This study focuses on the experiences of beginning teachers in the British Army’s training and education branch. The research sought to identity what influenced participants’ construing about teaching and learning, teacher identity, role, and trajectory during initial teacher education. By utilising Personal Construct Psychology (PCP) and Communities of Practice as analytical frameworks, the impact of influences on the construing of the research participants was identified. The research was underpinned by a constructivist and interpretive epistemology and utilised a collaborative, narrative-based case study approach. Interviews, Repertory Grids and Trajectory Targets were used to provide insight into the construing and experiences of the participants during their teacher education. The research was conducted by a former Army officer and data were collected from and analysed with five participants during their teacher education programme. Research data suggested that these beginning teachers were highly influenced by their previous experience as a student and this experience left strong personal biographies and images of teaching that appeared to be maintained throughout their early explorations of professional practice. The beginning teachers in this study appeared to rely heavily on these stable images and constructs during their early practice when classroom 'survival' was paramount and at this point attached little value to the pedagogical content of their teacher education programme. Data further suggested that it is only once these beginning teachers built a level of confidence, began to 'routinise' aspects of their practice, and had the opportunity to validate their initial images of teaching that they become more receptive to other influences such as their teacher education or their community of practice. This confirmed the findings of a number of other studies and, by utilising the theories that underpin PCP, a rationale for this situation was advanced. The implications of the research findings suggest that care must be taken to ensure that teacher education courses are designed to allow the opportunity for beginning teachers to critically analyse and validate their initial beliefs and constructs through the experience of practice before embarking on significant theoretical and practical pedagogical content. It is argued that this initial period of professional practice provides the opportunity for beginning teachers to develop the cognitive and emotive dissonance or 'anxiety' that appears to be required before they are willing to step away from the relative stability and safety of their personal biographies. Based on these research findings a '4-dimensional' pedagogical model (Do, Discover, Diversify, Deepen) is developed to underpin the design of practice-based teacher education programmes.

This study argues that education law is of paramount importance in order to be a successful teacher in our democracy where human rights of all stakeholders are protected and as such remains the responsibility of government to ensure that all new teachers are trained in the field of education law. This dissertation reports to the significance the participants attach to education law and to their attitudes and their practice in schools. It continues to answer the question whether knowing the legal rules is in fact changing the game on ground level. There are differing perspectives on the exact essence of education law; however, there seems to be consensus in the literature that the fundamental function of education law is to regulate the rights and obligations of the interested parties in order to make the school conducive for teaching and learning. The education law functionally contributes to the creation of harmonizing relationships and ensuring co-operation amongst all stakeholders. Education law therefore creates a clear framework for the professional role of teachers. The law defines the border of the playfield and actions at stake in the education sector. Education law as module in Higher Education programmes deals with issues that pertain directly to the teaching profession. These include inter alia governance, the Bill of Rights, instructions/regulations, limitations, application of legal principles and expectations regarding the teacher as an employee. It deals with legal applications and the legal balancing of human rights in educational practice. As a result, it is assumed that teachers may feel somewhat overwhelmed by the content of an education law module and its associated outcomes. This dissertation will therefore also deal with the ability of teachers to understand and apply the values that underpin the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. Education should lead young citizens towards occupying their place in a democratic society based on human dignity, equality and freedom. The dissertation argues that insufficient knowledge of education law is impacting negatively on a culture of human rights application in our school system which results that the school system is unsuccessful and do not fulfil its obligations in a democracy. This may result in the DoBE being held accountable for not empowering teachers to develop our young citizens to fulfil their place in our democracy. In light of the impact of education law, this dissertation is essentially divided into three sections:  The first section provides an overview of the issues and challenges of teachers who have had no formal exposure to education law;  The second section focuses on the impact on teachers who have studied education law as part of their teaching qualification, and  The third section seeks to offer policy recommendations as remedy, inter alia to include education law as part of all teachers’ training curricula in South Africa. The legal remedies that this dissertation advocates is that Government should take on their legal responsibilities towards its employees without turning a blind eye on the value crisis in our country. Government is accountable to ensure that each teacher is skilled and have the competencies to apply legal principles and human rights to instil a culture of human rights that is conducive for teaching in our school system. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / lk2014 / Education Management and Policy Studies / MEd / unrestricted