No abstract available. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1964.

This research focuses on and responds to the neglect of Media Education within teacher education proposals. It is premised upon the importance of Media Education in a democratic society, particularly its role within the curriculum development. Most importantly this research study is aimed to create an informed basis from which to influence both curriculum planners and policy makers of colleges of education to include Media Education as a core component of the programme for student teachers at those colleges of education. As the starting point of this research, the following definition is accepted: Media Education (as the word suggests) attempts to educate about media, to construct a critical approach to information offered by the media, to contextualise those agencies that produce media. The role attached to Media Education is to develop and nurture critical abilities of learners, to nurture autonomous thinkers who approach information not as transparent, but as constructions that are selective and partial (Prinsloo 1994: 19). Research was conducted at Umbumbulu College of Education to seek information about the understanding of Media Education of lecturers at the college. The results of the survey indicated that: • There is a lack of understanding and familiarity with Media Education by lecturers. • Lecturers constantly confuse Media Education with the use of media as a teaching resource. • Lecturers have not been exposed to literature and texts which are related to Media Education. • In terms of the role of Media Education in developing critical understandings of media, lecturers experienced difficulty with the concepts of 'critical understandings' and critical thinking. • Within the college there is no coherent strategy in the form of modules, worksheets, and syllabi that are specifically designed for Media Education. In view of the above, this research proposes a development of a Media Education curriculum to be developed as a speciality subject which can be taught along with other fields of study at a teacher training college. This initiative locates Media Education as an intervention that proposes critical pedagogy. To enable this, lecturers and curriculum developers of the college need to recognise the value of Media Education and to familiarise themselves with Media Education as this is a new field of study within traditional black teacher institutions. The research finally recommends both ongoing professional development of college lecturers interested in Media Education as well as collaboration with other educators who have expertise in and knowledge of Media Education. It proposes that Media Education be offered at all levels of study within the college, from Pre-Primary level to Secondary level of study as a speciality course in its own right. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, Durban, 1996.

School children have often been regarded as lacking competence when it comes to using media texts. Some researchers refer to them as less active audience or uncritical media users because of their short attention span and because they often perform other activities while using the media. They are not considered as the critical media users a democratic society requires. Children's access to the media has also raised a lot of questions like what and which media they have access to and who selects for them. Their selection and access to the media will relate to their social, economic and cultural background and their race and gender. This research explores the type of media school children have access to and what media texts they select from the range they have access to. This research is premised on a belief that a knowledge of the selection and access of media texts is immediately relevant to education and critical literacy. This will help media educators to assess what learners already know. This research is not intended to judge any learner in relation to their access and use, it aims to get better insight into the types and genres of media learners engage with depending on the race, social class and gender of the learner. I examine the topic against the theoretical understandings of audience reception theory. This discusses how theorists have considered whether the audience are passive or active or critical. The research process involves participation by learners between the ages of 15 and 18 from three different schools of Crawford College in La Lucia, Rossburgh High School in Rossburgh, and Clairwood Secondary School in Clairwood and investigates the nature of media engaged with over a short period of time. Research findings reveal that the type of media accessed by various learners varies in relation to background factors of the learner such as economic background, race and gender. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2001.

The main purpose of the study was to show the necessity of a classroom-based educator in-service support programme. Educators have unique problems being derived from the uniqueness of their school situations. Thus, the feeling that this kind of support could improve the quality of mathematics teaching and learning. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2005.

As a teacher of mathematics, I always taught the topic functions (graphs such as linear, quadratic, hyperbola, exponential, trigonometric functions) in the same way all of my twenty-three years in the profession. I often assumed that the learner understood a concept that had been presented only to find, in subsequent lessons, that the learner could not recall it or talk about it. I referred to the constant value c in the function f (x) = ax² + c or f (x) = ax² + bx + c as the y-intercept informing my learners that it is a point on the y-axis of the Cartesian plane. I also taught transformation of functions as the vertical and horizontal shift without much visual demonstration beyond pen and paper. Whilst using dynamic mathematics geometry software, last year namely, Geogebra, I realized that this section could be taught more effectively through interaction with this software. Geogebra, is a freely available interactive dynamic software for the teaching and learning of mathematics that combines geometry and algebra into a single user-friendly package. Within this research I set out to explore firstly, the function of Geogebra, as a pedagogical tool and mediating artifact in the teaching and learning of transformation of functions in secondary school mathematics; and secondly whether interaction with these virtual manipulatives enhance the understanding of mathematics concepts. The study is rooted in a social constructivist view of learning and mediated learning and the approach used is a case study. The research was carried out in an independent school that involved 8 learners. My data consisted of feedback from two sets of student worksheets, the first being from prior to using the Geogebra applets and the other from post engagement with the applets, classroom observations during the practical use of Geogebra and finally with learner interviews. On analysis of the data it seems that the introduction of Geogebra did indeed influence the educational practice in three dimensions, namely: the development of mathematical ideas and concepts through computer-based teaching and the role Geogebra plays in the understanding of and visualization of certain mathematical concepts in high school algebra topics. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood, 2011.

As learners progress through the educational system their interest in mathematics diminishes. Although mathematics is designed to challenge learners, it has produced a high number of failures. Mathematics is most often measured by speed and accuracy of learners’ computation with little emphasis on problem solving and pattern finding. Whilst there are not many opportunities for learners to work on rich mathematical tasks that require divergent thinking as well. Such an approach limits the use of creativity in the classroom and reduces mathematics to a set of skills to master and rules to memorise. In doing so, causes many learners to become anxious and apprehensive. Thus their curiosity and enthusiasm for mathematics disappear, as they get older. Keeping learners interested and engaged in mathematics by recognising and valuing their mathematical creativity may reverse this negative tendency. 97 learners from Riverview High School took part in the study. Three different instruments were used to collect data: Mathematics Anxiety Scale (MAS), Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA-24) and a focus group interview. The MAS questionnaire was used to measure the level of mathematics anxiety experienced by the learners. The PRCA-24 questionnaire is a self-report measure of communication apprehension. The underlying factors were established that were influential in determining the levels of maths anxiety and communication apprehension in individual learners. The results of the study suggest that learner’ ability and attitude played an important role that would lead to the large failure rate in mathematics. Analysis and interpretation of the findings lead to the following conclusions being reached: (a) perceptions of mathematics as being a difficult subject (b) learners negative attitude in mathematics (c) fear for the subject, (d) learners self-efficacy beliefs in mathematics, (e) peer behaviour and (f) teacher behaviour. The research study findings suggest that learner’ ability and attitude played an important role. These attitudes contribute directly to the existence of maths anxiety and communication apprehension in learners which impacts on their academic performance. The results of the study suggest that learners experience varying levels of maths anxiety and communication apprehension that impacts on their performance in Mathematics, which are barriers to learning mathematics. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood, 2011.

Since the beginning of the new democratic regime, South African schools have experienced numerous change innovations in leadership and management. These changes have further brought high levels of complexities in relation to the roles of school principals as school managers and leaders. School principals seem to be overwhelmed by such changes and their complex roles. In order for principals to handle these complex situations they are faced with in the contexts where they are working, literature suggests that they require specialized skills and knowledge which will enable them to deal with their various contexts effectively. Some Professional Development programmes have been put in place to assist principals to better their skills and learn new strategies which will in turn influence and enhance effective teaching and learning in schools. This is a small-scale qualitative study which sought to establish principals’ views on their own professional development needs and support in promoting teacher leadership in schools. Literature is used extensively in this study to understand the need for professional development of principals as well as the need for principals to encourage and empower teachers to become leaders. In order to achieve this, the study uses a small scale qualitative research with in-depth face to face interviews to get the views and perceptions and views of school principals, as participants of the study, regarding the matter. Furthermore, the study employs document analysis as a secondary method to enhance the quality of the research findings in relation to the relevant literature. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2013.

This thesis reports on a study involving student teachers of literature in a teacher education programme who used literary texts as catalysts for implementing change. The researcher asserted that if student teachers are empowered with sound disciplinary knowledge, effective pedagogical tools and an understanding of how to bring about academic and social change, they can make a difference to the lives of their learners, irrespective of context or resources. Critical pedagogy served as the theoretical framework for the study which was characterised by a system of interventions within six participatory action research cycles. The researcher found that participants responded positively to co-operative, experiential learning strategies in lecture-rooms that were perceived to be safe. When participants recognised that their views were respected, their interactions with others were characterised by respect as well. They realised that having agency and voice did not mean denying others the same. They felt empowered to make decisions and access resources, and they embraced challenges perceived to be valuable. By the end of the study, participants recognised that teachers can serve as primary resources in schools if they empowered themselves with deep content knowledge, pedagogical skills and a transformative agenda, and if they actively engage learners, scaffold learning, build on prior knowledge and skills, affirm histories, and enable a classroom where learners’ contributions are valued. Participants established that to serve as agents of change in the classroom, teachers need to critically reflect on their practices and confront their prejudices. In addition, they need to ascertain the underpinning philosophy of their practices. Only then can they determine the roles and functions that comprise their identities as teachers. Ultimately, the researcher draws on the knowledge from participatory action research, critical pedagogy and literary texts to enable change agency in a lecture-room at a School of Education. The thesis adds to the discourses on teacher education, participatory action research, critical pedagogy and change agency and contributes to knowledge by showing that using participatory action research and critical pedagogy in a lecture-room is feasible and useful in enabling the transformation and empowerment of students. / Ph.D. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2013.

The BSc4 (Foundation) programme offered at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) caters for students from disadvantaged educational backgrounds, with lower matriculation points, offering them the opportunity to pursue studies in science. The students in the BSc4 (Foundation) programme are registered for foundation modules in science, viz. biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics as well as an academic literacy course. It is in the context of these foundation modules in science within the BSc4 (Foundation) programme that this study is undertaken. This study explores the discipline-specific literacies that the BSc4 (Foundation) students require in order to learn science and to acquire science discourse. The study uses case study as a research design, the interpretive research paradigm and the qualitative research approach to analyse data obtained from multiple research instruments. Research findings reveal that with the change in student profile, module changes within the BSc4 (Foundation) programme were implemented. In light of these, the study explores factors such as the ‘articulation gap’ between school and university; and disadvantaged educational experiences. The findings also suggest that students experience challenges with the use of the language of science and the use of discipline-specific literacies in science in the modules offered in the BSc4 (Foundation) programme. However, there exists the scope for stronger engagement between the academics who teach the foundation modules in science and the academic literacy specialists to assist students in the acquisition of the discipline-specific literacies required to learn science and for science discourse. / Ph.D. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2013.

The role of a school principal is complex and multidimensional, and is pivotal to the success of an educational institution. It is widely recognised by researchers that the effectiveness of a principal depends on his or her ability to be a strategic thinker, create and share knowledge, build relationships, be flexible, embrace a sense of efficacy and nurture the development of organisational capacity. Through a self-reflexive, autoethnographic methodology I examine my ‘self’ as the person in the principal’s office within the unique socio-cultural context of a rural school for the Deaf. Through a process of narrative inquiry and reflective analysis, I explore the first steps in my leadership journey, my engagement with instructional leadership in all its complexity, and my quest for quality outcomes for Deaf learners. This autoethnography raised multiple levels of consciousness about my identity, my lived experiences as a school leader and the school as an institution. Through the interrogation of my leadership enactments key themes have emerged that have implications for the professional development of school leaders. I came to understand that my identity as a leader evolves continuously and that my leadership practices are negotiated and renegotiated in context. Thus, my identity as a leader is situated and produced simultaneously in many different contexts, events, and by different agents for diverse purposes My study highlights that leadership is not merely the act of an individual but is embedded in a complex, unpredictable, non-linear interplay of various interacting influences. Leaders are social actors who need to be able to examine critically their own subjectivities, subject positions and the discourses that shape their actions. Leadership is the site for continuous, ongoing processes of learning, and organisations have the potential to be dynamic, interactive and adaptive systems, reinforcing the notion of the enabling leader. Therefore, leadership development programmes should enable leaders to understand that their actions and practice are socially and culturally situated, and that schools are complex dynamic, adaptive systems. / Ph. D. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2013.