M.Ed. / The importance of a multicultural curriculum for communities with a multiracial, ethnic and diverse constititution cannot be overemphasised in a modern approach to education. In the South African context their exists an urgent need for a mathematics curriculum which is able to accommodate the specific cultural background of every individual. The reality of cultural diversity in South Africa emphasises the importance of the implementation of a multicultural approach to the teaching of Mathematics. Mathematics is a social process which constitutes a fundamental part of education. It remains a dynamic and living cultural product, while remaining part and parcel of the social construction of a community. The recognition of this reality creates a viable foundation for a multicultural approach to the teaching of Mathematics. The Mathematics curriculum can be implemented to emphasise a person's own culture and to provide information regarding a community, as well as that which is relevant to its multicultural character. Pupils represent diverse cultural-, class- and linguistic backgrounds. Other aspects which have to be considered in the creation of a multicultural curriculum are the different approaches, points of view and thinking patterns of pupils. In addition to this, there remains a difference between the levels of education of parents as well as the premium they place on literacy. The degree in which multicultural education will realise, however, depends mainly on the teacher's attitude and classroom skills. The primary aim of this study is to conduct a research into the different ways in which a teacher can forge a constructive link with children from diverse ethnic communities, via his/her own perceptions, educational aims and strategies, usage of language in the classroom, as well as classroom skills and techniques. Themes and practical examples which also exhibits multicultural characteristics, are included and can be implemented by the teacher in his/her own classroom techniques. Teachers have a professional responsibility to remove all elements of prejudice from the classroom, as well as to acknowledge and respect the diversity of cultures.

M.Cur. (Psychiatric Nursing) / There is an increase in the readmission rate of African psychiatric patients to psychiatric hospitals as determined by the records. This to a large extent involves those diagnosed as being psychotic of one category to another forming eighty percent of all patients in the admission wards for both the male and the female patients ...

M.Cur. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

This study evaluates Environmental Education courses in Bophuthatswana Colleges of Education. The semi-structured interviews with final year students, lecturers, rectors of colleges offering the courses, external examiners and the course co-ordinator at the Institute of Education at the University of Bophuthatswana (Unibo) are made. Written documents relating to Environmental Education courses, such as students' examination answer books, moderators' reports and minutes of meetings, are also used to evaluate the courses. Specifically, the aim of this study is to identify the strengths and the weaknesses of Environmental Education courses in Bophuthatswana Colleges of Education and this would present a contribution in the research field and also be useful in the further refinement of the courses. Strengths and weaknesses identified in this research are related to knowledge of Environmental Education and environmental issues, the syllabuses of the Environmental Education courses, the operation of the courses, the examining of the courses and the ethos and support of the colleges and the local university's Institute of Education. New insights are gained inter alia into the operation of Environmental Education courses in the Teacher Education programme in Bophuthatswana. An important contribution of the study is the application of the phenomenological paradigm, since it allows understanding of subjective experience as far as the operation of Environmental Education is concerned.

The shortage of manpower in South Africa with technological skills is a widespread problem. Technikons are under extreme pressure to develop these skills in the student population. Admission statistics at Technikon Natal show a marked increase in ESL students enrolling in a wide variety of national diploma courses. The inadequate education received by the majority of ESL students in South Africa has not prepared them for the demands of tertiary education. As English is the medium of instruction at Technikon Natal, underdeveloped language skills tend to hinder the students' progress. Technikon Natal is currently considering an Educational Development Strategy designed to assist students. In order for a response to perceived language-related problems to be meaningful, a survey of such issues was considered a practical starting point to establish that these issues were in fact problematic. The survey was intended to probe certain perceptions held by students and staff regarding attitudes, which might have been preconceived. It also provided clarification that some of these perceptions are inaccurate, and in some cases, incorrect. In addition to this, it established that there is considerable support among students and staff for departmentally-integrated support programmes. In terms of Technikon Natal's present position on an ESL educational development continuum, the findings indicate that much benefit could be derived from the research carried out in other tertiary institutions with regard to academic support programmes. Areas in which there was a considerable disparity of views held were identified and commented upon. In conclusion, it was felt that attention should be focussed on the following: recognition of the need for an integrated ESL programme; departmental reinforcement of academic skills; decentralisation of the ASP programme. The survey concludes with a brief comment on current developments in response to ESL needs at Technikon Natal.

Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Masters Degree in Technology: Education at Technikon Natal, 2000. / South Africa's apartheid policy under the previous Government entrenched a system of education that favoured the White minority at the expense of the other race groups, particularly Africans. African education was based on the ideology that Africans must be trained to serve their own community. Gross underfunding of African education resulted in underqualified educators, high leamer-educator ratios, low pass rates and lack of facilities / M

Over the past years the FET Colleges sector has been plagued by high failure rates in mathematics and science as part of the National Curriculum (Vocational) course. This study sought to investigate the possible reasons for the high failure rates in NCV mathematics at Iqhayiya Campus of PE College. The purpose of the research was to elicit these possible reasons from students who currently are doing the NCV mathematics course at the Iqhayiya Campus. This study follows a mixed method design using both quantitative and qualitative results. Quantitative data were gathered by means of questionnaires submitted to students doing NCV mathematics at the Iqhayiya Campus. A Likert scale was used to evaluate the questionnaires. The qualitative data for this study was collected through researcher questions in focus group interviews. The study concludes with recommendations to the management of PE College, the Department of Higher Education and all relevant role players.

University teaching staff are employed because of their knowledge in their particular disciplines. Many do not have a qualification to teach at a higher education institution upon commencement of their academic career. In that group there are few who have the research experience required to assist at postgraduate level. This should be developed as one of the three core activities of higher education, in which they have to be involved. This study is the result of a problem that I encountered as a higher education practitioner. In keeping with my being a practitioner researcher within an action research paradigm, this report is written mainly in the first person. The study reports on how my personal theories grew over a period resulting in the need to constantly improve my own practice. These personal theories culminated in the development of an instrument (ADaM), to assess writing. ADaM was used primarily to facilitate reflection in post-graduate writing practice. In this study, there were three sets of workshops comprising 13 practical sessions each, where lecturers engaged with the process of reading, writing, computer-mediation and, to a limited extent, with the concept of mentorship. The purpose was to answer the research question: Can a writing assessment instrument be used to sensitise staff teaching post-graduates to reflect on the complex nature of producing and assessing academic writing? At two points during the 13 practical sessions, data was gathered through semistructured interviews. The data has been analysed using a form of grounded theory referred to as remodeled grounded theory. Since the analysis traversed both the quantitative and qualitative paradigms of research, it was necessary also to place the study within the third paradigm, referred to as mixed methods research. The analysis has been presented via a series of relationships generated first by open coding, then axial coding and concludes with selective coding. In addition, the comments of an independent coder were used to validate the analysis. In accordance with classic grounded theory, it was only after the analysis of the data and the emergence of a substantive theory that I referred to existing theory in the penultimate chapter as validation of my findings. The findings from the study, together with existing literature, allowed me to conclude that “Creating an awareness of writing assessment sensitises academics to their roles as HE practitioners particularly in the areas of writing and mentorship in post-graduate supervision”.

M.A. (Social Work) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Ed. / Die leerder met Wiskunde sukkel omdat hy nie 'n metode het om Wiskunde te leer nie. Groot druk word op die onderwyser geplaas, want hy moet nou vir die leerder leer hoe om Wiskunde te leer. Die vraag ontstaan of daar 'n strategie of benadering van Wiskunde-onderrig bestaan wat die onderwyser kan help om die leerders te help om die nodige konsepte vir insigleer te verkry.