Educators play an essential role within the education system as role models. Many educators, in addition to being affected by learners living with HIV and AIDS, are themselves living with HIV and struggle to cope. SMTs have to play a role in the provision of psychosocial services. The purpose of this study was to explore the types of psychosocial services provided to ELWHIV by their SMTs in order to gain insight and understanding and to make suggestions on how psychosocial services can be improved. A qualitative study was undertaken in 2008. Fifteen interviews were conducted with ELWHIV and members of SMTs at four primary schools in Bela-Bela, Limpopo Province. The findings reveal that SMTs are failing to implement government policies and are not providing adequate support for ELWHIV. None of the participating schools had a functional AIDS policy. Support structures were found to be inadequate and ineffective. Disclosure was identified as one of the major obstacles to the provision of effective services. / Sociology / M.A. (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV/AIDS)

Rural primary schools have got an immense role to play regarding the educational foundation for the subsequent phases of schooling. In ensuring that an extremely solid foundation is laid. the creation and maintenance of a positive culture of teaching and learning becomes extremely very important in this category of schools. It is the primary task of the primary school principal to ensure that quality teaching and learning is taking place in her/his school. I Iowever, in ensuring that a positive culture of teaching and learning becomes a reality in their schools, principals cannot work in isolation but, in collaboration with other potential stakeholders. A variety of factors like good management on the part of principals to good commitment and involvement on the part of other stakeholders like educators, learners, parents. community, business people and the government. lead to teaching and learning of a very high and acceptable standard. The purpose of this research project was to investigate how principals of rural primary schools create and maintain a culture of teaching and learning. The outcomes of this investigation could assist rural primary school principals in their attempts towards ensuring a positive culture of teaching and learning. The outcomes could also assist other stakeholders as to how best can they assist rural primary school principals in making schools centers for a positive culture of teaching and learning. The methodology of research for this investigation is quantitative. The questionnaire was used as a tool for empirical data collection. This research project has revealed several mechanisms that arc utilized by rural primary school principals in creating and maintain a culture ofteaching and learning. It also emerged from thi s study that in creating and maintaining COLT in schools, rural primary school principals encounter some problems that need the undivided attention of every education stakeholder. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

The purpose of the study was to explore and describe the perceptions of the pupil nurses at their second year level towards clinical support at the private hospital in the Limpopo Province. Qualitative approach including exploratory, descriptive and contextual study design was followed. The target population for this study included pupil nurses at their second year level (n=20) following a two year programme leading to enrolment as a nurse from a private nursing education institution in the Limpopo Province. Data was collected utilizing written narratives, and focus group interviews. Field notes and audio tape were used to capture data. Data saturation was reached on twelve participants. Data were thematically analysed using Tesch’s method of open coding. The results revealed lack of clinical support. Lack of clinical support was attributed to inadequate educators for accompaniment, registered nurses’ uncaring attitude and not fulfilling their mentorship role, and pressure on pupil nurses to meet the high clinical demands. Pupil nurses were found not to be assuming full responsibilities over their practical learning. Therefore, it is mandatory as nurse educators, managers and researchers to take note of the gaps identified and intervene utilising recommendations provided to enhance clinical support. / Health Studies / M.A. (Nursing Science)

Rural primary schools have got an immense role to play regarding the educational foundation for the subsequent phases of schooling. In ensuring that an extremely solid foundation is laid. the creation and maintenance of a positive culture of teaching and learning becomes extremely very important in this category of schools. It is the primary task of the primary school principal to ensure that quality teaching and learning is taking place in her/his school. I Iowever, in ensuring that a positive culture of teaching and learning becomes a reality in their schools, principals cannot work in isolation but, in collaboration with other potential stakeholders. A variety of factors like good management on the part of principals to good commitment and involvement on the part of other stakeholders like educators, learners, parents. community, business people and the government. lead to teaching and learning of a very high and acceptable standard. The purpose of this research project was to investigate how principals of rural primary schools create and maintain a culture of teaching and learning. The outcomes of this investigation could assist rural primary school principals in their attempts towards ensuring a positive culture of teaching and learning. The outcomes could also assist other stakeholders as to how best can they assist rural primary school principals in making schools centers for a positive culture of teaching and learning. The methodology of research for this investigation is quantitative. The questionnaire was used as a tool for empirical data collection. This research project has revealed several mechanisms that arc utilized by rural primary school principals in creating and maintain a culture ofteaching and learning. It also emerged from thi s study that in creating and maintaining COLT in schools, rural primary school principals encounter some problems that need the undivided attention of every education stakeholder. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

Educators play an essential role within the education system as role models. Many educators, in addition to being affected by learners living with HIV and AIDS, are themselves living with HIV and struggle to cope. SMTs have to play a role in the provision of psychosocial services. The purpose of this study was to explore the types of psychosocial services provided to ELWHIV by their SMTs in order to gain insight and understanding and to make suggestions on how psychosocial services can be improved. A qualitative study was undertaken in 2008. Fifteen interviews were conducted with ELWHIV and members of SMTs at four primary schools in Bela-Bela, Limpopo Province. The findings reveal that SMTs are failing to implement government policies and are not providing adequate support for ELWHIV. None of the participating schools had a functional AIDS policy. Support structures were found to be inadequate and ineffective. Disclosure was identified as one of the major obstacles to the provision of effective services. / Sociology / M.A. (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV/AIDS)

Department of Currirulum Studies and Educational Management / MEDCS (Curriculum studies)

Department of Curriculum Studies and Education Management / MEDEM

DEd / Department of Curriculum Studies / Multi-grade teaching is a situation where one teacher teaches several grades together in one class. This phenomenon is common in both developed and developing countries. However, the problem is, in South Africa there is no multi-grade policy in place, curriculum and materials are written for mono-grade schools, pre-service and in-service training for teachers are geared at a mono-grade classroom. Consequently, teachers are not trained in appropriate multi-grade teaching and learning strategies; this may affect learner performance at such schools. It has been indicated that there is a dearth of research in the teaching and assessment practices in multi-grade setting in the literature, especially in Africa. This mixed methods study is based on the implications of peer tutoring as a teaching and learning strategy in English First Additional Language (FAL) for Grade 5 multi-grade learners’ performance. The purpose of this study was to determine implications of peer tutoring as a multi-grade teaching and learning strategy on Grade 5 learner performance in Vhembe District in Limpopo Province of South Africa. The study used mixed-methods design and concurrent Triangulation approach where both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used to collect data concurrently. Quantitative data were collected through quasi experimental design and surveys while qualitative data were collected using scheduled interviews. The six week one-on-one peer tutoring programme was designed to assist grade 5 learners to read and spell proficiently as a supplemental instruction. The literature review revealed that peer tutoring as a teaching and learning strategy has been effectively used mostly in monograde schools. The study sample consisted of 77 grade 5 learners from four random sampled multi-grade schools whose first language (L1) or home language (HL) is Tshivenda but learnt through English as a Second language (L2) or First Additional Language (FAL), 4 teachers and 4 principals. Two schools served as treatment group v while two served as control group. Both groups took a pre-test and post-test; only the treatment group received peer tutoring intervention. The mixed method approach involved collected quantitative data through learners’ pretests, post-tests and spelling activities during the peer tutoring intervention. This was to compare the grade 5 learners’ results of those who had participated in the peer tutoring intervention with those in the control group. Both teachers and principals and learners completed a questionnaire on multi-grade teaching and peer tutoring. The findings revealed that: 1. The peer tutoring group performed better than the control group. 2. Peer tutoring might possibly be an effective teaching and learning strategy for multi-grade teaching. 3. Both teachers and principals expressed the need for in-service training workshops in teaching and learning strategies specifically for multi-grade teaching. 4. They also revealed that pre-service training should provide training courses on multi-grade teaching to prepare prospective teachers. The study recommended the following: The Department of Education should develop a multi-grade policy. In-service training workshops should train multi-grade teachers in appropriate multi-grade teaching and learning strategies. Institutions of higher learning should provide pre-service training in multi-grade strategies, infuse some multi-grade modules into their teacher training programmes and provide short courses on multi-grade teaching.

MA (Sociology) / Department of Sociology / This study focused on the effects of the school feeding programmes in addressing food insecurity in Mutale Municipality of Vhembe District, Limpopo Province. The study placed school feeding programmes within the wider context of social assistance and a component for securing food for the wellbeing of Mutale rural inhabitants. The major problem identified in this study was the inadequacy of governmental interventions, specifically the social assistance component, to eliminate food insecurity in rural areas. This failure motivated the researcher to venture into an investigation of the school feeding programme and its impact, as a social intervention, in addressing food insecurity among rural citizenry. The study openly delineated various factors contributing to the ruthless chronic food insecurity which has ravaged many families in rural areas. On the theoretical framework, the research incorporated the Capability Theory and the Entitlement approach as the foundational basis of the study. The qualitative approach was used to ensure an in-depth understanding of the contribution of school feeding programmes as a right based in-kind social safety net implemented by the government in addressing the discourse of food insecurity on a rural setting. Respondents of the study included the supervisor at circuit level, the school principal, educators, food handlers, smallholder farmers, learners and their parents. The researcher utilised Quota sampling in the selection of respondents. The researcher gathered data through the use of interviews, non-participant observation and document analysis. The findings of this study were analysed by organizing the data and presenting it in a descriptive manner. Literature revealed that the provision of feeding schemes at schools have the capability to stimulate an enabling environment which can empower rural families with adequate resources essential for eliminating food insecurity. However, this study found out that the feeding scheme marginally created employment, reduced poverty and hunger and increased health and nutrition education among the community members. The programme achieved minimal results as it confronted implementation constraints which ruined its capacity to exterminate rural food insecurity.

MEd (Curriculum Studies) / Department of Curriculum Studies / Learning Geometry has been identified as an area of Mathematics that poses various problems for many secondary school learners’. Many learners’ fail to develop an adequate understanding of geometrical concepts and to demonstrate good reasoning and problem solving skills. Poor performance of learners’ in Euclidian Geometry has been a concern to Mathematics teachers, parents and government. The purpose of this study was to enhance learners’ performance in Euclidian Geometry as a branch of Mathematics in the FET band of secondary schools. The research question was: What factors facilitate the enhancement of learners’ performance in Euclidian Geometry in the FET band of secondary schools? The study adopted the mixed methods design. The population were all the FET band learners who chose Mathematics as a field of study at secondary schools in Nzhelele East Circuit. Purposive sampling was used to select participants who contributed to qualitative data. For quantitative data, clusters and random sampling methods were used to select learners who participated in the study. The sample consisted of 6 school principals, 6 heads of departments and 6 teachers. These groups of people participated in the interviews. Nine schools were sampled from the population and questionnaires were administered to 405 learners of which 45 were randomly selected from each school and 15 learners were randomly selected from each grade level. Thematic analysis was used to analyze qualitative data and the SPSS Version 22 was employed to analyze quantitative data. The data collected revealed the causes of poor performance in Geometry at Grades 10-12. The results of this study described how learners in Grades 10-12 could improve their performance in Geometry.