The implementation of Outcomes Based education in countries such as Australia, New Zealand and American states had problems (Steyn & Wilkinson, 1998). South Africa was no exception during the implementation of OBE in the foundation phase. Since 1997 the National Department of Education has spent millions of rands on providing training and materials to facilitate the implementation of Curriculum 2005 (C200S) / OBE in the compulsory school phase. Educators who were to implement C2005 the following year had to attend development workshops the previous year. Nevertheless educators have had problems in implementing C 2005. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which the training of trainers is effective in training other educators to implement OBE. A review of the related literature revealed that much research has been done on the implementation of OBE / C2005. General recommendations for the training of educators and for implementation were given. The literature consulted did not, however, address the criteria used for the selection of trainers, how the training programme was implemented and delivered and, neither was the effectiveness of trainers addressed. The study employed a qualitative approach and data were collected by the use of questionnaires and interviews. Interviews were utilised because they involve direct personal contact with the respondents. A non-scheduled structured interview was conducted since issues to be investigated were determined prior to the interviews. The sites were three schools from different ex Departments of Education in the Umvoti District in the region of Pietermaritzburg in Mshwathi and Wartburg circuits. The subjects of the study were the educators of grades one to three, foundation phase and the educators of grade seven. All these educators had attended the training workshops. The sample included Subject Advisers, who were involved in the training of the educators and the Superintendents of Education Management (SEMs). The study revealed that the workshops were not effective as a cascading model towards the implementation of C200S / OBE. Information was diluted along the way and the facilitators were not fully prepared for their roles. The methods used in the training workshops were not relevant to the different contexts of implementation. The study also revealed that educators, the implementers of C2005 / OBE lacked support from the different stakeholders. The recommendation is that authorities take into account different contexts of implementation and different levels of professional development of educators, so that training methods used are relevant to the participants. It is also recommended that support is offered from all stakeholders. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.

In this qualitative study the fundamental principles of credit-based modular education are investigated from the perspective of international experience in Britain and the United States (US). The evolution of a mass higher education system, with multi-access and multi-exit pOints, in both Britain and the US, is outlined. The main concepts and principles, approaches, strengths and weaknesses, exemplars of good practice, and the potential problems of modularisation are elucidated. The purpose of the study is to identify the cardinal strategic issues to be considered in the process of implementing modularisation by M L Sultan Technikon. The data from three chief sources are triangulated: the literature; fieldwork at five universities in Britain; and documentation provided by these five universities. From these data, in particular that from interviews with academic staff in Britain with personal experiences of the process of modularisation, a plurality of interpretations, values, perceptions, opinions, and approaches is revealed. The study does not attempt to propose a single model for modularisation for universal application. The common themes to emerge as findings in this study illuminate the many complex and interrelated issues pertinent to modularisation that the respondents across the five universities identified. From these themes a series of critical questions to be posed by an institution in making decisions about modularisation is suggested. The implications of the themes and questions are explored, and a possible model for their integration is suggested. The model draws together the perspective of two contrasting orientations to curriculum and the dialectic between a managerial and an educational rationale for 'going modular'. This model forms the basis for an exploration of the implications for developing a credit-based modular system in the context of M L Sultan Technikon. The following important broader issues to emerge related to modularisation are briefly discussed: assessment; credit; awards; student counselling and guidance; management; administration; semesterisation; and change. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, Durban, 2001.

Abstract not available. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

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.

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.

This study aimed to investigate if there are any possible gaps in the offering Vocational Curriculum Report 191, in terms of knowledge, skills and link to the world of work. This study was a case study of three Technical and Vocational Education and Training Colleges that offer Vocational Curriculum Report 191, and it was geographically limited to the province of the Eastern Cape. The five main findings from this study were that firstly, the curriculum offers theory without practice. Secondly, there is a mismatch between what is offered as curriculum at Technical and Vocational Education and Training Colleges and what the labour market wants. Thirdly, lecturers do not have the practical exposure that relates to their fields of study. Fourthly, Vocational Curriculum Report 191 does not promote self-employment of its students and lastly, the curriculum is outdated and does not comply with the criteria of current employment opportunities. The study recommends that the curriculum be reviewed and revised. Technical and Vocational Education and Training colleges need to have in site practice facilities to cater for the practical application of theoretical knowledge of students. Partnerships between Technical and Vocational Education and Training Colleges, the labour market and Sector Education and Training Authorities are strongly recommended in this study.

The introduction of the Economics CAPS policy ushered the introduction of the new principle of “active and critical learning” which implies fostering active learner participation in teaching and learning process. The revision of curriculum in 1997 and subsequent years has implications on how teachers teach. Since the introduction of Economics CAPS in Grade twelve in 2014, no study has been conducted to determine how teachers implement the curriculum. The aim of the study was to investigate the implementation of Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) by Economics Grade twelve teachers and its influence on teaching methods in East London Education District. The theoretical framework of the study was Experiential Learning Theory (ELT), constructivism, and pragmatism. A mixed method which entails the combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods was used in this study. A sequential design was followed in the study where the first stage comprised of the administration of questionnaire as a component of quantitative method. The second stage focused on qualitative method which entailed the administration of the following data collection techniques: lesson observation, semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Purposeful random sampling where East London Education District was selected since it has the required categories of schools required for the research was used. All the 53 Grade 12 Economics schools served as the population for the study. Some of the participants did not return the questionnaire while others have phased out Economics. A total of 36 schools participated and two schools have 2 Grade 12 classes. A total of 38 teachers returned the questionnaires. A stratified random sampling of 8 teachers was done for the qualitative research. The schools or teachers were categorised as follows: one teacher from Ex - Model C schools, one from urban, one from rural and five teachers from township schools. The sample represented 22.2 % of schools offering Grade 12 economics in the East London Education District. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were used for quantitative and qualitative studies respectively. The study found out that economics teachers assert that they employ mixed methods when teaching, but classroom practice reveals that their teaching approach is predominately teacher - centred. While the CAPS policy propagates the adoption of “active and critical learning” practice indicates this principle is applied to a limited extent. Economics teachers should be developed in using active learning methods to ensure that the new principle find expression in the classroom. In respect of the training of teachers to implement CAPS curriculum, research reveals that short-term training workshops were conducted but Economics teachers have challenges in methodology and content. The recommendations to address the challenges entail: continuous professional development of Economics teachers on methodology; conduct content workshops and resourcing of schools.