Thesis (MEd (Curriculum sStudies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / The TRAC PAC is a micro computer-based laboratory that allows learners to collect real-time data about a particular event and then displays the information graphically. It was brought to South Africa from the United States of America in an attempt to increase the low number of learners from previously disadvantaged communities entering the Science, Engineering and Technology fields. Anecdotal evidence has shown that the TRAC PAC has not been optimally utilised in classrooms. Subsequently a TRAC laboratory was established at Stellenbosch University and hence this study, which focused on identifying factors that would contribute towards the optimal use of the TRAC PAC. A qualitative case study research method was used, which relied on different techniques to gather data on how the TRAC PAC is used in classrooms and at the TRAC laboratory. The analysis of this data was largely an intuitive process; it relied on the development of categories which provided insights on the advantages and disadvantages of using the TRAC PAC. The thesis concludes with a number of recommendations that can lead to the optimal use of the TRAC PAC. One of the findings of this study was that even grade 12 Physical Science learners lacked certain basic skills such as the ability to take accurate measurements. Addressing this lack amongst South African learners is also a priority of the National Education Department, following its adoption of an outcomes-based education approach. The design of a detailed, well structured series of activities that addresses the required educational outcomes should result in the optimal use of the TRAC PAC.

Thesis (MEd (Curriculum Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / After the election of the new democratic government in April 1994, bold steps were taken to transform the South African education dispensation, seeking for an appropriate approach to address the educational imbalances of the past. The immense disparity in the provision of education for the vast majority of South Africans was the main reason for educational change. Curriculum reform/educational change emerged as the key focus in restructuring the educational system. A qualitative research design, guided by an interpretive research paradigm, was employed to answer the research question which would be integrated with the aim of the study in a logical way. The aim of the study was to explore how principals experienced their new roles and responsibilities as curriculum leaders and managers in a changing educational system. Data was generated by means of semistructured questions to provide rich descriptions and explanations of how principals experienced educational change in their particular contexts. The literature review revealed that during educational change principals are faced with the challenge to create a climate for change through their particular style of leadership and management, acting as key agents for initiating the desired change, or leading the way as agents of change. Principals, as curriculum leaders, have an important role to play in setting the tone to provide direction, executing their roles as both curriculum leaders and managers and building democratic schools. To keep up and cope effectively with the constant and rapid educational change, principals are also urged to demonstrate positive, supporting leadership and professionalism, and to acquire new learning and thinking skills to manage change. Moreover, by developing a better understanding of change, the principal will be able to give effective direction and empower their staff, guiding and supporting them in the process of accepting change. While leadership skills are essential for providing effective leadership, the leader must also possess a sense of purpose and direction. The challenge is to develop leaders’ sensitivity and knowledge so that they will know when to be directive and when to act within a collaborative framework, or to delegate responsibility to others. The research findings indicated that principals do fulfil their new roles and responsibilities as educational leaders during educational change, but the challenge is to identify adequate approaches and to enhance their professional and personal growth and development. The study concludes by pointing out that although principals perform their roles and meet their responsibilities as curriculum leaders, they still require additional support to execute certain aspects of their duties.

Thesis (MPhil (Curriculum Studies))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / Background to the study: The Critical Care nursing programme at the Faculty of Health Sciences (Stellenbosch University) is a one-year programme. The practical component consists of practical procedures and case presentations. Students have limited time available in the clinical areas to reach competency in the practical skills. Students tend to use the majority of the clinical teaching time available to reach competency in these practical procedures, rather than discussing the patient and learning the skills to integrate and understand the patient’s condition and treatment, which they can acquire by doing case presentations. The end result of this misuse of clinical contact time is that some of the students, by the end of their programme, still have difficulty to integrate a patient’s diagnosis and treatment regime, although they have managed to complete the expected practical procedures. Summary of the work: A case study design was used. I wanted to investigate whether one could make use of simulation and the Clinical Skills Centre (CSC) to complete the majority of the practical procedures so that more time would be available in the clinical areas for the students to do case presentations. The study focuses on describing how the tutors and students involved experienced the use of simulation, as well as how it impacted on the available teaching time in the clinical areas. Conclusions and recommendations: Some of the most important issues that were highlighted in the study and needs to be mentioned are the following: · The students highly valued supervision by a Critical Care tutor when practising their skills in the CSC. · Students indicated that they valued the opportunity to practise some of the more risky procedures in simulation, because it presents no risk to patients. · Case presentations seem important to be added to the CSC’s practical sessions in order to attempt making the practical simulated scenarios even more realistic. · The teaching at the bedside in the clinical areas used to be done somewhat ad hoc. With the teaching in the CSC now being much more structured, this necessitates the teaching at the bedside to be revisited and to be structured to a certain extent. Summary of the results: The information obtained from the Critical Care tutors and the students indicated that these two groups were largely in agreement that simulation seems to be valuable and can effectively be used in a Critical Care nursing programme.

Thesis (MEd (Curriculum Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2008. / The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (CRSA) (1996) ushered in a new dispensation with regard to the human right to ‘religious freedom’. Inclusivity in a school context of religious diversity underpins the Religion and Education Policy (2003) which is in turn informed by, and supportive of, the CRSA (1996). To date, the Policy (2003) has not been substantially implemented. In classroom praxis there has been little or no substantial cascading to teachers (and therefore also to learners), of the intention and substance of the Policy (2003). A possible cause of this is that many teachers do not necessarily understand the meaning of the human right to ‘religious freedom’. As a result, they have resisted a multireligion approach to education. The aim of this study was to investigate how teachers construct their understanding of the human right to ‘religious freedom’ and how they voice this understanding in a context of religious diversity in schools. Integral to the investigation was an interrogation of the influence of their biographical context in shaping their personal religious identity. The study also considered the impact of the school context in which teachers taught. This study anticipated the theoretical clarification of how teachers construct their social identities, and in particular their religious identities. This theoretical framework informed what emerged from the empirical research that was conducted. The key concepts of ‘religious freedom’ and voice were described and clarified by the sources employed in the literature review. It was clear from the literature review that while useful research had been undertaken in aspects relating to the acceptance of, or resistance to, the Policy (2003), no research had grappled sufficiently, if at all, with teachers’ understanding of the human right to ‘religious freedom’ and how they constructed this understanding. In order to conduct this study, an empirical, qualitative research design, including elements of small-scale ethnography, using a case study approach, was employed. Research methods included the use of semi-structured individual and focus group interviews and self-administered questionnaires. The data were triangulated. From the research it emerged that teachers’ biographical context and school context do indeed influence the construction of their understanding of the human right to ‘religious freedom’. The way in which they give voice to this understanding varied. It became apparent that many teachers lacked understanding of religions other than (and in some cases, including) their own. The Policy (2003) was also poorly understood as was the implementation thereof. Recommendations relating to the problems and shortcomings identified by the research have been made. These include possible intervention strategies by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education and Culture; Human Rights Values Education as a teaching approach; and the empowering of teachers by affording them opportunities to engage in emancipatory discourse. Further research possibilities that can be influenced by this research include issues relating to teacher identity formation; further interrogation of the impact of the teacher’s voice; and the inclusion of parents and the school community in the implementation of policy relating to Religion and Education.

Thesis (MPhil (Curriculum Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / This study is centered on the perception of Foundation Phase educators in the Nzhelele West Circuit in the province of Limpopo of Curriculum 2005. The implementation of Curriculum 2005 created much uncertainty among these teachers. The study took the form of a survey of published and unpublished sources, questionnaires, interviews and observations. Respondents were made up of stakeholders affected by the introduction of the new curriculum. Recommendations have been made about how the new curriculum should have been planned, developed and implemented to make foundation phase educators feel confident and able to help in the interpretation and implementation of the curriculum so as to help achieve the developmental goals of the South African Education System.

Thesis (MPhil (Curriculum Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / Over the past 10 to 15 years significant changes have taken place in higher education. Higher education institutions have been influenced by globalisation, an information explosion, shifts in teaching approaches to facilitate learning and new approaches to governance. Some of these factors have had implications on the decision-making processes which were traditionally used in higher education. Amongst these demands for change, the one which has apparently presented the most challenges is the demand for accountability to the stakeholders of higher education institutions. These stakeholders include the government, students, different communities and the constituents of the labour market. In order to meet the demands for accountability, an instrument referred to as quality assurance was introduced at all higher education institutions. Many institutions resorted to adopting a managerial approach to manage quality assurance and to facilitate efficiency. In using this approach, more regulation and demands for compliance were sought. The managerial approach appeared to be more bureaucratic than the traditional collegial ethos of universities. Lecturers experienced that their autonomy was being undermined and their academic freedom restricted. Therefore they often resorted to resistance. In this study the literature overview revealed that there is a strong debate as to which approach to quality management is most suited to higher education. A case study was conducted at Helderberg College, which is a private higher education institution in the Western Cape Province. The aim of this study was to explore how lecturers reacted to the concept of quality assurance, but more specifically, which approach to quality management they preferred. The main objective was to establish what lecturers would regard as a suitable quality assurance framework that would contribute to accountability and trust. Findings from the study suggest that there is no single model for quality assurance which would suit every institution, and Helderberg College in particular. The preference indicated by staff was for a collegial approach, which may include elements of managerialism to address the demands for efficiency, whilst protecting the autonomy of the lecturers. Other elements that were identified as likely to promote trust and accountability within a quality assurance framework, were shared vision, consultation, collaboration and involvement in decision-making processes.

Thesis (MPhil (Curriculum Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Agtergrond tot die studie: As gevolg van die druk wat op die sukses van eerstejaarstudente by hoëronderwysinstellings geplaas word, word ‘n hulpgroep in ‘n eerstejaarsmodule, Finansiële Rekeningkunde, in die B.Rekeningkunde graadprogram by die Universiteit van Stellenbosch aangebied. Die hulpgroep is daarop gemik om studente, in besonder die voorheen-benadeelde eerstejaarstudente, te help om sukses te behaal in Finansiële Rekeningkunde. Die hulpgroep het verskeie kenmerke. Daar is byvoorbeeld 6 lesings per week in plaas van die normale 4 lesings en bywoning van die lesings is verpligtend. Die hulpgroep grootte word beperk tot ‘n maksimum van 70 studente om aktiewe leer aan te moedig. Op Vrydae is daar ‘n tutoriaalklas waar studente ‘n vraag uitwerk in die klas met die hulp van studente-assistente. ‘n Verskeidenheid bystandsprogramme en hulp word jaarliks aangebied om die deurvloeikoerse van eerstejaarstudente te verhoog en ook om vir studente ‘n positiewe eerstejaarservaring te verseker. Die probleem is dat al hierdie bystand en hulp baie tyd en spesiale insette van dosente en die departement verg, sodat die vraag ontstaan of dit werklik waarde toevoeg. ‘n Verdere kwessie behels die studente se belewenis van so ‘n hulpgroep. Dit was dus noodsaaklik om hierdie en soortgelyke vrae te ondersoek en vas te stel of ‘n hulpgroep beantwoord aan die doel waarvoor dit geskep is. Opsomming van die werk: Daar is gebruik gemaak van ‘n gevallestudie-ontwerp. Die doel van die studie was om vas te stel wat studente se belewenisse van ‘n hulpgroep by die eerstejaarsmodule in Finansiële Rekeningkunde is. ‘n Kombinasie van die kwalitatiewe en kwantitatiewe navorsingsbenadering is in die ondersoek gebruik deur middel van vraelyste, onderhoude en die analise van prestasiepunte. Gevolgtrekking: Die algehele gevolgtrekking wat uit die ondersoek voortgevloei het, is dat die hulpgroep positief deur die studente beleef word. Verskeie implikasies en voorstelle om die hulpgroep van Finansiële Rekeningkunde aan die Universiteit van Stellenbosch meer doeltreffend te maak, het uit die studie voortgevloei. Voorstelle vir verdere navorsing is ook gemaak. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Background to the study: Due to the pressures that are being placed on the success of first year students at higher education institutions, a support group was established in a first year module, Financial Accounting, in the B.Accounting degree programme at the University of Stellenbosch. The support group is aimed at helping students, in particular previously disadvantaged first-year students, to achieve success in Financial Accounting. The support group has various features. There are, for example, 6 lectures per week instead of the normal 4 lectures and attendance of the lectures is compulsory. The size of the support group is limited to a maximum of 70 students in order to promote active learning. On Fridays there are tutorial classes where students work on a question in class with the help of student assistants. A variety of support programmes and help are offered annually to increase the pass rates of first year students and also to ensure a positive first year experience. The problem is that all this support and help is very time consuming and requires special inputs from lecturers and the department. This raises the question if it actually adds value. Another issue that was considered is how students experience being part of such a support group. It was thus necessary to investigate this as well as related questions to establish whether a support group meets the purpose for which it was created. Summary of the work: A case study design was used. The purpose of the study was to establish the experiences of the students of a support group at the first year module in Financial Accounting. A combination of qualitative and quantitative data was used in the study, generated by means of questionnaires, interviews and the analysis of performance marks. Conclusion: The overall conclusion that resulted from this study is that the support group is experienced positively by the students. Various implications and suggestions on how to improve the efficiency of the support group in Financial Accounting at the University of Stellenbosch were a direct result of this study. Suggestions for further research were also made.

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / The use of ICT to enhance the quality of student learning is generally observable in higher education institutions. The adoption of ICT policy for education in Namibia in 1996 has profoundly encouraged the use of ICT to enhance student learning at teachers training colleges, in particular Caprivi College of Education. Although ICT has positioned itself in higher education, its implementation to enhance student learning has been received with mixed feelings, attitudes and perceptions among students. The use of ICT in relation to learning paradigm, collaborative and/or co-operative learning, deep learning approach and assessment seem to be problematic among students and may affect their learning. Issues related to access to ICT, ICT skills and support (technical and service) contribute to students’ negative perceptions towards the use of ICT in learning. The purpose of this study was to investigate students’ perceptions of the possible effect of ICT application on student learning at Caprivi College of Education in order to determine the ICT skills and learning strategies student teachers use to enhance their learning. The research strategy for this study was a quantitative survey. Quantitative data was obtained by administering closed-ended questionnaires to third-year student teachers at Caprivi College of Education. The study concludes that student teachers overwhelmingly perceive the use of ICT to enhance their learning in various ways.

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Leadership development is an essential and valuable tool for capacitating police leaders in the South African Police Service to deal with the diverse challenges that they face in the policing environment. There seem to be a need for leadership development processes that can stimulate change, and for perspective transformation to enable police leaders to find alternative ways of dealing with the challenges experienced in their working environment. This thesis explored transformative learning as a tool to enhance the leadership development processes of police leaders. The essential elements of transformative learning are: centrality of experience; critical thinking; rational discourse; and policy praxis. Theory development were chosen as best to carefully construct the foundational argument through non-empirical literary-based sources, in which the literature itself became the database towards theoretical formulation in this non-empirical study. The alignment and integration of the elements of transformative learning were explored as a strategy to capacitate police leaders to: reflect on past experiences; think critically about ways of dealing with policing challenges based on experiences; discuss these challenges with other police leaders; and act on reflections made during leadership development processes. The study is limited to the analysis of the status of leadership development in the South African Police Service, which was the context of this study. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Leierskapsontwikkeling is ‘n essensiële en waardevolle hulpmiddel om leiers in die Suid-Afrikaanse Polisiediens te bemagtig om die uiteenlopende uitdagings waarmee hulle te kampe het, beter te hanteer. Dit blyk egter dat daar ‘n behoefte is vir leierskapsontwikkelingprosesse wat intrinsieke verandering en ‘n paradigmaskuif vir polisieleiers te weeg kan bring en wat hulle in staat kan stel om die uitdagings binne hul beroepsveld meer doeltreffend te hanteer. Hierdie tesis ondersoek transformatiewe leerteorie as ‘n instrument om leierskapsontwikkeling van polisieleiers te bevorder. Die hoofelemente van transformatiewe leerteorie is: sentralisering van ondervinding; kritiese denke; rasionele diskoers en beleidsvorming. Teorie-ontwikkeling as navorsingsmetodologie was selekteer as die mees geskikste metodologie om die argument deur nie-empiriese literêre bronne te konstrueer, waarvolgens die gekose literatuur die databasis van die teoretiese formulasie rondom die argument gevorm het in hierdie nie-empiriese studie. Groepering en integrasie van bogenoemde elemente was ondersoek as ‘n strategie om polisieleiers te bemagtig om te reflekteer oor vorige ondervindinge; kritiese denkwyses oor hantering van uitdagings in beroepsveld met inagneming van vorige ondervindinge toe te pas; diskoers oor uitdagings met ander polisieleiers te hê en om aktief te reageer op refleksies tydens leierskapsontwikkelingsprosesse. Die studie is beperk tot die analise van die status van leierskap in die Suid-Afrikaanse Polisiediens as konteks waarbinne hierdie studie onderneem is.

Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / Includes bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The political and social changes that occurred after 1994 in South Africa, inevitably led to the emergence of a new educational era. Life Orientation (LO) was introduced as a new learning area within the Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS) and seeks to preventatively empower learners to take up their legitimate place as citizens within the national and international society (DoE, 2003:2). LO cannot only be liable for the holistic development of individual learners. The community in which learners grow up are faced with unique challenges that will inescapably influence their development. I highlight the influence of “Ubuntu” and “Ukama” on the process of becoming of each individual and therefore use the ecosystemic perspective as a theoretical framework for this study. I reflect on my own experiences within the LO classroom that led to the creation of fictional characters and case studies as a teaching strategy. In this study I distinguish between case study as a teaching strategy and a research methodology. I determine the lived experiences of Grade 8 learners in a secondary school where this teaching strategy was used within the LO classroom. A case study as research methodology is used where qualitative data was produced through personal documentation. A random sample of ten participants from the case study is used to obtain a thorough understanding of their lived experiences. Qualitative data was further produced by twenty individual and two focus group interviews with the sample group. I used the constant comparative method to ensure that I identify the units of meaning and discuss the findings on the basis of three categories. First, the data indicated that the participants found guidance through the case studies of the characters. Secondly, it appeared that the experiences of the characters influenced the participants’ decision making processes. Thirdly, the data indicated that participants used this teaching strategy as a platform to voice their own personal emotions and experiences. On the basis of Gilles Deleuze (in Wallin, 2010) and Magdeleine Grumet (1981) this study emphasizes the potential role that an evolving, active form of curriculum can play in the becoming processes of each individual learner and teacher. I conclude by recommending that uniqueness and diversity must be encouraged within the classroom to ensure that curriculum will not be a homogeneous policy document, but that it will be active and developmental in nature. I use the work of Wallin (2010), Sutton and Martin-Jones (2008) and Grumet (1981) to offer new insights about the pedagogical making process within the South African context. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die politiese en sosiale veranderinge wat na 1994 binne Suid-Afrika plaasgevind het, het onvermydelik gelei tot die ontstaan van ʼn nuwe opvoedkundige era. Lewensoriëntering (LO) was as ʼn nuwe leerarea binne die Hersiene Nasionale Kurrikulumverklaring (HNKV) bekendgestel en poog om op ʼn voorkomende wyse leerders te bemagtig om hul geregmatige plek as burgers binne die nasionale, sowel as internasionale samelewing op te neem (DvO, 2003:2). LO kan nie alleen aanpreeklik gehou word vir die holistiese ontwikkeling van individuele leerders nie. Die gemeenskap waarbinne die individuele leerders groot word het sy unieke uitdagings en sal daarom onwillekeurig hierdie ontwikkelingsproses beïnvloed. Ek beklemtoon daarom “Ubuntu” en “Ukama” se invloed op die individu se wordingsproses en gebruik die ekosistemiese perspektief as ʼn teoretiese raamwerk vir hierdie studie. Ek reflekteer oor my eie ervarings binne die LO-klaskamer wat aanleiding gegee het tot die ontstaan van fiktiewe karakters en gevallestudies as onderrigstrategie. In hierdie studie onderskei ek tussen gevallestudies as onderrigstrategie en navorsingsmetodologie. Ek bepaal die geleefde ervaring van graad 8-leerders in een sekondêre skool waar dié onderrigstrategie in die LO-klaskamer gebruik word. ʼn Gevallestudie word as navorsingsmetodologie gebruik waar kwalitatiewe data deur persoonlike dokumentasie geproduseer is. Ten einde ʼn deeglike begrip te verkry van die gevallestudie se geleefde ervaring is ʼn ewekansige steekproef van tien deelnemers gebruik. Kwalitatiewe data is verder deur twintig individuele en twee fokusgroeponderhoude met hierdie steekproef geproduseer. Ek het deurgaans die konstante vergelykende metode om eenhede van betekenis te identifiseer gebruik en bespreek my bevindinge aan die hand van drie kategorieë. Eerstens dui die data aan dat deelnemers leiding uit die gevallestudies van karakters ontvang het. Tweedens blyk dit of die ervarings van die karakters die deelnemers se besluitnemingsproses beïnvloed het. Derdens dui die data aan dat deelnemers hierdie onderrigstrategie as ʼn platform gebruik het wat hulle in staat gestel het om uiting aan hul persoonlike emosies en ervarings te gee. Ten slotte beklemtoon hierdie navorsingstudie aan die hand van Gilles Deleuze (in Wallin, 2010) en Magdeleine Grumet (1981) se werk die potensiële rol wat ʼn ontwikkelende, aktiewe vorm van kurrikulum in die wordingsproses van elke individuele leerder en opvoeder kan speel. Ek beveel daarom aan dat uniekhede en diversiteit binne die klaskamer aangemoedig moet word ten einde te verseker dat kurrikulum nie as ʼn homogene beleidsdokument aanvaar word nie, maar dat dit aktief en ontwikkelend van aard sal wees. Ek gebruik die werk van Wallin (2010), Sutton en Martin-Jones (2008) en Grumet (1981) om nuwe insigte rondom die pedagogiese wordingsproses binne die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks aan te bied.