Among all the other files in my cabinet is one marked 'adult education'. It is a bulky file of documents dating back a number of years. It contains reports, articles and official documents both from NGOs and the Department of Education. The content of the collected document files include the pros and cons surrounding the long debate regarding the history of adult education provision at the Beatrice Street YMCA (BS YMCA). Another issue surfacing in these files is the issue of fund-raising, as a lack of funds poses serious concerns about the provision of adult education. The economic, social and political situations presented to the BS YMCA an irresistible challenge, especially in the city of Durban and surroundings. The Board of Management is sensitive to the needs of young people and has identified adult education as a means of offering support. Adult education provision at the BS YMCA offers invaluable skills. These skills include survival English (i.e. communication and numeracy), functional (workplace and society) and compensatory tools (life skills). It was not an easy road to travel for them, especially as the core need of the young people is employment. Over the years there were much needed changes in the adult education programmes offered at the BS YMCA. The development of educational policies from 1993 became the vehicle for the new dispensation in adult education. Adult education programmes at the BS YMCA changed from a traditional (teacher-centered) approach to a participatory approach based on dialogue. (which was more learner centered). The new programmes aim to offer more employment opportunities. The provision of adult education by the BS YMCA has been recognised by different educational departments over the years. The BS YMCA , being part of the educational struggle for transformation , was instrumental in pioneering "finishing schools" in the 80s. Skills training was also introduced to the BS YMCA educational programmes in 1994. The initiated programmes are vital in addressing the needs of the young people in the city of Durban. This dissertation is concerned with the history of adult education provision at the BS YMCA, whose concerns include a holistic approach regarding the mind , body and spirit (The world alliance of YMCAs 'Red Triangle '). The BS YMCA's philosophy and origins of the Red Triangle show a link between the body, mind and soul. The history of provision of adult education at the BS YMCA was a struggle of a non-governmental organisation becoming a state public center. There is also a link between curriculum design and social change of young people. In conclusion, the study aims to examine various adult education curricula changes over the years. These changes address responsible attitudes towards civil society and the effects of social evils and personal guidance. / Theses(M.Ed)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.

This research project investigates the influence of, and interplay between, contextual and biographical factors on an educator's ability to respond to the work context. In particular, this study explores what factors a small number of educators believe were important, before, during and after their participation on one or other specific professional development programme in enabling them to develop (design and/or adapt) and implement a course curriculum in their work environments. Within the context of this research, the professional development programmes of interest are designed with/for environmental educators from the Southern African region. Although past educational research has often focused on the importance that programme participants give to the interactions between themselves and tutors , the materials used, the assignments tackled, etc. this research project did not set out to draw the research subjects' attention to programme-related factors. Rather, it was designed to broaden the focus to include factors before and after a programme as well. Within this enquiry, three research subjects were engaged in numerous, open-ended conversations throughout the course of the year during which the study unfolded. The above participants were also involved in semi-structured interviews where, again, relatively open-ended questions were asked. A small number of documents, such as the materials of the above professional development programmes, were also analysed. This research has provided a number of insights into the wide range of factors that might enable educators to respond effectively to their work environments. Specifically, it has indicated the importance of four broad families of factors perceived by the subjects of this research to have enabled them to develop and implement a meaningful course curriculum. The personal variables are highlighted in particular. Importantly, this study raises questions and challenges both for those involved in similar research as well as for those involved in the design and implementation of professional development programmes, particularly for educators. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2002.

Public policy can take a wide range of forms, from broad statements of goals to more specific statements of intention (De Clercq 1997 cited in Kallaway et al 1997). Policy can be expressed in speeches, official statements, court decisions, laws and regulations, all of which embody the authority to define goals and priorities. Policy also provides a framework for taking action and lends legitimacy to implementation and evaluation purposes (Ray and Poonwansie 1987 cited in Ovando, 1999). The outcomes of a policy depend critically on the resources allocated to its support and the institutional arrangements mobilized in its implementation. Despite the introduction and implementation of the new Language in Education Policy (1997), policies and legislation enacted by the new government in South Africa to redress the imbalances of the past, especially in terms of promoting the marginalized African languages, and recognising language diversity and choice, the status and use of African languages in schools has not improved. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the current language policy on an adult centre that is Phindangene Adult Centre. This study sought to investigate learners and teachers attitudes towards the Language In Education Policy. It also aimed to demonstrate how language choices were made at Phindangene AEC, and whose interests they served. Different research instruments were used for data collection. A written questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were used to gather data from the respondents. Observation and official records were also used to supplement this. This study showed that there was a big difference between the language policy of the country and language practice at Phindangene AEC. In the light of the major findings the study recommends the following: • Student's primary language should be incorporated into the instructional program. • A holistic approach to teacher development should be adopted which provides teachers with basic skills and concepts in curriculum development through seminars and workshops. • Much more effort should go into developing and providing learning materials and textbooks that are more appropriate to adult learners. • School governing bodies need to familiarize themselves with the new Language in Education Policy. • It is the responsibility of the Department of Education to make sure that each adult centre gets a copy of the language policy. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, 2002

Internationally, there is a growing body of research that focuses on teachers’ informal learning. However, there is very little research in South Africa on informal learning and most research focuses on formal professional development initiatives. The purpose of this study is to address the gap in South African literature on the contemporary educational phenomenon of informal teacher learning. The study aims to investigate how teachers learn informally at school. The key research questions, 1. What do the selected teachers understand by the concept teacher learning? 2. In what ways do teachers learn informally at school? 3. What kinds of knowledge do teachers learn informally at school? were used to frame the study. The body of literature surveyed for this study makes reference to the variety of ways teachers learn informally in school and the benefits derived from this alternative form of learning. In South Africa, studies undertaken by Abrahams (1997) and Graven (2004) seem to suggest that there is some kind of support for collaboration and communities of practice as models of teacher learning. This study was conducted with a group of five teachers, both novice and experienced at a suburban government girls’ high school in KwaZulu-Natal. The study used the exploratory, descriptive style of case study methodology where the case is teacher learning in a high school. It was designed to unfold in four different stages and a data collection instrument specific to each stage was used to generate the necessary data: Journals (Stage 1), Photographs (Stage 2), Photovoice (Stage 3). The data were analysed in three steps: (1) Identifying patterns and themes emerging from the interview transcripts and journal entries. (2) Content analysis to give a rich, textured description of all the details of the participants’ experiences and reflections through the narrative written about each participant. (3) A deeper analysis then followed linking data to literature by looking across narratives of the five participants for what was similar or different about what knowledges they learnt and in what ways they learnt these knowledges. Some of the key findings indicate that these participants are self-motivated and that each of them took the initiative in an individual capacity to engage in informal teacher learning to either enhance or develop their content knowledge, pedagogic knowledge, pedagogic content knowledge or contextual knowledge. They learnt these knowledges by engaging in either individual learning (planned or unplanned) or social learning (planned or unplanned) from or with colleagues. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.

Home Group Bible Studies, Fellowship Groups, or Home Cells, to name a few, provide an opportunity for worshipping Christians to meet on a frequent basis for varied reasons but most often to study and learn from the Bible. The existing adult education literature on this international and local practice is scant. This dissertation explores a case of nonformal learning by adults in a Johannesburg-based Methodist home group bible study. The theoretical lenses used to explore the learning of six adults are Lave and Wenger’s (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Wenger, 1998) Community of Practice theory, and Dirkx (Dirkx, 2000, 2001; Dirkx, Mezirow, & Cranton, 2006), English (English, 2000; English & Gillen, 2000) and Tisdell’s (Tisdell, 1999, 2008) Holistic Learning theories. Dirkx’s (2001) theory of holistic learning is situated as a critique of Mezirow’s Transformative Learning theory. The research is conducted in the interpretive paradigm. Case study methodology is used to richly describe the learning and change in three couples within a home group bible study in the context of the home church and Methodism more generally. Data collection methods include observations of home group bible study sessions, semi-structured interviews, programme notes from the bible study programme followed, and journals written by five of the six participants. The analysis of the data takes as its point of departure the voices of the participants, and the description and history of the home group. This study provides opportunity to theorise the learning and changes experienced by the members of this nonformal adult education enterprise, and to contribute to existing literature. Whilst the bible study home group as a whole and the case study participants in particular foreground their learning as rational, cognitive and academic, this study reveals the multidimensionality of their learning. The most significant learning in action is situated within the affective learning domain. Extrarational ways of knowing, intuition and feelings exist in their own right and lead to holistic learning. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.

Print materials for audiences with low levels of literacy usually include illustrations. This is particularly true of health education materials designed to raise awareness of serious diseases like the Human Immuno-deficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) and Tuberculosis (TB). When people cannot read well, it is often assumed illustrations will communicate information more clearly than written text. Theories of visual communication, however, suggest that visuals are ambiguous and more likely to be misinterpreted than written text, especially by under-educated viewers in environments where visuals and print materials are scarce. Moreover, the traditional guidelines on illustrating educational materials for adults with limited literacy are dated and often anecdotal. Due to South Africa’s high HIV/AIDS and TB infection rates, effective health education is important. The lack of basic literacy skills among millions of adults presents a challenge. It is important to understand the communicative potential and limitations of illustrations in health education materials in order to maximise their success. This qualitative research analyses how visual meaning is structured in illustrations from health education print materials from a semiotic perspective. A mixed method approach known as hybridised semiotics (Penn, 2000) is used, which in this case combines the semiotic analysis of the illustrations with data collected through interviews. Audience interpretations of the illustrations are contrasted with the producer’s intended meanings. 23 individual interviews were conducted with Zulu-speaking adult participants from ABET Level 1 Zulu literacy classes in two rural and two urban literacy centres in KwaZulu-Natal. The research instrument for the interviews included illustrations in different illustrating styles and with different approaches to content. The content of the illustrations included HIV/AIDS; the digestive system, safety for caregivers, and TB. The illustration styles included artistic techniques, levels of stylization, pictorial depth and background detail. The participants frequently misinterpreted the illustrations, or were able to describe the basic appearance of what was depicted without interpreting the complexities of the intended messages. Reported education levels seemed to influence participants’ abilities to interpret pictures, but not as significantly as expected. Findings suggest that rural participants were more likely to misinterpret illustrations containing symbols and unfamiliar objects, and tended to focus on describing surface details. Even though urban participants were more likely to discuss the connotations of illustrations, they often misinterpreted the intended message. Previous background knowledge and experience of the subject matter of the illustrations seemed to be the factor that enabled participants to infer the intended meanings of illustrations. This study demonstrates the use of a semiotic approach to analysing illustrations, which may help to predict and avoid sources of confusion for audiences with low literacy. It also confirms that certain guidelines remain relevant while others do not, and provides specific recommendations on how to enhance the effectiveness of visual communication in this context. Illustrations have many beneficial roles, and remain essential components of reading material for audiences with low levels of literacy. It is therefore important to understand their complexity, and the reasons why they may be misinterpreted, so that their educational potential can be maximised. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2014.

The content of books published for adult beginner readers reveals as much about how literacy is understood and valued as it does about how literacy learners are viewed and constructed. This research consists of a description and analysis of the corpus of easy readers or stories published specifically for adult beginner readers in South Africa from 1990 to 2000. It is based on the assumption that texts can be used as evidence of the educational theories which underpin and inform them. The research consist of three parts: the development of analytical tools; a broad descriptive review of books published in all South Africa's official languages; a detailed content analysis of English books. The analytical tools are derived from research into children's literature, dominant conceptions of the meanings and purposes of adult literacy and research into gender and language. The corpus of books is examined in terms of literary quality, pedagogy and ideology. 120 books published in all South African languages are analysed according to various criteria relating to genre, theme, setting and design. The 38 English books in the sample are, in addition, analysed in depth in relation to plot, narrative features, character, emotions, direct speech, gender, imagery and readability. The research reveals that unlike fiction for children beginner readers, fiction for adult beginner readers in South Africa is relatively restricted in terms of genre, theme and literary quality in general. While a significant number of stories conform to conventional notions of what constitutes good fiction, many others are simply overdetermined vehicles for "development" messages - non-fiction masquerading as fiction. Despite the presence of a surprising number of humorous titles, many of the books are characterised by overtly moralising and didactic themes.The majority of the books do not substantially challenge stereotypes. The readership is generally portrayed as docile, predictable, hard-working, decent and stoical. Male characters tend to be more varied and complex and female characters conform to their stereotypical roles. Stories are mostly set in domestic, racially homogeneous domains populated by poor African people. Although there are notable exceptions to the above trends, the stories generally depict an uncontested, harmonious, homogeneous and docile world. In terms of issues relating to pedagogy the corpus reveals an overwhelming dominance of English second language books. This suggests that literacy acquisition in mother tongue African languages is not a serious endeavour in the current South African context. In terms of readability features, aside from surface similarities, there are wide discrepancies between publishers. Books are mainly written in naturally occurring language and do not appear to be written with predictability or decodability features particularly in mind. The analysis overall illustrates the complex nature of fiction for adult beginner readers which has to meet the simultaneous demands of readability and engagement. The corpus of books for adult beginner readers reflects competing conceptions of the purposes of promoting adult literacy: functionality, immediate application and relevance versus long-term development of reading through the evocation of emotion and imagination. / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.

This thesis argues that it is both necessary and possible to change the world. Changing the world requires engaging with, to try to understand it from the basis of lived reality, and then acting. Our ability to do this is, however, affected by hegemony, which attempts to convince us that the way things are is either normal and natural and the only possible way they could be, or that it is impossible to change them. Nevertheless, there is always resistance to this, and I suggest that we might learn something useful by examining how this happens. The thesis thus explores Gramsci’s theory of hegemony, and its applicability to our current world; and also considers resistance to this. I argue that the nature of capitalism has shifted, and discuss how this shift has impacted on hegemony, identifying three current interlocking hegemonic ideologies. I consider current resistance to this hegemony, including the role of social movements. Much resistance, and many social movements, I argued, cannot properly be called counter-hegemonic in that, although it/they may critique the dominant economic system, it/they remain trapped within hegemonic logic. However, it is clear that there is existing truly counter-hegemonic resistance, including some social movements, and I argue that Abahlali baseMjondolo is one such counter-hegemonic movement. Thus it is possible that those who join/align themselves with this movement might be considered to have ‘unlearned’ hegemony and be useful subjects for this study. I thus consider the life stories of seven people who have aligned themselves to this movement, in order to determine whether they have indeed ‘unlearned’ hegemony, and if so, how. I discuss relevant and appropriate theory for examining this phenomenon, including experiential learning, transformative learning and Freirean emancipatory learning. I argue that whilst these theories of learning are helpful, they cannot entirely account for unlearning. I then turn to the theory of the event of Alain Badiou as a possible complementary or alternative way into thinking about unlearning. I apply both the learning theories and Badiou’s theory of the event to the stories, all of which show strong evidence of unlearning,, and consider how useful the theories are in understanding this. I conclude that all of the theories help to some extent in understanding the unlearning in stories. There are, however, fundamental differences between the learning theories on the one hand and Badiou’s theory on the other. I construct a model showing that the basis of the difference between the adult learning theories and Badiou’s theory of the event rests on the locus of the trigger for transformation. I argue that Badiou’s theory provides a very useful additional perspective to adult learning theory; but that it cannot be considered to have replaced existing theories in understanding how people learn informally to think and act in counter-hegemonic ways. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.

This study analyses the Growth Employment and Redistribution (GEAR) strategy with respect to social development, and adult basic education and training (ABET). Since its adoption as official economic policy, replacing the RDP policy in June 1996, the GEAR strategy has been a subject of much debate, and blamed for all social and economic ills, including job losses and high unemployment, poverty, problems in the education, health and welfare system, as well as poor delivery of social services. Motivated by these debates, the author set out to investigate how GEAR provides / does not provide for social development and ABET, both areas of interest to the author. This study investigates this question based only on a review of literature. While the GEAR strategy makes policy proposals in various aspects of the economy, and sets an economic growth target of 6% per annum by the year 2000, and the creation of 400 000 jobs per annum during the same period (all of which were not met), evidence shows no policy provisions in the GEAR strategy with respect to social development, and ABET. In fact, ABET is not mentioned at all in the GEAR strategy. However, the GEAR strategy makes specific mention of the Human Resources Development Strategy, as a vehicle for addressing education and training problems, thereby improving the skills base of the country. The Human Resources Development Strategy and the National Skills Development Strategy sponsored by the DoE and DoL respectively, all seem to be sound policies. There is however growing evidence that South Africa has developed sound policies which it fails to implement because of lack of capacity and financial resources partly due to the government's acceptance of the neoliberal agenda. This appears to be particularly true with respect to social development and ABET targets in the Human Resources Development and the National Skills Development strategies. This study concludes that the GEAR strategy is based on neoliberal assumptions of stimulating foreign investment, export-led economic growth, global trade and global competition, underpinned by the conception that the state must play a minimal role in the economy and is therefore not appropriate for the social development challenges (especially illiteracy) facing South Africa. If progress is to be made in addressing these challenges in South Africa, an alternative to the GEAR strategy must be found . / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2002.

In order to establish its status within the increasingly competitive global market South Africa needs to become a more active participant. In economic terms the current conjunction has often been characterised as a period of revitilised capital accumulation based on globalisation which in turn has helped bring about new forms ofproduction, distribution and consumption. Globalisation involves the integration of the economies of nation states through market mechanisms accompanied by increased transitional flexibility of capital, labour and new forms of technology. This insight of globalisation requires that we respond with greater competition and increased flexibility as we shift towards neo and post Fordist forms of work organisation rather than stick to outmoded practices of the past. One possible response to the requirement for greater labour flexibility lies in MultiSkilling, a system of skills flexibility recognised globally but still fairly new in South Africa. The current South Africa skills base is inadequate to meet global challenges and though change is becoming more so evident, existing education and training structures are doing little to ensure the higher degrees of skill flexibility required. This study focuses on Multi-Skilling and contextualise Multi-Skilling within the Automotive Manufacturing environment specifically where it has recently been implemented. This study shows that for Multi-Skilling to succeed, education, training and development of the workforce needs to be prioritised to uplift large numbers of employees who had been previously disadvantaged and limited to low levels of skill. Multi-Skilling will be shown to be of value and benefit to employer and employee alike as it offers opportunities for growth to particular sectors of employees, namely operatives who had previously been limited to routine and repetitive single focus tasks for years on end. lbis study shows that when the approach to Multi-Skilling involves the intention to encourage career development, improved grades and rates of pay for lower level employees, namely operatives through recognition of acquired skills, it has potential to assist the motor manufacturing industry achieve the world class manufacturing status provided that flexibility, quality and productivity of manning is accepted by the workforce as well. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.