Thesis (MEd)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE POTENTIAL OF THE TRACPROGRAMME IN ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDERS IN PHYSICAL SCIENCE EDUCATION For South Africa to be competitive at international level, it is important to deliver learners that will meet the standards set by industry and tertiary institutions. Most of the current South African schoolleavers do not meet these needs. Learners, educators, education departments, tertiary institutions and industry are jointly responsible for the outcomes of the education process. However, each of these role players has specific needs regarding scientific knowledge and skills of learners. An integrated, interactive educational approach is therefore necessary to address the needs of all of these role players successfully. This study specifically focuses on identifying both the needs of the role players in physical science education in the Western Cape and how TRAC SA, a national, non-governmental organisation, can assist in addressing these needs, with the help of computer based technology. The following role players were included in this study: tertiary institutions, industry, education department, educators and learners. Information on the needs of these role players was mainly collected through interviews and questionnaires, while workshops were held to determine the needs of learners and educators. It is significant that the information derived from the empirical study (questionnaires and interviews) is in many ways in agreement with the literature findings. One of the most important conclusions of the empirical study is that the different role players have distinctive, as well as corresponding needs regarding the preparation of learners at school level. The industry expects learners to be sufficiently equipped with the necessary skills to facilitate integration into the workplace. Tertiary institutions emphasise the need for theoretical as well as practical basis of the science subject content. Learners expressed the need for extracurricular programmes, focusing on simplifying difficult concepts. Educators identified the need for adapting the syllabus and for regular refresher courses. The Department of Education needs funds for pilot education programmes, and also puts in a plea for the more structured involvement of tertiary institutions and non-governmental organisations as well as the support oftheir education initiatives, such as outcomes-based education. Data collected shows that there is a significant gap between the current state of identified skills of learners and of what is deemed important by the other role players. In addressing the needs identified, the contribution of non-governmental organisations (with specific reference to TRAC SA), the OBE approach as well as input from tertiary institutions and the industry are emphasised. The TRAC-programme focuses on the understanding of basic and complicated physical science concepts by using computer-supported experiments and worksheets. To enhance the development of skills at school level, the education approach as a whole will have to be revised, with the co-operation of all relevant role players. For an education system to be effective, mutual communication between the different role players is imperative. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Vir Suid-Afrika om op internasionale vlak mededingend te wees, is dit belangrik dat die Suid- Afrikaanse onderwysstelsel bekwame leerders aan die industrie en tersiêre inrigtings lewer. Die meeste leerders wat tans die formele Suid-Afrikaanse skoolopleidingsprogram voltooi, voldoen volgens kenners egter nie aan die standaarde wat dié genoemde inrigtings aan hulle stel nie. Leerders, onderwysers, die onderwysdepartement, tersiêre inrigtings en industrie is gesamentlik verantwoordelik vir die uitkomste van die onderwys. Elkeen van hierdie rolspelers het egter spesifieke behoeftes ten opsigte van wetenskaplike kennis en vaardighede van leerders. 'n Geïntegreerde, interaktiewe onderwysbenadering is dus nodig om elkeen van hierdie rolspelers se behoeftes suksesvol aan te spreek. Hierdie studie fokus spesifiek daarop om beide die behoeftes van die rolspelers in die Wes- Kaap ten opsigte van natuur- en skeikunde-onderwys, te identifiseer, en hoe TRAe SA, 'n nie-regeringsonderwysorganisasie wat van rekenaargesteunde aktiwiteite gebruik maak, aangewend kan word om hierdie behoeftes aan te spreek. Die verskillende rolspelers wat by die studie betrek is, sluit in die tersiêre inrigtings, industrie, onderwysdepartement, onderwysers en leerders. Inligting aangaande rolspelerbehoeftes is hoofsaaklik versamel deur onderhoude en vraelyste, terwyl werkswinkels ook gebruik is om vas te stel wat leerders en onderwysers se behoeftes is. Dit is opmerklik dat die inligting verkry uit die empiriese studie (vraelyste en onderhoude) in 'n groot mate ooreenstem met literatuurbevindinge. Een van die belangrikste gevolgtrekkings uit die empiriese studie is dat die verskillende rolspelers eiesoortige asook ooreenstemmende behoeftes ten opsigte van die voorbereiding van leerders op skoolvlak het. Die industrie verwag dat leerders voldoende met die nodige vaardighede toegerus sal wees om integrasie binne die werksfeer te vergemaklik. Tersiêre inrigtings beklemtoon die verkryging van die teoretiese sowel as praktiese grondslag van die wetenskapvakinhoud. Leerders verlang ondersteuning van ekstra-kurrikulêre programme wat fokus op vereenvoudiging van moeilike konsepte. 'n Vakkurrikulumaanpassing asook gereelde opknappingskursusse is deur onderwysers as belangrike behoeftes geïdentifiseer. Die onderwysdepartement benodig fondse om opleidingsprogramme te loods en pleit ook vir meer georganiseerde betrokkenheid van tersiêre inrigtings en nie-regeringsonderwysorganisasies. Verder verwag die onderwysdepartement dat hulonderwysstrategieë soos uitkomsgebaseerde onderwys ondersteun word. Die data toon ook verder aan dat daar In wesenlike gapmg tussen die verwagting van rolspelers ten opsigte van bepaalde vaardighede en die werklike stand van vaardighede by die leerders bestaan. As deel van die studie word voorstelle bespreek om die geïdentifiseerde behoeftes aan te spreek. Klem word gelê op die bydrae van nie-regeringsonderwysorganisasies (met spesifieke verwysing na TRAC SA), die UGO-benadering, asook die insette van tersiêre inrigtings en industrie tot die aanspreek van geïdentifiseerde behoeftes. Die TRAC-program fokus onder meer op die vereenvoudiging van basiese en moeilike natuurwetenskapbegrippe deur gebruik te maak van rekenaargesteunde eksperimente, aan die hand van werkkaarte. Om die ontwikkeling van vaardighede op skoolvlak te bevorder, sal die hele onderwysbenadering met die samewerking van alle relevante rolspelers hersien moet word. In dié verband is wedersydse kommunikasie tussen die verskillende rolspelers onontbeerlik.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

The purpose of this research was to explore the subject of integrating philosophy of education and the goals of education in education practice at the high schools in Kenya. It is stated that the impact of education practice is hinged in the statement of philosophy of education and the goals of education which has been neglected by researchers and scholars in Kenya. An intensive literature review which was undertaken revealed that philosophy of education and the goals of education are flouted in education practice. The sources of literature review were books, journals, policy documents, dissertations, theses, newspapers, and websites. In this qualitative research, phenomenology was selected as suitable theoretical framework to situate education practice as a human activity which is shaped by philosophy of education and the goals of education. A qualitative design was used, and purposive sampling was identified to select the schools and the respondents. The respondents in this research included the school principals, teachers, education officers, board of governors, and the parents-teachers’ representatives. The main qualitative research methods involved literature review and interviews. In this study, ideograms were utilized in the process of analysing the responses acquired from the respondents. According to the respondents, the statement of philosophy of education is foreign in the high schools, but the goals of education are printed in the syllabi, and this explains why the study focused on the goals as the familiar items. The views obtained from the respondents emphasized on what is envisioned to occur at the high schools, and this explains that the students are estranged from philosophy of education. It was concluded that high school pedagogy is exposed to conflicts in relation to integrating philosophy of education and the goals of education. In this case, the study recommended the following insights to improve the process of integrating philosophy of education, the goals of education, and education practice in Kenya: The necessity of revising the content and material resources of high school syllabi to comprise the attributes of philosophy of education in pedagogical activities.  Another suggestion emphasized on restructuring evaluation strategies to integrate the attributes of social cohesion, human progress and economic development.  The final recommendation is that the teaching and learning activities are necessary to intensify knowledge transfer which articulates the attributes of philosophy of education and the goals of education. / Teacher Education / D. Ed. (Philosophy of Education))

This research investigates the vision of excellence in secondary schools leadership in Ekurhuleni East District (Gauteng East District) and the existence of a vision of excellence in schools. A literature study investigated models of leadership related to vision of excellence and aspects of vision of excellence in school leadership. An empirical investigation used both a quantitative and qualitative research design to collect data from a purposefully selected and stratified sample of participants and secondary schools in the Ekurhuleni East District (Gauteng East Education District). A questionnaire and focus group interviews were used to gather data from the respondents. Data were analysed and interpreted using quantitative and qualitative approach. The findings of both the literature study and the empirical research on the above-mentioned vision of excellence in secondary schools leadership in Ekurhuleni East District revealed that there is a lack of support from school leadership and the School Management Team (SMT) in realising a vision of excellence in secondary schools leadership. The main challenges that were identified by qualitative method were the lack of support by both the district office and school management or school leadership. The realisation of the vision of excellence is dependent on how the information is managed and disseminated by the school leadership, principals and SMTs. It appears that the realisation of the vision of excellence would enhance the level of understanding of new developments in the education system including the curriculum change and technological advancement. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

The purpose of this study is to discover how courses in world history and United States history are taught in Southern California secondary schools. At this stage of the research the study of the history course instruction will be generally defined as an exploratory and investigative inquiry involving the interviews of the history faculty, analysis of their course offerings and syllabi content, and the overall teachers' course content preparation and knowledge.

This research investigates the vision of excellence in secondary schools leadership in Ekurhuleni East District (Gauteng East District) and the existence of a vision of excellence in schools. A literature study investigated models of leadership related to vision of excellence and aspects of vision of excellence in school leadership. An empirical investigation used both a quantitative and qualitative research design to collect data from a purposefully selected and stratified sample of participants and secondary schools in the Ekurhuleni East District (Gauteng East Education District). A questionnaire and focus group interviews were used to gather data from the respondents. Data were analysed and interpreted using quantitative and qualitative approach. The findings of both the literature study and the empirical research on the above-mentioned vision of excellence in secondary schools leadership in Ekurhuleni East District revealed that there is a lack of support from school leadership and the School Management Team (SMT) in realising a vision of excellence in secondary schools leadership. The main challenges that were identified by qualitative method were the lack of support by both the district office and school management or school leadership. The realisation of the vision of excellence is dependent on how the information is managed and disseminated by the school leadership, principals and SMTs. It appears that the realisation of the vision of excellence would enhance the level of understanding of new developments in the education system including the curriculum change and technological advancement. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

The purpose of this research was to explore the subject of integrating philosophy of education and the goals of education in education practice at the high schools in Kenya. It is stated that the impact of education practice is hinged in the statement of philosophy of education and the goals of education which has been neglected by researchers and scholars in Kenya. An intensive literature review which was undertaken revealed that philosophy of education and the goals of education are flouted in education practice. The sources of literature review were books, journals, policy documents, dissertations, theses, newspapers, and websites. In this qualitative research, phenomenology was selected as suitable theoretical framework to situate education practice as a human activity which is shaped by philosophy of education and the goals of education. A qualitative design was used, and purposive sampling was identified to select the schools and the respondents. The respondents in this research included the school principals, teachers, education officers, board of governors, and the parents-teachers’ representatives. The main qualitative research methods involved literature review and interviews. In this study, ideograms were utilized in the process of analysing the responses acquired from the respondents. According to the respondents, the statement of philosophy of education is foreign in the high schools, but the goals of education are printed in the syllabi, and this explains why the study focused on the goals as the familiar items. The views obtained from the respondents emphasized on what is envisioned to occur at the high schools, and this explains that the students are estranged from philosophy of education. It was concluded that high school pedagogy is exposed to conflicts in relation to integrating philosophy of education and the goals of education. In this case, the study recommended the following insights to improve the process of integrating philosophy of education, the goals of education, and education practice in Kenya: The necessity of revising the content and material resources of high school syllabi to comprise the attributes of philosophy of education in pedagogical activities.  Another suggestion emphasized on restructuring evaluation strategies to integrate the attributes of social cohesion, human progress and economic development.  The final recommendation is that the teaching and learning activities are necessary to intensify knowledge transfer which articulates the attributes of philosophy of education and the goals of education. / Teacher Education / D. Ed. (Philosophy of Education))

Most black rural schools in South Africa are beset with discipline and relationship problems attributed to the way children interpret and exercise their rights. Children's misconceptions of rights impede the operation of educational institutions. A literature study investigated the implications of children's rights on their relationships and behaviour. A qualitative investigation of the socio-educative implications of children's rights was conducted in two rural secondary schools in Mpumalanga. Data gathering was done through participant observation, in-depth interviews with two principals and a tribal chief, and focus group interviews with two groups of teachers, parents and learners. Data were analysed, discussed and synthesised. The major findings emerged: limited understanding of rights and concomitant responsibilities and misconceptions of rights leading to the subversion of authority and morality. Recommendations include that rights-education be introduced in schools to improve children's understanding ofrights and to address negative social behaviour. Educators need to be empowered to handle human rights issues within socio-educational institutions. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Socio-Education)