Reforms that have taken place in the South African education system since 1994 have led to changes in terms of how learning areas are taught in schools. There have been changes regarding the teaching of physical development activities in schools in recent years. Physical education as a subject was infused within life orientation (LO) as a learning area with physical development activities as one of the outcomes. The time to teach physical development activities has been reduced as other learning outcomes within LO have to be taught. This has led to situations where the teaching of physical development activities is undermined in many schools. Pressure to perform well in learning areas such as mathematics and literacy makes educators to devote less time on the teaching of physical development activities. To a larger extent, financial resources on the other hand, are being directed to other learning areas due to pressure to conform to international education standards. There is a need for school leaders to respond to new conditions of teaching. This research project deals with the leadership practices of heads of department (HODs) in the implementation of physical development activities. The study aims to investigate how HODs lead and manage the educators who teach physical development activities. Among other things, the study will focus on the HODs‟ leadership styles relevant to the teaching of physical development activities. The study will also look at challenges they experience in their departments, training needs and how they keep balance between teaching and monitoring educators who teach physical development activities. The researcher used qualitative research approach to collect information for the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with two HODs and four educators in two primary schools. The findings indicate that lack of experience and specialisation in the teaching of physical development activities has an influence on the HODs leadership style. More support is needed in the teaching of physical development activities in order to boost the confidence of those who are teaching this part of the learning area. Deployment of staff members to the relevant positions is one of the priority areas. An implication for schools, particularly HODs and school management teams is that the teaching of physical development activities is as important as the teaching of other learning areas. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

South Africa has a unique cultural, historical, socio-economic and linguistic contextual complexity that influences the implementation the intended curriculum and educational policies. The contextual complexity continues to result in Science teachers entering into the teaching profession with a wide spread diversity in background and qualifications. The secondary data analysis used a concurrent mixed methods approach (QUAL + quan) to explore the interconnection between teacher characteristics, classroom practices and learner achievement in Physical Science. The primary sample consisted of 18 schools that were stratified by district and quintile. From the available data, nineteen Grade 12 Physical Science teachers with varying levels of qualifications and experience were analysed. A combination of qualitative and quantitative instruments, specifically, Science teacher questionnaires, Science lesson observations and Science teacher interviews, were explored. The data was analysed quantitatively using descriptive statistics, frequency tables and Pearson correlation coefficients. The qualitative data involved content analysis and the presentation of case studies and the themes that emerged. Significant Pearson correlations indicate a positive relationship between years of related experience and pass rates and also pointed to an interconnection between professional qualifications, related experience and learner achievement. Differences in teacher characteristics were also indicators of competency in content knowledge and ultimately influenced classroom practices. Four case studies are offered in an attempt to provide in-depth descriptions of the teacher characteristics and practices for Grade 12 Physical Science teachers in Gauteng. Recommendations for future research, teacher training and policy implementation are presented. The diversity in teacher characteristics, particularly in Physical Science classrooms, influences the classroom practices that teachers select in their day-to-day teaching and impacts learner outcomes in terms of achievement. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / unrestricted

This study is concerned with how competent mathematics teachers develop pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in statistics teaching. Pedagogical content knowledge was used as the theoretical framework that guided the research and data collection. The study’s methodology consisted of two phases. In the first phase, the six identified mathematics teachers undertook a conceptual knowledge written exercise. The result of this exercise was used to select the best four performing teachers for the second phase of the study. The second phase consisted mainly of lesson observations, interviews, written documents in the form of completed questionnaires, written diaries or reports, document analysis designed to produce rich detailed descriptions of participating teachers’ PCK in the context of teaching statistics concepts at school level. The concept mapping exercise was used to indirectly assess participating teachers’ content knowledge and their conceptions of the nature of school statistics and how it is to be taught. The qualitative data obtained were analysed to try to determine individual teachers’ content knowledge of school statistics, related pedagogical knowledge, knowledge of learners’ conceptions in statistics teaching, knowledge of learners’ learning difficulties as well as how they developed their PCK in statistics teaching. The analysis was done based on iterative coding and categorisation of responses and observations made to identify themes, patterns, and gaps, in school statistics teaching. Commonalities and differences if any, in the PCK profiles of the four participating teachers were also analysed and determined. The results of the study showed that overall, individual teachers develop their PCK in school statistics teaching by: (a) formally developing their knowledge of the subject matter in a formal undergraduate educational programme, as well as subject matter content knowledge during classroom practice; (b) using varied topic-specific instructional skills such as graphical construction skills in teaching statistical graphs; (c) using diagnostic techniques (oral questioning and pre-activity, class discussions and questioning) and a review of previous lessons to introduce lessons, and to determine learners’ preconceptions in statistics teaching ; (d) Using teaching strategies that can help to identify learners’ learning difficulties as well as intervention to address the difficulties; (e) continually updating their knowledge of school statistics by attending content knowledge workshops and other teacher development programmes designed to improve content knowledge and practice. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / unrestricted

Department of Curriculum Studies and Education Management / MEDCS

Tidigare forskning visade att lärarutbildningar har misslyckats med att utbilda lärare kring normkritisk pedagogik där genus, kön och etnicitet är betydande faktorerna för elevernas resultat i skolan (Skolverket 2016a; Lundvall 2006; Barker 2017). Vårt syfte med studien var att ta reda på hur lärare arbetar med normkritisk pedagogik samt om och isåfall hur Linnéuniversitetet har förberett lärare i idrott och hälsa kring ämnet. Lärares åsikter och kunskaper inom ämnet insamlades med hjälp av kvalitativ metod med semistrukturerade intervjuer. Resultatet har analyserats genom Lee Shulmans (1986) teori om pedagogiska ämneskunskaper samt diskuteras utifrån begreppen ämneskunskaper, pedagogiska kunskaper och pedagogiska ämneskunskaper. För att få ytterligare perspektiv analyserades resultatet från tidigare forskning. Studiens resultat visade att lärare med examen från Linnéuniversitetet brister i pedagogiska ämneskunskap kring normkritik. Lärare är väl medvetna om de normer som existerar och har ett engagemang i att arbeta mot dem men har brister i kunskaper om pedagogiska kunskaper för att arbeta normkritiskt.

Thesis (M. Ed. (Technology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / The purpose of this research was to investigate how Technology teachers in Grade 9 create an effective learning environment for teaching the topic of ‘Structures'. Technology is a new subject in the South African curriculum, therefore, the creation of a learning environment conducive to learning about Structures as one of the themes in Technology is crucial. In the South African curriculum for Technology, the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), learners have to be taught about the following design process: Investigating, Designing, Making, Evaluating and Communication. Besides, learners need to know strengthening and the functions of Structures. The design process will ultimately lead learners into modern structural engineering where the aim is to create structures that are up to standard and operational, as they are in the real world. The design process for structures needs to take into consideration three main aspects: mechanical concepts, aesthetic concepts, and sustainable development, which are independent while interrelated at the same time. Modern structural engineering needs to coordinate humanity and natural development. Structures, in broad terms, relate to buildings, dams and bridges, therefore, for structures to be designed, they need architects and structural engineers. Structures have been part of humankind for shelter, storage, communication and to solve many human problems. The creation of a learning environment for teaching structures, which is the main focus of this research, was studied in relation to a constructivist learning environment, e.g. pre-conceptions, sensorial activation and the analysis of subject matter, in accordance with the Resource Theory. The Resource Theory calls them the ingredients believed to enhance learning, where a learning environment is created by physical facilities, human resources and fiscal resources. Studying technology using Resource Theory as the theoretical framework may give insight into the successful teaching of Technology as a subject in South Africa. Besides, the Resource Theory has characteristics of constructivist models like Education Reconstruction for Teacher Education (ERTE), which was used for studying science where learners’ preconceived knowledge, sensorial activation and subject matter analysis are considered as effective for creating a conducive learning environment. The Resource Theory vi emphasizes that physical resources, human resources and fiscal resources enhance an effective learning environment. The advantage of these constructivist models is that they represent the framework for an integrative approach to research on creating a learning environment for teaching topics such as Structures. The models firstly integrate sensorial activation; secondly, the empirical study of learners’ pre-conceptions; and thirdly, an analysis of the subject matter. When creating a learning environment for structures using the analysis of subject matter, sensorial activation and learners’ pre-conceptions, the pedagogical content knowledge for Technology teachers may also be successfully explored. Currently in some schools in South Africa, the topic of ‘Structures’ as one of the Technology themes, is taught in a general classroom with no equipment, materials and teachers’ lack of knowledge of the learning environment. Besides, the literature shows that there is no ordered environment earmarked for teaching and learning Technology. Some teachers are not able to teach effectively, as a result, there is no conducive learning environment for teaching the topic of Structures. This means that the learning environment in many schools in South Africa still leaves much to be desired. The main challenge is that teachers focus more on the curriculum and textbook’s sequencing of topics in teaching in a context of classrooms where practical tasks are not emphasised. In addition, teachers do not always have a clear understanding of the structure of the curriculum or the demands of the curriculum. Teachers need to be trained on how to integrate various resources, as the literature suggests, not only to follow textbooks as a way of sequencing their teaching. Owing to the above-mentioned gaps a study was needed to investigate how Technology teachers create an effective learning environment for teaching the topic of Structures. A qualitative approach and case study design were used to find out how a learning environment for Structures is created in Bohlabela Circuit. The data were collected using unstructured questionnaires and document or observation sheet for planning documents. Two Grade 9 Technology teachers participated in the study. Since this study was about investigating the learning environment created by Technology teachers when teaching the theme Structures, the findings revealed that these teachers had a knowledge of what creating a learning environment is, but it was not vii clear if they practiced this in their classrooms. They seemed to have a knowledge of the essence of prior knowledge, resources and content knowledge of Structures. The study recommends that curriculum advisors at Circuit level need to intensify workshops and visit Technology teachers in schools to check whether they have artefacts made by learners using the Design Process. Furthermore, observation during teaching is necessary, monitoring the effectiveness of teaching and learning of making Structures. The importance of this study is that the findings may be helpful to technology curriculum designers, teachers and learners, since workshops may be conducted in a proper way. Resources need to be coupled with teachers’ content knowledge of structures and strategies for instruction. Key concepts: Creation of learning environment; Content knowledge; Constructivists learning environment; Pedagogical content knowledge; Resource Theory; Sensorial activation; Structures; Technological pedagogical and content knowledge.

This study was designed with two goals in mind. The first goal was to describe the formal and practical knowledge of intensive reading intervention teachers related to beginning reading instruction with at-risk first graders. A second goal was to understand any potential relationships between intensive reading teachers’ practical knowledge and formal knowledge. These two goals framed the study’s three research questions. To answer these three questions, the study was conducted in two phases. Phase one included 32 participants, all of whom worked in the role of a K-2 intensive reading intervention teacher. Each of these 32 participants completed a background questionnaire and a paper/pencil Teacher Knowledge Assessment (TKA). The TKA measured participants’ formal knowledge of beginning reading concepts. Participants’ scores on the TKA were then rank-ordered from lowest to highest to help guide the selection of phase two participants. Eight teachers in all participated in phase two of the study dedicated to the study of teachers’ practical knowledge of reading. Participants’ practical knowledge of reading was explored through three activities including a semi-structured interview, a concept-mapping activity and a videotaped reading lesson. Data analysis revealed several important findings. Intensive reading intervention teachers in this study’s sample differed in their formal knowledge of reading, measured by the TKA, and in their practical knowledge of reading, explored through interviews, concept-maps and reading lessons. The TKA revealed that study participants’ held more formal knowledge of concepts related to phonology and phonics and less formal knowledge of concepts related to morphology and syllable types. Related to practical knowledge, data analysis revealed that the teachers in this sample differed in their knowledge of beginning reading with subject-matter knowledge iv accounting for most of the differences. These gaps in subject-matter knowledge also impacted this sample of teachers’ use of instructional strategies and purposes of instruction. Data analysis also revealed insight into the relationships between this sample of teachers’ formal and practical reading knowledge. In this sample, intensive reading intervention teachers with more formal knowledge of reading concepts as measured on the TKA demonstrated more evidence of these concepts within their instruction provided to at-risk first grade readers. The participants in this sample who had less formal knowledge of beginning reading as measured by the TKA demonstrated less evidence of these concepts within their instruction provided to at-risk first grade readers. Participants with less formal knowledge did accurately calibrate their knowledge of the concepts tested on the TKA but did not equate the lower scores to their practical knowledge and overall teaching efficacy. The findings from this study added several important contributions to the literature on teacher knowledge and beginning reading instruction. First, the study was unique in its focus on intensive reading intervention teachers, thus contributing new findings related to a specialized group of teachers. Secondly, this study contributed descriptions of teachers’ practical knowledge with regards to beginning reading instruction. These descriptions are relatively absent in the current literature on teacher knowledge. Thirdly, the results from this study supported earlier findings in favor of a specialized body of subject-matter knowledge, especially related to beginning reading skills and concepts. Finally, the results contributed insight into the relationships between teachers’ formal reading knowledge and practical reading knowledge

This study reports the development of an instrument intended to measure mathematics teachers' knowledge of Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI). CGI is a mathematics professional development framework based on how students think about and solve problems and how that knowledge guides instruction for developing mathematical understanding. The purpose of this study was to (a) analyze and revise the original CGI Teacher Knowledge Assessment (CGI TKA), (b) administer the revised CGI TKA, and (c) analyze the results from the revised CGI TKA. As part of the revision of the original CGI TKA, distractor analysis identified distractors that could be improved. Experts in CGI content were interviewed to identify ways in which the content of the CGI TKA could be improved, and some new items were created based on their feedback. Formatting changes were also made to administer the assessment electronically.After the original CGI TKA was revised, the revised CGI TKA was administered to teachers who had been trained in CGI. Two hundred thirteen examinees completed the revised CGI TKA and the results were analyzed. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses showed 21 of the items loaded adequately onto one factor, considered to be overall knowledge of CGI. The Rasch model was used to estimate item difficulty and person abilities as well as to compare models using dichotomous and partial credit scoring. Advantages and disadvantages of using partial credit scoring as compared to dichotomous scoring are discussed. Except under special circumstances, the dichotomous scoring produced better fitting models and more reliable scores than the partial credit scoring. The reliability of the scores was estimated using Raykov's rho coefficient. Overall, the revised CGI TKA appears to validly and reliably measure teachers' CGI knowledge.

The following essay has the purpose of giving an account of how the increasing digitalization, medialization and flow of information has affected social science as a subject, and how this has changed the expectations put on students and teachers. Furthermore, the way teachers’ TPACK knowledge and web literacy skills affect their teaching is also examined. Lastly, students’ level of understanding for the term media and information literacy is further investigated.  This is being done with the help of the following three question formulations: 1. What further demands does the increasing digitalization, medialization and flow of information pose for students and teachers, and how does it connect to social science as a subject? 2. How do teachers' knowledge of TPACK and web literacy affect their teaching? 3. What level of understanding do students have for the term media and information literacy?  The essay is based upon 15 peer-reviewed scientific articles, which have been chosen to represent the field of knowledge and answer the three question formulations. The interconnection between media and information literacy and democracy makes the subject increasingly important in today’s society with threats like propaganda, misinformation, and anti-democratic rhetoric. One conclusion made is how important it is for the students’ learning outcomes that the teacher is well-informed and has the necessary knowledge to help and support the students in their learning. It is also important to consider that the way students define media and information literacy may differ from teachers’ understanding, and that can lead to students’ knowledge being interpreted as higher than it is in reality.

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