M.A. / The changing circumstances in South Africa up to date can be seen as the inspiration for the investigation of how language teaching, and language learning is affected by this. Dramatic reform is taking place in South Africa regarding changing political and constitutional views on education, with a rapidly increasing trend towards Multicultural education. Multicultural education is a trend that has manifested itself worldwide. The primary goal is to accommodate pupils of diverse and different cultures in one education system. Language teaching must therefore also change in order for it to still be sensible and useful for the learner with regard to future consideration eg. higher learning, career opportunities and everyday communication. This study investigated the possibility that certain relevant aspects from the fields of psychology and sociology have an effect on the way a learner acquires/learns the language, in this instance Afrikaans First Language. Furthermore the study also examines the way which the teacher has to adapt/adjust to these different influences in his/her method of teaching. From an applied linguistic perspective, we find that language skills form part of the language user's communicative competence. This study endeavours to place language teaching within the framework of a communicative approach to language teaching with the emphasis on the needs of the language learner, the functionality of the acquired skills (to eventually eradicate illiteracy and communicative incompetence) and the active participation of the language learner in the teaching activities (discussions, debates, projects etc.).

D. Ed. (Multiculturalism and Education) / This research will look at specific problem areas specifically pertaining to life skills which hamper the disadvantaged pupil in his development in the formal and non-formal educational sector of the school. with these identified factors, I aim to develop an acceptable information base for staff who have no in-service training as to how to assist, handle and participate with the sudden influx of disadvantaged pupils. This study is therefore aimed at gaining information to assist the teacher as well as the pupil. Reasons for the non-performance and thus the high failure rate, will also be noted in this study. One of the aims is to use pupil feedback extensively for the required information. My final aim is to illicit future research in this direction, thus assisting all parties.

M.Ed. (Media Studies) / Since the use of media could contribute greatly to the solving of many problems in the teaching situation in South Africa, knowledge of all aspects of media use in education has become essential. Schools have a responsibility to provide serving teachers with training in this respect. An attempt is made to - define· in-service t r a i n i nq r discuss critically two in-service training models currently in practice, i.e. course-based in-service training and school centred in-service trainingj and - create a strategy and make recommendations to be implemented by the media committee when planning in-service training for teachers in the meaningful use of media. A school centred in-service training model has the greater potential for the training of teachers in media use. With this as a point of departure, a strategy is created and recommendations are made for planning a programme for in-service training of teachers in media use. The media committee will need to adapt the general approach outlined in this study to the circumstances and/or requirements of a particular school. In-service training for teachers in the use of media should be a team effort, and the school management should be made thoroughly aware of the importance of such in-service training. Without a clear policy, it is unlikely that this strategy will be applied in any meaningful way. For it to be successful, the media committee (under leadership of the headmaster), the media teacher and the teachers should all be involved in the various phases of planning and implementation of such o. in-service training. Media teachers in particular should be fully trained in the field of Educational Media Science, the nature and extent of adult education and principles of planning, organisation, gu i dance and con tro I .. Empirical research may be necessary later to support this study; such research, however, lies presently beyond the scope of this dissertation. There is also a clear need for research into the implementation of a scientifically accountable core curriculum for the in-service training of teachers in media use. This need extends to the training of all teachers in media use in a multi-cultural milieu.

M.Ed. (Sociology of Education) / The study aims to investigate the educators' perceptions of the implementation of the Life Orientation learning area in schools. The investigation arose from the fact that Life Orientation is a new learning area introduced in the Foundation and Senior Phase as part of Curriculum 2005. The aim of this learning area is to empower learners in a holistic manner to live meaningful lives in a society that demands rapid transformation. However, the implementation of the outcomes-based approach as expressed in Curriculum 2005 in general, and in particular in the newly developed Life Orientation learning area, has proved to be complex and resulted in negativity on the side of teachers. The question addressed in this study is: What are educators' perceptions of and experiences of the implementation of the Life Orientation learning area in their schools? The aim for this study is to provide curriculum developers and educational teacher trainers with a clearer picture of the facilitation of the Life Orientation learning area. »:> The research method used included literature review of the nature and aims of the Life Orientation learning area within the framework of Curriculum 2005. An empirical investigation of teacher's perceptions of the Life Orientation learning area and its implementation was performed using both the qualitative and the quantitative approaches. Respondents were selected from a purposeful sample of schools representing former Model C schools, informal settlement schools as well as township schools. The following findings from the investigation deserve mention: • • The majority of educators emphasised the need to improve the quality of training in the Life Orientation learning area. The training facilitators need to be equipped with the knowledge and skills, as well as relevant resources and teaching aids to provide effective training for educators. Most educators enjoyed teaching Life Orientation as they realised that it focussed on real life issues, coping skills as well as learner development in various aspects (physical, emotional, social, spiritual and intellectual). The aim or purpose of teaching Life Orientation is to provide learners with useful skills to cope with useful skills to cope with life and its challenges, as well as to mould them to adulthood...

This thesis is a narrative account of how I have transformed my learning and teaching strategies for Grade 9 learners, generating my own living theory of teaching within a social context with the aim of enabling my learners to construct their own knowledge. My value-embedded practice is reflected in the values I attach to equality, inclusivity, social justice and basic human rights. These embodied values are also a reflection of my commitment to my Christian values which encompass my entire existence and have become the living standards by which I judge the quality of my research. My classroom-based action research methodology is a living transformational process which heralds a change for a more just practice and the inclusion and recognition of the individual. My findings about my learners’ and my own learning offer new conceptualisations about the capacity of my learners to learn in their own unique ways and according to their own potential. I am claiming that the significance of my research is grounded in my ability to demonstrate how I can unleash the untapped potential of learners failing to attain the desired outcomes. I show them how to learn confidently and successfully within a social context using prior knowledge, scaffolding and motivation as teaching and learning tools. This has potential inspiration for new forms of practice and theory in aiming to improve learners’ potential. A significant feature of my account is how my Christian values have been translated into my critical epistemological standards of judgement, and the development of a living theory of practice that enables me to account for educational influences in my learners’ and my own learning.

This research is based on the hypothesis that response-based approaches to teaching literature and an outcomes-based system of education (OBE) are conceptually incompatible. This thesis claims that reader response involves processes that cannot be accommodated pedagogically within a system based on pre-determined outcomes. Furthermore, the kind of assessment prescribed by OBE is inappropriate to the nature of reader response. The hypothesis is based on three main premises. The first is that each reader brings a highly individual and complex set of personal schemata to the reading of imaginative texts, and these schemata have a decisive influence on the nature of a reader’s response. This means that response during imaginative engagements with literary texts tends to be idiosyncratic, and therefore largely unpredictable. Because of this, it would be inappropriate for a teacher, working within an OBE system, to try to teach towards pre-selected outcomes and to attempt to ensure that these outcomes, based on responses to literary texts, are in fact achieved. The second premise is that readers’ imaginative engagements with literary texts are essentially hidden events, which even the individual reader cannot fully bring to the surface and articulate. Because they are complex, and to some extent inaccessible, it would be inappropriate to assess the processes of response in the form of tangible evidence that a particular kind of response has taken place, or an outcome achieved. The third premise is that responses need time to grow and develop and do not merely happen quickly and cleanly. Consequently, aesthetic response, already a complex and inaccessible process, has no clearly distinguishable beginnings or endings. It would therefore be inappropriate to try to pinpoint the exact nature and parameters of a particular response or fragment it into a discrete unit of competence or knowledge. A two-dimensional problem emerges. The first is a conceptual one: whether there is an inherent tension between encouraging response to imaginative literature on the one hand, and accepting the rationale for OBE, on the other. The second dimension of the problem is empirical: whether teachers of literature experience any tension of either a conceptual or a practical nature when following response based approaches within the OBE system of Curriculum 2005, and if so, what they do in order to cope. In exploring the conceptual problem, the argument of this thesis is supported by reception theory and reader response criticism. The former provides key theoretical principles and insights that illuminate the nature of aesthetic reading, while the latter describes and analyses the nature, extent and manifestations of response in educational contexts, underpinned by both reception theory and empirical research. Together they offer evidence that personal response is determined by a complex range of processes, and is the core activity in reading for aesthetic purposes. This thesis also examines the conceptual basis and the structure of OBE as interpreted in both Curriculum 2005 and the revised National Curriculum Statement. The purpose of this is to establish the extent to which the philosophy and modus operandi of these curricula are rooted in notions of competence, and the requirement that learners give tangible demonstrations of pre-determined outcomes being achieved. If it is found that the curricula do lean heavily on pre-determined outcomes in regard to competencies that must be demonstrated, it may be concluded that 1) reader response activities are incompatible with OBE in a South African context, and 2) the potential exists for such incompatibility to create obstacles to creative and effective literature teaching. This can lead to difficulties for the teacher, who will then have to adopt acceptable strategies to cope with the situation. These strategies may ultimately be to the detriment of the pupils, particularly if the teacher seeks a compromise between genuine response and the kinds of activities that would yield precise, palpable measures of attainment that can be easily demonstrated. Exploring the empirical dimension of the problem involves investigating the responses of both teachers and teacher trainers to the experience of promoting response-based literature teaching and learning in an OBE environment. In order firstly investigated whether the practitioners do encourage reading response as a core activity in reading for aesthetic purposes. The extent to which practitioners have a sound grasp of the conceptual issues relevant to this research is also investigated. Insight into such issues depends on teachers and teacher trainers understanding the nature of reader response, on the one hand, and the rationale and structures of the relevant OBE curricula, on the other. Whether, and to what extent, practitioners experience tensions through their awareness of conceptual incompatibilities is also investigated. It should be borne in mind that practitioners work in real contexts in which a variety of complex factors play a role in determining how they respond to pressures from the environment. It cannot therefore be expected that teachers and others involved in delivering the curriculum will be able to reflect on purely conceptual issues without being influenced to an extent by more practical or logistical considerations. However, this study argues that the extent to which they are able to identify the relevant factors that affect the conceptual underpinnings of their practice will determine the degree to which their responses support the argument of this thesis. Together, the empirical and the theoretical findings offer qualitative evidence that should illuminate the nature and extent of the problem.

The print literacy competencies of many South African teachers and the learners they teach are inadequate. Evidence from local and international evaluations and research attests to this. Based on the understanding that a teacher, whose literacy level is less than adequate, is in a weak position to teach others how to read and write, the imperative to systematically address the issue of poor teacher and learner literacy levels, provided the impetus for a careful investigation of the methodology and theory of the Learning to Read: Reading to Learn pedagogy. Originally developed in Australia and applied in primary, secondary and tertiary contexts, this literacy pedagogy was described as a means of rapidly improving the literacy competence of all learners, across all subject areas. Using an approach located within the tradition of interpretative educational theory, the meaning of the theory and practice of the Learning to Read: Reading to Learn pedagogy was explored. As a result of the enquiry undertaken, it was found that the Learning to Read: Reading to Learn approach provides a practical means of enhancing epistemological access. Access of this nature is a precondition for success of learning in schools and in tertiary education. The LR:RL pedagogy provides a carefully structured means of holding literacy at the centre of learning. The sequence of practical steps theoretically rooted in three powerful – but usually separate realms of discourse, is a central contribution of the pedagogy to field of literacy development. Intersecting three discrete disciplines, represented by Bernstein’s model of education as pedagogic discourse, Vygotsky’s model of learning as a social process and Halliday’s model of language as text in social context gives rise to a unique literacy pedagogy. The theory that emerges from use, in a range of situations, over many years, and the carefully sequenced practice, together offer a sound means of addressing the challenges of literacy and learning prevalent in the South African context. iii This thesis argues for a reading based theory of teaching as a means of meeting the challenges of literacy and learning head on. The capacity to learn independently from written text is critical for progress within the schooling and tertiary systems. The Learning to Read: Reading to Learn pedagogy provides a means of realizing such a theory of teaching. Simultaneously teaching print literacy, while teaching the content of curricula, is proposed as a way of bringing about effective learning. Within the context of teacher education, the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of many teachers is acknowledged to be inadequate. However, there is a key dimension missing for the construct of PCK to be truly useful for South African teachers. Print literacy is as an essential determinant of the knowledge of teachers. The construct of PCK can thus supplemented by foregrounding reading and writing as essential elements of this category of teacher knowledge. Thus the content of the teacher education curriculum is taught as the reading and writing competence of teachers is developed. Similarly, within the school context, the Learning to Read: Reading to Learn pedagogy can be used to teach required content and teach the requisite high level reading and writing skills needed by all learners to progress successfully through the schooling system.

The researcher observed that some nursing students lacked the necessary knowledge and confidence in the clinical practice areas whilst accompanying students. The researcher was therefore of the opinion that the aforementioned gaps needed to be addressed to ensure that students developed more confidence in their clinical decision making skills. The researcher was of the opinion that the nurse educators would be the ideal persons to identify the information required by undergraduate nursing students at the point of care for clinical decision-making, because they are the primary teachers of nursing students and are the experts with regard to the content needed for clinical decision making at the point of care in the clinical areas. The aim of the study was therefore to explore and describe the perceptions of nurse educators regarding the information required by the undergraduate nursing students for clinical decision making at the point of care. A qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual research design was used to conduct this research. The study was conducted among the nurse educators who are employed by Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, lecturing and accompanying students for at least 12 months. In-depth interviewing was conducted to obtain the data. The data analysis was done using Tesch’s method to make sense out of the text and data. Strategies to ensure trustworthiness and a high ethical standard were implemented throughout the study. Three themes with eight sub-themes emerged, namely, the importance of students having sound basic knowledge of theory and practical skills before entering the practical field, students to have available, accessible and up to date information at the point of care and importance of mentorship when students are seeking information. Recommendations were made pertaining to areas of nursing practice, education and research.

The research explores the relationship between language and education, and motivates for the intellectualisation of African languages, isiXhosa in particular, and for their use in education. The main rationale behind this is that access to, and success in education can largely be realised if that education is mediated in one’s first language. The thesis discusses works of prominent scholars who have written on the subject - relating cognitive abilities and achievement in education to language in which that education is offered. The lack of terminology in new domains in African languages as barrier to mother tongue education is laid bare by looking specifically at the history of intellectualisation of isiXhosa, from the missionaries in the 1820s up to the new endeavours as recently as 2008. Terminologies that were developed during the Bantu Education era, where development of isiXhosa and other indigenous African languages was accelerated in order to respond to the demands of moedertaal-onderwys (mother tongue education) are surveyed, and the process of their development analysed. Three main terminology lists developed during this period are analysed against terminology development principles, approaches and methods that are seen as a measure to ensure quality terminology development. The efforts of the development of isiXhosa during the post-apartheid South Africa, especially the government-driven initiatives, are also critiqued even though these are not as effective and as extensive, especially in education. The result of this analysis is that African languages and isiXhosa in particular, can be used in scientific disciplines and at the highest levels of education. Its grammar is advanced, and its lexicon is extensive such that new concepts that need to be named can be named, using appropriate term creation strategies. There are also technological tools such as WordSmith tools that can be used that can advance its development, ensuring that the concept represented in the newly-created term is precise, concise and appropriate in terms of its discipline. Therefore it is argued that, in the interim, terminologies should be developed, in various subjects, to support learning, which at this stage is mediated in English, for those students who have other languages as mother tongue. Those terminologies that have been developed in the various historical periods should be collated, revised and brought into the classrooms. The thesis argues that real intellectualisation of isiXhosa and other African languages rests on the use of these languages in classrooms and lecture halls, and in the value that all role players place on these languages.

Recent international reports, for example TIMSS (2011 & 2015), point to serious challenges in South African learner performance in Mathematics and Science. Of greatest concern is that research findings (e.g. Graven, Venkat, Westaway and Tshesane 2013) suggest that many South African learners show signs of mathematical knowledge gaps in the lower grades. Hence, there is a need to address challenges of this nature very early in Foundation Phase. This study was undertaken with a view to contribute towards addressing mathematical challenges encountered by learners in Foundation Phase This empirical enquiry was undertaken under the auspices of the South African Numeracy Chair Project (SANCP) at Rhodes University whose mission is to develop sustainable ways of improving quality teaching and learning of Mathematics in South Africa. A relatively new SANCP programme called Pushing for Progression (PfP) run as part of the after-school Maths Clubs to develop the number sense and four Operations in learners was used to achieve the research aims of this study. Research participants were drawn from the Maths Clubs established by the researcher in a small rural town of Ottosdal in the North West Province of South Africa. This Study is grounded on the Vygotskian perspective and uses the interpretivist qualitative research method for data collection and analysis. Sampling was done opportunistically by enlisting participants (12 teachers and 117 learners) on the basis of their availability and willingness to participate. Pre- and post-assessment of learners’ proficiency on the four Basic Operations was conducted at the beginning and at the end of the research project, respectively. This was done to determine the impact of the project on learner performance. Data analysis was done thematically and through the comparison of learner results of the pre- and post-assessment. The findings point to the effectiveness of the PfP Programme in learner performance. This can be deduced from improved scores between pre- and post-assessment and the observations made by participant-teachers on their respective club learners’ mathematical proficiencies. Accordingly, based on the findings, this study recommends, inter alia, that since the PfP programme is still in its early stages, similar research be conducted elsewhere. Additionally, the Department of Basic Education could consider exploring the PfP programme as one of several other strategies to help improve learner proficiency in Mathematics.