The coming into being of a democratic South Africa in 1994 has resulted in many changes in the education system. Many changes in the education system have taken place in the area of curriculum and management of schools. These have reversed all changes that had been implemented since the introduction of Bantu Education in 1953. Among the new changes is the introduction of the Further Education Training curriculum. A qualitative research was undertaken whose purpose was to develop a better understanding of the SMT in relation to their roles in facilitating the introduction of FET curriculum in schools. This study was undertaken among 3 secondary schools in Pinetown District. Purposive sampling procedures were used to select schools. Factors used for selection were schools geographical contexts such as urban, township and rural settlement. Three schools participated. The following stakeholders were identified and participated in each school; principals, deputy-principals, Heads of Department and post level one educators. There were three participants from each school. A rich qualitative data was produced through semi-structured interviews. The SMT interviewed members believe that no stakeholder within schools participated in the interviews ready for the FET curriculum implementation. SMTs do not understand it; thus they have not built capacity among educators; SMTs do not attend the FET workshops but SMTs send educators and educators who attend do not provide feed back to SMTs; SMTs do not hold workshops within schools; educators know more about the FET curriculum than SMTs, yet they are supposed to monitor its implementation; the cascade model used by the Department of Education is ineffective. The Department needs to monitor the implementation of training provided at these workshops. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2007.

The researcher has attempted to gain an understanding of how Drama teachers perceive the teaching of the curriculum and curriculum change. The data were obtained through the use of the qualitative mode of engaging in research. The researcher, who is also a Drama teacher had come to experience the need for teachers to be given an opportunity to express their views on curriculum as the area of curriculum is complex and always in need of reappraisal. Also, teachers needed a medium through which they could share their perspectives on curriculum. The researcher collected the relevant information by using the interview context as a means of data collection. Ten Drama teachers responded to questions focusing on curriculum teaching and curriculum change. The Drama teachers' perspectives were recorded and analysed. Marxist theorists like Bowles and Gintis( 1986) view teachers as mere state functionaries and agents of the system. Drama teachers in this study contradicted the view of teachers as technicians within the system. They were not reflective of typical teachers. Rather Drama teachers challenged and mediated the curriculum, they did not accept and abide by the syllabus document and their classroom practice was determined by the immediacy of their particular teaching context. Finally through engaging in this research study the researcher has achieved the following objectives: 1. An understanding of the view that knowledge is a socially constructed concept. 2. Has provided a medium through which the perspectives of Drama teachers are heard. 3. Has provided an invaluable experience of documenting the processes of qualitative research. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1998.

This study sought to investigate the effects of continuous curriculum policy changes on the professional lives of foundation phase teachers in post-apartheid South Africa. Since the inception of Curriculum 2005 (C2005) in 1994, there have been several policy initiatives aimed at the Foundation Phase. These include: The Revised National Curriculum Statement (2002) , followed by the Foundations for Learning Campaign and the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) in 2012. This study aims to understand the process and experience of change from a teachers‟ perspective, as teachers‟ participation in education policy formulation has been limited or non-existent. The study sought to answer three critical questions: Why have there been continuous curriculum policy changes in post-apartheid South Africa? What are the implications of continuous curriculum policy changes for foundation phase teachers? What are the effects of these changes on the professional lives of foundation phase teachers? The literature review sought to explore the motivation for continuous curriculum changes and the implications that these changes have for foundation phase teachers. The literature review indicates that policy changes derive largely from two contending imperatives, namely pedagogical enhancement and/or political symbolism. The qualitative data generated for the analysis is underpinned by the interpretive paradigm using data collected through structured interviews. Foundation phase teachers from three primary schools were selected to participate in the study. The questions have also been explored using relevant theoretical explanations that derive from empirical data. This study has been framed within four theoretical frameworks, namely: Foucault‟s (1991) theory of governmentality, Jansen‟s (2002) theory of political symbolism, Carnal‟s (1993) theory of change, and Hargreaves (1994) theory of professionalism and intensification. The analysis reveals that continuous policy changes lead to intensification of teacher workloads and poor uptake and implementation of new/revised policies. As the trajectory of curriculum policy change reveals, teachers who have hardly been able to internalise pre-existing policies are required to engage with new policies. The data reveals that frequent policy changes have resulted in uncertainty and confusion among teachers, and contrary to the policy rhetoric, do not improve the performance of learners, as is evident from South Africa‟s poor performance in international literacy and numeracy tests. Nor does it assist with teacher development. The haste usually associated with the policy process results in the use of the much maligned “cascade” model of teacher development. Policy bureaucrats, who have inadequate understandings of policy, superficially cascade these understandings to teachers through quick-fix workshops. The study contends that the state of policy-flux is counterproductive and can be attributed to the phenomenon of governmentality. This is an attempt by the ruling party (which governs policy development almost exclusively) to be seen to be making substantive changes, but these changes remain at the level of policy rhetoric and policy symbolism. The report concludes with the assertion that for policy to have substantive force, there needs to be more productive policy dialogue among practising teachers and policy makers. It is still possible to infuse a sense of legitimacy in the policy process, if teachers are positioned at the centre of the endeavour rather than at the margins. / Theses (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

The MBA programme is a management education qualification that is ideal for people wishing to develop or enhance their skills and knowledge across the entire spectrum of modern management. The MBA which originated in 1908, has been the key qualification for aspirant senior managers. The MBA has for decades been recognised by academia and industry as the same of excellence of a professional manager. However, in the recent past the MBA has come under scrutiny and has been criticised for its massification and churning out managers rather than future leaders. The MBA has also been criticised for becoming too academic and less pragmatic. The primary purpose of this study was to report on the relevance of the South African Masters of Business Administration (MBA) programmes in South Africa with regards to current South African Business requirements. This exploratory study sought to address in particular what the current landscape of the MBA curriculum looked like, and to gauge the relevance of the MBA programmes of South African business schools, based on MBA alumni perceptions. An online questionnaire was designed to examine various aspects of the MBA curriculum as well as the MBA alumni perceptions of the importance of the curriculum. A non-probability purposive sample of 90 MBA alumni was obtained from various South African business schools. The salient findings of this study showed that there was a gap between alumni perceptions of important subjects and those that the business schools gave relevance to. The study found that a general MBA programme with a large research component was needed. However, this programme should give less attention to the traditional functional management subjects and should move from a narrowly focussed MBA to one that reflects a much broader context, and to continually review the curriculum. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2011.

In South Africa, both the paradigm for music education and the music syllabus need to change: music teachers need to correct and compensate for the consequences of the Apartheid system of the past, and they need to meet the challenges of the outcomes based model of Curriculum 2005, which has been accepted by the National Education Department as the plan which will be followed in the future. This dissertation attempts to contribute to the implementation of Curriculum 2005 by making a case study of a successful student band, Amethyst, all of whose members were almost entirely self taught in music. After identifying what the members of Amethyst learned and how they learned it, the work finds ways of applying the findings from the case study to the teaching of music in the Further Education and Training phase of Curriculum 2005. The case study is contextualised by a consideration of the salient characteristics of outcomes-based education as embodied in Curriculum 2005 and by including discussion of similarities between the way learning took place in Amethyst and the informal learning of music that takes place in African and Indian communities within South Africa. These similarities in learning methods are ones that fit well with the perspectives propagated by outcomes-based education. Practical suggestions for the classroom take cognizance of the intercultural ideals of Curriculum 2005, and these suggestions are presented within a framework based on the critical cross-field outcomes and specific outcomes identified in this curriculum. The matters of evaluation and assessment, as well as the content of learning programs are also addressed. This dissertation is based on qualitative research methods, including interviews with the band members, their parents, some students who were well acquainted with the band, and two educationists with specialised knowledge concerning the new OBE system. The case study also includes an exploration of the reasons for the boys choosing to teach themselves even though music was available as a subject in their school , an exploration which confirmed that the current music education system has become outdated. / Thesis (M.Mus.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1998.

The focus and purpose of the study is to investigate how Life Orientation lecturers construct learning outcomes using teaching/learning resources for their lessons at a Further Education and Training (FET) College in KwaZulu Natal. After 1994, in the new South Africa, outcomes-based education became the National policy for teaching and learning, with the National Curriculum Vocational (NCV) Programme implemented in the Further FET sector in 2007. The study allows for clarity of misconceptions and misunderstandings that still exist amongst those lecturers who teach Life Orientation around the concept ‘learning outcomes’ in view of OBE and in relation to aims and objectives. The researcher has observed over the past five years as a senior lecturer of Life Orientation that lecturers use the outcomes as prescribed in the Department subject assessment guidelines in their lesson plans without giving much thought around how these outcomes are going to be observed and measured in their lessons. Further observations revealed that when Life Orientation lecturers are engaged in the construction of the learning outcomes for their lessons they fail to evaluate the learning outcomes against the different levels of taxonomies of learning so as to ensure that the learning outcomes are observable and measurable at the end of a lesson. The research is situated in an interpretivist paradigm with its emphasis on construction of learning outcomes. Since this study requires gaining an in-depth knowledge and greater understanding of outcomes it will be conducted within the qualitative framework (Denzin & Lincoln, 2003). Therefore the study will ensure that the relevant data is generated around learning outcomes within the theoretical framework of Bloom’s taxonomy of thinking behaviors using the activity theory to explain the data. The purposive selection method was used whereby the participants for the study included four lecturers who teach Life Orientation at a FET college in KwaZulu Natal. Triangulation of three instruments namely reflection questions, interviews and document analysis was used for data generation. The study found that Life Orientation lecturers construction of learning outcomes are a regurgitation of the subject assessment guidelines with no further evidence of their lesson outcomes. As a result students are being deemed ‘competent’ in Life Orientation but are ‘incompetent’ in many areas after having progressed from the previous NCV level. In view of this it can be suggested that lecturers should organize themselves into Life Orientation teams where they can brainstorm suggestions, ideas and practical measures for their lesson plans by covering all the learning outcomes so as to ensure that their students are able to achieve these learning outcomes. / M. Ed. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2013.

The study reviews how self-paced training programs were developed by the U.S. Army for Initial Entry Training (IET), and conducted at the various service schools. In early 1975, after a long validation effort, the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) published guidance to the service schools and training centers to begin self-paced training. Most service schools sought to follow this guidance in one form or another which demanded a job analysis, systematic development, and tryouts on typical soldiers. Through the years 1975-78, the service schools worked diligently to develop, evaluate and implement self-paced instruction in most of the job specialties of the U.S Army. Around 1978, complaints from field units began to find their way to the Department of the Army and TRADOC. The units complained that they were receiving too many unqualified soldiers from the advanced individual training courses. In response to these complaints, an in depth study was conducted at many of the schools and training centers. As a result of this study, in June 1983, the TRADOC Commander of TRADOC directed the service schools to move from their self-pace efforts toward group-pace.Contributing factors that caused the U.S Army to move away from self-paced instruction were: inherent lack of reenforcement training for the students in skills they had learned in basic training (soldierization skills); students entering the U.S. Army had poor reading skills, lack of motivation, and little formal education; there were problems in scheduling students through the school's "pipeline" and on to their first unit of assignment; and a shortage of properly trained developers and instructors.The U.S. Army's decision to introduce self-paced instruction, although not successful, was not wasted time and resources. It laid out a course that has led to group-paced instruction. The victory, called "Desert Storm", has proven the United States has been very successful with its training stratagem and has a well trained military force.This study was prepared as a historiography, and as such, recorded events as they occurred along a time continuum, and analyzed, correlated, and drew conclusions from those events.3 / Department of Educational Leadership

The purpose of this study was to design a development model of a process for developing, introducing, and implementing innovative curricula at the community university level. Focusing on higher education, the study examined a comprehensive, systems-based model to determine the extent to which it identified current curriculum and instruction development practices.The study involved four major parts: 1) a series of interviews with teachers and administrators of Ball State, 2) a review of literature about curriculum development to synthesize the material and information collected, and to use it as a base for designing a curriculum model, 3) a set of nine questionnaires sent to teacher and administrators of CIDE (Center for Research and Teaching in Education) at the National University-Costa Rica, 4) a model design which exemplified steps useful to the process of implementation and evaluation.The study illustrates and examines a variety of experiences and problems related to curriculum development. Suggested solutions which will be of interest to both institutional planners and faculty members are given throughout the study. The research suggests a framework for understanding the role of curriculum development in education and for demonstrating how the changes contribute to the quality of the program as a tool in the educational process.This model is based on the combination of organizational and instructional curriculum development with research being an integral part of each area. For any institution wishing to implement innovations suggested by this study, the model should be viewed as flexible and adaptable.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 57406 / Center for Lifelong Education

The purpose of the study was to create a differentiated staff paradigm for a new senior high school with a prescribed learning program but without a designated faculty. The paradigm was designed by identifying elements of a viable differentiated staffing pattern from a review of related literature and research, and incorporating the elements into a predetermined learning program for the selected school. The school selected for the study was a new senior high school in Elkhart, Indiana, which was under construction at the time the study was being conducted. The school was scheduled to open in September of 1972.The review of related literature and research included an examination of existing theory related to differentiated staffing and a description of three models of existing differentiated staffing programs. A review of the planning history and basic foundations for the school being studied was presented. Concepts upon which were developed the educational specifications for the high school, and which related directly to staffing considerations for the school, were described.A rationale for the paradigm explained why the selected school appeared to be an appropriate one to consider a differentiated staffing arrangement. The rationale reviwed process considerations for development of a differentiated staff paradigm. From the review essential elements of a differentiated staffing plan were identified and these elements were used as a framework for presenting a paradigm for the selected school.General conclusions drawn from the study included:1. Sufficient research on differentiated staffing programs does not exist to draw absolute conclusions about the concept.2. The process of relating a review of research and literature to a defined learning program for an impending high school can be utilized to design a differentiated staffing paradigm for that school.3. A functional differentiated staff will be founded on specialization of job responsibilities while insuring flexible utilization of individual competencies.4. Teachers must be intimately involved in the planning and implementation of a differentiated staffing program.5. The existence of a differentiated staffing pattern in one school will affect administrative and decision-making functions on a system-wide basis.6. Individuals accepting differentiated staffing positions with broader job scope than traditional teaching assignments accept, concurrently, a greater degree of responsibility.7. The greater the responsibility in a differentiated staffing position the greater should be the remuneration and involvement in decision making in that position.8. Evaluation of performance within a differentiated staff should be based upon measured achievement of described tasks.9. The role of the principal cannot be an autonomous one in a school which employs a differentiated staffing pattern.10. Both pre-service and continuous in-service training activities are vital to success of a differentiated staffing plan.11. In order to relate specialized positions to defined goals and individual skills, periodic evaluation and resultant restructuring of a differentiated staff organization is called for.Recommendations for further study were as follows:1. If a differentiated staff plan should be implemented within the selected high school a study of the actual plan vis-a-vis the pattern posed in the paradigm should be made.2. Successes and limitations of differentiated staffing programs in achieving stated objectives should be measured.3. Contrasting methods of evaluation of performance in a differentiated staff should be compared and analyzed.4. The effect of a differentiation of assignment on staff performance and morale should be assessed.5. The effect of implementing a differentiated staffing pattern in one school on the system-wide educational program should be studied.6. The relationship between differentiated teaching assignments and a concept of accountability in achieving educational goals and objectives should be reviewed.7. The role of the principal in a differentiated staff should be analyzed and reported.

This study examined one teacher’s experience with teaching a ninth grade literacy course. In response to consecutively low reading test scores, the administration in a rural high school in South Central Kentucky established a literacy course for all ninth grade students. This research illustrates the teacher’s implementation and instruction of that course. In addition, the research investigates how the results of a formal reading assessment might be used to improve the reading course in the future.