In a rapidly changing and competitive world organisations need to develop and improve their performance continuously to ensure a competitive advantage. Organisations need to determine their current status of performance constantly and identify organisational strengths and areas where improvements can be made. Periodic organisational self-assessments are therefore required to measure current management and operations policies, practices and procedures, in order to enhance overall business performance rather than solely concentrating on the quality of products or services. Traditionally, external inspections were more commonly used by educational and training institutions for the evaluation of institution and learner performance. These institutions are today taking part in a growing drive for internal self-evaluation, arising from the desire of institutions and Education, Training and Development (ETD) practitioners to assess their own performances. Self-assessment as part of an endeavour to sustain continuous improvement is therefore also appropriate for ETD providers in the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). A new defence dispensation and a changing ETD environment in South Africa have created new demands on ETD providers in the SANDF. Although training units within the SANDF may function in a unique military context, national legislation relevant to ETD and the latest approach of openness and transparency into matters of the Department imply that military as well as non-military ETD in the SANDF is to be closely aligned with national training and development initiatives. As legislation does not make a distinction between military and private ETD providers in South Africa, most traditionally assumed differences are no longer relevant. A case study explored the appropriateness of conducting organisational self-assessment as component of a Continuous Performance Improvement Strategy and Quality Assurance within the SANDF. The study also investigated the usefulness of a Total Quality Management approach to quality assurance in the ETD environment and the impact of the frameworks used, available assessment instruments and the selected assessment methods on the significance of organisational self-assessment by ETD providers. This study's investigation of the appropriateness and significance of regular organisational self-assessments by training units in the SANDF thus has broader implications, as recommendations are also applicable to other ETD providers. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Education Management)

The role of the principal can no longer be viewed as merely being a manager and administrator but rather as learning-expert and lifelong learner. Principals are expected to establish appropriate preconditions for effective teaching, learning and assessment, and flow through with interactions aimed at improving teaching and leaning. The problem statement for this study was based on the researcher’s opinion that the lack of knowledge of effective assessment practices by principals as instructional leaders seemed to have a negative influence on teacher’s perceptions of the implementation of quality assessment practices in their respective classrooms. The reason for this challenge is because principals are not involved in the classroom assessment practices, to revise, support and manage the quality of assessment by indentifying teacher’s assessment to them. The purpose of this study was to design a proposed instructional leadership model/ framework to ensure effective and quality assessment practices at school level. This ILQA framework/model was designed from the literature review, findings and personal experience as a principal. The aim of this ILQA framework/model was to support principals understand their roles in the teaching and learning environment in ensuring quality assessment practices at school level. This study investigates how principals execute their roles as instructional leaders in ensuring effective and the implementation of quality assessment practices using structured questionnaire from a sample of 250 respondents and semi structured interviews with five primary school principals in the Free State Department of Basic Education. It was found that to ensure quality assessment practices, principals should understand their role in assessment for learning, assessment of learning and assessment as learning and integrate them into classroom instruction as an important component of quality teaching and learning. In summary the researcher further hopes that when the findings and the recommendations of this study are implemented, it will add value to the school principals’ instructional leadership roles in ensuring quality assessment practices at school level. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

In a rapidly changing and competitive world organisations need to develop and improve their performance continuously to ensure a competitive advantage. Organisations need to determine their current status of performance constantly and identify organisational strengths and areas where improvements can be made. Periodic organisational self-assessments are therefore required to measure current management and operations policies, practices and procedures, in order to enhance overall business performance rather than solely concentrating on the quality of products or services. Traditionally, external inspections were more commonly used by educational and training institutions for the evaluation of institution and learner performance. These institutions are today taking part in a growing drive for internal self-evaluation, arising from the desire of institutions and Education, Training and Development (ETD) practitioners to assess their own performances. Self-assessment as part of an endeavour to sustain continuous improvement is therefore also appropriate for ETD providers in the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). A new defence dispensation and a changing ETD environment in South Africa have created new demands on ETD providers in the SANDF. Although training units within the SANDF may function in a unique military context, national legislation relevant to ETD and the latest approach of openness and transparency into matters of the Department imply that military as well as non-military ETD in the SANDF is to be closely aligned with national training and development initiatives. As legislation does not make a distinction between military and private ETD providers in South Africa, most traditionally assumed differences are no longer relevant. A case study explored the appropriateness of conducting organisational self-assessment as component of a Continuous Performance Improvement Strategy and Quality Assurance within the SANDF. The study also investigated the usefulness of a Total Quality Management approach to quality assurance in the ETD environment and the impact of the frameworks used, available assessment instruments and the selected assessment methods on the significance of organisational self-assessment by ETD providers. This study's investigation of the appropriateness and significance of regular organisational self-assessments by training units in the SANDF thus has broader implications, as recommendations are also applicable to other ETD providers. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Education Management)

The role of the principal can no longer be viewed as merely being a manager and administrator but rather as learning-expert and lifelong learner. Principals are expected to establish appropriate preconditions for effective teaching, learning and assessment, and flow through with interactions aimed at improving teaching and leaning. The problem statement for this study was based on the researcher’s opinion that the lack of knowledge of effective assessment practices by principals as instructional leaders seemed to have a negative influence on teacher’s perceptions of the implementation of quality assessment practices in their respective classrooms. The reason for this challenge is because principals are not involved in the classroom assessment practices, to revise, support and manage the quality of assessment by indentifying teacher’s assessment to them. The purpose of this study was to design a proposed instructional leadership model/ framework to ensure effective and quality assessment practices at school level. This ILQA framework/model was designed from the literature review, findings and personal experience as a principal. The aim of this ILQA framework/model was to support principals understand their roles in the teaching and learning environment in ensuring quality assessment practices at school level. This study investigates how principals execute their roles as instructional leaders in ensuring effective and the implementation of quality assessment practices using structured questionnaire from a sample of 250 respondents and semi structured interviews with five primary school principals in the Free State Department of Basic Education. It was found that to ensure quality assessment practices, principals should understand their role in assessment for learning, assessment of learning and assessment as learning and integrate them into classroom instruction as an important component of quality teaching and learning. In summary the researcher further hopes that when the findings and the recommendations of this study are implemented, it will add value to the school principals’ instructional leadership roles in ensuring quality assessment practices at school level. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)