Within the restructuring agenda of post apartheid South Africa was the national educational agenda which included the upgrading and re-skilling of teachers. One of the programmes identified and developed nationally was National professional Diploma in Education (NPDE) to upgrade the teaching qualifications of under- qualified educators and later un-qualified educators. Within this programme, re-skilling of these educators was also targeted to assist the Department of Education to implement its new school curriculum. Many cohorts have graduated from this programme since the inception of the NPDE in 2002. It is now the time to ask the question “Did the NPDE make any impact in the lives of educators?” The study seeks to offer an understanding of an understanding of the programme within the rural context by asking the following questions: 1. Is the NPDE making any difference in the rural areas- what do graduates and schools in these contexts have to say? In this study, a tracer study of graduates in the Singane area (name created for this study) will be presented to teachers’ (NPDE graduates) experiences of the programme and its benefit to their personal and professional development? 2. Is the NPDE meeting the challenges of the systemic intervention- a curriculum analysis? This study also explores how both the curriculum design and context addressed the needs of the teachers in rural context like Singane. Through a curriculum analysis of the NPDE, the design and delivery are put under scrutiny to explore the relationship between the NPDE’s intentions and what actually. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

M.Ed. / The consistent growth- of the number of new lecturers to technical colleges ecessitated a study of the induction of beginner lecturers. The educational profession is the only one where there is no formal and compulsory induction into the profession or where any beginner-lecturer is introduced to the formal way of lecturing at a technical college. The new lecturer is directly put into a class and are expected to lecture without any problems on his side. This new lecturer is put to a "swim or sink" situation and then it is also expected from him to perform as well as the experienced lecturer. This creates a number of problems for the new lecturer, that is not always addressed by the management staff of the college. In the midst of a dynamically changing job environment, it is the responsibility of the principal to accompany his subordinates to maximum self-actualisation and job satisfaction. This was some of the problems experienced by the researcher and this inspired him to undertake a study to consider the following problems: The problem that beginner lecturers experience in and around the classroom; The integration of the beginner-lecturer at a technical college; the implementation of the induction programme for beginner lecturers. By means of an empirical study at the college where the researcher belongs and with the help and guidance of the principal of the same college, the induction programme was developed and the programme for the mentor was then also formulated. This complete guide for the induction of beginner lecturers is therefore compiled to help any principal at any technical college to put his staff, and especially his beginner staff, through the induction programme as to fully incorporate them as happily trained lecturers at the technical college where they are employed. In the midst of a dynamically changing job environment, it is the responsibility of the principal to accompany his subordinates to maximum self-actualisation and job satisfaction.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

The primary question for this dissertation was: Does online professional development increase novice itinerant Teachers of Students with Visual impairments' (TVI) efficacy for assessing learning and literacy media for students with multiple disabilities including visual impairments? The literature suggested novice TVIs might experience low efficacy when implementing strategies unique to their job after leaving teacher-training programs. Working in an itinerant position can intensify perceptions of low efficacy. One area of low efficacy was conducting and reporting on the assessment of learning and literacy media (ALLM). Using a quasi-experimental pre/post-design, data were collected from pre/postintervention knowledge questionnaires about the assessment process and pre/postintervention written ALLM reports. Eleven participants with 1-5 years of experience as TVIs were divided into control and intervention groups. Four online modules were delivered to the intervention group. The data were analyzed using two dependent and two independent sample t tests. The results indicated the change scores between the control groups pre- and post-submissions did not improve. The change scores between the intervention groups pre- and post-submissions did significantly improve after participation in the online modules. The change scores overall between the intervention and control groups' pre/post submissions were statistically significant. The intervention group completed an acceptability rating scale regarding the feasibility of the modules and the results had an average score of 3.5 (4 = strongly agree). The primary limitation of this study was the small sample size and, therefore, did not allow for generalization.

Problem. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of elementary school teachers who had received intensive training in the Essential Elements of Instruction model, a teaching methodology composed of specific teacher behaviors. Teacher effectiveness was measured by analyzing student achievement results in reading. Procedure. Elementary teachers at specified grade levels in two selected school districts were divided into two groups: Group A, teachers who had received training in the Essential Elements of Instruction, and Group B, teachers who had not received this training. In School District I, a student population of approximately two hundred and twenty-five students was selected as the treatment group and a student population of approximately two hundred and ten students was selected as the control group. In School District II, a student population of approximately one hundred and forty-five students was selected as the treatment group and a student population of approximately one hundred and forty students was selected as the control group. The Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test (Form A-E) was used as the post test measure of achievement for all students. This test was used to determine if a teacher's training in the Essential Elements of Instruction model would result in greater student achievement gains as measured by the selected reading test. Results. The analysis of variance treatment of the data indicated that there were significant differences between the reading scores of students whose teachers had received training in the Essential Elements of Instruction model and those students whose teachers did not receive this training. Thus, the data did allow for the rejection of null Hypothesis 1. The analysis of variance treatment of the data indicated that there were no interaction effects of teacher training and student reading achievement by the grade level of the student, the socioeconomic level of the student, or the interaction of student grade level and student socioeconomic level. Thus, the data did not allow for the rejection of null Hypothesis 2, null Hypothesis 3 and null Hypothesis 4.

D.Ed. / As a curriculum initiative Technology Education is in its infancy in South Africa. It has only recently, in 1996, been introduced as a compulsory area of learning in the school curriculum. Technology Education with its particular elements of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values is conceptually different from anything previously taught in the school curriculum. The appropriateness of methodology is of fundamental importance to the success of the subject/learning area and probably represents the most significant factor in the effectiveness of its delivery. It is clear that current approaches to learning and instruction are not geared towards the attainment of the desired outcomes in Technology Education. For example, the opportunities for knowledge construction through engagement in the cognitive processes of critical and creative thinking, decision-making problem solving and designing are overshadowed by traditional approaches to curriculum delivery. This is compounded by the fact that no instructional models, which exemplify appropriate instructional practice in Technology Education exist currently in South Africa. The aim of this study was to design and implement an instructional programme in the learning area Technology at a College of Education, and based on the findings, generate a prospective instructional model which would exemplify appropriate instructional practice and at the same time contribute towards the attainment of the desired outcomes in Technology Education. The qualitative research paradigm, using the contextual case study design was considered the most acceptable research strategy for a project of this nature. A group of 20 second year learners was observed around specific tasks comprising the programme. Data was gathered using a variety of methods, viz. direct observation, questionnaires and interviews to gauge firstly, how the learners had experienced the programme, and secondly, how the teacher educator experienced the programme. From the study it appeared that exposure to the instructional programme proved to be an empowering educational experience for both learners and teacher educator alike. In addition to widening the scope and providing opportunities both inside and outside the classroom, the programme appeared to have provided entrepreneurial opportunities for the participants of the programme. Although the instructional programme catered for knowledge construction using a variety of approaches (both behaviourist and constructivist) the most significant gain for learners seemed to have emanated from both group discussion and group work. Although it cannot be stated conclusively that cognitive development had taken place, positive interdependence, shared responsibility, social skills and enhanced learning were evident. The findings of the research provided the foundation for the design and development of an instructional model in Technology Education.

This qualitative research study explored the influence of collaborative analysis of student work (CASW) as professional development on teacher practice, specifically during lessons and on written teacher feedback on student work. Additionally, teachers' perceptions about the influence of CASW sessions and three 2-week instructional cycles on student writing, including the professional development sessions, lessons, and teacher written feedback, were investigated. Qualitative data were collected including teacher interviews, CASW observations, classroom observations, and document analysis. Findings indicated that teachers felt that CASW influenced their increased awareness of teaching and student learning, and implications for future teaching for the whole group as well as ideas for next steps for individual students emerged. Teachers supported CASW being job-embedded and practical to daily work; they voiced concerns over the time and scheduling facilitating the professional development required. Teachers responded that they felt that CASW helped them question their assessment of student writing, consistency within and across grade levels and subjects, and the appropriate level of difficulty of their curriculum. Teachers expressed their desire to be able to meet with students more regularly to go over their teacher written feedback and felt that CASW may possibly influence student work over time. Two teachers felt that the CASW professional development could have influenced their written feedback; four teachers felt that it did not. Implications for professional development, public policy, and further research are given. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

This study problematizes teacher education, and its accreditation guidelines as set forth by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation. The analysis herein conceptualizes teacher education as contextually contingent on sociocultural metanarratives, as functioning paradigmatically through consensus and gatekeeping mechanisms, and as a structure existing within a matrix of discipline and surveillance that is designed to perpetuate status quo power dynamics. This conceptualization grounds dominant teacher education modalities within a specific meta-theory orientation. Through this analysis, the author also explores an alternative conceptualization of teacher education that appeals to the educative power of contextual awareness, ontological sensitivity, and democratically recursive pedagogical and relational processes. Such a conceptualization reflects an alternative meta-theory orientation. For the purposes of this analysis, the author employed textual analysis of sampled website literature from Teacher Education Programs in six geographic regions within the United States. This textual analysis was grounded in the aforementioned conceptualizations and was intended to reveal meta-theory orientations as expressed in a program’s official text. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection