A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Education in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Masters in Educational Psychology in the Department Of Educational Psychology and Special Needs Education at the University of Zululand, 2018 / The study examined the experiences of high school educators in dealing with substance abuse at uThungulu District schools. Data for the study was gathered through survey. A structured questionnaire was designed and used to obtain information from school educators who served as teachers and principals in selected schools. The descriptive design approach was employed in this study. Purposive sampling technique was employed to select five secondary schools in uThungulu Districts, while simple random sampling technique was used to select 176 educators from the five schools. The quantitative data collected through questionnaire were analysed using descriptive statistics of percentage and frequency counts. The results of the quantitative data were displayed as tables and graphs, followed by discussions of each result. The overall results revealed that substance abuse affects both mental and psychological wellbeing of learners, which later develops into poor academic performance. The Educators that participated in the study attested to this when they responded affirmatively that excessive use of drug affects physical coordination of learners in classes, mental disconnection, and permanent brain damage. The study recommends the inclusion of Education for Substance Abuse Avoidance and Treatment as part of the core subjects in South African schools, and such should be offered in local languages. In addition, interactive teaching methods such as brainstorming, open discussions, and role-playing are recommended for all learners, including those who abuse substance and those addicted. Lastly, the study recommends the engagement of the professional Guidance and Counsellors in the South African schools whose primary assignment would be to counsel learners not only on substance abuse but also on career choice and future professional guidance.

As a designer and educator, I am continuously gathering more resources for personal knowledge and to share with my students. Yet there is currently a lack of literature when it comes to design pedagogy for all design areas, specifically for high school aged students. How can we teach theatrical design in a tactful and meaningful way to high school students throughout the United States? Steps of Theatrical Design: A Resource for Activating Educators to Teach Design in High Schools, is for educators to learn about the process of design and spread that knowledge to their students. This thesis will act as an academic resource to guide educators towards the best methods of teaching theatrical design. I argue design should be a much more critical piece of the curriculum than it is currently being presented in most high schools around the country. Through design, students gain many valuable skills such as: critical thinking, creative expression, emotional intelligence, collaboration, and troubleshooting. I have found the best way to teach design is to practice design. This thesis is broken up into chapters that mirror the steps of the design process. Chapter One (Step One) will cover script analysis and critical thinking, Chapter Two (Step Two) will explore different types of conceptual research, Chapter Three (Step Three) asks readers to apply various influential "isms" from history of 20th Century Design, Chapter Four (Step Four) defines style and aesthetic for design and Chapter Five (Step Five) will cover designer deliverables and design meetings. As a bonus for educators, the Appendix provides assignments that can be paired with each chapter to activate the theories presented.

<p>  </p> <p>This research study aims to explore the understanding and implementation of CT and its core concepts by CS High School teachers. This research study examined CS teachers' understanding of CT’s core concepts; a) decomposition, b) pattern recognition, c) abstraction and d) algorithm design. Furthermore, the study also explores how these CS teachers applied these core concepts to their instructional practice. </p> <p>The qualitative case study utilized the Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) framework as a lens to explore the teachers’ understanding. For this qualitative research study, purposeful sampling was employed to recruit participants with specific knowledge or experience about a topic of interest. In-depth semi-structured interviews were performed with five CS high school teachers for data collection. The researcher used coding and thematic analysis to analyze the data. Teachers shared their understanding of CT, its core concepts, and how they incorporate these into their instructional practice.</p> <p>The findings in the study present the different understandings of the teachers regarding CT’s core concepts and how each of them applied such concepts through different pedagogical approaches to their instructional practice. The findings in the study could provide an opportunity for high school teachers to explore different understandings from other high school teachers and potentially provide collaborative opportunities. </p> <p>The research study concludes with two significant findings and their implications for the field of CS education. It also recommends other researchers and provides collaborative opportunities with other high schools. Moreover, this research contributes to and enriches the current literature on CT in education. </p>