published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

M.Ed. (Education Management) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

D.Ed. / The purpose of this research is to create a managerial training model to address the classroom and workshop management skills of teachers responsible for Farm Mechanics at agricultural schools. The research mainly comprises four sections. Firstly, literature exists on the inception and development of agricultural education since Pestalozzi's sense-perception and self-activity was regarded as fundamental to knowledge and education, up to present day implementation of outcomes-based education. Outcomes-based education is a new method whereby the existing gaps in education are inter alia, addressed as a whole. This presents a challenge to the agricultural school, the teachers, the parents and the community. The agricultural school with its colourful history, is a vocationally directed institution that serves the agricultural community in which it is situated in a special way — more specifically by introducing Farm Mechanics with its broad technical impact. On account of the multidisciplinary nature of Farm Mechanics as an educational presentation, stiff demands are made on the teacher, who usually lacks initial training and technical experience. Farm Mechanics covers approximately seven trades extending over the three main engineering fields namely, civil, electrical, and mechanical. Instruction and teaching are widely regarded as the most important tasks the teacher must fulfil in order to ensure that learners realise their full potential during and after their school days. One of the main reasons that students at tertiary institutions are performing badly and that novices in industry and agriculture are untrainable, is, among others, the shortcomings of teachers regarding classroom expertise and management skills. This problem can be overcome through a well-planned management training programme. The role of in-service training is an important instrument in coping with change and can be used to address the particular and distinctive training needs of the Farm Mechanics teacher.Secondly, an empirical study using qualitative- and quantitative research methods was done (phase one). The qualitative research consisted of interviews with Farm Mechanics teachers and educational specialists in agricultural- and technical fields of study. During these interviews certain problem factors were identified. The quantitative research was used to verify the qualitative research. This involved an analysis of the two most recent examinations in which the problem areas in the grade 8 to 12 syllabi occurred. With this information as basis, the pre-test questionnaire (phase two) was compiled. To obtain appropriate representation, a group of 21 Farm Mechanics teachers were chosen from two provinces to form the experimental and control group. The pre-test questionnaire was completed by the Farm Mechanics teachers and was analysed to determine the training needs in order to develop a management training model. Thirdly, different curriculum development models were probed in order to enable the researcher to develop a suitable management training model for the in-service training of Farm Mechanics teachers at agricultural schools. The results of the pre-test were used to perceive trends and to develop a management training programme addressing all the identified training requirements for Farm Mechanics teachers. Furthermore, a general management training model and more specifically the management training programme, were evaluated with a post-test questionnaire (phase three). After the completion of the post-test by the experimental- and control group, the information was processed. According to the results the attendance of the management training programme has shown a statistically significant improvement by the experimental group in their professional management skills. Deficiencies were however experienced in some management areas and recommendations were made in this regard. This research gives a synopsis of education management problems experienced by Farm Mechanics teachers at agricultural schools. The research does not provide for instant solutions for all problems which Farm Mechanics teachers experience in classroom and workshop management, but does give rise to optimism for positive co-operation and the continued search to improve agricultural education. Lastly, this research emphasises the fact that education and learning can only succeed if the teacher, as facilitator, commands effective classroom and workshop skills, as well as management expertise.

M.Phil. (Educational Linguistics) / The construct of this study consists of the perceptions and experiences of unqualified junior primary teachers in an INSET project which covered the teaching of initial reading. The rationale for the study is that scientific inquiry into an organically constructed teaching programme could yield new knowledge which is rooted in a specific and complex context such as the informal settlement communities where the teachers involved in this research project teach. The research report commences with an orientation to the study in which the groundless of the design is presented and discussed. It includes a brief presentation of the researcher's presuppositions and assumptions as well as a description of the physical context of the research. Subsequently the theoretical framework is presented, consisting of theory of INSET, specifically in the South African context as well as theory of reading and the teaching of initial reading. The final part of the framework covers reading across the curriculum. The theoretical framework is presented as support structure for the construct and also to problematical the research question (problem) from complementary angles. In the following section of the report the design of the field research is discussed against the background of the paradigm of qualitative research, describing especially the case study format as mode of exploratory, descriptive research. The analysis of verbal data as major research activity is emphasized. The data of the report are then presented in the format of examples of the route from raw data, through data-in-process, the to processed and categorized data. The process of coding and categorizing is emphasized.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a professional development intervention conducted with mainstream middle school teachers of English language learners (ELLs) in a North Texas school district. Teacher change was examined in the context of this intervention. Three groups of teachers participated in this study. Group 1 (n= 4) consisted of teachers returning to the intervention for a second year. Group 2 (n= 12) consisted of teachers new to the intervention. Group 3 (n = 16) served as the control group and consisted of teachers who were not part of the intervention. Mixed methods were utilized, including a self-assessment questionnaire, an observation tool, and data from the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test. Statistically significant differences were found between teachers in Group 1 and teachers in Group 2 in the perception of self-efficacy. Statistically significant differences were also found for Group 1 and Group 2 teachers between the beginning and the end of the year. Group 3 teachers experienced a decrease in their perception of self-efficacy between the beginning and the end of the year. A statistically significant difference in the use of interaction was found across time for teachers in Group 1 and Group 2. The interaction of ELLs decreased between the beginning and the end of the year for teachers in Group 3. The use of modifications increased significantly for teachers in Group 1 and Group 2 and remained stable for teachers in Group 3 between the beginning and the end of the year. In the area of high expectations, no statistically significant difference was found between intervention teachers and the control group across time. An analysis of data for the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test revealed a statistically significant difference in the percentage of All Students Commended for the writing test and in the percentage of All Students Met Standard in the social studies test between intervention and non-intervention classrooms.

This dissertation study focused on three aspects of staff development in North Texas: 1) funding sources, 2) types of professional learning programs, and 3) teachers' views of the effectiveness of the funded programs. Qualitative data came from interviews with nine district administrators concerning funding sources and how those resources enhanced teacher skills. Quantitative data came from 1,277 responses from teachers regarding their background and perceptions about staff development. Data from interviews with district administrators were diagrammed to depict elements of funding staff development and to reveal how resources were used to plan, implement, and evaluate staff learning. An analysis of interview data revealed that availability of grants, property tax rates, and student enrollment affected how districts funded staff development. Administrators reported that districts funded professional learning that was planned according to academic initiatives, met the needs of adult learners, and adapted to the changing needs of school communities. Both administrators and practitioners reported that time was a lacking resource critical to developing staff knowledge. Practitioners reported that sufficient opportunity to collaborate with colleagues about learning initiatives was more valuable than teaching materials. Teacher questionnaires were analyzed for possible relationships between participant variables and responses concerning knowledge about funding constraints and professional development experiences. Data revealed that practitioner experience and graduate degrees were not related to teachers' use of knowledge about financial constraints to more efficiently implement learning from staff development. Participants did not perceive professional learning differently than peers. Most teachers connected professional learning with improved teaching practices but a small percent attributed student achievement to their professional learning. The majority of teachers considered collaborative learning settings to elicit more personal professional growth than other formats. The findings of the teacher questionnaire suggest that teaching practices could be impacted if participants gained more knowledge about district financial constraints when developing staff professionally. Therefore, future research about how districts share information concerning funding for professional learning is warranted.

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1978 C57 / Master of Science

Text in Afrikaans / Die konsepdokument van die National Curriculum Statement (2003) van die Onderwysdepartement in Suid-Afrika staan 'n inklusiewe benadering voor met verwysing na gehalte-onderwys vir alle leerders, en maak sodoende voorsiening vir die diversiteit van leerders. Die National Curriculum Statement stel dit (vir die eerste keer in Suid-Afrika) onomwonde dat die nuwe Nasionale Kurrikulum voorsiening sal maak vir alle leerders met struikelblokke tot leer (StL) in teenstelling met hulle uitsluiting in die verlede van gewone onderwys of hoofstroming by verstek. Beperkte navorsing het aan die lig gebring dat onderwysers opleiding benodig om die verskeidenheid struikelblokke te hanteer wat leerders moontlik kan he. Die navorser het die weg gebaan vir die opleiding van onderwysers en leerders om StL te akkommodeerdeurditas deel van die leerondersteuningsmateriaal in te sluit. Die vertrekpunt van die opleidingsprogram is dat elke mens in 'n sekere mate struikelblokke het om te oorkom en dat die opvoedkundige gemeenskap elkeen van daardie gemeenskap kan insluit en versorg. / The draft document of the National Curriculum Statement (2003) of the Department of Education in South Africa promotes an inclusive approach regarding the quality education of all learners, thus including provision for diversities of learners. The National Curriculum Statement states explicitly (for the first time in South Africa) that the new National Curriculum will provide for all learners with barriers to learning (BtL) as opposed to their previous exclusion from ordinary education or mainstreaming by default. Limited research - has shown that teachers need training to deal with the variety of barriers that learners may exhibit. The researcher pioneered the concept of including the training of teachers and learners to accommodate BtL as part of the learning support material. The training programme's point of departure is the view that, to some extent, every person has certain barriers to overcome, and that the educational community can include and care for each and every member of that community. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Inclusive Education)

Thesis (MMus (Music))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / In 1994 the first democratic election took place in South Africa. Since then large initiatives have been undertaken on national level to redress the inequalities of the past. One of these areas where drastic transformation was needed, is the education system of the country. A National Qualifications Framework was created and Outcomes Based Education was used to implement a new curriculum. This required a total paradigm shift of teachers in terms of how they thought about education as well as changes in their teaching practice. The learning area Arts and Culture was included in the new curriculum to provide all learners with equal opportunities to take part in and enjoy the arts, cultural expression and conservation of heritage as a basic human right. The learning area however brought about unique problems for the teacher, as it is multidisciplinary and most teachers were not trained to facilitate it. Initially it was given to teachers who were specialists in one or the other of the arts disciplines, but these teachers progressively left the education system, and since then the learning area has fallen into the hands of nonspecialists. The Department of Education has launched various training opportunities to empower teachers, but without much success. Teachers remain inadequately qualified regarding subject knowledge and skills to bring the learning area to fruition and to reach the goals of the curriculum. In the process learners are deprived of important opportunities for experiences in the arts and teachers become increasingly demotivated. Thus, in South Africa there exists a dire need for effective in-service training and professional development of Arts and Culture teachers in order to empower them to take their place in the unlocking and transmission of the spiritual goods of the human race to our youth. This study investigates the true problems of Arts and Culture teachers in South Africa by placing the process of transformation in the education system after 1994 into context and viewing Outcomes Based Education, the learning area Arts and Culture and the development of teachers through the looking glass. Three forms of training for teachers are compared to try and find a possible best way to address these problems and to determine whether effective in-service training of Arts and Culture teachers leads to professional development, empowerment, a more positive vocational disposition and motivation. Training on a one-to-one basis lead by a specialist teacher emerges as the most effective alternative form of training.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of an evaluation procedure designed to assist special educators improve their instruction. A single subject, multiple baseline across subjects design was used to test this evaluation procedure, the Special Educator Improvement Procedure (SEIP), with six teachers of self-contained special education students over a seven week period. The SEIP was composed of the following components: (1) presenting multiple videotaped samples of the subject's teaching performance to a team of evaluators, including the subject, the subject's supervisor, a peer and another educator chosen by the subject; (2) having the evaluation team assess the subject's instruction using the revised Teacher Performance Assessment Instruments (TPAI-R); (3) allowing the subject to compare his or her self assessment with the assessments of other evaluation team members; and (4) having team members make specific suggestions as to how the evaluatee might improve his or her instruction. Following the seventh week of the study, two independent observers used the TPAI-R to rate videotaped samples of the subjects' teaching. These ratings were used to test the prediction that subjects who participated in the SEIP would be ranked higher on the TPAI-R than would subjects who had not yet participated in the SEIP. However, the results of statistical analyses using Revusky's R(,n) statistic and Tukey's HSD procedure did not support this prediction. At the conclusion of the study, evaluation team members completed an experimenter developed questionnaire. An analysis of their responses supported the predictions that (1) the participants would rate the SEIP as being very beneficial for helping special educators improve their teaching and (2) the TPAI-R was a good instrument for assessing the adequacy of special educator's teaching, but failed to support the prediction that the participants would rate their participation in the SEIP feedback session as being very beneficial. It was concluded that the results of the study were inconclusive regarding the effectiveness of the SEIP in assisting special educators to improve their instruction. It was suggested that additional research be conducted using a revised version of the SEIP.