This dissertation examines the interactions of mathematicians, mathematics educators, and teachers with a set of 12 algebra problems. The data are from two Making Connections workshops (2006 and 2008) which included members of these three professional groups; each workshop was comprised of 13 participants. The primary analytical focus was a task in which each professional group separately discussed and categorized the 12 algebra problems; interviews were conducted with the participants from the 2008 workshop. The methods and analysis of this study were framed by research on the teaching and learning of algebra, on curriculum use as a participatory relationship, and on the dispositions and beliefs of members of the three professional groups.The study indicated that teachers, as compared to the other two groups, drew more heavily upon their knowledge of students as they made sense of the algebra problems. Teachers were at times concerned with the wording of questions as an obstacle for students. The mathematicians and mathematics educators put a greater focus on algebraic structure as they discussed the problems whereas the teachers put a greater focus on graphing. I connect these findings to the workshop participants' views of algebra.

It has long been the opinion of the writer that behind the great movements "which shape the lives of the multitudes, in the shadows of the public personalities which sponsor them, work quiet, unassuming men who really determine the course of our society. Uncompromised by the limelight, with little thought of great personal reward, these dedicated, prescient thinkers prepare the stage for posterity. [...]

The present study explored the attitudes and the expectations that educators have towards learners who are deprived by poverty. The influence of the educators' race and gender on these attitudes and expectations was explored as well as the relationship between indigent learners and their educators. The challenges that face educators on a daily basis, make teaching a particularly daunting task. In addition educators have the complex task of teaching learners who come from a diverse range of home backgrounds. These stressors combine to create a complicated learning environment. The interplay between home environmental risk factors, teacher support and learner achievement and performance is of utmost importance for eventual school success and a positive self-perception for the learner. This study was conducted by using a survey questionnaire which was completed by 53 educators (Indian and African), and semi-structured interviews with 12 indigent learners. The researcher was able to determine the emergent attitudes and expectations of educators according to the educator's race and gender. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 indigent learners to determine their relationship with their teachers and their self-perceptions. The responses to the interviews were qualitatively analysed. The findings of this study have indicated that generally, educators have positive attitudes towards indigent learners. They are supportive of these learners and try, in most instances, to plan lessons in a manner that would benefit the disadvantaged learner. With regard to race and gender, African male educators were the highest number that perceived indigent learners negatively, while African female educators appear to be the most sympathetic and held the least negative views on indigent learners. Results also indicated that the majority of educators had formed pre-conceived expectations about learner's abilities based on variables such as the home background, knowledge of siblings performances in school, dress and speech. Although African male educators had the most negative attitudes towards indigent learners, they (African male educators) also held the highest expectations of indigent learners as compared to Indian female educators who held the lowest expectations. This means that African male educators believe that indigent learners have the potential and perform relatively well in the classroom despite their poverty status. The results of the semi-structured interviews, which were qualitatively analysed, indicated that generally, the indigent learners who were interviewed, were happy at school, had friends and enjoyed a good relationship with their teachers. These learners appeared to always try hard with their schoolwork and held high career aspirations. Based on these findings, it appears that generally, the indigent learners who were interviewed had positive self-esteem based on positive relationships with their educators. The findings of this research were discussed in relation to previous findings from international literature. The study was concluded with recommendations to educators on monitoring and controlling expectance effects and bias on the achievement and social behaviour of learners. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2003.

21st century tools and Web 2.0 digital technologies have engaged educators and students from traditional learning models into a new learning paradigm. Twitter can be a particular vehicle for enhancing professional development for educators. This study focused on who are the teachers, their initial motivations for using Twitter, and how they use Twitter for professional development. Research findings show that educators value Twitter as a vehicle for professional development. Twitter is appreciated for its self-service and immediate approach to learning. Being connected to other colleagues and experts across the world is seen as a great advantage. The ease in which to access constant, current, and large amounts of resources, ideas, and methodologies helps teachers improve their professional development on a continuous basis. Educators and teachers should consider using Twitter as an enhancement to their current professional development practices.

It is common to find farm schools some distance from the villages where learners reside, and in most cases these do not look good from the outside and are normally not given as much support as they should get. There are many challenges facing educators who are teaching learners in farm schools. Some of the problems emanate from home, including the socia-economic status and parental involvement. Other problems are as a result of the environmental conditions, including a lack of basic services like water, electricity and others. The education system is believed to be failing farm school learners in a way when it comes to issues like a lack of teaching or learning aids, a lack of a referral system, a lack in high schools, a lack of funding, managing and controlling the feeding scheme. At times some additional problems are caused by the learners themselves, including latecoming, absenteeism, a high drop-out rate, teenage pregnancy and vandalism. The bad road conditions and the fact that learners have to walk long distances to school, also impact negatively on the learners. Educators in farm schools feel that they are over-burdened in their task of teaching because of issues like multi-grade classes, too much administration, and lack of support from the department and the parents, as well as financial constraints. The above factors cause much frustration in the teaching profession and educators become drained and experience serious fatigue, which impacts negatively on their work. The aim of this study is to investigate the general perceptions of educators about the health status of farm schools. To attain this aim, the study had following specific objective: To determine the perceptions of educators about the health status of farm schools. A qualitative research design was considered to be the most appropriate for gaining in depth insight into the educators' perceptions about the health status of farm schools. Data was collected through phenomenological semi-structured interviews and direct observations. This data was then organised into categories and subcategories, and direct quotations were presented verbatim. Research findings were compared to the relevant literature to identify existing information and possible differences, and the findings were then recorded The study showed that there are many barriers in farm schools that hinder the smooth running the of school, in other words the learning and teaching. It is necessary to eliminate these barriers where possible, and to minimise and control the barriers that can be detrimental to the health status of farm schools. Findings from this research were classified according to the following main categories: • Difficult working conditions experienced by educators in the classroom. • Poor socio-economic status of learners. • Lack of support to learners from outside the school. • Dissatisfaction with the Department of Education's management. Lack of transport and bad road conditions on the way to school. • The adverse effect of the status quo on educators. • Learners’ negative attitude. • Struggles with helper mothers. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Educators are affected by the HIV and AIDS pandemic in many different ways. At this stage, most people are focusing on how to support people that are infected by the HIV and AIDS pandemic. The youth of South Africa are in the hands of these educators that are struggling under the effects of this pandemic. The Resilient Educators (REds) programme was especially created to support educators that have been affected by the pandemic by means of the correct knowledge and skills to remain resilient. The aim of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of the programme. To reach this aim, the programme was evaluated by means of two articles. The first article ascertains the nature and content of the REds programme. This article gives an overview of the group work process, the method of how this programme was presented, as well as a thorough explanation of the content of each session. The second article evaluates the programme as a whole by means of the results obtained from the study. Within this article, data obtained from quantitative and qualitative measuring instruments are discussed. From results obtained it was clear that this programme can be a powerful tool to support educators affected by the HIV and AIDS pandemic. / Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

The title of this research is: “The nature of safety and security in public secondary schools”. The purpose of this study is, therefore, to determine the nature of safety and security in public secondary schools of Matlosana Area Office’s (AO) area of responsibility, with a view to developing a more comprehensive set of recommendations on how to improve the safety and security policy – to the benefit of educators, learners and visitors to school premises. The study was carried out in the North West Province’s department of Education. An empirical research was conducted to gather data from the respondents regarding the safety and security of educators, learners and visitors in public secondary schools of the Matlosana Area Office’s area of responsibility. The target groups were the AO Manager, the Safety Co-ordinator, the Safety Officer, the School Management Teams, educators, learners, School Governing Bodies and Adopt-a-Cop members. The investigation also analysed the extent to which public secondary schools are complying with the statutory and regulatory frameworks governing safety and security. The study employed a quantitative approach, using a structured questionnaire. In this study, the research is concluded with a presentation of the findings. Amongst others, it was found that some learners carry dangerous objects on school premises, because the Adopt-a-Cop programme is not effectively implemented. Conclusions were drawn on the basis of the findings; and finally, recommendations for further research were suggested. / Thesis (M. Development and Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012

The aims of this research were to describe the role that coaching plays in the development of educators and to make recommendations for the way in which schools can make use of coaching as an educator human resource development tool at the workplace. According to the findings from the literature review, coaching plays an important role in the success of novice educators. Educators who are coached typically develop a strong self-concept, become consistent in the implementation of policies and procedures, show a greater focus on the teaching and learning purpose within the classroom and display more confidence in themselves, which increases their personal ability and selfefficacy to help and develop learners, and thereby increasing the learners' love for learning and academic achievement. Educators who display the personal traits mentioned in the above paragraph, according to the findings from the literature study, become effective and expert educators who have something to offer to the learners and are recognized as professionals in their field. Various researchers in the reviewed literature stress the need for coaching for its inherent potential of being a panacea for educator attrition and turnover which are always the result of job dissatisfaction. The qualitative research method in the form of focus group interviews was used to elicit primary empirical data from a population sample of eighteen educator participants who were all at post level one. This educator participant population sample was engaged by the researcher on a three-day coaching session in Outcomes-Based Education and Training as a new teaching and learning system in South Africa. After this three-day coaching session, the participants were interviewed to determine the role that coaching plays in the development of educators, with a view to making recommendations for the way in which schools can make use of coaching as an educator human resource development tool at the workplace. The results of the empirical research revealed that educator participants who formed the population sample of this research experienced the three-day coaching session which the researcher conducted as follows: developmental; providing support and guidance; leading to paradigm shifts; setting aside any power differences to offer a relaxed atmosphere; and eventful. Recommendations for educational practice and further research were made. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2006.

It is common to find farm schools some distance from the villages where learners reside, and in most cases these do not look good from the outside and are normally not given as much support as they should get. There are many challenges facing educators who are teaching learners in farm schools. Some of the problems emanate from home, including the socia-economic status and parental involvement. Other problems are as a result of the environmental conditions, including a lack of basic services like water, electricity and others. The education system is believed to be failing farm school learners in a way when it comes to issues like a lack of teaching or learning aids, a lack of a referral system, a lack in high schools, a lack of funding, managing and controlling the feeding scheme. At times some additional problems are caused by the learners themselves, including latecoming, absenteeism, a high drop-out rate, teenage pregnancy and vandalism. The bad road conditions and the fact that learners have to walk long distances to school, also impact negatively on the learners. Educators in farm schools feel that they are over-burdened in their task of teaching because of issues like multi-grade classes, too much administration, and lack of support from the department and the parents, as well as financial constraints. The above factors cause much frustration in the teaching profession and educators become drained and experience serious fatigue, which impacts negatively on their work. The aim of this study is to investigate the general perceptions of educators about the health status of farm schools. To attain this aim, the study had following specific objective: To determine the perceptions of educators about the health status of farm schools. A qualitative research design was considered to be the most appropriate for gaining in depth insight into the educators' perceptions about the health status of farm schools. Data was collected through phenomenological semi-structured interviews and direct observations. This data was then organised into categories and subcategories, and direct quotations were presented verbatim. Research findings were compared to the relevant literature to identify existing information and possible differences, and the findings were then recorded The study showed that there are many barriers in farm schools that hinder the smooth running the of school, in other words the learning and teaching. It is necessary to eliminate these barriers where possible, and to minimise and control the barriers that can be detrimental to the health status of farm schools. Findings from this research were classified according to the following main categories: • Difficult working conditions experienced by educators in the classroom. • Poor socio-economic status of learners. • Lack of support to learners from outside the school. • Dissatisfaction with the Department of Education's management. Lack of transport and bad road conditions on the way to school. • The adverse effect of the status quo on educators. • Learners’ negative attitude. • Struggles with helper mothers. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Educators are affected by the HIV and AIDS pandemic in many different ways. At this stage, most people are focusing on how to support people that are infected by the HIV and AIDS pandemic. The youth of South Africa are in the hands of these educators that are struggling under the effects of this pandemic. The Resilient Educators (REds) programme was especially created to support educators that have been affected by the pandemic by means of the correct knowledge and skills to remain resilient. The aim of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of the programme. To reach this aim, the programme was evaluated by means of two articles. The first article ascertains the nature and content of the REds programme. This article gives an overview of the group work process, the method of how this programme was presented, as well as a thorough explanation of the content of each session. The second article evaluates the programme as a whole by means of the results obtained from the study. Within this article, data obtained from quantitative and qualitative measuring instruments are discussed. From results obtained it was clear that this programme can be a powerful tool to support educators affected by the HIV and AIDS pandemic. / Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.