The purpose of this study was to establish what difficulties Grade Seven educators were experiencing in the implementation of Curriculum 2005, a new national outcome-based curriculum with wide ranging aims. A qualitative approach, using a case study method, was employed and mainly in-depth interviews and observations were conducted. Six Grade Seven educators in a variety of schools were interviewed at length about the wide ranging problems they experienced in introducing C2005 into the classrooms for the first time in 2000. The interview data was supplemented by personal observations of most of these educators in their schools. The research study was undertaken in a predominantly rural district of one region of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education. The findings of the study are presented and these are interpreted and discussed under two categories: these being the kinds of difficulties enunciated by the educators and the researcher's observation of identified features of problems. The key findings of this research study are the following: • Educators use inappropriate teaching styles • Educators lack a conceptual knowledge of Science • Educators lack the skill to teach practical work • Educators avoid selected aspects of C2005 • Assessment, recording and reporting is a threat to educators • Educators are not able to use learners' knowledge • Educators display a waning interest in the implementation of C2005 • Educators are stressed out • There is an increased workload on educators Educators lack qualification, training and teaching in outcomes - based approaches • Educators do not have parental support • There is a lack of guidance on what to teach • The lack of resources is a major obstacle for the implementation of C2005 • Educators lack a commitment to teach Natural Science • There is a lack of support from principals and school management teams Finally, recommendations are made for the successful implementation of C2005 as well as suggestions for further research. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2001.

This study explores perceptions and attitudes of boys and girls towards schoolgirl pregnancy at 'Mampota high School in Lesotho. No policy exists in Lesotho concerning school girl pregnancy. While Lesotho espouses democratic rights to all, pregnant schoolgirls continue to be excluded from the school system. In this era this does not only discriminate but also impinges on one of the fundamental rights of girls, the right to education. Pregnant girls continue to drop out of school because of the negative perceptions and attitudes of teachers and other students even in countries where expulsion is outlawed. Although these attitudes reflect myths and stereotypes, they are not illusions. They remain powerful and are a major driving force behind pregnant girls dropouts. They reinforce the stereotypical construction of gender and work to marginalise and disempower young girls. These perceptions and attitudes sentence girls to a life of subservience and reduce their life chances both economically and socially. Focus group interviews and questionnaires were used examine the attitudes of boys and girls towards schoolgirl pregnancy at MHS. The findings suggest that both boys and girls construct gender in ways that discriminate against pregnant schoolgirls, but girls as more prejudiced than boys towards pregnant schoolgirls. A good sign emerging from the study is that not all boys and girls take this position and this points to the possibility of making the school a safer place for pregnant school girls. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.

All Deaf people in South Africa belong to the Deaf Community of South Africa. Within this Deaf Community there is a separate, minority language and cultural group which accepts Sign language, as its first and natural language. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa calls for the acknowledgement of and respect for all minority cultural groups, and recognises the language of the Deaf, that is, Sign language as an official language. This research has attempted to investigate the views of this cultural group and how they want to be perceived by the hearing people, how they want to conduct their lives within the realm of an overarching hearing society and more importantly, the implications of this acquired identity for the education of Deaf learners in South Africa. To document the data on Deaf Culture and the implications for education, the researcher engaged in qualitative research using the questionnaire approach. This instrument was administered to 18 profoundly Deaf adults from various provinces throughout South Africa and representative of the demographic population profile of the Deaf Community of South Africa. The study confirmed an emerging Deaf Culture and concluded that there needs to be redress and change with regard to the curriculum, the educators, the issue of mainstreaming, the status of Sign language and the provision of tertiary education in order for Deaf learners to be educated in the most enabling environment. / Thesis (M.Ed) - University of Natal, Durban, 1998.

In South Africa, education for learners with special needs has historically been provided for within a separate system of specialized education. Over the past few years, following international trends, there have been a few informal initiatives towards integration of learners with special needs into regular schools. This study examines the placement of a hearing impaired pupil at regular primary school in Durban, Kwazulu-Natal. The subject of the study is a hearing impaired child with a severe to profound hearing loss, who was placed by parent choice into a mainstream school in the neighbourhood, from preschool level. The eleven year old subject is a standard three pupil at Bonela Primary School. A case study approach was followed. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with the subject, parents, peers and staff at the school. Document analysis was undertaken on school reports, psychological reports, test records and pupil's books. In addition, the researcher used observation in order to capture details concerning the subject's social and academic ability in a natural environment. The results of this study reveal that the hearing impaired pupil made good progress in this regular school setting, despite the fact that there were minimal curriculum adjustments made. The placement experience was inclusive in practice, and proved to be successful in terms of the overall development of the hearing impaired child in this case. Positive attitudes of school personnel and peers, support from teachers, early identification, early intervention, consistent speech therapy, strong parent support, the child's language ability and the subject's personality were key factors contributing to the success of this placement. Findings suggest it is possible to include a child with severe to profound hearing loss in a regular classroom, with minimal support services. The study has implications for current debates in South Africa on the education of Deaf children. The issue of the right of choice of the parent and the Deaf learner is a critical one, and needs to be taken into account by policy makers. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, Durban, 1996.

Prior to the first democratic elections in South Africa , the education system was structured around a hierarchical and bureaucratic style of management. This meant that the control of schools and the decision-making in schools was centralized, and leadership was understood in terms of "position, status and authority" (Grant, 2006). This study intended to look at how this understanding of leadership could have contributed to creating a situation in the education system where female teachers were, and are still not being given the same opportunities to assume leadership positions as their male counterparts. Using semi-structured interviews and questionnaires, two female teachers occupying different post levels, in each of the four schools who had, in their teaching career, expressed an interest to take on leadership roles and who have/have not succeeded and who have experienced/are experiencing challenges in this regard, were asked to volunteer for this study. The interviews were tape-recorded and transcription of the interviews for analysis was done both quantitatively and qualitatively, making use of tables to illustrate numbers and percentages in different aspects in the study, as well as thematic content analysis using the tool of zones and roles as outlined in Grant (2008). Being female they have also experienced a number of challenges in their careers as well as in the areas of being mothers and spouses, and it would seem that these female teachers are still feel ing the strain of what is socially expected of them as mothers and spouses and their desires to advance their careers in what appears still to be a male dominated and patriarchical society, especially when it comes to taking on leadership and management positions in school. The findings in this study have led to the conclusion that for some of these female teachers, teaching was not their career of choice, but are now committed to this profession and are very aware of the gender inequalities in education and the challenges they face as female teachers, and have expressed sincere wishes that this be addressed. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.

This research project was aimed at identifying the perceptions of adolescent boys and girls with regard to the role function of men and women in society. Quantitative and qualitative methods, and a hybrid form of sampling were employed in this research project. The sample for this study was drawn from 5 secondary schools and comprised 65 boys and 65 girls. The adolescents' perceptions were analysed and interrogated critically against the yardstick provided by the non-sexist values of the South African constitution. An attempt was made to identify the extent to which the adolescents' perceptions are in synch with rigid patriarchy, sexism and the gendered division of labour, and the extent to which the adolescents' perceptions are in synch with the non-sexist South African constitution. The analysis of the adolescents' perceptions were informed inter alia by the theories of essentialism and constructivism. The research revealed, inter alia, that most of the adolescents reject rigid patriarchy; reject the gendered division of labour in some spheres ; accept the gendered division of labour in some spheres ; accept and favour the economic empowerment of women ; believe that sex should be negotiated ; believe that men are more suited to be leaders than women ; are against the perpetration of violence by either of the sexes and are homophobic and heterosexist • It was also evident that while both boys and girls rejected rigid patriarchy; girls were decidedly more receptive to the empowerment of women than boys. The study revealed that while there has been an erosion of the rigid division of the masculinized public sphere and the feminized domestic sphere, the public sphere is perceived as one in which men should dominate while the domestic sphere is deemed more suitable for women than men with women and men playing supportive, subdued albeit ever increasing roles in the public and domestic spheres respectively - the researcher as termed the existing perception the yin-yang worldview and the emergent perception the yanging-yin-yining-yang worldview. The study also highlighted that perceptions are not determined entirely by knowledge and ideals and served to bring home forcefully, the overriding potency of social realities and conditioning in shaping and regulating perceptions. In short the study demonstrated that the adolescents have not fully embraced the non-sexist values of the new constitution. The findings of the study were utilized by the researcher as a diagnostic instrument to produce recommendations and solutions - based on Freirean praxis - for the elimination of sexist, patriarchical perceptions. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2003.

Recent Policy documents, such as the ANC Draft Framework on Education and Training of 1994, the White Paper on Education and Training of 1995 and the Curriculum Framework for General and Further Education and Training of 1996 have proposed broad participation by major stakeholders, in particular teachers, in the process of curriculum planning and decision-making. This represents a major shift from past practices which limited teacher decision-making to the classroom. These proposals are made against the background that South African education is undergoing a period of transition from a system which was driven by apartheid policies to a more progressive and democratic system. This study sought to investigate the responses of teachers in Clermont, a semi-urban black settlement in Durban, to the policy proposals which state that their participation in curriculum planning and development should be extended. It also aimed to explore their thinking concerning the implications such proposals may have for them. A non-proportional random stratified sample of teachers in promotion and non-promotion posts was drawn to survey teacher responses to these proposals. A mailed "self administered" questionnaire was used as the research instrument for this study. The major findings which emerged from the survey are: Teachers in Clermont believe that they have a major role to play and that role should not be limited to the classroom. They regard decisions made about curriculum as directly affecting them. Despite their support for extended participation in curriculum planning and development they feel they are not adequately prepared for that role. They regard themselves as having inadequate knowledge of the theory and practice of curriculum. In particular, they think they lack skills in designing and planning curricula because they were not adequately prepared during their teacher training, as well as the fact that they were not given such opportunities in the past. Teachers expressed the view that participation in curriculum development could facilitate their professional development. Teachers also acknowledge the importance of the contribution of other stakeholders such as parents and pupils in making curriculum decisions. In the light of the major findings the study recommends the following: A holistic approach to teacher development should be adopted which provides teachers with basic skills and concepts in curriculum and curriculum development through seminars and workshops. In the context of the implementation of a new curriculum which is outcomes-based, workshops and seminars could facilitate the process of introducing the new curriculum and also enabling teachers to be critical of their practice. In order to create a favourable climate for teacher development, teacher development must be integrated with whole school development through, for example, in-service training which is school-focused. To facilitate whole school development the creation of forums, such as teacher forums where teachers could discuss current debates, and learning forums involving teachers, pupils and parents where problems facing schools would be explored are recommended. In the longer term pre-service teacher education should be restructured to include training in curriculum development in order to adequately prepare student teachers in curriculum planning and development. To bridge the gap between schools and colleges of education, universities and the communities, partnerships between schools, universities, colleges of education, and non-governmental organisations, as well as partnerships between schools, communities and the Department of Education at provincial level should be created. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, 1997

The study searches for staff development programs associated with good academic performance in the Lesotho Primary School Leaving Examination. The study was conducted mainly to: • examine the type of programs available in schools to support staff development. The research was conducted by means of questionnaires (Appendix 2) handed out to principals and teachers in four primary schools in the Mafeteng district in Lesotho. The results of the study indicate that there were inadequate staff development programs in schools and that the programs were not well administered. The main recommendations of the study were: • Considering the nature and scope of this study there is need to broaden the scope of further research to include not only few schools in Mafeteng district but also all schools in Lesotho. • Research should not be conducted in primary schools only; but in post primary schools as well where staff development programs may just be as important as they are in the primary schools. More research needs to be carried out in order to investigate the quality of the programs that presently exist in schools, because according to the study it seems the very few that exist do not have much impact on the academic performance in the schools studied. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, 2002.

In this dissertation, I present a narrative curriculum inquiry that grew out of a personal teaching experience in an independent Durban school in 2001. A grade seven creative writing project in English turned out to be an experience that was emotionally as well as intellectually intriguing to me. After carrying out the teaching work of my grade seven Teen Stories project, I was left with a strong desire to know what it was about this particular experience that was so important to me. The focus of my research, therefore, became my personal curriculum experience in the context of the Teen Stories creative writing project. In the course of this thesis, I describe how my desire to come to a deeper understanding of my curriculum experience led me to search within my life story to discover fruitful truths about myself as a teacher and a researcher. I illustrate my research journey from the fieldwork in the classroom through to the construction of my narrative research text. Drawing on the conceptual work of scholars such as Dewey (1916; 1934; 1963), Denzin (1989), Clandinin and Connelly (2000), and Conle (1999; 2000), I endeavour to share, make sense of and theorise my personal story of a significant curriculum experience. The study moves outwards from my personal experience to a conceptualisation that I believe has the potential to contribute to the development of new modes of curriculum practice for me and other members of my South African teaching community. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, 2003.

Carmel College, a Jewish Day School, was established to provide Jewish education for the children of the Durban Jewish community. Inasmuch as the school has always had a small contingent of non-Jewish students, a decision was made in 1994 to fill the school to capacity with non-Jewish students. Although, Carmel is in essence, a multi-cultural school in that it has a nearly fifty per cent non-Jewish population, implementing a multi-cultural education programme would be counter-productive to the goals of Jewish education. In that Orthodox Judaism is not assimilatory, it can be conjectured that Jewish education is incompatible with multi-cultural education. This study investigates the attitudes of the Jewish community towards the educational transition taking place in Carmel College, as a result of the change in the student population ratio. The study commenced with a generative phase which comprised of a review of relevant literature, document analysis, semi-structured interviews and a situational analysis. Issues that emerged from this phase of the research became the focus of further investigation using questionnaires. Findings have revealed the dilemma of managing a Jewish school in a multicultural environment. Whilst parents believe in the importance of Jewish education many are unaware of its unique and separate nature. The filling of the school with non-Jewish students has raised important issues. The findings indicated that Jewish studies teachers feel inhibited in their classes and are unable to deal with sensitive issues. The increased enrolment of non-Jewish students has not only created greater potential for assimilation but undertones of cultural dissension within the student body were also evident. As there is little provision made for multi-culturalism, non-Jewish students are recipients of a curriculum which lacks relevance and is foreign to their needs. If Carmel is to continue to provide Jewish education for its community it will have to re-structure the curriculum in order to provide a more intense Judaica programme for Jewish students and at the same time cater more effectively for non-Jewish students. To this end, parents and other stakeholders will have to be enlightened about the purpose of Jewish education and the need for change. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, 1996.