published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Sociology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Thesis (M. Tech.) -- Central University of Technology, Free State, 2007

M.Ed. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.A. / none / Dr. W. Roestenburg

A thesis submitted to the School of Education, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Johannesburg, 2016. / This thesis investigates a relatively under-researched area of behaviour support, namely the value and effectiveness of the Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) model (Sugai & Horner, 2002, 2009; Sugai & Simonsen, 2012) within the context of South African classrooms. Within this study, Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological framework (Bronfenbrenner 1977, 1979, 1986, 1992; Bronfenbrenner & Ceci 1994; Bronfenbrenner & Morris 1998; Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006) is used as a conceptual tool to understand behavioural and behaviour support challenges, specifically within selected Limpopo Foundation Phase (FP) classrooms. Given that behavioural challenges contribute to learner exclusion in schools, the thesis also draws on inclusion imperatives (DoE 2001, 2005, 2014) that support learners’ full and successful participation within schools. Following its shift from a focus on deficit and control towards a developmental approach of behaviour management, PBS was selected for its particular value within South Africa’s history of corporal punishment, as well as the country’s contextual factors of poverty and teacher (pre and in-service) under-preparedness in the area of behaviour support. The research participants for this study comprised a purposive sample of Wits School of Education FP Limpopo in-service teachers, who each participated in the inclusion module taught in year four of their undergraduate degree. The study employed a mixed-methods research design and an analysis of various data sources, namely survey questionnaires, focus group interviews, module evaluations, open-ended questionnaires, as well as classroom observations in Limpopo schools and interviews with teachers of the classes that were observed. Overall, the research findings have provided evidence to support the effectiveness of the PBS model for Limpopo FP classrooms, and in doing so, have provided useful new information for the application of the model more broadly within the South African context. The PBS model was found to be valuable and effective in helping the Limpopo teachers better understand and better manage behavioural challenges in their classrooms. Findings show that respondents believe that their ability to manage behavioural challenges were inadequate before they were exposed to the PBS model. The respondents indicated that their initial limited linear view of learners and learner behaviour support had changed. As a result of an increased awareness of various ecosystemic factors related to behaviour and behaviour support, findings revealed that respondents developed a broader, more holistic understanding of learner behaviour and behaviour support management in the context of the classroom. The PBS 4 strategies that were employed in Limpopo classrooms were however not without their challenges. The findings reveal opportunities for further research into PBS within South Africa at a schoolwide level. Furthermore, longitudinal studies that incorporate PBS as part of teacher in-service and pre-service education will provide valuable data on the growing field of PBS within South Africa. KEY WORDS Inclusion, Bio-ecological, Teacher Education, Positive Behaviour Support (PBS), Limpopo Foundation Phase Teacher / LG2018

Thesis (M.Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2006. / The purpose of this study was to determine the impact that alternatives to corporal punishment had on the culture of teaching and learning at Lepato High School in the Limpopo Province. The methods used for data collection involved the use of questionnaires, personal interviews and participation observation. The findings indicated that implementing alternatives to corporal punishment without proper support from all stakeholders in education was disastrous for this school. This study further revealed that parental involvement in education is necessary for the successful application of alternatives to corporal punishment in schools. The study findings will make a positive contribution to the improvement of the handling of disciplinary problems in various schools especially in the Limpopo Province and South Africa in general.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

The intent of this study was to systematically investigate the relationship between African American disproportionality in school discipline which is the overrepresentation of students for exclusionary discipline practices (i.e., out-of-school suspensions and/or expulsions) - and student performance. Utilizing official disciplinary records and performance data obtained from the Colorado Department of Education and a single urban school district within the same state, a series of quantitative analyses that included correlations and logistic and multiple regressions, were conducted to determine how out-of-school suspensions and expulsions impact African American students. The premise upon which the present study is based relies heavily on the tenets of Critical Race Theory as it applies to education, which in part asserts that American schools are permeated by racism and that White privilege is used to preserve school inequities through the use of stratification. Given this, it is argued that out-of-school suspensions and expulsions have been used, or rather misused, to perpetuate the disproportionate exclusion of African American students from the classroom for relatively minor offenses; which in some ways, can explain why this group typically suffers from poor student performance. This dissertation was guided by two separate, yet interrelated studies, which posed the following research questions where the first study asks; What factors are important in predicting the likelihood of being suspended and/or expelled from school? and Are suspensions and race correlated? Here, the interest is in exploring the influence of race, class, gender and other possible demographic characteristics, such as school level and behavior role, on exclusionary discipline practices. The second study asks; How does the overrepresentation of African American students for exclusionary sanctions impact student performance? The interest, here, is in identifying the relationship between school suspensions and/or expulsions and its impact on the dropout rate, graduation rate, and performance on high stakes tests. This dissertation study produces two findings that are not only unprecedented; they are cutting-edge and provocative. First, female and elementary students were found to be more likely to face suspension and/or expulsion in comparison to male and secondary students, respectively. Second, by increasing the number of suspended and expelled African American students, school districts improved their overall student performance on high stakes tests. With the contribution of these findings, a paradigmic shift in research and discourse on disproportionality in school discipline is both fitting and warranted.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2000. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 69-74). Also available on the Internet.