M.Ed. / In a country which has just acquired its democracy, education for all citizens is of primary concern. The illiteracy rate in South Africa is high, especially in the rural areas of the country. During this time when South Africa finds itself in a period of transition and of prioritizing items on its agenda, education in general and in particular education of those who had little or no education at all, is high on the priority list. While the government has targeted illiteracy as a major issue, other issues such as gender make the illiteracy situation even more complex, especially in the rural areas where the traditional tenets of the communities are still observed. The aim of this study is to explore the role gender plays in the involvement of adult learners in literacy programmes in the rural Mapulaneng area of Mpumalanga Province, in order to determine the possible implications for literacy programmes in other similar rural areas of South Africa. In order to achieve this aim, an interpretive design is applied and qualitative methods of data—collection are utilized. A literature study which consists of the exploration of the field of Adult Basic Education and gender in global education, with special reference to South African rural areas in particular, forms the theoretical background of the empirical research. Empirical data was obtained through observations and interviews and processed and analyzed by unitizing, categorizing and patterning, resulting in the findings of the research. Lastly, findings of this investigation are discussed in the light of relevant theory. The following are the main research findings: Gender does play a role in the involvement of learners in adult literacy programmes in the rural Mapulaneng area of Mpumalanga. There are learning needs that are specific to females but no particular needs specific to males. However, some needs are not gender—related and are common to both females and males. The main implications of the findings are: Adult literacy classes should be conducted during the evening, in order to accommodate workers, mostly men. There is a need for teacher training of both female and male literacy teachers. Some of the gender—related reasons for non—involvement of adult learners, particularly those that pertain to the dominance of males, would be difficult to address as they are deeply rooted in culture. In order to address the needs of male and female adult learners, a holistic approach should be applied. A holistic approach entails: not only teaching literacy but addressing other needs of the learners; not only addressing the expressed needs of learners (male and female), but also addressing the needs that they are not aware that they have.

Through the use of contextual data, this research study aims to explicate a theory about the experiences of academic women, who are also mothers, employed at a South African University. The research is interpretive in nature as it explores the women's accounts of the conflicts they face in striving to satisfy the demands of both their scholarly work and family responsibilities within multiple intersecting factors related to their personal/familial circumstances, and the strategic processes they engage in to manage the balance between these competing roles. The study followed a constructivist grounded theory design in an attempt to test the hypothesis (emerging from a prior pilot study) that the most significant enabling factors at work in the lives of these women comprise various relational support processes. The findings indicate that balancing academic work and mothering is a delicate activity that is sensitive to a number of facilitating as well as hindering factors. The participants revealed that they experience work-family role-conflict as a result of competing desires to dedicate themselves fully to both of these roles. The relational factors most prominently cited as being critical to enabling a work-family balance include the presence of a supportive partner, a support structure in the home in the form of an employed domestic helper, and the support derived from a 'shared experience' with other working mothers. Non-relational factors emanating from the unique quality of life afforded to mothers by employment within the particular case institution also emerged as being significantly enabling of a work-family balance for this group of academic mothers.

M.Ed. / The problem in this research lies in the absence of women in management positions and women being poorly represented in decision-making in Soweto Schools. The purpose of this research is to argue for the increased number of women in educational management and to discuss the problems that women encounter in management positions in the Gauteng Department of Education. This is a qualitative research. The researcher interviewed, observed and recorded four school principals, five heads of Department and SADTU gender president. The findings are that the legacy of women discrimination still prevails from the apartheid era and male colleagues enjoy seniority. The researcher's recommendation is that no person may unfairly discriminate, directly or indirectly against an employee in any employment policy or practice on one or more grounds including gender, race, sex, ethnic or social origin, colour, sexual orientation, age, political opinion, marital status and culture. There should be no harassment of employees.

The current study investigated relationships that may be crucial to women's decisions to persist in math and science-related college majors.

MGS / Institute for Gender and Youth Studies

DEd / Department of Curriculum Studies and Educational Management

Since 2005, the United States has experienced a significant influx of international students from Saudi Arabia, particularly women (Bollang, 2006). The American educational structure is something Saudi women have never experienced due to the vast differences between both cultures in all facets. There is very little to no research conducted on Saudi Arabian women pursuing higher education in an academic culture drastically different from what they are accustomed to. A review of current literature illustrates the critical need for a more in- depth analysis of this phenomenon. Although there is much research available regarding the subjugation of Saudi women in the past and present, the surge in Saudi women pursuing education in the United States has not been researched. This thesis study explores how Saudi women are adapting to the differences in educational structural between what they have experienced back home and what they are experiencing here at Oregon State University. This study also looks at how Saudi women are adapting to the differences in teaching methods at OSU in comparison to what they are used to back home. The traditional teacher-centered approach versus that at OSU that heavily incorporates a student-centered approach. This study utilizes qualitative research methods to find common themes that arose from interviews with the sample group. Findings suggest that the Saudi women studying at Oregon State University developed intercultural competence due to their strong personal desire to succeed in their studies abroad. These Saudi women also proved to have strong levels of motivation and desire to succeed academically in hopes that they will return to their country and assist in improving the status of women. / Graduation date: 2012

This research deals with the teaching work in the context of the Federal University of Sergipe and the University of Porto, most elite stratum that embodies advances recently made in the more egalitarian gender relations, but also expresses conflicts and contradictions inherent in any process of social change in a federal institution of higher education. Gender studies prioritize qualitative methodologies from research purposes. The methodological approach adopted does not discard to its operationalization of context analysis. We opted for a range of specific tools integrating aspects macro/micro, subjective and objective, intra-and inter-individual, intra and inter-group, intra and inter -cultural, intended to restore the identity of company, university and teaching work, to interpret mechanisms of discrimination, stereotypes made in the education/socialization processes that interact enhancing the gender. Have consulted several sources of information: literature, statistics of higher education obtained in INEP, CAPES, CNPq, CPD / UFS Profile of teachers. There were thirty-eight interviews in UFS and five in UP to analyze the construction of gender differences through the oral history of life as an important process in structuring identities of teachers. Data analysis followed an inductive method for reconstitution of subjective experiences of teachers, collectively designed the social interactions in everyday public institution of higher education. The gender problem emerges this the division of labor in the construction of projects/careers, contradictions, barriers and present achievements in this historic route. The high workload impacts on family life, the productive and reproductive work with disadvantages for women. Note the sexual division by organizing the family budget, household management and parenting. For men, the family never hurt, while the teacher / mother/wife sometimes sacrifices himself for the sake of the family and her husband´s career . The differences, distinctions and inequalities are social constructs present not only among niche professional practice, but also within the daily lives of reproductive and productive work. / Esta pesquisa versa sobre o trabalho docente no contexto da Universidade Federal de Sergipe e na Universidade do Porto, estrato mais elitizado, que personifica avanços recentemente alcançados nas relações de gênero mais igualitárias, mas também expressa conflitos e contradições intrínsecas a qualquer processo de mudança social em uma Instituição Federal de Educação Superior. Os estudos de gênero priorizam metodologias qualitativas a partir dos propósitos da pesquisa. A opção metodológica adotada não prescinde para sua operacionalização da análise conjuntural. Optou-se por uma gama de ferramentas específicas integrando-se os aspectos macro/micro, subjetivos e objetivos, intra e inter-individual, o intra e o inter-grupal, o intra e o inter-cultural, visando restabelecer a identidade entre sociedade, universidade e o trabalho docente, para interpretar mecanismos de discriminação, estereótipos construídos nos processos de educação/socialização que interatuam potenciando os de gênero. Consultaram-se várias fontes de informação: revisão da literatura, estatísticas da educação superior obtidos no INEP, CAPES, CNPQ, CPD/UFS sobre o perfil de docentes. Realizaram-se trinta e oito entrevistas na UFS e cinco na UP para analisar a construção das diferenças de gênero por meio da história de vida oral, enquanto processo importante na estruturação das identidades das docentes. A análise de dados seguiu um curso indutivo, para a reconstituição das experiências subjetivas das docentes, concebidas coletivamente nas interações sociais no cotidiano da instituição de ensino superior pública. A problemática de gênero emerge presente, seja na divisão do trabalho, na construção de projetos/carreiras, nas contradições, barreiras e conquistas presentes neste percurso histórico. A elevada carga de trabalho impacta na vida familiar, no trabalho produtivo e reprodutivo com desvantagens para as mulheres. Observa-se a divisão sexual por meio da organização do orçamento familiar, da administração doméstica e da educação dos filhos. Para os homens, a família nunca atrapalhou, enquanto a docente/mãe/esposa, por vezes, sacrifica-se em prol da família e da carreira do marido. As diferenças, distinções e desigualdades são construções sociais presentes não somente entre os nichos de exercício profissional, mas também dentro deles no cotidiano de trabalho reprodutivo e produtivo.

MGS / Institute for Gender and Youth Studies / Institutions of higher learning are still masculine-orientated; this creates a barrier for women in terms of career advancement. To this effect women are under-represented in top academic positions. The study employed qualitative research methods to explore factors that contribute to the under-representation of women in senior positions at the University of Venda. A combination of purposive and convenience sampling was used to select twenty five female academics (25). Data was collected through primary and secondary data, semi-structured interviews were used to elicit and illuminate women’s voices on issues that affect them and a thematic analysis was used to analyse the collected data. The research findings demonstrate that the University’s environment continues to be masculine-oriented within most of employment categories as well as in academia where women struggle to thrive. Women face multiple challenges in ascending the academic ladder which results in the under-representation of women in management and academic levels. These challenges included: the stringent criteria for promotion which do not seem to accommodate women, especially mothers, lack of female role-models, mentors and networks. The second major barrier is the teaching work-load which poses difficulties for women, preparations for teaching took long hours leaving them with no time for family, research, publication, as well as to further their studies, which are necessary requirements for promotion. The third major barrier women are faced with is the challenge of balancing multiple roles - as students, workers and mothers. Balancing these multiple roles makes it difficult for women to meet the highly stringent promotion criteria in the University