Thesis (D.Tech.: Education)-School of Education, Durban University of Technology, 2008. x, 257 leaves / Educational institutions are pursuing quality improvement for various reasons. A great deal of literature on staff evaluation covering a wide spectrum of fields such as industry and commerce, including schools, has been produced and it generally identifies three main purposes of quality evaluation. Firstly, evaluation is conducted to review performance, identifying strengths and weaknesses. Secondly, it provides information about the service in order to improve the quality of the service and to demonstrate accountability. Thirdly, evaluation is aimed at encouraging personal and professional development. This study analyses the Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS), an evaluation system which was implemented in South African public schools in 2005. The IQMS is a clear reaction to the autocratic mode of evaluation that operated during the apartheid era and is a major shift from the old paradigm of external evaluators. The new paradigm calls for a joint collaboration between schools, districts and supervisory units with the overall aim of enhancing the quality of education in South Africa, in addition to addressing the inequities and injustices of the past. Since its introduction, very little empirical research has been carried out to establish whether the IQMS model addresses that which it was intended to. This thesis evaluates the extent to which the IQMS is perceived to have enhanced individual development and ensured improvements in teaching and learning. / D

Thesis (MBA) --University of Limpopo, 2010 / Quality has always been a central concern in education. Parents are ready to pay more for the best value for their money, in order to give their children the quality education. The South African education system seems to have very sound policies, but one wonders if they are well implemented, and whether customers do in deed get what they expect (customer satisfaction) from the process. The Department of Education department introduced Integrated Quality Management System in 2003 as a strategy to be used in order to improve the quality of education and improve on the performance of educators in the country. The provincial department of education‟s attempts at implementing Integrated Quality Management System since early 2004 have not been without problems; however, more especially after the signing of the Agreement on the Occupational Specific Dispensation, there has been some uncertainty about the current status of Integrated Quality Management System. The purpose of this research is to investigate the extent to which service organisations such as public schools in Limpopo Province particularly in the Mankweng cluster deliver quality service as expected by their internal and external customers.

This Doctoral thesis has arisen from a developing interest in the synergy between leadership, culture and ethos in schools, and particularly how this is manifested in the generation of quality curriculum, effective school organization and excellent outcomes for students. It particularly explores how the leadership of the Principal can empower others to effect change. Early interest in the empowering role of leadership arose through experience at Head of Department level, extended by system contribution beyond the school. The conception of the interface between leadership, culture and ethos was cemented by appointment as Foundation Principal of a new Government high school. A passionate commitment to exploring the unique opportunities, and to attempting to resolve the very specific problems of a new school led to collaboration with other Foundation Principals. Subsequently, I undertook a review of the literature and research into the specific issues inherent in the establishment of a school. Data was collected in situ through visits to new schools, across four States in eastern Australia. This research led to positions of system leadership in new schooling, and to advocacy for a “new deal” for establishing schools. The research led to a growing portfolio of articles, two of which have been published in refereed journals. The desired outcome of the research and published papers was to document some initiatives which could be undertaken by leadership teams in schools as they sought to establish effective culture and ethos in the early years of their schools. My experience in schools identified the position of Head of Department as a critical, gatekeeping position for the cultivation or resistance of desired change in schools. Accordingly, I was part of a research study which employed a Grounded Theory methodology (Strauss and Corbin, 1990) and gathered data through telephone interviews. The research found Heads of Department typically distracted, by the sheer weight of tasks endemic to their role, from the major focus on curriculum and quality teaching and learning. Three refereed journal articles to which I contributed, one as lead author, sought to reconceptualise the role. Educational systems have shown considerable interest in this research. A focus on Heads of Department led fairly naturally to an attempt to identifying other agencies within a school which could lead to cultural change. Specifically, further research sought to identify initiatives available to the leadership team as it sought to enhance curriculum provision and student outcomes. This represented an attempt to apply the very considerable literature to develop some cutting edge initiatives, and led to further journal contributions, one of which was refereed. Other schools have shown considerable interest in these initiatives. A change of situation from the Government to the Independent schooling system provided a new practical and research challenge: how to undertake Christian education which was authentic, in the sense that it was truly educative and not indoctrinative, and was effective in transmitting Christian values. The literature in the field was not encouraging in terms of the efficacy of schools’ Christian education programs in effecting values change, or of the ethical integrity of their pedagogy. The apparent deficits in models of Christian education presented in schools, as revealed in the literature, gave rise to a number of research studies in my own school, which, as an outcome, has sought to reconceptualise the school’s approach to Christian education. This attempted reconceptualisation has been documented in a number of journal articles and publications, two co-authored and refereed, in an attempt to provide some exemplars which may be influential in other schools. The overall thesis of this dissertation is that when the Principal seeks to empower and mobilize other members of the school leadership team, including key teachers and parents, effective change can occur in the school’s culture and ethos. These changes in turn can feature a range of initiatives which substantially improve learning outcomes for students. / Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Thesis (D. Ed.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI/Dissertation Abstracts International.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 208-213). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Not available / text

This research project examines the successes and challenges of processes involved in the implementation of the Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) in six secondary schools. The focus of this study is limited to six secondary schools in the Umgungundlovu District in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The research seeks to critically trace the evolution of the IQMS as a policy strategy for the implementation of teacher appraisal in South African schools. The research also explores appraisal measures in place prior to the introduction of the IQMS in schools. The analytical framework uses forward and backward mapping as analytical tools to guide the data analysis. The methodology is a case study approach with qualitative interviews with principals, heads of departments and post-level one educators. The findings indicate that while progressing adequately, there are a number of areas of concern with the implementation of IQMS. The report makes several recommendations regarding these. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.

The purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions of educators on the effectiveness of the training for IQMS. The study explores just how effective the training was and what does this mean for the classroom practitioner in their implementation of the IQMS. Since 1994, the South African Department of Education has directed the educational system through a series of initiatives and has set quality assurance of the education system as its overriding goal. In 2003 the Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) was gazetted as a national instrument for the evaluation of educators and schools. The appraisal is driven not only by the need to develop, but also to evaluate individual educators for salary and grade progression, affirmation of appointments, rewards and incentives. It is a particularly sensitive initiative and therefore the advocacy and training should address management issues of appraisal and be adequate to promote effective implementation. Currently, the training program employed by the Department of Education is the ‘cascade model’; starting with the national team and involving other teams at subsidiary levels. The one to one interviews and the group interviews comprise of level one educators who have gone through the process of IQMS. These respondents are at the lowest level of the cascade model of training used. The main finding was that most of the respondents were unhappy with the training they received and felt that the Department in terms of retraining, support and intervention programs did not support the initial training. The study recommends that it is essential for the Department to have a national / provincial training coordinator who is allocated a limited time slot at subsidiary training programs to clarify all the relevant issues and questions in the training program. This would give a national / provincial perspective on the implementation of IQMS. The study also recommends further training to be convened to clarify inconsistencies in the implementation of IQMS. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

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.

This dissertation investigated the quality of service delivery at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) Pietermaritzburg campuses. According to du Toit (2004:182) student satisfaction is important in the Higher Education sector due to its role in effective enrolment management. It is essential for student perceptions of service quality to be evaluated and managed by the university. Iacobucci, et al (1995:277) emphasized that service quality and customer satisfaction are important concepts to academic researchers studying consumer evaluations as a means of creating competitive advantages and customer loyalty. According to the South African Department of Education (2004:3), the creation of a new merged institution must ultimately be accompanied by standardised service levels. Hence this study attempted to investigate the service levels of the merged institution in Pietermaritzburg. The research set out to measure service expectations of higher education as well as measure service perceptions at the DUT. The research also set out to establish the SERVQUAL gap, which causes unsuccessful service delivery (Gap 5) and examine the dimensions which contribute to Gap 5. A SERVQUAL analysis was undertaken on the two Pietermaritzburg campus, viz. Riverside and Indumiso campus. The study found that on average customers had high expectations in tangibles, reliability and assurance dimensions and their highest perceptions were found in the assurance dimension. The study also found that management of DUT need to apply a varying degree of attention to the dimensions between the two campuses. The key recommendation to management of DUT was to introduce a Total Quality Management (TQM) system and a service marketing management plan. In addition to implementing this, management also needs to develop a service-minded workforce. / Thesis (M.B.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.