A number of school - based conflicts which tend to impact negatively on the entire running of schools, are reported each academic year to the Department of Education (DoE) officials by concerned role players. The said conflicts have resulted in a continuous and destructive tug - of - war between some principals and teacher union members, thus causing school principals unable to perform their core functions to the maximum. Worse scenarios have seen a number of learners drawn in causing mayhem and complete ineffectiveness to some schools. Firstly, the intention of the entire research project was to provide a survey approach which will focus on the principals' perceptions of the role of teacher unions in school management. Secondly, this study sought to address how school principals perceive their own management roles in unionized school environments. Thirdly, the study further sought to look at the strategies that can be employed to assist and benefit school principals who encounter problems in their highly unionized school environments so that the running of their schools can be effective and efficient. Lastly, it sought to address the perceptions of teacher union members with regard to their own role in school management and how they can contribute meaningfully in order to promote the culture of learning and teaching ( COLT) in schools. A survey design, in which qualitative methodology was engaged to collect and analyze data, was utilized in the study. Responses were elicited by means of administering questionnaires to selected principals and personal semi-structured interviews to some union members. The document analysis was the third method that was used in order to enhance the credibility of the study. Responses in the questionnaires revealed that while some principals in this study recognize the existence and the role of teacher union members in their schools, there are those principals who are not comfortable with the teacher union involvement in their school management. Emanating from data gathered through the personal semi - structured interviews, teacher union members firmly believe they are deprived by principals from making their meaningful input that would assist in the effective running of schools. Such relationships suggest a lack of mutual trust between school principals and teacher union members in the areas of study. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.

The South African Schools Act No. 84 of 1996 and the report of the Task Team on Education Management Development (Department of Education, 1996), proposed greater involvement of major stakeholders, in particular the educators, in decision-making processes in educational institutions. This opened a new chapter of a major transformational shift from an authoritarian and bureaucratic style of management to a democratic and participative management style. The purpose of this research was to investigate, largely through the perceptions of staff, the extent to which the management of Gcewu Secondary School may be characterised as "collegial" and, as necessary, to make practical recommendations as to how the management arrangements of the school may be modified or enhanced to promote collegiality. The questionnaires and interviews were sued as the research instruments for this study. This study was conducted at Gcewu Secondary School at Umbumbulu District, Durban South Region. The main findings that emerged from the study were as follows: * The educators regard the decision made about the management of the school as directly affecting them. * Educators were not adequately involved in decision-making. * Educators were keen in participating in decision-making but the principal was not willing to share power with them (post level 1 educators). / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.

This thesis examines the impact of the abolition of corporal punishment on boy behaviour in a rural IsiZulu-medium school in Harding, Kwazulu-Natal. The school is made up of black learners and educators. As far back as we can remember, corporal punishment has been part of a teacher's function. When corporal punishment was abolished by the South African Act of l996, many teachers were aggrieved, as they believed that corporal punishment was the only answer to disciplinary problems. Many educators still believe that corporal punishment should be used to make learners respect them and curb deviant behaviour. Altematives to corporal punishment have been provided as a way of bringing change to schools' disciplinary practices. These alternatives to corporal punishment haven't been popular with parents, educators and learners. There is a call for the restoration of corporal punishment in spite of the negative impact such punishment has on a learner. The South African Government has made it illegal to use corporal punishment as a way of addressing or instilling change. This study examines the effects of the abolition of corporal punishment, and more specifically, looks at whether the abolition has had a positive effect on school discipline, boys' behaviour and, more broadly, on gender relations. Using questionnaires and interviews posed to both educators and learners, the research suggests that boy's behaviour is shaped and influenced to a large extent by the following factors: (a) Home back ground, (b) The society/environment, (c) The history of the education system, (d) School practices and discipline policies and (e) Hegemonic masculinities. The type of punishment that is used also contributes towards shaping boys behaviour. The study finds that the abolition of corporal punishment has had both a positive and a negative impacts on schools' discipline and boy behaviour. The study shows that one of the intended consequences of the abolition of corporal punishment (the improvement of the teacher learner environment) has not been achieved and in fact, may have become worse as a result of the abolition of corporal punishment. Leamers are more undisciplined now than before. Educators fail to exert authority over learners as boys have as increased disregard for the rights of others. There is a high frequency of late comers and the school is functioning poorly. Educators feel that they lack the authority to discipline leamers as they are not allowed to use corporal punishment. Academic performance is low in both internal (grade 8-11) and external (grade 12) classes. There is increased graffiti and vandalism. Learners fail to attend studies and extra lessons and during breaks they are very noisy. Most learners experience difficulty using English as the medium of learning and teaching. Learners seem to have no interest in academic work although the majority of learners participate in extra mural activities. A few of the learners and educators have responded positively to the abolition of corporal punishment. Some of the educators have changed their disciplinary methods and practices. They have resorted to alternative methods of punishment like detention, discussions and getting leamers to perform menial tasks. The use of non violent methods of punishment have yielded a slight change in boy learners. Some of the boys seem to be obedient, they conform to school rules and are responsible and committed to their work. Some learners, who displayed violent behaviour before, have become passive and display acceptable behaviour. This study finds a thin but steady line of change in boys' behaviour and in gender relations in the school. The abolition of corporal punishment appears to create democratic spaces which allow new perceptions and practices of discipline to emerge and these assist in the emergence of new masculinities. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2005.

This research investigates the effectiveness of teambuilding in the whole School Development Department of an NGO based in the Valley of a Thousand Hills, KwaZuluNatal. My personal view is that teamwork is essential to the effective functioning of people in organisations. As I am the manager of the Whole School Development Department, I initiated a teambuilding programme at the beginning of 2002. My gut feeling is that teambuilding is the most important tool that can bring a team together in pursuit of common goals. By embarking on this research, I would be able to explore the perceptions of team members in respect of the effectiveness of teambuilding. From the outset it was believed that a case study approach would be most appropriate. This approach allowed the manager (researcher) to freely observe and interact with the subjects of the research. During the research, data was collected and analysed on an ongoing basis. Due to the nature of the research and the size of the population (eleven members in the team) the researcher was able to focus on the entire population. Results obtained revealed that the manager and team members were committed and dedicated to make teambuilding work. All the participants had a large say in how it would be run and all wanted the team to be as good as it could be. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, Durban, 2003.

Preservice teachers have had a twelve year "apprenticeship of observation" in the practice of teaching and as a consequence have internalised a set of beliefs about Mathematics teaching and learning. These beliefs are usually implicit but nevertheless influence the teaching practice of the preservice teachers to the extent that they "teach as they were taught." A preservice Mathematics Education course, falling as it does between the prospective teachers' experiences as scholars, and their future teaching experience provides an ideal opportunity for preservice teachers to review their personal beliefs prior to carrying them over to teaching practice. In order to facilitate this review, a series of activities was designed as part of a Mathematics Education course for preservice secondary phase Mathematics teachers. These activities provided opportunities for student teachers to examine their beliefs, to discuss and write about these beliefs, to read about the beliefs of others, and finally to decide whether they wished to retain or modify their personal beliefs. Data on the personal theories of the preservice teachers was obtained from the written responses to various critical incidents, from metaphors for the teaching and learning of Mathematics drawn and described by the preservice teachers, and from interviews with selected participants. These theories were classified into qualitatively different categories. After completing several developmental activities and a five week period of classroom teaching, the preservice teachers were invited to reconsider their personal theories and amend their metaphors. This provided evidence of reflection and development in their thinking. It is contended that the personal theories of preservice teachers are not only reflected in their classroom practice but also function as barriers to impede acceptance of novel ideas and innovations. The findings of this study contribute to the understanding of the thinking of preservice teachers and inform the development of a curriculum for the Mathematics Education component of a Professional Studies course. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, 1999.

The aim of the research was to document as fully as possible the programmes and practices in Indian secondary schools in the Republic of South Africa for the induction of beginning teachers. Teacher education is viewed as a career-long professional continuum and induction as the transition between graduation from a pre-service teacher education institution to the onset of in-service education. Induction is viewed as an important stage in the prolonged period of professional development. The method of research was, initially, to make a study of induction programmes in England, Australia and the United States of America. The concept adopted to guide questionnaire compilation and item writing was that prospective teachers had acquired knowledge, skills, attitudes and values in anticipation of their professional performance during the pre-service period. The premise was that those acquired ideas and skills will become active only in so far as the new situation allowed, demanded and encouraged the beginning teacher. The major findings that emerge from the study are that induction activities assume varied forms and that the integration and orientation of beginning teacher into the teaching profession depend very much on the nature of the schools and the willingness and co-operation of the principal and certain members of his established staff. There is no well defined system for the orientation of beginning teachers into the profession. The underlying problem was found to be the absence of a philosophy and policy for induction by the Department of Education and Culture (House of Delegates). The study concludes with several recommendations to the Department of Education and Culture (House of Delegates) the most important being: the formulation of a policy by the Department based on a well defined philosophy for induction; implementation of programmes arising from the policy in the form of school based induction activities, external support programmes by the teachers' centres, subject advisers, tertiary institutions and the teachers' associations. The underlying conclusion of the study is that induction is a complex process but definitely not an opportunity to be missed. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, 1988.

The aim of the study was to assess the needs for teacher induction programme in Sebokeng schools. Induction of the beginning teachers is regarded by many scholars as an effective mechanism of human resources management and development. The relevant literature review attempted to legitimize the assertion ''that teachers don't perform maximally because they are not inducted" by providing sufficient logical and empirical support along the way. The instrumentation and how the respondents responded, further accentuates the fact that beginning teachers are exposed to the hit and miss syndrome. "An ineffective teacher can cause problems for many; while an effective teacher can be a goodwill ambassador ". The research therefore suggests that beginning teachers be helped to get off to a good start. "A good experience during the first year or two in the profession can build a foundation for a solid commitment to teaching. A bad experience can set the stage for a hasty exit from teaching ". Good teachers are scarce in the best of times, but they may become even harder to find in the years ahead. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Durban-Westville, 1996.

This study is an exploratory investigation on teachers' perceptions of the extent to which the national examinations that are written at the end of primary schooling in Rwanda influence their curriculum practices. The study used a structured questionnaire for data collection, and simple descriptive statistics for data analysis. The study, firstly, examined teachers' views on the link between national examinations and the aims of primary education. The results showed that teachers perceived the national examinations as assessing the prerequisite knowledge for secondary education, on one hand; and to some extent social skills needed for life in the community and society. This is in line with the aim of primary education in Rwanda according to government policy. Secondly, the study explored the impact of the national examinations on teachers' practices as well as on teacher self image. Findings were that a good success rate in these examinations was the main goal-direction for teachers and had a major influence on the curriculum practices. Most teachers indicated that they aimed to produce a large number of candidates who were classified highly on national scale, and were socially well skilled. The impact of the national examination on their practices is evident in some of the strategies they use in negotiating and mediating the curriculum: the focus on the main examination subjects, on the previous examination topics, and on academically good and borderline students who have a greater chance of scoring high grades in the national examination. Finally, the study explored factors that teachers perceived to influence candidates' success and failure in the national examinations. Teacher commitment to preparing candidates for the examinations was most frequently reported, as a factor associated with student success, whereas the very limited places I available in pubic and subsidized secondary schools was the most contributing factor to poor results. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.

This study was concerned with science teachers' professional development activities in KwaZulu-Natal and finding out their views on the effectiveness of those professional development activities. It intended also to highlight both science teachers' perceived needs for improving their existing skills and ways of helping them to best address those needs. A postal questionnaire was sent to science teachers and interviews were conducted and tape-recorded with in-service providers. These data collection tools aimed at answering the questions: Firstly, what professional development activities are science teachers in KwaZulu-Natal participating in? Secondly, what kinds of professional development activities are considered to be the most effective? Thirdly, what competencies are recognised as in need of professional development? Lastly, what in the view of teachers and providers are considered to be the most effective ways of improving these competencies? The data from both the postal questionnaire and interviews were coded, captured, analysed, and interpreted. Among the more significant findings were: (a) workshops were the professional development activity most attended by science teachers in the study closely followed by formal courses; (b) teachers considered formal courses that led to a degree or a diploma that helped them to improve professionally, as the most effective professional development activity while providers felt the quality of the development activity was more important than the type of activity; (c) teachers in the study considered the understanding of OBE and the new curriculum as their most pressing needs while providers saw the need for an improvement of content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge; and (d) in the opinion of teachers, their daily practice would most likely be improved if equipped laboratories and libraries were made available. These findings should assist policy makers and in-service providers in terms of rethinking ways of providing professional development activities by taking into account science teachers' perceived needs and views about the best ways of meeting these needs. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.

This dissertation examines the following key educational issues: the needs of rural teachers, the role of rural parents in education and the nature of support provided by non-governmental organisations. The literature on South African education, rural education and in-service education and training provides a theoretical framework for the evaluation of an education innovation which began in 1986 in KwaNgwanase, in the Ubombo Circuit of the KwaZulu Department of Education and Culture. The focus of the study is to show how an innovation can be adapted by rural teachers to suit their own specific needs. It is acknowledged that improving teacher support and school provision within a rural area in South Africa is only a small step in transforming an inadequate education context. It remains the role of the state to provide a meaningful system of education for all South Africans, but communities can, and should, play a role in deciding how this service can best be utilised. The study suggests that aspects of the innovation has potential for replicability in other rural areas and may provide a strategy to address the need for appropriate in-service education and training for rural teachers. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, 1992