Submitted to the Faculty of Education in fufilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the Department of Curriculum & Instructional Studies at the University of Zululand, 2006. / The present study examines educators' experiences in implementing the Revised National Curriculum Statement in the GET Band. The first aim of the study was to ascertain the nature of educators' experiences in implementing the Revised National Curriculum Statement. The second aim was to determine whether educators' biographical factors such as gender, age, teaching experience, qualification and rank have any influence on the nature of their experiences in implementing the Revised Curriculum Statement. The third aim was to ascertain the extent to which educators generally find implementing the Revised National Curriculum Statement to be stressful. The last aim was to determine whether educators' biographical factors (gender, age, teaching experience, qualification and rank) have any influence on the extent to which they generally find implementing the Revised National Curriculum Statement to be stressful. To this end, a questionnaire was administered to a randomly selected sample of three hundred and eight educators. The findings reveal that educators differ in terms of the nature of their experiences in implementing the Revised Curriculum Statement. A high percentage (61.04%) of educators reports a positive experience about implementing the Revised National Curriculum Statement. The findings also show that age, teaching experience and qualification have an influence on the nature of educators' experiences in implementing the Revised National Curriculum Statement. The findings further reveal that educators differ in the extent to which they generally find implementing the Revised National Curriculum Statement to be stressful. A relatively higher percentage (38.31%) report above average level of stress, 28.90% report below average level and 32.79% report an average level The last finding shows that educators' gender, age, teaching experience, qualification and rank have no influence on the extent to which educators generally find implementing the Revised National Curriculum Statement to be stressful. On the basis of the findings of this study, a model on curriculum implementation process was proposed and recommended.

<p>Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka om det sydafrikanska skolväsendet bygger på teorierom det individuella lärandet. Undersökningen genomförs med tre metoder, en textanalys avläroplanen, intervjuer av lärare i Sydafrika och observationer av undervisning i ensydafrikansk skola. Resultatet är att det finns vissa spår av individuellt lärande i läroplanen,hos lärarnas svar och i viss undervisning. I diskussionen kommer jag fram till att även om detfinns frön av individuellt lärande i den sydafrikanska skolan så är det inte tillräckligt för attsäga att hela det sydafrikanska skolväsendet bygger på tankar om det individuella lärandet.Nyckelord: Individuellt lärande, Lärstilar, Revised National Curriculum StatementGrades R-9, Sydafrika.</p> / <p>The purpose of this essay is to investigate whether or not the South African school systempredicates upon theories of individual learning. The investigation is carried out using threemethods, a textual analysis of the Curriculum, interviews with South African teachers andclassroom observations. The resulat is that there are some traits of individual learning in thecurriculum, in the answers of the teachers and in some of the education. In my conclusivediscussion I find that even if there are some traces of individual learning in the South Africanschool system it is not enough to say that the South African school system predicates upontheories of individual learning.</p>

Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka om det sydafrikanska skolväsendet bygger på teorierom det individuella lärandet. Undersökningen genomförs med tre metoder, en textanalys avläroplanen, intervjuer av lärare i Sydafrika och observationer av undervisning i ensydafrikansk skola. Resultatet är att det finns vissa spår av individuellt lärande i läroplanen,hos lärarnas svar och i viss undervisning. I diskussionen kommer jag fram till att även om detfinns frön av individuellt lärande i den sydafrikanska skolan så är det inte tillräckligt för attsäga att hela det sydafrikanska skolväsendet bygger på tankar om det individuella lärandet.Nyckelord: Individuellt lärande, Lärstilar, Revised National Curriculum StatementGrades R-9, Sydafrika. / The purpose of this essay is to investigate whether or not the South African school systempredicates upon theories of individual learning. The investigation is carried out using threemethods, a textual analysis of the Curriculum, interviews with South African teachers andclassroom observations. The resulat is that there are some traits of individual learning in thecurriculum, in the answers of the teachers and in some of the education. In my conclusivediscussion I find that even if there are some traces of individual learning in the South Africanschool system it is not enough to say that the South African school system predicates upontheories of individual learning.

The research focuses on the role of the principal in the implementation of the Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS) in Tshwane North District 3. The district is characterised by urban areas, townships and informal settlements. Educators in schools in these areas are well qualified; however, schools in the informal settlement lack resources and facilities. Thus, the curriculum implementation problems experienced by principals and educators in the informal settlements differ from those of principals and educators in urban schools. The amendment of the Curriculum 2005 through the RNCS introduced innovations in schools and changed the principal's role in its implementation. A literature review provided a conceptual framework and covered requirements for successful curriculum implementation, the principal's role therein and relevant training for principals. An empirical investigation using a qualitative approach was conducted and data gathered by interviews with principals, officials from the Department of Education and educators. Finally, a synopsis of the findings and recommendations for further research are provided. / EDUCATIONAL STUDIES / MED (EDUC MANAGEMENT)

The research focuses on the role of the principal in the implementation of the Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS) in Tshwane North District 3. The district is characterised by urban areas, townships and informal settlements. Educators in schools in these areas are well qualified; however, schools in the informal settlement lack resources and facilities. Thus, the curriculum implementation problems experienced by principals and educators in the informal settlements differ from those of principals and educators in urban schools. The amendment of the Curriculum 2005 through the RNCS introduced innovations in schools and changed the principal's role in its implementation. A literature review provided a conceptual framework and covered requirements for successful curriculum implementation, the principal's role therein and relevant training for principals. An empirical investigation using a qualitative approach was conducted and data gathered by interviews with principals, officials from the Department of Education and educators. Finally, a synopsis of the findings and recommendations for further research are provided. / EDUCATIONAL STUDIES / MED (EDUC MANAGEMENT)

Magister Educationis - MEd / This mini thesis analyses and describes the implementation of the National Curriculum in the Foundation Phase of the primary school. On the 24th of May 1997 South Africa launched a new curriculum, Curriculum 2005 (C2005). The underlying philosophy of C2005 is Outcomes Based Education (OBE). Since the adoption of OBE and the introduction of C2005 many changes have been introduced in our schools with a new curriculum that had to be implemented hastily, which was reviewed and again introduced as the Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS).Teachers had little say in any of these changes and this has resulted in frustration and in many cases a lack of ability to cope with the implementation of the new curriculum.I argue that teachers do not have a common understanding of the Assessment Standards and that they still need support with linking the theory of curriculum policy to their practices and with a sound application of Integration and Progression. This research is an enquiry into the process of curriculum implementation in particular in the Foundation Phase which was tasked to be the first to adopt the changes. Change was not sustained and I highlight some of the challenges that teachers still face.A significant part of the research is the participatory action research process which is a deliberate, solution-oriented investigation into the implementation of the RNCS in the Foundation Phase to inform and change my understanding of the actual support teachers need.The study is characterized by a cycle of problem identification, planning, systemic data collection, reflection, analysis and action. With the research I am striving to understand teachers’ practices in order to improve my work as Education Specialist that supports and develops teachers in primary schools.

Outcomes-based education (OBE) (at least at a conceptual level) is moving from an instructionist (teacher as transmitter of knowledge) to a constructivist approach (teacher as mediator and facilitator in the construction of meaning). This shift requires teachers that move from a traditional teacher-centred classroom to a learner-centred classroom management approach. The policy originators label this shift as a “paradigm shift”, but in the training of educators in OBE, no training was offered in terms of a new approach to classroom management. In this study I argue that if OBE in the South African context really constitute a paradigm shift, then at conceptual level, it would require a new approach to classroom management. Against this background, the aim of the study is to conceptually interrogate the notion of constructivist classroom management and investigate how classroom management within a constructivist mode differs from traditional classroom management within an instructionist approach. This study is qualitative in nature and employs conceptual analysis in the form of conceptual historical analysis, conceptual cartography and hermeneutic analysis. The Wilsonian concept analysis was used to examine and distinguish between the defining attributes of the concepts “instructionist classroom management” and “constructivist classroom management” and their relevant attributes. Also, a typology of non-empirical questions applied to conceptual analysis was used. The Matrix of Paradigmatic Value Systems was used as a tool/lens to categorise “instructionist classroom management” and “constructivist classroom management” in terms of their paradigmatic roots. Credibility and authenticity was achieved through crystallisation instead of triangulation. Emerging from the literature and concept analysis, “instructionist classroom management” is informed and guided by the traditional paradigm – it is based on a mechanistic worldview. On the other hand, “constructivist classroom management” is compatible with the emerging paradigm – it has holistic and artistic features. Traditional classroom management is underpinned by the principles of scientific management whilst constructivist classroom management is informed and guided by contingency approaches to management theory. Based on the analysis done and the reflection on the data, it is posited that classroom management within a constructivist setting needs to move from traditional to contingency classroom management approach. On the surface, basic management principles such as, planning, organising, leading and control, appear to be similar, but this is a myth. For example, planning, seen from its traditional defining terms, approaches classroom management as a step-by-step process under control and directed by the teacher; and may restrict the degree to which learners become collaborators in the teaching and learning situation. Organising focuses on issues of group work and collaborates learning; control moves to accountability (where learners become part of the development of class rules and partners in ensuring order and discipline); and evaluation moves to ongoing assessment and feedback as a strategy to ensure continuous improvement and the facilitation of the construction of new knowledge. Thus, this study proposes rethinking a set of principles compatible to the emergent paradigm that should not only support the construction of knowledge in the constructivist setting, but also promote collaborative interaction. / Thesis (PhD (Education Management, Law and Policy))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Outcomes-Based Education forms the foundation of South Africa's revised national education curriculum, known as The Revised National Curriculum Statement Grades R-9. The Van Hiele Model, developed for the teaching and learning of geometry, has already been used successfully in the school curricula of the Netherlands and Russia. Strong support for this theory exists in leading countries like America and Europe. This study has investigated the possible relationship between the Van Hiele theory and the "Revised National Curriculum Statement Grades R-9" and through critical evaluation found a great compatibility between them. Both are giving strong support for the spiral approach to mathematics education. It is recommended that all geometry learning programmes and teaching units be moulded on the Van Hiele Model. / Suid-Afrika se hersiene nasionale onderwyskurrikulum, die "Revised National Curriculum Statement Grades R-9" word deur uitkomsgebaseerde onderwys gefundeer. Die Van Hiele Model vir die onderrig en leer van meetkunde, is suksesvol in skoolkurrikula van Nederland en Rusland toegepas en geniet wye steun in lande soos Amerika en Europa. Hierdie navorsing het die moontlike verband tussen die Van Hiele raamwerk en die nuwe kurrikulum ondersoek en deur kritiese evaluering baie sterk versoenbaarheid tussen die "Revised National Curriculum Statement Grades R-9" en die Van Hiele Model gevind. Verder is ook aangetoon dat beide sterk gebruik maak van die spiraalbenadering in wiskundeonderwys. Aanbevelings in die verband is dat leerprogramme en onderrigeenhede wat die kurrikulum vir meetkunde in skole implementeer op die Van Hiele Model geskoei word. / Mathematical Sciences / M. Sc. (Mathematics Education)

The present study examines the relationship between the practices of schooling and classroom teaching and learning on the one hand and learners’ cognitive development and functioning on the other. The study uses innovative system of ideas in developmental and educational psychology, originally formulated by Lev Vygotsky to investigate the interrelations between learning, instruction and development. Carried out in a rapidly changing socio-cultural context of Venda, South Africa, the study examines the realities of schooling practices that exhibit both continuity with the past practices of society and some profound transformations that together lead to a multi-dimensional and a complex picture of cognitive development in learners. By examining the relations between the cultural practices of schooling and its socio-historical context on the one hand, and the consequent psychological process on the other hand, the present study offers an opportunity for exploring processes that may be more opaque in relatively stable socio-cultural contexts of schooling. The observations on the history of schooling in South Africa in general, and in Venda in particular, support the theoretical formulation that particular practices of schooling, themselves originating from and continuing larger social-historical processes, represent contexts in which learning and development take place and are shaped. The empirical investigations revealed that even the socio-cultural contexts of schooling characterized by strong ruptures, such as in South Africa, nonetheless carry on some vestiges of their past practices that affect today’s learning and development of learners. The study concludes, extending the prevailing theoretical formulation, that the social and cultural setting of schooling in Venda is multifaceted; manifesting xvi. instances of indigenous practices, the traditions of past missionary practices, as well as the traditions of the past, apartheid schooling. By taking into account these socio-cultural influences, the study provides crucial insights into the regularities of cognitive and conceptual developmental processes taking place in conditions of rapid social change in the course of the schooling of today’s children in Venda. The study furthers our understanding about the regularities of the socio-cultural and historical processes of schooling in conditions of rapid social change, and concludes by proposing ways of improving contemporary educational practice in South Africa, grounded in sound psychological knowledge and research about school transformation and classroom teaching and learning improvement.

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Outcomes-Based Education forms the foundation of South Africa's revised national education curriculum, known as The Revised National Curriculum Statement Grades R-9. The Van Hiele Model, developed for the teaching and learning of geometry, has already been used successfully in the school curricula of the Netherlands and Russia. Strong support for this theory exists in leading countries like America and Europe. This study has investigated the possible relationship between the Van Hiele theory and the "Revised National Curriculum Statement Grades R-9" and through critical evaluation found a great compatibility between them. Both are giving strong support for the spiral approach to mathematics education. It is recommended that all geometry learning programmes and teaching units be moulded on the Van Hiele Model. / Suid-Afrika se hersiene nasionale onderwyskurrikulum, die "Revised National Curriculum Statement Grades R-9" word deur uitkomsgebaseerde onderwys gefundeer. Die Van Hiele Model vir die onderrig en leer van meetkunde, is suksesvol in skoolkurrikula van Nederland en Rusland toegepas en geniet wye steun in lande soos Amerika en Europa. Hierdie navorsing het die moontlike verband tussen die Van Hiele raamwerk en die nuwe kurrikulum ondersoek en deur kritiese evaluering baie sterk versoenbaarheid tussen die "Revised National Curriculum Statement Grades R-9" en die Van Hiele Model gevind. Verder is ook aangetoon dat beide sterk gebruik maak van die spiraalbenadering in wiskundeonderwys. Aanbevelings in die verband is dat leerprogramme en onderrigeenhede wat die kurrikulum vir meetkunde in skole implementeer op die Van Hiele Model geskoei word. / Mathematical Sciences / M. Sc. (Mathematics Education)