Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master's Degree in Technology: Education (Management), Technikon Natal, 2000. / This research focused on an investigation into the problems female heads of department experienced with reference to the primary schools in the Isipingo area. For a successful and a balanced education on a global basis, women must be seen to be equally capable of becoming leaders of educational institutions. The purpose of this research was to ascertain how educators react to the leadership of female heads of department in primary schools. More specifically, the objective of this research was to investigate the problems that heads of department experience, mainly because they were women. A literature survey of the functions of the head of department enabled the researcher to focus on the areas that the head of department had to give her attention to in order to develop an effective team. Focus was on organizational, administrative and professional matters determining the level of similarities between the English, American and South African education systems. Research was conducted by means of a questionnaire applied to a representative sample of educators from all levels of the hierarchy of educators. The qualitative method provided a systematic investigation of the topic. The research sought to understand behaviour from the 'action' point of view where the objective was to discover the specific experiences of the respondents. / M

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

This thesis describes the casualisation of teachers' work (in Greater Durban) during the period of the democratic transition in South Africa. It provides evidence that contract teaching exists among men and women teachers employed in primary and secondary schools. These teachers are relegated to the secondary labour market with low income, poorer working conditions and lack of job security. It begins by adopting an electic theoretical approach, combining labour process and interactionist theories, to understand teachers' work. From this eclectic theoretical perspective, it is argued that contract teachers control and influence over their work is considerably eroded by the casualisation of the teaching labour process. However, unlike existing international studies, it is argued that casualisation of teaching in the Durban area serves not only as a deskilling process for most contract teachers but also as a re-skilling process for a few. Furthermore, this study shows that contract teaching has a gendered dimension. Not only because women teachers are mostly affected by casualisation of teaching but that it tends to relegate women to the primary school system where they teach young children. It is therefore argued that the casualisation of teaching extends women's mothering role into the classroom. The historical basis for casualisation of teaching, in South Africa, especially its gender dimension is a result of the 'Marriage Bar 'of 1912, the legacy of the Bantu Education system and the non-standardisation of teachers' qualifications until the 1980s, as well as the education policy flux during the period of political transition. Because contract teaching has existed over a long period, it has to be acknowledged as a sub-category of the national teaching corps. This means that the contribution of contract teachers towards the formation and transformation of the capacity to learn should not only be recognised and accordingly rewarded by education authorities but that casualisation of teaching should constitute an area for further academic research. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, 1998.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--School of Policy and Curriculum Studies in Education, Faculty of Education, University of Sydney, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print form.

O presente estudo tem como objetivo avaliar as representações individuais e coletivas das docentes das séries iniciais do Ensino Fundamental de um Município da Região Metropolitana de Curitiba sobre o Distúrbio de Voz Relacionado ao Trabalho (DVRT) segundo o campo da Saúde do Trabalhador. Nessa perspectiva, buscamos ao logo do trabalho: 1) Avaliar como os problemas de gênero e da divisão sexual do trabalho contribuem para o DVRT nas docentes das séries iniciais do Ensino Fundamental desse Município; 2) Verificar quais as soluções tecnológicas e estratégias de enfrentamento individuais e coletivas ao DVRT são utilizadas pelas respectivas docentes. A partir dos objetivos propostos e para atender ao protocolo da pesquisa, utilizamos como metodologia a pesquisa qualitativa de natureza interpretativa e, como instrumento de levantamento de dados, a entrevista semiestruturada mediante a técnica de grupo focal. Este trabalho está dividido em dois momentos: 1º) Pesquisa bibliográfica, que teve como objetivo conhecer e fundamentar um arcabouço teórico para este estudo e a legislação vigente da temática no Brasil. Foram analisadas obras, artigos científicos específicos da área e 47 teses e dissertações. 2º) Pesquisa empírica, cujo objetivo foi analisar as representações das docentes sobre o DVRT segundo o campo da Saúde do Trabalhador e verificar se os dados apresentados na pesquisa bibliográfica se confirmam ou não na pesquisa empírica. Com este estudo concluímos que: As docentes têm uma representação de apego sobre o trabalho, de amor quase incondicional e de missão; essa condição as impede de questionar as condições de trabalho que promovem o desgaste e favorecem as doenças atípicas do trabalho docente; as docentes que já apresentam DVRT reconhecem que as condições de trabalho e as condições ambientais são as principais responsáveis pelo desenvolvimento e reincidência do problema do DVRT, mas se sentem desamparadas e desassistidas pelas leis e pelas normas vigentes. As docentes com DVRT conhecem vários recursos técnicos e tecnológicos no tratamento das mesmas, porém, têm pouco acesso aos recursos de prevenção e quase nunca recorrem aos recursos da medicina popular ou caseira para tratamento ou prevenção. Os aparatos materiais, didáticos e pedagógicos, que poderiam ser substituídos como medidas preventivas nas salas de aula, são citados pelas docentes, mas ainda não fazem parte da sua realidade. As alternativas de engenharia e arquitetura na construção das escolas e salas de aula, que poderiam evitar os principais problemas de ordem ambiental, não são implementadas. As docentes reconhecem que o DVRT é uma doença do trabalho e reconhecem a importância das iniciativas das instituições, como a Secretaria da Educação e o Sindicato, na prevenção, no tratamento e na recuperação do DVRT. As mulheres efetivamente são mais predispostas a desenvolver o DVRT devido a multifatores relacionados a questões de gênero e a divisão sexual de trabalho. E as docentes são mais predispostas, pois, além desses fatores, também pelo fato de essa profissão estar associada à alta demanda vocal e pela falta de treinamento e preparação para o uso profissional da voz. / The objective of this study was to evaluate the individual and collective representations of teachers of the early grades of elementary school in a city in the outskirts of Curitiba regarding Voice Disorders Related to Work (VDRW) according to the Occupational Health field. From this perspective, during the project, we tried to: 1) Evaluate how issues of gender and sexual division of labor contribute to teachers’ VDRW in the early grades of elementary school of this city; 2) Check which technological solutions and individual and collective coping strategies to VDRW are used by these teachers. Starting from the proposed objectives and in order to meet the research protocol, we used a qualitative-interpretative research methodology, and the data collection instrument was semi-structured interviews using the focus group technique. This work is divided into two stages: 1) Bibliographic research, whose objective was to identify and support a theoretical framework for this study and the current legislation about this issue in Brazil. Books, specific scientific articles in the area and 47 theses and dissertations were analyzed. 2) Empirical research, whose objective was to analyze the teachers’ representations about VDRW, according to the Occupational Health field and to verify if the data found in literature is confirmed or not in empirical research. With this study we concluded that: Teachers have showed emotional attachment to their work, with almost unconditional love and as if work was a mission; this condition prevents them to question working conditions that cause tiredness and favor diseases that are not common among teachers; Teachers who already have VDRW recognize that working and environmental conditions are the main cause of the development and recurrence of this problem, but feel helpless and devoid of laws and regulations. Teachers with VDRW are aware of several technical and technological resources for their treatment; however, they have little access to prevention resources and almost never make use of popular medicine or home remedies for treatment or prevention. Material, instructional and teaching apparatus that could be replaced as preventative measures in classrooms are known by the teachers, but not available. Alternative engineering and architecture in the construction of schools and classrooms that could avoid the main problems relating to environment are not implemented. The teachers recognize that VDRW is a labor disease and know the importance of the initiatives of institutions such as the Department of Education and the Union for prevention, treatment and healing of VDRW. Women are actually more likely to develop VDRW due to different factors related to gender and sexual division of labor. In addition to these aspects, this profession is also associated with high vocal demand and lack of training and preparation for the professional use of voice.

Educational Studies / M.Ed (Educational Management)

In A Question of Power Bessie Head explores metaphysical forms of knowledge and systems of belief (against a background of what is verifiable and can be called the truth) and finds them necessary but flawed because they are illogical. The experience of madness in Bessie Head's main character, Elizabeth, (which is caused by a deep fear of domination and oppression), provides an opportunity for the character to raise propositions and questions of philosophy related to race, class, heterosexuality, God, to mention but a few, and to come to the conclusion that the 'truth' claims which are implied in and suggested by these notions do not obtain in real life. In other words, there is no stable, transcendental reality. It dawns on Elizabeth (the main character) that certain realms of knowledge which society has determined as objective truth will remain forever unknowable. Thus Elizabeth, the main character in a A Question of Power, identifies and challenges all patriarchal structures and power hierarchies in society, seeing them as the real causes of her suffering. After completing this process of deeonstruction, she is able to integrate herself into society. / English Studies / M. A. (English)

This research aimed to understand the changes experienced in recent years of teaching work in high school of Atheneu Sergipense State College in the city of Aracaju/SE, in order to assess changes in social relations of gender, in the expansion of citizenship and rights of the teachers. It was intended also to analyze the relations of gender in teaching work as a space designed as a social relation that incorporates the issue of the meanings and senses attributed to work by the teachers from social practices. The methodological choice fell on a qualitative approach, because it helps to express the sense of social phenomena and the understanding of the meanings of human actions and relations. The case study proved relevant to the knowledge of concrete situations of work of the teachers, what for, through the social relationships observed, can be singled out elements able to inform analyzes that would contribute to a better understanding of the changes in social relations of gender. The approach of the type case study was considered relevant to seek, in representational relation, cognitive and affective mechanisms of the elaboration of social representations of women and men teachers. Different sources of information were consulted in order to produce knowledge about the object, from data collection, such as official documents and statistics. Questionnaires were administered to 38 teachers (22 women and 16 men); semi-structured interviews conducted with 16 teachers (eight women and eight men), to analyze the dialectic of the work process, taking gender as a category of analysis. The results report that women and men teachers of the high school of Atheneu Sergipense State College attribute different senses and meanings to work and qualification. This happens according to the definition of the seats allocated to men and women, the trajectory of work and family, and the aspects that influence in the construction of projects and personal and professional expectations, which become experienced differently by men and women. / Esta pesquisa objetivou compreender as transformações vivenciadas nos últimos anos do trabalho docente no Ensino Médio do Colégio Estadual Atheneu Sergipense na cidade de Aracaju/SE, com a finalidade de avaliar as mudanças nas relações sociais de gênero, na ampliação da cidadania e dos direitos dos/as docentes. Pretendeu-se também analisar as relações de gênero no trabalho docente como um espaço pensado como relação social que incorpora a questão dos significados e sentidos atribuídos ao trabalho pelos/as professores/as, a partir das práticas sociais. A opção metodológica recaiu na abordagem qualitativa, devido a considerar que ela ajuda a expressar o sentido dos fenômenos sociais e a compreensão dos significados das ações e relações humanas. O estudo de caso mostrou-se relevante para o conhecimento das situações concretas de trabalho dos/as docentes, para que, através das relações sociais observadas, possam ser apontados elementos capazes de informar análises que contribuíssem para a melhor compreensão das transformações nas relações sociais de gênero. A aproximação do tipo estudo de caso foi considerada relevante para buscar, na relação representacional, mecanismos cognitivos e afetivos da elaboração das representações sociais de trabalhadores docentes mulheres e homens. Foram consultadas diferentes fontes de informação, visando a produzir conhecimento sobre o objeto, a partir de coleta de dados, tais como: documentos e estatísticas oficiais. Foram aplicados questionários a 38 docentes (22 mulheres e 16 homens); entrevistas semiestruturadas realizadas com 16 docentes (oito mulheres e oito homens), para analisar a dialética do processo de trabalho, tendo gênero como categoria de análise. Os resultados informam que mulheres e homens docentes do Ensino Médio do Colégio Estadual Atheneu Sergipense atribuem sentidos e significados diferentes ao trabalho e à qualificação. Isso se dá de acordo com a definição dos lugares atribuídos a homens e mulheres, a trajetória do trabalho e na família, e os aspectos que influenciam na construção de projetos e expectativas pessoais e profissionais, que passam a ser vividas de maneira diferenciada por homens e mulheres.

This qualitative arts-based narrative inquiry explored and analyzed the experiences of five Black women dance educators who teach with micro-interventions of care, love, and mentorship toward racial uplift in Black youth. This inquiry’s data collection included participants’ journal entries, sent weekly via email; one-on-one, semi-structured interviews with the women; and roundtable sista’ circles convened within community dialogues. Participants were prompted to share stories of their lived experiences as community members, artists, educators, and scholars. The collected data was analyzed using thematic and narrative methods, beginning with deductive coding and continuing with chunked comparisons of the women’s narratives. This study’s findings revealed that the women’s narratives as educators, persons, and community leaders, centered Blackness, care and love for themselves and their community, and Afrofuturity extant in their dance education practices. The narratives themselves revealed anecdotes of community, artistry, spirituality, culture, and healing, told and retold in the form of storytelling and poetry. This study sheds light on the unique experiences and perspectives of Black women dance educators, highlighting the importance of their contributions to the field. This study also proposes future considerations for research and practice in unearthing more stories of dance education as a micro-intervention of care, love, and mentorship toward racial uplift in Black youth. The inquiry and its results hold ramifications for and suggest a new vision for Black youth as well as educators that is a joyful Afrofuturistic dance education praxis rooted in peace, love, harmony, and #JOY.

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Die Bruinvrou in die onderwys het 'n besondere rol om te vertolk veral in die !ewe van die volwassewordende kind asook in die hele skoolopset. Die doel van hierdie ondersoek was om hierdie rol te bepaal. Tersaaklike gegewens is verkry deur middel van Iiteratuurstudie, die outobiografiese teks, onderhoude asook vraelyste. Deur die inligting bekom, is vasgestel dat die omstandighede waaronder 'n groot gedcelte van die Bruinonderwyseresse werk, nie altyd gunstig is nie. Baie Bruinlccrclcrs woon in sosio-ekonomiese agtergeblewe gebiede waar misdaad en bendebcdrywighedc aan die orde van die dag is. Waardestelsels, leefstyl van die subkultuur, onvoldoende materiele versorging en gebrekkige opvoeding veroorsaak steuringe in die leerders se ingesteldheid teenoor die skool. Haar vrouwees laat die onderwyseres baie empatie toon in haar opvoedingskommunikasie met die leerder. Sy poog om toereikend na sy behoeftes om te sicn. As medcganger help sy die leerder om elke mylpaal wat hy bereik, te beskou as die begin van 'n ander. Deur haar meelewendheid word veral die milieugestremde Bruinkind se menswaardigheid erken. Baie bruinleerders het aangedui dat onderwyseresse rolmodelle vir hulle is. Sommige onderwyseresse word verplig om jarelank dieselfde graad te onderrig. Aangesien hulle so 'n betekenisvolle rol in die volwassewording van die kind speel, is dit nodig dat hulle ervaring opdoen van die verskillende grade in die skool. Die vrou is baie veelsydig en het moontlikhede wat tocreikcnd aangewend kan word in al die fasette van die skoolopset. Sy kan '11 baie belangrike bydrae lewer in die organisasie en administrasie van die skool as sy die geleentheid gebied word. Haar ingesteldheid op die menslike en die belangrikheid van gesonde verhoudinge asook haar hoe pligsbesef dui daarop dat die onderwyseres by magte is om 'n uitstekende onderwysleier te wees. Nieteenstaande die feit dat onderwyseresse volgens statistieke oorverteenwoordig is in die onderwys, is hulle onderverteenwoordig in bestuursposte. Alhoewel die Grondwet van die Republiek van Suid Afrika 1996, gebaseer is op die beginsels van gelykheid en menswaardigheid, is seksisme en diskriminasie op grond van geslag nog steeds ernstige struikelblokke vir die onderwyseres op haar weg na beter vooruitsigte in die onderwys. Aanbevelings vir praktykverbetering asook verdere navorsing is gemaak. / The Coloured woman in education has a particular role to play, especially in the life of the child growing towards adulthood as well as in the school in general. The aim of this investigation is to determine that role. Relevant information had been obtained by means of literary sources, autobiographical texts, interviews and questionnaires. Having obtained this information, it was established that the circumstances in which a large proportion of Coloured female educators work, are not always favourable. Many coloured learners live in socio-economic disadvantaged areas where crime and gangsterism prevail. Value systems, lifestyles of the subculture, inadequate material care and a serious lack of education are causing disruptions of learners' inclination towards the school. Being a woman enables the female educator to show considerable empathy in her pedagogic communication with the learners. She endeavours to sufficiently provide in their needs. As pedagogic accompanist she assists the learner to see every milestone that he/she achieves as the basis for another. Her involvement brings about an acknowledgement of the human dignity of the milieu-deprived Coloured child. Many coloured learners have indicated that their female educators are their role models. Some female educators are compelled to teach the same grade for years. Their significant role merits experience of teaching the various grades at school. Women are very versatile and have potential which can be utilized adequately in all the facets of the school situation. They can make very important contributions towards the organisation and administration of the school as a whole, given the opportunity. Their focus on human nature and the importance of sound relationships as well as their high sense of duty are indicative of the ability female educators have to become excellent leaders in education. They are nevertheless under-represented in educational management positions. Although the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, is based on the principles of equality and human dignity, sexism is still a stumbling block in the path of female educators. Recommendations for an improvement m educational practice as well as further research were made. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Filosofie van die Opvoeding)