Thesis (Ed. D.)--UCLA, 2009. / Vita. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 125-131).

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD (Education) / The National Policy Framework for Teacher Education and Development in South Africa of 2006 (NPF) outlines seven principles which underpin this policy as expressed in the Norms and Standards for Educators (2000). These principles require a teacher to be: a specialist in a particular learning area, subject or phase; a specialist in teaching, learning and assessment; a curriculum developer; a leader, administrator and manager; a scholar and lifelong learner; and a professional who plays a role in community development, citizenship education, and pastoral care. Beginner teachers have difficulty adapting to these new roles as they have not had efficient exposure to the actual, often harsh realities of the classroom situation as it unfolds on a daily basis. A qualitative research approach is employed in the research study to explore beginner teachers' perceptions of school support to enhance their capability sets in relation to teacher education policy. Generally, a qualitative study lends itself to developing an understanding of a particular phenomenon of interest without formulating a hypothesis. In this explorative study, the investigation was underpinned by the elements of Amartya Sen's Capability Approach which include "Freedoms", "Unfreedoms", "Capabilities" and "Functionings" (Sen 1992). These elements were used to understand the nature of beginner teachers' competences and the impact of policy on their performance. In this regard, the achievement of quality learning outcomes concerning the basic competences of beginner teachers could be linked to Sen's vision for reaching achieved functionings (those valuable activities and situations that make up a person's well-being, which is also referred to as that which a person ultimately manages "to be and to do").

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2016-02-05T11:00:17Z No. of bitstreams: 1 lilianaparecidaalmeidagarritdossantos.pdf: 978756 bytes, checksum: a79d34c75b5f851f55c6409acd2655b3 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-02-05T11:52:27Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 lilianaparecidaalmeidagarritdossantos.pdf: 978756 bytes, checksum: a79d34c75b5f851f55c6409acd2655b3 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-02-05T11:52:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 lilianaparecidaalmeidagarritdossantos.pdf: 978756 bytes, checksum: a79d34c75b5f851f55c6409acd2655b3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-08-21 / Este estudo descreve e analisa o processo de implementação, no ano de 2012, do Projeto Reforço Escolar, no Ensino Médio, em uma escola estadual do município de Japeri, a fim de solucionar a seguinte questão: quais estratégias devem ser adotadas para ampliar a adesão dos alunos ao projeto. Por estarmos falando de ofertar um ensino que, de fato, atinja o aluno e eleve seu desempenho acadêmico, torna-se necessário o alinhamento dos recursos oferecidos para que estes alcancem o público-alvo e sejam eficazes. O estudo tem início em uma unidade escolar, identificando os pontos fortes e fracos do programa com a finalidade de traçar ações educacionais, que levem o projeto Reforço Escolar a atingir seus objetivos. O trabalho foi dividido em três capítulos. O primeiro apresenta o cenário educacional do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, o perfil do aluno do Ensino Médio, a proposta do projeto Reforço Escolar e a realidade da unidade escolar estudada, assim como a Regional onde está localizada. No segundo capítulo, utilizamos dois métodos: o primeiro consistiu em analisar quais habilidades foram exploradas nos exercícios que constam no material pedagógico utilizado nas aulas do projeto, nas turmas do 2º ano do Ensino Médio (3º bimestre) e compará-lo com as habilidades e competências do Currículo Mínimo do mesmo ano de escolaridade e bimestre. Por fim, estudamos as habilidades que foram cobradas nos itens do Saerjinho, no mesmo período. No segundo momento, foi aplicado um questionário aos alunos, analisado pela escala de Likert, com a finalidade de averiguar o posicionamento dos estudantes em relação ao projeto. Durante o estudo realizado a partir dos dados tabulados, foram utilizados como referencial teórico os autores: Lino de Macedo (2007), Telma Weisz (2011), Celso Vasconcellos (1994/2002), Melchior (1998), Luckesi (2005) e Pierre Bourdieu, apresentado por Maria Alice Nogueira e Cláudio Martins Nogueira (2004). E, finalmente, no terceiro capítulo foi apresentado um plano de atendimento educacional com ações que buscam sanar as situações críticas identificadas. / This study describes and analyzes the implementation process of the School Reinforcement Project in High School Education at a public school in the municipality of Japeri in 2012. It aims at solving the following question: what strategies should be adopted to expand the participation of the students in the project. As we are talking about offering an education that actually reaches the students and raises their academic performance, it is necessary to align the available resources so that they reach the target audience to make it more effective. The study begins in a school unit, identifying its strengths and weaknesses in order to draw leading educational activities for the School Reinforcement Project to achieve its goals. The work was divided in three chapters. The first one presents the educational setting of the State of the Rio de Janeiro, the profile of the student of the secondary education, the proposal of the project School Reinforcement and the reality of the school unit studied, as well as the Regional where is located. In the second chapter, we utilize two approaches: The first one consisted of analyze the teaching materials utilized in the classes of the project, in the groups of the 2º year of the secondary education (3º two-month period) and compare them with the abilities and competences of the Most minimum Curriculum of the same year of schooling and two-month period. Finally, we study the abilities that were charged ourselves articles of the Saerjinho, in the same period. In the second moment, was applied a questionnaire to the students, analyzed by the scale of Likert, with the purpose of ascertain the positioning of the students regarding the project. During the study carried out from the controlled facts, were utilized like theoretical yardstick the authors: Lino of Macedo (2007), Telma Weisz (2011), Celso Vasconcellos (1994/2002), Melchior (1998), Luckesi (2005) and Pierre Bourdieu, presented by Maria Alice Walnut and Cláudio Martins Walnut (2004). And, finally, in the third chapter was presented a plan of educational service with actions that are going to cure the critical situations identified.

M.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / The inclusive education shift, in South Africa, has caused classroom teachers to take on many more responsibilities than was expected from them in previous years. These increased expectations, stress and anxiety becomes heavy burdens and has a negative influence on teacher well-being. Factors such as the emotionally intense working environment, lack of time, space and resources, as well as student misbehaviour has a great negative impact on the classroom environment and the teacher‘s inner self. As this study is focused on the grade 9 classroom teacher, adolescence and misbehaviour within this developmental stage was investigated. From this investigation, passive aggression was identified as one of the main culprits of student misbehaviour when considering grade 9 learners. As this type of behaviour affects the teaching environment and is problematic for classroom management, it was found that this has a negative influence on teacher well-being. This study, therefore, aimed investigating the role of the educational psychologist, as a member of the School Based Support Team in supporting teacher well-being in classrooms where teachers are exposed to passive aggressive behaviour shown by grade 9 learners. The theoretical framework on which this research study was based, was Bronfenbrenner‘s bio-ecological systems theory. This theory emphasizes the influence that different systems have on each other, which is very important when working within the school community. An interpertive research paradigm was selected. The research approach employed within this study is qualitative. Participants were purposefully selected, from one school in the Gauteng education system. The methods used for data collection were written reflective notes, semi-structured individual interviews and qualitative content analysis was used in order to analyse the data collected. The research findings indicated that grade 9 classroom teachers have difficulty in effectively managing passive aggressive behaviour displayed by learners in their classrooms. Furthermore, it was also found that teachers perceive support, within the school, to be more focused on learners and that the support rendered is not always applicable for these teachers. This suggests that the educational psychologist, together with school management and classroom teachers should work together to emphasize support to be rendered to classroom teachers. Therefore, teacher well-being, which is a very important aspect of the teaching environment, could be supported and catered for.

The birth of a new South Africa in 1994 necessitated various reforms in education, and like in many other countries, decentralization was imperative in order to address, among other issues, the undemocratic governance practices and inequalities of the former apartheid educational system. This study interrogates the establishment of districts and circuits in Mpumalanga as nodes of service delivery, immediately after South Africa’s first democratic elections in 1994. It also focuses on their demise in 2001 and the birth of regions. The study investigates the rationale behind these processes that took place in Mpumalanga, through posing three main research questions: 1. Which decentralization model(s) informed the formation of districts and circuits in the Mpumalanga Department of Education? 2. What circumstances led to the dismantling of districts and their amalgamation into regions? 3. What has been the effect of this shift on service delivery in circuits and schools? (Did it lead to an improvement or decline in service delivery, education governance in the province, effectiveness and efficiency?) The methodology used in this study is the qualitative framework. The qualitative research approach is appropriate for investigating the rationale behind the shift from the district structure to the regional structure in Mpumalanga, with the Ehlanzeni region as a case study. This phenomenon can be best understood by using a qualitative approach to investigate how those involved conceptualized and experienced the whole process. The data collection method is face-to-face, unstructured, in-depth interviews. The study argues that the shift from districts to regions in Mpumalanga is the result of inadequacies in the district structure which caused districts to fail. These inadequacies filtered down to the performance of roles and responsibilities which led to the demise of districts and their amalgamation into regions, which were given more powers and resources in order to fulfill their mandate. This study uses Samoff’s (1990) decentralization typologies as a lens through which the establishment of districts and circuits, their demise, and the reorganization into regions can be conceptualized. This study found that districts and circuits were established in line with the government’s principle of taking government to the people; in that they were closer to the people they served. Districts and circuits were field offices that were strategically established to assist the province in delivering services to the people as well as encouraging community participation in education. Districts and circuits failed to perform their roles and responsibilities as expected, due to lack of power and authority, resources (physical; human and financial), capacity, coordination and financial support. This led to their restructuring into regions in order to reduce costs, consolidate expertise, provide resources, and grant more powers for them to perform well and achieve efficacy. This study contributes to the body of literature and understanding of the ramifications of decentralization. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

M.Ed. / With the changes in the „new South Africa‟ came a change of approach in the curriculum from content-based to outcome-based, with the movement to develop inclusive education. This was necessary to accommodate a diverse range of learning needs. This required teachers to adopt a new form of teaching and a new way of thinking for which many teachers were not prepared or trained for. With this movement came the need for school-based support teams (SBST) to assist teachers to cope with the new paradigm. The focus of this paper was to study a best practice case of a school-based support team in an inclusive LSEN (Learners with Special Educational Needs) secondary school. According to White Paper 6 the key function for any SBST is to support all the learners, educators within the school environment to ensure that the full range of learning needs is met. The aim of this study was to improve the understanding of the functioning of a SBST in an LSEN environment. A case study design was chosen as it allowed for an in depth investigation into the functioning of a „supposedly best practice‟ school-based support team within an inclusive LSEN Secondary school context. One LSEN school was used in the research as it was seen by surrounding schools as a „supposedly best practice‟ SBST. Focus group interviews were conducted with school-based support team members, SBST documentation collected, SBST meetings were observed (field notes made) and document analysis was undertaken.

The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of parents’ and teachers’ perceptions of parent-teacher communication, its purpose and how it is implemented in resource-constrained school settings. I employed a collective case study design involving four cases, namely parents of Grade 3 learners, parents of Grade 6 learners, Grade 3 teachers and Grade 6 teachers. I followed a qualitative research approach in order to gain rich, contextual information that portrays the perceptions of the participants. I identified three primary schools to participate by combining purposeful and convenience sampling strategies, and purposefully selected 11 teachers and eight parents as participants. Eight semi-structured interviews and two focus group discussions were conducted to collect data. In addition, I relied on observation, field notes and a research diary. Following inductive thematic data analysis, I identified the following themes: general modes of parent-teacher communication, purposes of parent-teacher communication, role-players and their expectations, factors negatively impacting parent-teacher communication, and strategies to move towards effective parent-teacher communication. Findings of the study indicate that the participating schools utilised written communication, telephone contact and meetings in person to exchange information with parents, in support of learners’ performance. Children, School Management Teams and the Department of Basic Education were identified as additional important role-players in communication. However, the attitudes, behaviours and preferences of teachers and parents as well as resource-constrained contexts can negativity influence parent-teacher communication. On the other hand, more effective use of technology, the creation of more opportunities for open dialogue and the commitment of all role-players can potentially enhance regular two-way communication between parents and teachers. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Educational Psychology / MEd / Unrestricted

Thesis (M.Ed.(Curriculum studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2016 / The purpose of this study was to explore how district office Curriculum Advisors (CAs) support teachers to implement curriculum policies requirements in the Capricorn District of the Limpopo Province. This exploratory case study addressed this knowledge gap by exploring the lived experiences of ten CAs in one district. Data was constructed through semi-structured interviews, observations and document analysis. This study revealed various forms of support that CAs offer to teachers, challenges they face and suggestions/strategies they use to deal with them. The kind of support CAs offer to teachers can be categorized into five themes: training, monitoring, moderation, setting tasks and enrichment programmes. Generally, the study also revealed that there are significant challenges to CAs‟ ability to effectively practise curriculum support. These include: overload due to shortage of CAs, lack of resources, political interference and challenges from teachers. Furthermore, CAs used teamwork and sacrifice as their way of dealing with these challenges. They also provided suggestions which the government may employ to eradicate these challenges. In conclusion, the study provides six recommendations related to policy-makers and government, and implications for future research. KEY CONCEPTS Curriculum Advisors, curriculum support, teachers.

The purpose of this study was to research the experience of support in school for five students with dyslexia. Based on the above, the type of support the students received was examined, their individual experience with their learning difficulties, digital technology and their views about themselves and their individual learning. The study was based on a special educational and socio-cultural perspective.Support in the form of individualized teaching of special educators or specialist teachers has been the method that has historically been used the longest and all students testified to such support in the earlier years. Recently, digital tools have begun to be used more and the studies conducted in this field show that the effect is positive.The study was conducted using qualitative method based on personal interviews of five students in age 14 and 15. The results of this study showed that a majority of the students were positive about the support they received in school for their dyslexic difficulties. The teacher was an important factor in having the dyslexic student’s learning to be most effective. It appears that support for their dyslexic difficulties can contribute to the students feeling more involved in the school, which leads to increased motivation. However, detailed requirements for implementation and support are required for digital learning support to work most effectively. The teacher and their competencies are of great importance when working with students with dyslexia related to the use of digital technology.The school is facing a dilemma as special support can be perceived as a stigma and at the same time it is the prerequisite for the student’s experience of inclusion at the school. It also became clear that several students experienced the level of technology support inadequate.In a future study, the school should review the organizational structure and the specialist teacher’s role as the one who has the key responsibility and assists in the implementation of digital tools in the continuous support for their students.

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