M.Ed. / The aim of this research is to develop guidelines for teachers with regard to parental involvement in order to facilitate the development of reading competence in children in the junior primary phase. In order to achieve this, the following sub-aims are formulated: To explore and describe the viewpoints of parents and teachers with regard to the causes of reading problems in the junior primary phase; To determine in what way teachers and parents of children in the junior primary phase perceive their role in the development and improvement of reading.

This thesis is a narrative account of how I have transformed my learning and teaching strategies for Grade 9 learners, generating my own living theory of teaching within a social context with the aim of enabling my learners to construct their own knowledge. My value-embedded practice is reflected in the values I attach to equality, inclusivity, social justice and basic human rights. These embodied values are also a reflection of my commitment to my Christian values which encompass my entire existence and have become the living standards by which I judge the quality of my research. My classroom-based action research methodology is a living transformational process which heralds a change for a more just practice and the inclusion and recognition of the individual. My findings about my learners’ and my own learning offer new conceptualisations about the capacity of my learners to learn in their own unique ways and according to their own potential. I am claiming that the significance of my research is grounded in my ability to demonstrate how I can unleash the untapped potential of learners failing to attain the desired outcomes. I show them how to learn confidently and successfully within a social context using prior knowledge, scaffolding and motivation as teaching and learning tools. This has potential inspiration for new forms of practice and theory in aiming to improve learners’ potential. A significant feature of my account is how my Christian values have been translated into my critical epistemological standards of judgement, and the development of a living theory of practice that enables me to account for educational influences in my learners’ and my own learning.

This study determined the instructional approaches and teaching techniques and materials reading specialists perceived to be the most effective for the seventh and eighth grade remedial reading courses mandated by Texas House Bill 246. It also determined the most effective inservice procedures for training teachers assigned to teach these courses. Fifty-four Texas reading specialists, representing school districts, service centers, and colleges and universities, participated as panelists in the Delphi, completing three rounds of questionnaires. Perceived recommendations were rated by panelists according to levels of effectiveness.

Recent international reports, for example TIMSS (2011 & 2015), point to serious challenges in South African learner performance in Mathematics and Science. Of greatest concern is that research findings (e.g. Graven, Venkat, Westaway and Tshesane 2013) suggest that many South African learners show signs of mathematical knowledge gaps in the lower grades. Hence, there is a need to address challenges of this nature very early in Foundation Phase. This study was undertaken with a view to contribute towards addressing mathematical challenges encountered by learners in Foundation Phase This empirical enquiry was undertaken under the auspices of the South African Numeracy Chair Project (SANCP) at Rhodes University whose mission is to develop sustainable ways of improving quality teaching and learning of Mathematics in South Africa. A relatively new SANCP programme called Pushing for Progression (PfP) run as part of the after-school Maths Clubs to develop the number sense and four Operations in learners was used to achieve the research aims of this study. Research participants were drawn from the Maths Clubs established by the researcher in a small rural town of Ottosdal in the North West Province of South Africa. This Study is grounded on the Vygotskian perspective and uses the interpretivist qualitative research method for data collection and analysis. Sampling was done opportunistically by enlisting participants (12 teachers and 117 learners) on the basis of their availability and willingness to participate. Pre- and post-assessment of learners’ proficiency on the four Basic Operations was conducted at the beginning and at the end of the research project, respectively. This was done to determine the impact of the project on learner performance. Data analysis was done thematically and through the comparison of learner results of the pre- and post-assessment. The findings point to the effectiveness of the PfP Programme in learner performance. This can be deduced from improved scores between pre- and post-assessment and the observations made by participant-teachers on their respective club learners’ mathematical proficiencies. Accordingly, based on the findings, this study recommends, inter alia, that since the PfP programme is still in its early stages, similar research be conducted elsewhere. Additionally, the Department of Basic Education could consider exploring the PfP programme as one of several other strategies to help improve learner proficiency in Mathematics.

It can be argued that the Namibian curriculum is largely influenced by a Western epistemology. However, many studies suggest that learners make powerful meanings of mathematical concepts they are learning if they visualise these and experience them in relation to what they already know from their own cultural backgrounds. According to the Namibian National Curriculum for Basic Education (NNCBE, 2010), it is not only important for learners to acquire mathematical knowledge and skills, but also to develop and grow their identities, cultures and values as individuals. The aim of this study was to explore and investigate how selected mathematics teachers employ visualisation as a teaching approach to re-contextualise indigenous knowledge (IK). The study set out to explore how conceptual understanding is enhanced by participation in an intervention programme. The use of visualisation is considered an important mediating and pedagogical tool in the mathematics classroom to enhance the mathematics learning of learners. The research is informed by a socio-cultural theory of learning and is located within an interpretive paradigm. The study was conducted at four schools in the Oshana region of Namibia and involved four mathematics teachers who were purposefully selected due to their willingness to use visualisation-IK approaches in their teaching, based on their responses to the survey. The methodologies used are qualitative and quantitative case study. To gather data, document analysis, a survey, lesson observations and focus group interviews were used. The study found that most teachers in the Oshana region have an understanding of the effective use of visualisation-IK approaches. However, the study revealed that visualisation- IK approaches are mostly used in grades 4 to 7 mathematics classrooms. It also discovered that most of the visualisation approaches that teachers employed aligned well with the curriculum and promoted conceptual understanding in the teaching of mathematics. The results of the study showed that teachers have experience of the enabling and constraining factors in using a visualisation-IK approach to teaching mathematics.

M.Ed. / Traditionally schools for learning disabled pupils taught the language arts within a behaviouristic model where language was broken down into its component parts and sub-skills, which were then taught in a stepwise, sequential manner from the most simplistic towards the whole complex language. In the 1980's there was a grassroots, teacher-initiated movement away from this reductionist orientation towards the teaching of language in a meaningful, integrated manner. A variety of teaching methods developed which were consistent with this new whole language approach. The whole language approach became an inherent part of teachers, encompassing all aspects of a classroom and thus it was referred to as the whole language philosophy. This research focused on the process of a teacher changing from the behaviouristic approach towards the whole language philosophy. Although the research focused on one teacher, it had broader implications for the process of whole language implementation in all schools for learning disabled children. This process of a teacher changing towards the whole language philosophy was explored within the theoretical framework of a model described by Watson. The model presented three dimensions of philosophy formation. The dimensions were practice, theory, and beliefs which were inter-related and constantly evolving as the teacher's philosophy formed. The methodological format used to achieve the research aim was a qualitative single case study. The qualitative design allowed for the process of teacher change to unfold without constraints. It accommodated the explorative, flexible nature of the research and allowed for rich, interpretative descriptions of the process. The research was limited to a single case since the scope of the research allowed for only one teacher to be purposefully selected and educated. The researcher introduced the teacher to the whole language approach by providing suitable reading material, by building a trusting relationship with her, and consulting with her on the practical implementation in her classroom. Simultaneously with the researcher facilitating the change process in the teacher, the researcher collected data from various sources - interviews, documents and journal field notes. Data analysis was done using the content analysis procedure of open coding where manageable units of data were subjected to pre-determined criteria in order to code them into themes. The themes were then clustered into regularly occurring patterns for consolidation and interpretations were then made which led to the research conclusions. The findings of the study supported Watson's three dimensional model. Whole language philosophy formation began with the implementation of borrowed practices, which resulted in successful experiences and prompted the activation of a quest for the underlying theory. Theory activation led to the examination of previously held beliefs which altered with time towards the whole language philosophy. Added to this model, this study indicated that a teacher's whole language philosophy formation is a dynamic process. The process was facilitated by an agent of change and contextualised within the educational system where it required a supportive environment in order to develop. These findings suggested that the agent of change be added to Watson's model as the fourth dimension and that the entire process be contextualised within the educational system.

M.E. (Educational Psychology) / The phenomenon of learning disability is evident within many children. This problem obstructs the mastering of basic didactical skills in children. Despite the fact that these children appear to have adequate intellectual abilities, they experience serious .problems in mastering such skills as reading, spelling and writing as well as arithmetical skills. These problems lead to a low selfesteeIll and causes incessant failure in scholastic achievement. Learning disabled children are in need of a highly specialized instructional programme.in order to overcome their learning problems. In Transvaal, provision is made for learning disabled children by aid class placement. Many parents however have objections against placement in aid classes in that their children become "exeptional children". They believe that their children can overcome their learning problems by means of their remedial programmes. It was thus essential to arrive at a psychological and a didactical view of the learning disabled child. Furthermore it was necessary to undertake a psycho-didactic consideration of reading- and arithmetic problems. Aid class instruction and alternative remedial procedures as such, were emphasized. The purpose of this study therefore was to determine whether learning disabled children could adequately overcome their learning problems by means of alternative remedial procedures. Two groups of learning disabled children were identified id est those who were placed in aid classes and those who were for various reasons not placed in aid classes. Three different reading tests as well as addition and subtraction tests were administered to ascertain the children I s level of scholastic achievement.

M.Ed. / The object of this research project is to do an error analysis of standard five pupils' mathematics books and to to create guidelines for a mathematical programme, using direct instruction, learning strategies and problem solving skill ...

This study is an exploratory investigation into the intrapsychic experiences of three learning disabled children whom have been in psychoanalytic therapy. The research used open-ended interviews to focus on the child, the therapist and the parent's experience of the therapeutic relationship. As there has been limited research in this area, the research searched for tentative, common experiences. A qualitative methodology was used as a means to elicit the essential meanings held by the participants, without initially presuming what they might be. The aim of the research was description and conceptualisation, rather than hypothesis testing. The methodology that was applied was an interpretative method that followed hermeneutic phenomenology principles. The results of this study add to the growing literature on the importance of the relationship factors in the child, mother and the therapist experience of the psychotherapy process. Results indicate a positive working relationship with the mother. This relationship was seen to work in a reciprocal manner and enhanced the effectiveness of the therapy. The working alliance with the mother appeared to be an intervention in its own right. The research indicated that the learning disabled children's relationship with their mothers impacted on their emotional well being. The lack of containment and lack of confidence from the mothers resulted in an insecure relationship with their child. Consequently, the mothers needed guidance, assistance and reassurance. The research confirms that learning disabled children are not emotionally limited, however it often takes time to explore their emotional experiences. In examining the participant's experience, it is of interest to note that family dynamics and family relationships were consistently the most important theme in the therapy. Family circumstances appeared to shape the child's and the mother's concerns. Themes of guilt, pity and contempt were evident in both the mother's and the therapist experience of the therapy process in relation to the child. The findings are largely confirmatory of other research studies that have outlined the impact of a learning disability on self-esteem. The use of the enmeshed and preoccupied defence styles emerged as a way of coping for the learning disabled child. Finally, the therapy was found to assist the learning disabled child with making sense of their environments and emotional experiences. The therapy by providing a containing and holding space for the mother and child, not only improved relationships but also enabled the child to develop a stronger sense of self. Possible directions for future research of the psychoanalytical therapeutic work with learning disabled children are discussed. / Thesis (PhD (Psychotherapy))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Psychology / unrestricted

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Humanities Education / Unrestricted