South African School Governing Bodies play a crucial role in the governing of schools. One of the key challenges facing the School Governing Bodies is to contribute towards the creation of an atmosphere which is conducive for effective learning and teaching. This, among other ways, could be done by formulating a code of conduct for learners. The purpose of this study was to find out the role of the School Governing Body in formulating the code of conduct for learners. The subjects of the study were the parent and teacher components of the School Governing Bodies. Data collection for this study included questionnaires which were completed by parents and teachers who are members of the School Governing Bodies. Such data has been used to analyze and interpret the role played by the School Governing Bodies in formulating the code of conduct for learners. Among others, the study found that some members of the School Governing Bodies were not aware about their respective roles in the formulation of codes of conduct for learners and the policy relating to the code of conduct for learners. However, some School Governing Bodies have adopted the Provincial guidelines on the code of conduct as the code of conduct for their schools. The study recommends that the members of the School Governing Bodies should be empowered through, among others, continuous training courses relating to their respective roles in school governance.

In South Africa, School Governing Bodies include parent component. This indicates that the participation of parents in the governance of a school is regarded as having a role to play. Since it would be impossible to include all the parents in the School Governing Body their representatives are elected to the School Governing Body. This study investigated the role of parents’ representatives in School Governing Bodies in rural public schools of the Butterworth District in the province of the Eastern Cape. Among others the study found that parents’ representatives experience various challenges with their role in this regard. For instance, in many instances School Governing Bodies struggle to maintain a full complement of the parents’ component. However, there are various ways and means that can be used in order to improve the situation.

The purpose of this study was to examine and evaluate the perceptions of high school art teachers, parents of high school students and high school students themselves relative to the merits of goals of a district program for high school art education and to determine whether the three populations share a common perception of these goals. The reveiew of the literature indicated a lack of substantive art programs in the curriculum from kindergarten through grade 12. The emphasis on art productino goals was cited as a major reason art is given such low status in our nation's schools. Many authors believe that if art is to be valued as fundamental to a child's educational development, the emphasis on art production must be broadened to include art hsitory, critique and aesthetics. Because an official school curriculum is often established to reflect societal values, information on art teachers', parents' and students' perceptions of the merits of the goals of high school art programs is important. Such information can be used to plan a local strategy for generating support for and effecting a change in art curriculum. Twenty-two certified high school art teachers, 200 randomly selected parents and a representative sample of 240 high school students were asked to review a list of 20 goals for a high school art education program and to rate them on a seven point Likert scale. for the three groups included The survey instruments five art activities pertaining to each of the four major goal areas of the discipline-based art curriculum, namely art production, art history, critique and aesthetics. Seventy percent of the participants responded to the questionnaires. The objectives of this study were (1) to determine the variability of perception between and within each group, (2) to find whether the three groups possess common perceptions of the merits of alternative goals, (3) to ascertain whether art teachers with more than five years experience share a common perception with teachers with less than five years experience, (4) to determine whether students who have received secondary level art instruction differ in their perceptions from students who have not received instruction, and (5) to compare the ratings of production oriented goals with the other discipline-based art education goals. Major findings of the study were as follows: (1) The plot fo the mean ratings of the merit of the goals for teachers shows wider variability than either parents or students. (2) Students provided a lower mean rating than either the teacher or parent groups. (3) Lack of data. (4) Students and parents with more exposure to secondary art education tended to rate the goals lower than their counterparts with no art background. (5) In the One-Sample Runs test, the art production goals did not appear more predominant at one end of the list of rankings. Teachers, parents and students rated aesthetics and criticism moderately high. In conclusion, the findings indicate that teachers, parents and students do value critique and aesthetic goals in the high school art education curriculum. Continued in-depth research and study with wider populations will be beneficial if we are to meet the challenge to continue to broaden high school art curriculum goals.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

In 1990 many in Colquitt, Georgia considered themselves to be a dying town due to the loss of jobs and outmigration that occurred when labor intensive farming transitioned to the machine. In response citizens brought in a theater director from Chicago who helped them launch a performance series of inclusive stories that were acted by local volunteers. The resulting series called Swamp Gravy has run from 1992 to present (2012), and has led to purported claims of community revitalization. The purpose of this study was to discover what this ongoing narrative community engagement meant to the people of Colquitt in regards to: community experiences that produced new relationships (including those between Blacks and Whites); personal empowerment; the coproduction of an emerging and diverse community identity; and institutional and economic development. Methods for this case study included narrative interviews of participants, attendees and local citizens, as well as observation of the town and the performances, and document analysis. Many participant volunteers and attendees became Swamp Gravy enthusiasts, and describe their experiences as coming out into a meaningful experience of community, which included forming relationships with diverse others (including those of a different race). The enthusiasts speak of growing into larger community responsibilities with others for the common good, and feel that ongoing and inclusive storytelling is very important to coproducing a diverse heritage that informs the future of their city. Other attendees (predominantly the business community) describe the benefits of Swamp Gravy as instrumental to having given the town recognition (identity) as an entertaining tourist attraction that exposed individual talent, boosted individual confidence, and enhanced social connectivity. Others in Colquitt were indifferent or resistive to the coming out that the performances invite. Most everyone recognizes that Swamp Gravy has attracted outside tourists which has boosted economic development, occasioned the renovation of downtown Colquitt square and the formation of institutions to continue to attract and accommodate visitors from afar. This case is theorized in terms of the emerging communicative turn in planning that juxtaposes the planner as mediator or facilitator, and stakeholders as co-producers. The findings in this case study support that the Swamp Gravy form of narrative process has some potential for guiding stakeholders to a just diversity in cities, neighborhoods and towns, and as such should be studied further. Urban planning in situations of urban renewal may be one place where utilizing this form of meaningful engagement could lead to discovery of new identities, which may both inform and motivate a just plan to be coproduced.

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Education in the Faculty of Education and Social Sciences at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology 2014 / This study aimed to determine learners' understanding and experiences of the different types of bullying and to examine the extent of bullying and roles they have been exposed to in various types of bullying. The research question was: What are primary school learners. understanding and experiences of bullying? Literature indicates that bullying can be executed in direct and indirect forms (Olweus, 1993:10; Boulton et al., 2002:354; Hunter & Boyle, 2002:324; Piskin, 2003:556; Lee, 2004:9). Direct bullying can be defined as relatively open attacks on a victim (Boulton et al., 2002:354) that are carried out face to face and may include pushing, kicking and fighting (Lee, 2004:10). Indirect bullying can be defined as being more subtle and less direct (Boulton et al., 2002:354) and will include behaviour such as social isolation and exclusion from a group. This study used the Olweus Intervention Method (1995), which offers a theoretical framework that could help the researcher find meaning in respect of the roles of the bully, victim and bystander. Urie Bronfenbrenner.s ecological theory (Bronfenbrenner,1998:993-1027) of human development was used as a lens for understanding bullying. Bronfenbrenner places child development within four different interacting levels, for example, the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem and macrosystem (Sigelman & Schaffer, 1995:87). The researcher used a mixed-method research design as it could provide a better understanding of how learners understand their experiences of bullying . whether they were the victim, bully or witness. The total sample comprised 296 Intermediate Phase learners. The study began with a quantitative method, testing the understanding of concepts, and using a questionnaire for learners, and thereafter concluded with a qualitative method comprising a small number of learners (interviews with a focus group), exploring their experiences of bullying. The quantitative data was analysed by means of descriptive statistics to present simple summaries about the sample and the measures. The responses were recorded in frequency tables and percentages were calculated to determine general trends. The qualitative data was systematically organised into themes and patterns to bring meaning to the themes by telling a story. Information obtained from respondents was treated as highly confidential and the research findings were presented with integrity. The results indicated that most learners have not been exposed to bullying as victims, although a high number of incidences were reported. Older boys were mostly involved in incidences of physical violence. Of significance is the fact that the main kind of bullying was that of emotional bullying. Table 4.7 shows that mostly boys are teased (37.0%), while Table 4.16 shows teasing others mostly occurs between learners of the same age (30.4%). On the other hand, Table 4.17 reveals that mostly girls are prone to spread rumours about others (17.5%) of the same age as themselves (26%) and fall prey to this type of emotional bullying.

Thesis (MTech (Education))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2007. / Educators often lament the lack of parental involvement necessary to support effective schooling. Since schools are primarily funded by the state and, in most cases, governed by the parents, questions arise regarding the parental support that schools need and the expectations educators have of such parental involvement. Legislation, as contained in the South African Schools Act, 1996, stipulates the parameters of parental involvement and authority in the governance of the school and the national Department of Education encourages close cooperation between parents and schools. This dissertation explores the questions surrounding parental involvement as it pertains to the expectations of the educators. The dissension expressed by educators demand an investigation into the functionality of the mutual support structures. In an attempt to remedy any existent discord that may exist between the educators and parents, it is necessary to glean responses directly from the educators to ascertain their perceptions of parental involvement. To elicit feedback from the educators, a questionnaire was used with both closed questions and questions which allowed for open/written responses. The questionnaire design allowed information collection to address educator needs, educator wants and what educators are currently getting from the parents as far as support and involvement is concerned. Educator expectations of the most basic and necessary involvement from the parents was weighed up with their expectations of parental involvement in a healthy educator/parent relationship and balanced against actual and current involvement and support offered and given by the parents. Educators of all three schools indicated that communication ranks as the first priority to improve parental involvement in the schools. Schools that are committed to improve or encourage parental involvement first seek to improve the parent-educator relationships. The areas most in need of parental support are the teaching of discipline and social skills at home and the encouragement of learners to excel, parental aid at fundraising drives and homework supervision. These findings support Cherian's view that parental support of the educator is served by parental interest in the learner's education which includes offers of help to learners who bring home school work (Cherian, 1991 :938).

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.

Thesis (M. Tech)(Education) -- Central university of Technology, Free State, 2007 / The aim of the study is to determine the impediments to parental involvement in the governance of selected primary schools in the Bloemfontein area. It also examines the impact of the principals’ attitudes as perceived by the parents towards their involvement in the governance of the school; the means of communication between the school and parents; whether co-operation between the principal and parents affects school governance; and whether familiarity with parents’ roles as stipulated in the South African Schools Act affects their participation in school governance. The literature was consulted on the segregated education of the previously disadvantaged people under apartheid. The transition from apartheid to education under the new political dispensation, as set out in the South African Schools Act 84 of 1996 also received attention. The study further addresses the issue of parents’ reluctance to participate in school governance and the views of teachers and parents on their roles in school governance. Ministerial investigation into the effectiveness of school governing bodies is presented and an international perspective on school governing bodies is also provided. A quantitative method using survey research method was employed in this study and a questionnaire was used to collect data. The aim was to elicit responses from the parents in as far as impediments to parental involvement in the governance of schools is concerned. It was revealed, however, that despite the parents’ reluctance to take part in school governance, principals’ attitudes were found to have a positive effect on parental participation in school governance. Methods of communication between the school and the parents were found to be effective, though a suggestion is made for improvement. Parents were found to be willing to co-operate with one another for the betterment of the school. Furthermore, parents were found to be familiar with the roles of members of the school governing body, irrespective of whether they are members of the school governing body or not.

The decentralisation of governance in South African schools as embodied in the South African Schools Act 84 of 1996 has placed considerable responsibility in the hands of parents for the governance of schools through the School Governing Bodies. In the light thereof, research was conducted in 5 secondary schools in the Breyten Circuit, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. A phenomenological qualitative approach was used to gather data from a purposeful sample of members of School Governing Bodies from selected secondary schools in the Breyten Circuit. The purpose was to explore the impact of parental involvement on effective secondary school governance in the Breyten Circuit. The findings revealed that many parents did not take their role seriously due to poor educational levels and the lack of training and familiarity with the legislation embodied in the Act. This compromised their ability to govern schools. Based on the findings, recommendations are made for improvement of practice. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)