Since 2002, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) has included mathematical literacy as a compulsory fundamental component for the Further Education and Training Certificate (FETC). This constituted a radical development in education and is intended to empower individuals so that they can function effectively in, and contribute to the democratization of the country. This exploratory study examined the mathematical literacy experiences of 12 Early Childhood Development (ECD) practitioners training toward the National Certificate in ECD at NQF L4. The study was conducted at a non-government, nonformal ECD training organization based in Durban. The practitioners were undertaking their training as part of a Learnership programme. A qualitative research methodology was employed. The data was gathered through focus group interviews, semi-structured interviews, and documentary analysis. The study revealed that the practitioners held a positive view of mathematical literacy training. In addition, it was found that such training should remain as part of the ECD qualification owing to the fact that it added value at both a personal and professional level. In interrogating the curriculum, practitioners recommended the inclusion of ECD examples, and engagement with how mathematical literacy is used in the different contexts. In terms of relevancy of content, practitioners recommended content areas that could be applied in their personal and professional lives. Mathematical literacy that related to national issues was seen as abstract, for example balance of payment in terms of the national budget. The study revealed that the background of the ECD practitioners need to be taken into account as some practitioners may not have studied mathematics before. This implies that providers will need to take into account the NQF Level 3 entry requirements and the expected embedded knowledge that practitioners are supposed to have prior to the registration of practitioners for the NQF L 4 certificate. In this regard, policy makers may also need to re-examine the issue of whether mathematical literacy is needed at the level of the qualification. Dialogue on these issues between SAQA and the different stakeholders may be necessary. Not surprisingly, the study revealed the need for suitably trained mathematical literacy facilitators given that this is a new programme. This study is by no means exhaustive, and is but a small sample of views that could be further explored in a more comprehensive study. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2005.

This is a study of the Implementation of the Developmental Appraisal System in a former DET school in the Pinetown District of KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education and Culture. It focuses on how educators have understood the Developmental Appraisal System, how they have experienced it and what they would recommend for the DAS so that the school, hence the education system can benefit from it. The main findings in this study indicated that there is a need for retraining of educators for the Developmental Appraisal System to be a success. The problem of the time constraints is also another factor that has made the practical implementation of the DAS to fail. Attitudes of educators in connection with the DAS need special attention so that they become more positive about the DAS. Positive findings indicated that involving other people when one has to be appraised makes the appraisee experience other people's input about his/her strengths, areas of development, opportunities and situations threatening his/her performance. I, as a researcher, would recommend a closer look at how time is made available for the process. If possible, Circuit Appraisal Teams (CATs), District's, Regional's, Provincial's and National's Appraisal Teams set an example to educators at school level. They can do this by being the first to be appraised. School Management Teams and office-based educators could also do the same. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.

This research article deals with the implementation of peace education in the intermediate phase of South African schools. The specific questions that this research article attempts to address are: (i) What is peace education, with particular reference to its aims and objectives? (ii) Why is it important to include peace education in any school curriculum? (iii) What is the present status of peace education in the National curriculum? (iv) What has been the experience of educators with this curriculum? (v) How may the curriculum be modified to take account of peace education principles? Chapter one provides an overview, outlining the research objectives and the structure of the research article. Chapter two attempts to review the body of literature that has been written on the subject of peace education. In an effort to accomplish this, the article firstly attempts to provide a widely accepted definition of the concept of peace education. In this regard several definitions of different researchers have been presented and discussed and finally a single definition has been formulated for the purposes of this article. Chapter two attempts to provide an analysis of the aims and objectives of peace education. The varying views by different researchers have been presented. After careful consideration of these views a set of aims and objectives have been presented for the purpose of this research article. Chapter three provides strong evidence that children who are exposed to peace education develop more positively. They perceive their social world and react to social factors in a less hostile way. Furthermore, these individuals see violence as an unacceptable option, and choose nonviolent ways to resolve conflict. Chapter four reviews the research design that has been used in data collection. This chapter also focuses on the methodology and techniques employed in the analysis of the data. Chapter five provides an analysis of the research findings. This analysis is presented in two parts. Chapter six focuses on those objectives of peace education that are of critical importance but have not been included in the National Curriculum Statement grades R-9 (schools) 1997 (NCS) or the Revised National Curriculum Statement grades R-9 (schools) 2002 (RNCS). It will be illustrated that when these objectives are incorporated in the curriculum, it will strengthen the curriculum in terms of its provision for the effective teaching of peace education. Chapter seven contains a summary of the salient discussion points of the research and concluding remarks by the researcher. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.

The dilemma in South African schools can be attributed to the lack of legitimacy created apartheid system and its policies during the previous dispensation. The apartheid school system was characterized by inequality: racially, regionally and in terms of gender (Department of Education 2000f:l). It was also administered by means of a top-down management system where principals and educators were at the receiving end. This means that the principals were accustomed to receiving instructions from departmental officials. This led to poor management and leadership and to a collapse of the culture of teaching and learning in the majority of schools. The South African Schools Act of 1996 places all South African Schools firmly on the road to a school based system of education management and leadership. Department of Education Task Team Report" Changing Management to Manage Change in Education" (1996), as well as the South African School Act of 1996, proposed that a new approach to leadership and management which is a process of decentralizing decision making about allocation of resources to school level, and a significant process of democratization in ways in which schools are governed and managed. The Department of Education (1996) also emphases that the implementation of these new policy trends require school principals who are able to work in democratic and participative ways to build relations and ensure efficient and effective delivery in schools. In this connection transformational style of leadership is essential as this style of leadership is regarded as being more suitable and appropriate for school effectiveness and improvement (see Coleman 1994). What is attempted is of the principal's leadership and its impact on this school; whether the principal's leadership style corresponds with the processes of transformational leadership advocated in the new education policy trends; and a special focus will be on whether there is any evidence of the existence of transformational leadership in this school. The main findings of this research exhibited that the principal's leadership at this school was transactional rather than being transformational. Although the principal at some stage would feel confident that she is carrying out his duties effectively toward promoting effective teaching and learning at this school, it was evident from the findings that she was not at all prepared to face the challenges of the new paradigm shift. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.

This study was designed to investigate "Factors promoting high teacher turnover at Mabathoana High School in the Maseru district-Lesotho". This is a church school situated in the urban areas of Maseru. This study employed a case study approach where the following questions were raised: What is the nature of leadership within the school, how are the relationships within the school as well as to what extent does the community around the school influence teacher turnover? The findings of the study revealed that the leadership did not seem to adequately involve sub-ordinates in decision-making. Moreover, relationships among teachers as well as between teachers and students seemed to be smooth, but relationships with the principal seemed to be not conducive. The community around the school did not seem to contribute to teacher turnover in the school, as it seemed to be supportive of teachers' activities. The recommendations of the study were that the Ministry of Education should review the Teaching Service Regulations in order to ensure that principals are trained in administration, leadership and management skills before assuming the position of headship. School leaders should involve teachers in decision-making to a greater extent through the use of teamwork. School leaders should ensure that teachers are adequately motivated at all times. This can be achieved through the establishment of co-ordinated staff development activities, provision of incentives and so forth. Teachers should be assisted to improve and strengthen the existing relationships Between themselves and the management, among themselves, between themselves and students as well as between themselves and the entire community are sound. They should also increase areas of school community interaction. This can be achieved through more staff development workshops, which will enhance their skills. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.

This study is based in the concept of 'quality' as an ongoing concern in South African education. It deals with some definitions and views of what 'quality' is and how it is applied to the educational process. In doing this the study concentrates on Total Quality Management, a theory founded in commerce, and in recent years applied to education. Chapter 2 of the study, entitled Associated Literature, finally focuses on the concept of 'customer service' or 'customer care', an important element of Total Quality Management, as practised at The Racing and Equestrian Academy, an independent, co-educational boarding school in KwaZulu-Natal. The basic concept upon which this study relies is that students and parents are customers and that they define for themselves what quality is and whether they are receiving it or not. The study developed out of a series of questionnaires completed in 2002 that gave rise to critical concerns about the level of customer service offered by the Academy. These questionnaires are a part of the Academy's ongoing interest in 'quality' and the views of its customers in this respect. In order to discover what its customers' views are and to analyse them, this study has employed ethnographic research methods, in that it allows for: the portrayal of the situation in the subjects' (students' and parents') terms, multiple perspectives and the description of the specific situation at The Racing and Equestrian Academy. Questionnaires, observation and content analysis have been used to record and understand the real findings at the Academy in relation to the theoretical perspectives outlined in the related literature. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, 2003.

One of the results of an increasing concern, in many countries, with the quality of schooling and its improvement, has been that considerable attention has been given, in the literature and in practice, to the management of individual and organisational performance. The matter of organisational performance is being addressed through various means of evaluating schools, and in South Africa, this is finding expression in the current Whole School Evaluation (WSE) project. On the other hand, concerns with individual performance typically are being addressed through various forms of systematic appraisal of teachers. In South Africa, the recently introduced variant of systematic appraisal is referred to as the "Developmental Appraisal System" (DAS). The DAS is claimed to focus entirely on developmental outcomes. According to Chetty et al (1993), prior to 1994, a variety of processes for evaluating teacher performance were evident, but most of these were substantially "bureaucratic and inspectorial" in nature, and were widely rejected by teachers. Consequently, the current approach to appraisal has been developed largely in reaction what were seen to be the limitations and shortcomings of earlier versions. Chetty et al (op.cit.) and Thurlow with Ramnarain (2001) have summarised and discussed the processes which led to the development of the DAS, which culminated in an agreement which was reached in the Education Labour Relations Council in 1998 (Resolution 4 of 1998). Subsequently the new DAS was gazetted and throughout 1999 and 2000 the process of its implementation was embarked upon in all schools. It was intended that a nation review of the implementation of DAS was due to have taken place by the end of 2002. However, for whatever reason, this has not happened and there is no substantial evidence about how successful, or otherwise, the implementation has been. Thurlow with Ramnarain (op. cit) have speculated, without empirical evidence, on the limitations of the implementation process, and the Association of Professional Educators of KwaZulu-Natal (APEK) undertook a limited review of the DAS among some of its members during 2001 . The literature on the assessment of individual performance indicates that, minimally, any evaluation of systematic appraisal system requires that attention should be given to its underlying purposes (or conceptualisation), the process of its implementation, and its ultimate impact. As far as underlying purposes are concerned, it is evident that several different "models" for appraisal exist in different parts of the world (and in the literature). Some of these models are "pure" models, while some are "mixed" by design. Some, while officially conceived as "pure", in fact may be shown to have unintended outcomes. In the present study, the DAS will be examined and compared with other models with a view to offering a considered critique of the "officially" declared underlying purposes of the system. The above provides the context for this study, which will focus on one school's experiences of implementing the DAS. No matter how sound are the intentions of the DAS, it can only be successful if it is effectively implemented at the school level, and so the reported experiences of those involved at this level are significant. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.

HIV/AIDS Education in Butare- Ville Secondary Schools (Rwanda): Analyzing current Pedagogic Discourse using a Bernsteinian framework. This thesis is concerned with the questions of "the what and how of HIV/AIDS school education". This study is located in three secondary schools in Butare-Ville, Rwanda, which were selected to show the picture of current pedagogic practices of fighting the pandemic in various schools. The first part of the study is concerned with the analysis of National policy of HIV/AIDS education of grade 9. This analysis examines how HIV/AIDS education is planned and integrated in various school subjects and what the Ministry of Education's policy is on how it should be implemented. I examined the instructional and regulative discourses within the national policy. Through curricula of other subjects which integrate into HIV/ AIDS education, I also examined how the knowledge of instruction is organized in terms of vertical and horizontal organization. The second part of the study is concerned with how the National HIV/AIDS Policy of HIV/AIDS education is transmitted in the classrooms in terms of classification and framing. In consideration of how students are educated about the disease, I explored students' grouping in terms of gender for getting knowledge and life skills to protect themselves from the pandemic. The theoretical resources for the analysis are drawn from Bernstein. The contribution of this thesis is two-fold. Firstly, it offers methodological techniques for evaluating of HIV/AIDS discourse with regard to how it is constructed and distributed in the classroom using a Bernsteinian framework. Secondly, the thesis points forward to further research in HIV/AIDS education for change in curriculum and pedagogic practices. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.

Sociopolitical changes in South Africa have impacted on the education system in ways which have in turn affected the day-to-day running of schools. Changes in education policy such as cuts in state funding and redistribution of teachers have led to large classes and heavy timetables for the teachers at Queensville school. Constitution-invoked le_g;;isnlation such as the abolishment ----cor oral punishment and the disallowance of either principal or governing body from expelling a learner, has placed further pressure on teachers to find alternative ways of maintaining order in the school and classroom. Set against the background of a changing school, within the context of wider educational changes both in South Africa and internationally, this research examines the management..Qtdis..ciplin by exploring the experiences of the teachers of Qu-e-e-n,sville High. Particular focus is given to their opinions and the strategies they have adopted in order to cope. Data was collected over a period of several mon~s through observation, conversations, in1eryiews d.isq.l.~§iQn groups and j3 questionnaire. This was analysed and presentation was made in four sections. Firstly, a description was given of the school. Secondly an examination was made of types and patterns of discipline problems experienced by the teachers, and underlying and exacerbating causes. Thirdly a review was made of discipline management strategies used in the school: both individual and collective. Finally th~ views of the teachers about discipline were recorded. This data formed the basis for discussion of discipline management in South African schools / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, 2000.

The decade of the nineties has ushered in a period of socio-political transformation in South Africa. Demands for the democratisation of education imply that teachers will be expected to assume a more significant professional role, particularly with regard to curriculum decision-making. As a result of authoritarian curriculum policies and practices of the past, teachers have not had the same opportunities to participate in curriculum decision-making as their colleagues in many other countries (HSRC: 1981). This means that teachers in this country have, in the main, been forced to operate as 'restricted' professionals and will need to move towards a greater 'extended' professionality (Hoyle: 1980). However, the extent to which teachers are able to become more "extended" professionals will depend on the identification and removal of constraints on their further professional development in this regard. The primary aim of this study, therefore, was to investigate constraints on the further professional development of teachers as curriculum decision-makers within Indian secondary schools in the Greater Durban area. A stratified random sample, proportionally representing the three sub-populations of teachers (viz. Classroom Practitioners, Heads of Departments and Principals / Senior Deputy Principals / Deputy Principals), was drawn and a mailed questionnaire was used to survey attitudes and opinions pertinent to this study. The main findings that emerged from the survey were: 1. Whilst teachers themselves are desirous of becoming involved in curriculum decision-making at all levels, in most instances they are deprived of opportunities to participate in decision-making even at the micro-level of the school. 2. Whilst some principals tend to profess a very liberal and progressive view with regard to teacher participation in curriculum decision-making, in reality they adopt a very prescriptive and authoritarian style of management. 3. Pre-service and in-service education programmes for teachers do not adequately focus on teacher participation in curriculum decision-making. 4. Within-school constraints are exacerbated by a lack of clarity about the education department's stance on the matter of teacher participation in curriculum decision-making. The recommendations emanating from these findings were made principally with the House of Delegates' Department of Education and Culture in mind, but are likely to be applicable to all other existing departments of education in the country. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, Durban, 1991.