No abstract available / Secondary School Education / D.Ed. (Didactics)

This research explores the potential for engaging teachers in school-based environmental education curriculum development processes by using camera. The research, through its epistemological and ontological position, is closely linked to educational orientations associated with aspects of outcomes-based educational transformation in South Africa. A participatory approach that recognises teachers as co-researchers, each bringing to the inquiry her or his questions and constructions of meaning, was adopted. Participatory inquiry was initiated by setting up cluster meetings that allowed for teacher inputs through open dialogic processes. Fundamental to the inquiry is the notion that context shapes curriculum and curriculum development processes. It was from this orientation that a group of 13 teachers, using cameras to create visual narratives, explored their own diverse and complex contexts. These narratives (or stories) form the basis for further inquiry and development of sophistication with respect to the concept of environment. The research process is critically and reflexively documented as a series of field and research texts constructed from a variety of data sources gathered over the period of one year. The work is presented as a process of engaging critically with environmental education curriculum development and an opportunity to raise questions, rather than seek answers in this regard.

This thesis uses complexity theory to explore education in the context of a changing curriculum called ‘Opening Minds’. This new curriculum was introduced in the case study school in response to a wider curriculum change which emphasised ‘learning to learn’ and the development of ‘skills for the 21st Century’. In this study, a ‘complexity thinking’ theoretical framework was adopted, drawing especially on the work of Osberg and Biesta (Osberg et al., 2008, Osberg and Biesta, 2007, Biesta and Osberg, 2007) and Davis and Sumara (2006; 2007), paying particular attention to concepts of emergence and complexity reduction. Complexity theory, through the ‘logic of emergence’ offers a challenge to mechanistic approaches to understanding the world which, despite the work of postmodern and poststructural scholars in education, remains dominant in educational practice. The Opening Minds curriculum that is the focus of this case study demonstrated the potential to challenge this mechanistic approach, as the teachers expressed a desire to work in different, flexible and creative ways: this thesis therefore explores complexity theory’s challenge to a mechanistic approach in this particular case. It also addresses the relationship between Opening Minds and science education using complexity thinking. To facilitate exploration and analysis of the case, concepts of temporal and relational emergence and complexity reduction to develop a ‘complexity thinking’ understanding of concepts of agency/structure, power, identity and reflexivity. This entailed reconceptualisation of these ideas in a temporal-relational sense that explicitly incorporates a sensitivity to emergence. Specifically, an additional dimension to Emirbayer and Mische’s (1998) construction of multidimensional agency was added: that of creative agency. The research was conducted as a case study in which a ‘bricolage’ approach to data collection and analysis was used as part of an explicitly ‘complex’ methodology, addressing questions of the challenge of complexity reduction and ethics in research drawing on complexity theory. The findings indicated a challenge for teachers in negotiating tensions as they attempted to adopt approaches that could be considered ‘emergent’ alongside other ‘mechanistic’ practices. These tensions were explored in detail in relation to the concept of ‘reflection’, and in the interaction between science and Opening Minds. Bringing together the empirical and theoretical work in this study, it is suggested that mechanistic and emergent aspects may helpfully be viewed as a ‘vital simultaneity’ within the educational relationship (Davis, 2008) with the interaction between them facilitated by creative agency within a ‘pedagogy of interruption’ (Biesta, 2006). It was further argued that reflection could be used in responsive and flexible ways to support both learning and assessment as a crucial aspect of a pedagogy of interruption. Such a ‘contingently responsive and creative pedagogy’ may support the interaction between science and Opening Minds productively. It is suggested that complex approach to a pedagogy of interruption could support teachers in engaging with the creative and diverse elements of science or learning to learn curricula whilst maintaining the mechanistic aspects of teaching that support students in learning key concepts and skills.

Worldwide educational change has been a topic of discussion. South Africa is among the countries having issues with the implementation of a new curriculum and its impact on effective teaching and learning in junior secondary schools. The country (South Africa) experienced frequent changes in education curriculum. The new curriculum was seen as the means to address poor state of education. It is common knowledge that teachers were and are presently still confused and stressed being unsure on how to apply some techniques to meet the requirements of the new curriculum. That led to underperformance of learners in their work at school. Hence, this study was conducted to explore the perceptions of teachers in South Africa regarding the effects that frequent changes in curriculum has on the effective teaching and learning in junior secondary schools. The change in curriculum is frequent in the sense that, from 1997 to 2016, the curriculum in South Africa was revised four times: Curriculum 2005 (C2005) in 1997, Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS) in 2002, National Curriculum Statement (NCS) in 2007 as well as Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) in 2012. The study does not leave behind some literatures on concept of education, teaching and learning in junior secondary schools, curriculum in South Africa, an overview of curriculum policy in South Africa, curriculum changes to mention a few. Qualitative research methodology was used by the researcher so as interview participants (teachers) in their workplace. The case study was chosen as the design, whereby two junior secondary schools from the population of schools in Libode district were purposely sampled. Data was collected from teachers in these schools, that is, six teachers from each school. Four teachers from each phase were targeted, that is, (four from foundation phase, four from intermediate phase and four from senior phase). Semi-structured interviews were used as the instrument to collect information from the participants. From the study, the researcher found confusion and frustration due to the frequent changes in curriculum; negative influence on effective teaching and learning, by the fact that teachers ultimately do not know what to do to meet the requirements of the curriculum; and not much continuity or links between phases in as far as content and subjects are concerned. The study recommended the appointment of professional facilitators, revisiting of the language policy in GET band (with focus in LOLT in foundation phase), encouraging continuity across phases, actively involvement of teachers in formulating or drafting of any policy that will affect curriculum since they are the implementers of curriculum. The study established that frequent change in curriculum had negative effects on teaching and in junior secondary schools. This is the perception of the majority of participants. As far as literature regarding teachers is concerned, changing curriculum without changing teachers’ understanding and attitude has negative impact on learning especially in South Africa, with special focus on rural schools such as those of Libode district in the Eastern Cape Province.

Thesis (MTech (Education)-- Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2007 / The school principal as educational leader is the key person in the implementation of curriculum change in schools and plays a vital role in motivating staff members in this regard. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the school principal in regard to motivating educators during the implementation of new curricula. The principal's role as motivator is investigated in Chapter 2 on the basis of a number of motivation theories and techniques. Chapter 3 investigates the management function of the principal in regard to curriculum change. A questionnaire was devised on the grounds of the literature study and an empirical study (Chapter 4) was done with a group of primary school teachers and school principals employed by the Western Cape Education Department. From the literature review and empirical studies the following roles of the principal to motivate staff members, emerged: • Improvement of group morale • Empowerment of staff members • Delegating of tasks • Creating a positive school climate. The following tasks of the school principal are important during the implementation of curriculum change: • Creating a climate for change • Effective communication • The development of human potential. Curriculum change has a negative impact on the motivation and perception of teaching for many teachers. The findings of this study show that educators argue that the school principal should be the motivator of staff in this regard.

M.Ed.

The implementation of a new curriculum has become a very relevant issue in South Africa with the implementation of Curriculum 2005 (C 2005) since 1998. The school principal plays a very important role at school level in the implementation of change in general and a new curriculum in particular. The aim of this study was to have a closer look at this role. It is a qualitative study executed in six schools in the Port Elizabeth area. It investigates the problems school principals experienced with the implementation of C 2005 with the objective of identifying guidelines for the role of the principal in the implementation of a new curriculum The most important findings include the importance of equipping the principal to provide guidance with the implementation of a new curriculum. This equipping refers to the principal’s knowledge of the new curriculum, the ability to employ various leadership styles, as well as the maintenance of a certain balance between supporting and putting pressure on the staff. Other findings refer to the importance of well-trained and prepared facilitators of workshops, as well as the role the Department of Education needs to play in the training and preparation of these facilitators. The ongoing support of schools in the implementation process also needs to be emphasized. The principal should play a key role with respect to this last role of the Department. The study also emphasizes the principal’s responsibility to bind the educators together in building a shared vision, so that their focus will remain on the curriculum implementation.

M. Ed. (Educational Management) / The aim of this research study was to examine educator attitudes in the implementation of Curriculum 2005 at Katlehong Secondary Schools. The research study indicate that educators are faced with challenges in their endeavors to implement curriculum 2005. Research findings revealed that inadequate training of educators has a negative impact in the implementation of Curriculum 2005. Overcrowding in the classroom creates difficulties in the delivery of Curriculum. There is a need for well coordinated in-service training for educators.

D.Ed. / South African education policy identities curriculum delivery as the core process in education and INSET, EMD (Education Management and Development) and enabling functions as the strategic levers for curriculum delivery (Employment of Educators Act 76 of 1998, PAM Chap A, paragraph 4, 3C-15). With regard to EMD, the strategic lever which is the focus of this research, the EMD curriculum delivery nexus prompts the need to examine those curriculum and education management and development theories, practices,_structures,-policies-and-their-interrelationships-that-will-drivesupport- -and complement the 'core process' in South African education. Since 1994 to date, educational transformation broadly and curriculum change and development, specifically, has been predominantly characterised by education policy formulation rather than education policy implementation. There is concern that the state of readiness at the site of implementation has not been comprehensively gauged. et al (In Chisholm Karlsson, 2000:2) claims that despite 'the establishment of sound legal and regulatory frameworks to facilitate the process of change, it is at the level of policy implementation - that is, at the school level - that the major crisis points appear to be'. The 2000 Curriculum Review Committee, commissioned by the National Minister, makes similar findings and outlines some of the major challenges in implementing new curriculum policy frameworks. Where supportive legal and regulatory frameworks have not been effectively responsive to the inhibiting factors at the site of implementation - school level - this could have been avoided had the implementation landscape informed the facilitating frameworks at the outset. A key objective of the research was to elicit the perceptions, by means of a questionnaire, that school education managers (Principals and SMTs) and school educators (non-SMT members) have of the school's internal organisational and management arrangements and particularly the EMD role that the SMT plays to support curriculum change, development and delivery, and the nature, quality and impact of the support that district officials contribute to the school's curriculum change development and delivery processes. Broad foci of this investigation included consultative strategic policy planning, implementation and support approaches at the district-school interface, specifically, consultative curriculum and organisational change management and support strategies and key partnering, incentive and feedback strategies both within and between the two levels of curriculum delivery. Aspects that impact on effective policy implementation and curriculum delivery, such as performance monitoring, capacity building, quality support and district-school organisational alignment at the interface, are also considered. Generally low factor mean scores - illustrating readings at the neither disagree nor agree i.e. 3 on the Likert scale - were acquired with regard to district-school alignment of action plans and district support. This indicates that the strategic levers/ processes, namely education management and development and INSET, has not been adequately developed to facilitate effective curriculum change, development and delivery. Thus the research problem as identified in paragraph three. Findings from focus group interviews, conducted with district officials and triangulated with the questionnaire and literature survey findings, related largely to the internal district dynamics and processes and the quality of district support at the district-school interface. The ultimate aim of the research was concerned with informing an EMD theoretical orientation and practical framework that support reflexive curriculum change, development and delivery. The research draws attention to perspectives, emanating from both the literature survey and the research findings of the kinds of interactive curricular and organisational practices that could support effective curriculum delivery at the district-school interface. Practices that emphasise district-school performance alignment, whole school development, and structures and processes that provide opportunities for dialogue, mentoring, coaching and support in managing the curriculum were all recommended for bridging the theory-policy-practice divide.

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / The quest for change in the new South Africa on political , economical and social frontiers were primarily directed at entrance into the global markets, establishing democracy and leveling the playing fields amongst South Africa’s diverse population. Those previously disenfranchised on political, economical and social grounds waited in anticipation on the rewards for their participation in the struggle against the discriminative minority regime of the past. These rewards would be in the form of radical policy changes sometimes far removed from the realities of the ordinary citizen. These reforms especially those on the educational level would prove to be flawed with constraints not anticipated by these policy developers as well as the government of the day. The educational transformation process was thus deemed as significant in order to address equity and equality and in so doing also provide skilled citizens which are able to be globally competitive.These educational changes in terms of schools were externalised in the form of Curriculum 2005 and Outcomes-based Education. Curriculum 2005 was viewed as a planned framework (process) of curriculum innovation underpinned by factors such as redress, access, equity and development. Outcomes-based Education in turn was the approach focusing on what is learned and how learning is taken place. This study will focus on Curriculum 2005 and OBE as education transformation tools and to what extent grade 7 teachers as implementers and modifiers understand and practice C2005 and OBE in their respective classrooms. One of the biggest problems facing the educational transformation process is the fact that there exists a gap between theory (policy) and practice (implementation). This gap can be attributed to different factors present in the historical disadvantaged school context in South Africa.This study will follow a qualitative approach which is directed at an inquiry process of understanding based on a distinct methodological approach. Data- gathering tools such as direct observation, structured interviews and questionnaires will be used. The research was primarily conducted in historically disadvantaged schools in the Metropole-east circuit of the Western Cape Educational Department. The sample was made up of schools in Macassar, Firgrove, Somerset-West, Strand, Temperance Town and Sir Lowry’s Pass. / South Africa