Este estudo teve como objetivo identificar a percepção do grau de competência gerencial alcançado por graduandos em enfermagem de uma universidade privada frente ao elenco de competências previsto nas disciplinas da área de administração que permeiam o currículo do curso desta instituição. Também, se procurou identificar possíveis relações de associação entre as variáveis independentes do estudo e os resultados encontrados. Este estudo tem caráter quantitativo descritivo que se utiliza de comparações ora transversalmente entre - sujeitos, ora longitudinalmente nos - sujeitos, sendo a população de estudo constituída por graduandos das disciplinas da área de administração do curso de graduação da Faculdade de Enfermagem da PUC-Campinas do período integral e noturno. Para tal, este estudo foi pautado em recursos da análise quantitativa e se utilizou da técnica de coleta de dados por meio de questionários estruturados com uma escala de respostas que permitiu a aplicação de processos estatísticos para obtenção de representações simplificadas. Os questionários foram estruturados em duas partes: uma composta pela caracterização dos respondentes envolvendo as variáveis sexo, idade, tipo e local de atividade profissional, e outra envolvendo as competências previstas nas disciplinas da área de administração. A definição das competências das disciplinas constituiu um trabalho a partir da análise dos objetivos e conteúdos programáticos das disciplinas e passou por um processo de validação de juízes. Os resultados mostraram uma população de 488 respondentes distribuídos em função da disciplina que estavam cursando e do período de realização do curso, sendo identificada uma predominância de indivíduos do sexo feminino, idade mediana de 24 anos, a maioria foi composta por graduandos trabalhadores distribuídos em 19 diferentes tipos de atividade profissional com grande incidência de trabalhadores de nível médio de enfermagem. Os resultados relativos ao alcance das competências mostraram que aproximadamente ¾ das respostas se situaram entre o grau parcial e o grau integral da escala de intensidade, sendo que das 125 questões em que se constituíram os quatro questionários aplicados, em apenas 14 delas foi identificada uma diferenciação nas respostas entre os grupos analisados. A análise dos resultados e a comparação dos resultados fase á fase do conjunto de respostas dos respondentes em relação a sua percepção do grau de competência alcançado permite concluir que o grupo alcançou em sua maioria o grau de competência integral e, preservados os limites da análise transversal, alcançaram um grau de competência crescente conforme cursaram as disciplinas. É preciso uma avaliação da contribuição das disciplinas para o desenvolvimento de competências previstas no projeto político pedagógico de forma a atender ao perfil do egresso desejado pelo curso. E, além disto, primordialmente avaliar a contribuição que estas disciplinas podem dar ao curso no sentido de buscar a formação do Enfermeiro capaz de uma ação transformadora de sociedade em que atua e vive / This studys objective was to identify the perception degree of management competency reached by undergraduates in nursing of a private university relative to subjects that administrative field forecasts. Also, was to identify possible relations of association between the independent variables contained in the paper and the results found. This study has quantitative descriptive character which uses comparisons times transversally with subjects, times longitudinal in subjects, being the study population made of undergraduates of administration disciplines of the Nursing course from the Faculdade de Enfermagem da PUC-Campinas, both integral and night shifts. For that, this study was ruled by quantitative analysis resources and has used the data collection by questioning method, those structured by an answer scale that allowed the application of statistic processes leading to simplified representations. The question forms were structured by two parts: the first was composed by the characterization of the interviewed containing variables as gender, age, type and local of professional activity, the second touching the subjects of forecast in the administrative graduation field. The definition of subjects competencies constituted a work of developing the analysis of the objectives and programmatic contents and went through a process of validation by judges. The results shown a population of 448 repliers distributed by the subject they were coursing and the period they were in, being identified predominance of female individuals, medium age of 24, most of them worker undergraduates distributed in 19 different groups of professional activity and great incidence of workers on nursing basic levels. The results related to range of the competences have shown approximately ¾ of the answers situated between the partial and integral level of the intensity scale, being that from 125 questions which built the forms, in only 14 of them were identified a differentiation of the answers by the analyzed groups. The analysis of the results and the comparisons of the them phase by phase allows to conclude that the group reached in its majority the integral degree of competence and, preserved the limits of transversal analysis, reached an increasing degree of competence as they attended the disciplines. An evaluation of the subjects contribution is needed for the development of competences forecast in the politic pedagogic project as to reach the expected egress profile of the course. And, besides that, first mostly evaluate the contribution that those subjects may give to the course in sense of seeking the development of the Nurse capable of transformation action on the society in which he acts and lives

M.Ed. / South Africa is faced with the challenge of reconstruction and social recovery having held its .first democratic elections in 1994. Education was central to the discursive process of racial and cultural segregation (Baxen & Soudien 1999: 131). After the 1994 elections the whole education dispensation in South Africa was bound to change dramatically. This is a logical deduction since new role players will always have a new vision, in order to spell out the new roads to be embarked upon. Jansen (1999:145) puts it as follows: "...OBE as primarily a political response to apartheid schooling rather than one which is concerned with the modalities of change at classroom level". A multitude of changes have taken place in the interim. One of the major changes was legislation that provided for the establishment of SAQA (South African Qualifications Authority). The Act was promulgated in 1996, Act 58 of 1996. The main objective of SAQA is to provide for the development and implementation of the NQF (National Qualifications Framework). The NQF brought about a new structure regarding bands of education and levels of qualifications within the said bands. (Refer to diagram 1). According to Pretorius (1998:4) the framework of the NQF makes provision for life-long learning opportunities and levels of qualifications nationally agreed upon.

M.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / The purpose ofthis study is to understand and describe the experiences ofthe demands that Life-orientation, in practice, place on the educator. These experiences relate to the skills, knowledge, attitudes, values and method of instruction. This study is descriptive and a qualitative research strategy was employed. A case study was used as a research method. A literature study ofLife-orientation, the demands that the subject place on educators and Invitational Education as a possible method of instruction were described. An interview with a focus group consisting of five educators in Life-orientation from High School X was done. A class presentation ofthese five educators was observed. The data collected were analysed and categories and themes identified. The themes or subjects identified were the following: the importance ofthe doctrine of Life-orientation, focus on the learner, atmosphere in the classroom and the educational and instructional demands Life-orientation place on the educator. These themes were linked to theory and findings and conclusions were made. The following findings were made: the themes identified allude to the four assumptions and four elements of Invitational Education. It became apparent that educators implicitly acted in a professionally and personally inviting manner towards themselves and the learners in teaching Life-orientation. It can be concluded that Invitational Education may be a possible workable model used in the teaching of Life-orientation according to an outcomes-based education model and it may aid the educators to adhere to the demands of Life-orientation.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Literature has shown that Malawi is experiencing a shortage of qualified healthcare providers, with the greatest burden on maternal and neonatal health. The majority of health service providers are Nurse-Midwife Technicians (NMT), contributing to 87% of the nursing and midwifery workforce. However, research has shown that the NMTs lack the ability to transfer skills into different clinical settings. It was not known what competencies were taught in Christian Health Association of Malawi colleges to equip the NMTs with clinical competence in neonatal nursing practice and how the clinical teachers assisted these NMTs to acquire the competencies. Furthermore, there was no documentation on the availability of a clinical competency-based assessment tool to validate the NMTs’ achievement of clinical competence in neonatal nursing. The purpose of this study was to develop a neonatal nursing care clinical competency-based assessment tool to validate NMTs’ achievement of clinical competence in CHAM nursing colleges. The competency, outcomes and performance assessment (COPA) model and the skills acquisition model were the conceptual frameworks used as the foundation of the study. The study adopted a sequential mixed method approach in which both qualitative and quantitative methods were utilized. Data collection was conducted using focus group discussions, document review and cross-sectional survey. The design and development model developed by Reeves (2006) and steps to development of assessment tools identified by the Department of Training and Workforce Development (2012) guided the study and development of the competency-based assessment tool. The study was conducted in eight CHAM nursing colleges. The researcher employed purposive, convenient and proportional stratified sampling to select the participants. Ethics clearance was obtained from the University of Western Cape and the National Health Sciences Ethical Research Committee in Malawi, prior to data collection. The data collection involved 31 midwifery clinical teachers and 140 third year students for the FGD and 48 midwifery clinical teachers and 195 third year students for the cross section survey. Document analysis was conducted at all the eight nursing colleges. The qualitative data was analysed using content analysis with Atlas.ti 7 and the quantitative data was analysed using descriptive analysis with SPSS 22. The research findings showed that the NMTs were taught basic nursing skills to enable them provide basic care to the health newborn baby. However, there were inadequate clinical assessments done to validate the NMT’s achievement of clinical competence in this setting. In addition, the clinical teachers used skills checklists to evaluate the NMTs clinical performance on specific procedures. The outcome of this study was the establishment of neonatal nursing clinical competencies, and development of a neonatal nursing care clinical competency-based assessment tool for the validation of NMT’s achievement of clinical competence. The tool provides a framework for neonatal nursing clinical teaching and assessments as well as tracking of the NMT’s clinical performance in this setting. It is recommended that training institutions should reinforce mechanisms to track the students’ clinical experience and performance assessments using this tool to ensure quality student outcomes. Furthermore, the clinical teachers should be oriented on the use of the developed assessment tool for familiarisation; thereby enhancing consistency and objectivity in the students’ performance assessments. / ICAP-NEPI Project Malawi

M.A. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Ed. (Education Management) / The implementation of Outcomes-Based Education in South Africa is not as it was envisaged. This was attributed to lack of necessary skills and capacity by both office and school- based teachers to comply with policies of the Department of Education (In this concept the educators and teachers are used interchangeably). Due to the above, both institution and office-based teachers started blaming one another for poor implementation and monitoring as well as supporting the new curriculum reforms. Institution- based teachers blamed the office-based educators for the lack of capacity, monitoring and support as well as feedback. On the other hand the office- based educators blamed the institution based teachers for the lack of internal support within schools. The purpose of this study was to investigate the level of capacity by District Learning Area Specialists in supporting and monitoring the implementation of Revised National Curriculum Statements (currently called National Curriculum Statements). To accomplish this aim, Heads of Departments, District Learning Area Specialists, and teachers were sampled randomly from Ekurhuleni West school district. The Heads of Departments and educators were selected from Thokoza, Vosloorus and Katlehong schools, while the District Learning Area Specialists were from Ekurhuleni West district office. The research was conducted in a form of case study. It focused on qualitative and descriptive research style. Various methods of collecting data such as interviews, observation, questionnaires and document analysis were used in order to ensure reliability and validity. Based on the literature reviewed and responses from the empirical research the study revealed that the type of support offered by the District learning Area Specialists is not enough for the teachers to implement and comply with all the policies of the Department of Education. It also revealed that excessive demands and pressure from the Department of Education left schools and districts with no choice but to rush to the implementation phase without capacity building. In order for both district and institution- based teachers to implement and comply with the policy, the study recommended that: conducive organizational structure; combination of support and external pressure; issuing of incentives; reward and sanctions; strategies and prioritizing of work; high level of professional leadership and capacity; district working towards developing partnership with schools; monitoring and support and that institution based teachers should become organized and effective. Finally, the researcher recommended for a further research on the IDSO (Institutional Development and Support Officer). The reason is that these district officials are the ones who develop the management and governance of schools. They ensure that all the school systems are put in place. It is believed that if the governance and management of schools are in order, it is likely that the curriculum implementation might improve.

M.Ed. / This study forms part of a greater ongoing research project concerning teacher competence and its assesment. The project focuses on researching teacher opinion on teacher competences identified by the initial research. The following areas of teacher competence are being researched : The learning environment Professional commitment Order and discipline Educational foundation Teacher reflection Co-operative ability Effectiveness Leadership This dissertation is part of the research undertaken regarding order and discipline and its role in teacher competence. An intensive research of the literature has given rise to a conceptualisation that consists of the following five aspects, namely : values; rules; human relationships; management of classroom behaviour; and teaching practices. This research essay focuses on classroom management behaviour as an aspect of order and discipline : implication for the management of teacher competence. Having orientated the reader to the particular field of research, the motivation and background of the problem will now be discussed.

D.Ed. (Curriculum Studies) / School education in South Africa has seen a number of changes, some more far-reaching than others, since the 1994 elections. In the schooling sector these changes included the restructuring of schools along nonracial lines, the redeployment of teachers and the introduction of a new curriculum for general education and training in schools. Changes have also been effected to the education and training system as a whole the most significant systemic change has been the establishment of a national qualifications framework (NQF), in terms of which (a) education and training are integrated and (b) all standards are registered in the form of outcomes that bridge previous divides between education and training...

M.Ed. (Curriculum Studies) / The problem whether competency based modular education (CBE) programs produce better results than conventional educational methods has been investigated and discussed in this report. A comprehensive literature study indicated that the upholders of the CBE program advocated better results than the conventional educational methods in most of the instances. Most research showed positive results. An empirical research on micro-level was launched to determine whether this was the case or not. The procedure was to use a group of standard eight pupils, at a TED school in the south of Johannesburg. They were about to complete a part of the syllabus on electricity as part of this research. An experimental group and a control group was selected at random. The experimental group was sUbjected to the CBE method and the control group to the conventional method of Science teaching.

D.Ed. / This thesis is a report of a research project conducted in a Technikon within the higher education sector of South Africa. Teachers in this sector are facing major challenges due to the transformation of higher education, as well as the introduction of an Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) paradigm. Teachers thus need to adapt their teaching practice to include the principles and practices of this educational paradigm and are continuously required to improve their teaching practice to face the aforementioned challenges. This study was aimed at investigating how teachers could be assisted to improve their teaching practice. It primarily aimed at seeking a way to assist lecturers of the Technikon to improve their teaching practice, while it was hoped that I would also improve my own practice. An action research project was conducted during which I was planned, designed and implemented a teaching skills programme. Literature on teaching and learning, with specific emphasis on theories and approaches that support learners' meaningful learning, was reviewed. Furthermore, literature on staff development policies, approaches, practices and the OBE paradigm provided the theoretical foundation for the various phases in the action research project. After conducting a needs analysis to determine the perceived teaching needs of lecturers, all lecturers at the Technikon were invited to attend the teaching skills programme as a staff development initiative. Data of what was experienced, observed and learnt during the process were noted in my research journal. After I had analysed and interpreted the data gained I reflected on the experiences and learning, as well as on the value of the programme. From the research notes I learnt more about the participants, the programme and the process, while I learnt more about myself as a teacher and as a researcher. These reflections informed the findings, namely that insufficient focus is placed on teaching and learning initiatives. Furthermore, it was found that staff development policies did not seem to provide sufficient support for such initiatives. Literature indicated that these findings were not unique to the Technikon, but also seemed to be experienced in other higher education institutions. Based on the above findings it was concluded that teachers could be assisted in improving their teaching practice by focusing on their learners' meaningful learning and by continuously updating their teaching knowledge and skills. It was therefore recommend that staff development policies be revised and that teachers and managers in higher education refocus on the core business of higher education institutions, namely, teaching and learning. Finally, it was recommended that managers, teachers and staff development units accept coresponsibility for improving teaching practice in higher education and work in synergy to achieve this common goal. The co-responsibilities of role-players in academic staff development have been presented diagrammatically within a framework. The importance of all role-players taking their responsibilities is illustrated. The resulting coresponsibility amongst role-players is argued to emphasise the importance of synergy amongst them towards achieving improved practice. I argued that all three role-players needed to collaborate and support one another if they were "to move in the same direction" towards improved teaching practice. The scholarly contribution of this study lies firstly within my living theory, which is a culmination of the learning journey as well as the results thereof. My living theory of teaching practice and that of academic development is culminated into the framework.