What happens to the implementation trajectory of a specific policy as it is shaped by multiple stakeholder understandings and competing policy influences in the school environment? The specific case in focus is the new government policy in South Africa on Whole School Evaluation (WSE). This policy requires that schools conduct internal self-evaluations, which will be followed by external evaluations and the implementation of school development plans for the purpose of bringing about school improvement. The purpose of this study is to explain how different stakeholders (education planners, teachers, and principals) understand and enact WSE policy within the school environment given the competing policy demands in the South African context. My study is unique for three reasons. First, I wish to cancel out explanations for possible policy failure that can be attributed to a lack of commitment to the new WSE. I will be seeking to understand how policy is implemented in contexts where there is a readiness to receive and manage change. Second, I will compare rival stakeholder understandings and trace the influence of these competing understandings on the implementation process and outcomes within the South African school context and, third, investigate how one policy is understood and acted-on, given the competing demands of related policies on schools and the practitioners working in the sampled schools. The specific research questions that guided this investigation are the following: 1. How do various stakeholders in the school environment understand WSE policy? 2. How do schools implement WSE policy given the presence of other evaluation related policies in the same school environment? Data was collected over a period of one year using a multi-method approach. Multiple methods of data collection included using in-depth, semi-structured interviews (both individual and focused group sessions) with stakeholders, observations of critical incidents in the policy implementation process, document analysis, photographs, teacher diaries, field notes, free writing schedules and structured questionnaires. The main findings from the study are the following: -- that when implementers are faced with multiple competing policies their implementation stance is determined by what is considered to be practical, immediate and known -- that for policies to have the desired impact there has to be a high degree of “coherence” among the different policies as well as “coherence” within individual policy frameworks. Furthermore, a combined and well-co-ordinated approach to multiple policy implementation is necessary for the policies to have the desired impact -- that for policies have the desired impact there has to be a high degree of “coherence” within the minds/understanding of practitioners -- that stakeholders who have negative experiences of a particular policy issue remain skeptical about the value of similar policies. Stakeholders draw on these experiences to guide their future actions -- that school-site conceptions of evaluations are constantly developed and changed as a result of multitudinous “forces of influence” -- that homogenous culture, bureaucratic responsiveness and hierarchical organization together compose a positive response to official policy -- that the course of policy implementation is influenced both negatively and positively by variables operating within and outside the school context. Finally the insights gained from this study hold practical as well as theoretical significance. Not only does it offer planning insights for the North West province in relation to WSE implementation, but is also serves to unpack the “black box” of policy implementation. It deepens our understanding of the problems faced with implementing planned change in transforming contexts even in cases where there is a receptiveness to change. / Thesis (PhD (Education Policy Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

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

A report on a research study presented to The Department of Social Work School of Human and Community Development Faculty of Humanities University of Witwatersrand In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in the field of Social Development. March 2016. / Education plays an integral role in human development. It encompasses growth in several dimensions of human well-being. The purpose of this study was to explore factors that are contributing to unsatisfactory performance in Government Schools in the area of Duduza Township, a community in the East rand, Gauteng. Based on the qualitative research conducted, the researcher adopted a multiple case study as a research design. The researcher utilised purposive non-probability sampling in selecting the 15 learners and six key informants. Multiple methods of data collection were used through focus group discussions with learners and individual interviews with key informants. The most important problems that emerged from the thematic content analysis of the discussions included factors in the home environment of learners in that there is lack of parental involvement and motivation. In the school environment, the study showed that challenges were faced due to the usage of English as the medium of instruction, teachers’ discrimination of learners aged 18years and above, condoning or progressing of learners, overcrowding in classes and the usage of inexperienced teachers in critical grades. Furthermore, the study highlighted that one of the community related factors affected learners is their socio-economic background. In view of the study’s findings and conclusions in relation to the factors contributing to unsatisfactory performance in Government Schools, the researcher proposed intervention strategies to be implemented on micro, meso and macro level. In addition, emphasis should be put on revisiting the policy of progressing learners, the improvement of learning outcomes and raising passing grades. A multi-sectoral approach is crucial for all stakeholders comprising of the Department of Basic Education, the Department of Social Development, the school, parents and learners. Measures and recommendations to address the challenges of poor performance have been outlined / GR2017

M.Ed. / This research aims at the description of a therapeutic approach relevant to the adolescent underachiever in whose case the cause of the problem is often overlooked because it is not self-evident. In this specific case there seemed to be no clear reason why the adolescent was not achieving academically according to his potential. An in-depth study was necessary, involving also the family of the respondent. From conversations with educational psychologists, the history of the adolescent and the literature, it seems as if the focus of the intervention in cases where there do not seem to be overt reasons for the underachievement, was on the adolescent only. Courses in motivation and study skills were offered, but were not effective. Because the adolescent is a member of a family, the research is aligned to a systems approach. I wanted to explore the the possibility that the cause of the problem could be found in the style of parenting and resulting family dynamics. A qualitative, investigative, descriptive and contextual design was used. One adolescent was deliberately chosen according to set criteria, and subjected to the utilisation of multiple data-gathering sources and methods. These included interviews, document analysis and observation. The parents of the underachiever as well as his register teacher, were also interviewed. A case study report was compiled according to the processed data. A cross-validation report was compiled, using notes which were taken when I was dealing with the cases that first aroused my interest. Hereafter literature control was applied to compare the results of this study with other available research, and to point out new insights into a family's educational style as a cause of underachievement, gained from the study. All data were submitted to an independent consultant for analysis. After the data were analysed, I concluded that the educational style of parents can be a cause of underachievement. From an integrative systemic perspective, an educational psychological therapeutic programme was described. It is hoped that, aided by this programme, the educational psychologist may make a contribution towards helping the underachieving adolescent and his/her family to overcome their problems so that he/she may realise his/her full potential.

D.Ed. (Philosophy of Education) / The madressa is a system of instruction for Muslim children, believers in the religion of Islam. Madressa classes are held daily, concurrently with classes of the ordinary secular school. Classes begin after the ordinary school day has ended. They start at about 14:30 and last for about two and a half hours. Most Muslim children, about 97% in Lenasia, attend these classes. This study originated from a concern about the educational justifiability of the madressa system. The madressa involves the religious formation of children. It shapes the attitudes, consciousness and behaviour of those who attend it, yet it is not subject to any form of control or supervision by an outside agency. If it is not in conformity with educational criteria, it can be open to abuse. There is also an enormous expenditure of time and effort on the madressa. It is necessary to consider whether the madressa is worth the effort devoted to it, whether it fulfils its religious purposes. The aim of the study was therefore, to determine whether the madressa: operates within the framework of acceptable educational criteria; fulfils its religious purposes. The research techniques employed are primarily qualitative, but a quantitative component has been added to make the study more comprehensive. Criteria for education have been established through literature study. These criteria serve as the bases for the evaluation of the madressa. The structure of an educational situation has been examined and has been divided into the following component parts: the aim; the learning content; the method; the persons involved: the educator and the learner; educational relations, particularly authority, discipline and punishment. Criteria for each of these components have been determined. The madressa owes its existence to its religious purposes. It exists to prepare learners to be good Muslims, who know and fulfil their religious obligations. For these reasons, the principles of Islam have also been described. There has also been a detailed study of the practices in the madressa. The research has revealed that: the practices in the madressa are in conformity with educational criteria; the madressa is directed towards achieving its religious purposes. However, there are areas of the madressa's activities that need further attention: there has to be much greater concentration on improving the skills of the educators and on ensuring that they have the required attributes; it is also necessary to promote greater co-operation between parents and educators; it is essential that both parents and teachers provide positive examples of behaviour; greater self-discipline has to be acquired by learners as this is crucial to the performance of religious duties. This study can provide the bases for a reconsideration of aspects of the madressa's activities to promote more effective education. This study also provides an example of a community's ability to create educational structures, by its own efforts, to reproduce its beliefs and values.

With education at the centre of the South African government’s National Development Plan for 2030, an effective schooling system is not negotiable. A review of the literature showed that public schools in South Africa are self-managing. The performance of most of these schools are unsatisfactory with specific reference to academic performance, infrastructure, finances and resources. The review further revealed severe shortcomings with the use of the Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) for school-based performance management. This included that the IQMS is insufficient, that its application is ineffective and that it does not support school-based performance management. It is a compliance system and does not allow schools’ stakeholders the freedom to take part in designing their own strategy for the school. The researcher argues that self-managing schools link to the Participatory Democracy Theory that ensures the involvement of stakeholders. The IQMS however, links to Managerialism, rejecting stakeholders’ independence of self-management and decision-making. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a school-based performance management framework for public schools in South Africa. Specific attention was given to the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) as a theoretical framework for its flexibility to accommodate diverse organisations. The BSC was placed in the Evolutionist theories under the Resource-Based View (RBV) approach, focussing on the uniqueness of organisations’ tangible or intangible resources. The researcher argued that a combination of the IQMS and the BSC might close the theoretical gap and contribute to school-based performance management in self-managing public schools. A qualitative research paradigm, embedded in the interpretivism philosophy, guided this study. A Design-Based Research (DBR) method was followed to develop the framework. The first phase was to develop a preliminary framework, using the IQMS and BSC as existing theoretical frameworks. The second phase consisted of two iterative cycles of testing and refinement of the framework in practice. For both cycles, the researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with the school’s principal, one member of the school’s governing body and one member of the school’s management team of the four selected schools. The third phase was a reflection on the design process to enhance the application of the framework. / College of Accounting Sciences / D. Compt.