Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2015 / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: An analysis of a teacher development programme known as the Cluster Project is central to this research. Study of the form, processes and outcomes of the project model draws attention to teacher professional development (TPD) as a critical strategy for improving science education in primary schools. High quality teaching at the foundational level supports children develop the appropriate level of knowledge that would allow them to take up and succeed at science at higher levels. With the object of strengthening primary science education the Primary Science Programme (PSP) implements a Cluster Project in Western Cape schools. The project model offers training workshops, classroom guidance and essential resources to support teachers develop both their knowledge and teaching competencies to teach science well. Training workshops are designed to build teachers’ understanding of critical science concepts, improve science content knowledge, and offers guidance with curriculum implementation and assessment of learning. In-classroom support and team-teaching, supported with teaching and learning materials and other resources, assists with improving teaching practice in context. This interpretive case study analyses the Cluster Project model and its processes within three theoretical frames: activity theory, complexity theory, and a research-developed qualitative framework to trace teacher professional development. Activity theory is applied to the purpose, organization and function of the Cluster Project, while complexity theory probes the meaning and implications of educational change for teachers and TPD. The qualitative framework with its five critical indicators of autonomy, knowledge, practice, and collaboration and continuing development analyses empirical evidence of TPD with respect to six teacher participants. Activity theory draws attention to the use of flexible adaptive teacher professional learning models which can accommodate frequent change to curriculum and context, and further highlights the importance of promoting collaboration and reducing contradictions in order to improve learning outcomes. Complexity theory expands understanding of teacher professional learning through its focus on the critical concepts of pedagogy, holism, learning as a nonlinear process, the unpredictability of teaching and learning, networking and connectedness, change by emergence and self-organization, changing environments, and teacher development programmes as open, complex adaptive systems. This research observed the six teacher participants were able to improve aspects of their teaching of science, thereby achieving a measure of professional development, although this was not a general observation within the Cluster Project teacher population. Research findings show that teachers’ active participation in meaningful practical science experiences promotes teacher learning, improves practical science in the classroom, and encourages the ready take-up of helpful and innovative science teaching ideas and strategies. This research recommends that practical science teaching, integrated with language and mathematics teaching, should form an essential part of education and training programmes for both pre-service and in-service primary and high school science teachers. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die analise van`n onderwyser-ontwikkelingsprogram, bekend as die Groepsondersteunings Projek, is die kern van diè navorsing. Studie van die vorm, prosesse en uitkomste van die projekmodel, vestig die aandag op onderwysers se professionele ontwikkeling as `n kritiese strategie vir die verbetering van wetenskaponderrig in primêre skole. Hoë gehalte onderwys in die grondslagfase, ondersteun die kinders se ontwikkeling op `n geskikte vlak van kennis wat hulle in staat sal stel om wetenskap verder te neem en daarvan `n sukses te maak op senior vlak. Met die doel om wetenskaponderrig te versterk in die primêre skool, implimenteer die Primêre Wetenskap Program (PSP) tans `n Groepsondersteunings Projek in die Wes-Kaapse skole. Die model voorsien opleiding deur slypskole, klaskamerleiding en noodsaaklike leerhulpmiddels om onderwysers se kennis en onderrigvaardigheid, om wetenskap as vak goed te onderrig, te ontwikkel. Opleidingsslypskole fokus daarop om onderwysers se begrip van kritiese wetenskaplike konsepte en opgradering van wetenskapinhoudskennis op te bou en ook om te help om die kurrikulum te implimenteer en kinders se leerwerk te assesseer. Klaskamer ondersteuning en span-onderrig, met die hulp van onderrig-en leerhulpmiddels, help met die verbetering van die onderwyspraktyk in konteks. Diè interpreterende gevallestudie analiseer die Groepondersteunings Projek model en die prosesse binne drie teoretiese raamwerke, die aktiwiteits-teorie, kompleksiteits-teorie en `n stel aanwysers wat ontwikkel is om bewyse van onderwysers se professionele ontwikkeling te ontleed. Die aktiwiteits-teorie is toegepas op die doel, organisering en funksie van die Projek, terwyl die kompleksiteits-teorie die betekenis en implikasies van die opvoedkundige verandering vir onderwysers en onderwysers se professionele ontwikkeling ondersoek. Die stel aanwysers met vyf kritiese fokuspunte: outonomie, kennis, praktyk, samewerking en voortdurende ontwikkeling, lei die analise van ses onderwyser-deelnemers se professionele ontwikkeling. Die aktiwiteits-teorie beklemtoon die belangrikheid van aanpasbare professionele leermodelle wat gereelde verandering aan die konteks en kurrikulum kan akkommodeer, en beklemtoon ook die belangrikheid om samewerking bevorder, teenstrydigheid te verminder en om sodoende die leeruitkomste te versterk. Die kompleksiteits-teorie verbreed die insig van onderwyser se professionele leer deur die fokus te plaas op die kritiese konsepte van pedagogiek; holisme; leer as `n nie-lineêre proses; die onvoorspelbaarheid van onderrig en leer; netwerk en aaneenskakeling; verandering deur die ontstaan en self-organisasie; veranderende omgewings en onderwyser-ontwikkelingsplanne as oop, komplekse aanpasbare stelsels. Diè navorsing het waargeneem dat die ses onderwyser-deelnemers in staat was om aspekte van hul wetenskap-onderrig te verbeter en sodoende was hulle in staat om `n mate van professionele ontwikkeling te behaal alhoewel dit nie `n algemene waarneming binne die Groepsondersteunings Projek se onderwyspopulasie was nie. Navorsingsbevindings dui aan dat onderwysers se aktiewe deelname aan betekenisvolle, praktiese wetenskapondervindings, leer kan bevorder en begrip kan bevorder van `n praktiese implimentering daarvan in die klaskamer en moedig die geredelike opname van nuttige en innoverende leer-idees en strategieë aan. Die navorsing beveel aan dat praktiese wetenskap-onderrig, integreer met tale en wiskunde, `n noodsaaklike deel moet vorm van onderwys-en opleidingsprogramme vir voor-diens en in-diens primêre en hoërskool wetenskaponderwysers.

Learner autonomy has been asserted by many scholars as essential to learning, and that the teacher’s role in fostering autonomy is of great importance in the institutional context of learning. In the field of language education, previous studies have looked into teachers’ beliefs in promoting autonomy mainly in the university setting in different regions of the world, such as Omen, Turkey, some countries in Europe and Hong Kong. The teachers were from a range of nationalities and cultures. A certain group of teachers in the primary education field or in a homogeneous cultural context has not been touched on. This study attempts to fill these gaps and focuses on the context of Hong Kong primary schools, aiming to find out Chinese teachers' beliefs about learner autonomy and the possible factors that influence the form of their beliefs. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

This study is an investigation of the career experiences of women primary teachers who job share. It explores how job sharing fits into overall working patterns and examines whether it fulfils the personal and professional needs of teachers. It investigates how successful job sharing is seen as being in practice and explores the potential advantages and disadvantages of job sharing for teachers and for schools. The study examines the claims made for job sharing as a means of advancing the cause of equality in the workplace. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews with twenty women primary teachers who job shared. The role of job sharing in their careers was examined and the extent to which it satisfied personal and professional expectations explored. The career experiences of job sharing teachers were further investigated through a questionnaire sent to a sample of teachers who had previously job shared. This provided a retrospective and longer term account. All of these experiences were then situated within the wider contexts in which teaching operates. For this, documentary and policy analysis were undertaken, and semistructured interviews were conducted with headteachers and parents, and key informants at local and national level. The research found that job sharing is successful in meeting the personal needs of the women primary teachers. Teachers spoke of the balance in their lives which this working arrangement helped them to achieve. In terms of the professional dimension, the study found that experiences of job sharing in practice were positive. For teachers the affective rewards of being with children and feeling competent and skilled in daily work were high. Feelings of acceptance within the workplace culture were positive; building and sustaining relationships with parents and, in particular, with colleagues, which was viewed as a salient part of the job of primary teaching, was possible whilst job sharing. As a result, schools were seen to be gaining by employing experienced and motivated individuals who were able to make positive contributions. However, some difficulties were found with the professional and career development of job sharing teachers. The study concludes that job sharing is not deleterious to women teachers' careers. It is far less harmful than other forms of part-time teaching although, as yet, it is not challenging full-time teaching as the dominant work model.

En enkätundersökning genomfördes vars syfte var att undersöka om det fanns en relation mellan grundskolelärares arbetsbetsrelaterade krav, kontroll, socialt stöd och subjektivt välmående. Syftet var också att undersöka om det fanns någon relation mellan arbetsbetsrelaterade krav, kontroll, socialt stöd och upplevelse av stress. Urvalet bestod av 365 grundskolelärare. Enkäten besvarades via en länk som med mail skickades ut till de grundskolor som valde att delta i undersökningen. En länk lades också ut på olika Facebook grupper för att öka stickprovets storlek. Prediktorerna krav, kontroll och socialt stöd mättes med General Nordic Questionnaire for Psychological and Social Factors at Work (QPS Nordic-34+). Beroendevariabeln subjektivt välmående mättes med The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). Beroendevariabeln stress mättes med QPS Nordic-34+. Data analyserades i dataprogrammet SPSS med hjälp av en multipel regressionsanalys. Resultatet visade att krav, kontroll och socialt stöd signifikant predicerade grundskolelärarnas välmående. Vidare visade resultatet att krav och kontroll signifikant predicerade upplevelsen av stress. Socialt stöd predicerade inte upplevelsen av stress signifikant. Trots vissa begränsningar i undersökningen har slutsatsen gjorts att krav, kontroll och socialt stöd är av betydelse för lärares välmående. Arbetsrelaterade krav och kontroll kan förklara deltagarnas upplevelse av stress. Resultatet diskuterades i relation till tidigare genomförda studier. För vidare forskning gavs förslag om att använda en skala som också mäter externa krav som kopplas ihop med grundskolelärares sociala interaktion med elever och deras vårdnadshavare. / A survey was constructed whose purpose was to examine if there was a relationship between the primary school teacher work-related demands, control, social support and subjective well-being. The aim was also to examine whether there was any relationship between work-related demands, control, social support and experience of stress. The sample consisted of 365 primary school teacher. The questionnaire was answered by a link as with email was sent out to the schools that chose to participate in the survey. A link was also posted on various Facebookgroups to increase the sample size. The predictors demands, control and social support was measured with the General Nordic Questionnaire for Psychological and Social Factors at Work (QPS Nordic-34 +). Dependent variable subjective well-being was measured with The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). Dependent variable stress was measured with QPS Nordic-34 +. Data were analyzed in the computer program SPSS using a multiple regression analysis. The results showed that demands, control and social support significantly predicted primary school teachers' well-being. The results also showed that demand and control significantly predicted the experience of stress. Social support predicted no experience of stress significantly. Despite some limitations in the study the conclusion has been made that the demands, control and social support are important for teachers' well-being. Work-related demands and control can explain participant’s experience of stress. The results were discussed in relation to previous studies. For further research a suggestion was to use a scale that also measures the external requirements linked with primary school teachers' social interaction with the pupils and their guardian.

Cette recherche qualitative se base sur une triangulation des méthodes : un recueil d’une soixantaine de questionnaires, une observation de près de quatre ans dans une école en zone urbaine sensible et des entretiens semi-directifs auprès d'une quinzaine de professeurs des écoles de la région Lorraine. Le professeur est confronté dans l’exercice de son métier à une ethnicisation des relations à la fois au niveau des savoirs et des savoir-être. Certains enseignants se considèrent comme les derniers défenseurs des valeurs de la République ; ils expriment leur malaise devant certaines affirmations et revendications communautaires. Pourtant, ils occultent souvent leur propre implication dans ce processus d’ethnicisation. Ils peuvent avoir recours à des catégorisations qui débouchent parfois sur des discriminations qui vont alimenter la spirale de l'ethnicité. La religion est une véritable pierre d'achoppement pour l'enseignant. Des expériences marquantes professionnelles et personnelles ont façonné le vécu ethnique du professeur qui influence sa façon d'enseigner mais aussi celle de percevoir la diversité culturelle et la laïcité. Nous avons établi des profils professoraux basés sur leurs conceptions de l'ethnicité et de la laïcité : - Les laïcistes : pacifiste / laïcard - Les indifférentialistes : nihiliste / universaliste - Les patriotes : nationaliste / républicain- Les modernistes : paternaliste / humaniste. L’identité et les postures professionnelles de l’enseignant résultent d’une construction évolutive imbriquée de son rapport à l’ethnicité avec son éthique. / This qualitative research is based on a triangulation of methods which involved compiling around sixty questionnaires, observing what happens in a school situated in an urban hotspot over a period of nearly four years and interviewing thanks to semi-leading questions, approximately fifteen primary-school teachers in the Lorraine region of France. While carrying out their duties, teachers are confronted with a process of “ethnicization” in their relationships concerning both knowledge and social skills. Some teachers see themselves as the last defenders of our republican values: they express their discomfort in the face of a number of assertions and demands which originate from different communities. Yet, they often hide their own involvement in this process of “ethnicization”. They can resort to categorizations that sometimes lead to discrimination which ends up fuelling the spiral of ethnicity. Religion is also a real stumbling block for teachers. Memorable professional and personal experiences have shaped teachers’ day-to-day reality in terms of ethnicity, and this has an influence on their teaching methods, and also on their perception of cultural diversity and laïcité. We have drawn up teachers’ profiles based on their perception of ethnicity and laïcité : - The secularist type : pacifist / atheist or anti-religion - The indifferentialist type : nihilist / universalist - The patriot type : nationalist / republican - The modernist type : paternalist / humanist. The teachers’ identities and professional positions are the result of a progressive construction in which their connection to ethnicity overlaps with their own personal sense of ethics.

This research study examines the development of a school guidance programme in a teacher education institute in a turbulent Hong Kong environment. The focus of the study is the teachers’ awareness of the impact of change, their beliefs in human nature, and the skills gained from the programme in dealing with student guidance issues in their classrooms. The study describes the political, economic and social changes in Hong Kong society after 1997 and the consequent impact on primary school teachers, educated and brought up in traditional Chinese families now facing student problems in their classrooms that are being addressed using Western humanistic theories and models. The researcher has used a variety of essentially qualitative strategies. These include: participants’ self-reflection; researcher’s observation and interviews on campus and in school classrooms; and teaching and learning materials. The effectiveness of the programme is judged to be in the teachers’ awareness of the theories imparted, and the relevant skills that they gained, in dealing with these behavioural issues in their classrooms. The study explores how contemporary teachers deliver cognitive knowledge to pupils, but also can learn to play the role of guidance helper to their pupils. Thus, the focus is on affective professional teacher development. The contribution this research makes to our understanding is in its attempt to relate teachers’ values and beliefs to their professional behaviour. It also contributes to an understanding of how Eastern and Western values interact in solving global educational issues. The study enters into the professional reflections of new generation of teachers in Hong Kong’s recent period of rapid cultural change.

This study is concerned with the satisfactions and dissatisfactions that primary teachers in the Australian Capital Territory experience in their working lives. Its aim is to identify those aspects of satisfaction and/or dissatisfaction by considering relationships between the independent variables. A modified form of Holdaway's Satisfaction with Teaching and Employment Conditions Questionnaire was administered to three hundred and seventy-five teachers. The Likert-type scale and open responses produced data which was analysed in relation to personal variables. Factor analysis was used to determine clustering of items and to investigate relationships between the variables. A number of hypotheses were tested to ascertain the areas of satisfaction and dissatisfaction. The findings indicate that teacher satisfaction is linked with intrinsic aspects of their work such as relationships with students, advancement and personal growth. Teachers are most dissatisfied with those aspects of their lives over which they have little control and see the present attitudes of society towards their function and role as an area of serious concern. Statistically significant differences in satisfaction were found between open-space and traditional schools, large and smaller schools, men and women teachers, VII and between teachers working in upper and lower primary classes. The relative distribution of resources between primary and secondary schools is a source of dissatisfaction and the lack of parity in working conditions highlights this inequity. Teacher stress is discussed as an area of growing concern in the ACT and some links with the system's degree of autonomy and community involvement are suggested.

This study set out to document and compare differences in career paths and career aspirations between women and men primary school teachers in the ACT. The study wished to confirm in the ACT, the kinds of differences between career patterns well documented elsewhere and to go beyond this to an exploration of why these differences persist and the implications of them. A questionnaire with factual items on teachers' career backgrounds and open-ended questions on teachers' attitudes was sent to a random sample of teachers in ACT government primary schools within the four cells made by the two dichotomous criteria of women and men, promoted and non-promoted. Data was tallied, categorized, and despite the small sample, statistically significant differences were found: Women take more and different kinds of leave; women teach the younger children but have greater teaching experience across the grades; in terms of intending to stay in their career, women have a greater commitment to teaching than men. Women are more negative towards promotion and express career ambition in professionally oriented terms, i.e. in terms of children and teaching. Men, particularly those promoted, express career ambitions in extrinsic, promotional terms. Women have high career satisfaction; promoted men are the most dissatisfied. In contrast with promoted men, non-promoted men come from metropolitan areas and have less extrinsic and more child-centred career aspirations. Teachers' attitudes to grades were studied: grades 5/6 were the most sought after for promotional purposes, had the highest status yet were considered to be relatively easy to teach. The early years had least value in promotional terms, lower status and were the most difficult to teach. The system needs to re-appraise definitions and assumptions about teachers' careers in general and women's role as a commited group of professional teachers. Teachers disinterested in conventional career ambitions, most of whom are women, are undervalued while decision-making is in the hands of non-practicioners in male-dominated heirarchical structures.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1990. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 143-154). Also available in print.

The overall aim of this study is to contribute to the understanding of development projects carried out by teachers within the Swedish 9-year compulsory school. The study concentrates on the everyday classroom work of the teachers, firstly when there were extra funds to use for the development projects, and secondly, when the funding had expired. Eight projects at the primary level were selected. Each project was visited three times during the first year. A follow up was made three years later. Data were collected by way of interviews, questionnaires and observations. The projects had different aims, contents and organization. Some projects changed or developed their aims and contents in the course of the project period, while others kept their original direction. Differences in the development of project activities were found to be related to such factors as the amount of personal support given by headmasters and colleagues, and on whose initiative a project was started, whether by the authorities or by the teachers themselves. Within the framework of the projects, the teachers often instigated relevant in-service training, developed new forms of cooperation, sought to integrate school subjects and tried new pedagogic practices. When financial support was terminated, the new ideas and the new practices were incorporated in the changed every day way of working. The project work tended to make the teachers feel more harmonious and whole, in that the activities tended to tie the teacher's personality and career more firmly together. Besides this personal development, the teachers felt that the project work enhanced more and closer cooperation in the schools. The teachers emphasized that it had become very important for them to collaborate, and that they felt they were no longer left alone with the responsibilities and problems in the classroom. The projects led to more committed pedagogical discussions in the staff- rooms resulting in a claim for more knowledge. The project teachers often invited lecturers and arranged other forms of in-service training. The results of the study are discussed in relation to theories of school development, teacher work and career as well as to gender theories. / digitalisering@umu