This exploration investigates lecturers’ experiences of the role of professional development on TVET lecturers. Lecturers’ professional development is often viewed as the source to effective learning developments. Lecturer effectiveness at TVET Colleges depends on the constant professional development to avoid encounters that they face due to endless differences taking place in technology and national curriculum. The result of proper professional development of lecturers is that both students and the organisation benefit from it. Hence, lecturers are likely to be subjected to continuous professional development to be well informed with the constant adjustments taking place in the education system. This occurs as the lecturers are pressurised to participate in a variety of regular professional development programmes that are not designed to suit their specific requirements. This leads to, professional development becoming ineffective in assisting the lecturer developing their training in their specific areas of knowledge. A literature review was used to determine what other writers say about the concept of professional development. A qualitative study was employed and two research instruments were used: semi-structured interview sessions and document analysis.Information was collected through the interviews, centred on pre-planned interview questions. Purposive sampling was used and nine experienced participants were selected for this study. Lecturers’ were questioned about their experiences of professional development at a TVET College in the Kwazulu Natal district. The conversations were recorded, translated and scrutinised to discover lecturers’ opinions about professional development in their college. This investigation was guided by three important questions: How effective are staff development programmes managed for lecturers in their areas of specialisation? Secondly, How effective are the policies regarding staff development in TVET Colleges? Finally, what role does senior management play in CPD in Majuba TVET College? Findings indicate that the principals of the colleges are not managing the continuous professional development of lectures. It is left upon the lecturers themselves to manage their professional development. It is expected that this investigation and the literature review will influence the management of professional development for the advantage of lecturers and the college. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

The support and promotion of public Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Colleges is fundamental in addressing South Africa’s intermediate-level and artisanal skills as shortages in these areas contribute to considerable unemployment in South Africa. These institutions have been earmarked by the South African government for extensive growth. Therefore, efficient and effective management and accurate decision-making within these institutions are essential. The evaluation of the management information systems (MISs) within these institutions, which provide data and information to inform institutional short-term and long-term management decision-making and day-to-day operations, should take place on a regular basis to so enhance the reliability and accuracy of the data and information. The problem is that no evidence of a methodology (artefact) for the evaluation of MISs at public TVET Colleges in South Africa could be found in the literature. Therefore, the rationale for this study is to develop a methodology for the evaluation of MISs at public TVET Colleges in South Africa. Hence the main research question for the study was formulated as: What are the components that constitute a methodology for the evaluation of a MIS at a public TVET College in South Africa? The study was conducted according to a design science paradigm. Design science is underpinned by a pragmatic philosophical paradigm which considers thought as a tool for prediction, problem solving and action. The Design Science Research Process (DSRP) model informed the research process utilised to develop the artefact for this problem centred initiated study. The iterated activities of the DSRP model which include: design, demonstrate, evaluate and and communicate, contributed to the refinement of the methodology (artefact). The artefact mainly underwent experimental evaluation to demonstrate its applicability. The methodology (artefact) was empirically evaluated at three cluster-random selected public TVET Colleges after all colleges, with similar MIS maturity levels, were clustered into groups.The study contributed to the extant knowledge base of: theory building, on different levels. The main theoretical contribution is the final evaluated methodology (DSR artefact) which enables IT practitioners and MIS managers at public TVET Colleges in South Africa to evaluate their MISs on a regular basis. The methodology (artefact) presents a theory for design and action which satisfies the conditions of importance, parsimony and novelty on a micro-level. The study furthermore contributed to the extant literature on the theory of MIS success evaluation by contributing to theory on the measurement of MIS success constructs and measuring of the relationships between the constructs. Another theoretical contribution is the innovative evidence-based method by which the public TVET Colleges were clustered. The clustering method was used to ensure a more rigorous sample selection technique than purposive or convenient sample selection of cases and is generalisable to other knowledge domain contexts. The research study furthermore produced results of interest to both technology-focused and management-focused audiences. For technology-focused audiences the processes by which the artefact was constructed and evaluated are described, thus establishing repeatability of the study and building the knowledge base for further research extensions by future design science researchers. The rigour of the artefact design process was complemented by a thorough presentation of the experimental design of the artefact’s field test in three public TVET College environments which provides sufficient detail for management audiences to determine if sufficient organisational resources exist for utilisation of the artefact. / Information Science / Ph. D. (Information Systems)

The support and promotion of public Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Colleges is fundamental in addressing South Africa’s intermediate-level and artisanal skills as shortages in these areas contribute to considerable unemployment in South Africa. These institutions have been earmarked by the South African government for extensive growth. Therefore, efficient and effective management and accurate decision-making within these institutions are essential. The evaluation of the management information systems (MISs) within these institutions, which provide data and information to inform institutional short-term and long-term management decision-making and day-to-day operations, should take place on a regular basis to so enhance the reliability and accuracy of the data and information. The problem is that no evidence of a methodology (artefact) for the evaluation of MISs at public TVET Colleges in South Africa could be found in the literature. Therefore, the rationale for this study is to develop a methodology for the evaluation of MISs at public TVET Colleges in South Africa. Hence the main research question for the study was formulated as: What are the components that constitute a methodology for the evaluation of a MIS at a public TVET College in South Africa? The study was conducted according to a design science paradigm. Design science is underpinned by a pragmatic philosophical paradigm which considers thought as a tool for prediction, problem solving and action. The Design Science Research Process (DSRP) model informed the research process utilised to develop the artefact for this problem centred initiated study. The iterated activities of the DSRP model which include: design, demonstrate, evaluate and communicate, contributed to the refinement of the methodology (artefact). The artefact mainly underwent experimental evaluation to demonstrate its applicability. The methodology (artefact) was empirically evaluated at three cluster-random selected public TVET Colleges after all colleges, with similar MIS maturity levels, were clustered into groups. The study contributed to the extant knowledge base of: theory building, on different levels. The main theoretical contribution is the final evaluated methodology (DSR artefact) which enables IT practitioners and MIS managers at public TVET Colleges in South Africa to evaluate their MISs on a regular basis. The methodology (artefact) presents a theory for design and action which satisfies the conditions of importance, parsimony and novelty on a micro-level. The study furthermore contributed to the extant literature on the theory of MIS success evaluation by contributing to theory on the measurement of MIS success constructs and measuring of the relationships between the constructs. Another theoretical contribution is the innovative evidence-based method by which the public TVET Colleges were clustered. The clustering method was used to ensure a more rigorous sample selection technique than purposive or convenient sample selection of cases and is generalisable to other knowledge domain contexts. The research study furthermore produced results of interest to both technology-focused and management-focused audiences. For technology-focused audiences the processes by which the artefact was constructed and evaluated are described, thus establishing repeatability of the study and building the knowledge base for further research extensions by future design science researchers. The rigour of the artefact design process was complemented by a thorough presentation of the experimental design of the artefact’s field test in three public TVET College environments which provides sufficient detail for management audiences to determine if sufficient organisational resources exist for utilisation of the artefact. / Information Science / Ph. D. (Information Systems)

This study was interested in investigating the factors contributing to low completion rates at a TVET college in the North-West Province. There is not much research conducted on the low completion rates at TVET Colleges in South Africa. The study sought to explore the understanding of completion rates at TVET Colleges, the current completion rates and the causes and the strategies that might be employed to increase the completion rates. Qualitative methodology was used to collect data, using semi-structured interviews for all the focus group interviews. Collected data were transcribed, interpreted, analysed and the findings were presented. The study revealed that factors contributing to the low completion rates are finance and management issues, staff problems, policy factors, socio-economic factors and students’ personal factors that require attention in order to increase the completion rates. These include lecturer qualifications, student funding, inadequate infrastructure, drug and substance abuse, involvement of stakeholders and lack of adherence to policies. The study recommends proper administration of students’ bursaries, effective Quality Management System (QMS), lecturer development, adequate infrastructure and efficient policies to be implemented. The study might draw the attention of the DHET, the college management and other stakeholders in order to come up with interventions to remedy the low completion rates at TVET Colleges. / Educational Management and Leadership / M. Ed. (Educational Management)

A large number of students are struggling with Information System and other computer related subjects. This has a negative impact on students’ academic performance at large. In fact, a number of students from various institutions of higher learning are facing serious Information System challenges. Information System student on NATED curriculum at Majuba TVET College are facing serious challenges on their studies. This has been indicated by their performance on Information System. This article intends to draw an attention of education stakeholders, College management and lecturers to this matter. A number of reasons leading to students poor performance in this field has been mentioned. Various studies have been conducted but yet the lack of Information System skills still persists. The main question that guided this study was: What are the stakeholders’ perceptions of the challenges encountered Information System students? In order to explore and to get some findings for this case qualitative study, semi-structured interviews with relevant stakeholders were conducted. Sample of lecturers, student’s focus groups and college management members was conducted. Data collected from various participants were transcribed verbatim. A combination of literature and data collected produced some findings on the matter. In an attempt to answer the main question, recommendations were made. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

Students in Technical and Vocational Education and Training Colleges (TVET) in South Africa face a number of challenges including psychological problems. These challenges have a strong bearing on the academic success of the students. The aim of the study was to examine the effectiveness of psychological support services rendered to students at Majuba TVET College. Interviews were recorded verbatim and transcribed. Thematic data analysis was used to analyse the data. The themes used were derived from the research objectives and these were further divided into categories and sub-categories. The study found that the institution does provide psychological support services to the learner. The forms of psychological support include career counselling, pre-counselling, referral system, on-going counselling and peer counselling and mentoring. Improved academic performance, improved student attendance student retention and improved college certification rate are some of the benefits that can be realised from the effective utilisation of psychological support by the students. Various challenges hinder the effective utilisation of these psychological support services including, lack of qualified personnel, being understaffed, poor referral system, conflicting roles of staff, inadequate on-site counselling, low-prioritisation of psychological support by college management and limited access time. The participants highlighted the need for the institution to establish linkages with key stakeholders such as other TVET Colleges so as to have a platform for sharing vital information on psychological support. The participants were of the view that more qualified and registered staff should be hired to bolster the provision of psychological support to students. The referral system should be improved and the participants advocated for the services to be accessible around the clock. College management should show commitment to students’ welfare by prioritising and recognising student psychological support as pivotal to students’ academic success. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Adult Education)

The aim of this study was to investigate the management of the function shift of Technical and Vocational Education and Training Colleges at the Department of Higher Education and Training. When the function shift of TVET Colleges took place, it provided an opportunity to research a phenomenon and obtain data that were not previously researched, as this was the first ever function shift or migration of colleges from the Department of Basic Education to the Department of Higher Education and Training. As such, this research not only explores a new phenomenon but also contributes to the body of knowledge regarding TVET in South Africa. This research was conducted at a TVET College in Newcastle, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. A qualitative, phenomenological study was conducted. The instruments for collecting data were individual and focus group interviews. Field notes were compiled during the various interviews, as deemed necessary by the researcher. All interviews were recorded digitally. The said digital recordings were transcribed and emanating themes were identified. Managers were selected as the interviewees. As this research was based on the management of the function shift, they were the most appropriate choice. A sample of staff was also interviewed, as two separate focus groups, to balance the scope and extent of the data, thus attempting to not only view the managerial paradigm as the sole reality. Findings made from the data were that the function shift was preceded by a previous migration of staff. That migration, however, saw colleges remaining in the same educational stream or level namely that of basic education. The staff at colleges, or technical colleges as they were called at the time, were previously employed by the State. This changed when the State created governing bodies for colleges or college councils, as they are known. Technical Colleges were then renamed Further Education and Training Colleges. These colleges were reporting to the Department of Education which saw a name change to the Department of Basic Education, as explained above. Employees were given the opportunity to migrate from State employment to council employment, which most staff members did. These college councils were later found to be dysfunctional, and the State arranged for colleges to be returned to the auspices of the State, but this time round they were usurped in the newly formed Department of Higher Education and Training. From a management perspective, the function shift was successful with minor challenges. Thus the staff felt that they did not receive adequate communication, thereby adversely affecting their financial positions. The researcher recommends further research among TVET Colleges regarding the management of this function shift. It is also recommended that all current channels of communication with staff be revisited, and improvement therein pursued, where possible. A final recommendation is that managers involved in a function shift be subject to a refresher course in change management before a function shift is implemented. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)