Primary school teachers in Zimbabwe tend to face a number of challenges that need to be overcome if they are to handle learners with diverse needs effectively. The main problem has been failure by teachers to deal with gifted learners. The objective of this qualitative study focused on answering the key research question, ‘What are the teacher education initiatives undertaken by Teachers Colleges to prepare trainee teachers in handling gifted learners in primary schools in Zimbabwe?’ The problem is mainly attributed to preparation of teachers during pre-service training. Primary school education in Zimbabwe has tended to ignore gifted learners as compared to learners who experience academic barriers. It has been observed that records kept by trainee teachers on teaching practice reflect some serious planning considerations given to remedial cases in which gifted learners are completely ignored. This suggests that the trainee teachers are not deliberately ignoring gifted learners but have an inherent assumption that they do not need extra attention. The research was grounded in the constructivist paradigm to gain a full understanding of the social life-world of the initiatives by teacher education in the preparation of trainee teachers to handle gifted learners. A phenomenological design was employed to collect data through qualitative methods, namely semi-structured interviews, observation and focus group discussion. The respondents to these data collection methods were lecturers from two teachers colleges, qualified teachers and trainee teachers from two primary schools. The main finding was that gifted education was missing in the teacher preparation to enable trainee teachers to handle gifted learners. The researcher made some recommendations from the conclusions drawn from the research findings. The recommendations included that there is need for a national policy on gifted education to provide guidelines for teacher education programmes and that teacher training colleges should review their curriculum specifically in Theory of Education and Professional Studies to include gifted education. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

A full dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Education Presented to the Faculty of Education and Social Sciences at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology 2014 / Writing in rural multigrade Foundation Phase schools is a largely negelected area for research and teacher development. Even those teaching multigrade classes are not sure how to approach it. There are almost no regulations or guidelines in PIRLS or government documents and reports. Nevertheless multigrade rural schooling is prevalant throughout South Africa. This gap between widespread practice and lack of theoretical acknowledgement or knowledge prompted this study. For the purposes of this study two rural multigrade Foundation Phase classes were selected in the Northern District of the Western Cape. This study answers one main question: What writing practices are being implemented in these two rural Foundation Phase multigrade classes? Two sub-questions are: How do the two Foundation Phase teachers teach writing skills to rural multigrade learners? What challenges do these two Foundation Phase teachers experience when teaching writing? Lack of research in this area required considerable time to consolidate an appropriate research methodology. To establish a scientific structure for this research certain theoretical approaches were adopted. Socio-cultural theories of learning, particularly focusing on Bronfenbrenner’s socio-ecological model, Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and social constructivism were used. Piaget’s developmental contributions add to this research project. Cambourne’s principles and strategies were invaluable in understanding constructivism in a language classroom. Because this was a pioneering research project it took over four years to complete analysis of data from the schools and link it to the theoretical framework. A qualitative interpretative case study research design was specifically formulated to provide an objective understanding of the research questions. The data were analysed qualitatively. Four themes emerged from sub-question one and include: the pedagogy of teaching writing in a multigrade class, the importance of creating a writing ethos in the classroom, elements of writing and supporting learners in the writing process. The following six themes were identified in answering sub-question two: teacher challenges, poor socio-economic backgrounds, writing support from the WCED, creating a writing ethos including discipline, parental literacy and learner challenges. In conclusion, this research indicates that multigrade education is, far from being a recalcitrant problem or cause for apology, useful as a template for curriculum development in many other areas of education. Multigrade education provides a realistic and flexible tool for meeting urgent educational problems.

The objective of the case study was to investigate the impact of the principal’s supervision task on teaching and learning in primary school in Vhembe District, Limpopo Province. The investigation focused on five primary school principals and ten teachers. The first chapter exposed background to the study, problem formulation, aims, significance, methods and demarcation of study. Literature reviewed depicted strong advocacy for supervision of teachers by principals. Nevertheless, ineffectiveness of locally based teacher supervision by principals and non-compliance to supervision policy requirements were shown. The methodological aspect suggested that data was gathered through interviews with principals and questionnaires administered to teachers. Qualitative approach was used to interpret data obtained. Findings of this study revealed ineffective supervision of teachers by principals and lack of departmental support to supervision systems. Supervision task was also not impacting positively on teaching and learning. The study recommends the revamping of teacher supervision and monitoring strategies, constant monitoring of principals when carrying out supervision task. Regular workshops and seminars on supervision task should be conducted to empower teachers and principals. / Educational Leadership and Management / M.Ed. (Educational Management)

This study focuses on the teaching of Indigenous African Music (IAM) in Zimbabwean primary schools, and proposes a new Experiential Open Class Pedagogy relevant to its multicultural contexts. A postcolonial theoretical paradigm informs the discussion of secondary literature, and the analysis of empirical data obtained through the following methods: interviews, lesson observations, focus group discussions, and the analysis of teaching documents. Case studies were conducted at ten schools in the Gweru district of Zimbabwe. These schools were chosen from a mix of urban, peri-urban, and rural communities. The findings show the continued effects of colonialism on IAM teaching practices and pedagogy. The effects of globalization and the high levels of migrancy in and out of Zimbabwe are discussed as factors shaping the teaching of IAM. Formal models of learning have undermined the status of IAM in favour of Western classical music. Recognizing this bias, but also the fact that culture is dynamic, this study strikes a balance by proposing a new pedagogy that integrates Western and African approaches to music education. The study findings feed into the development of a new hybridised model called the Experiential Open Class Pedagogy (EOCP), which is suitable for multicultural contexts. This pedagogy encourages learners to use their personal experience of IAM practices in the home, and to draw on expertise from their local communities. The participation of children and their elders in the community contributes to the openness of the learning process. A combination of learning at home, in communities, and in classrooms is vital in utilising all the critical avenues to acquiring knowledge and experience of IAM. Recommendations on policy and practice in Zimbabwean primary school education offer solutions to the present challenges. It is important for teachers to be active stakeholders in documenting the very IAM practices they teach by carrying out research, and through continuous improvement initiatives in multicultural contexts. / Art History, Visual Arts and Musicology / D. Phil. (Music)

The purpose of this study was to examine the leadership styles adopted by school principals and their influence on the job performance of primary school teachers in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. The study was designed to gain insight into the kinds of leadership styles presently used, the leadership preference of principals, the perceptions of the teachers and principals regarding the leadership styles of the principals and the effect of the leadership styles on teachers’ performance. The main research question that guided this study was: Which leadership styles are most commonly used by primary school principals in the Tigray region and what is their effect on the performance of teachers? A mixed-methods research design was used with questionnaires as well as a focus group interview as means of data-collection. One hundred and seventy eight principals and 446 teachers comprising 69% male and 31% female teachers participated in the study. The path-goal leadership questionnaire as well as a self-constructed questionnaire to measure teacher performance was self-administered to collect data from the selected principals and teachers, which secured a 97% response rate. During the qualitative phase, eight supervisors participated in the focus group interview. The questionnaire data were analysed using the Statistical Analysis System (SAS) software. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were conducted and presented in a clear and logical manner. The principals and teachers indicated that all the leadership styles, except the directive leadership style, have a positive impact on the teachers’ performance. Furthermore, the supportive leadership style is the most frequently used style. Importantly, age, qualifications and experience as independent variables had an effect on teachers’ performance. The data also indicated a statistically significant relationship between the job performance of teachers and the leadership styles employed by the principals. The study results make a contribution to the research on the relation between leadership styles and teachers’ performance, especially since no study has been conducted on this issue in the Tigray region of Ethiopia before. It was possible to make several meaningful recommendations for implementation in the Tigray region. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)

Abstracts in English, Afrikaans and Zulu / This study explored teachers’ effective use of questioning as a teaching strategy in Social Studies in grade seven within a primary school in the Kingdom of Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland). The advent of free primary education has brought about large class sizes, but the desire to produce quality education persists. The literature distilled in the study showed that, although a considerable body of studies has established that questioning in the classroom helps direct learning, many teachers fail to utilise it as such. Those who endeavour to use it succeed in engaging their learners, and this results in teaching effectiveness and good outcomes for their learners. The study employed the interpretive paradigm because of the in-depth nature of the investigation. It therefore was a qualitative study that used observation and in-depth semi-structured interviews to gather data and attain the objectives of the study. It was a case study in which four Social Studies teachers took part. Observations were made for at least for 60 minutes in each classroom. Field notes were taken and later analysed. Individual interviews were conducted with the teachers. The results of the study showed that teachers did not use questions to direct teaching and learning, and had no knowledge of the concept of wait time. They also said that they had not been taught questioning strategies in their pre- service teacher training. This was consistent with the literature. Though research shows that questioning promotes effective teaching, the studies reviewed indicated that few teachers use it as an instructional tool. The implications derived from the present study are therefore that pre-service teacher training has to be improved to cater for such important topics as classroom questioning. Also to be improved is further professional development. There is a significant need for action at the macro- and micro-levels of the educational system towards improvement. The actions at the micro-level will be determined by diligent policies designed and executed at that level, that is, the level of the school. / Hierdie studie verken onderwysers se benutting van vraagstelling as onderrigstrategie in Sosiale Studies in Graad 7 by ʼn primêre skool in die koninkryk Eswatini (voorheen Swaziland). In weerwil daarvan dat gratis primêre onderrig groot klasse tot gevolg het, moet gehalteonderwys steeds nagestreef word. Volgens die literatuur wat geraadpleeg is, toon talle studies dat vraagstelling in die klas regstreekse leer bevorder. Onderwysers wat vrae aan leerders stel, gee doeltreffend onderwys omdat hulle leerders betrek, en sodoende ʼn goeie uitkoms behaal. Desondanks pas min onderwysers hierdie strategie toe. Op grond van die aard van hierdie ondersoek, is ʼn vertolkende paradigma gevolg. In hierdie kwalitatiewe studie is data deur waarneming en halfgestruktureerde onderhoude ingesamel. Elke klas is vir minstens 60 minute waargeneem en veldaantekeninge is gemaak wat later ontleed is. Vier onderwysers wat Sosiale Studies onderrig, was deel van die gevallestudie. ʼn Onderhoud is met elkeen gevoer. In hierdie studie is bevind dat die onderwysers geen vrae in die klas gestel het nie. Hulle het ook nie die begrip van wagtyd geken nie, aangesien hulle nooit in vraagstellingstrategieë opgelei is nie. Dit verklaar bevindings in die literatuur dat min onderwysers vraagstelling in die klas gebruik. Vraagstelling moet dus deel van onderwysers se opleiding uitmaak. Hierbenewens moet die professionele ontwikkeling van onderwysers aandag geniet. Voorts is dit noodsaaklik dat die onderwysstelsel op sowel mikro- as makrovlak verbeter word. Ingryping op mikrovlak sal deur die uitvoering van beleid op skoolvlak bepaal word. / Lesifundvo sihlose kusebentisa ngemphumelelo inchubo yekubuta njengelisu lekufundzisa ku-Social Studies kuLibanga 7 ngekhatsi kwesikolwa semabanga laphasi Eswatini (lebeyatiwa ngeSwaziland ngaphambilini). Kufika kwemfundvo yamahhala yemabanga laphasi kwente kwekutsi emaklasi agcwale kakhulu, kodvwa sifiso sekukhicita imfundvo leyikhwalithi siyachubeka. Ilitheretja lebuyeketiwe esifundvweni ikhombisa kwekutsi, nanobe umtimba lobantana wetifundvo utfole kwekutsi inchubo yekubuta eklasini isita kucondzisa kufundza, bothishela labanyenti bayehluleka kukusebentisa ngendlela lefanele. Laba labetama kukusebentisa bayaphumelela ekumbandzakanyeni bafundzi babo, futsi loku kuholela ekufundziseni ngemphumelelo kanye nemiphumela lemihle kubafundzi babo. Lesifundvo sisebentise umcondvo lohumushako ngesizatfu seluhlobo lolujulile lwekuphenya. Ngako-ke bekusifundvo sebunyenti lapho kusetjentiswe khona kubuka kanye nekubuta lokungakahleleki ngalokuphelele lokujulile kugcogca idatha kanye nekutfola tinjongo tesifundvo. Kuhlanganyele bothishela labane beSocial Studies kulesifundvo sekuhlola. Luhlelo lwekubuka lwentiwe lokungenani imizuzu lengema-60 eklasini ngalinye. Kutsatfwe emanotsi futsi ahlatiywa ngemuva kwesikhatsi. Kubutwe bothishela ngamunye. Imiphumela yesifundvo ikhombisa kwekutsi bothishe abakasebentini imibuto kucondzisa kufundzisa nekufundza, futsi bebangenalwati ngemcondvo wesikhatsi sekulindza. Baphindze baphawula kwekutsi abakafundzisiswa emasu ekubuta ekucecesheni kwabo kwangaphambi kwekufundzisisa. Loku bekufanana ngelitheretja. Nanobe lucwaningo lukhombisa kwekutsi kubuta kugcugcutela kufundzisa ngemphumelelo, letifundvo letibuyeketiwe tikhombisa kwekutsi bothishela labambalwa bakusebentisa njengelithuluzi lekuyalela. Imiphumela letfolwe kulesifundvo samanje kutsi kucecesha kwabothishela kwangaphambi kwekufundzisa kumele kwentiwencono kute kufake tihloko letifana nekubuta eklasini. Loku lokumele kwentiwencono kuchubeka ngekutfutfukiswa kwalobucwepheshe. Kunesidzingo lesikhulu sesinyatselo etigabeni letincane kakhulu nasetigabeni letincane teluhlelo lwemfundvo ngasekwentenincono. Letinyatselo esigabeni lesincane titawuncunywa nguletinchubomgomo letihlelwe futsi tasetjentiswa kuleso sigaba, lekusigaba sesikolo. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Curriculum and Instructional Studies)

The researcher investigated the management of multi-grade teaching for optimal learning in Gauteng West primary schools. Ten participants, including school principals, heads of departments and educators participated in individual and focus group interviews and in observation of multi-grade classroom contexts. Findings revealed that educators involved in multi-grade teaching feel overwhelmed by challenging work conditions pertaining to large learner numbers and a lack of adequate didactical resources. This is exacerbated by a lack of professional development by means of tailor-made training for multi-grade teaching and the presumption that educators teaching such classes must merely change the monograde teaching format of the curriculum themselves for applicable implementation in a multi-grade teaching context. This leaves educators socially, emotionally and professionally isolated. Recommendations include the involvement of seasoned educators with expert knowledge and experience of multi-grade teaching to present training sessions constituting advice and support to inexperienced educators involved in said teaching. / Die navorser het die bestuur van meergraadonderrig by laerskole in Wes-Gauteng vir optimale leer ondersoek. Afgesien van individuele en fokusgroeponderhoude met skoolhoofde, departementshoofde en opvoeders, is waarneming in meergraadklaskamers gedoen. Volgens die bevindings bemoeilik groot klasse en ʼn gebrek aan didaktiese hulpmiddels meergraadopvoeders se taak. Meergraadopvoeders voel hulle geensins opgewasse teen hierdie werksomstandighede nie. ʼn Gebrek aan opleiding in meergraadonderrig en die veronderstelling dat opvoeders die eengraadformaat van die kurrikulum in ʼn meergraadformaat kan omskakel, vererger sake. Opvoeders is van mening dat hulle maatskaplik, emosioneel en professioneel in die steek gelaat word. Daar word aanbeveel dat gesoute opvoeders met kennis van en ervaring in meergraadonderrig onervare opvoeders oplei en adviseer. / Monyakisisi o dirile dinyakisiso ka ga go ruta dikereiti tse fapanego go fihlelela bokgoni le tsebo tikologong ya go thekga dinyakwa tsa baithuti dikolong tsa phoraemari go la Gauteng Bodikela. Batseakarolo ba lesome, go akaretswa dihlogo tsa dikolo, dihlogo tsa dikgoro le barutisi ba tseere karolo ditherisanong ka botee le dihlopha tseo di nepisitswego gape le temogo dikemong tsa diphaposi tsa dikereiti tse di fapanego. Dikhwetso di utollotse gore barutisi bao ba rutago dikereiti tse fapanego ba imelwa ke maemo a modiro wo o nyakago gore ba ntshe bokgoni bja bona ka moka ka lebaka la dipalo tse ntsi tsa baithuti le tlhokego ya dithusi tsa thuto tse di lekanego. Se se thatafiswa ke tlhokego ya tlhabollo ya profesene ye ka go fa tlhahlo yeo e lebanego ya go ruta dikreiti tse fapanego le kgopolo ya go re barutisi bao ba rutago ba swanela go no fetola popego ya lenaneothuto la kereiti e tee ka bobona go re ba le dirise kemong ya go ruta dikereiti tse fapanego. Se se dira gore barutisi ba ikhwetse ba se na kgokagano le setshaba leagong, ba hloka bao ba ka llelago go bona le go se be le bao ba nago le kgahlego go profesene ya bona. Ditshisinyo di akaretsa go ba gona ga barutisi bao e lego kgale ba ruta ba nago le maitemogelo le botsebi go ruta dikereiti tse fapanego go hlagisa dipaka tsa tlhahlo tseo di fago maele le thuso go barutisi bao ba se nago maitemogelo. / Educational Management and Leadership / M. Ed. (Education Management)