This study was carried out to investigate how education about, in/through and for the environment is incorporated in the Namibian Geography Junior Phase curriculum in three schools in Oshana Education Region. Education about, in/through and for the environment are three forms of environmental education identified by Fien (1998). This study is a qualitative, interpretive case study. It reviews the activities, content knowledge, methods, competencies and resources and describes how they were used by teachers in fostering education about, in/through and for the environment in the curriculum. Data was generated through document analysis, observations and semi-structured interviews. The results were interpreted and discussed in relation to the research question which is: How is education about, in/through and for the environment incorporated in the Geography Junior Phase curriculum? Key findings of the study suggested that teachers incorporated education about, in/through and for the environment in their teaching. Teachers used the prescribed syllabus to structure their environmental learning lessons. Most methods, resources and activities used by the teachers promoted education about the environment. The study also found that most types of knowledge about the environment were covered by the teachers. This enabled learners to examine the complexity and interrelatedness of natural systems. The study found that the way the resources were used exclusively supported education about the environment. Linking learning to local context in this study encouraged education in/through the environment and enhanced the learning process through real life experience. The study also found that, although teachers taught their learners for the environment, they did not empower them in taking actions towards environmental problems. Based on the insights offered by this research, the study identified further support required by teachers and made recommendations for effective incorporation of about, in/through andfor the environment in the curriculum.

Participative management, a key theme in contemporary management literature, is one of the central aims of the decentralization policy in Namibian education. Current perceptions of participative management on the part of teachers in Namibia are therefore of topical interest. This study set out to explore such perceptions among teachers in a Namibian primary school. The study is an interpretive case study focusing on six individual teachers’ understanding and experience of participative management within their place of work, a primary school in the Oshikoto region of Namibia. Semi-structured interviews, observation and document analysis were used to gather data. The study revealed a strong sense of commitment among the respondents to participative management and its accompanying practices, such as shared decision making and broad stakeholder involvement. Participative management was implemented chiefly through a committee structure for school organisation and government. Respondents also highlighted challenges facing participative management, such as the persistence of autocratic leadership, conflicts of interest in decision making, laziness and unwillingness among staff members, and a lack of understanding among parents concerning their role in the schooling of their children. HIV/AIDS was also seen to pose challenges to the free and frequent participation of stakeholders. The chief recommendation arising from these findings is that school leaders and managers’ understanding of tenets of participative management, such as site-based management and democratic management approaches, requires improvement and development.

After the introduction of Learner Centred Education in Namibia, a number of studies were conducted on how teachers either perceived learner centred education or implemented it. However, very few studies investigated the teachers' understanding of both subject matter knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge; primarily, how they understand and develop key concepts. The purpose of this study was to investigate how Grade 5 teachers' understand and develop key concepts in Social Studies in selected schools in Namibia. The study focused on three teachers in three primary schools in the Caprivi educational region of Namibia. These teachers were purposefully selected as graduates of the teacher education programme instituted at the time of the Namibian education reform process. As a teacher educator, my main motive of conducting this study was to gain a better understanding of some of the issues that have been raised about these graduates' lack of content knowledge. The study adopts a qualitative approach and seeks to investigate (a) how the three teachers in this study understand key concepts and (b) the strategies they use to develop such concepts. Three data collection instruments were employed: interviews, document analysis and class observations. The findings indicate that despite the training that all three teachers in this study received, their understanding of the concepts they taught is problematic. Furthermore, some of the strategies that the teachers used did not bring about learning with understanding. The results of the study revealed how these teachers' problems with concepts and the development of conceptual understanding are related to specific issues and can be attributed to a number of factors. Because of this, the study has provided valuable insights into aspects of teacher education that need to be addressed both in terms of in-service and pre-service programmes to support teachers in teaching for understanding, a key idea underpinning the reform process.

This study aimed to investigate the role played by the Teachers’ Resource Centre (TRC) in Namibia in helping schools to provide quality education. The TRC concept began in Britain in the 1960s, where it was introduced as a means of supporting the professional development of teachers and giving them access to a range of educational resources. From the 1970s, the concept was promoted further afield as an effective strategy for dealing with teachers’ needs. TRCs emerged in Namibia in the 1980s under the auspices of the then Department of Education of the South African government. By 1989, only four TRCs were in existence, namely, Katutura, Tsumeb, Otjiwarongo and Rundu, plus one in the whites-only training college in Windhoek. In September 1991, the Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC) in Namibia produced a five-year plan that led to the diversification of the TRC network in Namibia. Yet, despite the now widespread existence of TRCs, little is known of whether and to what extent their services are helping teachers to provide quality education. This constitutes a gap in the literature that this study hopes in part to fill. The study was conducted using a case study approach in three schools in the Kavango region of Namibia. It made use of questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussions and data analysis to gather and interpret data. The study’s finding is that TRCs are indeed beneficial to schools in their vicinity, despite their current limited capacities. However, TRCs should be better able to redress the poor quality of education in many schools due to a lack of resources, de-motivated teachers and other factors. This study therefore recommends that enough funds be made available for the TRCs to acquire the resources they need adequately to support quality educational processes. Furthermore, the study found that it is imperative for individuals in TRCs and schools to learn how to facilitate relevant transformation in their organisations’ efficiency and effectiveness. Thus the study recommends a transformational leadership approach as most appropriate for managing learning and bringing about successful change in these organisations. The significance of this research is that it sheds some light on the effectiveness of TRCs as a strategy for supporting teachers in the delivery of quality teaching. It also suggests potential areas in which stakeholders might usefully cooperate in their endeavours to realise quality education.

This dissertation could be viewed as being exploratory on the role that teachers play in continuous assessment in Windhoek primary schools. The demand for new knowledge, skills and abilities necessitate the change in assessment of learning. The various literature that the researcher consulted indicate that not only Namibia, but many other countries worldwide have implemented continuous assessment methods in schools. The challenges and experiences with regard to continuous assessment in these countries are somehow different although there are also some commonalities. Thus, sharing and exchanging of views and ideas on continuous assessment among these countries is advisable. A deducible meaning of continuous assessment from the various literatures is that continuous assessment means any assessment event or activity in which there is a high level of interaction between the learner and the teacher who conducts the assessment. Thus, continuous assessment may be used solely for formative purposes but may also contribute in part or in whole to a summative decision. It became clear that all assessment practices reflect a number of assumptions relating to the nature of learning and teaching, and the purpose of assessment. The researcher gained insight from the teachers themselves as participants through analysis of their textual responses. The research was primarily qualitative. Open-ended questions were used to gain a contextualised and comprehensive understanding of the teachers’ perceptions and experiences regarding continuous assessment. From this study, it transpires that an effective and transparent assessment policy is not only vital to the success of educational practice, but it can help to meet the aspirations contained in the prevailing national education system of a country. The findings provide an alternative point of view from teacher-focussed research which is often conducted in Namibia. The data analysis outlines the role teachers’ play in continuous assessment in Windhoek primary schools. The researcher proposes concrete actions and programmes that could be embarked upon for the benefit of continuous assessment practice in schools. / Teacher Education / M. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The exclusion of girls who fall pregnant while attending school has long been a contentious issue in the literature as it normally ends their schooling. Namibian school-going girls who become pregnant while attending school are no longer excluded from continuing with their education, as new policies in education prevent such exclusion. This qualitative research explores teachers’ experiences of and support practices for school-going teenage mothers in Namibian secondary schools, given this policy context of inclusion. The study was framed within Bronfenbrenners’ bio-ecological system theory focusing on teachers’ interactions with teenage mothers. Eight participants were selected purposively from two secondary schools in the Oshikoto region, Namibia, provided that they were secondary-school teachers and had taught teenage mothers in the past three years. Data were collected in the form of semi-structured focus groups, follow-up individual interviews and field notes. Each focus group was represented by four teachers from the same school, two males and two females. Qualitative content analysis was used as a method of data analysis. The themes that emerged included the following: teachers’ responses to the inclusion of teenage mothers in schools, unpacking teachers’ perceptions on the policy of inclusion of teenage mothers, and support practices. The results revealed that there was a lack of resources and teachers’ felt burdened, not only in the classroom but generally in the school. Teachers, nevertheless, did have empathy for mothers as learners. They also felt both satisfied and dissatisfied, often blaming the inclusion policy for their difficulties in managing classroom dilemmas when teenage mothers were present. They displayed conditional caring and raised concerns about gender and care, as well as expressing a need for comprehensive information. The key finding was that teachers made a distinction between pregnant and parenting learners when thinking of support. The physical appearance of a pregnant learner played a role. Therefore teachers cared for a pregnant learner because they feared that something might happen to the pregnant learner while in their care in the classroom. This resulted in teachers seemingly providing “strategic caring” based on the condition of the pregnant learner. From the findings, it is recommended that pre-service and in-service training of teachers should pay attention to the practise of inclusion of teenage mothers in schools. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die uitsluiting van meisies wat tydens hul skoolloopbaan swanger word, is lank reeds in die literatuur ʼn netelige saak aangesien dit gewoonlik die einde van hul skoolloopbaan beteken. Namibiese skoolmeisies wat swanger word terwyl hulle nog skool bywoon, word nie meer verbied om hul skoolloopbaan voort te sit nie aangesien nuwe onderwysbeleide sodanige uitsluiting voorkom. Hierdie kwalitatiewe navorsing ondersoek onderwysers se ervaring van en die ondersteuningspraktyke vir skoolgaande tienermoeders in sekondêre skole in Namibië gesien uit die hoek van ʼn beleid van inklusie. Die studie val binne die raamwerk van Bronfenbrenner se bio-ekologiese sistemiese teorie en fokus op onderwysers se interaksie met tienermoeders. Agt deelnemers is deur middel van doelgerigte steekproefneming uit twee sekondêre skole in die Oshikoto-gebied in Namibië gekies met die voorbehoud dat hulle aan ʼn sekondêre skool onderwys gegee het en in die voorafgaande drie jaar tienermoeders onderrig het. Data oor onderwysers se ervarings is versamel deur middel van semi-gestruktureerde fokusgroepe, opgevolg deur individuele onderhoude en veldnotas. Elke fokusgroep is verteenwoordig deur vier onderwysers van dieselfde skool waarvan twee manlik en twee vroulik was. Kwalitatiewe inhoudsanalise is gebruik as metode om data te analiseer. Die temas wat te voorskyn gekom het, sluit in: onderwysers se reaksie ten opsigte van die insluiting van tienermoeders in skole, hul opvattings oor die beleid van inklusiwiteit van tienermoeders asook ondersteuningspraktyke. Die resultate het openbaar dat daar ʼn tekort aan hulpmiddels was, dat onderwysers gevoel het dat ʼn las op hulle geplaas is, nie net in die klaskamer nie, maar ook in die algemene skoolopset en ook dat onderwysers empatie getoon het teenoor leerders wat moeders was. Hulle het terselfdertyd tevrede en ontevrede gevoel en het dikwels die inklusiwiteitsbeleid blameer vir die probleme wat hulle ondervind het om dilemmas in die klaskamer te hanteer waar tienermoeders teenwoordig was. Hulle het voorwaardelike sorg aan die dag gelê, besorgdheid oor geslag en versorging uitgespreek en het ʼn behoefte aan omvattende inligting gehad. Die belangrikste bevinding was dat onderwyses ʼn onderskeid getref het tussen swanger leerders en leerders wat reeds ouers was wanneer ondersteuning ter sprake gekom het. Die fisieke voorkoms van ʼn swanger leerder het ʼn invloed gehad. Daarom het bevindings veronderstel dat onderwysers besorgd was oor ʼn swanger leerder wat in hul klaskamer was omdat hulle bang was dat iets met die swanger leerder kon gebeur terwyl sy in hul sorg in die klaskamer was. Dit het tot gevolg gehad dat onderwysers selfgerigte of strategiese sorg verleen het op grond van die toestand van die leerder. Na aanleiding van die bevindings word aanbeveel dat voordiens- en indiensopleiding van onderwysers aandag moet skenk aan die praktyk van inklusiwiteit van tienermoeders in skole.

The purpose of this study was to investigate how instructional leadership manifests itself and can be strengthened in a Namibian rural school. As a teacher, head of department and later an education officer, I have long held the view that committed school leadership is essential for the school’s instructional and academic success. Equally, I have always been aware of the impact of the past segregation and the unequal education provided by the colonial government in South Africa and South West Africa/Namibia. The inferior education provided to Africans posed a serious challenge to the leadership and management of schools, as would be principals were not adequately trained to provide the necessary “ingredients” relevant for instructional success. Given this background, I attempted, using a case study of one secondary school, to investigate how instructional leadership is manifesting itself and could be strengthened in a rural school in the Omusati region of Namibia. Research questions that framed the study were: firstly, how does the leadership approach in the school promote teaching and learning; secondly, what is the role of external players in enhancing instructional leadership and thirdly, what are the strengthening and inhibiting factors of instructional leadership. The population of the study was composed of an Inspector of Education, a school principal, a head of department (HOD) and four teachers from a secondary school, located in the Omusati region in Namibia. Data were collected through interviews, document analysis and observation. With regard to data analysis, I first immersed myself in the data. I developed themes that formed the basis of my discussion with my research questions in mind. The analysis revealed that instructional leadership is strongly evidenced at the case study school. However, it emerged that despite the existence of strong instructional leadership at the school, as with all other organisations, there are several challenges that limit the effective implementation of the teaching and learning programme. These challenges vary from indiscipline, poor time management, to lack of teaching and learning resources. Participants also provided a number of possible solutions to the problems identified, including that the principal should be a good role model for the staff and that an enabling environment for both teaching and learning should be created. The study also strongly suggested that participative leadership and management is a cornerstone to the academic success of the school.

The purpose of the research was to investigate stakeholders’ perceptions and experiences of teachers’ participation in school management and decision-making. Teachers’ involvement is a contested issue in schools. The goal was to find out to what extent and in what way teachers participate in school issues, as well as gain insight and understanding on the effects of participation of teachers in schools and how principals enhance democratic practice for quality education. The research was a case study conducted within the interpretive qualitative paradigm. I used document analysis, semi-structured interviews and observation to collect data for validity purposes and to counter subjectivity. The findings revealed at least a significant progress in terms of the Education Act, no 16 of 2001 requirement, of teachers’ participation in management and decision-making in schools, which has been an issue in the past. The study revealed that decisions are taken after consultation through consensus. The study revealed that the participation approach promotes ownership and commitment of staff to higher performance and common goals. The findings emerged that participative management has advantages for achieving higher performance through collaboration, consultation, and broader participation. The foremost findings include school principals’ roles in enhancing a collegial management approach by delegating, sharing leadership and responsibilities, and establishing organisation structures and committees involving teachers. Meetings serve as a platform for communication and sharing of information with stakeholders. However, there were also signs of tensions amid school management teams (SMTs) and teachers on participation in school matters in all aspects. Furthermore, its time-consuming nature, authoritarianism and accountability emerged as major challenges affecting the implementation of the participative approach. In addition to that, the study revealed that lack of knowledge and skills, unwillingness to involve others and to participate affects the implementation of the theory. As a result, the study recommends to the policies makers and the Ministry of Education to organize training for all stakeholders on participative management to empower them. Moreover, the study recommends to regional managers, inspectors, and advisory teachers (AT) to provide information to institutions responsible for teacher training to accommodate the theory into their curriculum. School principals should undergo training programmes or in-service training for participative leadership purposes to enhance their leadership capacity and to carry out their responsibilities effectively.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the purpose and role portfolios are playing in developing reflective practice in student teachers and to assess the degree to which this role is being achieved in practice. This study was a interpretive small scale case study. The target groups were 3 student teachers in their final year of study, 3 teacher educators and the vice-rector of the college. Data were obtained through interviews and document analysis. The findings indicated that the students had no meaningful orientation to both the role of portfolio development and reflective skills. The sources of this were the lack of common understanding among teacher educators, lack of support for both teacher educators and student teachers and lack of time, lack of guidelines for construction and clear assessment rubric. The results of this study indicated that the teacher educators were in need of vigorous professional development and considerable implementation strategies are needed to develop the desired reflective skills.

This dissertation could be viewed as being exploratory on the role that teachers play in continuous assessment in Windhoek primary schools. The demand for new knowledge, skills and abilities necessitate the change in assessment of learning. The various literature that the researcher consulted indicate that not only Namibia, but many other countries worldwide have implemented continuous assessment methods in schools. The challenges and experiences with regard to continuous assessment in these countries are somehow different although there are also some commonalities. Thus, sharing and exchanging of views and ideas on continuous assessment among these countries is advisable. A deducible meaning of continuous assessment from the various literatures is that continuous assessment means any assessment event or activity in which there is a high level of interaction between the learner and the teacher who conducts the assessment. Thus, continuous assessment may be used solely for formative purposes but may also contribute in part or in whole to a summative decision. It became clear that all assessment practices reflect a number of assumptions relating to the nature of learning and teaching, and the purpose of assessment. The researcher gained insight from the teachers themselves as participants through analysis of their textual responses. The research was primarily qualitative. Open-ended questions were used to gain a contextualised and comprehensive understanding of the teachers’ perceptions and experiences regarding continuous assessment. From this study, it transpires that an effective and transparent assessment policy is not only vital to the success of educational practice, but it can help to meet the aspirations contained in the prevailing national education system of a country. The findings provide an alternative point of view from teacher-focussed research which is often conducted in Namibia. The data analysis outlines the role teachers’ play in continuous assessment in Windhoek primary schools. The researcher proposes concrete actions and programmes that could be embarked upon for the benefit of continuous assessment practice in schools. / Teacher Education / M. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)