The objective of this study is to assess the relationship between work engagement, job demands and job resources in a sample of educators. A cross-sectional survey design was used. Convenience samples (N = 157) were taken of educators in an area of Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal. The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale and the Job Demands Resources Scale were administered to the sample of educators. The results showed that job resources are significant predictors of work engagement. Also, growth opportunities and organisational support played a major role in educators’ engagement and thus needs to be made a priority in the education system. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of principals and educators of primary school libraries in implementing Outcomes Based Education (OBE) and imparting and enhancing information skills in the Ndengezi Ward, Pinetown District, KwaZulu-Natal, with a view to proposing a set of recommendations based on the findings that would contribute to more effective use of the school library. The study population consisted of 15 principals and 385 educators. The survey instrument used to elicit data was a self-administered questionnaire that was distributed to a sample population of 15 principals and 105 educators. The questionnaire sought to establish if principals and educators are aware of the role of the school library in the successful implementation of OBE. A total of 104 responded, 10 principals and 94 educators, indicating a response rate of 89.5%. The results were analyzed in terms of frequency responses and are graphically displayed in the form of tables. The study findings show that the educators used both school libraries and other libraries for their curricula needs. Other libraries were more heavily used than school libraries. In the Ndengezi Ward there are no functional and well-resourced school libraries and this has contributed to their underutilization. Principals experience problems in development and establishment of school libraries. There is a need for training educators in library and information skills and creating awareness amongst principals about the role of the school library in implementing OBE. Recommendations for action and further research, based on the conclusions of the study, are made. / Thesis (M.I.S.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.

The Department of Education and Culture (DoEC) has since 1994, after the democratic elections in South Africa, introduced radical changes to the system of education. This systemic change has required a fundamental shift in attitudes of educators and other school constituents in African schools in particular, which were in the past education dispensation marginalized and poorly resourced due to the Bantu education system. One of the main problems in IsiZulu medium schools has always been the seeming reluctance to change from apartheid era practices. The officials of the DoEC have often given what have appeared to be simplistic and platitudinous reasons for the apparent resistance to change and perennial poor academic performance in most IsiZulu medium schools. These reasons were used on a paucity of in-depth study into the underlying causes of the apparent reluctance to change. There was therefore a need to investigate some of the systemic processes which influence change in IsiZulu medium schools. This study therefore sought to identify and describe the processes which are associated with difficulties and inertia in order to try to improve the quality of education in a sample of IsiZulu medium schools. Systems theories, theories of change forces and strategies of educational change formed the conceptual framework of this study. A multi-layered systemic approach provided the basis for understanding the interactive processes within the school, and the interaction between the school and its environment (including the DoEC). The data was collected from a sample of three IsiZulu medium case study schools, utilising focus group methodology. In each school, focus groups of Educators, School Management Team (SMTs), School Governing Bodies (SGBs) and Representative Council of Learners (RCLs) were conducted to collect data through interviews and discussions. The data collection was at the same time intended to be an intervention process. This was done through utilising action research cycles that involved a self-reflective spiral of planning, observing, reflecting and replanning. The action research cycle process helped the researcher to observe how school constituents engaged with change processes. A three-stage process of data analysis was used. The outcome was the generation of categories which eventually emerged into patterns. These patterns were used to theorise about some of the underlying causes of apparent inertia to change in these schools. The study has found that many of the apartheid legacies such as quality of educational training, passivity and dependency syndrome caused by the DoEC's instructional top down approach in education management, still exist. Educators are frustrated by the disempowering management approach of the Department. Consequently they operate in a non-productive vicious circle, with little energy for problem solving and lack of authority and influence over parents and learners. The study has also found that there is a mismatch between job requirements and personal qualities of educators. Educators, parents and learners seemed to lack knowledge, strategies and skills to apply in specific problem areas of their schools. Clashes of ideological and cultural beliefs, lack of support from parents and communication between the school and parents, make it very hard for educators to cope with the new order of educational change. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.

This research presents an understanding of Grade R teachers' beliefs and practices, and elucidates factors that constrain the belief practice domain. In asking the question, "What are the beliefs and practices of Grade R teachers within a context of effective pedagogy in Grade R/Reception Year classes in the greater Durban area of KwaZulu-Natal?" I produced data from Grade R teachers' perspectives. I reported on their beliefs on pedagogy, and the nuances of their practice, in order to develop an understanding of the different dimensions of pedagogy in Grade R. Using a qualitative, exploratory case study design I produced data on three Grade R teachers from different ethnic backgrounds, in three public schools, in the greater Durban area. The schools chosen varied from low, to middle class socio-economic background, catering for learners from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. A multi-method approach of data-collection was followed. This study used the social constructivist theory of Vygotsky, as a theoretical lens through which teacher beliefs and practices were examined. Drawing largely on data from observations and interviews, the findings of this study concluded that although teachers were observed to generally follow their pedagogic beliefs, several points of difference between their beliefs and practices existed. This study found that the belief practice domain was affected by a number of contingent factors such as teachers' understanding of the curriculum, teacher training and qualifications, and support from the Education Department, school and parents. In addition, contextual factors such as working conditions, learner-teacher ratios, provision of resources and facilities also affected teacher practice. There was evidence of a high value placed upon learning through play. However, the findings of this study illuminate the need for training Grade R teachers in: creating the conditions for learning through play, the use of collaborative play approaches, and guidance on scaffolding children's learning. This study concludes that the absence of an educational programme geared towards multiculturalism and diversity is of great concern. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood, 2011.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

This study reports on a qualitative study that sought to explore the experiences of female Heads of Department in Primary Schools. The study was carried out in KwaNdengezi, Pinetown South. It made use of qualitative methodology to obtain data using semi-structured interviews and observations as its methods of data collection. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants of the study, and the study sample consisted of four female heads of department in four primary schools, with whom the interviews and observations were conducted. The main findings of the study revealed that female heads of department experience and internalize negative stereotypes and believe males do not listen to them and they also experience gender stereotypes and their impact when performing their management duties in schools. Other findings include the experiences related to dynamics of being mothers and teachers at the same time. Further the communication with teachers, teacher discipline and the role that gender stereotyped held by members of the society. There is the issue of unequal power relations between men and women within the schools, which is an underlying factor behind all the gender-based experiences of female heads of department in the schools. Despite the fact that female heads of department encounter gender-based experiences in their management roles and responsibilities, they are engaged in empowering style of management by means of involving all the colleagues in the decision making processes. The study concludes by recommending that female heads of departments require support from all the stakeholders of the school, and that the government should hold workshops and seminars to support them. At the school level, they should resist all attempts at being treated in a condescending manner, and become role models to other aspiring females to assume school management positions for effective management and delivery of quality education. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood, 2012.

Post 1994, the vision of the South African education policy terrain is to transform schools into more effective places of teaching and learning. To achieve this vision, policy suggests a shift in management practices from traditional autocratic headship to more participatory leadership practices, including the leadership of teachers. Theorizing from a distributed leadership perspective, the aim of this study was to explore the concept of teacher leadership and the challenges that are faced by post level one teachers as they operate as leaders in their schools in the South African context. The study sought to investigate how the concept of teacher leadership was understood, how post level one teachers lead in their schools and what challenges to teacher leadership are in schools. The study was conducted in one rural and one semi-urban primary school and it was qualitative in nature. A case study methodology was suitable for this study since it was aimed at gaining teachers understanding and perceptions of teacher leadership. Different methods of collecting data were used and these included interviews, questionnaires, and document analysis. Data were analyzed thematically using Grant’s (2008) model of teacher leadership. The findings indicated that teacher leadership as a concept was still new to certain teachers, even though research on the topic in the South African context is increasing. Some teachers did not think of the roles they played in a school as teacher leadership. The findings further indicated that teacher leadership was experienced differently across the two schools with teacher leadership in the rural school being more restricted than the teacher leadership in the semi-urban school, where it was more emergent. In the rural school, leadership could, at best, be described as authorized distributed leadership while in the semi-urban school, leadership could be described as dispersed distributed leadership. In addition, the findings showed that the major barrier to teacher leadership in the rural school was resistance from the School Management Team while in the semi-urban school the major barrier to teacher leadership was a lack of time. A further barrier to teacher leadership in both schools was teachers themselves who were lazy and did not want to take on additional leadership tasks. The study also found that the major enhancing factor to teacher leadership, particularly in the semi-urban school, was a collaborative school culture where teachers trusted each other and worked together in professional learning communities. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.

This study examines the knowledge-base of mentors in two South African schools. Working within an interpretivist paradigm this study gained an in-depth understanding of the knowledge, strategies and the sources of mentoring knowledge the mentor teachers draw on to inform their mentoring practices. Data was collected using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews from school-based mentors. The study seeks to construct an understanding of the mentors professional knowledge base in relation to Shulman’s (1985) model of teacher knowledge and Jones’s (2006) model of mentoring knowledge. The study provides a rich, holistic perspective of the mentoring knowledge mentor teachers say informs and underpins their mentorship practices. Firstly, the findings of this study suggest that the majority of mentors draw on their professional practice and personal experience as teachers when enacting their mentoring roles. A central message conveyed is that mentors must have a deep knowledge of subject matter, curriculum issues and teaching strategies to mentor effectively. Secondly, the findings suggest that mentor teachers draw from their personal values and interpersonal skills to inform their practices. Since the mentors works with adult learners careful nurturing of another’s personal and professional growth in a collaborative and reciprocal partnership based on trust, respect, equality, encouragement is key to the cultivation of healthy mentoring relationships. These findings also suggest that it is important that the mentors’ practices are effective, consistent and underpinned by a knowledge base that can serve as a point of reference when training mentor teachers. In order to ensure this, it is necessary to provide mentors access to adequate formalized training programmes that will equip them with a sound knowledge base for mentoring. Mentor teachers also need to be provided with conditions and resources within their schools that allow them to work collaboratively with each other to construct and extend their knowledge base as mentors. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.

The South African Schools Act (1996) is now in place to allow the governing bodies to decide on language policies for their schools. This has come about as a means to redress the past situation whereby policies were imposed upon schools. The most affected groups of people were Africans since those policies were designed with the sole aim of undermining their home languages. The only two languages that were promoted at all cost were English and Afrikaans. These languages were also used as languages of learning and instructions. This had detrimental effects on the school results of black children as they could not cope to learn in a foreign or second language. Teachers also worked under tremendous pressure as they had to make an extra effort in trying to make learners understand difficult and new concepts. In an effort to redress these problems the new language policy under the new democratic South Africa recommends the use of a home language as a language of learning. It however remains to be investigated what attitudes the black educators have towards this policy as they are the ones who should implement it in their classrooms. This study set out to investigate the black educators' attitudes on the issue of the role of indigenous languages in education. The focus indigenous language of this study is isiZulu. This is due to the fact that the study was conducted in an isiZulu dominated area, that is in Durban in the region of KwaZulu-Natal. I wanted to ascertain what are the isiZulu-speaking teachers' attitudes on the role of isiZulu in society and in education. I investigated their attitudes on what languages should be used as languages of teaching and learning and at what levels. I also tried to understand what languages they would prefer to be offered as subjects. The data of this study were obtained mostly by means of questionnaires and verified through limited but structured interviews. The questionnaire had two sections: Respondents completed the first part of the questionnaire giving their personal details. These were needed to establish whether and to what extent they have an effect on teachers' attitudes. The rest of the questionnaire was directed at eliciting the educators' attitudes towards the role of African languages in education. This study has two main findings: First, it was found that the respondents generally favour the use of African languages in education. That is, the majority of respondents favoured the early introduction and continued use of isiZulu as a language of instruction. Second, some of their responses are self-contradictory to this attitude in that the teachers equally wanted English to be used early in education as well. Some of them envisaged a future where English will continue to dominate the lives of African people. There is a strong evidence of language shift from isiZulu to English. If the results of this study are anything to go by, then there are serious implications for the new language policy in education. The survival and success of any educational policy depends on the extent to which it is understood and embraced by the practitioners, in this case educators. Given my findings that most teachers are ambivalent about the new policy, the 'language in education' is in serious trouble. Based on collected data, it is clear that the teachers were not familiar with the new policy. The policy is likely to fail unless some intervention strategies are taken to address this problem. This made me to recommend that black educators (and parents in general) need to be given an awareness of the current language in education policy and what it attempts to redress. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2001.

This study notes the relationship between changing conceptions and focus of Accounting as a discipline and its influence on the changed South African school education curriculum. The study probes whether these above conceptual and curricular changes influence teachers’ understandings of their daily practices as Accounting teachers or not, especially with regard to formative assessment and the selected pedagogy of their classrooms. In particular, the study was interested in exploring the practices of rural teachers, a relatively under-explored area of South African educational research. The study utilised a case study design focusing on one rural school in Umgungundlovu District in KwaZulu-Natal. This qualitative, interpretive inquiry was characterised by multiple data collection methods. Three Accounting teachers who were teaching Accounting in the further education and training band were purposively selected at the school, based on their experience and expertise in Accounting. Data were collected from interviews, lesson observations and document analysis to respond to the key research questions of the study. Field-notes were used to elaborate further on the data produced from interviews and lesson observations. The critical research questions explore teachers’ understandings of formative assessment and their use of it in their classroom, attempting to explain why they understand and apply formative assessment in the way that they do with respect to Accounting teaching in their specific contexts. The study revealed that teachers ostensibly seemed to know about the changes in the official curriculum expectations of the new educational policy. However, these shifts in understanding were relatively superficial and procedural; hence the teachers were not able to translate them into any deep cognitive level in their teaching practice. Their changes in practices were also marginal and limited with respect to the nature of the reconceptualisation of Accounting as a discipline. This was reflected in simple operational level of implementation of the specified curriculum requirements. Their practices placed their learners and their backgrounds as central to their selected teaching choices, instead of the nature of their rural schooling context. Findings of this study revealed that the over-specification of the formal curriculum, teachers’ under-developed understandings of the discipline and the new curriculum and their interpretation of contextual pedagogical responsiveness appear to be possible impediments to teachers’ practices. In an attempt to cope with these challenges teachers devised their strategies to sustain their practices. What emerged from the study is a kind of ‘communal pedagogy’ which teachers developed through their practices in a rural context. Although these practices are not regarded as of a qualitatively sophisticated progressive kind of pedagogy, teachers see contextually appropriate value in them. The study emphasises the need to look beyond the overt practices of rural school teachers, and instead to focus on what informs these practices. While the study is not celebratory of the communal pedagogy, it does attempt to shift the thinking about these practices by focusing on understanding what they are trying to respond to. The study therefore highlights the need to understand teachers’ own explanations of their practices, rather than condemning them. The study suggests that the teaching practices within rurality should not be judged and pathologised because of their specificities of responsiveness to highly contextualised and more likely appropriate factors. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.