M.Ed. (Educational Management) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The South African public technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges have experienced considerable change in the past 20 years. Recently, these colleges have become the focal point of education and training, ever since the publication of the Green Paper on Post-School Education and Training in 2012, transferring the colleges to the higher education and training system. These colleges are expected to increase their enrolments from 650 000 to 2.5 million by 2030. Leaders in these institutions have been faced with constant challenges in a rapidly changing environment. It has been internationally acknowledged that in order for leaders at all levels of vocational education and training institutions to be capable of and effective in transforming their institutions, leadership development is essential. Even though a leadership development programme was advocated in the Green Paper on Further Education and Training in South Africa (RSA, 2012), this training was not mentioned specifically in the subsequent White Paper (RSA, 2014). This lack of leadership development prioritisation of leaders in this sector differs from governments in other countries where customised leadership development in this complex sector has not only been prioritised but has become a matter of urgency. The purpose of this study was thus to develop a leadership development curriculum framework specifically for leaders, present and future, of public TVET colleges in South Africa. These colleges have also been examined as activity systems with their cultural and historical influences, according to Engeström’s (1987) version of activity theory. Through interactive qualitative analysis (IQA), an interpretive methodology grounded in systems theory (Northcutt & McCoy, 2004) which uses an interpretive approach by means of focus group and individual interviews with different constituency populations, an attempt was made to gain an understanding of what challenges these college leaders face and what knowledge, skills, attributes and attitudes they may need to achieve the mandate of the White Paper (RSA, 2014). / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die openbare tegniese en beroepsgerigte onderwys-en-opleidingskolleges in Suid-Afrika het die afgelope 20 jaar groot veranderings ervaar. Hierdie kolleges het onlangs die hoof-fokuspunt van onderwys en opleiding geword vandat die Groenskrif vir Na-skoolse Onderwys en Opleiding in 2012 gepubliseer is, wat die kolleges verskuif het na die hoër onderwys-en-opleidingstelsel met die verwagting om teen 2030 inskrywings van 650 000 tot 2.5 miljoen te vermeerder. Leiers in hierdie instellings ondervind voortdurende uitdagings in ’n vinnig-veranderende omgewing. Daar word internasionaal erken dat om leiers op alle vlakke by beroepsgerigte onderwys-en-opleidingsinstellings in staat te stel om hierdie instellings effektief te transformeer, leierskapontwikkeling essensieel is. Al word leierskapontwikkeling in die Groenskrif vir Na-skoolse Onderwys en Opleiding voorgestel, word daar nie vir hierdie opleiding in die daaropvolgende Witskrif (2014) voorsiening gemaak nie, wat verskil van die optrede van regerings in ander lande wat leierskapsontwikkeling in hierdie komplekse sektor prioritiseer. Gepaste leierskapskwalifikasies en -programme is oral ter wêreld vir leiers in dié sektor beskikbaar, maar nie in Suid-Afrika nie. Hierdie kolleges is ook as aktiwiteitstelsels ondersoek en daardeur is ’n analise van die kulturele en historiese invloede gemaak volgens Engeström (1987) se weergawe van Aktiwiteitsteorie. Die doel van hierdie studie was dus om ’n leierskapkurrikulumraamwerk vir huidige en toekomstige leiers van openbare tegniese en beroepsgerigte onderwys-en-opleidingskolleges in Suid-Afrika te ontwikkel. Deur interaktiewe kwalitatiewe analise, ’n interpretatiewe metodologie wat sy basis in stelselsteorie het (Northcutt & McCoy, 2004) en wat ’n interpretatiewe benadering toepas, is daar gepoog om deur middel van fokusgroep- en individuele onderhoude vas te stel wat leiers in die sektor glo in so ’n kurrikulumraamwerk ingesluit moet word, sodat die mandaat van die Witskrif (RSA, 2014) uitgeoefen kan word.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Based on a number of comprehensive international studies conducted in the past three decades as well as various other national surveys and reports, it is reasonable to argue that a focus on mere academic disciplinary knowledge is not sufficient to meet employers’ and students’ expectations about higher education studies. These studies support arguments of preparing students for today’s rapidly changing and highly competitive labour markets, for periods of unemployment in terms of economic downturn, and for lifelong learning. Moreover, the literature suggests that the so-called discrepancy between the needs of the world of work and those offered by higher education could possibly be addressed by placing a more pertinent focus on the development of graduate attributes. Despite the fact that graduate attributes have been the centre of discussion in many countries over a number of decades, literature indicates that the notion of graduate attributes is a complex concept that relates to issues such as employability, lifewide and lifelong learning, social responsibility and good citizenship, as well as others related to environmental consciousness and technological adeptness. This study is located within a constructivist-interprevist paradigm using a phenomenographic approach to investigate the qualitatively different ways in which academic staff members in five undergraduate Applied Design programmes at a University of Technology experience, conceptualise, perceive and understand the phenomenon of graduate attributes in the subjects they teach. The conceptual framework used in the study is based on the three domains of higher learning of the engaged curriculum model of Barnett and Coate (2005). For this study qualitative data was collected using multiple data collection methods, including curriculum document analysis, focus-group sessions and semi-structured interviews. The data analysis process consisted of seven stages of defining the categories of description that emerged from the qualitative data available to the researcher. This was an iterative process of discovery of which the categories of description were not based on predetermined classifications. A set of a limited number of hierarchically related categories of description emerged from this analysis. These categories of description, in conjunction with the relationships among the categories, constitute the outcome space of phenomenography. Based on the findings from the literature perspectives on graduate attributes and the empirical findings of the phenomenographic study a number of important issues can be highlighted. These include academics’ misconceptions of what is meant by graduate attributes as well as the interactions between their conceptions of graduate attributes and how they approach the development of graduate attributes through their teaching practice. The phenomenographic analysis indicates that if academics view graduate attributes as discrete, isolated units of learning that can be attached to an existing curriculum as a ‘quick-fix’ to address employers’ needs, they are likely to have a simplistic, technicist conception of curriculum and may adopt a transmission, teacher-centred approach to their teaching. Literature has revealed that such approaches negatively influence students’ learning experiences. As an alternative approach, an integrated capabilities framework is suggested to support the notion of graduate attributes as a complex, multi-dimensional and inter-related aspects of higher education. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Gebaseer op ‘n aantal omvattende internasionale studies wat in die afgelope drie dekades wêreldwyd uitgevoer is asook verskeie nasionale opnames en verslae kan daar met reg aangevoor word dat deur slegs klem te plaas op die ontwikkeling van akademiese dissiplinêre kennis binne hoër onderwys daar nie aan die behoeftes en verwagtinge van werkgewers en studente voldoen word nie. Hierdie studies bevestig ook vraagstukke wat verband hou met die voorbereiding van studente vir die hedendaagse snel veranderende arbeidsmark, ekonomiese afswaai en gepaardegaande werksloosheid, asook aspekte rakende lewenslange leer. Literatuur dui daarop dat hierdie sogenaamde tekortkominge moontlik aangespreek kan word deur meer klem te plaas op die ontwikkeling van die kenmerke wat met gegradueerdes geassosieer word. Alhoewel hierdie kenmerke van gegradueerdes reeds gedurende die afgelope aantal dekades en in verskeie lande die spilpunt van bespreking is, dui literatuur daarop dat die opvattings wat met gegradueerde kenmerke gepaardgaan kompleks van aard is. Dit hou ook verband met kwessies soos werkverkryging, lewenslange en lewenswye leer, goeie burgerskap en gemeenskapsveranderwoordelikheid asook ander relevante kwessies soos omgewingsbewustheid en tegnologiese kundigheid. Hierdie studie is geposisioneer binne ‘n konstruktivistiese en interpretatiewe paradigma. ‘n Fenomenografiese benadering is gebruik om die opvattings oor gegradueerde kenmerke, wat akademici in vyf toegepaste ontwerpskursusse aan ‘n Universiteit van Tegnologie het, kwalitatiewelik te ondersoek. Die konseptuele raamwerk vir hierdie studie is gebaseer op die drie aspekte van gevorderde leer wat deel vorm van die samevoegende kurrikulum model van Barnett en Coate (2005). Vir die doel van hierdie studie is kwalitatiewe data ingesamel deur middel van veelvuldige data insamelingsmetodes wat die ontleding van kurrikulum dokumente, fokusgroep besprekings en semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude ingesluit het. Die ontledingsproses het bestaan uit sewe stadiums om die kategorieë van beskrywing, wat vanuit die data ontstaan het, te definieer. Dit was ‘n proses van herhaaldelike ontdekking en was nie gebaseer op vooraf bepaalde klassifikasies nie. ‘n Stel van ‘n beperkte aantal kategorieë van beskrywing binne ‘n hierargiese orde het ontstaan vanuit hierdie ontleding. Hierdie kategorieë van beskrywing, met inagneming van die verband tussen die kategorieë, vorm die uitkomste ruimte (“outcome space”) van hierdie fenomenografiese studie. ‘n Aantal belangrike gevolgtrekkinge kan gemaak word gebaseer op die literatuurstudie en die bevindings van die empiriese studie. Hierdie gevolgtrekkinge sluit in die wanopvattings van akademiese personeellede aangaande die kenmerke van gegradueerdes, asook die wisselwerking tussen die akademici se opvattings en wyse waarop hul onderrig benader. Die data-ontleding dui daarop dat indien akademici die kenmerke van gegradueerdes beskou as afsonderlike en geïsoleerde eenhede van leer wat by ‘n bestaande kurrikulum gevoeg kan word as ‘n sogenaamde kitsoplossing om aan werkgewers se verwagtinge te voldoen, hul heel moontlik ‘n oorvereenvoudigde, tegniese opvatting van kurrikulum het en dat hul ook waarskynlik ‘n transmissie, dosentgesentreerde benadering tot onderrig het. Literatuur dui daarop dat sulke benaderings studente se leerervarings negatief beïnvloed. As ‘n alternatiewe benadering, stel die navorser ‘n geïntegreerde raamwerk voor wat gebaseer is op ‘n vermenging van alvermoë en vernuftigheid sodat die kenmerke van gegradueerdes gesien kan word as ‘n stel komplekse, multi-dimensionele en inter-afhanklike aspekte van hoër onderwysstudies.