national and international programs` recom¬menda¬tions concerning the testing.</p><p>Alternative forms of assessments are being used in conjunction with other forms of assessment, such as standardised tests, in order to assess both student perfor¬mance and the intentions of the International Baccalaureate/ Primary Years Pro¬gramme.</p><p>This paper investigates what alternative assessment practices (portfolio, perfor¬mance assessment, Exhibition, self-assessment) are being applied and used in the same school where the standardised tests are also being applied and used (text book tests, teacher-made tests, local and national test).</p><p>The hypothesis was supported and the study findings suggest that various types of assessments are needed to be utilized in order to fairly evaluate students` needs as well as that alternative assessment has an important positive role meeting individual student’s needs supporting a process of learning.</p>

The purpose of this study is to determine what alternative forms of assessments are being practiced in a public school with an international programme and to explore the teachers` attitudes towards the use of alternative assessment procedures. Various assessment models and strategies have been investigated and discussed, as pre¬senting a part of the educational practice in the primary classrooms that engage the International Baccalaureate/ Primary Years Programme at the elementary school level (age range 6-11) in the years 0-5. While defining my research problem, I have started from hypothesis that practicing of alternative assessment has an important positive role in the international schools supporting, promoting and improving student learning. International schools are facing both challenging and complexity of assessment pro¬cess while striving to apply both national and international programs` recom¬menda¬tions concerning the testing. Alternative forms of assessments are being used in conjunction with other forms of assessment, such as standardised tests, in order to assess both student perfor¬mance and the intentions of the International Baccalaureate/ Primary Years Pro¬gramme. This paper investigates what alternative assessment practices (portfolio, perfor¬mance assessment, Exhibition, self-assessment) are being applied and used in the same school where the standardised tests are also being applied and used (text book tests, teacher-made tests, local and national test). The hypothesis was supported and the study findings suggest that various types of assessments are needed to be utilized in order to fairly evaluate students` needs as well as that alternative assessment has an important positive role meeting individual student’s needs supporting a process of learning.

University of Macau / Faculty of Education

University of Macau / Faculty of Education

University of Macau / Faculty of Education