Human rights education is a much-investigated area of research; however, what teachers understand about human rights and the Life Skills explicit, enacted and supplementary curriculum seems to be vague. The vagueness related to the understanding of human rights emanated from multiple understandings of human rights that could be adhered to. Meta-theoretical underpinnings for the understanding of human rights have been discussed in the human rights body of scholarship. These meta-theoretical underpinnings of human rights were philosophically clustered to develop an analytical construct to guide this inquiry. This inquiry was focused on a contribution regarding teachers’ understanding of human rights education to augment the infusion of a human rights culture in diverse educational contexts. This inquiry was done, firstly, to explore the [in]consistencies between the meta-theoretical underpinnings of human rights and how they were reflected in the explicit, enacted and supplementary curriculum. Secondly, it was to explore how these influenced the way in which human rights were enacted in the curriculum. These consistencies and inconsistencies were deemed to be important because they affect the way human rights are understood and dealt with in the classroom directly. The aims of the research were to determine the meta-theoretical underpinnings of human rights in the intermediate phase Life Skills explicit, enacted and supplementary curriculum; the language(s) that emerged regarding the meta-theoretical underpinnings of human rights in the Life Skills enacted curriculum; and how the enacted and supplementary curriculum of human rights were influenced by teachers’ understandings of the meta-theoretical underpinnings. A qualitative study situated in an interpretivist paradigm was undertaken, using a shadowing methodology. Participants were purposefully selected. Data were generated by means of a document analysis as data generation strategy of the National Curriculum Statement Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement document, as well as the accompanying learning study materials, classroom observations through silent shadowing and a semi-structured one-on-one interview with each teacher. Data were analysed by means of discourse analysis. It was empirically found that the supplementary curriculum directly related to the explicit curriculum. The enacted curriculum revealed consistencies and inconsistencies within the explicit curriculum. Regarding teachers’ understanding of the explicit Life Skills curriculum, it was found that the teachers participating in this inquiry experienced limitations and restrictions regarding their own interpretations of the explicitly provided curriculum. Even when the teachers understood human rights slightly differently from the explicit and supplementary curriculum, they still only enacted what was provided in the explicit curriculum. My recommendations highlight the need to inquire about the way(s) in which teachers could be effectively supported by the Life Skills curriculum in terms of human rights enactment. A future essential study should inquire about the responsibility of each teacher with regard to human rights education and the ethical implications and considerations thereof. / MEd (Curriculum Development), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

In this study I explored depictions of diversity in the Curriculum Studies programme of the BEdHons degree course at North-West University in South Africa. South Africa was and is still is facing the challenge of inequalities such as getting access to higher education institutions that were previously dominated by a white Christian Afrikaans-speaking group. The first democratic election in South Africa in 1994 brought about structural changes in society. These structural changes included the merging of tertiary education institutions such as colleges of education, technikons and universities. In view of South Africa’s history of divisions and injustices such as patriarchy, mono-religiosity and mono-ethnicism, it therefore seemed valuable to explore how diversity is depicted in higher education institutions. In 2012 a task team was set up by the dean of the Faculty of Education Sciences at the Potchefstroom Campus of North-West University. This team investigated how diversity was expressed in selected study guides of the undergraduate BEd degree programme offered at the Potchefstroom Campus to contact mode students. This study identified the need to explore how diversity is depicted at a postgraduate degree level. The primary purpose of my research was to explore empirically the extent to which diversity nuances of gender, religion and ethnicity are depicted in the Curriculum Studies programme of the BEdHons degree course. This involved exploring the depictions of diversity in study guides of the modules presented in the Curriculum Studies programme of the BEdHons degree course. In addition, I also looked into the depictions of diversity by lecturers presenting modules and students enrolled for the Curriculum Studies programme of the BEdHons degree course. The study was situated in a critical theory paradigm and utilised a qualitative research design with a critical ethnographic methodology. Three sets of data generation methods were employed: document research, semi-structured one-on-one interviews and focus group interviews. The two campuses of North-West University offering this programme were purposefully selected as my research environments. I employed purposeful sampling, and study guides utilised by lecturers and students in the Curriculum Studies programme of the BEdHons degree course formed the sample. Lecturers presenting modules and students enrolled for the Curriculum Studies programme of the BEdHons degree course were participants. Critical discourse analysis, underpinned by Fairclough’s (1992) three-dimensional conception of discourse, was the method of analysis. The conclusions were derived predominantly from the diversity nuances acculturation and rationality. Some of the conclusions were also derived from diversity as a nuance but to a limited extent. The conclusions vary from depictions on the chosen discourse of diversity, depictions relating to curricula and the multifaceted aspect of diversity. With regard to the depictions on the chosen discourses of diversity, it was evident that some lecturer participants were only fostering the aspects gender, religion and ethnicity of certain cultural groups, which caused some groups to be invisible. Student participants’ depictions were ideologically embedded as they preferred not to engage with diversity to eliminate certain issues. Lecturer participants also tended to include disadvantaged minority/majority groups to such a limited extent that they were almost non-existent. Furthermore, it appeared that lecturer participants excluded diversity to foster inclusion. Separation was also emphasised by student participants in that they were being forced to engage with diversity rather than wanting to or having a choice to engage with diversity or not. Reflecting on the conclusions arising from my study, I put forward a theoretical stance focusing on curriculum-making for social justice. / MEd (Curriculum Development), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The background and problem statement centre on the evolution of technology within teaching and learning, which involves undergraduate student nurses, as well as the use of social media as interactive teaching and communication tool. While examining the background to this topic, the researcher recognised a need to gain a deeper understanding of responsible social media use by undergraduate student nurses to the benefit of all the stakeholders, namely the Nursing Education Institution (NEI), applicable health care facilities, the patients and the student nurses. The study starts off with a literature review to peruse what is known about social media and information communication technology by undergraduate student nurses within a Higher Education (HE) environment. Literature shows that nurses in their work environment are not excluded from social media interaction processes. Within this context, social media offers improved contact and communication in general and in the working environment through the internet. The aim of this study is to explore and describe responsible use of social media by undergraduate student nurses. Methodology: The study followed a qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual design. All-inclusive, probable and purposive sampling (Brink, van der Walt & van Rensburg, 2006:134) was applied to select participants from a population of undergraduate student nurses (N=200, n=39). Prospective participants were informed by the researcher regarding the research by means of a Power Point slideshow and from there prospective participants had to make an informed decision to participate voluntarily in the research. Data was collected by means of an unstructured conversation between the researcher and participants via the real-time, online Chat Room of Sakai 2.9.1. Sakai 2.9.1 refers to an educational software platform which is a Java-based, service-oriented application used in an open source academic community. Sakai 2.9.1 is used within this context as a Course Management System and Virtual Learning Environment. The following questions were asked: “Tell me how you use your social media (e.g. Facebook™, Twitter™, WAYN™, LinkedIn™, WhatsApp™, etc.)”; “How do you access and on which device do you use social media?”, “What is your view of responsible social media use as a student nurse?” Although it was an all-inclusive sample and all members of the population were invited to participate, the sample size was established once the research reached data saturation (Brink et al., 2006:135). Thirty-nine participants (n=39) participated and the analysed results were first confirmed in a focus group. Six (6) main themes where identified, namely: social media as a quick academic reference; the social communication uses of social media; social curiosity; multiple social media registrations, but limited social media use; student nurses’ need for guidelines regarding responsible social media use and a need to share photographs on social media. The final conclusion was that student nurses entered the nursing profession with established social media skill. Yet, student nurses need guidance to divert social media use from a social perspective to social media use within a professional capacity. Recommendations for enhanced responsible social media use by student nurses where formulated. (Word count: 489) / MCur, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Human rights education is a much-investigated area of research; however, what teachers understand about human rights and the Life Skills explicit, enacted and supplementary curriculum seems to be vague. The vagueness related to the understanding of human rights emanated from multiple understandings of human rights that could be adhered to. Meta-theoretical underpinnings for the understanding of human rights have been discussed in the human rights body of scholarship. These meta-theoretical underpinnings of human rights were philosophically clustered to develop an analytical construct to guide this inquiry. This inquiry was focused on a contribution regarding teachers’ understanding of human rights education to augment the infusion of a human rights culture in diverse educational contexts. This inquiry was done, firstly, to explore the [in]consistencies between the meta-theoretical underpinnings of human rights and how they were reflected in the explicit, enacted and supplementary curriculum. Secondly, it was to explore how these influenced the way in which human rights were enacted in the curriculum. These consistencies and inconsistencies were deemed to be important because they affect the way human rights are understood and dealt with in the classroom directly. The aims of the research were to determine the meta-theoretical underpinnings of human rights in the intermediate phase Life Skills explicit, enacted and supplementary curriculum; the language(s) that emerged regarding the meta-theoretical underpinnings of human rights in the Life Skills enacted curriculum; and how the enacted and supplementary curriculum of human rights were influenced by teachers’ understandings of the meta-theoretical underpinnings. A qualitative study situated in an interpretivist paradigm was undertaken, using a shadowing methodology. Participants were purposefully selected. Data were generated by means of a document analysis as data generation strategy of the National Curriculum Statement Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement document, as well as the accompanying learning study materials, classroom observations through silent shadowing and a semi-structured one-on-one interview with each teacher. Data were analysed by means of discourse analysis. It was empirically found that the supplementary curriculum directly related to the explicit curriculum. The enacted curriculum revealed consistencies and inconsistencies within the explicit curriculum. Regarding teachers’ understanding of the explicit Life Skills curriculum, it was found that the teachers participating in this inquiry experienced limitations and restrictions regarding their own interpretations of the explicitly provided curriculum. Even when the teachers understood human rights slightly differently from the explicit and supplementary curriculum, they still only enacted what was provided in the explicit curriculum. My recommendations highlight the need to inquire about the way(s) in which teachers could be effectively supported by the Life Skills curriculum in terms of human rights enactment. A future essential study should inquire about the responsibility of each teacher with regard to human rights education and the ethical implications and considerations thereof. / MEd (Curriculum Development), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

In this study I explored depictions of diversity in the Curriculum Studies programme of the BEdHons degree course at North-West University in South Africa. South Africa was and is still is facing the challenge of inequalities such as getting access to higher education institutions that were previously dominated by a white Christian Afrikaans-speaking group. The first democratic election in South Africa in 1994 brought about structural changes in society. These structural changes included the merging of tertiary education institutions such as colleges of education, technikons and universities. In view of South Africa’s history of divisions and injustices such as patriarchy, mono-religiosity and mono-ethnicism, it therefore seemed valuable to explore how diversity is depicted in higher education institutions. In 2012 a task team was set up by the dean of the Faculty of Education Sciences at the Potchefstroom Campus of North-West University. This team investigated how diversity was expressed in selected study guides of the undergraduate BEd degree programme offered at the Potchefstroom Campus to contact mode students. This study identified the need to explore how diversity is depicted at a postgraduate degree level. The primary purpose of my research was to explore empirically the extent to which diversity nuances of gender, religion and ethnicity are depicted in the Curriculum Studies programme of the BEdHons degree course. This involved exploring the depictions of diversity in study guides of the modules presented in the Curriculum Studies programme of the BEdHons degree course. In addition, I also looked into the depictions of diversity by lecturers presenting modules and students enrolled for the Curriculum Studies programme of the BEdHons degree course. The study was situated in a critical theory paradigm and utilised a qualitative research design with a critical ethnographic methodology. Three sets of data generation methods were employed: document research, semi-structured one-on-one interviews and focus group interviews. The two campuses of North-West University offering this programme were purposefully selected as my research environments. I employed purposeful sampling, and study guides utilised by lecturers and students in the Curriculum Studies programme of the BEdHons degree course formed the sample. Lecturers presenting modules and students enrolled for the Curriculum Studies programme of the BEdHons degree course were participants. Critical discourse analysis, underpinned by Fairclough’s (1992) three-dimensional conception of discourse, was the method of analysis. The conclusions were derived predominantly from the diversity nuances acculturation and rationality. Some of the conclusions were also derived from diversity as a nuance but to a limited extent. The conclusions vary from depictions on the chosen discourse of diversity, depictions relating to curricula and the multifaceted aspect of diversity. With regard to the depictions on the chosen discourses of diversity, it was evident that some lecturer participants were only fostering the aspects gender, religion and ethnicity of certain cultural groups, which caused some groups to be invisible. Student participants’ depictions were ideologically embedded as they preferred not to engage with diversity to eliminate certain issues. Lecturer participants also tended to include disadvantaged minority/majority groups to such a limited extent that they were almost non-existent. Furthermore, it appeared that lecturer participants excluded diversity to foster inclusion. Separation was also emphasised by student participants in that they were being forced to engage with diversity rather than wanting to or having a choice to engage with diversity or not. Reflecting on the conclusions arising from my study, I put forward a theoretical stance focusing on curriculum-making for social justice. / MEd (Curriculum Development), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The background and problem statement centre on the evolution of technology within teaching and learning, which involves undergraduate student nurses, as well as the use of social media as interactive teaching and communication tool. While examining the background to this topic, the researcher recognised a need to gain a deeper understanding of responsible social media use by undergraduate student nurses to the benefit of all the stakeholders, namely the Nursing Education Institution (NEI), applicable health care facilities, the patients and the student nurses. The study starts off with a literature review to peruse what is known about social media and information communication technology by undergraduate student nurses within a Higher Education (HE) environment. Literature shows that nurses in their work environment are not excluded from social media interaction processes. Within this context, social media offers improved contact and communication in general and in the working environment through the internet. The aim of this study is to explore and describe responsible use of social media by undergraduate student nurses. Methodology: The study followed a qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual design. All-inclusive, probable and purposive sampling (Brink, van der Walt & van Rensburg, 2006:134) was applied to select participants from a population of undergraduate student nurses (N=200, n=39). Prospective participants were informed by the researcher regarding the research by means of a Power Point slideshow and from there prospective participants had to make an informed decision to participate voluntarily in the research. Data was collected by means of an unstructured conversation between the researcher and participants via the real-time, online Chat Room of Sakai 2.9.1. Sakai 2.9.1 refers to an educational software platform which is a Java-based, service-oriented application used in an open source academic community. Sakai 2.9.1 is used within this context as a Course Management System and Virtual Learning Environment. The following questions were asked: “Tell me how you use your social media (e.g. Facebook™, Twitter™, WAYN™, LinkedIn™, WhatsApp™, etc.)”; “How do you access and on which device do you use social media?”, “What is your view of responsible social media use as a student nurse?” Although it was an all-inclusive sample and all members of the population were invited to participate, the sample size was established once the research reached data saturation (Brink et al., 2006:135). Thirty-nine participants (n=39) participated and the analysed results were first confirmed in a focus group. Six (6) main themes where identified, namely: social media as a quick academic reference; the social communication uses of social media; social curiosity; multiple social media registrations, but limited social media use; student nurses’ need for guidelines regarding responsible social media use and a need to share photographs on social media. The final conclusion was that student nurses entered the nursing profession with established social media skill. Yet, student nurses need guidance to divert social media use from a social perspective to social media use within a professional capacity. Recommendations for enhanced responsible social media use by student nurses where formulated. (Word count: 489) / MCur, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

In this investigation an attempt was made to determine the misconceptions that engineering students have of the idea of a limit. A comprehensive literature study showed that there are a number of common misconceptions that students normally form. The empirical investigation was done in two phases. A questionnaire on the idea of a limit was given to the students during the first phase. During the second phase six interviews were conducted. The findings were grouped according to the nature of a limit and students' views on the relationship between the continuity of a function at a point and the limit at that point. An analysis of these findings led to the identification of the misconceptions that these students have of the idea of a limit. / In hierdie ondersoek is gepoog om die wanbegrippe wat ingenieursstudente van die limietbegrip vorm, bloot te stel. 'n Omvattende literatuurstudie het 'n aantal algemene wanbegrippe aan die lig gebring. Die empiriese ondersoek het in twee fases plaasgevind. Tydens die eerste fase is 'n vraelys aan die studente gegee in 'n poging om meer te wete te kom van hulle begrip van 'n limiet. Die vraelys is opgevolg deur ses onderhoude. Die responsies is gegroepeer in terme van die aard van 'n limiet en studente se sienings van die kontinuiteit van 'n funksie by 'n punt en die limiet by daardie punt. Die analisering van hierdie responsies het die identifisering van 'n aantal wanbegrippe by hierdie groep studente moontlik gemaak. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (with specialisation in Mathematics Education)

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Outcomes-Based Education forms the foundation of South Africa's revised national education curriculum, known as The Revised National Curriculum Statement Grades R-9. The Van Hiele Model, developed for the teaching and learning of geometry, has already been used successfully in the school curricula of the Netherlands and Russia. Strong support for this theory exists in leading countries like America and Europe. This study has investigated the possible relationship between the Van Hiele theory and the "Revised National Curriculum Statement Grades R-9" and through critical evaluation found a great compatibility between them. Both are giving strong support for the spiral approach to mathematics education. It is recommended that all geometry learning programmes and teaching units be moulded on the Van Hiele Model. / Suid-Afrika se hersiene nasionale onderwyskurrikulum, die "Revised National Curriculum Statement Grades R-9" word deur uitkomsgebaseerde onderwys gefundeer. Die Van Hiele Model vir die onderrig en leer van meetkunde, is suksesvol in skoolkurrikula van Nederland en Rusland toegepas en geniet wye steun in lande soos Amerika en Europa. Hierdie navorsing het die moontlike verband tussen die Van Hiele raamwerk en die nuwe kurrikulum ondersoek en deur kritiese evaluering baie sterk versoenbaarheid tussen die "Revised National Curriculum Statement Grades R-9" en die Van Hiele Model gevind. Verder is ook aangetoon dat beide sterk gebruik maak van die spiraalbenadering in wiskundeonderwys. Aanbevelings in die verband is dat leerprogramme en onderrigeenhede wat die kurrikulum vir meetkunde in skole implementeer op die Van Hiele Model geskoei word. / Mathematical Sciences / M. Sc. (Mathematics Education)

Thesis (MEdPsych)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Assessment in the inclusive classroom poses specific challenges to the educator. Due to the diversity of learners' needs, a need exists for adapted assessment. One standard type of assessment does not adequately satisfy the individual needs which exist due to the influence of various barriers on learners. The pursuit of human rights, democratic principles and the promotion of equality acknowledges that learners' differences need to be taken into consideration, also during the assessment process. The Education White Paper 6 for Inclusive Education (Department of Education, 2001, p.49) states that the principle of inclusion is applicable to the assessment process in: considering special circumstances, the adaptation of assessment tasks, the adaptation of the time allocated for the completion of a task, individual assessment strategies and techniques, and the provision of extended opportunities. This study therefore aimed to understand educators' experiences of adapted assessment in the inclusive classroom and to gain insight into the challenges encountered and the support needed. The researcher worked from an interpretive paradigm. An action research design was used, as action research attempts to actively involve participants in the research process. A qualitative research methodology was followed and included the following: purposive sample selection to identify research participants, open questionnaires, individual and focus group interviews and field notes to generate data, and content analysis to analyze data. Research findings indicate that educators experience the use of adapted assessment positively, because of the space it provides to meet individual needs and address barriers to learning in the inclusive classroom. Furthermore, it became evident that educators need support and guidance to adapt assessment to the individual needs of learners appropriately. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Assessering in 'n inklusiewe klaskamer stel bepaalde uitdagings aan die opvoeder. Daar ontstaan 'n behoefte vir die aanpassing van assessering as gevolg van die diversiteit van leerderbehoeftes. Een standaardvorm van assessering voldoen nie aan die individuele behoeftes wat weens die invloed van verskillende hindernisse op leerders bestaan nie. Die strewe na menseregte, demokratiese beginsels en die bevordering van gelykheid is juis gelee binne die erkenning dat die verskille van alle leerders in ag geneem moet word, ook tydens die proses van assessering. Met verwysing na Onderwys-witskrif 6 vir Inklusiewe Onderwys (DoE, 2001, p.49), moet die beginsel van inklusie tydens die assesseringsproses geld: die inagneming van spesiale omstandighede, die aanpassing van assesseringtake, die aanpassing van die tyd wat toegelaat word vir die voltooiing van take, individuele assesseringstrategiee en -tegnieke en die daarstelling van uitgebreide geleenthede. Daarom het hierdie studie gepoog om die opvoeder se ervaring van aangepaste assessering in 'n inklusiewe klaskamer te verstaan en insig te bekom met betrekking tot die uitdagings wat hulle ondervind en die ondersteuning wat hulle benodig. Die navorser het binne 'n interpretivistiese paradigma gewerk. 'n Aksienavorsingsontwerp is gebruik, omdat dit ten doel het om die deelnemers aktief betrokke te maak by die proses van navorsing. 'n Kwalitatiewe navorsingsmetodologie is gebruik en het die volgende ingesluit: doelbewuste seleksie om te bepaal wie die deelnemers was, oop vraelyste, individuele onderhoude, fokusgroeponderhoude en veldnotas om data te genereer, en inhoudsanalise om die data te analiseer. Navorsingsbevindinge dui daarop dat die opvoeders se ervaring van die gebruik van aangepaste assessering positief was, juis omdat dit voldoen aan die individuele behoeftes wat in 'n inklusiewe klas ontstaan. Uit die studie was dit egter duidelik dat opvoeders leiding en ondersteuning benodig om die assessering toepaslik aan te pas by die behoeftes van die individu.

The Christian church was begun in 19Ih century in the traditionally multi-religious society in Korea. Christianity holds a major position in Korea today and has for the past 20 years been growing rapidly in numbers. Despite its phenomenal growth, the churches. and Christianity in general, have been suffering from several ailments, of which dualistic thinking is not the least. Anthropological dualism amounts to not only distinguishing between soul and body, but also ascribing a separate and independent existence to each of these "components" of the human being. This dualism (as well as others) developed in the church under the influence of traditional Korean religions such as Buddhism, Confucianism and Shamanism that have been teaching such dualisms. The Korean Christian mindset has to this day been dualistic both as a result of such cultural and philosophical influences and o€ ideas brought by the early missionaries to Korea. The influence of Platonic dualism is still widespread in the conservative and gospel church. This study focuses on: + examining the nature of the problem of anthropological (and other forms of) dualism + how the problem has been manifesting itself in Korean churches and in church education + the most momentous influences on Korean Christianity and churches resulting in a dualistic mindset regarding life in general and the human being in particular + the impact of anthropological dualism on church life and especially on education in the context of the church + the Biblical view of the human being, and on + how the pervasive problem of anthropological dualism can be eradicated. It was found that, although the Bible uses a whole variety of words that somehow relate to or describe the human being, these words or t e n s do not refer to "parts" or "components" but rather to different facets of the human being, much like one can refer to the different facets of a polished diamond. Whenever a word is used, it refers to a particular perspective from which the human being is approached or viewed but in the final analysis, it refers to the whole being. Discovery of this perspective was important in view of the dualistic tendencies in Korean churches and in church education. Application of a holistic view of the human being enables one to approach education as the guiding, leading, enabling, equipping and discipling of educands (those who are being guided etc.) as whole, total and integrated persons. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.