Access permanently restricted to Ball State community only. / Access permanently restricted to Ball State community only. / Department of Educational Studies

M.Tech. (Architectural Technology) / Curricular changes in architectural studies are necessary to allow for the incorporation of newer concepts and ideas which will equip graduates with the skills required for contemporary professional practice. This study was carried out to investigate the incorporation of sustainable building (SB) knowledge into the undergraduate curricula of Departments of Architecture at Universities of Technology in South Africa. The study rationale, current status of sustainable building teaching to diploma students, levels of awareness and training in sustainability as well as obstacles to the incorporation of SB into teaching curricula were investigated. A sample size of 8 architecture lecturers and 17 architecture students from three universities of technology, at third year and BTech levels were surveyed using a questionnaire. The third year and BTech classes were chosen for this survey because the researcher assumed that they have more knowledge about curricular structure and content than the junior classes (first and second year). Results showed that architecture departments in all the universities investigated currently teach sustainable building concepts (theory, design and technology) and that there appears to be a fair awareness of sustainability and green building practices among the lecturers and students. However, curricula in these universities were either inadequate or poorly conceptualised. General comments from respondents indicated that much more needs to be done to improve the teaching and learning of SB in the universities surveyed. The study showed that students are not adequately exposed to regular and affordable sustainability-related workshops, seminars, symposiums, excursions and field trips, possibly because of cost implications as these tend to be generally expensive. The findings also revealed among others, that the level of study at which SB is formally introduced to students, the number of lecturers involved, as well as the number of lecture hours for teaching SB, all varied considerably between the institutions. A benchmark exercise with the University of Maryland (UMD) in the USA revealed that structural and conceptual changes have to be made in the curricula and behavioural adjustments among students and lecturers in South African Universities of Technology are necessary to measure up with global trends.

The central aim of this study was to investigatethe role of principals in the implementation of polytechnic curriculum effectiveness strategy (PCS) in Zimbabwe. The specific objectives of the study were to: determine and evaluate the role and strategic leadership skills of polytechnic principals in the development of PCS, understand the challenges faced by polytechnic principals in the development and implementation of PCS, investigate the extent to which principals provide lecturers with opportunities to enhance their teaching skills through professional development and derive a suitable model to be used in drafting and implementing PCS. The main research question which this study sought to answer was, „What is the role played by strategic leadership in the implementation of polytechnic curriculum effectiveness strategy?‟ In an attempt to realise that end, a mixed method research design was used to collect data, making use of questionnaires and interviews. The participants included 5 polytechnic principals, 123 lecturers, 77 students and 9 company training managers. The participants were selected through purposive, stratified and simple random sampling techniques drawn from five polytechnics selected for the study. The findings suggest that most polytechnic principals are rendered ineffective in implementing the PCS. Though the principals have a sound theoretical knowledge of their roles, they however experience a litany of practical impediments. These barriers include, inter alia, lack of curricula knowledge in the currere approach, action research, Basil Bernstein‟s and Paulo Freire‟s pedagogical discourses and reconceptualisation of curriculum, shortage of relevant instructional resources and poorly evaluated polytechnic curriculum, low level of staff incentive, training and development. Two systemic impediments in the principals‟ role of implementing PCS are: lack of autonomy in crafting and implementing PCS and lack consensus between Curriculum Research and Development Unit (CRADU) and National Manpower Advisory Council (NAMACO) in crafting policies on curriculum standards. / Educational Management and Leadership / D. Ed. (Education Management)

The central aim of this study was to investigatethe role of principals in the implementation of polytechnic curriculum effectiveness strategy (PCS) in Zimbabwe. The specific objectives of the study were to: determine and evaluate the role and strategic leadership skills of polytechnic principals in the development of PCS, understand the challenges faced by polytechnic principals in the development and implementation of PCS, investigate the extent to which principals provide lecturers with opportunities to enhance their teaching skills through professional development and derive a suitable model to be used in drafting and implementing PCS. The main research question which this study sought to answer was, „What is the role played by strategic leadership in the implementation of polytechnic curriculum effectiveness strategy?‟ In an attempt to realise that end, a mixed method research design was used to collect data, making use of questionnaires and interviews. The participants included 5 polytechnic principals, 123 lecturers, 77 students and 9 company training managers. The participants were selected through purposive, stratified and simple random sampling techniques drawn from five polytechnics selected for the study. The findings suggest that most polytechnic principals are rendered ineffective in implementing the PCS. Though the principals have a sound theoretical knowledge of their roles, they however experience a litany of practical impediments. These barriers include, inter alia, lack of curricula knowledge in the currere approach, action research, Basil Bernstein‟s and Paulo Freire‟s pedagogical discourses and reconceptualisation of curriculum, shortage of relevant instructional resources and poorly evaluated polytechnic curriculum, low level of staff incentive, training and development. Two systemic impediments in the principals‟ role of implementing PCS are: lack of autonomy in crafting and implementing PCS and lack consensus between Curriculum Research and Development Unit (CRADU) and National Manpower Advisory Council (NAMACO) in crafting policies on curriculum standards. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)

The general objective of the study was to assess the existing practices and major factors affecting the design and development of Ethiopian TVET curriculum and explore considerations to be taken to design and develop TVET curricula that befit Ethiopia. The purpose of the study was to explore and understand the meanings TVET practitioners and stakeholders of Ethiopian TVET programme credited to the practices of TVET curriculum design and development in Ethiopia. Hence, the study employed qualitative research approach in phenomenological design and was undertaken within the interpretive paradigm to understand the lived experience of the curriculum designers, developers and implementers in Ethiopia. Accordingly, three regional states of Ethiopia were selected and one government-run TVET college from each regional state, i.e. a total of three TVET Colleges were taken as sample representatives for the study using purposive and convenience sampling methods. The study was delimited to the practices of curriculum design and development of the building construction fields of study. This is because firstly, it is impossible to encompass all available TVET fields of training in the study; secondly, building construction technology sector is one of the those sectors which much focus is given to by the government of Ethiopia and thus is the training fields found in abundance in the country. Two data gathering tools were mainly used to gather information in this study. These were interviews and document review. Therefore, the researcher first reviewed different related literature and strategic documents to understand the background of the problem and to see what has been done in reference to the problem. Accordingly, working and policy documents such as TVET strategies, guidelines, manuals, legislation, curriculum frameworks and guides, as well as Education Sector Development Programmes and other written documents and related literature to TVET curriculum design and development that were available at federal, regional and TVET college levels were reviewed and analysed. Other countries experiences visa-a-vis TVET curriculum design and development were also reviewed and used as sources of information. The interviews were held with curriculum development officials at the Federal TVET Agency and sampled Regional TVET Agencies as well as principals, heads of department and trainers from sampled TVET colleges that were providing training in the fields of building construction works. The interview participants were two TVET curriculum development officials from Federal TVET Agency, three TVET curriculum development officials from three sampled regional TVET Agencies, three TVET college principals from three sampled TVET colleges, three heads of department of building construction work fields from three sampled TVET colleges, and three trainers of building construction work fields from three sampled TVET colleges. Accordingly, it could be investigated from the study that the way outcome based TVET system is perceived and eventually executed and the processes and steps that were followed in order to design and develop TVET curriculum in Ethiopia had impact on present TVET curriculum developed . Besides, the way other countries’ experiences were espoused and adapted led to inappropriate curriculum design and development approach. Moreover, the Ethiopian TVET System following only one Curriculum development approach for designing and developing TVET curriculum for all trades, blue and white collar work-related-vocational education and training resulted in non-beneficial TVET curriculum. It was also noted from the study that the wrong perception of stakeholders’ roles and responsibilities in curriculum development activities led to TVET curriculum development with improper training content selection and unfair training time allotment, which in greatly impact on the TVET curriculum implementation and training delivery. Therefore, the study suggested that the curriculum that addresses individual, societal and employers’ needs should be designed and the labour market demand analysis needs to be undertaken before OS mapping is designed. In doing so, it is recommended that Ethiopia should benchmark itself against best practices of various developed and developing countries which have succeeded in outcome-based TVET system and when TVET system is adopted from other countries, it should be with tangible reasons and justifications. Furthermore, it is recommended that attention should be paid to practical training programmes and a combination of practice and theory time should be provided for all course types. In addition, the environmental situation of the country and the degree of importance of each unit of competence for employment and self-employment need to be considered. / Educational Studies / Ph. D. (Comparative Education)

Abstract in English, Afrikaans and Zulu / The majority of the learners completing Grade 12 in South Africa (SA) further their studies in the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Colleges (TVETCs). This is because, among other things, colleges seem to be more affordable and accessible in most communities in all the provinces (SA). However, many of these students appear to be struggling to complete their studies owing to failure to complete the Work Integrated Learning (WIL) module, which is a prerequisite for graduating and becoming employable. The researcher was interested to know how the WIL module affects the completion of students’ studies. The researcher approached the investigation as an idealist (constructivist) using a case study design. Data was collected through the semi-structured and focus groups interviews. It was found that, among other things, the WIL module was seldom completed owing to its reliance on the availability of jobs. In addition, the lack of jobs for college students was a result of the curriculum mismatch with employers’ actual needs, in Business Studies in particular. Correspondingly, the Fourth Industrial Revolution threatens job losses, which are likely to affect those with qualifications in Business Studies, hence its selection for this investigation. To address this, the researcher proposed a model which requires the colleges, businesses, government and the communities to collaborate in the creation of projects that cater for the needs of the different communities. Such projects could also help to update the curriculum to be more responsive. In this way, more opportunities for WIL could be created for students. In addition, the researcher proposed three phases for the integration of WIL, and colleges could decide on each depending on their programme specifications. The researcher concludes that no matter how good the models, without collaboration WIL could remain a constraint and qualifications could become meaningless owing to the lack of jobs. Subsequently, the researcher suggests that more research be conducted in line with the development or growth of the business sector. The findings of this study were limited to four selected colleges in the four provinces of SA, yet are applicable and useful to all higher education in the world. / Die meerderheid van die leerders wat graad 12 in Suid-Afrika (SA) voltooi, studeer in die Tegniese en Beroepsonderwys- en Opleidingskolleges (TVETC's). Dit is omdat onder meer kolleges meer bekostigbaar en toeganklik is in die meeste gemeenskappe in al die provinsies (SA). Die meeste van hierdie studente sukkel egter om hul studies te voltooi vanweë die gebrek aan die Work Integrated Learning (WIL) -module, wat 'n voorvereiste is vir die graduering en indiensneming. Die navorser was geïnteresseerd om te weet hoe die WIL-module studente beïnvloed om hul studies te voltooi. Die navorser het die ondersoek benader as 'n idealis (konstruktivis) met behulp van 'n gevallestudie-ontwerp. Data is versamel deur middel van die semi-gestruktureerde en fokusgroeponderhoude. Daar is gevind dat die WIL-module onder andere skaars voltooi is as gevolg van die afhanklikheid van die beskikbaarheid van poste. Daarbenewens was die gebrek aan werk vir universiteitstudente die gevolg van die kurrikulumverskuiwing wat strydig was met die behoeftes van die werkgewers, veral sakestudies. Daarmee saam dreig die Vierde Industriële Revolusie oor werkverliese, wat waarskynlik persone met kwalifikasies uit die sakestudies sal beïnvloed, en daarom gekies vir hierdie ondersoek. Om dit aan te spreek, het die navorser 'n model voorgestel wat vereis dat kolleges, ondernemings, die regering en die gemeenskappe moet saamwerk, en 'n paar projekte skep om in die behoeftes van die verskillende gemeenskappe te voorsien. Sulke projekte kan ook help om die kurrikulum op te dateer vir meer respons. Op hierdie manier kan meer geleenthede vir WIL vir studente geskep word. Daarbenewens het die navorser die drie fases vir die integrasie van WIL voorgestel, en kolleges kan self besluit, afhangende van hul programspesifikasies. Die navorser kom tot die gevolgtrekking dat WIL, ongeag hoe goed die modelle sonder samewerking is, 'n beperking kan bly, en dat kwalifikasies betekenisloos sou raak van wee die gebrek aan werk. Vervolgens stel die navorser voor dat meer navorsing gedoen moet word in ooreenstemming met die ontwikkeling of groei van die sakesektor. Die bevindings van hierdie studie was beperk tot die vier geselekteerde kolleges in die vier provinsies van SA, maar tog toepaslik en nuttig vir alle hoër onderwys in die wêreld. / Iningi labafundi abaphothula iBanga le-12 eSouth Africa (SA) baqhubekisela phambili izifundo zabo emaKholeji wezobuchwepheshe nezokuqeqeshwa (i-TVETCs). Lokhu kungenxa yokuthi, phakathi kokunye, amakolishi abukeka engabizi kakhulu futhi ayatholakala emiphakathini eminingi kuzo zonke izifundazwe (SA). Kodwa-ke, iningi lalaba bafundi libonakala linenkinga yokuphothula izifundo zabo ngenxa yokwehluleka ukuqeda imodyuli ye-Work Integrated Learning (WIL), okuyimfuneko yokuqala yokuthola iziqu nokuqashwa. Umcwaningi wayethanda ukwazi ukuthi imojula ye-WIL ikuthinta kanjani ukuphothulwa kwezifundo zabafundi. Umcwaningi asondele kulolu phenyo njengento efanelekayo (i-constructivist) esebenzisa umklamo wokufunda icala. Idatha yaqoqwa ngokuxoxisana namaqembu ahlelwe ngokwedlule. Kwatholakala ukuthi, phakathi kokunye, imodyuli ye-WIL yayingavunyelwe ukuqedwa ngenxa yokuncika kwayo ekutholakaleni kwemisebenzi. Ngaphezu kwalokho, ukuntuleka kwemisebenzi kwabafundi basekolishi bekungumphumela wokungalingani kahle kwekharikhulamu ngezidingo zangempela zabaqashi, ezifundweni zeBhizinisi. Ngokunjalo, i-Fourth Industrial Revolution isongela ukulahleka kwemisebenzi, okungenzeka ukuthi ithinte labo abaneziqu ku-Business Studies, yingakho ukukhethwa kwayo kulolu phenyo. Ukubhekana nalokhu, umcwaningi uhlongoze imodeli edinga ukuthi amakolishi, amabhizinisi, uhulumeni kanye nemiphakathi basebenzisane ekwenziweni kwamaphrojekthi anakekela izidingo zemiphakathi ehlukahlukene. Amaphrojekthi anjalo futhi angasiza ukuvuselela ikharikhyulamu ukuthi iphenduleke ngokwengeziwe. Ngale ndlela, amathuba amaningi e-WIL angakhelwa abafundi. Ngaphezu kwalokho, umcwaningi uhlongoze izigaba ezintathu zokuhlanganiswa kwe-WIL, futhi amakolishi anganquma ngakunye ngokuya ngemininingwane yohlelo lwabo. Umcwaningi uphetha ngokuthi noma ngabe amamodeli amahle kangakanani, ngaphandle kokubambisana u-WIL angahlala eyisibopho futhi iziqu zingaba yizezi ngenxa yokuntuleka kwemisebenzi. Ngemuva kwalokho, umcwaningi uphakamisa ukuthi kwenziwa ucwaningo olwengeziwe ngokuhambisana nokukhula noma ukukhula komkhakha webhizinisi. Ukutholwa kwalolu cwaningo bekukhawulelwe kumakholiji amane akhethiwe ezifundazweni ezine ze-SA, kodwa asasebenza futhi alusizo kuyo yonke imfundo ephakeme emhlabeni. / Educational Management and Leadership / D. Ed. (Education Management)