In the nineteen years of South Africa’s democracy, its education system, as a vehicle for political, economic and social reform, has been characterised by transformation and change. Educators, as policy implementers, have been integral to that process. For the educators at the school selected for this study, changes have included, among others, frequent curriculum revision; a different approach to assessment; changes in school management as well as making a transition from a mainstream to a full service school, focused on the inclusion of learners who experience mild to moderate barriers to learning. Against this background the purpose of this study was to explore the subjective experience of educators in this particular school, and the subsequent impact that aspects of curriculum change and educational reform may have had on them; then secondly to put practices in place that would enable them to positively embrace new ideas, create knowledge and share ideas as educators. The study was conducted with 21 educators at a full service school. The research findings show them to be overloaded with administrative tasks as pressure is put on them to present evidence of their competence and functionality; many of them were tired, confused or angry. They felt rushed and obligated to implement a curriculum that they perceive to compromise effective teaching and learning; and ultimately, the learners. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Guidance and Counselling)

A growing body of research has emphasised the social processes by which teachers – who are curriculum policy implementing agents – are trained and supported on how to practically implement policies in the classroom. Yet, little attention has been paid to the factors that influence teachers’ interpretation of curriculum policy and how their understanding of policy implementation influences the ways in which they respond to policies. Some research has already been done on the implementation of curriculum policies in schools, with findings centred largely on the disjuncture between policy and practice. Research has also established that much of what teachers are doing in the classroom does not reflect policy. Although teachers have opportunities to enhance the implementation of policy, there are also factors that negatively influence their implementation of educational policy. This is basically because of the gap between the policy makers and the implementing agents. The lack of a shared understanding between these two stakeholders’ results in a perception of policy as a set of strict rules and procedures meant to be followed by teachers. This study aims to develop an understanding of what influences teachers in their attempts to implement the curriculum policy on environmental education in the classroom. The study further aims to gain an understanding, from the practitioners’ perspectives, of how policy implementation challenges their habitual patterns of teaching and schooling and whether, to them, this implementation seems to threaten the conventional disciplinary curricular structures of fixed timetables and depending on textbooks, and leaves little room for outdoor or hands-on activities. The focus on teachers is motivated by the fact that they are the primary curriculum implementers in schools and as such, are expected to play a significant role in implementing the curriculum according to policy. This study advocates an interdisciplinary approach to implementing environmental education policy in teaching and learning in the Natural Sciences. This entails environmental education becoming part of the curriculum, and being taught as a cross-curricula component. In this context, environmental education will form part of teaching and learning in every learning area of the curriculum for the General Education and Training band of the South African education system. What this means for teachers is that they have to integrate environmental concepts or topics within their respective learning areas, and that they have to follow a learner-centred approach that allows learners the opportunity to become active participants, responsible for their own learning. This implies that, for learners to develop knowledge, skills, and correct attitudes regarding the environment, teachers have to use available, local teaching materials or resources. As the classroom becomes free from traditional teaching styles, learners become active and take responsibility for their own learning. They discuss and share ideas with one another, and the teacher becomes the facilitator of the teaching and learning process. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

Inclusive Education has gained significant currency nationally and internationally. It demands that the teacher be able to meet the needs of learners with impairments in ordinary classrooms. The success of inclusive education rests on quality teacher preparation geared towards inclusive education. The focus of this investigation is on preparedness of mainstream primary school teachers in implementing inclusive education policy in the Nongoma circuit. The lack of teachers prepared to provide quality inclusive teaching to learners and the limitations of existing support structures both impact on inclusion. Through a questionnaire an effort was made to ascertain teachers’ preparedness for inclusive education in the Nongoma circuit. This measure was utilized to determine the extent to which teachers are prepared for the implementation of inclusive education in the classroom. It was also used to describe the nature of training provided by District Based Support Team in an advancement of inclusive education practices in the classroom. The researcher also identified enabling strategies required for teachers in an inclusive classroom environment. Finally, recommendations on strategies for the successful implementation of inclusive education in the classroom were made. The data was collected through a questionnaire. The researcher selected three wards Nongoma circuit as research sites with all teachers in the selected schools participating. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive education)

The aim of the study was to find out about the perception of grade four teachers with regard to reading competence of the learners. The ability to read is an important skill in today`s modern world where so much information is transmitted in written form. It is also important that people have reading skills whether they are in school or not. The choice of this research topic emanated from an observation from past research that, levels of reading difficulties among primary school pupils are very high and Hlanganani south circuit is not an exception. This research is relevant as most learners in grade four are not able to read especially in English. These are some of the main problem that makes high failure rate of grade four learners in ANA results, because most learners do not know how to read and it also affect all subjects that they learn in English. The problem of the study pivots around the experiences of grade four teachers with regard to reading competency skills of the learners. Results from most studies carried out on reading indicate that most pupils are not able to read according to what is expected of their grade level. It is against this background that this study sought to establish the factors that lead to reading difficulties. The research methods used are interviews and classroom observation with the focus on a sample of teachers from grade four in two schools at Hlanganani south circuit. The researcher selected these tools because they are directed by research questions. The researcher wanted to find out from the research participants how they taught, their beliefs and perceptions about teaching reading. Qualitative methods are used to generate data. Findings of the study indicate that grade four learners have reading difficulties. These include omitting, substituting and adding words as well as mispronouncing words. This is a big challenge for the teachers who teach these learners. This can be frustrating for both the learners and teachers especially where the teacher does not understand the causes of reading difficulties, how to assess those learners with reading without competence as well as how to help out. According to the findings of this study, teachers have their own perceptions about the causes of reading with competence and their own way of assessing learners with reading difficulties. Government as the state, and local levels should provide appropriate materials for teaching reading skills. Libraries should be provided for our primary schools, since the absence of libraries is a factor in the deficiency in reading skills. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Educational Management)

The study involves an in-depth case study on the leadership task of the grade heads at a private secondary school in Gauteng with the main research problem arising as: After defining the leadership task of grade heads at a private secondary school in Gauteng, how important do the learners in the grade view the individual grade head tasks to be? From the mixed-method research conducted, it stems that the leadership tasks of the grade head (and also the grade head system as a whole) have a positive impact on the learners and the holistic school environment. Therefore, it is recommended that the particular school under study continue with the structure of grade seven roles of the teacher as this provides a clear background for an organised educative approach to leadership within a grade head system.heads and that the leadership roles of the grade head continue to function within the seven roles of the teacher as this provides a clear background for an organised educative approach to leadership within a grade head system. / Educational Management and Leadership / M.A. (Education Management)

Submitted in fulfillment requirement for Doctor of Technology Degree: Human Resource Management, Durban University of Technology, 2013. / The intended contribution of this empirical study was the development of an exploratory employee assistance programme (EAP) model for secondary school educators in KwaZulu-Natal. The academic EAP model formulated was hybrid as it relied on the synthesis of traditional and contemporary paradigms that encapsulated System, Gestalt and Leadership theories. The main problem revolved around the lack of an effective on-site EAP model for secondary school educators in KwaZulu-Natal. Hence the need for this study. The objective of this study was to conduct an audit of EAP policy and action plans at secondary school level in KwaZulu-Natal and develop an exploratory EAP model. The research design adopted a quantitative methodological approach using a self-administered questionnaire that was mailed to a representative sample of 512 secondary schools in KwaZulu-Natal. A significant response rate of 59.7% was obtained as 311 respondents returned the questionnaires. The data was analyzed using the computerized Statistical Program for Social Sciences (SPSS version 17.0 for Windows). Some significant findings emerged from this study. The respondents reported that 69.2% of schools did not have an EAP policy, while 66.9% of schools did not have action plans to implement EAP. A further 71.8% of respondents required training on EAP frameworks. The respondents also indicated that 79.1% of educators would use an EAP due to work-related stress and only 9% of schools had a budget to pay external EAP service providers. The Pearson Chi-Square test showed a significant correlation for 25 out of the 27 hypotheses that tested the variables of the exploratory EAP model. One of the recommendations suggest that, for fair and consistent treatment of the troubled and underperforming educator, on- site EAP policy and action plans be developed and implemented. Another recommendation highlighted that, in the absence of specialized EAP professionals, school management teams use the exploratory EAP model as a strategic intervention to assist troubled and underperforming secondary school educators in KwaZulu-Natal. The study concluded with suggestions for future research in this field.

In the world in which we live today, information and communication technology (ICT) has proliferated in all spheres of society, including in the corporate, social and academic arenas. Within these arenas ICT has made noteworthy contributions. In the academic space, which is the focus of this study, ICT has made a significant contribution to the communication and consultation between students and higher education institution staff. One such example has been the emergence of learning management systems (LMSs) in higher education institutions, both locally and globally, with LMSs providing higher education institutions with several possibilities as regards facilitating the online teaching and learning process. Nevertheless, research has shown that there is underutilisation of LMSs throughout the world. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to investigate the utilisation of LMSs in an open and distance learning (ODL) institution in South Africa to ascertain whether they are being used to their full potential. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Adult Education)

The importance of a collaborative engagement between parents and teachers in order to enhance learning in the classroom is so great that the two parties seem inseparable. In this study the teachers indicated that they need the assistance of the parents of the learners whom they teach for them to do well. On the other hand, the parents are also keen to lend a helping hand, since it is the future of their children which is at stake. The challenge that emerges from this situation is that, more often, there is a breakdown in communication. The teachers and parents blame each other, especially when the learners do not perform well at the end of a year. The teachers will say the parents did not do anything to help their children with their schoolwork, while the parents will insist that the teachers failed to do their work. It is of utmost importance to stop the blame-game, but rather to seek ways in which both groups can help the learners to do well in the classroom. The teachers need to inform the parents how they (the teachers) expect them to play their part in helping their learners with their schoolwork. Informing parents about their roles and how they may play them is very important, because then the parents will be able to meet the teachers’ expectations, whereby teaching and learning will be facilitated. The ultimate beneficiaries will be the learners, because they will receive education which is well-coordinated by both the teachers and the parents. The collaboration between teachers and the parents will be guided because the kind of parental involvement will be an informed one. The engagement between teachers and parents will yield good results, because in the process they will help each other to find strategies that will assist the learners in the classroom. This study intends to ascertain from the teachers how they expect the parents to help their children with their schoolwork. It seeks to establish what the teachers’ perceptions are regarding parental involvement, that is, what they think it is, and how they think it should be. Two teachers from two primary schools in the Mogalakwena District of Limpopo Province were used in order to collect the data. These teachers clearly indicated that, indeed, the parents can be of great help, because they can touch some aspects that the teachers cannot reach in the lives of the learners. x They, however, also suggested ways in which the parents are supposed to help their children with schoolwork. The study also explored ways how the roles that the parents must play are communicated to the parents. The researcher’s aim was to explore the teachers’ expectations of parental involvement, and also possible ways in which it can be communicated to the parents.Recommendations were made to the policymakers to refer to when they draw up policies for the governance of schools. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), an intellectual impairment, generally characterised by inattentiveness and impulsivity has become prevalent in South African schools. ADHD learners require support from within the classroom to accommodate their academic and behavioural needs. A quantitative research was undertaken to determine the impact of an educator's knowledge of ADHD on teaching support strategies. An educator's ADHD knowledge is based on their understanding of the diagnosis, causes, symptoms and management of ADHD as well as the effect that ADHD has on a learner's classroom skills. Data was obtained from responses to questionnaires from randomly selected respondents within randomly selected government secondary schools in the Umlazi District of Kwa-Zulu Natal. The data was descriptively analysed to conclude that the level of ADHD knowledge possessed by educators impact on the appropriateness of their teaching strategies. There is a need to impart knowledge regarding learning barriers to educators, to ensure the efficacy of teaching strategies. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

Thesis (MPhil (Curriculum Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / This study is centered on the perception of Foundation Phase educators in the Nzhelele West Circuit in the province of Limpopo of Curriculum 2005. The implementation of Curriculum 2005 created much uncertainty among these teachers. The study took the form of a survey of published and unpublished sources, questionnaires, interviews and observations. Respondents were made up of stakeholders affected by the introduction of the new curriculum. Recommendations have been made about how the new curriculum should have been planned, developed and implemented to make foundation phase educators feel confident and able to help in the interpretation and implementation of the curriculum so as to help achieve the developmental goals of the South African Education System.