The aim of this study was to determine the impact that learner mobility has on teaching and learning. Although many factors affect teaching and learning, these factors need to be looked at in the context of the present situation. In South Africa, parents have freedom of choice to quality schools for their children in any area. The quest for quality schools has led to an unexpected increase in learner mobility around the country. Despite this, learners have to travel long distances to and from school daily which has an effect on learning and teaching. The researcher applied a qualitative research approach using an exploratory case study. Data was collected at only one secondary school by interviewing learners, educators, a School Management Team member and parents. Findings indicate that learner mobility has a direct and indirect impact on learning and teaching. Directly it results in exhaustion, increased late-coming, poor effort, poor results and bad behaviour of learners as well as frustration and demotivation of educators. Indirectly management of the school becomes difficult and there is also a lack of parental involvement in learners schooling. The outcomes of this study provided valuable awareness of the effects learners mobility has on learning and teaching. For quality education to be effective, it needs to be available at the learner’s doorstep. / Die doel van hierdie studie was om die invloed van leerders se mobiliteit op hulle onderrig en leer te bepaal. Die talle faktore wat onderrig en leer tans beïnvloed, moet ondersoek word. In Suid-Afrika kan ouers hulle kinders na ʼn goeie skool in enige gebied stuur. Die gewildheid van goeie skole het landswyd ʼn onverwagte toename in leerdermobiliteit tot gevolg gehad. Die groot afstande wat leerders elke dag skool toe en huis toe moet reis, het ʼn uitwerking op hulle onderrig en leer. Die navorser het ʼn kwalitatiewe navorsingsbenadering gevolg en ʼn verkennende gevallestudie onderneem. Data is by slegs een sekondêre skool versamel deur onderhoude met leerders, onderwysers, ʼn lid van die skoolbestuur en ouers te voer. Daar is bevind dat hul mobiliteit leerders se onderrig en leer sowel regstreeks as onregstreeks benadeel. Hulle mobiliteit lei regstreeks daartoe dat leerders moeg is, meer en meer laat kom, hulle skoolwerk afskeep, swak gedrag openbaar, en dat hulle punte teleurstel. Dit frustreer onderwysers en maak hulle moedeloos. Die onregstreekse nadeel van leerdermobiliteit is dat dit die bestuur van die skool bemoeilik. Daarbenewens is ouers nie by hulle kinders se skoolopleiding betrokke nie. Hierdie studie bevorder ʼn bewustheid van die nadele wat leerdermobiliteit vir onderrig en leer inhou. Goeie onderrig raak ondoeltreffend as die skool ver van die leerder se huis af is. / Sepheo sa phuputso ene ele ho fumana tshusumetso eo ho kgona ho tsamaya habonolo le ka ka ho lokoloha ha baithuti ho nang le hona ho ithuteng le ho ruteng. Leha ele hore ho na le mabaka a mangata a amang ho ithuta le ho ruta, mabaka ana a lokela ho shejwa maemong a boemo ba hajwale. Mona Afrika Borwa, batswadi ba na le tokoloho ya ho kgetha dikolo tsa boleng bakeng sa bana ba bona sebakeng sefe kapa sefe. Tabatabelo ya dikolo tsa boleng e lebisitse ho keketseho e sa lebellwang ya ho kgona ho tsamaya habonolo le ka ho lokoloha ha baithuti ho potoloha le naha. Ho sa tsotellehe sena, baithuti ba tlameha ho tsamaya maeto a malelele ho ya le ho kgutla sekolong letsatsi le letsatsi, e leng se nang le phello ho ho ithuta le ho ruta. Mobatlisisi o sebedisitse mokgwa wa boleng wa dipatlisiso ka ho sebedisa phuputso e ikgethang e hlalosang. Datha e ile ya bokellwa sekolong se le seng se bohareng ka ho botsa baithuti, matitjhere, setho sa moifo wa tsamaiso ya sekolo le batswadi dipotso. Diphumano di bontsha hore ho tsamaya habonolo le ka ho lokoloha ha baithuti ho na le tshusumetso e tobileng le e sa tobang ho ho ithuta le ho ruta. Ka tsela e tobileng,e lebisa ho mokgathala, ho fihla kamora nako ho eketsehileng, boiteko bo fokolang, diphetho tse seng hantle le boitshwaro bo bobe ba baithuti hammoho le ho nyahama le ho fokotseha ha boikemisetso ho matitjhere. Ka tsela e sa tobang, tsamaiso ya sekolo e ba thata mme ho ba le kgaello ya bonkakarolo ba batswadi ho ithuteng ha baithuti. Diphetho tsa phuputso ena di fana ka tlhokomediso ya bohlokwa eo diphello tsa ho tsamaya habonolo le ka ho lokoha ha baithuti di nang le tsona ho ithuteng le ho ruteng. Hore thuto ya boleng e be e atlehileng, e lokela ho fumaneha monyako wa moithuti. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

Department of Curriculum Studies and Educational Management / PhD (CS)

MPM / Oliver Tambo Institute of Governance and Policy Studies

MEd

MEd ( Guidance and Counselling) / Department of Curriculum Studies / See the attached abstract below

DEd (Educational Management) / Department of Educational Management / Performance of learners in Chemistry in South Africa has been below the international average. This study intended to investigate the management of high school learners’ academic performance in Chemistry as a component of Physical Science. The study employed mixed designs which are qualitative and quantitative. The population of this study comprised learners who were doing Physical Science, Physical Science teachers and school principals. The principals as participants were purposively sampled whereas teachers and learners were stratified random sampled. Data were collected through questionnaires which were distributed to learners and teachers, while school principals were orally interviewed. Data obtained from questionnaires were analysed using SPSS software. Qualitative data were analysed through identification of themes, development of codes and sub-themes. The improvement of teaching and learning will have a positive impact on the academic performance of high school learners in Chemistry. The findings showed that there are factors which affect the management of high school learners like (school location, inadequate physical resources, attitude and anxiety) contribute to the performance of learners in Chemistry. The findings also showed that factors influencing the academic performance of learners in Chemistry like (effective teaching, In-service Training of Chemistry teachers and Chemistry syllabus and content) contribute to the performance of learners in Chemistry. This study will give new insight to curriculum developers and implementers, and researchers regarding emerging issues on performance and influence the Ministry of Basic Education on policy formulation. Improved Chemistry performance will give learners opportunities to pursue science related courses in higher institutions of learning and middle level colleges.

MA (Linguistics) / Department of Communication and Applied Language Sciences / See the attached abstract below

MEd (Educational Management) / Department of Educational Management / See the attached abstract below

MPH / Department of Public Health / Unplanned pregnancy is a major medical, social and public health problem worldwide. This problem affects learners’ performance and leads to a high learner drop-out rate at schools. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors influencing unplanned pregnancy among high school learners in the Collins Chabane Municipality, Limpopo Province, South Africa. A quantitative study using survey methods was used. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data. The total sample size was 362 female learners ranged between learners whose ages ranged between 16 and 24. Only female learners in the school were recruited to participate in the study. Validity and Reliability were ensured. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0 program. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to summarize and present the data. Permission to conduct the study was obtained from the Department of Education, Limpopo Province, the Malamulele Circuit and the Principal of the school. Informed consent was obtained from parents on behalf of female learners under 18 years of age. Confidentiality and anonymity was ensured. The study found that about 58.2% of adolescents had used contraceptives, while 64.1% indicated that they needed more information on contraceptive methods and their use. The study also found that about 71.8% of the respondents had abstained from sexual activities in order to avoid unplanned pregnancy. Unplanned pregnancies were found to be associated with ignorance of the consequences of sexual activities, information about sex from their peers and the power imbalance in sexual relationships between male and female adolescents. It is recommended that adolescents be given adequate information about contraceptives, addressing the advantages, disadvantages, side effects and how to manage their side effects. This would help mitigate against the negative attitudes that the adolescents have toward contraceptives owing to misinformation and misconceptions. In addition, school health nurses should use Information Education Communication (IEC) materials on family planning to increase awareness about family planning and to prevent unplanned pregnancies. The IEC materials should be in the most common languages of Limpopo Province, i.e. Sepedi, Xitsonga and Tshivenda for clear understanding of the content. / NRF

DEd (Educational Management) / Department of Educational Management / This study sought to establish the impact of interventions employed by schools to support the teaching and learning of pregnant and parenting learners (PPLs) in the Mopani district of Limpopo province, South Africa. The study employed qualitative research methodology to gather narrative data from 68 key school-based education stakeholders who were purposively sampled and interviewed on what their schools were doing to support the teaching and learning of PPLs they enrolled. Data were collected through face-to-face and focus group interviews, as well as document analysis. The study revealed that although all the four schools provided basic access to education for PPLs, their inclusive support systems and strategies to assist PPLs to cope with and benefit from the school curriculum activities were largely superficial due to the following challenges: educators, as the primary duty bearers to PPLs were not trained to identify the educational needs of PPLs and to implement relevant strategies for teaching and learning of PPLs; there was inadequate political-will to support PPLs by educators; there was inadequate collegial relationship between mainstream learners and PPLs, there was no synergy between national and school policies on management of schoolgirl pregnancy and there was non-involvement of other professionals to provide psycho-social support at the four schools. The study revealed that cultural and traditional practices of the community contributed to the negative attitudes to teenage motherhood that resulted in inadequate support service provision and structures for teaching and learning of PPLs. The study recommends that the Department of Education (DoE) must put in place formal training on policy and practice for all the key school-based education stakeholders and employ a multi-sectoral counselling system to support enrolled pregnant and parenting schoolgirls to cope with schooling. / NRF