Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

The purpose of this study is to investigate if cultural backgrounds affect how staff from Scandinavian international schools view school development. The study is based on the alternative hypothesis that cultural backgrounds affect school development. A survey was sent to seven Scandinavian international schools with questions designed to detect the views respondents have on school development based on the two most prominent school development perspectives; school improvement and school effectiveness. I investigated and analyzed respondents’ views about their own development work at their school today and what they would like it to look like. In addition, I examined what processes and standards they considered important when engaged in school development work. Also, I wanted to see if there were any differences in views depending on where the respondents had had their higher education, were born, or if years spent in Scandinavia had influenced their views. The results indicated that it is not statistically likely that respondents’ cultural backgrounds affect their views on school development. There could be many reasons for this outcome but since these have not been studied, I can only speculate. One reason could be that the majority of the respondents have spent more than ten years in Scandinavia which might have homogenized the respondents’ views on school development.  Another reason could be that the majority of the respondents come or have had their higher education in either an English speaking country or in Scandinavia.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

The research study investigated management strategies through which school effectiveness could be enhanced in primary schools situated in Gauteng Province. The enhancement of school effectiveness necessitated the discussion on school improvement to find ways to turn around the situation in dysfunctional schools in the province. The province is characterised by urban and suburban areas, townships, and informal settlements. Teachers in schools in these areas are well qualified. However, different challenges in these areas impact upon the enhancement of school effectiveness. A literature review was conducted to provide a conceptual framework and explain concepts such as effective management, administration, leadership, principal effectiveness, and teacher effectiveness. The literature review also investigated the factors that impact upon school effectiveness and school improvement and explored the historical development of School Effectiveness Research (SER) in the United States of America, Europe, Australia, and Africa to expound the problem investigated. An empirical investigation using a qualitative approach was conducted. Six primary schools were selected using purposive sampling to ensure that different demographic areas were covered in the research. Purposive sampling allowed the researcher to target schools from high and low socio-economic areas because they often experience different challenges concerning to school effectiveness. Data were collected through individual interviews with principals and officials from the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) at the district and teachers in focus groups. Key findings were identified. Participants from the three categories respectively identified several characteristics of effective schools which concurred with the literature on school effectiveness. They also identified two features of effective schools which were unique to the study: in effective schools, there is little or no learner and teacher absenteeism; and school values which shape the behaviour of learners are clearly articulated. School values include trustworthiness, respectfulness, honesty, responsibility, striving for excellence and good leadership. School effectiveness is hindered by the current process of appointing principals which does not always succeed in selecting principals with the required leadership qualities and management skills. Further, the incorrect implementation of the Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) in schools hinders teacher development and leads to poor teacher performance. / Die navorsingstudie ondersoek bestuurstrategieë waardeur die effektiwiteit van primêre skole, geleë in die Provinisie van Gauteng verhoog kan word. Die verhoging van effektiwiteit in skole het die bespreking oor skoolverbetering genoodsaak om maniere te vind om die situasie in disfunksionele skole in die provinisie om te draai. Die provinsie word gekenmerk deur landelike en stedelike gebiede, lokasies, en informele nedersetttings. Onderwysers van skole in hierdie gebiede is goed gekwalifiseerd. Verskeie uitdagings in hierdie gebiede het egter n uitwerking op die verhoging van effektiwiteit in skole. ʼn Literêre oorsig is uitgevoer om n konseptuele raamwerk te voorsien en om konsepte soos effektiewe bestuur, administrasie, leierskap, effektiwiteit van die skoolhoof, en onderwysers te verduidelik. ʼn Kwalitatiewe benadering is gebruik om die empiriese ondersoek uit te voer. Ses primêre skole is gekies en doelgerigte steekproefneming is gebruik om te verseker dat verskillende demografiese gebiede deel was van die navorsing. Doelgerigte steekproefneming het die navorser toegelaat om skole van hoë en lae sosio-ekonomiese gebiede te teiken omdat hulle dikwels verskillende uitdagings aangaande die effektiwiteit van skole ervaar. Data is versamel deur indivduele onderhoude met skoolhoofde en amptenare van Gauteng Onderwys Departement (GDE) by die distrik en deur fokusgroep onderhoude met onderwysers. Sleutelbevindinge was soos volg. Deelnemers uit die drie kategoriëë het onderskeidelik geidentifiseer met verskeie eienskappe van effektiewe skole wat ooreenstem met die literatuur op effektiwiteit in skole. Hulle het ook twee kenmerke van effektiewe skole wat uniek was tot die studie geïdentifiseer: in effektiewe skole is daar min of geen afwesigheid van leerders en onderwysers; en skoolwaardes wat die gedrag van leerders vorm word duidelik verwoord. Skoolwaardes sluit betroubaarheid, respek, eerlikheid, verantwoordelikheid, strewe na uitenmendheid en goeie leierskap in. Effektiwiteit in skole word verhinder deur die huidge proses van aanstelling van skoolhoofde wat nie altyd daarin slaag om skoolhoofde te kies wat die nodige leierskap en bestuurseienskappe het nie. Verder, die verkeerde implementering van die Geïntegreerde Bestuurstelsel (IQMS) in skole belemmer die ontwikkeling en lei tot swak prestasie van onderwysers. / Dinyakisiso tse tsa go ithuta di be di tsomana le mekgwanakgwana ya bolaodi bja thuto go tiisetsa gore dikolo tsa motheo Profentsheng ya Gauteng di soma mesomo yeo e nepagetsego. Tiisetso ya go soma mesomonepagetsego ya sekolo e dirile gore go ahlaahliwe hlabollo ya dikolo go humana ditselana tseo ka tsona re ka hlabolang dikolo tseo di sa someng botse mo profentsheng. Profentshe ya Gauteng e na le dikolo tsa motsesetoropong le tsa mo go bego go dula batho basweu fela. Barutisi mo mafelong a ba na le di thuto tse maleba. Fela, dihlotlo tseo dileng gona mo mafelong a di huetsa tiistso ya go soma mesomonepagatso sekolong. Go dirilwe tekololeswa ya dingwalwa go hlalosa dikgopolo tse bjalo ka taolonepagatso, boetapele, mesomonepagatso ya hlogo ya sekolo le mesomonepagatso ya morutisi. Tekololeswa ya dingwalwa e nyakisisitse dintlha tseo di huetsang mesomonepagetso sekolong le hlabollo ya sekolo go lebeletswe tswetsopele ya dinyakisiso tsamesomonepagatso ya dikiolo dinageng tsa United States of America, Europa, Australia le Afrika go hlalosa bothata bjo bo nyakisiswago. Go dirilwe dinyakisiso ka poledisano go somiswa mokgwa wa kwalitetifi. Go kgethilwe dikolo tse tshela tsa fase ka go somisa kgetho ka maikemisetso go direla gore go akaretswe dikolo go tswa mafelong a go fapana. Kgetho ka maikemisetso e dumelela monyakisisi go tswa mafelong a batho ba go ba le sa bona le mafelong a batho ba go hloka sa bona ka ge ba itemogela dihlotlo tse fapaneng mesomonepagatso. Tshedimoso ye e kgobokeditswe ka dipoledisano le dihlogo tsa dikolo motho a le nosi le bahlankedi bammuso wa Kgoro ya Thuto ya Kgauteng motho a le nosi le dipoledisano ka sehlopha. Dintlha tsa dipoelo di be di le mo go latelago: Batseakarolo go tswa mafapeng a go fapana ba hlaotse diponagalo tsa dikolo tseo disomago ka nepagalo tseo di dumelelanago le tekololeswa ya dingwalwa. Gape ba hlaotse dipanagalo tse dingwe tsa moswana nosi: Dikolo tsa go soma ka nepagalo ga di na barutwana goba barutisi ba go se tle sekolong. Meano ya sekolo e akaretsa botshephegi, tlhompho, boikarabelo le go somela bobotse ka go fetisa le boetapele bjo bo botse. Mosomonepagatso ya sekolo e sitiswa ke tshepediso ya go thwala dihlogo tsa dikolo yeo ka nako tse dinwe e sitago ke go hlaola hlogo ya sekolo yeo e nago le boetapele le bolaodi bjo bo botse. Gape, go tsentshatirisong wo o fasagetseng wa tshepetso ya bolaodi bja hlabollo ya barutisi go sitisa tswelopele. / Educational Management and Leadership / Ph. D. (Education Management)