Despite the international shift to inclusive education, fundamental tensions and contradictions exist in most countries between stated policy and actual practice. An immediate concern is whether South Africa will add to this trend of adopting the rhetoric of inclusion at the expense of real reform. Implementing inclusive education policy involves not only redefining teaching practices, but requiring teachers to develop an alternative sense of themselves, not only professionally, but also as individuals. This research investigates how 20 African rural KwaZulu-Natal teachers construct their personal and professional selves in the light of inclusive education, and how they negotiate the tensions and contradictions which emerge in the process of becoming inclusive practitioners. The use of authentic narratives as the main strategy of inquiry is an attempt to better comprehend the subjective, context-specific, lived experiences of teachers in transition. Using an eclectic conceptual framework, my research leads me to recognise the complex and contingent nature of identity within the dynamic and highly complex character of the politics of difference and the politics of the personal. As teachers inhabit the murky terrain of transition, and negotiate their own transformative capacity, I am reminded of the unevenness of change, the multiplicity of factors which impact on identity construction, the diversity within and between individual teachers, and the necessity to resist reductionist, one-dimensional and linear assessments and interpretations of teachers in transition. While some teachers are beginning to rethink the role of education in emancipatory terms, and take seriously their responsibility as change-agents in creating greater social and educational equity and inclusion in schools and classrooms, thereby suggesting a renewed hope in the development of a vision of the world which is not yet, other teachers are choosing to avoid the risks of engaging with inclusion on any deep level, and are simply adopting a thin veneer of inclusion in order to appease the expectations of inclusive policy. What emerges strongly is the realisation of the powerful influence of traditionally dominant, unequal relations of power in communities at large, and within the Department of Education itself, which disempower, demobilise and discourage teachers from challenging existing social and institutional xvii structures, embracing transition and renegotiating what they might become – teachers for greater social and educational equity and inclusion. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

"How do student teachers experience the learning and teaching of English over different periods of their lives?" is the question that this research study attempts to address. Drawing on the biographical experiences of nine student teachers of a pre-service teacher preparation programme within postapartheid South Africa, I document their own retold experiences of English language teaching and learning (ELTL), and analyse the process of their becoming teachers of the English language. I trace their histories of ELTL over different periods of their lives, each of which were developed within varying social contexts of the South African apartheid and post-apartheid educational landscape. In mapping the biographical journey of student teachers becoming teachers of the English language, I foreground their own understandings of their formative experiences. I explore the influence of their experiences of teaching and learning English during different stages of their lives as: members of a family and community; pupils in primary and secondary schools during the apartheid era; undergraduate students at university; members of a pre-service teacher preparation programme, and practising novice student teachers in post-apartheid schooling. The study focuses on how competing understandings of ELTL of the student teachers' family members, their primary and secondary schoolteachers, their university lecturers and teacher educators, their fellow colleagues in the teacher education programme, the mentor teachers and pupils in schools, and the student teachers themselves are shared, exchanged and interrogated as they develop understanding of ELTL. Their role and identity as teachers of English is forged in response to these complementary, contradictory and competing forces of influence. Gaining access into student teachers' thinking is a complex process. This dissertation explores some of the methodologies of entering into the private world of teachers' personal reflection and understanding (a study conventionally labelled "teacher thinking"). The methodologies used in this study include autobiographical writing, visual collage making, post-lesson interviews, individual and group interviews, written assignments and examinations, reflective journal writing, team research reports, peer and self assessments and student teachers' team design of curriculum materials for their teaching practicum. The data yielded in this study was subjected firstly to a narrative analysis, and then a discourse analysis. In the narrative analysis, I document a first person lifehistory of only two of the nine case study student teachers as they journeyed from their homes, into schools, through the pre-service teacher preparation programme and back into schools as student teachers. These two case studies served as the principal case studies of this research. The remaining seven of the nine student teachers served as auxiliary case studies. In the discourse analysis, I provide a detailed linguistic analysis of three "texts" produced by the principal student teachers (viz. their written autobiography, an extract from a post-lesson interview and an extract from their reflective journal). Each of these texts was produced within specific discourse settings: directed towards specific audiences, within particular contexts and intended to achieve unique purposes. I analyse these texts on two levels: Representational Analysis: in terms of what student teachers say about their experiences of ELTL, and Presentational Analysis: in terms of how student teachers choose to present their understandings of ELTL in the specific discourse setting. The lifehistories of ELTL of the auxiliary seven case study students are documented to serve as a foil against which comparisons (findings and conclusions) from the two principal case studies are made. The study reveals that the process of becoming a teacher of the English language in a rapidly changing context (such as that of postapartheid South Africa) is complex. Various contiguous forces compete to influence the student teachers' understanding of being a teacher of English. I foreground some of these powerful forces of influence over the student teachers' conception of self-identity. Each of the forces do not necessarily "pull or push" in the same direction and student teachers develop a fluid and flexible sense of identity of being a teacher of English. This identity is bound in relation to the specific contexts within which student teachers gain experience of school-based teaching practice. These different forces are held in creative dialogical tension as the student teachers develop understanding of their role and identity as teachers of the English language. This is marked in the data, which show convergences and divergence between what they ponder (think about), profess (say) and practice (do). These convergences and divergences are articulated through "The Force Field Model of Teacher Development", which is particularly relevant for rapidly changing social contexts. The following forces that exert influence over student teachers' developing identity as teachers of English within this model are: Inertial forces: the forces of biographical history of the student teachers, which tend to draw them back towards teaching as they were taught; Programmatic forces: relatively innovative and alternative experiential forces exerted by the teacher preparation programme; and Contextual forces: within the school-sites where student teachers conduct their pre-service teaching practicum, which tend towards preservation of Apartheid-like conceptions of ELTL. The study uses the data to proceed to a further level of abstraction: from an analysis of the process of student teacher development to an analysis of the development of identity as social actors within a rapidly changing social context. The study begins to build a theory of understanding lives in transitional times, presenting the concept of "The Multicultural-Self" to refer to the co-existence of competing, complex, complementary and contradictory cultural facets of identity that constitute the individual. The individual within such contexts is likely to be influenced by these cultural forces and self-consciously select the kind of presentation of identity that s/he wishes. The facet of identity that one presents varies considerably in relation to context, audience and purpose. The flexibility to chose varying representation of one's identity is the norm in a rapidly changing social context. This study concludes with suggesting the need for a model of teacher development in rapidly changing contexts which acknowledges the constructs raised by both "The Force Field Model of Teacher Development" and the notion of "The Multicultural-Self". / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Durban-Westville, 1998.

Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009. / Full text also available online. Scroll down for electronic link.

This small-scale study explored teachers’ conceptions of caring within teaching in the Foundation Phase at a combined school outside the greater Durban area. The school serviced children from the nearby squatter camps and surrounding working class community. In this study, I wanted to know how conceptions of caring were made by Foundation Phase teachers’ within the context of their work experiences. Their meaning making and their practice was important to consider. A qualitative approach was suitable for this study. The data for the study was obtained by semi-structured interviews and focus group interviews. The findings show that Foundation Phase teachers have multiple conceptions of caring within teaching. This is influenced by the context they teach in and the frames of references they use. It was evident that teachers were using frames of reference from child development in vulnerable situations, teaching and learning with lack of strong support (from the home and education department) and the futuristic image of the child in order to shape caring within teaching. Teachers position themselves as caring teachers who do culturally situated practice through forming relationships with the children. As such, they identify characteristics that are supportive and responsive to the needs of young children. Their conceptions in relation to pedagogy are supportive of the idea that they need to connect with their learners and create an inclusive environment. This, however, is challenged by circumstances which limits the type of caring that is made possible. A demanding curriculum and large class numbers are limiting the possibilities for caring acts within teaching in the Foundation Phase. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

The death of a parent has implications for learners at school in terms of interrupting / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2007.

The sexual abuse of children is recognised worldwide as a problem of significant proportions. It is generally acknowledged that South Africa has one of the highest rates of sexual crime in the world. Despite high prevalence figures for child rape in South Africa, there has been no systematic attempt to explore the nature and scope of the problem in this country. The identification of factors which increase a child's risk for sexual abuse is of considerable importance in the design and implementation of appropriate prevention interventions. With this in mind, this investigation set out to identify psychosocial aspects associated with child sexual abuse in an urban sample of South African children. The main question that guided this investigation was: What were the psychosocial factors that might have contributed to the sexual abuse in the study sample? An integrated conceptual framework with some of the most frequently occurring etiologic factors across existing theoretical perspectives was used as a lens for understanding the various factors that might have contributed to child sexual abuse in the study sample? The identification of psychosocial aspects involved a file review of 245 cases of child sexual abuse reported to the Crisis Centre Unit at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital during the period of November 2002 - April 2003. The site for data collection for this study was the Durban Region which is located in KwaZulu Natal and which has the second highest incidence rate for child sexual abuse in South Africa. A recording sheet was completed by the researcher with which data from the sample of content was taken. A wide range of variables was tapped, including ethnic distribution, socioeconomic status of the family, age and sex distribution of the child, type of family constellation, relationship of perpetrator to the child and probable psychosocial factors or mechanisms that contributed towards the sexual abuse. Descriptive statistics and the chi-square test of significance were used to analyse the data. The results showed clearly that situational factors (absence of other adults at home, poor or no supervision, child alone or unprotected and abduction) appeared high on the list among the psychosocial aspects. Other factors included child factors (child mentally retarded), perpetrator factors (psychiatric illness, unemployment and drug and alcohol abuse) and parental factors (marital problems in parents). Though the results showed clearly that situational factors appeared high on the list among the reported probable factors, whatever information obtained through socioeconomic status, family constellation, ethnicity and relationship of perpetrator to the child has thrown some light on understanding the various factors related to child sexual abuse in a South African setting. Living in a housing condition that was not protective, living in a family with a low income and living in a broken family setup, all of which have been associated with higher risks of abuse, were factors that were prevalent in most cases in the study sample. The results of this study indicated that sexual abuse is a complex phenomenon caused by the interaction of a wide variety of equally complex variables which is congruent with the conceptual framework for this study (based on a content analysis of different theories) that views child sexual abuse as a complex multifactorial phenomenon and not a simplistic cause and effect event. The research, therefore, concludes with recommendations to policy makers on primary prevention of child sexual abuse. This would mean actively involving themselves in programmes that assist in the eradication of poverty and, provision of better housing, recreational and after-school care. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2004.

Sexual abuse of children has been a problem for decades not only in South Africa, but internationally. There is little evidence that any preventative measures are working effectively. In this study the focus was not on the victim but on the perpetrator of sexual abuse. The researcher aimed at enabling eight adult male sexual offenders to describe explicitly their lived experience of child sexual abuse. The study used a method in which offenders were asked to describe their feelings prior to, during the process and after sexually abusing the child. The researcher believed that verbalisation of how it feels to sexually abuse the child would augment the available knowledge about perpetrators. This information may be used in devising ways and means of minimising the occurrence of sexual abuse. It might serve as a springboard for professional 1 people working with offenders to uncover cognitive skills for sexual offenders to 4 use whenever having thoughts of sexually abusing the child. [i] Respondents were Blacks, Indians and Whites who had been sentenced and were in treatment programmes either at the Correctional Supervision Centre or at Childline in Durban. Treatment at these rehabilitation centres was a condition of sentence for all of them. Their ages ranged from 25-48 years. Five of them were married and three were single men. Svensson"s (1986) phenomenological method 'NaS used in analysing data. The findings of this study revealed that for these offenders the major contributing factors to this behaviour was a conflictual adult heterosexual relationship and the fact that other females have more than one sexual partner. Findings also revealed that children are experienced by sexual offenders as being satisfying sexually, non-judgemental, non-threatening and accepting. These findings were examined in relation to theory, their implications for future research, the strengths and shortcomings of the study were also described. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1999.

Abstract not available. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2000.

This study explores the influence of Common Tasks for Assessment (CTAs) on the pedagogical practices of Grade 9 Natural Science teachers. CTAs are assessment tasks set by the National Department of Education and administered as an external examination in Grade 9 classes (exit level I) in South Africa. The pedagogical practices in this case refer to the strategies the teachers employ in their practices and the work they give to the learners. The key research questions are: I . What are the teachers' views on the CTAs as teaching and learning tools? 2. What influence do CTAs have on the pedagogical practices of Grade 9 Natural Science teachers? I followed an interpretive paradigm in my research. I used both quantitative and qualitative approaches in my study, so I used triangulation. This study involves survey research hence survey strategies are used. Initially quantitative approach are used and then followed up by qualitative approach. Questionnaires are used to facilitate the quantitative approach and interviews are used for qualitative approach. Thirty two participants responded positively to questionnaires, and five teachers were interviewed in this research. Questionnaires were set to determine the influence of CTAs on teachers' pedagogical practices and interviews were set to validate or corroborate what transpired in questionnaires and also to find the views of teachers on CTAs. The analysis of the questionnaires showed that about 84% of teachers were influenced by CTAs. It also revealed that group work, problem solving, pupils' presentations, self assessment, practical work and investigations are the categories of work that are influenced the most by CTAs. The analysis of the interviews also had the same findings. The interviews also revealed that the inquiry learning, self discovery and question and answer are teaching methods promoted by CTAs. The research also found that some teachers view CTAs as good tools for improving teaching and learning in South African schools because they promote critical thinking and problem solving. After analyzing the results I came to the conclusion that CTAs promote learner-centred pedagogical practices in teachers. They also accentuate the strategies that are associated with critical thinking and problem solving. I also concluded that CTAs tend to influence the teachers towards attaining quality education because leaner-centred practices and problem solving are the key components of quality education. This study has also found that teachers are not happy with the manner in which CTAs are administered. A possible further study therefore could be that of investigating the ways in which the administration of CTAs can be improved so that they can be more beneficial to teaching and learning in South Africa. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

Abstract not available. / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008.