The qualitative case study reported in this dissertation outlines the principal findings of an investigation on four teachers' understandings of the concept of learner-centredness in the Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS) in two Durban township high schools. The RNCS as the name suggests, is a revised National Curriculum that is both implemented and trialed in the General Education and Training band of schooling in South Africa. One of the features of the RNCS is its learner-centred pedagogy. The purpose of the research was to investigate teachers' understandings of the concept of learner-centredness in the context of outcomes-based education and the RNCS. The ways in which the meanings they assign to the concepts, as well as their perceptions of theirroles and identities in enacting learner-centred pedagogy in their classrooms as shaped by the context in which they operated was investigated A major finding of the study is that teachers' understandings of the concept of learner-centredness tend to be influenced by the context in which they work in terms of the school culture, as well as their understandings of their new roles and identities in the context of the RNCS. This means that, in part schools' cultural and social processes play a major role in shaping and reconstructing both the experiences and roles of teachers in the context of educational innovation. This has implications for the content and processes of teacher professional development and in-service education programme, as well as the organisational development of schools in preparation for curriculum change. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2005.

Thesis (M.S. Science in Education)--Shenandoah University, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references.

Jabu Ngcobo Public Adult Learning Centre is a learning centre of the Department of Education and Culture where Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) is provided. Its operations are expected to reflect the provisions and norms of the Policy for Adult Basic Education and Training (1997) and the Adult Basic Education and Training Act (2000). The aim of this study was to investigate the provision and delivery of ABET programmes offered by the Jabu Ngcobo PALC, which is situated in Imbali Township, Pietermaritzburg. This study focused specific attention on how the programmes offered at this centre addressed the learning needs of the learners and the community of the Imbali Township and its immediate surrounding areas. The literature reviewed covered numerous sources that informed and supported this study. Both qualitative and quantitative tools were used as part of the data collection process. Data was collected from the different stakeholders and role-players involved with the PALC. These include the Centre Manager, practitioners, current and ex-learners, community leaders and Departmental officials. The results of this study indicated the extent to which the learning needs of adult learners and those of the community are inadequately addressed by the PALC. Some suggestions are made on how Jabu Ngcobo PALC should adjust its programming in order to accommodate the learning needs of the community of Imbali Township where the PALC is situated. The results further provided baseline information that could be used by other PALCs and by the Department of Education and Culture in KwaZulu-Natal. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, [2007].

Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2004. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 219 p. : ill. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 199-208).

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Regis University, Denver, Colo., 2006. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Sept. 14, 2006). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Rutgers University, 2009. / "Graduate Program in Education." Includes bibliographical references (291-301).

Despite being exposed to the Learner-Centred Approach (LCA) through traditional teacher professional development since 2000, teachers in Tanzania have generally failed to implement LCA in secondary schools. However, previous studies on the learning study in different parts of the world have shown encouraging results in developing teachers’ competencies. This study investigates how the learning study guided by the variation theory can enhance teachers’ competencies using the LCA in Tanzania secondary schools. It addresses two questions: what are the changes of teachers’ understanding of LCA through learning study rounds in a Tanzanian secondary school? And, what are the changes of teachers’ capability of implementing LCA through learning study rounds in bringing about student learning in a Tanzanian secondary school? A group of three teachers (John, Benja & Peter) in a school implemented learning studies for a period of one year. All forms two (N= 255) and three (N=240) students took part in three research lessons. The study adopted case study and phenomenographic research approaches. It used teachers’ interview protocols, lesson video recordings, lesson preparatory meetings, teacher’s journals, and students’ tests as research instruments. The teachers’ experiences and implemention of the LCA were studied before and during the three rounds of learning studies. Data were analysed using variation framework and SPSS version 16.0 for students’ tests. The study has two main findings. First, teachers involved in the three learning study rounds changed their understanding of LCA. They changed from seeing LCA as methodological (before the learning study) to treating it as subject content and even as far as seeing it as object of learning (during the learning studies) orientations. These changes were gradual and differed slightly, depending on the particular aspect(s) (the method, the content or the object of learning) a teacher focused more on than other aspects at a given time. Second, guided by the variation theory through learning studies, teachers’ capability to implement LCA improved progressively in slightly different ways, which in turn improved student learning. The teachers changed from simply making classroom pedagogical arrangements before the learning study to engaging the learners in either the content or the object of learning and enabling them to discern critical aspects of the objects of learning in terms of variation and invariance of those aspects during the learning studies. The study concludes that implementing learning study - guided by the variation theory - may be effective in enhancing teachers’ ways of conceiving and practicing LCA with a primary focus on student learning. In addition, as teachers increase their understanding of learning study and the use of variation theory they may advance their understandings in designing and teaching LCA lessons, thereby increasing possibilities for student learning. Such a conclusion lends credence to the variation theory which purports that powerful ways of acting originates from powerful ways of seeing. It also extends this theory to teacher learning of the LCA pedagogy. / published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Dissertation (Ph.D.)--The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2008. / Directed by Bert Goldman; submitted to the Dept. of Curriculum and Instruction. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Aug. 26, 2009). Includes bibliographical references (p. 101-106).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2008. / Title from title screen (site viewed September 08, 2009). PDF text: viii, 92 p. : col. ill. ; 2 Mb. UMI publication number: AAT 3352767. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2010. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vi, 197 p. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 174-179).