Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2007.

Historically, technical education has always being perceived as "inferior education". It is / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2007.

Computer technology in South African schools has been integrated into the curriculum to improve the standard of teaching and learning. This study explores the integration of computer technology into the curriculum in previously disadvantaged high schools in Umlazi, KwaZulu-Natal. The results from this study state very clear that educators in previously disadvantaged high schools in Umlazi do not integrate computer technology into the curriculum. The educators are not trained to integrate computer technology into the curriculum. In these schools there were educators who were not computer literate. There were also schools who did not teach computer technology because the computers in the schools were not enough to meet the needs of the learners. This study recommends that the South African Government need to provide support services to previously disadvantaged high schools. The government should make sure that all educators in previously disadvantaged high schools are trained to use computers and able to integrate computer technology into the various learning areas. Finally the government should make sure that each previously disadvantaged school has at least one computer laboratory as a starting point. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2006.

Numerous policies have been drawn globally, regionally and within nations and in government departments to address the scourge of HIV & AIDS. However infection figures continue to rise in the 15-49 years bracket, the youth and the most economically productive members of society. This is the reason that intensive efforts are being directed towards school going youth. Collaboration has been identified as a vantage point from which HIV and AIDS and health related matters can be tackled. Effective management is the key to effective collaboration. This study seeks to assess the role of the principal in facilitating the implementation of collaborative HIV programmes in school, and to assess the effectiveness of visual and arts based methods in enhancing collaboration. The study employs the systems management approach and the health promoting school concept which are both predicated on collaboration. Since the focus is on the role of the principal within the school which is itself set in a socio-cultural context, this study uses a qualitative design. Data is generated from a triangulation of observations, interviews and the analysis of documents. Facilitating and enhancing collaboration entails gathering adequate information on the purpose of the programme; assessing the need for it; weighing its relevance for the achievement of educational goals. This is followed by assessing the resources implications; informing and orienting the teachers about it; selecting and appointing teachers for participation in it; ensuring the development and training of teachers; creating a structure and assigning roles to the participants; and creating channels of communication and chains of command. These findings point to a need for the development of management capacity and the capacity of all stakeholders. Visual and arts based methods proved to be a powerful medium for creating dialogue between parents, learners and community health care workers and teachers at an informal level. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2006.

Various studies have been conducted around the world on students and Internet usage. These studies have been conducted on students of different age groups, from entry level, up to and including students at colleges and universities. In view of studies conducted elsewhere, the researcher was keen to investigate how local students, from Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, used the Internet during their spare time. The study was a qualitative study based on the experiences of a few students who were chosen as participants using snowball sampling. The data was produced using interviews and a mini survey. Data was analysed by generating themes which emerged. The research findings indicated that students do use the Internet occasionally for educational purposes, such as research or communication with their lecturers. However, the responses revealed that they used the Internet mainly as a leisure activity. Common activities included social networking, e-mail, network games and downloading music. A disturbing find was that students had little or no knowledge regarding the legal and ethical use of the Internet. Similarly, students had minimal knowledge of netiquette. Due to the above findings, a sample Internet usage policy, a sample agreement, as well as guidelines for Internet usage (including netiquette) has been compiled as part of the recommendations for education managers to adopt in order to promote a healthy and safe culture of Internet use at their respective institutions. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2007.

The HlV and AIDS pandemic has affected millions of people worldwide. In 2004, statistics released by UNAlDS revealed that the number of people infected with HIV and AIDS had reached 42 million worldwide. Much has been written about the plight of those infected with the disease but not as much attention is focused on those who, although uninfected, suffer the effects of living with a family member or close friend who is HIV positive. There are those children of school-going age who live with, care for and are affected by the HIV and AIDS infected. These children are affected in all spheres - in their home life, their relationships, and their academic life at school. Studies show that these HIV and AIDS affected adolescents constitute an at-risk population. This study attempts to understand the impact of being HIV and AIDS affected on adolescent learners. A qualitative approach was employed in conducting this research. Purposive sampling was used to select an information rich individual, one African, female, articulate adolescent learner. The case study method was employed. The data was obtained by means of open-ended questions in numerous interviews. The findings indicated that the HIV and AIDS affected learner experienced significant difficulties, such as depression, isolation, fear of stigma and developmentally inappropriate responsibilities. These difficulties had an impact on all areas of her life - her school life, peer relationships, relationships with teachers, her family life, and her development. / Thesis (M.Ed. ) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.

This study, which adopts a participatory research methodology, is about creating opportunities for learners to negotiate their own meaningful learning that is linked to action. In keeping with the new vision for education in South Africa, I explore the need for creating space for learners to participate actively in learning that is meaningful to them. In this study I set out to engage the learners in sustained learning that is connected to real-life situations through 'project based learning'. This type of learning, including the desired space for such learning, is nurtured by the use of 'mediated learning experience' that provides the appropriate human management system for two-way rich communication between the learner(s) and the educator. Participation in this study is an the level of the participant, and at the level of the multiple research instruments used. Fourteen learners participated, however, the data analysis is based on the responses of five learners who participated in all phases of the study. Learning linked to action in democratic learning spaces provide learners with the opportunity to express their own voice, and, to negotiate an identity of themselves. The findings show that learners negotiate own meaning in idiosyncratic ways. This is done by making use of own experiences, available resources (both physical and human), peer group sharing and dialogue, and, by expressing the nature of that which stands in the way of learning. The implications of allowing learners to negotiate own meaning requires extending democratic values in classrooms, and giving them opportunities to learn how knowledge and power are negotiated in learning interactions. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.

The South African Education system has gone through much transformation and seen significant changes in the past decade in order to provide quality education and reformation. However, many under-resourced schools, such as rural schools, still face unacceptably high teacher-pupil ratios and large classes in their schools (Prinsloo, 2006). Rathogwa (2006) confirms that rural schools have been historically disadvantaged with limited resources and poor infrastructure. The purpose of this study is to investigate the perceptions and experiences of educators, Heads of department (HODs) and principals about how they coped with large classes. The study was conducted in three rural primary schools situated in the Inanda Area. The study adopts a qualitative research approach. Within this approach, a case study design was adopted. The data collection methods comprise of observations and semi-structured interviews with educators, HODs and principals. The overall findings of the research show that these schools are faced with a plethora of challenges because of their large classes. The findings show that large classes result in poor achievement levels, poor quality of work and disruptive behaviour amongst the learners. Furthermore the educators are faced with heavy workloads which increase teacher apathy, teacher stress and low teacher morale amongst the educators. The schools attempt many strategies as a means to overcome their challenges. Some schools employ the following strategies: they have a strict code of conduct; they reward appropriate behaviour; they counsel difficult learners, they engage in co-operative learning, they employ qualified staff members and engage in group work. From the data collected, principals motivate staff members by having weekly staff meetings to resolve their staff conflicts. Moreover some schools have more strategies than other schools. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

Contemporary gender studies focus on the contexts in which particular discourses shape the construction of masculinities and femininities. With a need to understand what it means for boys and girls in particular South African classrooms to study Physical Sciences, this small-scale case study explored girls. and boys. constructions of gender through examining the researchable relations of power. Drawing on poststructuralist theories, which define power as multidimensional, and shifting, I explored how boys and girls are produced as a nexus of subjectivities. This study is located in a grade 10 Physical Sciences classroom in a school from the Umlazi Township, in Durban. Located within a poststructural feminist paradigm, I used a qualitative research methodology with case study as the method, with observations and interviews to collect the data. The analysis of the data on power relations between the learners, and between the learners and the science taught provided an insight into the performances of boys and girls and the constructions of gendering. In this study, the main constructions of gender were that of the hegemonic .Machismo Masculinity. and .Compliant/Resistant Femininity.. The discourses of power that shaped the constructions of masculinity and femininity were the learners. use of classroom space, learner interactions and their interactions with the decontextualised .masculinist. science. Here, relations of power were context dependent and constantly shifting. Without seeking generalisation, this case study concludes that contexts are critical in shaping the performances of masculinities and femininities, which in turn define the constructions of gender. This study highlights the complexity of gender studies and the need to give due consideration to how gendered selves are constituted in discursive chains especially where it intersects with discourses such as curriculum and pedagogy. Importantly, in broader terms, there is a need to deepen scientific enquiry to include the social aspects of learning, which will assist in understanding the way science is taught and learnt. Hence, gender studies should move beyond quantifying participation and performance, towards trying to understand how subjectivities create both possibilities and constraints for learners. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

In South Africa, particularly in the townships, there is a huge concern for the quality of education that children receive. As a consequence, the Department of Education (DoE) introduced policies such as the Integrated Quality Management Systems (IQMS) to improve the quality of education and for school improvement. IQMS policy was adopted from an industrial philosophy called Total Quality Management (TQM) which sought to improve production in the industries. The study used Quality Management and Total Quality management to frame the study and understand the daily lives of theparticipants in the three schools studied. This study investigated the relationship between quality management and school improvement in three secondary schools in Umlazi District. The selection of these schools was based on the public and department officials' perceptions regarding their performance, over the past three years. The research design was qualitative and used semi-structured interviews of schools principals, Heads of Departments (HODs) and educators. Unstructured observations were also used to gather data about the schools' environment, facilities available and general atmosphere. The findings indicate that there was understanding of quality management and school improvement. Findings also show that the understanding of these concepts was limited to principals only, with some HODs showing some understanding. Educators did not understand these at all, and also did not regard it as part of their responsibility to understand them. The study also showed that the understanding of the two concepts did not translate to better performance in the school. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.