School evaluation has increased in importance in recent years, particularly at the level of the whole school. It is the process which assesses the worth and merits of the institution. Due to the fact that, in most cases, evaluation is judgemental, the notion of Whole School Evaluation (WSE) was introduced into the South African education system by the national Department of Education after the 1994 democratic election. WSE has since then became the official evaluation system in South Africa. In WSE schools undergo internal as well as external evaluation. The results of the evaluation are then used by schools to draw the School Improvement Plans which are aimed at school improvement. This study explores the implementation of WSE in rural primary schools in Limpopo Province. A literature study investigated school evaluation within the international and the South African context, the provision of education in Limpopo Province and existing models of WSE. Against the background of the conceptual framework provided by the literature, a qualitative investigation was done in four primary schools in the Vhembe district in Limpopo Province. Data were gathered by means of in-depth interviews with principals of schools and supervisors. The researcher also conducted focus group interviews with School Management Team (SMT) members from participating schools. Data was analysed, discussed and synthesized. Analysed data revealed the following findings: schools experience difficulties in conducting self-evaluation, educator development in rural primary schools in Limpopo is a problem and the district and the Department of Education do not assist schools concerning development after WSE has been conducted. As a result of these findings, there is a need to assist schools in their development endeavours after WSE. The district officials as well as supervisors should find ways and means of assisting schools in the route to development. Areas for further investigation that would enhance WSE in rural primary schools have been identified. Finally, the conclusion is drawn that schools need to be rehabilitated after WSE. This will assist in developing the whole institution and improving the level of education in South African schools. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Education Management)

This study investigates the management and provision of extracurricular programmes in inner city secondary schools. Literature pointed out that extracurricular provisioning in inner city secondary schools is challenging because of limited physical infrastructure and negative influences from the external environment. An empirical investigation based on a qualitative research design was conducted at five research sites conveniently selected. Through individual and focus-group interviewing it was established that extracurricular programmes in inner city secondary schools are hampered by limited and inadequate facilities, a lack of human resource capacity, an over-emphasis of the curricular programme and financial constraints. Due to the importance of a holistic development of the child to be an all-rounder as adult, it is recommended that all stakeholders of the school be involved in providing a viable extracurricular programme. Stakeholders include the teaching corps, parents, the local municipality, the department of education, and the business community. / Further Teacher Education / M. Ed. (Education Management)

The main aim of this study was to investigate and explore how the emotional, verbal and or physical abuse of teachers by learners could impact on the general well-being of high school teachers in the Port Elizabeth region.This study asked how does the emotional, verbal and or physical abuse of teachers by learners impact on the general well-being of teachers? It also set out to find out what types of abuse teachers experience the most, how frequently teachers are exposed to abuse by learners and if there are any solutions to teacher abuse that can be offered. A teacher should be seen as someone who imparts knowledge, a person that creates an atmosphere for learning, a facilitator. Teachers are there to teach, although this is sadly not the case in schools anymore. Teachers are being abused by their learners in the classrooms and very few incidents are ever reported as teachers fear the repercussions of perhaps being told that because a class is misbehaving that they lack the necessary skills to be proficient teachers. There is limited literature available on the topic especially with regards to teacher abuse by learners in South Africa as the main focus used to be how teachers could be abusive to the learners and not the learners being abusive towards their teachers. This situation as is in South Africa at the moment can be seen as a silent epidemic. This study made use of a pragmatic paradigm that included both quantitative and qualitative research and data collection methods and an explanatory design was used to display the findings.

M. Ed. (Educational Psychology) / This study explores the experiences that multiple stakeholders have of learner participation in an independent school in Johannesburg. The school’s policy documents were reviewed, both in order to establish the school’s suitability for the study, and in order to provide some context for understanding. The participants were selected by both their involvement in learner participation bodies at the school in question, and their willingness to participate in the study. To this end, the school’s principal, educational psychologist and two learner leaders agreed to be interviewed in order to try and describe their experiences. It was hoped that the exploring, and rich describing, of the participants’ experiences would be helpful in terms of finding solutions or providing recommendations for the school itself when facing challenges, and for any other school that may benefit from the findings of the study. The researcher embarked on a process of Content Analysis of the transcribed interviews and relevant policy documents to uncover primary themes of experience as described by the participants. It was found that the participants’ experiences could be categorised into themes of difficulty with training; support; feedback; and clarity of roles. Recommendations were made regarding the facilitation of learner participation at both the participating school and other schools in general. These recommendations included: i) Schools communicate clearly the purposes of training programmes and initiatives to learners; ii) Schools utilise multiple training programmes, which are relevant to their own school context; iii) A staff member is formally available as support for each learner participation body in a school; iv) All meetings be scheduled suitably in advance; v) Learner participation bodies schedule regular meetings with their constituencies for feedback purposes - regardless of the length of the agenda; vi) Measures be instituted to hold staff accountable to their commitments without learner initiation; vii) All people who are affected by policies should play a role in their construction (UNCRC, 1990; SASA, 1996); viii) Policy review be seen as a continuous process, including legislated periods of review. Furthermore, conceptual inconsistencies in the design of the Representative Council of Learners (RCL) were suggested - specifically conflicting mandates in terms of representing learner voice and implementing teacher directives - resulting in a suggestion of legislation review.

Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

The motive for conducting this study was to determine the extent in which aspects of transformational leadership identified during literature study are practiced in the sampled primary schools in Limpopo. The study was divided into seven interlinked chapters. Chapter one introduced the investigation. Chapter two presented the definition and description of the notion transformational leadership and its five constituting elements, namely shared vision, commitment, motivation, job satisfaction and participative decision-making. A transformational leadership model was also presented in chapter two. Chapter three focused on the primary education systems of Republic of South Africa and the three selected Southern African Development Community member states, namely Malawi, Lesotho and Namibia. The discussion focused on the structure, organization, objectives and the challenges facing each SADC member state. Chapter three further identified the challenges facing primary schools in Limpopo and compared these to the challenges of the three selected SADC member states. The details of the research design and methodology were presented in chapter four. The empirical study took a two-pronged approach. Phase one of the empirical study was conducted through the administration of questionnaires to sampled principals and educators. In the second phase, sampled principals, educators and circuit managers were interviewed. The empirical study was intended to give answers to the following research questions:  To what extent are primary school principals as leaders involved in: • initiating visions that are shared and owned by other role players? • making sure that educators remain committed to their profession? • ensuring that educators are kept motivated? • ensuring that educators remain satisfied in their profession?  To what extent do principals involve other role players in the decision-making processes? iv In addition to that, the following research hypothesis was tested: • There is a significant relationship (in terms of descriptive statistics) between identified leadership emphasis in Limpopo primary schools and the key features of transformational leadership. And conversely the null hypothesis tested was: • There is no significant relationship (in terms of descriptive statistics) between identified leadership emphasis in Limpopo primary schools and the key features of transformational leadership. In phase one, data was quantitatively collected through questionnaires (principals and educators). Data was further gathered through semi-structured interviews and observation in phase two. To give a clear and a logical presentation of the data analysis and interpretation, both quantitative and qualitative data were presented separately in chapters five and six. This study produced the following findings: The majority of primary school principals do: • involve other role players in the development of their school visions. • ensure that educators are committed to their responsibilities. • ensure that educators remain motivated. • ensure that educators are job satisfied. • create opportunities wherein role players are involved in decision-making processes. The views of respondents from the survey data (both principals and educators) indicated that there is a significant relationship (in terms of descriptive statistics) between identified leadership emphasis in Limpopo primary schools and the key features of transformational leadership. Based on the findings above, the conclusion deduced was that the majority of primary school principals exhibit transformational leadership attributes. / Education Studies / D. Ed. (Education Managment)

Text in Afrikaans / Ouers was aanvanklik verantwoordelik vir die onderwys van hul kinders. Namate die samelewing komplekser geword het, het die staat as instelling by die onderwys betrokke geraak met die doel om individue en gemeenskappe te ontwikkel in belang van openbare welsyn. Die onderwystaak van die staat het in so 'n mate uitgebrei dat die staat vandag die onderwys monopoliseer. Mettertyd het die staat en groepe in die samelewing probleme met staatsbeheerde onderwys ervaar. Onderwys het duur geword, en bevredig ook nie die behoeftes van almal in die gemeenskap nie. Privatisering van die onderwys word toenemend beskou as 'n moontlike oplossing vir probleme van die onderwys. Privatisering vind sy oorsprong by die vryemarkdenke van die ekonomie, en dit beklemtoon verantwoordelikheid en vryheid van keuse. Alhoewel privatisering primer 'n ekonomiese motief het, het dit ook ander motiewe, waaronder 'n politieke motief. Privatisering neem verskeie vorms aan en het spesifieke doelwitte asook bepaalde voor- en nadele. Die hantering van die verskaffing van kapitaaldienste in die openbare onderwys in Suid-Afrika bewys dat sekere funksies van die staat in samewerking met die private sektor volledig en suksesvol geprivatiseer kan word. Ander onderwystake is elders geprivatiseer en hou baie voordele in, veral vir die individu en vir groepe in die gemeenskap. Privatisering van die onderwys loop uit op private skole. Bestaande private skole maak baie aansprake, onder meer dat dit onafhanklikheid en kwaliteitonderwys in die hand werk. Dit is egter baie moeilik om klinkklare bewyse vir die aansprake van private skole te vind. Alhoewel private skole van elitisme en separatisme beskuldig word, strewe openbare skole ook na 'n eie etos. Privatisering van die onderwys bied opwindende moontlikhede vir en uitdagings aan die staat, die samelewing en die private sektor. Dit behoort die verantwoordelikheid van die onderwys terug te besorg aan die ouers en die gemeenskap, en sal die soewereiniteit van die onderwys verseker. Privatisering van die onderwys moet egter altyd die belange van die kind eerste stel. Suksesvolle privatisering van die onderwys sal dus deeglike evolusionere beplanning deur die staat en die samelewing verg. / Parents were originally responsible for the education of their children. As society became more complex, the state as an institution became involved in education with the aim to develop individuals and communities in the interest of general well-being. Education has now become the responsibility of the state to such an extent that the state presently monopolises education. The state, and groups within the community, have now come to experience problems with state-controlled education. Education has become expensive and does not make provision for distinctive education for individual groups in the community. Privatisation of education is increasingly regarded as a possible way of solving problems in education. Privatisation originates in the economic concept of the free market, and it stresses responsibility and freedom of choice. Although privatisation has an economic motive, it also has other motives, including a political one. Privatisation assumes many forms and has specific aims, as well as advantages and disadvantages. The handling of the provision of capital of the services in South Africa is proof that certain functions of the state can be very successfully privatised. Other tasks in education have also been privatised and these tasks have many advantages, especially for the individual and for groups in the community. Privatisation of education culminates in the private school. Existing private schools claim, among others, that they promote independence and quality education. It is, however, very difficult to prove, unequivocally, the claims of private schools. Although private schools are accused of elitism and divisiveness, public schools also strive for an own ethos. Privatisation of education offers the state, the community and the private sector exciting possibilities of education and challenges. It should ensure the sovereignty of education and once again place the responsibility for education on the parents and the community. Privatisation of education should, however, always put the interests of the child first. The successful privatisation of education will therefore require thorough and evolutionary planning by the state and the community. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Vergelykende Opvoedkunde)

M.Ed. (Educational Management) / Many principals perceive the tuck shop, in South Africa, as a form of additional income to the school. School finances have assumed a greater importance in South African schools. The national education budget is continually curtailed and is continues to remain insufficient. Any additional finance is needed to maintain accepted standards and improve the quality of education on offer (Bisschoff and Mestry 2003). “Schools are becoming increasingly reliant on additional financial resources, hence due consideration should be given to potential sources of finance and the way such finance may be appropriated” (Bisschoff and Mestry 2003:2). There has to be a paradigm shift, of the tuck shop, from a ‘money making’ structure to include a nutrition program. Tuck shops need to re-evaluate the nutrition on offer. The re-evaluation of the tuck shop structure may be one solution in assisting the school’s Principal in addressing the need to acquire additional funds and continue to maintain an acceptable level of education.

M.Ed. / Innovation is not a constraint In education which will disappear if it is ignored. innovation, and for the purposes of this study, curriculum innovation is a means whereby man adapts and survives in a continuously changing society. Curriculum Innovation Is defined by Ceri (1969:13) in the following manner. "We understand Innovation to mean those attempts at change in an educational system which are consciously and purposefully directed with the aim of Improving the present system"...

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