In South Africa, on-going concerns surrounding the development of learners’ literacy, mathematics and science skills are evident and drive various research studies in this field. International studies and assessments, such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) show major differences in the proficiency levels of learners in South Africa in comparison with their international counter parts. To date, however, the more comprehensive international standardised assessment called the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), has not been administered in South Africa. The main aim of this research study was to investigate and scientifically explore the real situation in terms of language, mathematics and science literacy knowledge and skills of Grade 9 learners in South Africa and to draw a comparison between Grade 9 learners from secondary schools in the Port Elizabeth district in South Africa and their international counterparts, using the PISA standardised international assessment. In addition, the aim of the study was to determine the actual language, mathematics and science literacy skills and knowledge acquired by participants in this study. Quantitative data collection was done by administering a modified version of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) to learners from eight schools in Port Elizabeth, supplemented with questionnaires completed by participating learners and school principals. Findings revealed that the South African learners sampled, ranked in the bottom percentile of participating countries in reading, mathematics and science. The study also exposed the glaring inequalities still prevalent in South African education today, 17 years into democracy. The implications point to a serious investigation into the societal and political factors responsible for the discrepancies in the South African educational system at present.

The thesis examines the right to education in South Africa and Nigeria. It presents the right to education as an empowerment right which is given a wide recognition in a number of important international and regional human rights instruments as well as in national constitutions. It asserts that the right to education is a right with a multiplying effect in the sense that where it is effectively guaranteed, it enhances the enjoyment of all other rights and freedoms, and when it is denied, it precludes the enjoyment of many other human rights. The thesis examines the provisions of relevant international and regional human rights instruments to assess the adequacy of a framework that applies to South Africa and Nigeria's obligations regarding the right to education. It argues that those instruments impose obligations on all the States to make primary, secondary and higher levels of education available, accessible, acceptable and adaptable to all in their territories. It argues that by having ratified those international agreements in which the right to education is protected, both South Africa and Nigeria assume obligations under international law, enjoining them to realise the right to education and to respect freedoms in education. The study adopts a comparative approach and relies on primary and secondary sources of data; the data is subjected to an in-depth content analysis. The focus of the comparison is on whether the South African's position regarding the right to education can inform Nigeria's interpretation of the right to education. The reason being that the Nigerian Constitution does not provide for the right to education as a basic right as exists in South Africa. The Nigerian Constitution categorised the right to education under “fundamental objectives and directive principles” which are non-justiciable. In this sense, the thesis argues that the legal classification of the right to education, to a large extent, affects its realisation in Nigeria. It suggests that an important area where Nigeria could learn from South Africa is the issue of justiciability and constitutionalising the right to education as well as other socio-economic rights. In terms of implementation, the thesis submits that despite the international obligations and commitments to provide education for all, there is a significant gap between what is stipulated and the practical realities in the two countries. It argues that the right to education is more than a mere school attendance, how well a learner progresses in school is equally important. It posits that the high failure rates and the progressive slide in students' performances in schools xx examinations as shown in the study illustrate the poor quality and falling standard of education in the two countries. South Africa enjoys one of the highest rates of formal school enrolment of any developing country, yet the link between access and success is also weak in the South African schools just as in Nigerian schools. Inadequate planning, poor implementation of policies, lack of adequate resources and commitments are identified as the prime factors hampering the implementation of the right to education in both countries. Solving these problems and making the right to education realisable call for a renewed government commitments and investment of appropriate human and financial resources on education. This also requires a strong political will as well as concerted efforts of all the various actors in the educational sector in the two countries.

This phenomenological, qualitative study addressed student perceptions of their meaning-making process towards self-authorship in a self-designed gap year experience and was conducted in a public higher educational institution in the Southeast. Data was gathered through interviews from a purposeful sample of gap year program participants and program administrators. Emerging themes and categories were identified by coding and analyzing the interview data, such as continual reflection reinforces the value of individual meaning-making, self-expectations versus self-worth, the influence of societal expectations are minimized, and self-designed learning helps to solidify changes in self-authorship. The data showed a strong connection between multiple meaning-making contexts for students and an enhancement in their authorship, as well as multiple-identities. The findings may be useful in gap year program reflection and redesign, and provide implications for self-design in experiential learning opportunities and gap year outcomes.

Indonesia, potentially one of the richest and most powerful of the emerging nations, could profit by an active program in family-life education such as has proved beneficial in other parts of the world. This is especially true in the rural areas. It is the purpose or this paper to explore possibilities for and to develop an extension program in home improvement, sanitation, child care, and nutrition which could be set up at Indonesia Union College, located in a typical rural area of Java. This paper will form the basis for a handbook for Home Economies teachers and extension workers. It will include descriptive data, a tally of results of a questionnaire, and suggested procedures for village home advisors. With this purpose in mind, a study was made of family life among the rural Sundanese ethnic group of West Java. ln the Tjisarua area north of Bandung, in relation to nutrition, sanitation, child care, and home improvement from 1951-1966.

This summary connects parts of nearly every chapter of the book with a thick brush regarding normative constellations. Comparing the constellations shows both, how practices within lessons are normatively connected with practices in other social fields, and that there are fractures that show a need for further research. In conclusion I sketch a model for comparative praxial music education.

The educational trends in the attainment of Hmong American students in higher education have grown significantly over the past 40+ years. However, modern academia is still somewhat new to most United States Hmong refugees since their resettlement in 1975 after the Vietnam War. Hmong students are children of refugee immigrants who came to the United States with no formal schooling, limited English proficiency, and a low-socioeconomic background. Hmong parents believe that having an education will enable their children to seek employment, perform well in society, and gain financial stability. The purpose of this study was to analyze challenges that contribute to Hmong male students with the aim to understand how factors such as education, cultural influences, and life challenges impact the low educational attainment of Hmong male students in college. The research examined (a) How do traditional cultural factors and contributing life challenges affect Hmong male students’ education? and (b) What educational challenges are perceived by Hmong male students as they navigate higher education? The qualitative phenomenological research captured the narrative experiences of Hmong male students in the pursuit of higher education. This study also provides insights and recommendations for colleges and universities to develop strategies to increase retention and academic success for Hmong male students’ educational attainment.

This thesis project explored how study abroad program administrators can help Japanese students develop intercultural competence through predeparture and ongoing intercultural training so as to improve their capacity to adapt effectively to American cultural norms. The ultimate purpose of this thesis project was to help Japanese students who were studying in the U.S. balance their involvement with their peer group from Japan and build relationships with people in the U.S. in order to fully experience American culture. To provide a context for this study, a review of the literature was conducted regarding the challenges faced by Japanese students while studying in the United States. It also examined literature concerned with elements relevant to the experience of Japanese students as well as literature on the intercultural training that I put together at the end of this project; those elements included: cultural issues, intercultural competence, training design, transformative learning, and intercultural training. Interviews were conducted with international education professionals who work with Japanese students in study abroad programs to find out how their Japanese students adapted their Japanese cultural norms while in the U.S. Based on the literature, some existing intercultural training programs, and the interviews, I designed an intercultural training program for a group of Japanese students who will attend a ten-month study abroad program in the northwest part of the U.S. The training program includes the following elements: learning about ones own culture and other cultures, observing and experiencing switching cultural behaviors, and reflecting critically on the interactions with peer Japanese students as well as American students during the study abroad.

Depuis les années 1990, la formation des enseignants français et québécois a évolué au rythme des réformes et du mouvement de professionnalisation de l’enseignement (Malet, 2010). La France et le Québec n’ont pas opté pour les mêmes configurations de leurs programmes de formation. La formation à l’enseignement est plus longue au Québec qu’en France et correspond à un diplôme de premier cycle universitaire. Cependant, dans un pays comme dans l’autre, l’insertion professionnelle fait naître chez les nouveaux enseignants un sentiment de manque de préparation au métier (Broccolichi et al., 2018 ; Borges et al., 2021). Cette thèse s’intéresse à cette période particulière de la carrière enseignante qu’est l’insertion professionnelle et, plus particulièrement, aux apprentissages propres aux relations avec les élèves qui s’effectuent à cette période. La maîtrise de ces relations est aujourd’hui une condition indispensable pour pouvoir « faire la classe » (Barrère, 2002). À partir d’une analyse sous le prisme de la sociologie du travail enseignant, de la sociologie de l’expérience mais aussi de concepts plus proches des sciences de l’éducation tels que les « savoirs pour enseigner », le « développement professionnel » ou encore « l’apprentissage par l’expérience », cette recherche permet d’articuler des objets qui jusque-là ont plutôt été analysés séparément : la formation initiale, l’entrée dans le métier, la formation continue et les difficultés du travail enseignant. Ce travail repose sur l’analyse d’entretiens semi-directifs menés auprès d’enseignants québécois et d’enseignants français. Les résultats mettent en avant les épreuves relationnelles que les enseignants rencontrent lorsqu’ils débutent dans le métier ainsi que les stratégies qu’ils mobilisent afin de leur faire face. Ils montrent que les enseignants débutants s’appuient sur des ressources telles que la formation, la division du travail éducatif, les collègues ou encore les parents d’élèves. Enfin, ces enseignants sont présentés comme étant détenteurs de connaissances relationnelles constituées à la fois de connaissances sur les élèves et de connaissances sur eux-mêmes en situation d’interaction en classe. Cette thèse ouvre trois axes de réflexion. Premièrement, le manque de formalisation de l’interaction avec autrui est ce qui fait frein à la professionnalisation des métiers de la relation (Demailly, 2008). La réflexion autour de l’objection d’un « savoir relationnel » détenu par les enseignants chevronnés et transmis de génération en génération a donc été amorcée. Deuxièmement, l’approche comparée a permis de mettre en avant le poids de l’organisation scolaire et des choix politiques en matière de formation sur l’apprentissage de la dimension relationnelle du métier. Une réflexion sur les contenus des formations à l’enseignement mais aussi sur leur organisation a donc été proposée. Troisièmement, cette recherche propose une réflexion théorique et pratique sur les relations entre enseignants et élèves. L’injonction à l’individualisation n’a pas été couplée avec une réorganisation des espaces scolaires et du travail des enseignants. Par conséquent, il semble aujourd’hui difficile de considérer ces relations comme étant individualisées. / Since the 1990s, the education and training of French and Quebecois teachers has evolved in line with educational reforms and the professionalization movement in teaching (Malet, 2010). France and Quebec have not adopted the same configurations for their initial teacher education (ITE) programs. ITE in Quebec is longer than in France and corresponds to an undergraduate degree. However, in both countries, new teachers experience a sense of unpreparedness for the profession during their induction years (Broccolichi et al., 2018; Borges et al., 2021). This thesis focuses on a specific period in teachers' careers, namely professional induction, and particularly on the learning related to relationships with students during this time. Mastery of these relationships is now an essential condition for being able to "manage the classroom" (Barrère, 2002). Through an analysis under the lenses of the sociology of teachers’ work, the sociology of experience, and concepts closer to educational sciences such as "knowledge for teaching," "professional development," and "experiential learning" this research allows for the integration of objects that have hitherto been analyzed separately: initial teacher education, entry into the profession, continuous professional development, and the challenges of teaching. This work is based on the thematic analysis of semi structured interview conducted with Quebecois and French teachers. The results highlight the relational challenges that teachers face when starting their careers, as well as the strategies they employ to address them. They demonstrate that novice teachers rely on resources such as training, the division of educational labor, colleagues, and even students’ parents. Finally, these teachers are presented as possessors of relational knowledge composed of both knowledge about students and self-awareness in interactive classroom situations. This thesis introduces three areas of reflection. Firstly, the lack of formalization of interaction with others hinders the professionalization of relational professions (Demailly, 2008). The discussion around the notion of "relational knowledge" held by experienced teachers and transmitted from generation to generation has thus been initiated. Secondly, the comparative approach has highlighted the influence of school organization and political choices regarding training on the learning of the relational dimension of the profession. Reflection on the content and organization of teacher education programs has therefore been proposed. Thirdly, this research offers a theoretical and practical reflection on relationships between teachers and students. The call for individualization has not been coupled with a reorganization of school spaces and teachers' work. Therefore, considering these relationships as individualized appears challenging today.

Inclusive education is an international philosophy that places emphasis on the provision of special education services to students with special learning needs within regular classrooms. Teachers, regardless of where in the world they are, require positive attitudes to engage in discussions, adapt curricula, develop strategies and acquire the necessary knowledge and skills for the implementation of inclusionary practices. The aim and rationale for this study was to explore the attitudes of South Africans as expatriates in a foreign country (Oman) at schools where inclusion was recently implemented but where little research was conducted in the area. In addition, the purpose was also to gain more knowledge about the elements that may influence teacher attitudes towards inclusion. A quantitative approach was employed and an online questionnaire was used to obtain data. The small sample (N=35) limited findings to descriptive statistics only. The study revealed that most teachers held positive attitudes towards the fundamental principles of inclusive education but teachers held negative attitudes towards the practical implementation of inclusion within classrooms. Teachers who received training were more positive to supporting inclusion. Male teachers expressed greater negativity than female teachers towards inclusionary practices in schools but then male teachers were more supportive and willing to undertake training, engage in teacher support and work collaboratively. Teachers teaching older groups of students appear to be less knowledgeable and less prepared or equipped to deal with inclusion. Teachers with less teaching experience held more positive attitudes towards inclusive education. Recommendations were made to provide suggestions of ways to eliminate and discourage negative attitudes and research based recommendations for future research were listed. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

The aim of this study was to find ways of improving the quality of teaching and learning in the Erongo primary schools in Namibia. The study focussed on the numerous education reforms that Namibia underwent since independence in 1990 and how these have assisted in providing quality education to all its inhabitants. The quality of the education has been a topic widely debated and the Government of Namibia’s records of attempts to create a change within the education system can be found in published documents such as: Records of attempts by the Namibian Government to improve the quality of education in the country are found in published documents such as; Ministry of Basic Education and Culture (1992a); Ministry of Education and Culture, (1992b); Ministry of Education and Culture (1993); Ministry of Basic Education and Culture (1999); Ministry of Education and Culture (2003); Government of the Republic of Namibia (1999); Government of the Republic of Namibia (2004); Government of the Republic of Namibia (2007a) and Government of the Republic of Namibia, (2007b). In this study, the researcher looked at the inputs, processes, outputs and outcomes of education in schools, tried to define the term quality in education, and also focussed on both the human and material resources that influence education. Through this, focus was placed on the school as a unit that could provide change. The investigation was conducted in 18 schools, randomly selected, in the Erongo region in the western part of Namibia. Initially, the researcher intended to administer two questionnaires at the 25 schools selected, but during data collections, principals at some schools indicated that their teachers were unwilling and reasons were given, as mentioned in Chapter 5 of 5.1. Therefore, the initial total of schools selected could not be met. In the 18 schools, more participants completed questionnaires than others. However, the total of 50 questionnaires was completed as envisaged. For the interviews, the researcher randomly selected twenty percent (20%) from the teachers who completed the questionnaires thus a total number of 10 teachers were selected. The need for quality in schools is seen as a major challenge and places huge demands on educational institutions. The frameworks selected in this study are relevant because they can be applied to the understanding of the concept of quality in the education context and direct the improvement of the whole school towards educational change and assist in addressing the factors that could hamper the quality of education provided. The study also focused on the education systems in four Sub-Saharan countries: Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Malawi and three European countries: Germany, Belgium and Finland. These countries were selected to find ways that could assist its quest to provide quality teaching and learning in schools. The Sub-Saharan countries have shown that change has an impact on the outcomes of education, yet to reach these outcomes, many reforms and transformations need to take place. This has important implications for the education system in Namibia where various reforms and transformations are currently taking place to address the quality of education in schools. The European countries have been found to have good quality schools and their policies in education are aimed at achieving quality education. The strengths and weaknesses of the countries selected for this study could serve as essentially vital lessons to the challenges the Namibian government is still faced with in respect of the teaching and learning process. This study used the mixed method for data collection. Both questionnaires and interviews were used and the study was conducted in the Erongo education region of Namibia. The findings of this study indicated that schools are still faced with many challenges in realising the ultimate goal of Vision 2030, whereby all citizens would receive quality education and meet the challenges of an industrialised country. The results of the study suggested that quality human and material resources were still lacking which resulted in schools not being able to provide the quality of education envisaged by the Ministry of Education. The immense administrative work given to teachers has surfaced as one of the areas that need improvement and that could result in teachers being able to utilize sufficient time in the classrooms during teaching. As far as the material resources were concerned, it was discovered that learners, at some schools, shared desks and chairs as well as textbooks. There appears to be a slow pace with which Information, Communication and Technology is introduced and used in schools. The need for computers in schools; the need for learners to become familiar with technology; and the need for teacher training in the use of computers appeared to be a dire need. Although the clustering system of schools has being regarded as very valuable in the improvement of quality teaching and learning in classrooms, there was however a need expressed for funds to assist in transport costs to attend the meetings as schools were situated at vast distances from each other. The study has thus arrived at the conclusion that stakeholders, namely teachers, principals and heads of departments are attempting to improve the quality of teaching and learning at their schools but are however hampered by the factors mentioned. The need for improved quality teaching and learning is a challenge at schools and support is needed from the Ministry of Education to reach the ultimate goal of the Government of the Republic of Namibia in providing quality teaching and learning to all its learners. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)