The aim of this study was to investigate the causes and consequences of learner aggression in rural secondary schools in the Empangeni District of KwaZulu-Natal. The study also sought to establish the management strategies required to manage learner aggression in rural secondary schools. An in-depth literature study was conducted in this regard. A qualitative research design and methodology was adopted to investigate the phenomenon through an interview process with participants from five rural secondary schools. This study found that the causes of learner aggression were rooted in the family, the environment and the school. It was further established that the consequences of learner aggression were so serious that it resulted in victims experiencing intense fear, anxiety, tension, depression and ill-health. Furthermore, the findings of the empirical investigation concurred, to a large extent, with the findings of the literature study. Based on these findings, recommendations were made regarding the management of learner aggression in rural secondary schools. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

This study is based on a need for community involvement in farm schools to enhance effective teaching and efficient learning. The rationale behind it was to determine the current state of community involvement in farm schools in the Pietermaritzburg area, with a view to determining the extent to which the current community i nvolvement, namely, the active participation of parents, teachers, the farmer, the church, the state and the private sector could be extended on a large scale. The study revealed that the community involvement dimension of schooling is central to the teaching profession. If neglected, no effective teaching and efficient learning can materialise. The role of the farm school principal in the realisation of this goal is indispensable. The empirical survey and literature revealed that farm school principals can address the serious shortcoming concerning the participation of community members in the affairs of farm schools. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Comparative Education)

This study was an attempt to explore and describe media utilisation from a Primary Science teacher's perspective, within a qualitative theoretical and methodological framework. A brief survey revealed what media was available in the schools, and observation and interview methods were used to give meaning to the media utmsation practice in schools. It was hoped that the results would assist in the construction of guidelines required to improve media use, and consequently science teaching in the rural primary schools. The inquiry revealed that apart from improving educational facilities, re-motivation of the science teachers was an essential ingredient in the search for ways of improving media use in Primary Science instruction / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Didactics)

The study explored factors that affect learner academic achievement in Physical Sciences in Limpopo rural secondary schools. The motivation for the research was based on the high failure in Physical Sciences in South African schools. The new Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) has brought changes in the teaching and learning of Physical Sciences such as assessment processes, methodology and new content. It was worth pointing out that the achievement of Physical Sciences learners gives an indication of the effectiveness and efficiency of Physical Sciences teaching and learning. Therefore, identifying the factors entails important issues which are of great relevance to the way Physical Sciences should be taught in schools to improve learner academic achievement. The primary question was “Which factors impact on learners’ academic achievement in Physical Sciences in Limpopo rural secondary schools?” In order to answer this question a qualitative approach and qualitative survey design were used and individual interviews were carried out with Physical Sciences teachers, principals, parents and curriculum advisors. Data was further collected through focus group interviews with Physical Sciences learners. Purposeful sampling was used to identify the participants. Data analysis in this research was aimed at giving appropriate meaning to the views of the Physical Sciences teachers, Physical Sciences learners, principals, curriculum advisors and parents on factors affecting learner academic achievement in Physical Sciences. The data was audio-recorded, transcribed and printed. The interview transcriptions were organised into themes by coding. The coded data was used to form the true analysis of the activity system by identifying the purpose of the activity in order to get clarifications. This included the context of the Physical Sciences teaching and learning and learner academic achievement. The results according to the perceptions of Physical Sciences teachers, Physical Sciences learners, principals, curriculum advisors and parents showed that the main issues of high failure rate are lack of adequate resources, teacher effectiveness, lack of motivation, high teacher-learner ratio, workload, discipline of learners, supervision of teachers, parental involvement, management and leadership skills, and appropriate teaching methods. Recommendations for practice and policy are suggested and the indication was that provision of common tasks to teachers and formation of subject committees decreases the workload. The availability of resources allows learners to do practical work and improve performance. The goal was to engage learners in challenging and stimulating tasks with appropriate help from the teachers to improve achievement. In order for the teacher to provide assistance to the learners there must be maximum teacher-learner ratio. Effective supervision ensures that teachers and learners are punctual, which will ensure maximum use of available teaching time and timely completion of the work schedules or pace setters. A smaller number of learners per class could result in improved performance in Physical Sciences. It is important for principals to instil discipline in learners. The support and value of NGOs to assist in sharing workload by carrying out experiments in secondary schools was acknowledged. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

The aim of this study is to investigate the role played by parents in improving discipline in rural secondary schools, particularly those in the Kgakotlou Circuit of the Capricorn district. The problem is investigated using a literature study and empirical investigation with school management teams, teachers and the parents of learners in four secondary schools in the Kgakotlou circuit. The literature review explores the development of parental involvement in education during the pre-apartheid, apartheid and post-apartheid eras. The benefits of parental involvement and barriers thereto are also explored as well as the management of parental involvement. The empirical study is done qualitatively and data is collected face-to-face from the participants during interviews. The interview questions examine the extent to which parents are involved in their children’s education, school policies on parental involvement, communication between parents and educators and the duties of the school governing bodies. The findings indicate that some of the parents are willing to participate in their children’s schoolwork, but do not know how to achieve this. Schools do not create enough opportunities for parental involvement. Based on the literature review and empirical investigation, recommendations are made for school management teams, educators, and parents. The school management teams should design parental involvement plans according to their schools’ unique characteristics. Educators are urged to guide parents as they are more knowledgeable. Parents should try to devise strategies to overcome their barriers to parental involvement in their children’s education. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

In the quest for education transformation, the South African government employed Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) in the belief that if teachers were appraised and developed, their performances would be enhanced and the quality of education would be improved. However, teachers had different views and experiences of the effectiveness of IQMS in their work stations. Consequently, the author was interested in “Investigating teachers’ perceptions of Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) effectiveness on teaching and learning in a rural secondary school”. The investigation was conducted using face to face interviews and document analysis. This study’s findings indicated that IQMS was introduced as a matter of policy compliance, as shown by many teachers’ misunderstandings of its concept. The findings of this study will help to improve IQMS effectiveness or to undertake further research on the feasibility, viability and practicability of IQMS and/or alternatively, the development of a new appraisal system. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Educational Leadership and Management)

A full dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Education Presented to the Faculty of Education and Social Sciences at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology 2014 / Writing in rural multigrade Foundation Phase schools is a largely negelected area for research and teacher development. Even those teaching multigrade classes are not sure how to approach it. There are almost no regulations or guidelines in PIRLS or government documents and reports. Nevertheless multigrade rural schooling is prevalant throughout South Africa. This gap between widespread practice and lack of theoretical acknowledgement or knowledge prompted this study. For the purposes of this study two rural multigrade Foundation Phase classes were selected in the Northern District of the Western Cape. This study answers one main question: What writing practices are being implemented in these two rural Foundation Phase multigrade classes? Two sub-questions are: How do the two Foundation Phase teachers teach writing skills to rural multigrade learners? What challenges do these two Foundation Phase teachers experience when teaching writing? Lack of research in this area required considerable time to consolidate an appropriate research methodology. To establish a scientific structure for this research certain theoretical approaches were adopted. Socio-cultural theories of learning, particularly focusing on Bronfenbrenner’s socio-ecological model, Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and social constructivism were used. Piaget’s developmental contributions add to this research project. Cambourne’s principles and strategies were invaluable in understanding constructivism in a language classroom. Because this was a pioneering research project it took over four years to complete analysis of data from the schools and link it to the theoretical framework. A qualitative interpretative case study research design was specifically formulated to provide an objective understanding of the research questions. The data were analysed qualitatively. Four themes emerged from sub-question one and include: the pedagogy of teaching writing in a multigrade class, the importance of creating a writing ethos in the classroom, elements of writing and supporting learners in the writing process. The following six themes were identified in answering sub-question two: teacher challenges, poor socio-economic backgrounds, writing support from the WCED, creating a writing ethos including discipline, parental literacy and learner challenges. In conclusion, this research indicates that multigrade education is, far from being a recalcitrant problem or cause for apology, useful as a template for curriculum development in many other areas of education. Multigrade education provides a realistic and flexible tool for meeting urgent educational problems.

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Education in the Faculty of Education and Social Sciences at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology 2013 / Parental involvement in rural multigrade schools in South Africa is poor. This is mainly due to a lack of support for and insufficient knowledge regarding the development of a programme that would increase parental involvement at rural multigrade schools in South Africa. The context of multigrade education in South Africa reflects the reality of a lack of parental involvement. South African rural multigrade education is beset by a variety of internal and external challenges which have a detrimental effect on effective parental involvement. However, in the rural multigrade school context, parents have untapped potential that needs to be identified and acted upon in order to empower parents; this could provide the rural marginalised children with meaningful access to quality education. Research has proved that parental involvement has a positive effect on the quality of education. According to research, the six types of parental involvement are parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision-making and collaborating with the community. In this study the focus was on involving parents in learning and allowing them to become active partners in education. To increase parental involvement in learning at rural multigrade schools in South Africa, an intervention was needed. This intervention came in the form of a school, community and family partnership programme. The core elements of a school, community and family partnership programme (SCAF partnership programme) were the creation of partnerships and communication channels between the school, community and family, as well as the utilisation of existing community resources. These core elements had a specific focus on learning. This study used Bourdieu's (1986) theory on capital and Epstein's (1995) theory of overlapping spheres of influence. The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics of an effective school, community and family partnership programme that would increase parental involvement in learning at rural multigrade schools in South Africa. Design-based research was employed in order to design, develop and test the proposed programme. Research was conducted in two phases. During the preliminary phase, a needs and content analysis, review of literature, and the development of a conceptual or theoretical framework for the study were conducted. This was followed by a prototyping phase which is an iterative design phase consisting of iterations, each being a micro-cycle of research with formative evaluation as the most important research activity, and which is aimed at improving and refining the intervention. Summative evaluation was conducted during the prototype phase in order to determine whether the solution or intervention met the pre-determined specifications. Data gathered during this study indicated: 1. The SCAF partnership programme can increase parental involvement in learning at rural multigrade schools if certain product and process characteristics are active. 2. The SCAF partnership programme allows utilising school, home and community capital through interaction and collaboration to increase parental involvement in learning. 3. A SCAF partnership programme should focus on learning through creating partnerships and opportunities for communication, and utilising community resources. 4. A SCAF partnership programme should be employed through a specific process. 5. Design research offers an appropriate and powerful approach to design, develop and implement a SCAF partnership programme that increases parental involvement in learning at rural multigrade schools. Keywords: Parental involvement, Parents, Design Research, Rural multigrade schools, Rural multigrade education

The research presented in this thesis is a case study analysis of the school-based intervention initiated by the David Rattray Foundation [DRF]. David Rattray, a South African historian well known for his contribution to the 1879-1896 Anglo-Zulu War heritage, was murdered in January 2007. In response to his untimely death, the DRF was established by family and friends with the hope of improving education within the Umzinyathi rural municipal district of KwaZulu-Natal. This study consisted of three phases: Phase I (May-December 2011); Phase II (January-December 2012), and Phase III (December 2012-October 2013). During Phase I, the focus was on describing the broader context in which the case is located. It resulted in a narrative account of the emergence of the DRF as a non-governmental organisation [NGO] working towards change within the local rural school community. During Phase II the focus shifted from the broader socio-political and economic context to the human dimension which included teachers, principals, volunteer workers and a district official working in the schools. During Phase II the approach to change adopted by the DRF was critically analysed in relation to models of change described in the literature. Teachers’ experiences of change were also examined. Phase III was a synthesis of the findings from the first two research phases. By drawing on systems and complexity theory perspectives, insights were gained enabling a deep understanding of the DRF’s school-based intervention as a whole. This research is a qualitative study that seeks to understand individual teachers’ experiences and participation in a process of change that reaches beyond the individual and his/her immediate context. The adoption of a realist ontology (Maxwell, 2012) and application of an explanatory heuristic based on the critical realist philosophy of Bhaskar (1979, 1980, 2011) enabled the layered analysis and in-depth interpretation that characterises the study. The findings of the study reveal a complex and ongoing process of change within a rural school context. The results illuminate the efficacy of a collaborative partnership between civil society (the DRF), the local community, under the leadership of a tribal authority, and the local government (KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Department of Education). It also reveals how teachers within this particular context do not have a strong voice in the change process and hence participate only superficially in the school-based intervention. It is probable that the constraining mechanisms revealed through this research are not exclusive to this particular case study, but are common across the South African rural school context. The main contention of this thesis is that these mechanisms need further interrogation in order to enable further change and permit the active participation of teachers in the process.While the study illuminates many of the tensions and problems faced by the schools and the community in which they are located, it also highlights the achievements and selfless attitude of many people working towards change and improvement within the schools. This case study thus provides an example to all South Africans of what can be achieved with commitment and effort.

The South African schooling system is faced with a number of crisis situations. Of these is the high under resourcing in rural public schools. Macfarlane (2005:5) deduces that despite rapid recent urbanization, half of South Africa’s learners still attend schools in theses rural under resourced areas. The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces that have saturated the media with a discrepancy of having a lot of under resourced schools especially in rural areas. This study, therefore, investigated pedagogical strategies used by teachers in under resourced schools - how teachers teach to ensure that teaching and learning occurs under such dire circumstances. The study followed a qualitative approach under an interpretive paradigm with a case study research design. Furthermore, the data collection techniques involved semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and documentary analysis. This study revealed that all the respondents from both schools seemed to have a common understanding of what a school resource means though put in different statements. The findings also revealed that all the respondents were silent in mentioning parents as school resources. From the documents analysed, it however, came to view that it is expected of the teachers to use a learner centred approach kind of teaching, where learners are mostly used. Responding on parents the teachers alleged a lack of involvement of parents in their children’s learning and other activities run in their school. The study recommends that the Department of Education officials need to make regular visits on schools for the betterment of teaching and learning standard, regular improvement on school facilities and handling of finances.