Dissertation (PhD)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001 / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In South Africa the transformation process in education has placed tremendous pressure on teachers, redefining roles, functions and imposing new levels of accountability on education professionals. This thesis is based on research examining teachers' experiences of and responses to the recent policy changes and their implications for teachers' work at primary school level. The research captures a small selection of the diverse views and reflections of teachers in case studies of in-service teacher education processes set against the backdrop of major educational changes driven by structural and policy changes in a changing socio-political context. The participants in the research project consisted of a selection serving (working) teachers who attended in-service teacher education programmes voluntarily. The interpretations of events reflect my own perspectives and are informed by both the participants in the research and the specific period in which the research took place. Data produced suggests that while the initial legislative changes took place fairly quickly, the implementation of more systemic, structural, curricular and administrative changes posed a greater challenge. Hastily introduced changes related to practice about which teachers were not consulted resulted in professional uncertainty being induced and teachers experiencing confusion, anxiety and doubts about their competence. Large numbers in classes, poor resources, micropolitical issues at schools, were mentioned as contextual constraints affecting implementation of changes as prescribed in policies. Small pockets of compliance with and support for change initiatives were however also evident in the responses. I contend that the overwhelmingly resistant responses of teachers in the case studies conducted are related to contextual constraints and the decontextualised, externally developed policies and externally imposed changes that ignore teachers' experience (as teacher and personal), beliefs, values and local contexts and broader social contexts. Further I posit that planning of change processes needs to involve teachers at all levels including policy development and in-service activities so that teachers are not only informed of changes but are part of the change process. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die transformasieproses van die onderwys in Suid-Afrika het geweldige druk op onderwysers geplaas omdat hulle rolle en funksies hergedefinieer is en nuwe vlakke van verantwoordelikheid op onderwyskundiges geplaas is. Die navorsing waaroor in hierdie tesis gerapporteer word, is gebaseer op onderwysers se ervarings van en reaksies op die onlangse veranderinge in beleidsdokumente. Die imp likasies vir die werk van onderwysers in die primêre skool word ook betrek. Die navorsing hanteer gevallestudies waarin 'n klein gedeelte aangespreek word van die diverse sienings en refleksies van onderwysers wat deelgeneem het aan indiensopleiding met die oog op die implementering van Kurrikulum 2005. Dit word gestel teen die agtergrond van die grootskaalse onderwysveranderinge as uitvloeisel van die strukturele en politieke veranderinge in 'n veranderende sosio-politieke konteks. Die deelnemers aan die navorsingsprojek was 'n seleksie diensdoende onderwysers wat die programme op 'n vrywillige basis bygewoon het. Alhoewel hulle reaksies as uitgangspunt vir die interpreasie van die resultate gebruik is, reflekteer die interpretasie my eie perspektiewe, gegrond op sowel die ervarings van die deelnemers aan die navorsingsproses as die tydperk waartydens die navorsing plaasgevind het. Die data wat geproduseer is, sugureer dat, in teenstelling met die relatief vinnige veranderinge van die aanvanklike wetgewing, die implementering van die meer sistematiese, strukturele, kurrikurêle en administratiewe veranderings 'n groter uitdaging gebied het. Veranderinge in verband met die onderwyspraktyk, wat baie vinnig ingebring is sonder om die onderwysers daaroor te raadpleeg, het tot professionele onsekerheid gelei, aangevul met verwardheid, vrees en twyfeloor hulle bekwaamheid. Groot klasse, gebrekkige hulpbronne, mikro-politiese sake by die skole, is genoem as kontekstuele beperkings wat die implementering van die voorgeskrewe beleidsveranderinge beïnvloed het. Slegs'n klein groepie onderwysers het die beleidsveranderinge aanvaar of ondersteun. Ek voer aan dat die oorweldigende aantal negatiewe response van onderwysers verband hou met kontekstuele beperkings en die gedekontekstualiseerde, eksternontwikkelde beleidsdokumente. Die veranderinge wat ekstern afgedwing is en wat onderwysers se waardes en plaaslike kontekste geïgnoreer het, speel volgens my ook 'n belangrike rol. Verder stel ek dit dat onderwysers op alle vlakke by die beplanning van veranderingsprosesse betrek moet word. Daarby word beleidsontwikkeling en aktiwiteite rondom indiensopleiding ingesluit sodat onderwysers nie slegs ingelig word nie, maar ook deel vorm van die proses.

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D.Ed. (Education) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

稿本 / 論文(碩士)--香港中文大學硏究院敎育學部,1992. / 參考文獻: leaves 127-134 / 伍國雄 = A study of teachers' attitudes toward school change in Hong Kong / Ng Kwok Hung. / 鳴謝 --- p.i / 圖目 --- p.iv / 表目 --- p.v / 論文撮要 --- p.vi / 頁碼 / Chapter 第一章 --- 引言 --- p.1 / Chapter 第一節 --- 研究背景 --- p.1 / Chapter 第二節 --- 研究目的 --- p.3 / Chapter 第三節 --- 研究意義 --- p.3 / Chapter 第二章 --- 文獻探討與理念架構 --- p.5 / Chapter 第一節 --- 組織變革概念 --- p.5 / Chapter 一 . --- 名詞釋義 --- p.5 / Chapter 二 . --- 組織變革的意義 --- p.8 / Chapter 三. --- 組織變革與變革壓力 --- p.9 / Chapter 四. --- 組織變革與變革阻拒 --- p.10 / Chapter 五. --- 組織變革的形成 --- p.14 / Chapter 第二節 --- 學校變革 --- p.18 / Chapter 一. --- 學校變革的研究 --- p.18 / Chapter 二. --- 學校變革的分類及範圃 --- p.19 / Chapter 1. --- 學校變革的類別 --- p.20 / Chapter 2. --- 學校變革的模式 --- p.22 / Chapter 第三節 --- 教師對變革的態度 --- p.25 / Chapter 一. --- 影響教師對變革態度的因素 --- p.25 / Chapter 二 . --- 變革態度與關注理論 --- p.27 / Chapter 三. --- 變革態度與個人傳统性 --- p.32 / Chapter 四. --- 變革態度與組織特性 --- p.36 / Chapter 甲. --- 組織結構 --- p.37 / Chapter 乙. --- 組織文化強度（組織意識形態） --- p.41 / Chapter 丙. --- 組織變革領導方式 --- p.44 / Chapter 五. --- 變革態度與變革本質 --- p.48 / Chapter 第四節 --- 研究理念架構 --- p.51 / Chapter 第三章 --- 研究方法 --- p.58 / Chapter 第一節 --- 研究假設 --- p.58 / Chapter 第二節 --- 研究對象 --- p.61 / Chapter 第三節 --- 研究工具 --- p.61 / Chapter 第四節 --- 資料捜集 --- p.66 / Chapter 第五節 --- 資料分析方法 --- p.67 / Chapter 第四章 --- 結果之分析與討論 --- p.73 / Chapter 第一節 --- 不同背景的教師的變革態度之比較分析 --- p.75 / Chapter 第二節 --- 各單變項的相關分析 --- p.82 / Chapter 第三節 --- 各複變項的分析 --- p.91 / Chapter 第四節 --- 總述 --- p.107 / Chapter 第五章 --- 結論及建議 --- p.112 / Chapter 第一節 --- 結論 --- p.112 / Chapter 第二節 --- 研究限制 --- p.116 / Chapter 第三節 --- 建議 --- p.117 / 附錄 / Chapter 附錄1 --- 教師個人傳统性問卷 --- p.121 / Chapter 附錄2 --- 學校組織文化強度量表 --- p.122 / Chapter 附錄3 --- 學校組織結構問卷 --- p.123 / Chapter 附錄4 --- 校長領導學校變革行為量表 --- p.124 / Chapter 附錄5 --- 教師一般變革態度量表 --- p.125 / Chapter 附錄6 --- 教師關注變革量表 --- p.126 / 參考書目 --- p.127

Building upon previous research on the importance of students' motivation for their learning and academic success, this study sought to examine how students' motivation in the classroom may impact the way their teachers' treat them. Specifically, data from 423 middle school students and their 21 teachers were used to examine the extent to which student engagement and disaffection (individually and in combination) in the fall predicted changes in teachers' provision of motivational support from fall to spring of the same school year. The study also examined whether these relationships might differ by student grade or gender, and whether the effects of each component of motivation can be buffered or boosted by the level of the other component. Overall, results provided partial support for study hypotheses. As expected, engagement and disaffection (as reported both by students and by teachers) individually predicted changes in teacher motivational support over the school year, such that engaged students were more likely to gain teacher support across the school year whereas disaffected students were more likely to lose teacher support. Assessing the unique effects of engagement and disaffection suggested partial support for their combined predictive utility, although less support was found for teacher-reports than student-reports. Across time, student-reported disaffection demonstrated unique effects on changes in teacher support but student-reported engagement did not. For teacher-reports of engagement and disaffection, neither component of motivation predicted changes in teacher support above and beyond the other component. Across reporters, mean-level gender differences in the constructs of interest were consistent with expectations based on previous research suggesting that girls tend to be more motivated than boys in school; however, despite these significant differences in mean-levels, there were few gender differences in the strength of the reciprocal effects of student motivation on teacher support. Of the 12 tests for gender differences in the links between student motivation and teacher support, only two were found, and both cases demonstrated significant gender effects of the same form, such that engagement and disaffection demonstrated significant reciprocal effects for both genders; however, the effects were significantly stronger for boys. As expected, examination of mean-level differences in engagement and disaffection as a function of grade suggested that student motivation and teacher support decline as students progress through middle school. In general, significant reciprocal effects of student motivation on teacher support across time were found for students of all grades for both student- and teacher reports; however there were some grade-level differences in the strength of those associations. Results indicated that engagement and disaffection were more important predictors of changes in teacher support over the school year for older students (8th graders) than for younger students (6th or 7th graders). Finally, the expected interaction between engagement and disaffection was only partially supported and only for teacher-reports. Specifically, as predicted, the relationship between teacher-reported engagement and teacher support was stronger for students who were low in disaffection, suggesting low disaffection boosted the positive effects of engagement. At the same time, and contrary to expectations, instead of the relationship between disaffection and teacher support being weaker for students perceived as highly engaged, these relations were actually stronger such that disaffection was a stronger predictor of losses in teacher support for highly engaged students than for their equally disaffected but less engaged peers. Implications for educational interventions and daily classroom practices are discussed. This study, by utilizing a two time-point design, a diverse at-risk student population, and measures from both student and teacher perspectives, attempted to make a contribution to the sparse but potentially important research literature on how student's motivation can shape their experiences with teachers in the classroom.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

This study investigated, gathered, and organized information not previously available regarding the perceptions of school faculty (SF), teacher candidates (TC), and university faculty (UF) relating to the effectiveness of the PDS partnership between Grant University (GU) and Adam Elementary School (AES). Although participants in the PDS perceived the partnership was successful, data had not been collected from the participants. Data were not available to assess whether or not the list of responsibilities for SF and UF presented in the AES/GU PDS Agreement were being completed. A mixed-methods survey-methodology with the use of questionnaires provided a framework for the study. Semi-structured interviews and narrative responses substantiated and supported discoveries in data. Cross-sectional surveys collected data from differing segments of the population at a specific time showing the perceptions of those segments of the population. The collection of data is from three population groups (school faculty, teacher candidates, university faculty) during two years. The study describes the perceptions, both positive and negative of teacher candidates, university faculty, and school faculty. / Department of Educational Leadership