D.Ed. / Each student undergoing tuition, is unique and one of a kind. Each student has his own personality and individuality. Students have different ways of learning; progress differently and reach different degrees of success with their methods of study. The success of the student's learning process is closely related to the student's existing pre-knowledge. The orientation student at the technical college finds himself in a unique situation. As this course is a bridging course, the student must overcome the backlog in his field of study and also be prepared for the studies that will follow. Learning of mathematics is a complex matter. No two answers will correspond if inquiring into the method in which mathematics is mastered. The same is also true if inquiring into the teaching strategies to be followed in order to acquire success in teaching this subject. In this study the theories of Piaget, Bruner, Ausubel among others, were scrutinised. Numerous teaching strategies can be followed to ensure success in the classroom. This study concentrates on co-operative learning, since the point of view is held that it provides the overall framework within which effective tuition can be achieved. Cooperative learning has been researched by applying it in the mathematics classroom. A very positive response was received from the students as well as the teachers concerned. However, certain problems were experienced. These include, inter alia, that some students found the classroom discipline lacking. Others complained that the lecturers did not do enough explaining. The following conclusions can be drawn from this study: Traditionally the classroom is where the lecturer has the sole right to teach. A change is necessary. New teaching strategies will have to be looked at. To achieve this change, co-operative learning is strongly recommended. It provides for active involvement of the student in the learning process; it provides the opportunity for the student to accept responsibility for his own learning success as well as that of his fellow students and it provides the opportunity for mastering social skills which are a necessity for our modern, complex and integrated society.

Thesis (DPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis presents the findings and conclusions of the function of research in the technikons’ journey from apprenticeship training to technological degrees. The analysis and interpretation of primary sources on the development of technical higher education and research revealed that research developments at technikons evolved in a pattern so closely resembling and reflecting an evolving technical education mission that it is difficult if not impossible to pinpoint cause and effect. The evolving technical education mission was characterised by diversity entrenched in the provision of technical education, a continuing problematic process of differentiation between vocational and technical education, the development of formal centrally-controlled technical higher education and continuous differences between the Education Department and the sector officials on the nature of the technical higher qualifications and the role of research in these qualifications. As a result of the factors characterising the development of technical higher education, gaps were created between the technikon officials’ vision of research at technikons, the strategies and plans to establish a research culture and the technikons’ research performance. In addition, an evaluation of technikon research performance in terms of the nature, scope, content and volume of research reflects a limited understanding of the relation between the input factors and the process factors utilised to lead to a system capable of sustaining a research culture, especially in view of maintaining the newly-assigned University status. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie dissertasie handel oor die bevindinge en slotsom ten opsigte van die funksie van navorsing in die technikons se reis van vakleerlingskapopleiding tot die aanbied van tegnologiese grade. Die analise en interpretasie van primêre bronne wat handel oor die ontwikkeling van hoër tegniese onderwys en navorsing het bewys dat navorsingontwikkeling by technikons op ‘n manier ontwikkel het dat dit die evolusie van die tegniese onderwysmissie streng navolg en reflekteer. Dit maak dit moeilik, indien nie onmoontlik nie, om die oorsaak en gevolg vas te stel. Die evolusie van die tegniese onderwysmissie is gekenmerk deur diversiteit wat ingebed is in die voorsiening van tegniese onderwys, ‘n voortdurende problematiese proses van differensiasie tussen beroeps- en tegniese onderwys, die ontwikkeling van formele sentraalbeheerde hoër tegniese onderwys en voortdurende verskille tussen die Department van Onderwys en die sektorbeamptes oor die aard van die hoër tegniese kwalifikasies en die rol van navorsing in hierdie kwalifikasies. As gevolg van die faktore wat die ontwikkeling van hoër tegniese onderwys gespeel het, het gapings ontstaan tussen die technikonbeamptes se visie van navorsing aan technikons, die strategieë en planne wat ontwikkel is om ‘n navorsingskultuur te vestig en die technikons se navorsingsuitsette. Saam daarmee het ‘n evaluasie van technikonnavorsingprestasie in terme van die aard, omvang, inhoud en volume ‘n beperkte begrip van die verhouding tussen insetfaktore en die prosesfaktore wat gebruik word om tot ‘n sisteem te lei wat daartoe in staat is om ‘n navorsingskultuur te onderhou, gereflekteer, veral met die doel om die nuuttoegekende universiteitstatus te onderhou.

本研究旨在建構學校核心競爭力指標體系，以技專校院為研究主體，運用文獻分析、德懷術、訪談及問卷調查等4種研究方法進行探究。研究者首先蒐集核心競爭力、學校競爭力、學校核心競爭力、教育指標、技專校院的現況與發展等相關資料，透過文獻分析，初步建構學校核心競爭力指標體系草案後，再經由18位德懷術專家學者3次問卷往返的協助修正，最後建立技專校院適用之學校核心競爭力指標體系。研究過程中，另與6位專家學者進行深度訪談，瞭解技專校院現場實務工作者對研究問題之看法與建議，協助取得較完整的調查研究資料；最後，針對全國科技大學、技術學院與專科學校等93校，寄發465份指標認同程度調查問卷，以立意樣本進行教師意見調查，回收之有效問卷340份，回收率為73％。 根據文獻分析、德懷術專家問卷、訪談及技專校院教師問卷調查結果，經過整理及分析之後，本研究獲致之以下結論： 一、核心競爭力是多種類型能力所組成。 二、學校核心競爭力特徵具有獨特性、價值性、整合性、動態性、延展性、過程性與核心性。 三、學校核心競爭力是學校永續經營的重要根基。 四、學校核心競爭力探討的學校層級著重在高等教育領域。 五、技專校院正面臨再造發展的關鍵期。 六、本研究建構技專校院適用之學校核心競爭力指標體系，包括「科研核心競爭力」、「師資核心競爭力」、「學生核心競爭力」、「學校表現核心競爭力」等四構面，合計79項指標。 七、德懷術專家對於「科研核心競爭力」與「師資核心競爭力」層級各指標評價之共識程度，高於「學生核心競爭力」與「學校表現核心競爭力」層級各指標。 八、受訪談者肯定技專校院具有重要的價值與功能。 九、受訪談者對於提升技專校院核心競爭力的策略，認為應從「師資水準」、「學生能力」、「政府政策」、「學校經營策略」與「合作策略聯 盟」等層面推進。 十、技專校院教師對於「學校表現核心競爭力」層級各指標之認同程度較高，對於「科研核心競爭力」層級各指標之認同程度較低。 十一、技專校院教師對於本研究建構之指標評價，受不同性別、年齡等變項的影響較不顯著，受不同學校型態（科技大學、技術學院、專科學校）的影響較顯著。 十二、技專校院教師背景變項對於編號「A-2科研價值性」、「A-2-4技術移轉件數」、「B-1-2具有博士學位教師數」指標認同程度之影響較顯著，對於編號「C-1-1取得專業證照學生數」、「C-1-2通過專技檢定學生數」、「C-3-3學生公共服務表現」、「D-2-3學校建築物樓地板面積」指標認同程度無顯著影響。 根據上述研究結論，本研究分別提出對主管教育行政機關、技專校院與未來研究建議如下： 一、對主管教育行政機關之建議 （一）重視與應用技專校院之學校核心競爭力指標，並將指標納入技專校院資訊資料庫。 （二）強化技職教育的定位與功能，鼓勵技專校院發展學校優勢特色，協助技專校院增進核心競爭能量。 （三）積極協助競爭力較弱的技專校院，助益學校改善經營體質，建立妥適之技專校院進退場機制，激勵學校再造與整併。 （四）成立學校核心競爭力中心，協助技專校院進行核心競爭力評核，接軌國際教育核心競爭力潮流，辦理學校核心競爭力論壇與研習。 二、對技專校院之建議 （一）強化科學、技術、實務與應用整合的學校核心競爭力，發展技專校院「專業、專才、專項、專精、專攻」的五大核心競爭策略。 （二）建立師資領先的競爭態勢，積極改善師資的品質與結構，增進教師實務經驗與交流，鼓勵教師與業界產學合作。 （三）提升學生的多元競爭能力，協助學生取得專業證照，強化學生實用的專業技能，鼓勵學生參與專業競賽。 （四）以學校永續經營為本，資源有效運用為宗，積極展現優質學校的品牌形象，豎立學校不畏競爭的強勢地位。 三、對未來研究之建議 （一）增加研究對象人數，更採樣本抽樣方式，以使研究立論更為客觀，並擴大研究推論範圍。 （二）採用更多元的指標建構方法，以增進指標研究的適切與實效。 （三）針對不同的學校性質，建構分類的學校核心競爭力指標。 / This research aims to establish a system of school core competitiveness indicators with vocational and technical institute as examples, utilizing methodologies such as literature review, Delphi technique, interviews and questionnaire survey to conduct the research. The research first collects relevant development and information related to core competitiveness, school competitiveness, school core competitiveness and educational indicator of vocational and technical institutes. Consequently through initial establishment of school core competitiveness and subsequent collaboration with 18 Delphi technique experts, a school core competitiveness system suited for vocational and technical institutes are established. Through the process of the research, six other experts are interviewed to provide suggestions of practical understanding to researchers and assist in acquiring a more accurate research data. Finally, 465 indicator acceptance questionnaires are sent to 93 technological universities, technical and vocational institutes and purposive samples were utilized to investigate teacher opinions. 340 questionnaires were returned, giving an effective response rate of 73%. According to literature review, Delphi experts’ questionnaire surveys, interviews and teacher opinions surveys of vocational and technical institutes, the research reaches the following conclusions after integration and analysis: 1. Core competitiveness is composed of several types of abilities. 2. Characteristics of school core competitiveness include uniqueness, value, integration, mobility, extendibility, process and core. 3. School core competitiveness is the fundamental of sustainable management. 4. Discussion of school core competitiveness is focused on higher education sector. 5. Vocational and technical institutes are facing the critical phase of re-engineering. 6. There are 79 indicators in the process of building school core competitiveness system and they include: “R&D core competitiveness”, “teaching staff core competitiveness”, “students’ core competitiveness” and “school performance core competitiveness”. 7. Delphi experts have higher consensus and appraisal regarding “R&D core competitiveness” and “teaching staff core competitiveness” compared to “students core competitiveness” and “school performance core competitiveness”. 8. The interviewees have high affirmation regarding the function and value of vocational and technical institutes. 9. The interviewees thought effective strategies to promote core competitiveness of vocational and technical institutes include raising “teaching staff level”, “students’ abilities”, “government policies”, “school management strategies” and “strategic alliances”. 10. Teaching staff of vocational and technical institutes have overall higher approval level concerning “school performance core competitiveness” than “R&D core competitiveness”. 11. Evaluations of indicators established in this research are affected mainly by school types (technological university, technical institutes, and vocational schools) rather than gender or age group. 12. Variables of teaching staff of vocational and technical institutes have significant differences with respect to “A-2 R&D value”, “A-2-4 Number of technology transfers” and “B-1-2 Qualified Ph.D. teaching staff”, and less significant differences with respect to “C-1-1 Number of students with qualifications”, “C-1-2 Number of students who passed technical examinations”, “C-3-3- Students’ public service performance” and “D-2-3 Area of school buildings”. According to the above research conclusions, this research proposes the following relevant suggestions for education administration authority, the educational institutes and future research: 1. Suggestions for education administration authority (1) Place emphasis and employ practical application of the school core competitiveness indicators of vocational and technical institutes, and incorporate those data into school database. (2) Strengthen positioning and functions of vocational and technical institutes, develop their unique competitiveness and core competitiveness ability. (3) Actively assist weaker vocational and technical institutes to improve their management and establish appropriate exit strategies to encourage school re-engineering and consolidation. (4) Establish center for school core competitiveness to assist assessment of core competitiveness of vocational and technical institutes, follow international educational core competitiveness trend and host forums and research on school core competitiveness. 2. Suggestions to vocational and technical institutes (1) Strengthen scientific, technical, practical and integrative core competitiveness of schools to develop the five core competitiveness: professional, talented, training, expertise and specialty. (2) Establish teaching staff competitiveness edge by actively improving teaching staff quality and structure; promote practical experience sharing and encourage involvement with the industry. (3) Increase students’ multi-faceted competitiveness by assisting students in receiving their professional certifications, enhancing their practical skills and encouraging them to participate in professional competitions. (4) With sustainable management as key principle and effective utilization of resources as model, actively exhibit a positive image of quality education and strong competitive edge. 3. Directions for future research (1) Increase number of research targets and employ random sampling to make research conclusion more objective and have wider inference aspect. (2) Establish more multi-faceted indicators to enhance research appropriateness and effectiveness. (3) Establish different types of school core competitiveness for different types of schools.

In a rapidly changing environment of growing competition for limited resources and ever increasing operational costs, institutions of higher education must focus on all aspects of the organizational functions to insure institutional effectiveness and the maximization of student success. This study will use a Student Environment Model (SEM) to assess students' perception of their college environment outside of the formal classroom at a unique two year technical college. The information obtained is used by the administration of Texas State Technical College Waco (TSTCW) to make appropriate adjustments in programs, services, or policies when the student data indicates that change or improvement is needed. While the SEM provides an indication of the students' "image" of the college environment, it can also provide indicators of areas which need improvement or require change. Applying the SEM information to decision making, problem solving, and planning will allow the institution and its people to move toward higher productivity and continuous quality improvement.

M.Ed. / Renewal represents an improvement in accepted existing practice. This implies that the old practice is just not good enough any longer. Similarly, the knowledge and training base of lecturers at technical colleges fell short with the introduction of the new National Intermediate Certificate, as well as the National Senior Certificate in 1992. The subject-related problems which emerged, could have been solved by various techniques. The quality circle, self-directed work team and support groups, are three group-related problem-solving techniques to be assessed in this study. The three techniques share group participation as a common characteristic. Each of these techniques still maintains a unique approach and method in solving a problem. One would have a remarkable problem-solving technique if one could capitalise on all the positive aspects of the various techniques. The introduction of the new National Intermediate Certificate and the National Senior Certificate, is a direct result of adherence to community needs. The new courses demanded implementation of computer training in various fields of study at technical colleges. A curriculum analysis focusing on Parktown College, led to the identification of three fields of study affected by the introduction of the computer. Lecturers responsible for computer training experienced and still experience various problems. These problems were identified by means of a focus group interview.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

This research was based on the idea that new professional configurations have come due to some women are pursuing careers once considered to be male ones, and it progressed in order to understand how those new configurations of female subjectivity are being built, the way women are positioning themselves on the working market, and also the way gender relations develop themselves as far as women and men are together in the classroom, their conquest of traineeship and how male and female careers are received by contemporary society. We are based on the studies of gender inserted into a post-structuralist perspective, particularly those who advocate the need to escape from sociocultural apparatus that leads men and women to a male and female binarism. Thus, gender is understood as a performance, resulting from historical contingencies, so, it is not considered as a fixed and immutable identity. Men and women are in a network of power, confronting several interests, sometimes contradictory. They produce speeches and use them to express their choices and questions, their body and subjectivity. In speeches, there are strategies and resistances used in the daily school environment and in the world of work. The research is located at Educator Training: Knowledge and Skills line which belongs to the Center for Graduate Education at the Federal University of Sergipe. A special emphasis was given to theorists from the areas of education, gender, labor and technology. Our categories (gender - professional education and work - subjectivity) were built from what was learned in the relationship between theoretical and empirical body of research. The categories focused on the symbolic universe of discourse in our society and were analyzed through Foucaultian bias. The research subjects were students of integrated and subsequent courses of Electrotechnics, Electronics, Systems Development, Chemistry and Work Safety at the Federal Institute of Sergipe. For a year long, we conducted five focal groups with current and former male and female students besides six interviews with current and former female students. These strategies were inserted in a qualitative approach, which has not prevented us from elaborating a lot of graphics that show disparities, as well as advances and setbacks, with regard to the registration of male and female students who take part to subsequent and integrated courses, particularly the ones involved in our research. Finally, the thesis shows that the processes of subjectivity are frequent, dynamic and controversial, do not happen from time to time but accordingly to the story each one carries out. The school gear is usually challenged by new anxieties experienced from the dynamics of the classroom, corridors, laboratories and from some other anxieties brought by the experiences with family and the world of work. That's the instrument for the construction of subjectivity and the composition of new gender relations in the student body at the Federal Institute of Sergipe / Esta pesquisa partiu da ideia de que novas configurações profissionais ergueram-se em virtude de estarem as mulheres cursando carreiras outrora consideradas masculinas e avançou a fim de compreender como as novas configurações da subjetivação feminina estão sendo construídas, como as mulheres estão se posicionando diante do mercado de trabalho, como as relações de gênero se desenvolvem no convívio de mulheres e homens na sala de aula, na conquista do estágio curricular e como o que se compreende por carreiras masculinas e carreiras femininas, na sociedade contemporânea, está em vias de transformação. Fundamentamo-nos com os estudos de gênero inseridos numa perspectiva pós-estruturalista, precisamente os que defendem a necessidade de escaparmos do aparato sociocultural que empurra homens e mulheres para um binarismo masculino e feminino. Assim, o gênero é compreendido como performance resultante de contingências históricas, logo, não se constitui como identidade fixa e imutável. Homens e mulheres estão numa rede de poder em que se confrontam interesses diversos, por vezes, contraditórios. Produzem discursos e, por meio deles, expressam suas escolhas e dúvidas, seu corpo e sua subjetivação. Nos discursos, encontram-se as estratégias e resistências usadas no dia a dia do ambiente escolar e do mundo do trabalho. A pesquisa insere-se na linha Formação de Educadores: Saberes e Competências do Núcleo de pós-graduação em Educação da Universidade Federal de Sergipe. Priorizamos os teóricos das áreas de educação, gênero, trabalho e tecnologia. Nossas categorias (gênero educação profissional e trabalho subjetivação) foram construídas a partir do que foi apreendido na relação estabelecida entre o corpo teórico e o corpo empírico da pesquisa. As categorias focaram o universo simbólico dos discursos presentes em nossa sociedade e foram analisadas por meio da análise de discurso no viés foucaultiano. Os sujeitos da pesquisa foram estudantes dos cursos integrados e subsequentes de Eletrotécnica, Eletrônica, Desenvolvimento de Sistemas, Eletromecânica, Química e Segurança do Trabalho do Instituto Federal de Sergipe. Realizamos, ao longo de um ano, cinco grupos focais com alunos e ex-alunos, alunas e ex-alunas e seis entrevistas com alunas e ex-alunas. Essas estratégias se inseriram numa abordagem qualitativa, o que não nos impediu de elaborarmos diversos gráficos em que se mostrassem as disparidades bem como os avanços e recuos no que se refere à matrícula dos/das discentes nos cursos integrados e subsequentes, especificamente nos que foram selecionados para a pesquisa. Por fim, a tese mostrará que os processos de subjetivação são constantes, dinâmicos e controversos, mas não acontecem aleatoriamente, acontecem de acordo com a história que cada um carrega consigo. A engrenagem escolar é sacudida, quase sempre, pelos novos anseios vivenciados a partir da dinâmica da sala de aula, dos corredores, dos laboratórios e pelos anseios trazidos das experiências com a família e com o mundo do trabalho. É isso o frumento para a construção das subjetivações e para a composição de novas relações de gênero no corpo discente do Instituto Federal

This research was based on the idea that new professional configurations have come due to some women are pursuing careers once considered to be male ones, and it progressed in order to understand how those new configurations of female subjectivity are being built, the way women are positioning themselves on the working market, and also the way gender relations develop themselves as far as women and men are together in the classroom, their conquest of traineeship and how male and female careers are received by contemporary society. We are based on the studies of gender inserted into a post-structuralist perspective, particularly those who advocate the need to escape from sociocultural apparatus that leads men and women to a male and female binarism. Thus, gender is understood as a performance, resulting from historical contingencies, so, it is not considered as a fixed and immutable identity. Men and women are in a network of power, confronting several interests, sometimes contradictory. They produce speeches and use them to express their choices and questions, their body and subjectivity. In speeches, there are strategies and resistances used in the daily school environment and in the world of work. The research is located at Educator Training: Knowledge and Skills line which belongs to the Center for Graduate Education at the Federal University of Sergipe. A special emphasis was given to theorists from the areas of education, gender, labor and technology. Our categories (gender - professional education and work - subjectivity) were built from what was learned in the relationship between theoretical and empirical body of research. The categories focused on the symbolic universe of discourse in our society and were analyzed through Foucaultian bias. The research subjects were students of integrated and subsequent courses of Electrotechnics, Electronics, Systems Development, Chemistry and Work Safety at the Federal Institute of Sergipe. For a year long, we conducted five focal groups with current and former male and female students besides six interviews with current and former female students. These strategies were inserted in a qualitative approach, which has not prevented us from elaborating a lot of graphics that show disparities, as well as advances and setbacks, with regard to the registration of male and female students who take part to subsequent and integrated courses, particularly the ones involved in our research. Finally, the thesis shows that the processes of subjectivity are frequent, dynamic and controversial, do not happen from time to time but accordingly to the story each one carries out. The school gear is usually challenged by new anxieties experienced from the dynamics of the classroom, corridors, laboratories and from some other anxieties brought by the experiences with family and the world of work. That's the instrument for the construction of subjectivity and the composition of new gender relations in the student body at the Federal Institute of Sergipe / Esta pesquisa partiu da ideia de que novas configurações profissionais ergueram-se em virtude de estarem as mulheres cursando carreiras outrora consideradas masculinas e avançou a fim de compreender como as novas configurações da subjetivação feminina estão sendo construídas, como as mulheres estão se posicionando diante do mercado de trabalho, como as relações de gênero se desenvolvem no convívio de mulheres e homens na sala de aula, na conquista do estágio curricular e como o que se compreende por carreiras masculinas e carreiras femininas, na sociedade contemporânea, está em vias de transformação. Fundamentamo-nos com os estudos de gênero inseridos numa perspectiva pós-estruturalista, precisamente os que defendem a necessidade de escaparmos do aparato sociocultural que empurra homens e mulheres para um binarismo masculino e feminino. Assim, o gênero é compreendido como performance resultante de contingências históricas, logo, não se constitui como identidade fixa e imutável. Homens e mulheres estão numa rede de poder em que se confrontam interesses diversos, por vezes, contraditórios. Produzem discursos e, por meio deles, expressam suas escolhas e dúvidas, seu corpo e sua subjetivação. Nos discursos, encontram-se as estratégias e resistências usadas no dia a dia do ambiente escolar e do mundo do trabalho. A pesquisa insere-se na linha Formação de Educadores: Saberes e Competências do Núcleo de pós-graduação em Educação da Universidade Federal de Sergipe. Priorizamos os teóricos das áreas de educação, gênero, trabalho e tecnologia. Nossas categorias (gênero educação profissional e trabalho subjetivação) foram construídas a partir do que foi apreendido na relação estabelecida entre o corpo teórico e o corpo empírico da pesquisa. As categorias focaram o universo simbólico dos discursos presentes em nossa sociedade e foram analisadas por meio da análise de discurso no viés foucaultiano. Os sujeitos da pesquisa foram estudantes dos cursos integrados e subsequentes de Eletrotécnica, Eletrônica, Desenvolvimento de Sistemas, Eletromecânica, Química e Segurança do Trabalho do Instituto Federal de Sergipe. Realizamos, ao longo de um ano, cinco grupos focais com alunos e ex-alunos, alunas e ex-alunas e seis entrevistas com alunas e ex-alunas. Essas estratégias se inseriram numa abordagem qualitativa, o que não nos impediu de elaborarmos diversos gráficos em que se mostrassem as disparidades bem como os avanços e recuos no que se refere à matrícula dos/das discentes nos cursos integrados e subsequentes, especificamente nos que foram selecionados para a pesquisa. Por fim, a tese mostrará que os processos de subjetivação são constantes, dinâmicos e controversos, mas não acontecem aleatoriamente, acontecem de acordo com a história que cada um carrega consigo. A engrenagem escolar é sacudida, quase sempre, pelos novos anseios vivenciados a partir da dinâmica da sala de aula, dos corredores, dos laboratórios e pelos anseios trazidos das experiências com a família e com o mundo do trabalho. É isso o frumento para a construção das subjetivações e para a composição de novas relações de gênero no corpo discente do Instituto Federal

M.Ed. / The study under discussion followed on a request to develop a programme which would fill the existing gap between general formative preparatory academic education and general formative preparatory vocational education. The background of the precarious beginnings of education in South Africa was reviewed with specific reference to technical education. A study of the available literature confirmed that there is a need for more technically trained people, technically trainable people, students who have completed their technical vocational studies, an orientation programme and lecturers with management skills. The purpose of the study is, therefore, to investigate how lecturers managed the orientation programme at technical colleges. Technical colleges which acted as facilitators of the orientation programme, was introduced. This post-school institution with its general functions of continuing vocational education, must fulfil the needs of the community and the requirements of the industry it wishes to serve. The function and place of technical colleges were discussed as well as the management functions of education institutions, lecturers and students. The development of the orientation programme was also discussed. A suitable programme had to be developed to orientate students at a technical college. After making a few alterations, Jansen's model for curriculum development was used. Curriculum developers firstly, had to determine what the students had already achieved and secondly, what was expected from students at the end of the orientation programme. After this gap between the achieved and the expected had been clearly identified, the orientation programme could be developed. This programme was tested as a pilot programme, declared as general policy; and then implemented at technical colleges and private training institutions on a national level. The successful implementation of such an orientation programme depends, inter alia, on the classroom management skills of the lecturer. In an attempt to evaluate the success of the lecturers' management skills, a questionnaire was developed as an measuring instrument. The questionnaire was completed by orientation students to determine the management skills of the lecturer. The design of the above questionnaire covered five management aspects, namely, classroom activities, student activities, interpersonal relationships, activities during lesson presentation and administrative duties. Forty four questions were designed and approximately eight questions for each management aspect were included in the questionnaire. An experimental group selected from sixteen technical colleges, was requested to complete the questionnaire voluntarily. These colleges are situated in rural districts, semi-urban and typically urban areas. The students originated from all levels of the community and no preference was given to race, sex, language or background. A total of 177 students participated in this survey. The questionnaire was completed under examination conditions but there was no specific time restriction. All participants were enrolled for all five orientation subjects, namely, engineering technology, engineering drawing, engineering science, industrial communication and mathematics. The performance ability of the students covered the whole spectrum. For admission to the programme, the lowest and highest standard the repondents had obtained, were restricted to Stds 6 to 10 for statistical reasons. To increase the validity and usefulness of the questionnaire, the items in the measuring instrument were checked to ensure that they were based on the managerial competency of the lecturer. The content validity of the measuring instrument was improved in this manner. The Department of Education gave its approval that technical colleges be used for this investigation. On the basis of the empirical investigation, it was discovered that during the first order (PFA) factor analysis, nine factors were identified from the 44 items which appeared in the questionnaire. A second order factor analysis indicated that the 44 items could be reduced to one factor with a reliability coefficient of 0,948. When only 39 items are considered the reliability increases to 0,950 and this factor was named "efficient management." In conclusion, the 39 items can be considered to be one scale and it represents the lecturers' efficient management of the various classroom activities. This factor was also tested by means of multiple statistical techniques in an attempt to find significant differences between the various independent groups. No significant statistical differences were discovered between the scale averages of the various groups. This was an indication that the groups held the same opinion about the management of the orientation programme. With the high average scale marks obtained by the various participating colleges, this investigation proved that lecturers had succeeded to manage the orientation programme successfully. The research results showed that, according to the opinion of the students, no significant statistical differences existed in the lecturers' management of the orientation programme to orientate students towards vocational education. There are however a few deficiencies noticeable in the competency of lecturers in certain management aspects. This research gives an indication of some problems which currently exist with the presentation of the orientation programme. Clear solutions cannot be provided. However the research does indicate that an orientation programme can be successfully presented at technical colleges with the necessary awareness, adaptation, training and positive attitudes as needed by the community , the world of work and the country.

Knowledge is often tacit and under researched in educational fields. In order for student access to knowledge and its related academic discourses to be facilitated, a deep understanding needs to be gained of the form that this knowledge takes. This study interrogates the ways in which knowledge is constituted in the first year of a Public Management Diploma and a Public Administration Degree at a comprehensive university in South Africa. The study takes a social realist approach that understands reality as fact but sees our knowledge thereof as a social phenomenon. The study was concerned with knowledge structures and knower structures as it argues that these have not been adequately accounted for in the sociology of education research. But this study comes to this concern from a strongly ideological view of student reading and writing. This study calls on a social practices approach that sees literacy as embedded within specific academic discourses, which vary from context to context. It uses this ideological understanding of literacy as the orienting framework for the study of knowledge. The study takes place in a Higher Education mileu that has begun to transform from its divisive past. The transformation brought about new institutional formations such as the comprehensive university, with its mix of vocational, professional and formative programmes and varied emphasis on contextual and conceptual curriculum coherence. Increasingly, the transformation agenda also shifts concern from simply providing physical access to a previously disenfranchised majority to ensuring full participation in the context of high attrition rates in first year and low retention rates. The data was analysed using the Specialisation Codes of Legitimation Code Theory to see what was being specialised in the Diploma and Degree curricula of the Public Management and Administration fields. These fields are characterised in the literature by ongoing tensions about focus, and perceptions of there being a theoretical vacuum and an inability to deal adequately with challenges in the South African public sector. Analysis of lecturer interviews and first-year curriculum documentation showed that both the Public Management Diploma and Public Administration Degree have stronger epistemic relations (ER), with an emphasis on claims to knowledge of the world. The data showed relatively weak social relations (SR), in that there was not the valuing of a particular lens on the world or a specific disposition required for legitimation within this field. The combination of ER+ and SR- indicates that these curricula are Knowledge Codes, where legitimation is through the acquisition of a set of skills and procedures. The programmes were characterised by fairly low-level procedural knowledge, which may point to a workplace-oriented direction that is dominant in the comprehensive university. In keeping with concerns raised in the literature about this field, there was little evidence of theoretical or propositional knowledge in the Public Management Diploma and while the Public Administration Degree had some evidence of this, it was arguably not to the extent expected of a degree as described in the National Qualifications Framework. This study was limited to the first-year of the Diploma and Degree and subsequent years could present different findings. Lecturers showed awareness of student challenges with literacy practices and made concerned attempts through various interventions to address this but they were found to value the surface features of writing practices over personal engagement with the knowledge. Though the expectations of student literacy practices in tests and assignments were aligned to the ways in which knowledge was constructed in the curriculum, there was little evidence of student induction into disciplinary discourses of the field as knowledge was presented as being neutral and student writing primarily took the form of retelling objective facts. The implications of these findings could include student exclusion from higher-level academic discourse, more powerful knowledge in the workplace and, finally, constrain them from becoming producers of knowledge.