M. Ed. (Educational Psychology) / This study explores the experiences that multiple stakeholders have of learner participation in an independent school in Johannesburg. The school’s policy documents were reviewed, both in order to establish the school’s suitability for the study, and in order to provide some context for understanding. The participants were selected by both their involvement in learner participation bodies at the school in question, and their willingness to participate in the study. To this end, the school’s principal, educational psychologist and two learner leaders agreed to be interviewed in order to try and describe their experiences. It was hoped that the exploring, and rich describing, of the participants’ experiences would be helpful in terms of finding solutions or providing recommendations for the school itself when facing challenges, and for any other school that may benefit from the findings of the study. The researcher embarked on a process of Content Analysis of the transcribed interviews and relevant policy documents to uncover primary themes of experience as described by the participants. It was found that the participants’ experiences could be categorised into themes of difficulty with training; support; feedback; and clarity of roles. Recommendations were made regarding the facilitation of learner participation at both the participating school and other schools in general. These recommendations included: i) Schools communicate clearly the purposes of training programmes and initiatives to learners; ii) Schools utilise multiple training programmes, which are relevant to their own school context; iii) A staff member is formally available as support for each learner participation body in a school; iv) All meetings be scheduled suitably in advance; v) Learner participation bodies schedule regular meetings with their constituencies for feedback purposes - regardless of the length of the agenda; vi) Measures be instituted to hold staff accountable to their commitments without learner initiation; vii) All people who are affected by policies should play a role in their construction (UNCRC, 1990; SASA, 1996); viii) Policy review be seen as a continuous process, including legislated periods of review. Furthermore, conceptual inconsistencies in the design of the Representative Council of Learners (RCL) were suggested - specifically conflicting mandates in terms of representing learner voice and implementing teacher directives - resulting in a suggestion of legislation review.

M.Ed. / The world is currently in the grip of educational dilemmas of massive proportions. As a result of these various educational reform initiatives have been launched all seeking to remedy the ills in international public school systems. One of the reforms of this century is the establishment of evangelically Christian private schools. The research eminates from the confusion which is prevalent in South Africa with regards to what "Christian" education really is. White public schools are legislated to provide so-called "Christian" education; whilst evangelically Christian private schools claim they provide truly Christian education. There exists a need to distinguish between these two types of educational provision. This can only be done successfully, if the nature of each is scrutinised: it should provide the clue as to the reason why evangelically Christian private schools have increased with such urgency over the past few years. The primary purpose of this research is to discuss education from both a biblical and state perspective. In doing this the factors 'determining the founding of evangelically Christian private schools will be determined. Three fundamental structural elements of a Christian educational philosophy have been isolated into a model: these are the metaphysical, axiological and epistemological perspectives. The metaphysical foundation demands that education in order to be truly Christian, must be Christ-centred, evangelical and meta-cultural.

Significant changes have taken place in recent years in leadership theory and practice world wide. Theorizations of effective leadership have evolved from being authoritarian and task-centered to a model in which leaders are encouraged to look beyond their self-interest and prioritize the interests of the group. This study investigates the development of an alternative form of leadership through community building in two male school boarding houses. It attempts to ascertain whether students are able to work collaboratively towards developing an environment conducive to servant leadership. Structured according to the transformative research paradigm, this action research study was conducted in an independent school, Kingswood College, in Grahamstown, South Africa. The College is a traditional independent co-educational school that prides itself on producing leaders. As the school was in the process of reviewing its leadership system, it became an appropriate site to investigate the development of community and to explore possibilities for the emergence of an alternative form of leadership that would reflect the attributes of servant leadership. The participants in the study were volunteers from two boarding houses, who agreed to reflect on their perceptions and experiences of the way in which their houses functioned. My research findings show that through their willingness to engage in moral dialogue, students can transform their boarding houses into closely-knit communities bound together by shared values and beliefs. Closer relationships make for better understanding. As the leaders take on the responsibility of caring for their juniors, a moral obligation begins to manifest itself. Leaders will display the attributes of servant leadership if they are prepared to acknowledge in practice this moral obligation to serve others.

Submitted in fulfilment of the qualification of Master's Degree in Food and Nutrition, Durban University of Technology, 2017. / Aim The purpose of this study was to investigate the nutritional status of adolescent girls attending a private high school in Durban and included an investigation of what food the girls consumed on a daily basis and an account of physical activity they participated in within a one-week period to determine a relationship between the variables. Methods Adolescent girls were selected as part of a convenience study at a private high school. A total of 225 adolescent girls aged 13-18 years were surveyed for nutritional status and dietary intake as well as physical activity levels. The parent/ caregiver of each girl who participated was interviewed to ascertain socio-demographic indicators. Data was collected by interviewing the adolescent girls and the parents/ caregivers using pre-designed and pre-tested questionnaires. Weight and height were measured, physical activity levels were identified through the use of a physical activity questionnaire and socio-demographic data was collected by means of a questionnaire. Dietary intake data was gathered over two week days and one weekend day by using a 24-hour recall questionnaire and a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Results The majority of the participants were from well-off, financially stable families with good living conditions and well-educated and employed parents/ caregivers who provided a more than adequate variety of food and regular meals every day. The girls were of normal BMI (72.2%) and collectively had a mean BMI of 21.9, lower than the South African national average found for adolescent girls. There was a surprising number of underweight individuals (12.6%) as compared to overweight girls (10.3%). Furthermore, 99.6 percent of the girls were of normal height-for-age (≥-2 <+3SD) but were consuming far less energy than is required for the allocated age category. Energy came from the normal recommended macronutrient range with fat being on the borderline higher end of the normal range and carbohydrates coming from the lower end of the normal range; protein sources were adequately consumed. Fruit and vegetable consumption was reported to be very low subsequently leading to the poor dietary fibre intake identified across the sample group. Supplementation is taken by nearly a third (32.7%) of the girls which may contribute to their overall nutritional wellbeing. Among the top twenty foods consumed, milk, sugar, bread, tea and lettuce were the top five foods in the order stated. Although a wide variety of foods was consumed across all nine food groups over a week period, a mean daily DDS was lower but still adequate with 5.5 and the quantity of foods consumed were not of a substantial enough amount leading to poor total energy consumed and some micronutrient levels such as calcium, magnesium and folate not being met. All the participants were seen to be fairly physically active, performing a wide variety of sporting activities during school time and after school hours. The girls completed on average 199.64 minutes (SD±134.97) of physical activity per week, which is less than half of the WHO recommended physical activity minutes per week for adolescents. Significant correlations were seen between BMI and physical activity done on the weekend (p=0.041) and BMI and the amount of money spent on food per month (p=0.016) as well as extremely significant correlations between BMI and the number of minutes spent performing physical activities per week (p=0.002), as well as BMI and the amount of sport done over a one week period (p=0.005). Conclusion The results confirm that a relationship does exist between the physical activity levels and nutritional status of the adolescent girls surveyed. The majority of the population had low physical activity levels as well as low energy intake, which was supported by an inadequate quantity of food items consumed; however, anthropometric measurements showed to be majority within normal parameters with cases of underweight girls being more prominent than overweight which may suggest that over- and/ or under-reporting may have occurred. A high dietary diversity indicated a higher nutrient intake suggesting the importance of a diversified diet. / M

The aim of the research study, Combatting the Downward Spiral: Burnout, Support Networks and Coping Strategies of TESOL Teachers at Private Language Schools in Johannesburg, South Africa was firstly to determine whether TESOL teachers working in private language schools in Johannesburg, South Africa suffered from burnout. Secondly, the aim was to discover which factors caused stress for TESOL teachers inside and outside the classroom, what support structures were available for burned out TESOL teachers and the type of coping strategies TESOL teachers used to manage burnout. Using a mixed method design which consisted of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educators Survey and semi-structured interviews, the findings revealed that 46% of the TESOL teachers who participated in the research study were suffering from high levels of burnout. Interviews revealed three main areas that caused stress for TESOL teachers: the job of teaching, relationships at work and organisational and TESOL-related issues. These areas were divided further into various sub-themes. Furthermore, support structures for burned out TESOL teachers were generally inadequate and although TESOL teachers attempted to manage burnout by using a variety of coping strategies, these did not seem to be effective in the long-term. / English Studies / D. Lit. et Phil. (English)

World-wide, the nature, purpose and existence of private education has evoked intense interest and controversial debate. For many, private education presents a legal-moral dilemma. On the one hand, it is recognised as a fundamental right in terms of freedom of association, religion and culture. On the other, it raises perplexing moral and philosophical issues about social exclusivity, selectivity and elitism. Notwithstanding the equally compelling legal, social, economic, educational and political arguments for and against private education, private schools in South Africa, which are increasing in number, continue to form an essential and permanent part of the education system. Private education is a complex subject which can be researched from a myriad of perspectives. This study is essentially a legal enquiry into the legal status of private schools in South Africa within the new democratic constitutional dispensation and how the law affects the organisation, governance and management of private schools. To this end, the study is confined to a discussion on legal aspects relating to private school governance, public funding of private schools, teachers' appointments and discipline, student admission and discipline and religious freedom. In discussing the legal context of such topics, a number of issues emerged concerning the complex nature and diversity of private schools, the relationship between the State and the private school sector, the right of private schools to exist and the implications of the bill of rights for private schools. Furthermore, the study raises challenging questions about the issues of choice, autonomy, religious freedom and diversity, which lie at the heart of the establishment and maintenance of private schools in a democratic society. Finally, one of the difficulties of conducting such a study is that South African law is complex and changing, and it is still in a state of evolution, given the recentness of the Constitution and the bill of rights. This means that while some legal issues pertaining to private schools are fairly well settled, for the most part it is not possible to provide a comprehensive or definitive statement about complex and often highly sensitive issues but merely to pose various legal-education questions and problems for consideration. In time, many of the issues raised will no doubt be settled by the courts / Educational Leadership and Management / D.Ed. (Educational Management

Thesis (MEdPsych)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Little is known about the experiences that previously disadvantaged bursary and scholarship learners have in independent South African schools. Many scholarship and bursary recipients are from homes that fall into the low to middle income groups and they find themselves surrounded by boys and girls who are from high income, affluent homes. The aim of this study is to gain an understanding of the experiences that scholarship learners have within independent school environments and to find out what the opportunities and challenges are that they may face. Bronfenbrenner‟s bioecological model was used as theoretical framework as it incorporates a number of different interconnected systems that will influence the participant's lives and their experiences. These microsystems included parents, school, peers and the individual. This study's research methodology is a phenomenological approach which is embedded within the interpretative paradigm. Purposeful sampling was used to select eight learners from four different independent schools in the Western Cape. Two semi-structured interviews were conducted within two months of each other, with each of the participants. Phenomenological data analysis was conducted to analyse the information provided in the interviews. The research findings indicated that previously disadvantaged scholarship learners face a great deal of pressure in the form of high expectations being placed on them, both academically and behaviourally. Racial stereotyping was found to be prevalent with regards to assumptions made about learner's academic abilities and financial backgrounds. Challenges related to cultural difference and financial challenges were also noted. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Min is bekend oor die ervarings wat voorheen benadeelde beurs-leerders in onafhanklike (private) Suid-Afrikaanse skole. Baie beurshouers kom uit huise wat in die lae tot middel inkomste groepe val, en hulle vind hulself tussen seuns en meisies wat van hoë-inkomste huise kom. Die doel van hierdie studie is om die ervarings wat die beursleerders in onafhanklike skool omgewings beter te verstaan en vas te stel watter geleenthede en uitdagings hulle ervaar. Bronfenbrenner se bioëkologiese model word gebruik as ‟n teoretiese raamwerk omdat dit verskillende stelsels insluit wat ‟n invloed sal hê op die deelnemers se lewens en ervarings. Die mikrostelsel sluit die ouers, skool, portuurgroep en individu in. Hierdie studie se navorsingsmetodologie is 'n fenomenologiese benadering wat binne die interpretatiewe paradigma ingebed is. Doelgerigte steekproefneming is gebruik om agt leerders van vier verskillende onafhanklike skole in die Wes-Kaap te kies. Twee semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude is gevoer met elkeen van die deelnemers tussen ‟n tydperk van twee maande. Fenomenologiese data-analise is gebruik om die inligting van die onderhoude te analiseer. Die navorsingsbevindinge het aangedui dat die deelnemers baie druk ervaar in die vorm van hoë verwagtinge wat op hulle geplaas word, in terme van hul akademiese prestasie en gedrag. Algemene rasse-stereotipering was gevind met betrekking tot die aannames wat gemaak is oor die leerders se akademiese vermoëns en finansiële agtergronde. Kulturele verskille en finansiële uitdagings is ook opgemerk.

The core role and responsibility of the school principal is to be an instructional leader. The principal sets the tone in terms of teaching and learning in the school. In this study I focus on school principals at independent schools in Gauteng and explore their instructional leadership practices. To understand these practices I drew on Weber’s instructional leadership model and distributed leadership. In this interpretive, qualitative, phenomenological study I purposively sampled three independent schools in the Gauteng province based on exceptional academic achievement. I selected their school principals as participants. Data was generated using semi-structured interviews, collage inquiry and artefact inquiry. The findings indicate that the day-to-day instructional leadership practices of the participants are quite expansive and are geared towards ensuring quality in teaching and learning. Furthermore, they receive the requisite support from stakeholders and mediate the challenges they experience in their instructional leadership in multiple ways. / Educational Management and Leadership / M. Ed. (Education Leadership and Management)

World-wide, the nature, purpose and existence of private education has evoked intense interest and controversial debate. For many, private education presents a legal-moral dilemma. On the one hand, it is recognised as a fundamental right in terms of freedom of association, religion and culture. On the other, it raises perplexing moral and philosophical issues about social exclusivity, selectivity and elitism. Notwithstanding the equally compelling legal, social, economic, educational and political arguments for and against private education, private schools in South Africa, which are increasing in number, continue to form an essential and permanent part of the education system. Private education is a complex subject which can be researched from a myriad of perspectives. This study is essentially a legal enquiry into the legal status of private schools in South Africa within the new democratic constitutional dispensation and how the law affects the organisation, governance and management of private schools. To this end, the study is confined to a discussion on legal aspects relating to private school governance, public funding of private schools, teachers' appointments and discipline, student admission and discipline and religious freedom. In discussing the legal context of such topics, a number of issues emerged concerning the complex nature and diversity of private schools, the relationship between the State and the private school sector, the right of private schools to exist and the implications of the bill of rights for private schools. Furthermore, the study raises challenging questions about the issues of choice, autonomy, religious freedom and diversity, which lie at the heart of the establishment and maintenance of private schools in a democratic society. Finally, one of the difficulties of conducting such a study is that South African law is complex and changing, and it is still in a state of evolution, given the recentness of the Constitution and the bill of rights. This means that while some legal issues pertaining to private schools are fairly well settled, for the most part it is not possible to provide a comprehensive or definitive statement about complex and often highly sensitive issues but merely to pose various legal-education questions and problems for consideration. In time, many of the issues raised will no doubt be settled by the courts / Educational Leadership and Management / D.Ed. (Educational Management

Using a qualitative case study method, this study sought to understand parents’ perceptions of the implementation of inclusive education that their learning disabled children experienced at independent schools when compared to the guidelines for implementing inclusive education as provided for by the Department of Education’s Guidelines for Responding to Learner Diversity in the Classroom through Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements 2011. In line with universal human rights movements and South African law, the inclusion of learners with learning disabilities or learning barriers into mainstream classrooms is necessary to enable them to succeed. South Africa adopted a policy of Inclusive Education in 2001 with the policy document, ‘The Education White Paper 6 on Inclusive Education’. This document paved the way for new approaches to teaching, learning and assessment. To achieve the intentions of the Department of Education (DoE) the Department of Basic Education has published numerous guidelines for addressing inclusion in the classroom. This research focused on the most recent guideline entitled ‘Guidelines for Responding to Learner Diversity in the Classroom through Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements 2011’ by focusing on curriculum differentiation and accommodation for learners with learning difficulties Independent schools maintain that they are not obliged to follow the DoE’s policy documents and guidelines because they are independent. The question is, do they have their own protocols in place to replace those of the DoE? However, the argument is that independent schools should be held accountable for the effective learning support of learners in their schools that experience barriers to learning by having the same or similar policies and guidelines as those of the DoE. The researcher used the guidelines provided by the DoE as a benchmark for the implementation of support measures in inclusive education to study the practices and specific support offered to learners experiencing learning problems in independent schools. The research revealed that the absence of explicit guidelines at independent schools creates uncertainty among parents. The researcher concluded that when independent schools do not deliver the anticipated appropriate support, parents are powerless to demand more effective support for their children. The opinion of the parents was that the implementation of inclusive education at independent schools can be advanced by the adoption of guidelines that are similar to those in use at public schools. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)