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The establishment of a routine monitoring technique for detecting the most prevalent pathogenic viruses in river water, Western Cape, South AfricaSaayman, Michael John January 2012 (has links)
Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree
Master of Technology: Biomedical Technology
in the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences
at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2012 / In many developed countries worldwide the provision of safe, clean water is an expected commodity. In South Africa however, as in most developing countries, the access and supply of water safe for human consumption is challenged or complicated by pollution and more recently water availability. Point-source pollutants in surface- and groundwater are normally the most concentrated closest to the pollutant source (such as the end of a pipe or an underground injection system). Examples of point-source pollution are commercial and industrial businesses, that often discharge waste such as solvents and heavy metals from their operations. In contrast, non-point-source pollution occurs due to runoff moving across or through the ground and absorbing and accumulating pollutants which eventually end up in streams, rivers and dams. The lack of waste removal and adequate sanitation facilities results in the disposal of faecal matter and sewage into storm water drains which flow directly into the river systems contributing to the incidence of diseases such as gastroenteritis, diarrhoea and chronic lung ailments, caused by waterborne pathogenic bacteria, viruses and fungi. Routine water quality analysis however, does not include monitoring for viral contaminants, as this process is hampered by the lack of simple, reliable, time- and cost-effective testing methods to concentrate and detect viral pathogens. The primary aim of this study was thus to establish and optimise routine monitoring techniques for the detection of rota-, adeno- and enteroviruses in the Berg- and Plankenburg Rivers, Western Cape. Initially, various concentration and extraction methods were compared for the optimum recovery of viruses from spiked water samples. One hundred milliliter water samples were spiked with one milliliter rotavirus and two milliliters adenovirus control virions (Coris Bioconcept, Gembloux, Belgium). Optimisation testing of enterovirus was however, not completed due to the unavailability of a positive control. Four viral concentration techniques, namely the Silicon dioxide (SiO2) method, positively charged, negatively charged and the mixed-ester filters, were compared. Various nucleic acid extraction methods were also employed to establish which method would provide optimum yields for both DNA and RNA nucleic acids. The extraction techniques included the TRIzol method (Invitrogen, California, USA) for RNA extraction, the Roche High Pure PCR Template Preparation kit (Roche, Mannheim, Germany) for DNA extraction, and the QIAamp Ultrasens Virus kit (Qiagen GmbH, Hilden, Germany) for simultaneous RNA and DNA extraction. The use of virus specific primers within the PCR technique was also optimised. In addition, gene specific primers and oligo(dT)15 primers were tested and compared to establish which primers would yield the best results since gene specific primers are said to be more sensitive than oligo(dT)15 primers (van Pelt-Verkuil et al., 2008) when synthesising cDNA (rotavirus). The SiO2 concentration method yielded variable results when it was used with the various nucleic acid extraction techniques in this study, since positive PCR results were obtained when used in combination
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with some techniques, while negative results were obtained with others. Similarly, variable results were also obtained when negatively charged filters were used to concentrate virus particles, and when this method was used in conjunction with various virus nucleic acid extraction techniques to identify different viruses by RT-PCR and PCR. Results for the non-charged mixed-ester filter were comparable to the positively charged filters when used in conjunction with the various nucleic acid extraction techniques in this study. Both these techniques yielded the highest viral particle concentration from the spiked water samples. Pilot study results indicated the presence of rotavirus and adenovirus detected by RT-PCR and PCR respectively, when filtering through the positively charged filter. The positively charged filter/QIAamp UltraSens virus kit combination was found to be the optimum combination when analysing the spiked water results and was then employed for the concentration of virus particles in the river water samples collected from the Plankenburg- and Berg River systems throughout the study period. The expected PCR product of 346 bp for rotavirus was absent in all 72 river water samples analysed for both river systems. In contrast to the PCR results obtained for rotavirus, the expected product of 261 bp for adenovirus was detected in 22 (30.5%) samples collected throughout the study period. Fifteen of the 22 adenovirus positive samples were found in the Plankenburg River (distributed over all sites), while seven of the 22 adenovirus positive samples were found in the Berg River (all sites). A nested PCR was used to detect enterovirus in the river water samples collected from both river systems throughout the study period. In the first round of the enterovirus PCR 15 river water samples (at various sites for both river systems) yielded a faint 513 bp product. Further amplification by nested PCR then yielded 13 (18.1%) positive nested PCR products of 297 bp. The incidence of adenovirus and enterovirus in river waters reported in the current study and the Van Heerden et al. (2003) investigation motivates for similar studies to be conducted in drinking water, dam water used for recreational purposes as well as rainwater, which is gaining popularity as a sustainable water source.
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Application of zirconium-coated titanium wires as restorative orthodontic materialsAli, Khaled Abedela Mahdi January 2013 (has links)
Thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree
Magister of Technology: Dental Technology
In the Faculty of Health & Wellness Sciences
At the Cape Peninsula University of Technology
2013 / Orthodontic archwires are made from different alloys. It is now possible to match phases of treatment with orthodontic archwires according to its mechanical properties. On this basis, the titanium molybdenum alloys (TMA) in its beta phase have an excellent combination of strength and flexibility when used as archwires to apply biomechanical forces that affect tooth movement. It has recently gained increased popularity in orthodontic treatment. There are, however, disadvantages associated with the use of orthodontic archwires, such as high surface roughness, which increases friction at the archwire-brackets interface during the sliding process. The surface roughness of dental materials is of utmost importance. Properties such as desirable tensile strengths, load deflection, hardness and low modulus of elasticity and resistance against corrosion & wear determine the area of the contact surface, thereby influencing the friction.
The main object of this study was to improve the strength and surface roughness of the beta-titanium orthodontic archwires (β-Ti III) and timolium archwires (TIM), taking into account of retention of the archwires strength. The following tasks were performed. Layers of Zr were deposited on the β-Ti archwires and compared with the archwire strength before and after Zr deposition. The structure of selected archwires and its composition and surface roughness was investigated before and after Zr deposition, using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The force of selected archwires before and after deposition with layers of Zr by Hounsfield deflection testing was studied.
Two commercially available orthodontic archwires were used in this study, namely, β-Ti III and TIM orthodontic archwires. The archwires were cut into 25 mm long specimens. In this study, the electron beam-physical vapour deposition (EB-PVD) technique was applied to deposit pure Zr (thicknesses of 5, 10, 25 and 50 nm) on selected archwires and the effects thereof were investigated using AFM, SEM and the Hounsfield deflection test. Results of SEM and AFM analysis and deflection tests showed significant differences between Zr-coated archwires compared with uncoated archwires. Zr-coated archwires (5, 10, 25 and 50 nm depositions) had reduced surface roughness compared with uncoated archwires. A high load deflection rate was exhibited by the coated β-Ti III archwires and a low load deflection rate was exhibited by the coated TIM archwires. There was a difference in load deflection rate between the coated and uncoated archwires. Deposition of 5, 10, 25 and 50 nm Zr on both types of β-Ti orthodontic archwires is recommended for even sliding mechanics due to resulting reduced surface roughness with a good load deflection rate compared with uncoated β-Ti orthodontic archwires.
KEYWORDS
Surface roughness
Zirconium
Titanium
Deflection test
Beta titanium orthodontic archwires
Orthodontic archwires alloys
Coated materials
Electron beam-physical vapour deposition
Scanning electron microscopy
Atomic force microscopy
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The understanding, perceptions and expectations of families of terminally ill patients on introducing the syringe driver in a palliative care unitWilkinson, Margaret Mary January 2013 (has links)
Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree
Master of Technology: Nursing
In the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences
At the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2013 / The syringe driver is a battery-operated device which accurately delivers a continuous
subcutaneous infusion of a combination of medication to alleviate symptoms, such as pain,
nausea and vomiting, noisy moist breathing and preterminal restlessness. The researcher
who works in a palliative care unit in Cape Town noticed the ambivalence and negative
attitudes from family members regarding the use of the syringe driver. This gave rise to
distress, conflict and ambivalence in patients and between family members.
This study aimed to gain insight into the understanding, perceptions and expectations of
families of terminally ill patients commenced on a syringe driver in a palliative care unit.
A descriptive, qualitative research method was employed using semi-structured interviews,
diaries, observation and documentation as the data collection methods. Data was coded and
arranged into themes. Thematic analysis and coding were used to analyse the data during
this study.
This study found that the lack of education and written information were the two major
contributing factors towards negative attitudes causing ambivalence in family members
whose relatives were on a syringe driver. This study also highlighted the need for quality
improvement control when using the syringe driver in the palliative care unit. The need for
continuous education and written information and support for the immediate and extendedfamily
members was evident.
KEY WORDS: Syringe driver, Symptom control, Family members, Terminally ill,
Palliative care unit.
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Factors influencing the delivery of the club development programme within selected football community clubs in Cape Town, MetropoleMoroe, Jakobo Jacob January 2013 (has links)
Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree
Master of Technology: Sport Management
in the Faculty of Business
at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2013 / Sport and Recreation South Africa (SRSA) initiated a national Club Development Programme (CDP) in 2006. Its aim is to increase sport participation, physical activity, talent identification and fast-track the development of community clubs in South Africa. The CDP has numerous sporting codes: football, netball, cricket, athletics, rugby and aquatics. Football is the main focus for this study because the majority of clubs in the CDP are football associated.
There is a perception amongst football clubs that some clubs receive more attention and support in terms of development as compared to others in the CDP. Therefore, the aim of the research is to identify key factors that affect the delivery of the CDP within selected football community clubs in the Cape Metropole.
In total, nineteen CDP community football clubs were studied. In each club, key stakeholders such as the chairperson/president, secretary/administrator, captain/vice captain and volunteer/coach were targeted to receive questionnaires, totalling seventy six with fifty seven usable questionnaires returned. Fourteen face-to-face structured interviews were conducted with experienced and key CDP officials representing the three spheres of South African government.
The respondents indicated that the CDP has not exceeded their expectations, mainly because of the following: community clubs are still waiting for equipment; a lack of
experts to identify talent; lack of motivation from the CDP officials; lack of competency of the CDP officials in terms of their capacity to liaise with stakeholders and develop mechanisms to review the programmes’ impact.
CDP appears to be largely ineffective within communities due to a lack of communication, qualified and competent personnel, talent identification, motivation from the CDP coordinators, education and training as well a review mechanism system.
Therefore, it is critical for CDP management to ensure that communication systems improve; qualified and suitable personnel are recruited to assist with the programmes’ implementation; talent identification programme is developed; there should be incentive programmes and ongoing sustainable activities throughout the year, as well as structured social leagues in communities where people live; all CDP coordinators need to undergo training to improve their implementation skills; the review mechanism system needs to be developed and effectively implemented within the communities; and the mechanism system should be periodically monitored and evaluated to objectively assess the impact of the programme within communities.
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Black Economic Empowerment in the Cape Peninsula advertising industry: a multiple case study approachDuffett, Rodney Graeme January 2009 (has links)
Dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements
for the degree
Magister Technologiae:
Marketing
in the Faculty of Business
at the:
CAPE PENINSULA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, 2009 / Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) aims to enable Black people in South Africa (SA), as
legislatively classified, to make a noteworthy contribution to the local economy by irreversibly
altering the racial profile of ownership, management echelons and all employment levels of
existing and new organisations. This ambitious strategy hopes to encourage economic
transformation by eliminating unfair discrimination; applying affirmative action (AA) policies;
empowering Black women and facilitating access to land, infrastructure, economic activities,
ownership, as well as training and skills development (SA. DTI, 2004a:4-5). The transformation
process in SA has been a lengthy and complex one, with the government slowly enacting enabling
legislation. The Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) Codes of Good Practice
was gazetted on 9 February 2007 and this significant piece of legislation has provided a framework
to guide and measure transformation activities.
The advertising industry has been criticised for its slow empowerment advancement, which led to
two parliamentary hearings in the early 2000s to investigate allegations of racism and poor
transformation progress. The Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA) gave full
cooperation during the parliamentary hearings and has been a main driving force of transformation
within the advertising industry. The ACA’s dedication resulted in the Marketing, Advertising and
Communication (MAC) sector charter being gazetted on 29 August 2008 (Jones, 2008).
There are few studies that have effectively investigated transformation and BEE progress within
the South African advertising industry over recent years. Of these, none has yielded rich qualitative
BEE data. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to explore progress made by advertising
agencies towards transformation in the Cape Peninsula, as well as the challenges and benefits that
result from implementing BEE measures in terms of BBBEE ownership and Employment Equity
(EE). These elements have been thoroughly examined by utilising a multiple case study approach
and by interviewing the top twelve traditional full-service advertising agencies through use of a
semi-structured interview guide, which primarily generated in-depth qualitative data.
Cape Town based advertising agencies readily provided a wealth of data, which illuminated
numerous previously unexplored positive and negative BEE issues. Recent BEE internal
advertising agency documents, literature, surveys and other research studies were used to
corroborate and verify the findings in order to reach a consensus, compromise or disagreement in
the subsequent discussion. The advertising industry has employed a multitude of innovative BEE
strategies to facilitate transformation progress and to address a number of inherent problems. This
has resulted in several success stories and numerous benefits as Cape Town based advertising
agencies have embarked on their varied transformation journeys. The recommendations of this
study would be useful to the national advertising industry, other sectors and government to assist in
streamlining the transformation process in SA.
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The use of concept mapping to enhance the teaching of chemical equilibrium in a Grade 12 physical science tutoring classroomLangford, Dere January 2014 (has links)
Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Education in the Faculty of Education at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology
2014 / There is currently a strong emphasis on the teaching of Physical Sciences in the school system. The National Department of Education has established Dinaledi schools to address this situation to increase the number of learners taking Physical Sciences as one of their school subjects and to also increase the number of passes in the subject. Furthermore, Physical Sciences learners struggle to understand certain scientific concepts and develop alternative ideas about these concepts that have a negative influence on further development of other integrated science concepts. The thesis proposes the importance of developing concept mapping to enhance the teaching of topics in a Physical Sciences classroom. The research focused on the chemical equilibrium in a Grade 12 Physical Sciences tutoring classroom. This happened in a group setting, with learners enrolling with the specific aim of improving their marks for Physical Sciences as one of the important gateway subjects for entrance to tertiary education. The research focused on their prior knowledge of the topic and how they understood the topic. Using social constructivism as underpinning theoretical framework, and conceptual change theory, learners were taken through a process to identify and rectify their alternative ideas on chemical equilibrium. In this, perspective learning is seen as a social process in which learners actively participate and contribute with their understanding and arguments. The research was carried out in a science tutoring classroom and focused on three groups from secondary schools in the Paarl Valley, Drakenstein area, Western Cape, South Africa. The groups were taught and observed in the science tutoring classroom with special attention to data collection in order to capture their thinking and work on the topic. Data were collected by means of concept mapping, where each learner completed a minimum of three or maximum of four concept maps. Within each concept map, learners connected key concepts of the topic with one another. Each concept map identified the learner‟s prior knowledge as well as any alternative ideas created by using existing frameworks. Data were analysed using a rubric to determine each concept map‟s quality. Conclusions were that learners became actively involved in the process of concept mapping as well as learning. There were no definite differences between higher performing and lower performing learners. As for the enhanced teaching aspect, alternative ideas were identified quickly using the concept maps; these were centred on the individual learner, and were not general.
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The teaching of critical thinking skills in grade three classes at three primary schools in KuilsriverFebruary, Alison Jane January 2012 (has links)
Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree:
Master in Education
Faculty of Education
Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2012 / The change in focus of the curriculum policy statements since 1996 have caused many
teachers to feel abandoned and helpless in their pursuit of the objectives of the new
curriculum.
One of the issues that leads to this feeling of abandonment is that of critical thinking. A stated
objective of the new curriculum is that learners must be able to engage critically with their
environment. However, leading learners to be able to do this seems to be lacking. Classroom
practice currently, does not address this adequately and in many cases, the ability and capacity
to nurture a critical thinking classroom environment is absent.
The teachers who participated in this study recognised that in order for them to be more
successful in terms of the curriculum objectives, critical thinking as a core competency had to
be developed as a strategic imperative. They also recognised that viewing the child in their
class in isolation from their environment is fatally flawed. The child after all is a product of
his/her environment.
It is for this reason, that this study used the Productive Pedagogies as a basis for the research.
This approach was selected because of its comprehensive quality in terms of viewing the
development of the child holistically. The ability of the child to connect to his environment is
dependent on the capacity of the school as a forum to draw all of the threads together and then
to make meaning. The teachers on their own would not be able to do this without the help of
their institutions. The development of critical thinking must be recognised at the level of
management as a key classroom strategy that must be managed and supported. This would
imply that important curriculum discussions and decisions must be based on how the teaching
of these skills will be affected.
The significance of critical thinking and the weak systemic evaluation results prompted this
study to investigate whether the teaching of critical thinking skills is part of everyday
classroom practice. The instrument of the Productive Pedagogies for classroom observations
was used to obtain quantitative information. Interviews with the educators were also
conducted to add to the qualitative data.
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Die gebruik van probleemoplossings-onderrigtegnieke deur onderwysers in die Rekenaartoepassings-tegnologieklaskamerAfrica, Faiza January 2012 (has links)
Die tesis is voorgelê ter verwerwing van die graad: Magister in Opvoedkunde aan die: Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2012. Afrikaanse abstrak: Hierdie navorsing het die gebruik van probleemoplossings-onderrigtegnieke deur onderwysers in die Rekenaartoepassingstegnologie (RTT) –klaskamer ondersoek. Kriteria ten opsigte van probleemoplossingsvaardighede soos uiteengesit in die Nasionale Kurrikulumverklaring (NKV ) en die Nasionale Kurrikulum- en Assesserings- Beleidsverklaring (NKABV) vir RTT was toegepas in hierdie studie. RTT word slegs vanaf graad 10 in die verdere onderwys- en opleidingfase (VOO) as „n keusevak aangebied. Dus was die navorser se fokus op die omliggende sekondêre skole wat RTT aanbied. Die navorsing konsentreer op die onderwyser en sy toepassing van probleemoplossings-onderrigtegnieke. Die navorser het gebruik gemaak van gevallestudie as navorsingsontwerp en konstruktivisme as raamwerk toegepas. Klaskamer-observasies, onderhoude en beide formele en onderwyser - geskepte dokumente het gedien as bronne vir data. Die data was tematies ontleed om die betekenis daarvan te ontgin. Die analise van die data dui aan dat respondente nie aan die vereistes gestel deur die NKABV en NKV, ten opsigte van die aanbieding en assessering van probleemoplossings-onderrigtegnieke, voldoen nie. Die navorser beveel aan dat „n moontlike oplossing vir die onderwyser-respondente se gebrek aan kennis en onderrigvaardighede met betrekking tot probleemoplossings-onderrigtegnieke kan wees dat daar spesifieke kursusse oor hierdie onderwerp aangebied word. Die navorsing skep ook ʼn geleentheid vir tersiêre instellings om hulle kurrikula en opleidingsprogramme sodanig aan te pas ten einde die leemtes, soos uitgewys deur die navorsing, aan te spreek. / This research explored the utilization of problem solving techniques by Computer Applications Technology (CAT) teachers in grade 11. The requirements and criteria as set out in the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) and the National Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), were applied in this study. CAT is only introduced in grade 10 in the Further Education and Training (FET) phase. The researcher thus focussed on the surrounding schools that offer CAT as a subject. The research focussed on the teacher and the teaching of problem solving techniques in CAT. The researcher used a case study design and employed a constructivism as the theoretical framework. Classroom observations, interviews and both teacher generated and formal documents served as data sources. A thematic analysis approach was adopted to make sense of the data. The analysis of the different data sources indicated that the respondents did not fully comply with the requirements set by the NCS and CAPA with reference to the teaching of problem solving techniques in CAT. The researcher recommends that courses are presented to address the gaps in the knowledge and skills of teachers in CAT referring to problem solving techniques. This creates both the opportunity and challenge to tertiary institutions to align their curricula and training programmes to address the gaps identified by this research.
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Deciding what to teach in visual art lesson: what factors do teachers consider when lesson-planning for the intermediate in Western Cape schoolsCherenack, Genoveva Eilika January 2012 (has links)
Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree
Master of Education: Visual Art Education
in the Faculty of Education at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2012 / This thesis investigates the factors, specifically the constraints, that influence the choices intermediate phase teachers make when planning visual art lessons. The study is also concerned with how teachers deal with factors that they identify as constraints to teaching visual art. The study is framed within an interpretive framework and the work on teacher knowledge by Shulman (1986; 1987). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four class teachers, three Arts and Culture teachers, and four visual art teachers using a phenomenological methodology. Interviews were analysed systematically by indexing and organizing the data using the knowledge base for teaching as described by Shulman (1987) and Turner-Bisset (1999).<p></p>
The patterns in what teachers consider when planning visual art lessons, and their reasons for doing so, was better explained by a teacher’s training in visual art education rather than his/her role as a class, Arts and Culture, or visual art teacher. In this study, the teachers who are trained in visual art education generally work in situations with few contextual problems and their focus, when lesson-planning, centres around the best way visual art content knowledge can be integrated into lessons. In comparison, most of the teachers who are not trained in visual art education mentioned numerous contextual problems that affected their ability to teach visual art. These teachers plan their visual art lessons around what they believe they are able to manage within the context of the school they are working in, rather than specific visual art related outcomes. In addition, their lesson-planning decisions are generally based on limited visual art content knowledge and pedagogy. Hence, compared to teachers trained to teach visual art, their application of visual art content knowledge is haphazard and does not build on the foundation of the curriculum.<p></p>
Limited contact time and support from management are two contextual factors that were found to impact the way teachers in this study plan visual art lessons. To mitigate for the lack of contact time, the teachers trained in visual art education endeavoured to manage their lesson time efficiently and to setup clear routines with their learners so as to minimize the amount of time spent on non-learning activities.
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Interrogating student and lecturer perspectives of professional knowledge delivery in the initial teacher-education programmes in South Africa within a context of qualityPhillips, Heather Nadia January 2013 (has links)
Thesis in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree
Doctor of Education
in the Faculty of Education at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Supervisor: Professor Rajendra Chetty
Co-supervisor: Associate Professor Janet Condy
November 2013 / In South Africa, the quality of teachers working in our current education system has been put under a looking glass by the Department of Education (DoE) (2006) since the systemic results, indicating national literacy and numeracy levels in primary schools, were issued. These results place South African literacy and numeracy skills far below those of many countries in the rest of Africa. This has been viewed by the South African school sector as one of the symptoms of the breakdown in the culture of learning in the education system in our country. As a result, the South African school system has been characterised as a ‘high- cost, high-participation, low-quality system’ Taylor (2008). Taylor (2008) concludes from his research that the challenges which undermine effective teaching and learning in South African schools include the quality of teacher knowledge and teaching practices.
The relationship between teacher quality and teacher productivity is key to the development of a high-quality educational system. It is argued that teacher quality impacts greatly on student achievement, which, in turn, impacts on the development and transformation of that society. Rowe (2003) and Morrow’s (2007) key findings in their research on educational success indicate that ‘what matters most’ is the quality teacher.
The historical and social change in South Africa has pioneered transformation with regard to curriculum change and has redefined the aims of teacher education in this country. Over the last few years we have been faced with a myriad of changes in policy frameworks that are supposed to guide change within the educational system, as well as within teacher education (Guskey, 2002:381-391). This study, therefore, aims to interrogate the missing links between teacher education institutions and pre-service teachers’ experience, while incorporating school and learner needs. Since quality is the critical factor, there is an urgent need to re-conceptualise how we can prepare a generation of teachers equipped to meet the demands of the 21st-century student. The key objective in this study, therefore, is the interrogation of the following components in the initial teacher-training programmes in South Africa:
• Professional development and knowledge of teachers.
• Delivery of that knowledge from a pedagogical perspective.
• Quality of current teacher-training programmes.
This research project is geared towards understanding the challenges that face final-year teacher-training students as they prepare themselves to enter the ‘real world of teaching’. The study cross-examines the quality of learning and teaching in higher education institutions, the pedagogy applied and the degree of its success. In order to examine the initial teacher-training programmes there was a need to interrogate:
• students’ perceptions of the quality of their training;
• lecturers’ responses to the quality of training provided; and
• pre-service teachers’ notions of the quality of the ‘product’ they experience in the field during practice teaching and in their experience with newly qualified teachers.
The search for an alternative pedagogy, which aims to promote the transformation and reconstruction of education in South Africa, has placed this research project within a conceptual framework of critical pedagogy, which holds the view that learning is self-generated and not just accessible. The theoretical underpinnings were derived from the works of Paulo Freire and Henry Giroux. This project is situated within an interpretivist paradigm and is qualitative in nature. A sample of four faculties of education, nationally, has been used in the project. Semi-structured interviews and focus-group interviews were used to collect data from all the fourth-year BEd students and their lecturers at each of the four universities, as well as from in-service teachers who host students during practice teaching sessions. The interview questions were concerned with the delivery of the teacher-training programmes and whether the needs of students were being met with regard to their training. Students commented on the development of the following areas: delivery of knowledge, acquisition of adequate teaching skills, and their readiness to enter the teaching field.
The findings of this research indicate that students, lecturers and in-service teachers believe that many components within the current teacher-training programme need to be transformed. This could be attributed to, amongst others, the inadequate pedagogical practices used in knowledge delivery, lack of actual classroom experience, and the ineffective organisation and supervision of teaching practice which results in students feeling ill-equipped to enter the teaching arena. These impact the quality of teachers who are exiting the current system. Suggestions to improve the organisation of teacher experience, the on-going professional development of teacher educators, and mentorship ofteachers,as well as the development of recruitment and selection criteria for students wishing to enter teacher education are made.
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