This dissertation entitled “Educational choice and educational space” aims to explore the confluence of constructed space and geographic space using a supply-side context for New Zealand’s public school system of quasi-open enrollment. In Part I, New Zealand’s state and state-integrated school system across four urban areas is analyzed spatially and analytically in an attempt to learn about supply-side motivations of individual schools for selecting students. Since 1999 there has been a gradual encroachment on the open enrollment initiative due to excess demand for certain schools altering the landscape of choice. Most studies of school choice examine household motivations to choose schools- what is referred to as the demand-side dynamic of the education market. The contribution of this study to educational choice literature is provided by the opportunity presented by New Zealand’s public education system to examine the supply-side dynamic. School motivation for choosing students is warranted by the fact that individual schools are funded on a per-pupil basis and they are able make operational decisions that include defining their own catchment areas (home zones) when oversubscribed. In order to test the hypothesis that schools are behaving selectively, I leverage boundary discontinuity design (BDD) (Bayer, Ferreira, & McMillan, 2007) and meta-analysis techniques and use census data that reflects neighborhood composition closely linked to the time at which the home zone was drawn. Household characteristics as represented by 2006 census data are within 5 years old at the time the home zone was drawn in 53-percent of cases, and range to a maximum of 7 years for the full sample of schools used in the analysis. The result is a truly unique opportunity to examine evidence of school selective behavior while accounting for logistical, geographic and market features. Across a sample of 886 publicly funded state and state-integrated schools in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin I evaluate 372 schools that implemented enrollment schemes with geographically defined home zones as of the 2009 school year. I find that schools are engaging in selective behavior across one or more household socioeconomic or demographic characteristics – with indicators of deprivation and minority status consistently maintaining significance in boundary and zone discontinuity. Between 37 and 52-percent of schools sample-wide are estimated to be participating in gerrymandering in small to large ways (discontinuities were greater than 0.2 standard deviations, favoring households with affluence and non-minority status). Cases of medium to large discrimination (standardized mean differences of >0.5) are evident in 12 to 26-percent of schools. Schools are zoning out households that contain higher proportions of minorities with an emphasis on non-indigenous (Māori) minorities, in particular the Pasifika group. When examining schools separately by city, sector, gender and school student body socioeconomic status I find heterogeneity in school behavior. Findings corroborate and expand upon previous work regarding New Zealand’s policies of enrollment schemes and their adverse effects. Part II expands the implications of school-level selective behaviors to the macro setting of the metropolitan area education market. Because school zones are not mandated to be mutually exclusive or completely exhaustive of the metro area they serve, it is possible that home zones overlap in some areas and provide no coverage in others. School choice is modeled using an ordered probit approach where the number of home zones claiming the household (census meshblock) is the dependent variable. I also calculate meshblock-level schooling opportunity sets (SOS) for the primary and secondary sectors using methods developed by (Gibson & Boe-Gibson, 2014). The SOS factors household-school proximity with school performance into a summary estimate of educational opportunity for each meshblock. The determinants of each meshblock’s choice set and SOS are modeled as a function of household characteristics, with controls for geographic and market influences. I find evidence that both the size and quality of household educational opportunities are statistically significantly associated with socioeconomic status and racial composition. Affluence is a strong predictor of additional choices and higher quality school access while racial composition continues to be negatively associated with both. The “lay of the education landscape” is then considered for each metro area using the Index of Dissimilarity and mapping techniques. The exercise reveals helpful insight into each of the four education markets. The dissertation concludes with a discussion on the implications and relevance of this work to educational reform discourse and planning for both New Zealand and abroad.

The aim of this research project was to examine how group discussions influence student performance in a DoE prescribed Life Sciences activity. The research methodology draws on collaborative group work and learner oriented assessment frameworks. The case study was conducted in a suburban high school in south Gauteng. Students were explicitly taught collaborative group work skills. As group work discussions are dependent on subject content knowledge, students were required to complete the assessment activity individually first. Students were placed in groups of four or five that were academically heterogeneous, in an attempt to encourage robust discussions. Following group work discussions students completed a final write up of the assessment activity. Findings from the research showed a statistically significant improvement in the mean pre group work assessment score to the post group work assessment score. All students were found to interact in a co-regulated way in that all were active participants. Each group had at least one member who was a hitch hiker. This student was unprepared and was the most disengaged and passive throughout the group work. The hitch hiker tended to have the lowest post group work activity score for their group. The student whose post group work activity score was the highest was the one who was the most prepared and except for a student whose home language was not the LOLT all others were the most active in their groups. Student discussions were dependent on subject content knowledge. Where subject content knowledge was sound, discussions resulted in cognitive conflict allowing for the social construction of knowledge. Poor content knowledge resulted in discussions which left students confused and seeking help from the teacher. Whilst most students perceived the group work to improve their understanding of the work, the heterogeneity of the groups was raised as a concern by a hitch hiker and students who obtained the highest post group work assessment scores. The hitchhiker in one of the groups perceived that she was not taken seriously, whilst the high academic achievers felt that they were providing information to students who were not well prepared. Most students valued the group work activity and recommended its use for future Grade 11 Life Sciences students.

Thesis ((M.Ed. (Science Education)) -- University of Limpopo, 2018 / The new curriculum introduced in the Further Education and Training phase has had a great impact on the teaching and learning of Physical Sciences in the classrooms. The policy documents for Physical Sciences emphasis that practical work to be integrated with the teaching of Science. However, much remains desired on how teachers use their Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) to conduct practical work in their classrooms. This study explored teachers’ perceptions of practical work in the context of the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement. PCK was used as the theoretical framelens to understand teachers’ perceptions of practical work. Data in the study were collected through interviews and observations from four Grade 11 teachers. It was also collected by scrutinising teachers’ portfolios. Observations were used to discover the teachers’ actual classroom conduct of practical work. The sample of the study was drawn from Mankweng Circuit, in the Limpopo province. The findings of the study revealed that teachers conduct demonstrations which were structured and inquiry based practical work was not conducted. It was also found that they conduct practical work for promotional marks only. Furthermore, it was revealed that teachers appreciate the value of practical work in the teaching and learning of Physical Sciences but lack of resources and time constraints hinder them from conducting good practical work. It was also found that teachers do not have practical work lesson plans in their portfolios except those for reporting. However, apparatus in some instances were limiting teachers to conduct good practical work. Large classes, lack of time table for practical work and pressure to complete the curriculum were also mentioned by the teachers as limitations. It is recommended that subject specialists should help in developing teachers’ knowledge to conduct inquiry based practical work.

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The study aimed to add to our understanding of why many girls in rural high schools were not choosing to study Physical Science. A case study of a local high school was used as the research method. Questionnaires to the 120 learners in grade 9 and 10 were the main instrument used to gather data. This was followed up with interviews of a sample of learners and some classroom observations. The science teacher was also included as a key informant in this study. The data collected aimed at answering the following key question: What influences girls in their decision to choose to study Physical Science at a rural school? The following sub questions guided the researcher in answering the key research question: (a) Are there any differences in participation between boys and girls? (b) What influences their choice in Grade 9? (c) Were Grade 10 learners happy with their subject package choices made in grade 9? The data were captured, coded, analysed and interpreted. The study produced evidence that the learners' family, the classroom environment, peer influence and the shortage of role models were the main reasons for the low • number of girls participating in Physical Science. The study found that these factors have a significant influence on girls' subject choices. Ofthe four factors found, the family was the most significant factor (i.e. where the family members tended to choose the subject package for girls). In the classroom the girls were involved in proportionally the same number of interactions but importantly the female teacher had a disproportionate number of interactions with the boys. In apparent contradiction to the teachers comments that the boys were the more active learners, the girls initiated more interactions with the teacher. However, the girls reported that they were uncomfortable in the class as boys mocked and intimidated them during the lessons. Unfortunately, a large percentage of the girls who did choose to take Physical Science were unhappy with their choice as they then found it difficult. The main recommendations of the study were that; teacher and community awareness programmes should be established to raise awareness of the gender issues and to promote girls taking science; career guidance should be given to learners so they could make their own informed decisions; and possibly specialist science girls schools could be established. Further suggestions for research were made. The findings of this study should provide policy makers, curriculum developers, and science teachers with valuable information about some of the factors that influence girls not to take Physical Science. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2005.

Formal curricula, official curriculum documents and recommended resources, are revised periodically and have the opportunity to reflect feminist scholarship available at the time of writing. This feminist project analyzes the treatment of women's history in British Columbia's Social Studies 8-10 Integrated Resource Package 1997, the Social Studies 11 Integrated Resouces Package 1997, and the History 12 Integrated Resource Package 1997, all of which are due to be implemented in September, 1999. Informed by feminist historiography and pedagogy, the above curricula are analyzed using the following thematic organizers: degree of representation; segregation versus integration; experience, diversity and voice; and the construction and deconstruction of gender knowledge. A sampling of recommended learning resources found in the above Integrated Resource Packages are also examined for their treatment of women's history. The outcome of the research suggests that while limited gains have been made in the degree to which women are addressed in the new curricula, the manner of representation largely reflects her-story approaches that have been considered problematic by most feminist historians since the mid-1970s. Recommendations for future revisions are also included.

The introduction of the National Curriculum statement (NCS) in Further Education and Training (FET) phase in 2005 had a great impact on classroom practice, resulting in a shift to Outcomes Based Education (OBE). The Physical Sciences curriculum created challenges for Physical Science teachers. The Learning Outcome (LO)-1 recommends that scientific inquiry and inquiry based practical work be taught in Physical Sciences lessons. However, much remains to be understood regarding teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in inquiry based practical work. This study explored the conception of practical work by Grade 11 Physical Sciences teachers within the NCS curriculum. Using the PCK as a theoretical lens, the study explored how the Physical Sciences teachers used practical work in their teaching. Furthermore, the exploration sought to ascertain whether there was any relationship between teachers’ perceptions of the purpose of practical work and their use of practical work. The data was collected by interviewing two Grade 11 Physical Sciences teachers and also by conducting some classroom observations involving practical work to ascertain teachers’ actual practice. The sample was drawn from two high schools at Empangeni District, in Northern KwaZulu-Natal. The findings revealed that teachers value using practical work in teaching of Physical Sciences. Qualitative data analysis enables recommendation to be made for the improvement of the use of inquiry-based practical work in the teaching of Physical Sciences. Both teachers held the view that the most important aim of practical work was to promote conceptual understanding. During their teaching, both teachers use practical work to verify theory through non-inquiry practical instructional practices and strategies. However, there were limiting factors which do not provide opportunities for teachers to engage learners in inquirybased practical work. Amongst the factors that were reported by the teachers as limiting their use of inquiry-oriented practical work are limitations of resources, time constraints, large classes and pressure to complete the prescribed curriculum. It is recommended that curriculum developers through the use of subject education specialist (SES), facilitate teachers’ transformation from expository to inquiry instruction. More discussions on how to design and conduct inquiry-based practical work are recommended. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood, 2011.

The key purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how the social science education subject for the intermediate phase of schooling was conceptualised as a distance education learning material and what learning was intended through this learning process. The process of data collection was presented thematically within three sections. The first section presented data produced through the interview with the author of the learning material for the social science (SS) NPDE module. The second section presented a global analysis of the SS distance learning material. The third section presented a fine-grained analysis of a unit of learning within the history section of the distance learning material for the social science education. The findings of the study revealed that there was an error in the conceptualisation of the social science curriculum as an integration of history and geography. The learning material clearly shows that the construction of the social science distance learning material has clear and distinctive sections of history and geography with no indication of the integration. This study reveals a lack of alignment between curriculum intentions and the conceptualisation and construction of learning materials to support teacher learning. The analysis clearly indicated that pedagogical content knowledge development through distance learning material is minimal. On this basis the researcher proposes that should the intention of the learning programme be on developing teaching skills, then the content of learning materials need to be supported by other appropriate forms of learning. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2013.

This qualitative, interpretive research inquiry presents a multiple case study design that aims to describe, understand, and explain two primary teachers' pedagogical strategies for teaching social studies and their implementation of literacy events, in a Montreal French school (L1) and in a French immersion school (L2). Two teachers and their students were observed during all the 1992--1993 school year, as they taught social studies lessons. The contexts for the study are one grade 3--4 French classroom and one grade 3 French immersion classroom. We used ethnographic tools of inquiry such as participant observation, fieldnotes, audiotaped lessons, official documents, formal and informal interviews during our data collection phases. A qualitative analysis of the teaching strategies and the literacy events relates to the role and importance of writing in French in social studies within the context French as L1 and French as L2. Findings show that in their practice, both teachers are generally more preoccupied with the content of teaching than aspects related to the language of instruction. The analysis also reveals that writing in the social studies consists of simulated tasks in which students are asked to regularly fill out worksheets. / Implications of this study could be used to increase teachers' awareness of the language of instruction, the role of the writing process in learning a L2 through the social studies. This study allowed us: (1) to describe the characteristics of teaching French in L1 and L2 social studies; (2) to identify and explain the similarities and the differences related to integration of the language and content within two learning contexts; to determine the importance and the role of writing in the teaching-learning of social studies content within two learning contexts.

The main purpose of this study was to determine whether a Physical Science intervention programme that has been running for three years at St John’s College for selected Grade 10-12 students from under-resourced schools in inner city Johannesburg, has had any impact on the final academic results of these selected students in the National Senior Certificate examination. There is little international or local research that deals with third world academic extension and enrichment programmes, particularly with respect to South Africa. A mixed methods case study on the programme was carried out. Numerical data was collected over a period of three years to be used to determine the effectiveness of the programme. Interviews with the participants and teachers on the programme were conducted and surveys were carried out with participants on the programme as well as students who were not on the programme from the three partner schools. The three instruments used in the research provided different forms of data which produced findings that were combined to look for common trends and understandings. The data collected from the surveys, interviews and term scores were coded, captured organised, analysed and interpreted. Among the more significant findings were: (a) Not all of the participants on the programme showed academic improvement; (b) The overall academic improvement of the two groups researched was marginally better than their peers who were not part of the programme; (c) In the view of the participants, the intervention had a greater influence on their academic achievements than the actual findings from analysis of the numerical data indicated; (d) There are a number of factors that determine the success of the programme; (e) The self-motivation is an important determinant for success of individuals on the programme. These findings could assist current programme organisers and institutions that seek to introduce similar types of intervention programmes in the future. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.