A healthy and positive relationship between educators and learners is an important aspect in the establishment and sustainability of a nurturing and enabling school environment. However, research pertaining to South African schools shows that schools currently face many challenges that threaten relationships in schools and adversely affect the general well-being of the individuals concerned. The situation is problematic in every school context, but even more so in schools where risk factors are present in a concentrated form, as is the case in schools of skills. The researcher has been involved as a school counsellor at various schools of skills in the Western Cape for the past three years and has noticed that schools of skills are often exposed to various risk factors that influence the daily interaction between educators and learners and also impede the fostering of a healthy relationship between educators and learners. It is therefore logical that the relationship between educators and learners in schools of skills is influenced by the particular circumstances and that the relevant risk factors could be contributing to the current situation in schools of skills. Limited research about the relationship between educators and learners in the context of schools of skills impedes the situation even more. This research study aims to make a contribution to the solution of the identified problem by investigating ways in which the relationships between educators and learners can be improved within the context of schools of skills in the Western Cape. A literature study and empirical investigation were undertaken to achieve a better understanding of the relationship between educators and learners in schools of skills and the way the respective parties experience it (the relationship). Therefore, the nature of the structure of this research study is qualitative phenomenological because it incorporates an investigation into the social relationships that connect educators and learners. The research study was done in four schools of skills in the Western Cape that is representative of the different settlement contexts in South Africa, namely urban, semi-urban and rural. The participants in the four various schools include educators (n=42) and learners (n=122). The collection of data took place in four phases and the following qualitative data collection methods were used: qualitative open-ended questionnaires and semi-structured individual interviews for educators as well as collages and semi-structured focus group interviews for learners. Thematic analysis of the respective data sets showed that the relationships between educators and learners can be improved by considering the contextual challenges both educators and learners are confronted with. Besides considering the contextual challenges it is also important to create spaces where relationships can be improved and learners can feel safe. This seems to be mainly the responsibility of the educators and can be done by setting clear boundaries and upholding healthy discipline. It was further demonstrated that the relationship between educators and learners in schools of skills can be improved by acting towards each other in such a way that mutual respect, mutual trust, the provision of care and support and open communication can be established as relationship-improving interaction patterns. In the light of the study’s findings, specific guidelines are provided to the educator at the school of skills and clear recommendations are made to the Department of Education with the aim of improving classroom relationships in schools of skills. In conclusion, recommendations are also made about further research to improve relationships between educators and learners in schools of skills. / Thesis (MA (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

A healthy and positive relationship between educators and learners is an important aspect in the establishment and sustainability of a nurturing and enabling school environment. However, research pertaining to South African schools shows that schools currently face many challenges that threaten relationships in schools and adversely affect the general well-being of the individuals concerned. The situation is problematic in every school context, but even more so in schools where risk factors are present in a concentrated form, as is the case in schools of skills. The researcher has been involved as a school counsellor at various schools of skills in the Western Cape for the past three years and has noticed that schools of skills are often exposed to various risk factors that influence the daily interaction between educators and learners and also impede the fostering of a healthy relationship between educators and learners. It is therefore logical that the relationship between educators and learners in schools of skills is influenced by the particular circumstances and that the relevant risk factors could be contributing to the current situation in schools of skills. Limited research about the relationship between educators and learners in the context of schools of skills impedes the situation even more. This research study aims to make a contribution to the solution of the identified problem by investigating ways in which the relationships between educators and learners can be improved within the context of schools of skills in the Western Cape. A literature study and empirical investigation were undertaken to achieve a better understanding of the relationship between educators and learners in schools of skills and the way the respective parties experience it (the relationship). Therefore, the nature of the structure of this research study is qualitative phenomenological because it incorporates an investigation into the social relationships that connect educators and learners. The research study was done in four schools of skills in the Western Cape that is representative of the different settlement contexts in South Africa, namely urban, semi-urban and rural. The participants in the four various schools include educators (n=42) and learners (n=122). The collection of data took place in four phases and the following qualitative data collection methods were used: qualitative open-ended questionnaires and semi-structured individual interviews for educators as well as collages and semi-structured focus group interviews for learners. Thematic analysis of the respective data sets showed that the relationships between educators and learners can be improved by considering the contextual challenges both educators and learners are confronted with. Besides considering the contextual challenges it is also important to create spaces where relationships can be improved and learners can feel safe. This seems to be mainly the responsibility of the educators and can be done by setting clear boundaries and upholding healthy discipline. It was further demonstrated that the relationship between educators and learners in schools of skills can be improved by acting towards each other in such a way that mutual respect, mutual trust, the provision of care and support and open communication can be established as relationship-improving interaction patterns. In the light of the study’s findings, specific guidelines are provided to the educator at the school of skills and clear recommendations are made to the Department of Education with the aim of improving classroom relationships in schools of skills. In conclusion, recommendations are also made about further research to improve relationships between educators and learners in schools of skills. / Thesis (MA (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Magister Educationis - MEd / Parental involvement in their children’s schooling has been found to be an important factor with regard to children’s experience of schooling including their academic performance. This quantitative study focused on parental involvement at a school of skills in the Cape metropole, Western Cape. Epstein’s (2009) six typologies of parental involvement in their children’s schooling provided the theoretical framework of the study and guided the formulation of the research instrument and the data analysis of the study. A survey research design was used and 74 parent/caregiver participants were conveniently sampled after all ethical protocols were followed. The findings indicated that participants: (i) indicated a very positive attitude towards being involved in the education of their children at the school of skills and were inspired to be involved in the education of their children, (ii) were highly involved in the following typologies of parental involvement: learning at home, parenting and collaboration with community, (iii) communication between school and the parents as a form of parental involvement was found to be at a moderate level, (iv) participants were found to be minimally involved in decision-making as a form of parental involvement, (v) volunteering as a form of parental involvement was represented by low to moderate levels of involvement, (vi) participants’ marital status, forms of kinship relations with the learners at the school of skills (e.g. biological mother, foster parent) and levels of formal education were not found to have a significant statistical relationship with their levels of parental involvement in their children’s schooling. (vii) The challenges that participants faced with regard to their involvement in their children’s schooling included the following: a) a fair number of about 30% participants frequently found language as a barrier for them to assist their children with homework, b) about 46% of the participants indicated that they were seldom or never recruited by educators to volunteer at the School of Skills, c) about half of the participants indicated that their challenge was that they were not trained on how to offer their talents for volunteering at the school, d) participants also found it difficult to share information with the school about their child’s cultural background, talents, and needs.

Mit diesem Buch werden zum einen die Tagung der Kompetenzschulen an sächsischen Hochschulen, die am 30. Mai 2013 mit dem Thema „Nachhaltigkeit – Eine Leitidee in der Weiterbildung des wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchses“ an der TU Bergakademie Freiberg stattfand, und zum anderen die Projektergebnisse der sächsischen ESF-geförderten Kompetenzschulen dokumentiert. Die zentrale Diskussionsfrage lautet, in welcher Form eine nachhaltige Kompetenzentwicklung des wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchses an sächsischen Hochschulen erfolgen kann. Dabei wird der Begriff der nachhaltigen Kompetenzentwicklung unter zwei unterschiedlichen Gesichtspunkten erörtert: Wie können wichtige Schlüsselkompetenzen bei Promovierenden nachhaltig, im Sinne von beruflich zukünftig relevant und anwendbar entwickelt werden? Und wie können darüber hinaus Kompetenzen entwickelt werden, die zu einem ökologisch, ökonomisch bzw. sozial nachhaltigen Handeln anregen? Im Kontext dieser zwei Fragestellungen wird die Rolle der sächsischen Kompetenzschulen diskutiert, deren Ziel in einer über die fachliche Qualifizierung hinausgehenden Kompetenzentwicklung in den Bereichen arbeitsmarktrelevanter Schlüssel- und Führungskompetenzen liegt. Dazu geben sechs geförderte Kompetenzschulprojekte Einblick in ihre strukturellen Rahmenbedingungen, inhaltlichen Schwerpunktsetzungen sowie Best-Practice-Erfahrungen, welche jeweils eine nachhaltige Kompetenzentwicklung für die Promovierenden an der entsprechenden Hochschule fördern sollen. Des Weiteren berichten Doktorandinnen und Doktoranden über ihre Erfahrungen in Bezug auf ihre persönliche Weiterentwicklung und beurteilen die Angebote der Kompetenzschulen aus ihrer jeweils individuellen Perspektive. Eingebettet wird die Rolle der Kompetenzschulen dabei in die Diskussion der Fragestellung, welche Kompetenzen Promovierende benötigen, um „fit“ für die Zukunft zu sein. Dabei wird neben den zentralen Schlüsselqualifikationen auch die Bedeutung solcher Kompetenzen erörtert, die ein ökologisch, ökonomisch sowie sozial nachhaltiges Handeln ermöglichen. / This book summarizes the key outcomes of a conference on „Sustainability as a guiding principle in qualifying young scientists“. In May 2013 the conference was held at TU Bergakademie Freiberg as a joint event of all Competence Schools in Saxony. It also documents the overall project results achieved within these six Saxon Competence Schools, which are funded by the European Social Fund. The central question being discussed is how young scientists’ skills can be developed sustainably at Saxon universities. The term “sustainable competency development” is used to refer to two different aspects: (1) How can key competencies that are important for young scientists be developed in a sustainable manner? Sustainable is here understood as relevant and practically-oriented with regard to young scientists’ future professional life and career. And (2) how can young scientists be enabled to act ecologically, economically as well as socially sustainable? Referring to these two questions the role of Saxon Competence Schools is being discussed which aim at qualifying young scientists in skills that are particularly relevant for the labour market – key and leadership competencies – apart from their expert qualification. For this purpose six funded Competence Schools deliver insights into their structural conditions and their main focusses as well as their best-practice experiences that are meant to enable a sustainable competency development for young scientists at their universities. Furthermore doctoral candidates report on their experiences regarding their personal development and evaluate the competence schools’ offers based on their individual perspective. The role of Competence Schools is additionally discussed concerning the question, which skills young scientists need in order to be well-prepared for future challenges. This question not only focuses on key competencies, but also on the importance of those competencies that enable young scientists to act in an ecologically, economically as well as socially sustainable way.