The culture of teaching in most South African schools is one of isolation and independence. Once individuals have qualified as teachers, there is a strong sense of getting on with the job of teaching, rather than beginning a journey of critical reflection and change. This study aims to address and contribute towards shifting this ethos and establishing a joint reflective school culture.

M.Com. (Economics) / The training of adults within business organisations is frequently done according to principles and methods which could be described as outdated and even not applicable. This becomes more evident when these methods are tested against modern theories regarding adult learning behaviour. These theories indicate for example, that the traditional pedagogic techniques could not be applied to the training of adults as such. Wellknown authors on adult learning theory have postulated that the adult learner has certain unique characteristics which sets him apart from the typical child in a structured learning situation. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the application of some of the principles and methodologies of these theories will actually contribute to the personal development or growth of the managers within the organisation where the study was conducted. This organisation utilises assessment centres to determine the management potential of its managers. An important part of this process is the identification of the individual developmental needs of the participating manager. The process is structured in such a manner so as to provide for a learning experience which will result in helping the participant view himself objectively in terms of his managerial behaviour. The underlying assumption is that in order to get the manager involved in self-initiated learning activities, with self-development as the ultimate goal, self-awareness regarding weaknesses and strengths must first be developed. Effective mechanisms which provide feedback to the participant in the assessment centre is an important contributing factor in the development of this awareness...

Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Masters Degree in Technology: Education at the Durban Institute of Technology, 2003. / This research investigates the South African Developmental Appraisal System (DAS). It is concerned with exposing implementation problems arising from its perception by educators in four secondary schools in the Central Circuit of the Inanda District ofKwaZulu-Natal. / M

The aim of this study was to assess the perceptions of employees towards performance appraisal (PA) with special reference to Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) in the Eastern Cape Province. The research objectives included, inter alia; assessing employee perceptions towards effective administration of PAs, assessing perceptions of employees towards the fairness of the PA process, identifying the motivating factors for the improvement of employee performance and identifying the challenges facing the PA process. To achieve these objectives, a mixed methods research approach was used. The mixed methods approach utilised a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods. The sample was selected using a purposive sampling technique whereby employees with tenure of at least one year and above in the organisation were targeted. Employees who met this criterion were considered to have reasonable understanding of the PA process and practice of Stats SA. The literature review for this study revealed that employee perceptions towards the PA process are crucial in determining the long-term effectiveness of the PA system. It also emerged that the appraisal process can become a source of extreme dissatisfaction when employees believe the system is biased, political or irrelevant. The findings revealed that 65% of employees perceive the administration of PAs as ineffective whilst 35% of employees consider PA administration at Stats SA to be effective. Ineffective administration of PA was further confirmed by 81% of managers who stated that the evaluation process is not integrated effectively with other human resource (HR) processes at Stats SA. Furthermore, 58% of employees are not satisfied with the fairness of the appraisal process. These negative perceptions towards the PA process were reaffirmed by 88% of managers who also indicated that they are not satisfied with the fairness of the PA process. The research showed that the motivating factors for improving job performance include allocation of adequate resources, training, recognition and appreciation, improved communication along with a good working relationship as well as a performance bonus. According to the research findings, 45% of employees consider the current Performance Management System (PMS) at Stats SA as having a motivational effect on staff to improve their performance whilst 42% held a contrary view and 13% were unsure. The respondents identified the challenges facing the PA process at Stats SA, namely; favouritism and bias, dropping of scores by the provincial moderating committee without clarifying the criteria followed, supervisors scoring themselves high whilst scoring those who are doing the work on the ground low, failure by HR to provide guidance and training on performance management (PM), failure by supervisors to provide performance feedback after the appraisal process, failure to comply with PM policies and procedures, the ambiguous role of the provincial moderating committee, and a narrow focus on monetary reward. The findings suggest that the effectiveness of a Performance Management System (PMS) such as the Performance Appraisal System depends on the achievement of various purposes and objectives for which the PMS is designed and implemented in an organisation. This requires managers and supervisors to be fully involved and committed in the day to day management of employee performance in order to ensure that the strategic goals of the organisation are fully achieved.

Employee engagement is emerging as a critical organisational issue especially as organisations are recovering from the trauma of the global recession and constant change. Employee engagement has been an area of interest among many researchers and it has received even greater recognition among consulting firms. Therefore, there is a need for academic research on this theory to ascertain the claims of the human resource consulting firms as well as to add to the existing knowledge of employee engagement in the literature. The main aim of the research was to establish whether there is a relationship between employee engagement and performance. The methodology was based on secondary research by means of statistics for employee engagement and performance scores obtained of permanent employees from the organisation under study. A structured survey for employee engagement was used and compared over a two year period as well as performance scores over a two year period. The empirical findings of this study in terms of the relationship between employee engagement and job performance were evident in that a relationship between the variables was proved; however findings from the qualitative research suggest direct and strong relationship between employee engagement and job performance, whereas the current study has not highlighted a very strong relationship based on the empirical findings.

Research studies have reported that many organisations implement a performance management and development system. However, it is often not as effective as it is intended. Against this background, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the performance management and development in the Eastern Cape Liquor Board (ECLB). The study emphasised the importance of an organisational culture that supports management of performance in order for the system to be effective. The study further highlighted that alignment between the performance of individuals and the organisation is critical as all efforts have to focus on the achievement of the organisational vision. The study also emphasised the importance of a process of determining key performance areas that is transparent and involves participation by all employees. The study further argued that the development and rewarding of employees for performance is crucial in ensuring an effective performance management system. The target population for this study consisted of ECLB employees including the district offices. The findings suggested that when the performance management and development system is not implemented in its entirety it cannot be effective. Furthermore, the findings revealed that ECLB implements some of the elements of the system correctly whilst other areas still require more attention.

Performance management was implemented in the public service, including the South African Police Service, in 2001. The aim of implementing performance management in the public service was to improve the performance of all public servants. It was envisaged that the initiative for implementing performance management in the public service would entrench a culture of accountability, leading to improved service delivery. The effective utilisation of performance agreements, as a tool to align individual and organisational performance in the Motherwell Cluster Detective Service, was considered in this research. The contents of the individual detectives’ performance agreements and job descriptions in the Motherwell Cluster were analysed and compared with the contents of the SAPS Detective Service strategic objectives and performance indicators, as reflected in the SAPS Annual Performance Plan for 2012/2013. Interviews were conducted with Detective Service employees in the Motherwell Cluster, to determine whether the employees received training on the implementation of the Performance Enhancement Process, as the SAPS Performance Management and Development System. Research findings revealed that the contents of the respective individual detectives’ performance agreements and job descriptions were not aligned to the contents of the SAPS Detective Service strategic objectives and performance indicators. In areas where alignment was found, such alignment was so minimal that there was no meaningful correlation between an individual detective’s performance and organisational performance. The suggested recommendations are based on the findings of this study, which should be taken seriously if there is a desire to improve service delivery by the Detective Service. Apprehension, conviction, and sentencing of an offender can cause potential offenders to refrain from committing criminal acts for fear of apprehension and punishment.

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Education in the Department of Educational Planning and Administration, University of Zululand, 2002. / This research examined the role of performance based teacher appraisal and development in the educator's professional growth and improvement of education. The study made use of questionnaires to establish the perceptions of educators towards performance based teacher appraisal and development. The findings established that post level one educators and school management teams which were sampled have different views and perceptions on performance based teacher appraisal. Most post level one educators perceive the developmental appraisal system (DAS) as evaluative. They believe it exposes their weaknesses and does not lead to their development and promotion. They believe that developmental appraisal does not have a positive impact on their teaching. They also feel that developmental appraisal system (DAS) is not a factor in the improvement of education because it is only targeting them as educators. As yet, they do not see DAS as contributing to their growth. School management teams on the other hand perceive that performance based teacher appraisal plays a vital role in the educator's professional growth, the improvement of education and the development of schools as efficient and effective learning organisations. The school management teams believe that developmental appraisal is desirable if schools are to provide learners with quality education which will ensure that schools achieve excellence. On the basis of views and opinions of respondents, the study concluded that performance based teacher appraisal and development is desirable for education and growth of schools as effective and efficient teaching and learning institutions. However, there is need to assist educators to realise that DAS is important for their growth. More important, the process of the implementation of DAS, it is concluded, needs to promote educator development.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree DOCTOR OF EDUCATION in the Department of Educational Psychology of the Faculty of Education at the University of Zululand, 2006. / The aim of this study was to investigate educators' perceptions of quality assurance in education. During the quality assurance process educators are evaluated on the quality of their delivery inside and outside the classroom, in order to assess whether successful educational outcomes are achieved. Successful educational outcomes are dependent upon empowering, motivating and training educators. Quality assurance seeks to manage and support these processes. The evaluation process is essential to any ongoing effort to improve the teaching profession. Evaluation is part of the educational process, based on sound performance standards that are congruent to the delivery of quality education. The evaluation process is transparent, accountable, supportive, developmental and inclusive. There are three programmes, which together form the Quality Assurance. Each of these programmes has a distinct focus and purpose, and together they monitor the performance of the education system and develop the educator. These are: > Development Appraisal. > Performance Measurement. > Whole School Evaluation. The Developmental Appraisal process appraises individual educators in a transparent manner with the view to determining areas of strength and weaknesses. The Performance Measurement process uses scores achieved during the teacher evaluation exercise to evaluate individual educators for salary progression, grade progression and rewards and incentives. The Whole School Evaluation process, which is an external process, evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school. The empirical investigation commenced with a self-structured questionnaire which was distributed to educators. The data obtained from the completed questionnaires was processed and analyzed by means of descriptive and inferential statistics. The following are some of the recommendations made: > The educator evaluation instrument must focus on teaching time. > The quality assurance process must focus on developing the educator. > Further research should be conducted on the role of quality assurance in educator career paths.

M.Ed. (Tertiary Didactics)