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This thesis is concerned with the vocationalisation of the school curriculum in Britain from the late nineteenth century to the present. It consists of three sections. The first section constitutes the major theoretical component of the work, and develops a view of society as a dialectically interrelating totality whose parts are invested with differential causal force. The social whole is seen as consisting of micro, meso and macrolevels, which correspond respectively to Inter-individual, interorganizational, and the social relationships which constitute the mode of production. This theory is then used to criticise certain existing approaches towards the sociology of education and develop an alternative which is utilised in the rest of my study. The second section examines the social and economic forces existing on micro, mesa and macro societal levels which were central to the formation and development of school-based vocational schemes. Here, I examine the relationships which have existed between individual career routes, the education system, state, economy, and class struggle. This facilitates an examination of the shifting determinations which constituted vocational education, as they have been located both diachronically and synchronically. The points of interconnection between the forces which impinged upon the progress of vocational education changed between the 'entrepreneurial' (late C19th to WW1), 'collective' (inter-War), and 'corporate' (post WW2) periods of education-industry relations. During these stages, a combination of factors reduced gradually the autonomy of the school system, served to increase the influence of the state over the curriculum, and enabled the introduction of a number of vocational schemes In the 'corporate' period. The final section moves between societal levels in a case-study analysis of the operation of two vocational schemes in a local education authority. This examines how the relationship between micro, meso and macro-levels can introduce disjunctions between the official aims and the actual consequences of vocational schemes. The case-study Is also used to refine elements of the earlier theory and identify the areas of autonomy which remain within micro and meso societal levels. The introduction of the Technical and Vocational Education Initiative, and the Schools Vocational Programme is traced, and their operation is examined. Here, I focus on the subject options process, a school-based vocational course, and the attitudes and approaches of Industrialists, teachers and students to work-experience.

This thesis can be described as an in-depth study of the politics of the secondary school curriculum - and, in particular, of the comprehensive school curricu.1unl - 1r: the twelve-year period from 1976 to 1988. It is, in effect, a contribution to contemporary history - an analysis of the Great Debate in education which began in 1976 and ended officially in 1977 while, in reality, continuing unabated in the succeeding years. The eight chapters of the thesis consider: the evolution of the comprehensive school curriculum from 1944 to 1976; the increasingly harsh criticisms of the comprehensive system and its teachers in the early 19705; the origins and authorship of the so-called Yellow Book and of James Callaghan's Ruskin College Speech; the moves towards a 'common' or 'core' curriculum for the secondary age range; the increasingly energetic thrust towards central control of the curriculum; the issues of differentiation, vocationalization and privatization; and the origins of the curriculum proposals in the 1988 Education Reform Act. It is argued that although there was clear evidence of disillusionment with the education system in general - and with the comprehensive reform in particular - in the late 1960s and early 1970s, it was the economic crisis of 1973-75 which finally caused the role and purpose of education to be subjected to close scrutiny by all political groupings in this country. The Callaghan initiative of 1976 was essentially the response of right-wing Labour to that IJ.; crisis, with an attempt to build a new consensus around more central control of the curriculum, greater teacher accountability and the more direct subordination of the secondary curriculum to the perceived needs of the economy. The 1988 Education Act can be seen as an expression of the often contradictory aims and objectives of right-wing groupings within the Conservative Party, with the debate about the desirability or otherwise of a centrally imposed national curriculum being a dear example of conflict within New Right ideology about the role of the state in a free market Society.

Submitted to the Faculty of Education in Fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF EDUCATION in the Department of Philosophy of Education, University of Zululand, 1991. / This study is conducted within the Department of Philosophy of Education. The researcher established that there are two rival claims in so far as the role of the school is concerned. We live at a time where there is a great talk on the rights, needs and interests of the individual. Such talks are more often than not, founded on a big caption of individual autonomy or in¬dividual freedom. As the position of the individual is exalted, schools are also blamed for failing to enhance the status of the individual. The second claim is that of the role of the school and society. In this regard the school is merely seen as an agency or instrument for a society. Its task should therefore be centered around preparing individuals for com¬munity service. The researcher is therefore advocating that neither side should be afforded predominance over the other. To this end, the school should be seen as an institution that should help bring about harmony between individual autonomy and responsible citizenship. In order to confirm the supposition on "a Focus on the Pedagogical relevance of the school in harmonizing education for individual autonomy with responsible citizenship: Implica¬tions for a school curriculum", the researcher stated his problem in a question form like this: Can a school manage to bring about harmony between individual autonomy and responsible citizenship? What curriculum can be envisaged if a compromise between individual freedom and citizenship is reached? Methods of research included, among other things, discussions with members of the public like parents. The researcher intended to find out how parents feel about the role and the contribution that is made by schools. Some members of the parent—community were also interviewed. Certain key figures in the society, at schools, universities, technikons and colleges of education were also interviewed on the role that could be played by the school in bringing about a compromise between individual autonomy and responsible citizenship. Teachers of high schools and senior secondary schools were requested to fill in a questionnaire. Through literature review, discussions, interviews and empirical investigation, the researcher found that most people believe that the question of the pedagogical relevance of the school in bringing about harmony between education for in¬dividual autonomy and responsible citizenship has to do with an aim of education. Briefly, it hinges on what children will become after they have completed schooling. Both parents and teachers agreed that the school can¬not be solely held responsible for the education of children. It was then suggested that the school should work in close contact with the parent com¬munity. Aims and purposes of education should be decided by both parents and teachers. The researcher also found that teachers and parents agreed that there is nothing like absolute individual autonomy. For this reason, there is therefore a general consensus that proper education is the one that prepares pupils to live both as worthy individuals and as responsible citizens. An individual in this study was viewed as a person with his own needs, wants, interests, rights and wishes which need not be suppressed at the expense of those of a society. On the other hand a responsible citizen was seen as a person who does not only live for himself, but for other people as well. The researcher then concluded that in executing their ped¬agogic tasks, both teachers at school and the parent community should real¬ize that the needs of an individual and those of a society are interdepen¬dent. There must be harmony between the needs of an individual and those of a society. The school must therefore not only inculcate a spirit of in¬dividualism in pupils but also a spirit of community service. Lastly, the researcher recommended that since the school curriculum dic¬tates what children will become when they have finished schooling, it therefore needs serious attention. It is therefore recommended that a school curriculum should be designed in such a way that it encompasses both the needs of learners and those of their societies. There is therefore a need for further research on the needs of learners and those of their societies. The school curriculum should not only be designed by a selected few. Teachers, members of the public, the private sector, and if possible, students, should all be consulted before a school curriculum is designed. / BP South Africa Pty (Ltd) and the University of Zululand

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Education in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Masters of Science Education in the Department of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education at the University of Zululand, 2014 / The main purpose of this study was to investigate the implementation of environmental education in schools in the senior phase across the curriculum in the Ubombo circuit. The study targeted Senior Phase educators in General Education and Training because it is the last band in the senior phase where environmental education should be implemented. The study used mixed approach, a combination of both qualitative and quantitative methods. Sampling of participants was random, owing to the vastness of the circuit and schools are far from each other. The first research instruments were administered to Senior Phase educators and subject advisors to solicit their understanding of environmental education and its implementation across the curriculum in the Senior Phase. The second instruments were interview and observation, the main purpose was to collect information from environmental officers and school governing body members about their role and understanding of environmental education as well as its implementation in schools. The research results showed that environmental education was not formally implemented across the curriculum in schools in the senior phase. The research findings and existing literature shows that there are different challenges regarding the implementation of environmental education across the curriculum in schools. These challenges cut across the geographical divide. They include shortages of policy guidelines, resources, inadequate workshops, changing curriculum, attitude of educators towards the implementation of environmental education and shortage of specialist environmental educators. The research findings further revealed that educators lack content knowledge about environmental education. The general understanding is that environmental education is about plants and animals. Even district managers, circuit managers and ward managers did not understand all the dynamics of environmental education. Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and other non-governmental environmental organisations are still conducting workshops on environmental education for schools.

This study is concerned with the design, justification and evaluation of a curriculum in the field of Environmental Education which attempts to emphasise certain aspects of Environmental Education which are neglected in schools at present. It is argued that the majority of Environmental Education programmes are based on the rational/logical mode of thinking, are expert dominated and concentrate heavily on environmental dysfunction. In an attempt to redress this imbalance a curriculum design is presented which emphasises the sensory/expressive mode of thought, group co-operation and centres on positive features of the environment. A rationale in support of such a curriculum is developed and the conditions necessary for its success are described. An evaluation of the implementation of the curriculum in four diverse educational settings is described. Finally the implications of this study for further developments in the fields of education in general and Environmental Education in particular are discussed.

In my thesis I explore way in which adolescent male students negotiate and interrogate discursive ideologies relating to hegemonic masculinities and to the normality of "whiteness", specifically within one English classroom in an Australian private single sex boys’ school in Perth, Western Australia. A feminist poststructuralist theoretical framework is employed to explore how gendered and racialized positions available to adolescent males contribute to the shaping of their subjectivities, and how the social constructions of masculinities and femininities contribute to the ways in which adolescent males represent themselves. A quantitative approach, which included individual classroom observations, questionnaires and interviews, provided me with tools essential for examining the complexities of the effects of social constructs such as gender, sexuality and ethnicity on masculinist positionings at school. The study reveals the complexities surrounding discourses of hegemonic heterosexual masculinities and privileges of whiteness on the situationally specific formation and negotiation of subjectivities in adolescent males’ lives in one school. Central findings of the study show that adolescent males in this single sex boys’ school easily maintained socially constructed ideas surrounding the feminisation of females and masculinization of males, with notions of homophobia embedded in discourses of hegemonic masculinities. A resistance to alternative masculine discourses shows the impact and maintenance of hegemonic heterosexual masculinities for adolescent males. However, through the use of particular texts, female teachers in the all boys’ classroom were able to open up spaces for male students to interrogate hegemonic forms of masculinities, to interrogate power relationships, and to access alternative masculinities. Ina similar vein, my findings show how easy it is for students to ignore social injustices in relation to racism and stereotyping of Indigenous Australians, and to retain notions that reinforce these injustices. A major conclusion of the study is that social injustices are easily maintained through educational institutions as active agents of reinforcing ideas and ideologies, particularly when changes mean disruption of privileges, such as privileges associated with hegemonic masculinity or with whiteness. Although this study was conducted within a middle class milieu, and thus the students were from an advantaged position in life, this does not justify their ignorance of issues of social justice. Indeed, the findings highlight the importance of this kind of critical approach with middle class boys in single sex schools. Important implications of this study are that findings contribute to the discovery of ways of changing deeply ingrained ideologies such as perceived gender dichotomies, the masculinization of males and the feminisation of females. My findings also contribute to ways in which privileges, such as whiteness, can be deconstructed and interrogated by those in privileged positions. My findings have potential significant implications for pedagogical practices. Education provides a means by which tools can be utilized to deconstruct and interrogate notices which maintain privileges, and in the study particularly white male privileges. Within the educational systems, an understanding relating to how subjectivities are shaped within a classroom setting will also lead to greater educational insights into how specific texts and classroom interactions affect students’ self representation and understanding. Thus a gender equity and social justice curriculum committed to interrogating the ways in which male students subscribe, invest and negotiate hegemonic masculinities in advocated and has particular relevance to those males already in privileged class positions in terms of working towards a more socially just society.

The purpose of this study is to provide a sound curriculum for the junior high school based on the psychological, sociological, and democratic needs of youth. One of several reason given for the establishment of the junior high school was to adjust the curriculum to the needs of youth.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Education in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education in the Department of Maths, Science and Technology Education at the University Of Zululand, South Africa, 2014 / There has recently been a renewed interest emanating from the Department of Basic Education in the inclusion of indigenous knowledge in the mainstream science curriculum. The aims and principles of the new curriculum statement seek to realign themselves with those of the Constitution of the Republic, which highlight inclusivity, valuing indigenous knowledge and the environment, and social justice for all. In an attempt to address some of the glaring fundamental oversights in the curriculum statement. To this end, the Department of Basic Education has identified indigenous knowledge that can be integrated into the science curriculum and be taught at school. The challenge that baffles many interested and affected parties in education is the absence of clear guidelines as to what aspect of IK can be integrated into the science classroom, as there was never any curriculum training for teachers in this regard. This study was conducted within the community of Emacekane in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, to explore the feasibility of integrating indigenous knowledge within the science curriculum. The following objectives were established to answer the research questions. The first was to determine whether or not IK can be integrated within the science subjects as taught in Empangeni schools. The second was to explore whether or not effective partnerships exist between schools and the surrounding indigenous communities in the development and authentication of IK for the purposes of integration within the school curriculum. The third was to examine the contribution of socio-cultural practices towards the preservation of indigenous knowledge. The results of this study reveal that the Department of Basic Education should invest more resources and underscore the importance of extending thinking about IK-science integration beyond aspects that suit science content, to considering more fruitful and comprehensive methods of teaching and learning science, as well as their relevance to community needs.