Problem behaviours amongst adolescent learners continue to affect the goals of effective education. The current study sought to investigate adolescents’ perspectives of discipline problems at a secondary school in Gauteng. A mixed method research design was followed during which questionnaires, focus groups and interviews directed the empirical investigation. The findings revealed two areas for addressing and improving the discipline problems of the secondary school, namely improving extrinsic factors and improving the current discipline system. Based on the findings, it was suggested that the school encourage greater parent involvement and improve parent-teacher communication. Creating a positive school identity and developing teachers further was proposed. An improved discipline system based on a positive learning approach was recommended. This included clarifying the discipline system to all role players, standardising discipline procedures throughout the school and improving follow up procedures regarding learner discipline. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Guidance and Counselling)

School feeding is a tool which, today, effectively enables many millions of poor children worldwide to attend school in developed and developing countries alike. This study evaluated the perceptions of learners on the school feeding programme in one circuit in a district of Limpopo Province. It describes the benefits of school feeding and how this well-proven tool can be improved and specifically targeted to address some of the key constraints to universal secondary school completion. The findings suggest that school feeding programmes contribute to the education and well-being of children as hungry children do not grow; cannot learn; and face many health risks. School feeding can bring children into school and out of hunger; providing food for children at school can relieve immediate short-term hunger which is very beneficial for learning to take place. Alleviating short-term hunger among children at school helps to improve their performance in school tests and to promote a normal progression from grade to grade in completing their basic education. The study used individual interviews, document analysis and observation to obtain data from selected participants from two schools in the Nzhelele East Circuit in the Vhembe District. Responses to questions were analysed and a statistical analysis provided positive answers which revealed that the school feeding programme was effective; that more should be done to improve its delivery; that there should be a stable infrastructure and that the geographical location of the community should be taken into consideration when it comes to menu options. A number of recommendations are made to improve the implementation of the school feeding programme. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

While some research has been done on the use of corporal punishment in South African schools, there is a dearth of research on other forms of punishment and little has been done to research the meaning of punishment. This study explores the meaning of punishment in a high school context and focuses on the different attitudes of parents, teachers and pupils, with a view to identifying, in particular, how they justify the use of punishment. A sample of 50 pupils, 30 teachers and 30 parents were selected for the study. Focus groups and a questionnaire with closed and open-ended questions were used to collect the data. The questionnaire was constructed to explore themes which emerged in the focus group discussions . Results were grouped into themes and arranged by tables , and the Chi-square test of statistical significance was used to analyze some of the data. The results show that the meaning and the approach to punishment is differently construed by participants. Parents construe punishment as an educative instrument and a disciplinary measure used for the good of pupils and the society. Teachers see it as a discip1inary measure, a strategy used for effective learning, and a negative stimulus used to inflict pain towards the goal of an orderly school environment. To pupils the punishment scene provides an opportunity for what they perceive as sadistic enjoyment and as something negative which is used by teachers to vent their own frustrations. Participants agree that clear, consensually agreed upon rules should be set to regulate school behaviour and that there should be clear and consensually agreed upon ways of ensuring that these rules are adhered to; and constructive ways of dealing with violation of these rules. The central concern seems to be to move away from a retributive, punitive mode of thinking about punishment, towards a purposeful one. The implications of the research findings are discussed in the context of existing literature in the area and in relation to policy development.

The aim of this study was to investigate the schooling experiences of four orphaned learners at Mandini Secondary School in the Maluti District of Education in the Eastern Cape. The study adopted a qualitative research methodology and a phenomenological research design. Purposive sampling was adopted and the tape recorded narrative responses of all four respondents, were obtained from the use of in-depth phenomenological unstructured interviews. The respondents were four orphaned children (two males and two females) between the ages of fifteen and twenty years. The study used the Social Rupture Theory as lenses of analysis of the findings. This was considered a very sensitive topic because the respondents had to relate issues which could result in them reliving traumatic experiences. As a result more attention was paid on ethical issues and making the respondents feel comfortable. The respondents were capable of distinguishing between their quality of life while their parents were still alive and well; when they (the parent[s]) became sick and when they eventually died. Furthermore, the respondents highlighted the negative effects of parental absence in their education. In addition, these orphaned children formed relationships with the school community after their parents’ death which, to some extent, had a positive effect on their schooling. Based on these findings the study suggests that educators need to be trained in diagnosing psycho-social problems and given skills to deal with them. Similarly, short courses should be organized for guardians and community development workers in identifying and counseling of problems.

The aim of this study was to determine the impact that learner mobility has on teaching and learning. Although many factors affect teaching and learning, these factors need to be looked at in the context of the present situation. In South Africa, parents have freedom of choice to quality schools for their children in any area. The quest for quality schools has led to an unexpected increase in learner mobility around the country. Despite this, learners have to travel long distances to and from school daily which has an effect on learning and teaching. The researcher applied a qualitative research approach using an exploratory case study. Data was collected at only one secondary school by interviewing learners, educators, a School Management Team member and parents. Findings indicate that learner mobility has a direct and indirect impact on learning and teaching. Directly it results in exhaustion, increased late-coming, poor effort, poor results and bad behaviour of learners as well as frustration and demotivation of educators. Indirectly management of the school becomes difficult and there is also a lack of parental involvement in learners schooling. The outcomes of this study provided valuable awareness of the effects learners mobility has on learning and teaching. For quality education to be effective, it needs to be available at the learner’s doorstep. / Die doel van hierdie studie was om die invloed van leerders se mobiliteit op hulle onderrig en leer te bepaal. Die talle faktore wat onderrig en leer tans beïnvloed, moet ondersoek word. In Suid-Afrika kan ouers hulle kinders na ʼn goeie skool in enige gebied stuur. Die gewildheid van goeie skole het landswyd ʼn onverwagte toename in leerdermobiliteit tot gevolg gehad. Die groot afstande wat leerders elke dag skool toe en huis toe moet reis, het ʼn uitwerking op hulle onderrig en leer. Die navorser het ʼn kwalitatiewe navorsingsbenadering gevolg en ʼn verkennende gevallestudie onderneem. Data is by slegs een sekondêre skool versamel deur onderhoude met leerders, onderwysers, ʼn lid van die skoolbestuur en ouers te voer. Daar is bevind dat hul mobiliteit leerders se onderrig en leer sowel regstreeks as onregstreeks benadeel. Hulle mobiliteit lei regstreeks daartoe dat leerders moeg is, meer en meer laat kom, hulle skoolwerk afskeep, swak gedrag openbaar, en dat hulle punte teleurstel. Dit frustreer onderwysers en maak hulle moedeloos. Die onregstreekse nadeel van leerdermobiliteit is dat dit die bestuur van die skool bemoeilik. Daarbenewens is ouers nie by hulle kinders se skoolopleiding betrokke nie. Hierdie studie bevorder ʼn bewustheid van die nadele wat leerdermobiliteit vir onderrig en leer inhou. Goeie onderrig raak ondoeltreffend as die skool ver van die leerder se huis af is. / Sepheo sa phuputso ene ele ho fumana tshusumetso eo ho kgona ho tsamaya habonolo le ka ka ho lokoloha ha baithuti ho nang le hona ho ithuteng le ho ruteng. Leha ele hore ho na le mabaka a mangata a amang ho ithuta le ho ruta, mabaka ana a lokela ho shejwa maemong a boemo ba hajwale. Mona Afrika Borwa, batswadi ba na le tokoloho ya ho kgetha dikolo tsa boleng bakeng sa bana ba bona sebakeng sefe kapa sefe. Tabatabelo ya dikolo tsa boleng e lebisitse ho keketseho e sa lebellwang ya ho kgona ho tsamaya habonolo le ka ho lokoloha ha baithuti ho potoloha le naha. Ho sa tsotellehe sena, baithuti ba tlameha ho tsamaya maeto a malelele ho ya le ho kgutla sekolong letsatsi le letsatsi, e leng se nang le phello ho ho ithuta le ho ruta. Mobatlisisi o sebedisitse mokgwa wa boleng wa dipatlisiso ka ho sebedisa phuputso e ikgethang e hlalosang. Datha e ile ya bokellwa sekolong se le seng se bohareng ka ho botsa baithuti, matitjhere, setho sa moifo wa tsamaiso ya sekolo le batswadi dipotso. Diphumano di bontsha hore ho tsamaya habonolo le ka ho lokoloha ha baithuti ho na le tshusumetso e tobileng le e sa tobang ho ho ithuta le ho ruta. Ka tsela e tobileng,e lebisa ho mokgathala, ho fihla kamora nako ho eketsehileng, boiteko bo fokolang, diphetho tse seng hantle le boitshwaro bo bobe ba baithuti hammoho le ho nyahama le ho fokotseha ha boikemisetso ho matitjhere. Ka tsela e sa tobang, tsamaiso ya sekolo e ba thata mme ho ba le kgaello ya bonkakarolo ba batswadi ho ithuteng ha baithuti. Diphetho tsa phuputso ena di fana ka tlhokomediso ya bohlokwa eo diphello tsa ho tsamaya habonolo le ka ho lokoha ha baithuti di nang le tsona ho ithuteng le ho ruteng. Hore thuto ya boleng e be e atlehileng, e lokela ho fumaneha monyako wa moithuti. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

Thesis (M.Ed. (Community and Continuing Education)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / The study reports on an exploration of the challenges affecting School-Family Community partnerships in two secondary schools located in the remote rural areas of Mogodumo Circuit, in Lebowakgomo District in Limpopo Province, South Africa. The main research question answered was. What are the challenges of School-Family-Community partnerships in rural areas at Mogodumo Circuit in Limpopo Province? This study is qualitative in design and is embedded within the interpretive epistemology. The two secondary schools were conveniently sampled due to their accessibility whereas participants were also purposefully sampled. The number of participants sampled was n=32. Data was collected through documents analysis, semi-structured questionnaires involving sampled participants, and observation by the researcher as a silent and non-participant observer. Inductive analysis was applied to arrange and organise data in thematic categories. From the themes discovered, intervention strategies were developed in order to address the challenges affecting the School-Family-Community partnerships at the two rural secondary schools. The study revealed that there is little or no involvement of stakeholders such as parents, community leaders (including priests, pastors, headmen, and the chief), and community based businesspeople, and non-governmental organisations in school events, activities and functions. The study recommends that developmental programmes such as parenting, literacy and numeracy, and parent involvement in the education of their children be organised for parents and community members. These challenges affecting School-Family-Community partnerships need to be dealt with accordingly by the active involvement and engagement of various stakeholders including, more especially, the DBE, SMTs, NGOs, educators, learners, parents, various community members, and private sectors.

A positive learning environment is more important if students are considered to perform better in their schoolwork. The school environment the students attend mostly influences their performance. The school that each student attends sets its own pillars that promote students’ positive learning. This research study looks thoroughly at the schools climate, and socio-economic background of students. Most public schools have insufficient funds to run their day-to-day activities. One of the disturbing factor to promote learning environment is the class sizes are too big. The more funds a school receives, the better it performs because the school invests more in its resources. The teachers’ experience also contributes to students’ performance. Usually, the students who attend a school where more teachers have pastoral care tend to perform better. The research intended to investigate the causes and consequences of a school’s setting in promoting a positive learning environment and further discussed the benefit of positive learning environment in schools. The students’ success in their learning progress is determined by a positive learning and teaching environment. Generally, if there is a caring environment in the school set up, then that leads to the students obtaining good envisaged outcomes. The schools help the students achieve the good results, or alternatively, they could make the students fail. The students perform better in a positive learning environment that also is tantamount to personal student/teacher relationships. The findings of this study encourage the researcher to come up with new strategies that can be used to uplift the performance of students. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Curriculum and Instructional Studies)

Thesis (M. Tech.) -- Central University of Technology, Free State, 2009

The goal of this research study was to determine whether extensive reading, supported by the instruction and use of appropriate strategies, would a) improve learners' comprehension achievement b) increase academic achievement in English, and c) promote higher achievement in general academic performance. One hundred and twenty-one learners participated in this project. Three groups of learners: extensive readers, less extensive readers and non-extensive readers were identified and studied. The result indicated that extensive reading not only leads to improved achievement in comprehension, but that it also leads to improvement in general academic performance in all subjects across the curriculum; while lack of extensive reading has an adverse effect on both reading comprehension achievement and general academic performance as a whole. / Teacher Education / M.Ed. (Didactics)

Truancy is one of the problems that exist in schools and affect learners' performance. The aim of the current study was to determine how truancy manifests and also to explore the life world of truants in secondary schools. From the literature review, the two types of truancy, namely blanket truancy and post-registration truancy were described. Various programmes and approaches used in truancy intervention were explored. An empirical investigation was undertaken with a sample of 758 Grade 10 learners from three secondary schools. The results indicated that significantly more males than females engaged in truancy. There is also a significant dependency between learning problems and truancy. The results of the study were analysed and recommendations for intervention and for further study were made. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Guidance and Counseling)