This study was based on the Promat Educational Studies (Curriculum) course which introduced curriculum concepts to a group of forty-two rural KwaZulu in-service teachers, studying for the final year of their Primary Teachers' .Diploma in 1996. The study was primarily interested in the responses of these teachers as they explored -curriculum concepts and developed their own understandings of curriculum. Research questions focused on the teachers' personal views of the notion of curriculum and the suitability of various curriculum models that could be used in their classrooms. Action research was proposed as a valuable tool for teachers to reflect on their classroom practice in a systematic and participatory manner, with a view to improvement in the process of teaching and learning. Action research was also used as a teaching methodology in presenting the Educational Studies programme, thus providing the teachers with an opportunity to experience action research. The questions also focused on the views of teachers concerning their possible role in the process of curriculum development, change and decision-making in schools. Prior to the programme, data on teachers' notions of curriculum were obtained by means of a questionnaire. Journal writing, lecturer diaries and classroom discussions were used as a means of collecting data during the course of the programme. Semi-structured interviews were conducted as a summative form of data collection and triangulation. Findings suggested that teachers, prior to the Educational Studies programme, had a limited notion of the concept of curriculum. They had a restricted view of teacher professionality and understood their role as implementers of a received curriculum. The programme broadened teachers' views on curriculum concepts and accompanying theories and models. The exposure to curriculum theory increased teachers' confidence in their ability to bring about change in their classrooms and schools. They expressed feelings of empowerment and recognised the important role they could play in the curriculum process. What was significant, however, was that despite the fact that the teachers were able to articulate these views within an "educationist context" (Keddie, 1971), they did not realise these within the Educational Studies classroom. While they recognised and embraced the potential of action research, their own actions as learners did not support a fully-developed form of action research because of the power differentials and situational constraints which they experienced. They were acutely aware of the imperative to pass, which appeared to take precedence over democratic participation. Findings suggested that INSET programmes which expose teachers to curriculum theory and the fundamental notion of themselves as curriculum developers, are useful for changing mindsets and are essential preconditions if teachers are to begin to take ownership of change in classrooms. Whether they are able to do so successfully, is a question for further research. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1998.

Vision and mission statements are developed by schools to give purpose and direction to all those who work in these institutions. They also articulate the values that the organisation endeavours to promote. This case study demonstrates how an independent school fosters values in the vision and mission statement through curriculum implementation. The school offers a values education programme in conjunction with the National Curriculum Statement. This is done through the example of the English curriculum in a primary school. The challenge for the National Curriculum Statement is how to promote the goals and values of social justice, equity and democracy, by integrating them across the curriculum. The Department of Education views values development as being crucial for the personal development of the students and to ensure that a South African identity is built on values different from the apartheid era (Department of Education, 2002). The school therefore has an important role to play not only in the development of knowledge and skills of their students, but also the development of values. This study adopts a qualitative approach which is located in the interpretative paradigm. A case study approach using multiple methods of data production was used. Document analysis, observations and semi-structured interviews were used to gather rich data. The vision and mission statement of the school was analysed to determine what values are articulated in it. Six comprehension lessons of three teacher participants were observed and a semi-structured interview was conducted with each teacher to determine what values are fostered through the teaching of English. The findings revealed that the values articulated in the school’s mission statement played a pivotal role in teaching. There was a strong relationship between the values in the mission statement and teaching of English. Teachers were successful in eliciting values during their teaching by using a variety of strategies, creating a positive classroom atmosphere and being acutely aware of the importance of being good role models. The training and support received by the teachers enhanced the fostering of values. In spite of the fact that the teachers were not involved in developing the school’s vision and mission statement which was the ideology of the organisation that started and manages the school, their belief in the values programme motivated its successful implementation. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood, 2011.

This qualitative interpretative study used a case study approach to explore the depth of insight foundation phase educators in a public primary school in KwaZulu-Natal had about learners’ educational resilience, especially those from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. The study design was underpinned by a theoretical framework that integrated concepts of Ecological and Resiliency Theory and was aimed at answering two research questions; • Do foundation phase educators recognize and understand educational resilience? • Do foundation phase educators enhance educational resilience in learners they consider to be ‘at-risk’ of academic failure? A purposive sample of three Grade 3 educators completed qualitative open-ended questionnaires before participating in a focus group discussion on educational resilience. Reliability and validity was ensured through triangulation of data collection methods; member checking of data verified its accuracy. Classroom observations yielded information about educator instructional style; demographic details and language literacy results of six educator-identified resilient and non-resilient learners provided corroborative data. Findings were analyzed and collated into common themes which revealed that foundation phase educators’ insight about resilience was superficial. Educators were able to identify non-resilient learners but failed to be responsive in their teaching methods. Lack of parental support was considered by educators to be a significant factor in the difference in resilience between learners who experienced the same socioeconomic disadvantage. Educators acknowledged their lack of formal training in the concept of educational resilience. The study concluded that the need for foundation phase educators to deepen their insight level about educational resilience does exist and recommends that pre-and in-service resilience education is included in the professional development of foundation phase educators in South Africa. Limitations of the study were noted. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal,Durban, 2010.

This dissertation investigates the impact on classroom practice of the use of new language texts which are based on the Thinking Actively in a Social Context (TASC) model, and the principles of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT). Draft materials of a newly published series, Language in My World, were used by the researcher. The central aim of the study was to establish whether the use of the new materials, without accompanying in-service training in their use, would effect any change in the teaching methodology of the participant teachers, as well as a change in learner involvement. A qualitative, non-participatory method of observation was applied. Four teachers from one rural ex-Department of Education and Training (DEC) school, and seven teachers from two ex-KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education and Culture (KDEC) rural schools, participated in the study. Lessons were observed over a period of six weeks. The research design, the field work, and analysis of the observed lessons are described and recorded. The findings indicate aspects of classroom practice which hinder the effective learning and teaching of English as a second language. Learners were not taught by adequately trained teachers. In most of the lessons observed, the teachers engaged in the 'recitation script' and there was no sensitization of learners to show their understanding of the texts. Learners were not given the opportunity to analyze the information received in the light of their own experiences and emotions. Teachers needed to be taught about the principles of CLT. The climate at many schools (not enough classrooms, no toilet facilities, no learning resources), is not conducive to learning. The implications of the findings are considered. Certain recommendations from the findings are made which will enable. teachers to develop their professional knowledge and improve their teaching practice. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1998.

This discursive study, investigates the role of discourse in the creation of denial and the unconscious in adolescent sexual offenders. It also attempts to illustrate that the denial expressed by the adolescent sexual offenders towards their abuse event, in fact reflects a collective societal dialogic unconscious, as evidenced in legal, social and psychological discourses, towards sexual abuse. The scarcity of local literature in this field and the increasing number of young offenders, provides the motivation for the research. A conversational analysis, as extended by Michael Billig, revealed that the seven adolescent sexual offenders interviewed for this study all oscillated between discourses of denial and acknowledgement. The ideological consequences of an acknowledgement position bear the potential for shame and ostracism from family, peers and the community. The adolescents therefore drew on different and often inconsistent and varying rhetorical resources, in order that they could construct their accounts of the abuse event as morally appropriate, in order to remain on the moral high-ground within the conversational setting of the study. A complex code of absences were also noted in the discourses. These silences frequently contained the abusive event, and created a context in which the discourses of contradiction and disclaiming accounts could function and enabled the adolescents to constructs themselves as morally polite. Finally, I illustrated that the ambiguity and ambivalence expressed by the adolescents, is reflected in a collective denial within society. The accounts presented by the adolescents were a construct of our culture's ambiguous and ambivalent attitude towards violence and sexually abusive events against children and women. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1998.

Recent research on the mathematical achievement of young children prompts one to question the widely accepted views of Piaget in this regard. Researchers have begun to concentrate on assessing the development of mathematical concepts in appropriate contexts. Aubrey (1993), Hughes (1986) and Gelman and Gallistel (1978) examined the mathematical competencies of pre-school children and suggest how this knowledge could inform instruction and curriculum development. This study investigates the mathematical knowledge and competencies of 40 reception class children from English speaking, working class homes in Pietermaritzburg, Kwazulu-Natal. The assessment tasks were adapted from those of Aubrey (1993), Young-Loveridge (1989) and Wright (1991). These are compatible with the key number activities in the "Learning Through Activity Programme" used in the reception class in this province. The tasks were presented during individual interviews, using everyday objects and familiar activities. Tasks included rote counting, understanding the cardinality rule, numeral recognition, written representation of numbers, ordering numbers, addition and subtraction with concrete objects, social sharing and multiplication, estimation, patterning and an understanding of shape, space, measurement, time, and ordinal numbers. The results confirm the findings of previous studies: most children enter the pre-school year with considerable knowledge about number. Low-attaining children had some basic number knowledge but could not cope with higher numbers or more abstract tasks. Higher scoring children were already competent in most areas of the reception class mathematics curriculum. As the curriculum is suited to the low scorers, the majority of pupils are not provided with challenges to advance. Teachers may be unaware of the extent and range of children's mathematical knowledge, and the strategies used for manipulating numbers. Initial and ongoing assessment of each child's competence would enable teachers to develop and evaluate a meaningful curriculum. For every child to realise his/her potential implies instruction that is appropriate to the level and pace of learning. Further research should refine the assessment of children's mathematical knowledge and investigate the influences upon later mathematical achievements. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1996.

This dissertation incorporates a number of ethnographic case studies done within the qualitative paradigm from a feminist stance (Nielsen, 1995). It served to explore and understand the attributions and aspirations of adolescents in relation to their group association from their perspective. It was important that the voice of the adolescent emerged as central to the findings. The significance of individual freedom of choice as opposed to limited personal volition was also explored. Another aspect of the research problem was to try to establish adolescents' awareness, perceptions and beliefs of gender issues. Integral to the success of the research was honesty and ethics. Hence reflexivity was fundamental to continuous re-assessment of interpretation, an awareness of assumptions and manipulation, which could have occurred if the power relations between researcher and participants were not addressed. To ensure validation of the research findings triangulation-between and -within-methods was utilised. Hence a dynamic interaction among sociometric diagrams, participant observation, interviews, document analysis and photographs resulted. The research study incorporated the environs of Greenvale High School, whose multi-faceted dimensions of co-education, multi-culturalism, dual-medium and comprehensive curriculum, proved to be a boon to the nature of the research. I worked within the Grade 10 standard and ultimately isolated three groups and three "loners". The dimension of ethnicity emerged as pertinent to the study of two of the "loners" and it was therefore necessary to include a brief (if somewhat superficial) exploration of two Black girl groups. Contextualisation emerged as most signific4'lnt to the findings. The relationship of the groups to the learning environment and its significance in relation to the values and beliefs of the individuals within groups proved enlightening. Anomalies between gender beliefs and assertions and their actualisation were related to the individuals' experience of gender equality within the class situation, their awareness of gender inequality within the learning environment and their perception ofgender role perpetuation as unproblematic within the broader context of a patriarchal society. Hence this research advocates Hconsciousl1ess-raising" (Payne, in Spender and Sarah, 1988) so that issues regarded as unp1'oblematic, can be addressed in order to change the social order. Awareness can aid educationalists in formulating policy that will ensure that the learning environment can be made more worthwhile and meaningful to the Hmarginalised" adolescent. Methodologically, other researchers would benefit by replicating this study to pursue important aspects, which emerge from ethnographic case studies, particularly within a South African context compounded by race and gender. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1999.

This research made a diagnostic assessment of some aspects of pupil performance in General Science on entry to secondary school. This assessment included written content and skills assessment of all standard 6 pupils at a secondary school in KwaZulu-Natal. The written skills assessment of 302 pupils involved two tests, one in English and one in Zulu. General Science in the research school was taught in English, while two-thirds of the standard 6 pupil population had Zulu as their first language. All pupils first wrote the test in English, and then the Zulu pupils took the same test again in Zulu. The test was designed to assess pupil performance in areas of a) symbolic representation of data b) application of science concepts c) interpretation of data and d) planning of investigations. The questions used in the test were adapted from the question bank of the Assessment of Performance Unit in the United Kingdom. The written content assessment was designed to test pupils' understanding of various science concepts encountered in primary science. Their recognition of various pieces of science equipment was also tested. Questionnaires regarding various aspects of Science, science teaching practice and perceptions of pupil abilities were administered to pupils' past (standard 5) and present (standard 6) science teachers. A focused group discussion with science teachers at the research school investigated some thoughts on skills-based teaching and assessment. The researcher was also able to draw on experiences of classroom observation as she is a teacher at the research school. As hypothesised, pupils' performance in the skills tested was generally poor, especially in the skills more specifically related to science. Content assessment revealed that almost half of the pupils in the classes analysed held common misconceptions about certain science concepts, not unlike those held by primary school children tested in other countries. Pupil performance generally increased when pupils were presented with a test in their mother-tongue. In other areas, e.g. planning of investigations, poor performance in both English and Zulu tests indicated that these questions were either not known or understood, rather than an issue of linguistic difficulty. Teachers highlighted several factors which retarded the progress of skills-based teaching methods in 'real-life' classroom situations. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1996.

An understanding of teachers experiences of professional development activities and its contribution to their own professional learning in the context of change was composed by asking, “What are teachers learning and how is learning taking place through professional development activities in the context of change? From an interpretative paradigm, the triple-lens framework enabled an understanding of what learning happened and how this learning happened. In order to do this, the study looked at once-off professional development activities (PDAs), PDAs at school sites and at self initiated PDAs. The study was able to inform us on the effectiveness of these professional development activities for practising teachers. Drawing on data generated through individual and conversational interviews, this study found that teacher learning, within the South African context is taking place both formally (through workshops , own studies, cluster meetings ) and informally, (through discussions with colleagues). Teachers have learnt more through professional development activities which are driven by themselves, as well as collaboratively, through working with each other, that is, through conversations and assistance from colleagues. A very significant part of teacher learning is also taking place informally in the classrooms, through observation, experimentation and experience. Very little learning takes place when it is mandated. The study found that teachers learnt when they themselves were receptive to it. Demanding, or putting policies into place to direct teachers learning does not necessarily mean that teachers are going to learn. Teachers have learnt in varying contexts but most importantly, the journey of learning needs to begin with the SELF. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood, 2010.

The aim of this study was to identify how historical literacy manifested itself in Grade 10 history textbooks. The use of two distinct time periods was used in my study to chart the changes in history education, in South Africa. Pre-1994 detailed the nature of history education and history textbooks during the times of the Boer and British Republics to apartheid era history education. Post-1994, on the other hand, depicted the change, or lack thereof, of history education and history textbooks from the 1994 democratic elections to its current state. Despite the changes in history education between the two eras, the use of history textbooks was, in the context of this study, the vehicle to deliver the curriculum. In the light of the progression of history education and its link to history textbooks, the purpose of this study was threefold, which was purported through the use of three research questions, namely to firstly ascertain what kind of historical literacy was envisaged by the NCS – history. Secondly, to examine the views of history textbook authors concerning their opinion of school history (historical literacy). Thereafter, it was imperative to analyse Grade 10 textbooks in order to ascertain how historical literacy manifested itself therein so as to satiate the question of the thesis. My data sources were the National Curriculum Statement for history (2003), Grade 10 history textbook authors and three Grade 10 history textbooks. The methodology was qualitative and informed by an interpretivist approach. Open coding and Fairclough’s (2005) analytic instrument for discourse analysis was applied to data. Thereafter, a deeper conceptual understanding of historical literacy was engendered through the use of the Toolkit for Historical Literacy. Historical literacy is a complex process wherein a number of criteria facilitated the concept. Attainment of these factors of historical literacy would ensure mastery of the discipline. Historical literacy comprised of historical content knowledge which was a balance between knowing information as well understanding the past. Multiple sources, together with historical skills and historical concepts were vital for historical literacy to construct and evaluate knowledge. In addition, historical literacy furthered a case for developing a moral and ethical framework wherein the past could be judged. Historical consciousness, born of historical literacy, allowed for learners to make a connection with the past. Furthermore, historical literacy encompasses a number of modern concepts for the case of historical literacy, namely ICTunderstandings and representational expression. Therefore, historical literacy should be multi-disciplinary and multi-dimensional. The findings of this study were numerous. Historical skills, historical concepts, understanding and knowing the past, moral judgements in history and a source-based methodology was the encompassing form of historical literacy from the Grade 10 history textbook authors. At the core of historical literacy in Grade 10 history textbooks, are the role of the historian and the political influence of the NCS - history. The NCS - history endorsed all history textbooks in South Africa. The Grade 10 history textbooks revealed a potentially alarming factor for the case of historical literacy. The historical literacy advocated by the Grade 10 history textbooks is a far cry from the international version of historical literacy. No modern features of historical literacy were represented (ICT-understandings, representational expression, applied science, contention and contestability and historical consciousness). Moreover, more traditional features of historical concepts of change, cause and effect as well a means of morally judging the past through empathy are missing or not appropriately dealt with. Historical literacy in Grade 10 history textbooks is functional in terms of sourcing, contextualising and corroborating information so as to understand an event rather than know it. Historical skills are needed to complete this process. Ultimately, the type of historical literacy found in Grade 10 history textbooks is reminiscent of the Schools History Project. Historical literacy in South African Grade 10 history textbooks is not evolving or dynamic and it does not meet the requirements of the international version of historical literacy. However, it does partially satisfy the NCS - history requirements for historical literacy. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.