Thesis (Ph. D.)--Open University. BLDSC no. DX208465.

Thesis (EdD.)--Open University.

The inception of democracy in South Africa required that all the people of the nation be integrated into a single society. This implies that people brought with them their individual, cultural and normative values into the integrative process. The education system is one such area that has felt the impact of this diversity. In his State of the Nation address to parliament on 25 June 1999, President Mbeki outlined the critical priorities for the nation (Dept of Education, 2000: 6) and questioned whether our education system was fulfilling the purpose of preparing people for citizenship and nationhood. The success of society, according to President Mbeki is dependent upon people working together to build the success of the nation. The Minister of Education in his attempt to ensure that education aligns itself with meeting the national agenda, presented the strategic plan for the Department of education, embraced symbolically in the word “Tirisano”– meaning to work together to build a better nation. The critical factor for success seems to be the need to take action together towards an agreed upon purpose. When formal state structures had to undergo change, symbols (such as Tirisano) were often adopted to rally people around the ideal of a traditional society. People could be unified through pure and solid values (Rose, 1985). It appears that to a large extent, the success of the nation depends upon all people engaging themselves in purposeful labour (or work). Unemployment, or the lack of work, has been cited as a depleting agent in society. Whenever we work, our central life values infiltrate our actions, inextricably colouring our behaviours. The values we associate with work represents a large part of who we are as individuals (Furnham,1990). It would appear that people tend to group together when similar values pertaining to work can be identified as common to all. By the same token one could find people grouping because the characteristic feature is the lack of work. / Prof. B.R. Grobler

Data presented in 2004 at a national conference on multi-grade teaching in Namibia revealed some significant negative effects on achievement associated with multi-grade instruction. In addition, the data indicated that teachers lack management and organisational strategies for multi-grade teaching. The purpose of this study was to explore the views and perceptions of educators on the managing of multi-grade classes in Namibia. Chapter one describes the background to the study, focussing on the history of education in Namibia and the history of multi-grade education. It became clear at this stage already that teachers need to be well trained, well resourced and hold positive attitudes towards multi-grade teaching if children are to learn effectively in multi-grade environments. In addition, parents should have input into significant instructional and assessment decisions concerning their children. The Literature survey in chapter two provides a theoretical framework on the concept of the management of multi-grade classrooms and the need for appropriate management and teaching skills. Effective multi-grade teaching involves the use of a range of organisational strategies in the classroom. Curriculum, learning materials, teacher education and assessment are necessary components of an integrated strategy for teaching and learning. Surrounding these strategies is the need for national policies (for curriculum, materials, teacher education and assessment) that recognise, legitimate and support learners and teachers in multi-grade settings. Chapter three identified the tools and processes of conducting the study with reference to previous and new developments in multi-grade teaching. The assumption guiding the study is that a strong case can be made by using an approach that combines qualitative and quantitative elements. By using different methods at various points in the research process, the researcher could build on the strength of each type of data collection and minimise the weaknesses of any single approach. Data was therefore collected simultaneously and involved both numeric information (on structured questionnaires) and text information (on focus group interviews and observations) so that the final database represents both qualitative and quantitative information. Five educational regions in Namibia were randomly selected to participate in this study. Literature suggests five key areas that are normally the focus of concern in multigrade teaching environments and should be included in any training programme. These include classroom management, instructional strategies, curriculum, instructional materials and community involvement. These five key areas were also used as a conceptual framework through which the observations, focus group interviews and questionnaires were rendered comprehensible in the analysis and interpretation of data as discussed in chapter four. It should be emphasised that education is inevitably underpinned by educational philosophies whether acknowledged or not. Multi-grade teaching too has particular philosophical bases, which emerge from the literature. Multi-grade practices recognise that there is an overlap of abilities amongst learners but also that levels of difficulty have to be taken into account. The philosophy of teaching is therefore an important consideration in multi-grade teaching. The findings of the study are discussed in chapter five. One of the most important findings is most probably the need for a national policy that recognises, legitimate and support learners and teachers in multi-grade settings. The study concludes with recommendations and suggestions for further research. / Prof. C.F. Loock

M.Ed. / This report provides the results of a social scientific research on the assessment of the management of school environments and its implications for the Whole School Evaluation (WSE). Through a qualitative research design that used photos and field notes, the researcher personally collected data from 21 Qwaqwa schools. Maximum variation- and theoretical purposive sampling techniques were used for data collection. With maximum validity and reliability, the research results showed that Qwaqwa schoolyards are big and that the school land is not effectively utilised. Although there is currently no policy that perfectly assesses the management of school environments (except the WSE), the results showed that Qwaqwa schools freely use their own individual creative strategies for the management of their environments. The results revealed that schools consist of two kinds of environments, namely, natural and other manmade physical environments. The research results provided evidence that the schools can manage their natural environments through grass, trees, gardens and school parks. The results also revealed that manmade aspects of school environments can be best managed through rockeries, sport fields, paving, parking areas, general maintenance of buildings and symbols such as the school flag, the national flag of South Africa and plaques. The results further revealed that there are various forms of waste and refuse in schools and that littering was still a problem. However, the findings revealed that certain schools used rubbish bins to address the problem. The researcher thus recommends that these creative strategies be recognised and added to WSE criteria for effective school environment management. / Prof. K.C. Moloi

Thesis (MBA) --University of Limpopo, 2010 / Quality has always been a central concern in education. Parents are ready to pay more for the best value for their money, in order to give their children the quality education. The South African education system seems to have very sound policies, but one wonders if they are well implemented, and whether customers do in deed get what they expect (customer satisfaction) from the process. The Department of Education department introduced Integrated Quality Management System in 2003 as a strategy to be used in order to improve the quality of education and improve on the performance of educators in the country. The provincial department of education‟s attempts at implementing Integrated Quality Management System since early 2004 have not been without problems; however, more especially after the signing of the Agreement on the Occupational Specific Dispensation, there has been some uncertainty about the current status of Integrated Quality Management System. The purpose of this research is to investigate the extent to which service organisations such as public schools in Limpopo Province particularly in the Mankweng cluster deliver quality service as expected by their internal and external customers.

Thesis (MPA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2013 / The South African government, through the Department of Education is continually seeking means and strategies to improve the quality of education in the country. Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) is one of the systems adopted and implemented in all public schools to improve the quality of teaching and learning in schools. IQMS, as outlined in Collective Agreement No 8 of 2003, was informed by the Employment of Educators Act 76 of 1998 and the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. IQMS consists of three programmes which need to be in place in order to enhance and monitor performance of the education system. Developmental Appraisal’s purpose is to appraise individual educators in a transparent manner with a view to determining areas of strengths and weaknesses and to draw up programmes for individual development; Performance Measurement’s purpose is to evaluate individual educators for salary and grade progression, affirmation of appointments and rewards and incentives, and Whole School Evaluation’s purpose is to evaluate the effectiveness of a school. The research focused on how IQMS is implemented in Mopani District secondary schools, in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Qualitative research methodology was used. Results indicated that some structures and individuals know their roles and responsibilities in IQMS implementation; however, they admit to encountering challenges in implementing it. Educators and structures generally perceive IQMS positively and believe that educator performance may improve if the challenges encountered are addressed by the Department of Education. Recommendations were also advanced on how to make IQMS serve the purpose for which it was intended.

Thesis (M.ED. (Educational management)) --University of Limpopo, 2010 / Refer to document

Thesis (M.Ed. (Educational Management)) --University of Limpopo, 2010 / Refere to document

This thesis addresses the identification of critical incidents in schools, the factors influencing teachers' coping, and the implications for crisis intervention and management. An argument is developed that school communities may be best served by a salutogenic (wellness) perspective for crisis response and recovery, which focuses on the personal and collective resources that contribute to successful coping and mental health. Three aims were addressed. First considered was the potential for commonly occuring events (e.g., the death or injury of a teacher or student, assault, vandalism or damage to school property, professional misconduct on the part of a teacher), to evoke stress, grief, or trauma responses in individuals and organisations. Emphasised was the nature of individual differences in responses to such critical incidents, and ways of dealing effectively with the varying character and intensity of such responses. The second aim was to examine the influence of pre-existing personal wellbeing and resources on individuals' responses, adjustment and growth after an incident. The third aim was to explore the interface between the individual and the organisation following critical incidents, and the nature and impact of intervention and management strategies on an individuals' sense of wellbeing and ongoing investment within the organisation. Two related studies investigated the impact of critical incidents on teachers. In Study 1, 245 teachers completed a self-report questionnaire that gathered quantitative data comprising three measures of personality and positive functioning (Psychological Wellbeing & Sense of Coherence), demographic data, and teachers' previous experience of critical incidents. Teachers also provided an autobiographical account of a personally significant critical incident. Results showed that commonly occuring events, such as the death of a student or teacher, and other issues such as professional misconduct of a colleague, professional conflict, theft and vandalism were regarded as critical incidents by teachers. The four distinct response categories indentified (negative feelings, positive cognitions, negative conditions, & negative impact on functioning) were characteristically grief or stress responses rather than those associated with psychological trauma. Significant relationships were identified among the personality variables and the measures of positive functioning. Extraversion was positively related to positive functioning, and introversion negatively related. The findings point to personal and collective issues that have the potential to facilitate and enhance coping and recovery after a critical incident. In particular, six management strategies (Wellness Factors), comprising both personal and organisational components, emerged as potential contributors to ongoing psychological wellbeing, sense of coherence, and posttraumatic growth outcomes. These Wellness Factors were identified as: (a) emotional and practical support; (b) active involvement; (c) responding according to individual need; (d) access to information; (e) readiness; and (f) leadership. Study 2 involved a more detailed examination of the experience of 30 teachers following a critical incident subsequent to the completion of Study 1. This study examined personality, posttraumatic growth and personal trauma history (gathered through a self-report questionnaire), in conjunction with the pre-event personal characteristics gathered in Study 1. The second component of Study 2 consisted of a semi-structured interview that explored the teachers' personal experiences of the critical incident. Results revealed that PCI Extraversion showed significant positive relationships with Psychological Wellbeing and Sense of Coherence. PCI Emotionality showed a significant positive relationships with Posttraumatic Growth. Interview data showed that 22.5% of teachers reported a high incidence of Acute Stress responses (DSM-IV-TR criteria). In addition, anger directed at the school's leadership, and conflict between disillusionment with authority and the impact of the event. Strong negative relationships were identified among Extraversion and Openness, and the Wellness factors. Results showed that moderate stress responses are associated with Posttraumatic Growth at a personal level. However, the same responses can evoke disillusionment and cynicism at an organisational level. The findings are discussed in terms of the personal and organisational factors that contribute to healing and recovery following critical incidents. Implications for critical incident management planning, intervention and recovery are considered, along with directions for future research.