Generally the evaluation of employees in organisations is one of the most demanding and controversial of all management functions. Therefore, it is incumbent on management to develop a system of evaluation that will at least be acceptable to most of its employees. This study has shown that it is extremely important to include the employees themselves in drawing up the evaluation instrument. Since there is not any one evaluation procedure that has universal application, it is necessary for organisations in general, and more specifically education departments, to review and improve existing procedures to meet prevailing conditions. If management does not follow these basic considerations, then the organisation could face strong negative reaction from employees. The primary objectives of this study therefore were: (1) to make a detailed study of the evaluation procedure used in Indian Schools; (2) to analyse the House of Delegates' evaluation procedure critically and in so doing make a study of evaluation procedures of other education departments; and (3) to consider the views expressed by teachers, principals and superintendents of education on the House of Delegates' evaluation procedure. The major findings that emerged from the study were that: (1) the present evaluation procedure of the House of Delegates was not well received by teachers and principals; (2) any evaluation procedure adopted should be based on an 'open' system, where there is no need for secrecy; and (3) there should be separate evaluation procedures for the purposes of professional development, merit awards and promotion. The main recommendation made in concluding this study was that the House of Delegates, in either developing a new evaluation procedure or amending its present one should, in the future, give consideration to the opinions of all participants in the evaluation process. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, 1991.

The focus of this research was to examine how primary and combined school principals in the Ogongo Circuit, Namibia motivated the teaching staff. The research instrument used to conduct this survey was a questionnaire. A descriptive statistical method was used to analyse the data. The study was confined to primary and combined schools in above-mentioned circuit. I randomly selected five schools and my sample consisted of 25 respondents made up of five principals and twenty teachers. Three critical questions were developed which focused on: 1. The extent to which primary and combined school principals in Ogongo Circuit in Namibia motivate teachers, 2. create a school environment that promotes motivation; 3. strategies used to motivate teaching staff. The findings of this study were that teachers' motivation in the sample schools was unsatisfactory, as most of the motivational aspects such as morale rewards and recognition, as well as vision and mission statement were neglected. Principals in the sample schools failed to develop good strategies to motivate teachers. This led to an engagement of teachers in private business during school hours as well as poor time management resulted in insufficient motivation. The study reveals some of the contributing factors leading to a lack of motivation. These demotivating factors were: 1. Principals' leadership styles, 2. Teaching in areas or phases where they were not 'specialized' 3. Poor infrastructures and lack of resources. The study recommends that principals need to identify the basic needs of teachers and institute measures to ensure that these needs are met. Principals also need to acknowledge job well done and attempt to create a working environment where teachers are motivated to do their best. / Theses (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu Natal, 2005.

In South Africa, one site where women in management are most underrepresented is educational management Equal opportunity for women as a political objective is entrenched in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. A gendered shift in educational management is an emerging phenomenon in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. This study explored the experiences of eight women holding education management positions in one region in the province of KwaZulu-Natal through a qualitative case study approach. The research method was the semi-structured interview. The aim was to examine the reasons they entered management, the routes that led them to acquiring the positions, the management strategies they employed, their experiences in a male dominated environment, and their views on the issue of gender equity in educational management. The findings revealed that most of the women had a motivation and drive to progress through the ranks in the profession and enter management positions. This drive appears to be linked to early socialisation of the women and the development of an autonomous, self-controlling identity. In their perceptions of their experiences as managers, findings suggest a high degree effectiveness amongst the women managers evident in the value they place on management strategies such as effective listening and communication, building trust, people centred approaches, team building, and networking. However, participants in the study all alluded to the fact that they still had to deal with the gendered dynamics of organisational life. Men's dominance in educational management and the numerical marginalisation of women remains a hurdle. No matter how career oriented and motivated women may be, they still have to engage with the constant immersion in a masculinist work culture. The findings suggest that the women have to constantly prove their worth, deal with gender stereotyping, and negotiate their private and public roles. All the women in the study suggested the need for women to build networks of support, and for creating more inclusive organisational cultures that reflect a commitment to gender equity. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, 2003.

In this research study I shall examine the recently introduced Developmental Appraisal System. I shall carry out an investigation into the implementation of the Developmental System of Appraisal in a primary school in Kwa-Zulu Natal. The intention of the research is to provide a case study, which will focus on the implementation of the Developmental Appraisal System. In order to achieve this, three main issues of the system will be addressed. These are the conceptualisation of the system; the implementation process and the impact of the process. Although, the results of my research is focussed on one school the results could be illuminative. The final chapter of this study will concentrate on the findings and recommendations for the enhancement of the Developmental Appraisal System. The paper concludes that despite the many positive aspects of the process it is recommended that the whole appraisal system should be revised, revised and re-conceptualised to make it accessible to most South African schools, paying particular attention to simplifying it. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, 2002.

Abstract not available. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, 1968.

Curriculum experts, instructional technologists and teachers are looking at computer technology to address many of the inadequacies that plague traditional teaching. These inadequacies include practical limitations and outdated educational philosophies that encourage rote learning and passive transfer of information from teacher to student via the typical lecture-based classroom. Often educational technology is used as an add-on to make content available to students. However, technological tools should rather be used to facilitate productivity and communication in the modern classroom. In addition, the introduction of technology into the classroom can be used to completely transform the traditional lecture into interactive computer-based learning environments. Provided that innovation can be sustained and supported over a period of time, the creative use of technology should enhance sound pedagogical principles rather than replace it. This project reports on the development and evaluation of two, second year, Biology Internet-based software packages used by students in a computer-based constructivist environment that replaced the traditional lecture based model. The first part of the project involved the evaluation of a number of Internet-courses to identify appropriate design and development criteria. This information was then used to create an Educational Software Evaluation Tool (ESET). The courses on carbohydrate and lipid metabolism were then developed in conjunction with subject experts. Evaluations of these learning environments were conducted via paper-based questionnaires, student interviews and student evaluations using ESET. Additional quantitative data was obtained by comparing examination results with the previous year to measure the impact of the technology on learning outcomes. The results of the software evaluation indicated that students found the user interface of the software products easy to use and navigate. Students also rated construction of information from a searchable database highly. This project showed that student learning was improved by self-paced, user-controlled, non-linear software usage. The results also showed that personal information construction by students improved understanding of concepts and led to deeper learning and acquisition of specific skills such as problem solving, information navigation and self-management. Giving students responsibility for their own learning was also shown to be beneficial to them as a life-long learning skill. Evaluation of the learning environment by students indicated that they valued the permanent availability of Internet-based information highly and felt that having assistants (demonstrators and the subject expert) helped them to direct and guide their learning. The results also revealed that students learnt better in groups and that members of the group participated in communicating and constructing shared knowledge. The role of the teacher in this project was transformed from information provider to information facilitator, as the teacher became an additional resource and had more time to spend answering specific questions and problems. Evaluation of student behaviour via interviews revealed that student attitudes were improved and that they enjoyed working with the software. Students found the environment comfortable to work in, were motivational and thought the system was a highly effective way of preparing for the examinations. Students also regarded this active form of learning as far more effective than traditional lectures, although they felt that introductory lectures could still play a role in providing them with direction and focus. Quantitative analysis indicated that students understood key concepts in both the courses, and examination performances revealed that students performed better in both the computer-based courses than in the lecture-based courses for this particular year. Further analysis showed that students performed better than the previous year with respect to the Carbohydrate Metabolism course, but not for the Lipid Metabolism Course (no significant difference). Quantitative and qualitative comparisons between the Carbohydrate and Lipid Metabolism course identified that the Carbohydrate Metabolism course offered students with dynamic content that fostered knowledge construction from a searchable database with easy navigation tools, whereas the Lipid Metabolism course consisted of pre-structured static content that students found difficult to search. This result indicates that interactive components foster constructivist based learning skills are an essential part on on-line learning environments. The results of this study include a model for designing, developing and evaluating education software and concluded that technology based on sound pedagogy can be successfully and effectively integrated into the classroom and form the basis for future prolonged development and learning. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, 1999.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Durban-Westville, 1989.

This study is intended as a contribution to the debate and quality assurance activity which in South Africa is following the South African Qualifications Authority's recommendations that better quality co-operative education work experience be provided for higher education students. This study focuses on the perceptions and experiences of a cohort of Durban Institute of Technology students involved in co-operative education work programmes. Through a process of random sampling twenty students each were selected from the faculties of Arts, Commerce, Engineering Science & Built Environment and Health Sciences. The students comprised both male and female students in various years of study. Questionnaires articulating the research enquiry as well as the purpose of the study and questions to be answered for the study were mailed individually to each selected student. Forty six of the total selected sample of students returned completed questionnaires. The instrument comprised open and closed ended questions. With the aid of a statistical database programme the data was analysed. Findings of the study indicated that students' perceptions and experiences vary from positive to negative. Issues of racial discrimination, inadequate or no salaries and lack of support from mentors and lecturers emerged as concerns articulated by many students. On the contrary students perceived themselves as the greatest beneficiaries of the work programmes. Students also noted the relevance and value of the work programmes in developing the students' and preparing them for the workplace. The recommendations for co-operative education practitioners, in terms of listening to the voices of the students' in this study, is invaluable. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Durban-Westville, 2004.

The researcher has attempted to gain an understanding of how Drama teachers perceive the teaching of the curriculum and curriculum change. The data were obtained through the use of the qualitative mode of engaging in research. The researcher, who is also a Drama teacher had come to experience the need for teachers to be given an opportunity to express their views on curriculum as the area of curriculum is complex and always in need of reappraisal. Also, teachers needed a medium through which they could share their perspectives on curriculum. The researcher collected the relevant information by using the interview context as a means of data collection. Ten Drama teachers responded to questions focusing on curriculum teaching and curriculum change. The Drama teachers' perspectives were recorded and analysed. Marxist theorists like Bowles and Gintis( 1986) view teachers as mere state functionaries and agents of the system. Drama teachers in this study contradicted the view of teachers as technicians within the system. They were not reflective of typical teachers. Rather Drama teachers challenged and mediated the curriculum, they did not accept and abide by the syllabus document and their classroom practice was determined by the immediacy of their particular teaching context. Finally through engaging in this research study the researcher has achieved the following objectives: 1. An understanding of the view that knowledge is a socially constructed concept. 2. Has provided a medium through which the perspectives of Drama teachers are heard. 3. Has provided an invaluable experience of documenting the processes of qualitative research. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1998.

The Advanced Certificate in Education Programme was launched in 2002 at the School of Education, Training and Development, University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, in an attempt to upgrade and retrain science educators, given the drastic shortage of qualified science educators in South Africa. This research study investigated the development of scientific literacy within a group of fifteen educators during the first semester of their two-year Advanced Certificate in Education Programme. The study focused on scientific literacy and the relationship between language comprehension skills, readability and scientific literacy. This study aimed to examine whether the Natural Sciences and Biological Sciences module of the Advanced Certificate in Education Programme was effective in raising the level of scientific literacy of educators. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed in the collection of data. Students wrote a pre-test at the beginning of the first semester and the same test was written as the post-test at the end of the first semester. Semi-structured interviews with tutors were also conducted. Responses of students in the Student Evaluation Questionnaire, given at the end of their first year of study, were analysed to ascertain their perceptions about the tutors, their knowledge and understanding of the content and skills of the modules and the learning material. The questions used in the achievement test were adapted from the question bank of the Science Achievement Test used for Grade 8 learners in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study-Repeat in 1998/1999. The same achievement test was used in the pre-test and post-test, using questions from the Life Science and Scientific Inquiry and the Nature of Science content areas. The results from this research study indicated that although the level of scientific literacy of educators improved, it was not statistically significant. The study also highlights that language and comprehension skills and inability of students to express their answers in writing hampered their performance in the scientific literacy test. This was demonstrated by the significant positive correlation between language comprehension and readability with scientific literacy. Specific areas of conceptual difficulty were also highlighted in this study. Implications of these findings for further research and delivery of mixed-mode programmes are discussed. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003