D. Tech. Language Practice / The teaching of English concepts by non-mother tongue (L2) speakers of English poses serious challenges to primary school teachers in South Africa. The study therefore addressed three problem areas relating to inappropriate teaching of concepts by Grade 7 L2 English teachers of the Vhembe District in the Limpopo Province. They included the teachers' non-implementation of professional knowledge and practices, their inadequate mastery of prescribed concepts, and lack of use of suitable teaching methodologies and strategies.

MA (English) / Department of English

MEd / Department of Curriculum Studies and Educational Management

MEd (Curriculum Studies) / Department of Curriculum Studies / The purpose of this study was to investigate the challenges prevalent in teaching mapwork in Geography at Grade 12. The researcher adopted the mixed-methods research design which, combines elements of the qualitative and quantitative approaches. The researcher used an interview schedule and questionnaires to collect data. Purposive sampling and simple random sampling were used to select participants for the study. The population comprised of Heads of Departments of Geography, Geography teachers and Grade 12 learners. The Qualitative sample consisted of 5 Heads of Departments of Geography and 5 Geography teachers. The Questionnaires were administered on 150 learners. The researcher analysed the qualitative data thematically. The Quantitative data was analysed through the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25. The findings showed that the dearth of learner-teacher support materials and overcrowded classrooms are the major set back on teaching Geography mapwork at Grade 12. The study recommended that the Department of Basic Education should provide schools with enough learner-support materials and construct enough classrooms at schools, so that there is a conducive teaching-learning environment. / NRF

This research investigated the role of teacher evaluation in enhancing quality teaching and learning and the extent to which teacher evaluation in Bushbuckridge schools enhances the quality of teaching and learning. It also set out to investigate how the teachers (CS1, HODs, deputy principals and principals) perceived the evaluation system to which they were subjected. The researcher used a qualitative research approach and data was collected by means of semi-structured interviews from a convenient, comprehensive and purposive sample. The sample consisted of twenty-six teachers from three schools in the Dwarsloop Circuit. These schools were chosen purposely on the grounds that all the teachers in these schools had been evaluated successfully. In addition, these schools were within easy reach of the researcher and she also knew most of the respondents. All the interviews were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim. Data analysis was carried out simultaneously with the data collection process. Each interview was transcribed and labelled as soon as it was finished. The researcher used a process called coding during data analysis. By means of this process, data was compiled, labelled, separated and organised into categories and sub-categories. Subsequently, these categories formed the basis upon which the findings were made. Among several other findings, it emerged that teacher evaluation enables the educator to create a climate that supports quality teaching and learning, leads to better lesson preparation and presentation in addition to enabling better learner assessment. Respondents also held the view that evaluation encourages teachers’ professional development. Despite these findings, the respondents indicated that in their specific cases, evaluation did not lead to the desired results due to a number of reasons that included incompetent evaluators and an inflexible and unfair evaluation system. Based on the aforementioned findings, a number of recommendations were made. / Education Management / Thesis (M. Ed. (Eucaton Management))

Thesis (M.ED.) --University of Limpopo, 2009 / The study looks at the attitudes of students towards the use of their source languages at the Turfloop campus, University of Limpopo. The study is aimed at finding out the reasons why students have attitudes towards their source languages, whether these attitudes are negative or positive. More specifically, the research focuses on, among other things, the students‟ attitudes towards their mother tongue as compared to English and their options and beliefs about the use of importance of English is outlined. The survey methods used are questionnaire survey as well as follow-up interview, supplemented by on campus observation. The results are first analysed as a whole, and then split into different according to as set of background variables (gender, year of study, subject studied etc). This analysis indicates that, while English is recognised as the dominant language in South Africa and, more specifically, in the domain of education, some categories of respondents acknowledge the usefulness of their source languages. This is part of a growing set of surveys on the attitudes of university students towards the use of African languages in education, and can be fruitfully compared with similar research at other institutions. Moreover, the results of the present research can be used to inform future decisions regarding language policy in the University of Limpopo.

This research investigated the role of teacher evaluation in enhancing quality teaching and learning and the extent to which teacher evaluation in Bushbuckridge schools enhances the quality of teaching and learning. It also set out to investigate how the teachers (CS1, HODs, deputy principals and principals) perceived the evaluation system to which they were subjected. The researcher used a qualitative research approach and data was collected by means of semi-structured interviews from a convenient, comprehensive and purposive sample. The sample consisted of twenty-six teachers from three schools in the Dwarsloop Circuit. These schools were chosen purposely on the grounds that all the teachers in these schools had been evaluated successfully. In addition, these schools were within easy reach of the researcher and she also knew most of the respondents. All the interviews were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim. Data analysis was carried out simultaneously with the data collection process. Each interview was transcribed and labelled as soon as it was finished. The researcher used a process called coding during data analysis. By means of this process, data was compiled, labelled, separated and organised into categories and sub-categories. Subsequently, these categories formed the basis upon which the findings were made. Among several other findings, it emerged that teacher evaluation enables the educator to create a climate that supports quality teaching and learning, leads to better lesson preparation and presentation in addition to enabling better learner assessment. Respondents also held the view that evaluation encourages teachers’ professional development. Despite these findings, the respondents indicated that in their specific cases, evaluation did not lead to the desired results due to a number of reasons that included incompetent evaluators and an inflexible and unfair evaluation system. Based on the aforementioned findings, a number of recommendations were made. / Education Management / Thesis (M. Ed. (Eucaton Management))

MEd (Educational Management) / Department of Educational Management / See the attached abstract below

Thesis (M.ED.) --University of Limpopo (Turfloop Campus), 2008 / Argument directed to bilingual instruction in South Africa is not new. The issue of eleven official languages in education remains contested. The apartheid language in education policy infused with imbalance proficiency demands for educators and learners’in the country. The policy was replaced in 1997 with a new policy based on non –discriminatory language use and the internationally accepted principle of home language education in the contest of bilingual or multilingual framework. The policy was designed to accommodate home language (HL)maintenance, proficiency and first additional language (FAL), English for the majority of learners and optimal cognitive development. The policy has not been accompanied by any significant government or language department to ensure the implementation plan. It has however been met with several arguments of bilingual resource and well –trained educators. The argument paved a way into publications which have been used to deflect government’s responsibility regarding bilingual instruction .The difference in language policy however disregard the fact that South Africa is multilingual and that home language is the most appropriate language of learning everywhere in the world. The implementation and understanding of bilingual and linguistic interdependence of both English and African languages have a role to pay in the development and sustainability of democratic country. The underlying implication is that since English and Afrikaans as the media of instruction that disadvantaged the majority of South African citizens over the years, it is time African languages be implementated alongside English or Afrikaans in education system. South Africa’s new language in Education policy (LiEP) has been regarded as one of the best progressive in the world. The dissertation describes research that investigates the gap between the policy expections and what is prevailing at some private and public primary school in Limpopo Province.

M. Tech. Education / Given the challenges of shortage of skills as informed by low performance in Grade 12 Mathematics, it seemed appropriate that a study on factors behind poor performance in Mathematics amongst grade 12 learners be undertaken. The study explored various factors that contribute to poor performance of learners in Mathematics in grade 12.