This is a qualitative interpretive study undertaken through a case study design. The study was carried out to investigate the responsiveness of Social Studies teacher training curriculum towards democratic citizenship education (DCE) with two colleges of education (primary) in Botswana, and the University of Botswana. The following instruments were used as a means to gather data: individual interviews, group interviews, qualitative-questionnaire and document analysis. The participants for the study were drawn from colleges of education Social Studies lecturers and student-teachers with Social Studies as a major subject and the University of Botswana lecturers in the Faculty of Education. The study was inspired by the quest for democratisation of the school system in Botswana through a responsive curriculum. Botswana is dubbed a shining example of democracy, yet active participation of citizens in the national agenda is far to be admired. The best genesis for this enormous task is with teacher training because teachers play a pivotal role in transforming the society through the diffusion of requisite knowledge, skills, behaviours and attitudes. Thus, this argument positions this study to explore the responsiveness of teacher training curriculum at primary teacher training colleges towards DCE. This study was informed by the constructivist perspective on education and teaching. Constructivism is defined by Darforth and Smith (2005) as a broad set of interrelated theories that suggest that knowledge is human creation. This means that, the ideas, attitudes and practices referred to as constructivism are about how humans who learn by building knowledge cooperatively through social interaction and application of prior knowledge in a continual interpretation of ongoing experiences. Moreover, this explains that people explore events and environments, interact among themselves and confront situations and challenge they encounter. The findings of the study show that the teaching of DCE at colleges of education has not been successful as was expected. Firstly, according to the participants, the curriculum does not have adequate content on DCE. Secondly, the values of DCE which are capable of developing student-teachers to be effective citizenship education teachers are not well included in the syllabus. Thirdly, college lecturers believe in active methods of teaching for DCE but perform the opposite in their classes. Lastly, colleges have a lot of challenges that hamper effective transmission of DCE. These range from lack of appropriate educational material for DCE to college leadership that does not recognise the voices of the students in decision making. This study, however, recognises efforts made by colleges to train formidable Social Studies teachers for the transmission of DCE. The study elevates an argument that in-service teachers need support in their effort to transmit DCE to pupils in primary schools. Thus, in the light of the pervasive influence of findings from this study I recommend that policy makers and curriculum planners should consider updating lecturers about the type of Social Studies teacher they are expected to produce. Also I recommend that colleges should review their study materials to align them to the ideals of DCE, with a view to fill the gaps and deficiencies that exist in some topics. Lastly, the study concludes by raising an essential argument that with the current teacher training curriculum and classroom atmosphere in colleges of education, Botswana’s goal of training effective and functional citizenry is an illusion. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum studies)

This study begins by analysing and exploring problems associated with (a) history teaching as part of the Human and Social Sciences learning area, (b) history teaching within an Outcomes-based approach, and (c) history teaching and racism. In an effort to provide solutions to these problems the study proceeds to propose a framework for teaching history within the Human and Social Sciences learning area, to suggest a viable Outcomes-based approach to teaching history in the context of this learning area, and an attempt is also made to provide criteria for an anti-racist approach to history teaching. Further, teaching and learning strategies of how far learners can exhibit antiracist perspectives and attitudes have been developed. Overall, the study found that an interdisciplinary approach - intended to preserve history's identity within the Human and Social Sciences learning area- is worthwhile and essential, given the rich potential of the discipline to enrich and even gain from the unique insights that other disciplines within the learning area can provide. It is evident that history, either by itself or in association with other disciplines, lends itself well to Outcomes-based Education; and that while it is important and necessary to differentiate between learning outcomes on the one hand, and aims and objectives on the other, the former and the latter two demonstrate some significant overlaps. Given the crucial importance of improving race and a range of other relations in South Africa, the findings of the study seem to prove to be a feasible and indeed critically important way in which history teaching could deal with racial and other forms of viprejudice, injustice and discrimination. This seems to be the case because the findings reveal that learners registered progress in various aspects of anti-racist history teaching. Given the gains by learners, therefore, an Outcomes-based history teaching within the Human and Social Sciences learning area would seem to be an essential approach to learning programme development in the South African system of education and training. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Didactics)

The thesis explores sociolinguistic issues facing pre-adolescent English-as-second-language learners. Topics covered include literacy issues, communicative competence issues at the intermediate and advanced English language development (ELD) levels, language and power relationships that affect pre-adolescent English language learners, politeness as a sociolinguistic tool, and the benefits of students acquiring the language of cooperative learning. The implications of these topics culminate in the development of a social studies curriculum unit designed for the middle-school classroom.

Abstracts in English, Afrikaans and Zulu / This study explored teachers’ effective use of questioning as a teaching strategy in Social Studies in grade seven within a primary school in the Kingdom of Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland). The advent of free primary education has brought about large class sizes, but the desire to produce quality education persists. The literature distilled in the study showed that, although a considerable body of studies has established that questioning in the classroom helps direct learning, many teachers fail to utilise it as such. Those who endeavour to use it succeed in engaging their learners, and this results in teaching effectiveness and good outcomes for their learners. The study employed the interpretive paradigm because of the in-depth nature of the investigation. It therefore was a qualitative study that used observation and in-depth semi-structured interviews to gather data and attain the objectives of the study. It was a case study in which four Social Studies teachers took part. Observations were made for at least for 60 minutes in each classroom. Field notes were taken and later analysed. Individual interviews were conducted with the teachers. The results of the study showed that teachers did not use questions to direct teaching and learning, and had no knowledge of the concept of wait time. They also said that they had not been taught questioning strategies in their pre- service teacher training. This was consistent with the literature. Though research shows that questioning promotes effective teaching, the studies reviewed indicated that few teachers use it as an instructional tool. The implications derived from the present study are therefore that pre-service teacher training has to be improved to cater for such important topics as classroom questioning. Also to be improved is further professional development. There is a significant need for action at the macro- and micro-levels of the educational system towards improvement. The actions at the micro-level will be determined by diligent policies designed and executed at that level, that is, the level of the school. / Hierdie studie verken onderwysers se benutting van vraagstelling as onderrigstrategie in Sosiale Studies in Graad 7 by ʼn primêre skool in die koninkryk Eswatini (voorheen Swaziland). In weerwil daarvan dat gratis primêre onderrig groot klasse tot gevolg het, moet gehalteonderwys steeds nagestreef word. Volgens die literatuur wat geraadpleeg is, toon talle studies dat vraagstelling in die klas regstreekse leer bevorder. Onderwysers wat vrae aan leerders stel, gee doeltreffend onderwys omdat hulle leerders betrek, en sodoende ʼn goeie uitkoms behaal. Desondanks pas min onderwysers hierdie strategie toe. Op grond van die aard van hierdie ondersoek, is ʼn vertolkende paradigma gevolg. In hierdie kwalitatiewe studie is data deur waarneming en halfgestruktureerde onderhoude ingesamel. Elke klas is vir minstens 60 minute waargeneem en veldaantekeninge is gemaak wat later ontleed is. Vier onderwysers wat Sosiale Studies onderrig, was deel van die gevallestudie. ʼn Onderhoud is met elkeen gevoer. In hierdie studie is bevind dat die onderwysers geen vrae in die klas gestel het nie. Hulle het ook nie die begrip van wagtyd geken nie, aangesien hulle nooit in vraagstellingstrategieë opgelei is nie. Dit verklaar bevindings in die literatuur dat min onderwysers vraagstelling in die klas gebruik. Vraagstelling moet dus deel van onderwysers se opleiding uitmaak. Hierbenewens moet die professionele ontwikkeling van onderwysers aandag geniet. Voorts is dit noodsaaklik dat die onderwysstelsel op sowel mikro- as makrovlak verbeter word. Ingryping op mikrovlak sal deur die uitvoering van beleid op skoolvlak bepaal word. / Lesifundvo sihlose kusebentisa ngemphumelelo inchubo yekubuta njengelisu lekufundzisa ku-Social Studies kuLibanga 7 ngekhatsi kwesikolwa semabanga laphasi Eswatini (lebeyatiwa ngeSwaziland ngaphambilini). Kufika kwemfundvo yamahhala yemabanga laphasi kwente kwekutsi emaklasi agcwale kakhulu, kodvwa sifiso sekukhicita imfundvo leyikhwalithi siyachubeka. Ilitheretja lebuyeketiwe esifundvweni ikhombisa kwekutsi, nanobe umtimba lobantana wetifundvo utfole kwekutsi inchubo yekubuta eklasini isita kucondzisa kufundza, bothishela labanyenti bayehluleka kukusebentisa ngendlela lefanele. Laba labetama kukusebentisa bayaphumelela ekumbandzakanyeni bafundzi babo, futsi loku kuholela ekufundziseni ngemphumelelo kanye nemiphumela lemihle kubafundzi babo. Lesifundvo sisebentise umcondvo lohumushako ngesizatfu seluhlobo lolujulile lwekuphenya. Ngako-ke bekusifundvo sebunyenti lapho kusetjentiswe khona kubuka kanye nekubuta lokungakahleleki ngalokuphelele lokujulile kugcogca idatha kanye nekutfola tinjongo tesifundvo. Kuhlanganyele bothishela labane beSocial Studies kulesifundvo sekuhlola. Luhlelo lwekubuka lwentiwe lokungenani imizuzu lengema-60 eklasini ngalinye. Kutsatfwe emanotsi futsi ahlatiywa ngemuva kwesikhatsi. Kubutwe bothishela ngamunye. Imiphumela yesifundvo ikhombisa kwekutsi bothishe abakasebentini imibuto kucondzisa kufundzisa nekufundza, futsi bebangenalwati ngemcondvo wesikhatsi sekulindza. Baphindze baphawula kwekutsi abakafundzisiswa emasu ekubuta ekucecesheni kwabo kwangaphambi kwekufundzisisa. Loku bekufanana ngelitheretja. Nanobe lucwaningo lukhombisa kwekutsi kubuta kugcugcutela kufundzisa ngemphumelelo, letifundvo letibuyeketiwe tikhombisa kwekutsi bothishela labambalwa bakusebentisa njengelithuluzi lekuyalela. Imiphumela letfolwe kulesifundvo samanje kutsi kucecesha kwabothishela kwangaphambi kwekufundzisa kumele kwentiwencono kute kufake tihloko letifana nekubuta eklasini. Loku lokumele kwentiwencono kuchubeka ngekutfutfukiswa kwalobucwepheshe. Kunesidzingo lesikhulu sesinyatselo etigabeni letincane kakhulu nasetigabeni letincane teluhlelo lwemfundvo ngasekwentenincono. Letinyatselo esigabeni lesincane titawuncunywa nguletinchubomgomo letihlelwe futsi tasetjentiswa kuleso sigaba, lekusigaba sesikolo. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Curriculum and Instructional Studies)