The changing global and local circumstances and shift for democracy posed particular problems for school administration and leadership and made it difficult for principals to fulfil leadership responsibilities in schools alone. Hence principals require the assistance of all stakeholders in the school, and teachers in particular, to work together as a team and share the diverse leadership load for the improvement of schools. Thus, leadership in schools needs to be shared and distributed in a collaborative manner among teachers and principals working as a group to accomplish the primary objective of their schools, which is to improve learners’ achievement. For this idea to be embraced, I suggest it may require an urgent need for advanced knowledge and understanding of teacher leadership in schools, among teachers and principals, if schools are to thrive. This research studied the phenomenon of teacher leadership at a public rural school in the Ohangwena region of Namibia. It explored the teachers’ experiences of their leadership roles, and specifically the challenges inherent within the practice of teacher leadership in a school. A qualitative interpretive case study was conducted, employing document analysis, semi‐structured interviews and observations to produce data with regard to teachers’ experiences of their leadership roles, challenges inherent within its practice and possible strategies to promote teacher leadership. The analysis and the triangulation across the data sets suggested that teacher leadership existed in the case study school where it appeared in four different areas of leadership practice. These areas of leadership practices (Grant, 2008, p. 93) were, for example, in the classroom, outside the classroom in curricular and extra‐curricular activities, in school‐wide leadership development and between other neighbouring schools in the community. The school had a view of teacher leadership which was strongly located within the classroom and outside the classroom in curricular and extra‐curricular activities where teachers worked and interacted with their colleagues and learners. Teacher leadership was severely limited in the area of whole school development and almost non‐existent in the area outside the school between teachers across neighbouring schools, at circuit or district level and in the community. The study suggested that the nature of teacher leadership in the case study school was a restricted form of teacher leadership (Harris and Muijs, 2005) due to a range of factors which impeded its practice. The factors were, for example, a lack of involvement of all teachers in whole school leadership and school‐wide decision‐making. Other factors were limited time for teachers in the school, a lack of leadership development amongst the principal and teachers as well as resistance for teachers to leadership in the case study school.

School-based induction programmes largely focus on informing beginner teachers about the school culture and infrastructure, yet, the core business of education is teaching and learning. A consensus is, however, growing among educators and researchers that despite the positive experiences novice teachers experience during school-based induction programmes, they also experience challenges which affect their perceptions of school-based induction. Despite those challenges in the education sector, hope for the future, as guided by Vision 2030, still remains with one essential human resource: the teachers themselves. Therefore, if novice teachers are to impact profoundly on the learners’ academic achievement, then quality induction programmes must be in place in Namibian schools in order to support their instructional growth. A comprehensive nation-wide induction effort with high emphasise on mentoring will accelerate novice teacher efficacy and consequently learner learning. The purpose of this research study was to identify beginner teachers’ perceptions of school-based induction at selected primary schools in Windhoek and suggested a framework which may inform future research efforts and improve the application of school-based induction. To do this, a qualitative research methodology was preferred to assess the perceptions of novice teachers at the selected schools. Eight beginner teachers and four Heads of Departments participated in the study. The result draws attention to the professional enculturation of beginner teachers, but notably, compels practical reconsideration on how school-based induction is practised in light of beginner teacher growth and sustainability. / Educational Management and Leadership / M. Ed. (Educational Management)

School-based induction programmes largely focus on informing beginner teachers about the school culture and infrastructure, yet, the core business of education is teaching and learning. A consensus is, however, growing among educators and researchers that despite the positive experiences novice teachers experience during school-based induction programmes, they also experience challenges which affect their perceptions of school-based induction. Despite those challenges in the education sector, hope for the future, as guided by Vision 2030, still remains with one essential human resource: the teachers themselves. Therefore, if novice teachers are to impact profoundly on the learners’ academic achievement, then quality induction programmes must be in place in Namibian schools in order to support their instructional growth. A comprehensive nation-wide induction effort with high emphasise on mentoring will accelerate novice teacher efficacy and consequently learner learning. The purpose of this research study was to identify beginner teachers’ perceptions of school-based induction at selected primary schools in Windhoek and suggested a framework which may inform future research efforts and improve the application of school-based induction. To do this, a qualitative research methodology was preferred to assess the perceptions of novice teachers at the selected schools. Eight beginner teachers and four Heads of Departments participated in the study. The result draws attention to the professional enculturation of beginner teachers, but notably, compels practical reconsideration on how school-based induction is practised in light of beginner teacher growth and sustainability. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Educational Management)

The main aim of this study is to determine what factors limit Natural Science, Grade 7 teachers from engaging learners in practical work or performing experiments. This study is conducted in the Ogongo circuit of the Omusati Region. A qualitative case study approach was adopted for the study. The sample includes two (2) Grade 7 Natural Science teachers and six (6) Grade 7 Natural Science learners. Semi-structured interviews and observations were used to collect data. Data from interviews and observations were analyzed using thematic analysis. All interview and observation transcriptions were categorized into codes, categories, and themes. Themes and subthemes were grouped into tables and linked to literature to strengthen the findings of this study. The main themes were lack of pedagogical know-how, time, laboratory materials, and training to update and practice appropriate teaching strategies/approaches. The results of the study recommend training to prepare teachers on the use of appropriate teaching to improve the teaching and learning of Natural Science. The study recommends that Natural Science teachers should share knowledge and facts concerning Natural Science to understand teaching and learning concepts better. The learners are afforded enough opportunities to judge, analyze, and draw conclusions from the supplied content based on their level of understanding of tasks. The study exposed factors limiting teachers practice and informs stakeholders on ways to improve Grade 7 science teaching and learning to overcome the challenges of the field. / Science and Technology Education / M. Ed. (Natural Science Education)

Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of secondary school teachers in the Hardap Region Namibia. More specifically, the study explored teachers’ perceptions on how the National External School Evaluation (NESE) impacted teaching and learning in their classrooms. The study employed a qualitative design, using an in-depth face-to-face individual and focus group interviews instruments. Data were collected from twenty two (22) secondary school teachers who were randomly selected from the four (4) evaluated secondary schools in the Region. Thematic interpretive data analysis technique was used to analyse data by inducing themes as they emerge from the data. The findings revealed that Hardap Region secondary school teachers perceived NESE’ as “somewhat valuable”, with some positive and negative impacts on teaching and learning. Secondary school teachers also made some suggestions on how NESE can be improved to impact more positively on teaching and learning in their classroom. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

The primary purpose of this study was to capture Natural Science teachers’ perceptions of the national standardised achievement tests (SATs), with a view to illuminating whether or not they were able to interpret and use the SATs reports to inform their practice and for improvement purposes as envisaged in the standardised tests’ objectives. It further sought to investigate how the grade 7 Natural Science teachers were teaching the subject matter, with a view to understanding the performance of learners as illustrated in the 2010 SATs results. The study mainly used qualitative methods such as observations, interviews and document analysis. These were complemented by quantitative methods through the use of the questionnaires, which were used to capture the general perceptions and experiences of Natural Science teachers. Thirty-five questionnaires were sent out and ten responses were received. Quantitative data from the questionnaires were analysed by tabulation to ascertain the frequencies of responses regarding teachers’ perceptions and experiences of SATs, as indicated in different scales per indicator. Furthermore, data generated through video-taped lessons, analysis of learners’ written notes, interviews and open-ended questions from the questionnaires were inductively analyzed. The findings of the study revealed that teachers had positive perceptions towards the ideals of SATs. However, their use of the SATs reports in their teaching was inconclusive. The study also revealed that there were no policy imperatives on SATs, in particular, to guide their use in schools. It was also found that teachers were not teaching the syllabus competencies fully and their Natural Science content knowledge was inadequate. The principal recommendation is that teachers need to acquaint themselves sufficiently with the SATs reports to enable them to use the reports for their intended purposes. Furthermore, teachers need to engage in continuous professional development programmes to improve their Natural Science content knowledge, especially with regard to making information in the textbooks accessible to learners in terms of addressing competencies in the syllabus. Finally, there is a need for policy intervention from the Ministry of Education in Namibia so that the existing tensions between policy formulation and implementation are addressed.

HIV and AIDS are still among the world's most significant public health challenges. Education is widely regarded as an effective response to the pandemic - a “social vaccine” that can increase young people’s awareness of the dangers of HIV infection and thus decrease their vulnerability to HIV and AIDS. Integrating HIV and AIDS awareness across the school curriculum is therefore one of the strategies being implemented to educate learners about the pandemic. There are challenges; however, related to the central goal of integrating HIV and AIDS education and also to the form – in particular, the pedagogical practices - that this might best take. This qualitative case study research investigated teachers’ perspectives, experiences, and levels of preparedness with regard to integrating HIV and AIDS information in the main carrier subjects, mathematics and geography, in some junior secondary schools in Namibia. The study situates debates on curriculum integration and draws on Fogarty’s (1999) models of curriculum integration as a conceptual and analytic tool to examine the nature, form and content of integration. It includes a questionnaire on curriculum integration completed by 53 teachers as well as a component consisting of observations and interviews with four teachers from two schools. The results reveal patterns that also emerge in earlier studies on curriculum integration. This approach is already widely recognized as challenging and problematic in the context of general education. However, this and other studies show that when HIV and AIDS are brought into the arena, additional factors come into play and further complicate the process, because of the sensitivity of this topic. In addition, the task of integrating HIV and AIDS education has been added to an already overcrowded curriculum. Teachers have not been provided with adequate (or any) training with concrete examples that might facilitate their efforts to integrate HIV and AIDS information into subjects like the ones under scrutiny in this study. The picture that emerges from examining the evidence on HIV and AIDS integration against Fogarty’s (1991) 10 models of curriculum integration is one in which teaching practices are ad hoc, opportunistic and haphazard right across the sample. The choice of integration models for implementation of the HIV and AIDS component in these subjects has been largely left to the opportunity, ability and personal inclinations of individual teachers. The results point to a range of responses, with many teachers not teaching HIV and AIDS at all or some hesitantly experimenting with different approaches; all to limited effect in realizing the intended national goals of this curriculum project. The overall pattern also reveals a degree of frustration among the teachers in the sample, who acknowledged and were concerned at the enormity of the HIV and AIDS challenge facing the country. They recognised the motive behind the policy to have the education system play an important role in response to the HIV challenge, but felt frustrated with the social, personal and practical difficulties of actually implementing the policy within the context of poor (or no) training, knowledge, and support.

The combination of technology and inclusive education practices are two new phenomena in the education sector. As a teacher in the 21st century, one must be better equipped to cope with new challenges. The learning environment has changed, and weaker children or children with learning disabilities have become part of the system. More diversity in classrooms provides possibilities for unique relationships and equality. Technology can improve and transform teaching in a way that will benefit weaker children specifically. In this research study, I attempted to determine what kind of experiences primary school teachers in Namibia have about technology and inclusive education. This research study also examined the teachers’ perceptions when technology was used as a pedagogical tool in the classroom, the challenges when technology was used in the learning environment to develop inclusive education, and how these two phenomena complemented each other. This study therefore focused on teachers’ experiences, technology, and inclusive education. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to clarify the teachers’ experiences about technology and inclusive education. In addition, participant classroom observations were conducted to see and hear how teachers used technology to assist learners in an inclusive classroom as well as the challenges they faced when technology was used. The study built a case for technology as a developer of inclusive education in primary schools of Namibia. Results showed that technology significantly complemented inclusive education. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

Namibia is one of the countries with distinct historical education systems that shifted from the traditional teacher-centred approach to learner-centred approach to improve learning outcomes. Despite for the call upon secondary school teachers in Namibia to adopt the learner-centred approach, the pass rates for Grade 10 Junior Secondary Certificate (JSC) in Namibia remains very low with about 50% of the Grade 10 JSC learners failing to make it for senior secondary level. Therefore, this study sought to explore science teachers’ knowledge, practice and perception of learner-centred approach. This study employed a pragmatic approach using an explanatory sequential mixedmethods design to collect quantitative data first and then explaining the quantitative results with in-depth qualitative data. The structured questionnaire, interview protocol and observation protocol were used as research instruments to collect data from a sample of 20 participants. The quantitative data analysis was used for the data collected by the questionnaire while qualitative data analysis was used for the data collected by interview and the observation protocols. The results showed an understanding of learner-centred approach and most teachers use a mixed approach to teaching that incorporates both learner-centred approach and teacher-centred approach. Furthermore, results showed that teachers view learner-centred approach as effective but its effectiveness is reduced by poor participation of learners, large class sizes and inadequate instructional materials. Following the results, it was recommended that the Ministry of Education and education policy makers must consider strategies to reduce challenges to the effectiveness of learner-centred approach to improve learner performance. / Science and Technology Education / M. Ed. (Natural Science Education)