Many theories on the nature of science and the nature of learning have been proposed. In particular, two theoretical orientations have been identified as having a decisive impact on activities in the school science classroom, namely "Inductivism" and "Constructivism". Inductivism views observations as objective, facts as constants and knowledge as being obtained from a fixed external reality. The constructivist view sees all knowledge as "reality" reconstructed in the mind of the learner. Each view predisposes certain orientations towards the science curriculum and within it particularly to assessment. It is postulated that teachers' views on science will influence how they teach and assess it. An "inductivist" teacher is more likely to reward certain approved responses from learners whereas a "constructivist" teacher is more likely to attend to learners' unique observations as evidence of their thinking. In this study a questionnaire was developed in an attempt classify science teachers according to their views on the nature of science and learning, and during this process encourage them to reflect on these views. It is hoped that the instrument could measure any changes in teacher's views as a result of the teachers becoming more reflective practitioners over time. Research indicates that the majority of teachers have a predominantly inductivist view of science. The study confirmed the results of other researchers by showing that a majority of non-tertiary science educators could be classified as being strongly inductivist. However, the overall proportion of these teachers was not as high as expected. Of possible concern was the indication that the strongly constructivist group showed very strong inductivist tendencies when assessing written tests which involved pupils' responses to laboratory observations.

This research study investigated the ways in which a mathematics module, informed by an enactivist philosophy, enabled pre-service teachers to unpack the reality of their teaching practice in terms of proficient teaching. Given the generally poor mathematics results in South Africa it is not enough for teachers to be merely proficient in Mathematics. They also need to be in a position to explain important mathematical concepts to children in a manner that will encourage and develop an understanding of the basic mathematical concepts. It was my intention with this study to determine whether a mathematics education module, that embraced the underlying themes of enactivism as part of its teaching pedagogy, could have the potential to develop and increase the skills of pre-service teachers’ teaching for proficiency in Mathematics. The mathematics module was underpinned by five themes of enactivism namely: autonomy, embodiment, emergence, sense-making and experience and was designed to supplement the pre-service teachers’ basic skills in Mathematics in the Intermediate Phase. This mathematics module was offered to fourth year pre-service teachers completing a B.Ed. in the Foundation Phase at a private institute specialising in the training of teachers. The theoretical framework was informed by enactivism and how the themes of enactivism could be used as a vehicle to develop teaching proficiency. The study was qualitative in nature and situated within an interpretivist paradigm. The specific perspectives of interpretivism that were used were hermeneutics, phenomenology and reflexivity. The research design was a case study that contained elements of action research and encompassed three phases of data collection. The first phase focused on the pre-service teachers’ approach to teaching Mathematics and what this brought forth in terms of the reality of their teaching practice and the problems they encountered. The second phase undertook to determine what growth and development of teaching proficiency in Mathematics had emerged over the research period. The final phase was undertaken after the pre-service teachers had graduated and were employed as full time teachers in the Intermediate Phase. The analytical framework and lens through which the data was analysed was that of Kilpatrick, Swafford and Findell’s (2001) strands of mathematical proficiency. The argument that I present is that the themes of enactivism did contribute to the growth of the pre-service teachers’ teaching for mathematical proficiency. The themes of embodiment and experience were major contributions in revealing that this was a reality for the pre-service teachers from a practical perspective and was what they would be able to take away with them. However the theme of emergence stood out as the principle that generated the most awareness and growth and which, in turn, affected the participants’ autonomy.

Psychology has become an increasingly popular discipline for study in the South African context, with the number of students enrolling for courses increasing rapidly. The selection and evaluation of trainee psychologists is a complex and contested issue. With so few students reaching Masters level and the changing needs of the South African context, it becomes imperative that only the most suitable candidates are selected for entry into the field of professional psychology. This study focuses on the selection process of trainee psychologists at an institution that incorporates the narrative philosophy in both the selection and training of candidates. The question is raised, whether it is possible to utilize narrative principles in a process that is intended to judge and evaluate candidates? This presents a paradox. The paradox is illuminated in both the intentions behind the narrative questions in the application form and in the candidates' experiences of responding to these. The conclusion reached is that the narrative philosophy makes for an enriching and creative experience of the selection process for candidates but this however, does not ameliorate the negative effects of evaluation and the 'gaze'.

The purpose of this research project was to explore the English communicative competency of management and supervisory level employees within the South Mrican hospitality industry. The Pro lit English Written Assessment, a competency-based assessment tool, was used to establish a relatively objective measure of the English communicative competency of nineteen managers and supervisors. Thereafter thirteen of these respondents were interviewed to determine their perceptions of their English communicative competency and the impact thereof on their work situation, as well as their perceptions of their learning needs and recommendations for intervention. The researcher selected a multi-method approach to the investigation and sought both quantitative and qualitative data. The assessment revealed that the English reading and writing ability of the respondents is distinctly lower than their recorded education level and inadequate in relation to the tasks they are expected to perform at work. The interviews indicated that the respondents are not aware of their lack of English communicative competency or the implications thereof. However, the respondents expressed important insights into the factors that should be taken into account when planning an educational intervention III an organization. These included the need to incorporate English second language learning principles, to treat the learner as an individual, to involve the learner in the decision-making process, to consider the practical concerns of the learner and to ensure that the programme content is appropriate. Recommendations for human resource practices and research in the hospitality industry are presented.

This thesis sets out to undertake research into the very important topic of sign language and its usage, particularly in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Three schools are used in this study. Interviews and questionnaires were used to conduct research with teachers, students and deaf teacher assistants within this context. The analysis of this data is presented in Chapter five of this thesis.

The introduction of outcomes based education, what in South Africa is called Curriculum 2005, in 1998 ushered in a new era in South African education. Curriculum 2005 will take some years to filter through the whole schooling system, yet a revision has already had to be instituted and a New Curriculum Statement is envisaged to be introduced to schools starting in 2004. This study has examined the experiences of teachers with regard to the purpose, scope and practices of professional support within the changing educational setting of South Africa. In doing so the study also examined the actual experiences of teachers with regard to educational change and professional support, particularly in relation to outcomes based education. The study also indicated the measures that can be taken in order to improve the provision of professional support for teachers. The study used a qualitative method of research. It used a non¬positivist interpretative/constructivist approach. To obtain information, the study used open ended interviews with five teachers from Thohoyandou District, Limpopo Province. The teachers, three males and two females, all teach grade 7 classes. Purposeful sampling was used to select those teachers who I regarded as having the necessary and relevant knowledge, understandings, and experiences for this research and were willing to share their experiences. The data analysis used here is based on the ideas of grounded theory, which argues for detailed grounding of theory in the systematic and intensive analysis of empirical data in a microscopic detailed fashion. The report discusses issues such as politics and educational change, the context of change, teacher collaboration, commitment and accountability. Other issues discussed included advocacy for the changes, the timing of workshops for outcomes based education and training for teachers, in school support by principals and heads of department and site visits by curriculum advisors to provide support for teachers as they grapple with the changes. The research indicates that teachers within the same context can have different conceptions or multiple mental constructions about educational change and professional support which may contradict each other, or be in conflict with each other. This research therefore calls for a more personal interactive mode of professional support provision, involving a juxtaposition of conflicting and contradicting ideas, in which efforts are made to obtain the multiple perspectives that teachers have. This will lead to a reconsideration of ideas, methods and positions as the provision of professional support progresses, thus allowing for complementarities to be discovered. / Thesis (D Phil (Comparative Education))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Thesis (PhD (Research Methodology))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / unrestricted

This research study was aimed at the Grade 2 Afrikaans Home Language learners who encounter reading, comprehension and phonics barriers in an inclusive classroom. The Grade 2 Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) Home Language curriculum and pass requirements that the learners have to master in the mainstream, was a major concern. Consequently, seventy per cent of the Grade 2 Afrikaans learners have already failed Grade 1 or 2; and some seemed to be borderline cases; as their pace of development was so slow. The intervention programme was implemented intensively outside normal school hours, through qualitative and quantitative data collection, known as the multi-method. The research approaches were conducted through action research and case-study research. Bronfenbrenner’s model indicated that intrinsic and extrinsic factors cannot be disregarded in the learner’s holistic development; therefore, parent involvement was vital during the research study. As the Individual Learner Support Team (ILST) coordinator at the research school, I have experienced the despair and perplexity of the teachers, when dealing with teaching challenges; but also, that of the learners, who face barriers to learning. A sample of six learners was identified; and one parent in each household was active during the study. The parent’s responses varied from limited to worthy feedback throughout the intervention programme. The learners’ responses were observed during the intervention programme, the classroom situation; and their perceptions during the semi-structured interviews were recorded. The intervention programme links with the Screening, Identification, Assessment and Support of SIAS process; and it involved the assistance of a remedial expert by applying remedial education, without psychometric tests. The findings revealed that the learner must be intrinsically motivated to co-operate fully. And this relates to both intrinsic and extrinsic influences. Recommendations are offered to the various stakeholders, who are directly or indirectly engaged in the learner’s scholastic development, to ensure corrective and supportive measures, which are conducive to learning.

The purpose of the study was twofold. The first purpose was to determine the role of the Head of Department in maintaining the motivation of English first additional language teachers in deprived communities. The role of the Head of Department will depend on factors that motivate and demotivate EFAL teachers and the influence of demographic factors on the motivators and demotivators reported by the participants. The second purpose was to establish the expectations that EFAL teachers have of their Heads of Departments in order to gain an understanding of the role that the Head of Departments can play in the motivation of the EFAL teachers teaching in schools situated in educationally deprived communities. This study not only aimed at presenting the findings but to also develop recommendations that can be formulated for the Head of Departments of English first additional language department of high schools situated in educationally deprived communities with regard to supporting the motivation of teachers. To this end, a literature study was undertaken on relevant theories and on the results of previous research on the issue. The research design was a mix-methods design. The questionnaire for collecting both qualitative and quantitative data was designed in line with instruments used in similar research studies on English FAL teacher motivation by Bennell and Akyempong (2007), Kassagby, et al. (2001) and Yau (2010). The questionnaire was administered to EFAL teachers teaching at high schools located in educationally deprived communities in the Nelson Mandela Metropole where isiXhosa is the home language of the learners and English is the medium of instruction. It was discovered that the main factors influencing teachers in the context of EFAL teaching in educationally deprived communities include the culture of teaching and learning of the school, the teacher’s interaction with learners, colleagues and the recognition and feedback associated with supervision of curriculum implementation. It was found that demotivated learners, unsupportive colleagues and unprofessional or unethical practices by the Head of Department to be the most demotivating factors.

Since the inception of the student supernumerary status, both globally and in South Africa, nursing and midwifery educators have been concerned about the clinical competencies of their students. Student clinical competency levels in South Africa are critical to midwifery practice, especially as most litigation against the Department of Health in South Africa concerns negligence in midwifery practice. In addition, the litigations mostly involve newly qualified midwives, thus suggesting a link with practice competency levels. Several challenges exist in the academic and practice environments regarding student learning, practice and clinical preparedness. Lack of support during clinical placement and a lack of facilities for use during clinical practice modules are among these challenges. Some students, due to the challenges they face with clinical learning and practice, fail to meet the practical competencies for examination entry requirements. Consequently, some of these students have to repeat the year or exit the programme. The current study sought to identify how to assist midwifery educators in their activities to prepare students for clinical placement readiness. The first objective of the study was to explore and describe the perceptions of midwifery educators regarding the need for additional measures to enhance the clinical preparedness of basic midwifery students before they are allocated to the clinical areas. The second objective sought to make recommendations that would further assist the midwifery educators to clinically prepare midwifery students before being allocated and placed in different clinical areas. A qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual research design was used for the study and the study was conducted at a nursing college in the Eastern Cape Province from August 2014 to January 2016. The research population consisted of midwifery educators at a nursing college and a purposive sampling technique was used guided by set criteria. Data were collected using focus group interviews. Four focus groups were used making a total of 17 participants. The principles applied for data analysis were those of Tesch’s method of data analysis, which were used to develop the themes and sub-themes. An independent coder assisted with the coding of the data for the purposes of trustworthiness. In addition, Lincoln and Guba’s model of trustworthiness consisting of the criteria of credibility, transferability, dependability and conformability was used to confirm the validity of the study while the ethical principles adopted were informed consent, justice, non-maleficence, privacy and confidentiality. The study found that the participants perceived numerous challenges that hindered the clinical preparedness of their students. These related to increased workload, lack of support from management and a lack of commitment on the part of students towards their studies. The participants also identified inconsistencies in clinical practice between the clinical midwives and the educators, and even among the educators themselves. This lack of consistency in turn causes confusion among the students and thus impacts negatively on their clinical practice preparedness. Based on these findings recommendations for clinical nursing practice, nursing education and research were made.