This research investigated the educational orientation of teacher educators in colleges of education in Botswana whether pedagogic or andragogic, and how they influence their educational practice. The methods of investigation were, a literature study of belief systems, andragogy and pedagogy as well as the nature of educational orientation, a survey of the educational orientation of teacher educators in Botswana using a structured Educational Orientation Questionnaire (EOQ) adopted from Hadley (Quam, 1998) and a semi-structured group interview to a stratified random sample of student teachers at two of the colleges of education. The results showed that most teacher educators in colleges of education in Botswana had a pedagogical rather than an andragogical orientation. They predominantly use educator-centred rather student-centred teaching methods. / Educational Studies / M Ed. (Didactics)

Many students have difficulty of learning abstract and complex topic in chemistry. This study investigated how students develop their understanding of abstract and complex topics of chemistry with the aid of visualizing tools: animation, simulation and video. A particular focus of this investigation was to assess to what extent the uses of pedagogy based technology (PBT) is effective in learning chemistry. The combined effect of animation, simulation and video clips enable learning by doing and provide opportunity to explore the abstract and complex lessons of chemistry. The research was conducted with sequential embedded mixed research (quasi experimental and Explanatory) case study design. The experiment was carried out with second year chemistry students include 90(14 female and 76 male) students, 12 male chemistry lecturers and the college heads. The students were constituted 45 Control group and 45 Treatment groups. The groups were non-equivalent (convenient samples), suggesting that randomization was not possible as the students were in intact classes. To apply animation, simulation and video in supporting student-centered learning activities of electrochemistry for second year students flash and micro media player were used. The treatment group was trained for two weeks how to operate and use animation, simulation and video software. Pre and Post tests were administrated to the target groups. The effectiveness of PBT was also evaluated by administrating separate Schedule containing open and closed ended questions. The comments and ratings obtained from the learners‟ and lecturer insights provided the basis for the learning impact of the study. The result obtained from the vi experiment and responses of the schedule shows that PBT improves the performance of students. Therefore, to make the abstract and complex concepts of chemistry easy and clear Electrochemistry learning should be supported by animation simulation and video. An extended study may help to understand the multi sensory benefit of Pedagogy-Based-Technology. Thus, a possible extension to this study should cover a variety of universities and should aim at evaluating its effectiveness in various context and subjects‟. / Science and Technology Education / D. Phil. (Mathematics, Science and Technology Education (Chemistry Education))

Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Societies are becoming more diverse and multicultural. Therefore both in South Africa and internationally, the education system must constantly be restructured to accommodate a diversity of learners; focusing on each learner’s unique learning abilities and needs. Given the benefits of differentiated teaching for effective learning, this study aimed to explore the use of differentiated teaching strategies and procedures to improve my teaching practice. Consequently, it also aimed to explore the influence that this may have on supporting the learners’ learning by focusing on their interests, readiness levels and learning preferences. This research study was based on a social constructivist perspective that views cognition, learning and instruction as intertwined. The study was embedded within a paradigm of praxis, with an action research as research design while a qualitative research methodology was employed. Purposeful sampling was used to select nine of my grade 4 learners to act as participants for the grade 4 class. Data was collected in the form of reflective drawings, a focus-group interview and accompanied activities, and a research journal. Furthermore, the data was analysed, using a thematic analysis coding scheme, to identify and interpret significant themes. The research findings indicated that the differentiated teaching strategies and procedures enhanced my grade 4 learners’ learning as they realised their own strong points and learning potential. The teaching strategies also demonstrated the potential to facilitate the development of my learners’ knowledge of their own interests and learning preferences and allowed them the incentive to develop a sense of self efficacy. In addition to this, the research process demonstrated the ability to support me in fulfilling my role as primary supporter in the learning support network and enhance my teaching practice. The information gained from this study will be used to inform my future teaching practice. I now realise the value of employing differentiated teaching strategies and procedures into my lessons, as well as the importance of reflecting on my teaching process and considering the uniqueness of each learner in my class. Additionally, teacher training institutes may benefit from the information gained from this research study, for improving teaching practice. Findings attained from this study also have the potential to inform future cycles of action research or alternatively to be used for other research within the field. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die samelewing raak gaandeweg meer divers en multikultureel. Die onderwysstelsel, beide in Suid-Afrika en internasionaal, moet daarom voortdurend geherstruktureer word om te verseker dat die diversiteit van leerders geakkomodeer word deur te fokus op elke leerders se unieke leervermoëns en -behoeftes. Gegewe die bewese voordele van gedifferernsieërde onderrig, het hierdie navorsingstudie gepoog om die gebruik van gedifferensieerde onderrigprosedures en strategieë vir die verbetering van my onderrigpraktyk te ondersoek. Die studie was ook daarop gemik om die invloed wat gedifferensieerde onderrigprosedures op die ondersteuning van my leerders se leerproses het, na te vors deur te fokus op hulle belangstellings, gereedheidsvlakke en leervoorkeure. Hierdie navorsingstudie is gebaseer op 'n sosiaal-konstruktivistiese leerperspektief wat kognisie, leer en onderrig as geïntegreerd beskou. Die studie het van ʼn kwalitatiewe navorsingsmetodologie gebruik gemaak en is binne 'n paradigma van praksis (‘praxis’) ingebed, met aksienavorsing as navorsingsontwerp. Doelgerigte steekproefneming is gebruik om nege van my graad 4 leerders te kies om as deelnemers namens die graad 4-klas op te tree. Data is in die vorm van leerders se reflektiewe tekeninge, 'n fokusgroep-onderhoud met bygaande aktiwiteite, en 'n navorsingsjoernaal ingesamel. Verder is die data met behulp van 'n tematiese koderingskema geanaliseer om belangrike temas te identifiseer en te interpreteer. Die navorsing het aangedui dat die gedifferensieerde onderrigprosedures en strategieë wat gebruik is, my graad 4-leerders se leerproses versterk het, aangesien hulle bewus geraak het van hulle eie sterkpunte en leerpotensiaal. Die onderrigstrategieë het ook die potensiaal getoon om die leerders se bewustheid van hulle eie belangstellings en leervoorkeure te ontwikkel, en hulle is ook toegelaat om ʼn sin van bekwaamheid te ontwikkel. Benewens hierdie aspekte, het die navorsing ook getoon hoe gedifferensieerde onderrigprosedures my kan ondersteun om my rol as primêre hulpverlener in die leerondersteuningsnetwerk te vervul en my onderrigpraktyk te verbeter. Die inligting wat met die navorsing verkry is, sal in die toekoms gebruik word om my onderwyspraktyk toe te lig. Ek besef nou die waarde daarvan om gedifferensieerde onderrigprosedures in my lesse te gebruik, asook die belangrikheid van refleksie op my onderrigproses en die inagneming van die uniekheid van elke leerder in my klas. Onderwysopleidingsinstellings kan die inligting deur hierdie navorsing verkry gebruik vir die verbetering van onderwyspraktyk. Afgesien van die bogenoemde, kan die inligting ook toekomstige siklusse van aksienavorsing toelig en met vrug vir verdere navorsing in die veld gebruik word.

L’arménien occidental est classé comme langue en danger depuis 2010, mais il est enseigné dans un réseau d’écoles arméniennes à travers une diaspora mondiale, crée par un génocide en 1915. Les inscriptions sont en déclin dans les écoles du Moyen-Orient depuis quatre décennies, alors qu’en France on observe un développement des écoles privées. Toutes les écoles sont confrontées à une culture éducative en évolution. Les données sont collectées à Beyrouth, Amman, Paris et Marseille, et des participants venant d’Alep. L’approche est interdisciplinaire, poststructuraliste et constructiviste, dans le but de comprendre le rôle des politiques scolaires dans l’attractivité des écoles et dans la transmission linguistique et dans la promotion de la vitalité de la langue dans chaque contexte. L’analyse de discours est employée pour analyser les représentations de la langue et des écoles aux niveaux personnel et structurel. Les théories de la vitalité ethnolinguistique et de la socialisation linguistique aident à éclairer les liens entre la politique, le choix des parents, et la vitalité de la langue. Le choix des parents est approché du point de vue de la psychologie de la consommation, et finalement c’est la notion de l’habitus (de Bourdieu) qui éclaire le mieux les dynamiques de ce choix et pourquoi il constitue souvent une rupture définitive avec l’institution. L’étude montre que les politiques au-delà de l’institutionnel ont moins d’influence sur le maintien de la langue que l’inscription à l’école et les discours dominants. Des préconisations sont formulées pour des changements de la politique scolaire et de la pédagogie. / Western Armenian was declared “definitely endangered” in 2010, although the language is taught in private Armenian schools across a global diaspora created by a genocide in 1915. Enrollment in Armenian schools in the Middle East has been declining for four decades, while the Armenian schools of France are growing & evolving & all are facing a rapidly changing educational climate. Conducted in Beirut, Amman, Paris & Marseille, and involving participants from Aleppo, this study analyzes data from more than 100 diasporan Armenians and a dozen schools. An interdisciplinary, post-structuralist & constructivist approach is taken to understanding the roles of school policies in attracting parents to Armenian schools, in effectively transmitting the language to students, & promoting the vitality of the language in each of the four contexts. Discourse Analysis is applied to both structural & personal representations of the language & of the schools. Ethnolinguistic Vitality & Language Socialization theories are used to understand the connections between policy, parent school choice & the wider vitality of the language. Parent school choice is looked at in terms of consumer psychology, and ultimately Bourdieu’s concept of habitus is the most apt for explaining why Armenian parents choose non-Armenian schools, & why this often becomes a definitive family break from the institution. Policy above the school level is found to have less impact on vitality than school enrollment & dominant discourses on language maintenance. Recommendations are made for policies & pedagogy.

L’arménien occidental est classé comme langue en danger depuis 2010, mais il est enseigné dans un réseau d’écoles arméniennes à travers une diaspora mondiale, crée par un génocide en 1915. Les inscriptions sont en déclin dans les écoles du Moyen-Orient depuis quatre décennies, alors qu’en France on observe un développement des écoles privées. Toutes les écoles sont confrontées à une culture éducative en évolution. Les données sont collectées à Beyrouth, Amman, Paris et Marseille, et des participants venant d’Alep. L’approche est interdisciplinaire, poststructuraliste et constructiviste, dans le but de comprendre le rôle des politiques scolaires dans l’attractivité des écoles et dans la transmission linguistique et dans la promotion de la vitalité de la langue dans chaque contexte. L’analyse de discours est employée pour analyser les représentations de la langue et des écoles aux niveaux personnel et structurel. Les théories de la vitalité ethnolinguistique et de la socialisation linguistique aident à éclairer les liens entre la politique, le choix des parents, et la vitalité de la langue. Le choix des parents est approché du point de vue de la psychologie de la consommation, et finalement c’est la notion de l’habitus (de Bourdieu) qui éclaire le mieux les dynamiques de ce choix et pourquoi il constitue souvent une rupture définitive avec l’institution. L’étude montre que les politiques au-delà de l’institutionnel ont moins d’influence sur le maintien de la langue que l’inscription à l’école et les discours dominants. Des préconisations sont formulées pour des changements de la politique scolaire et de la pédagogie. / Western Armenian was declared “definitely endangered” in 2010, although the language is taught in private Armenian schools across a global diaspora created by a genocide in 1915. Enrollment in Armenian schools in the Middle East has been declining for four decades, while the Armenian schools of France are growing & evolving & all are facing a rapidly changing educational climate. Conducted in Beirut, Amman, Paris & Marseille, and involving participants from Aleppo, this study analyzes data from more than 100 diasporan Armenians and a dozen schools. An interdisciplinary, post-structuralist & constructivist approach is taken to understanding the roles of school policies in attracting parents to Armenian schools, in effectively transmitting the language to students, & promoting the vitality of the language in each of the four contexts. Discourse Analysis is applied to both structural & personal representations of the language & of the schools. Ethnolinguistic Vitality & Language Socialization theories are used to understand the connections between policy, parent school choice & the wider vitality of the language. Parent school choice is looked at in terms of consumer psychology, and ultimately Bourdieu’s concept of habitus is the most apt for explaining why Armenian parents choose non-Armenian schools, & why this often becomes a definitive family break from the institution. Policy above the school level is found to have less impact on vitality than school enrollment & dominant discourses on language maintenance. Recommendations are made for policies & pedagogy.

Attrition for entry-level, non-traditional college students taking developmental reading courses is a concern for higher education institutions. Students need to complete basic developmental reading courses in order to progress in their vocational or collegiate studies. This phenomenological study followed a social constructivist approach to attempt to understand what developmental reading students and faculty experience regarding persistence. The key research question examined the perceptions and understandings of college students and faculty involved in college entry level, non-traditional developmental reading classes regarding the factors impacting student persistence at a local community college. Using interviews, surveys, and participant journals, data were collected from 3 non-traditional, developmental reading students, who were over 24 years of age, and 3 of their instructors. Interview data were transcribed and all data were analyzed using open coding and thematic analysis. The themes discovered from both student and instructor perspectives were that student-centered instruction, experiential learning, and critical reflection were all methods for improving developmental reading student persistence. Implications for positive social change include providing research findings to the local site that might be used to improve student retention in developmental reading courses.

The main aim of this study is to extend our current understanding of the linguistic characteristics of student-centred distance education texts. This aim links directly with the shift in South Africa from an objectivistic, content-centred teaching approach towards an outcomes-based, studentcentred one. Partly because few guidelines exist as to what the linguistic characteristics of student-centred texts are, developers of such texts in a distance education environment face many challenges and thus, a secondary, more indirect aim of this study is to benefit developers of distance education study materials. In view of the educational context in which the study is situated, a brief overview of some of the most relevant pedagogic perspectives underlying the notion of student-centredness is provided. Student-centredness is then interpreted in terms of Biber's (1988) construal of `involvement' and also in terms of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL): more particularly, the interpersonal discourse semantic metafunction of SFL and on insights developed in Appraisal Theory. The focus of the study is thus on `involvement' and the expression of evaluative stance, and consequently on attitudinal language through `involvement' features. Of particular interest to the present study is how learning is advanced through the use of attitudinal language. The data for the study include six print-based distance education teaching texts (study guides) from three different academic departments at the University of South Africa. Two guides from each department are analysed and compared: one developed by way of a content-centred approach to teaching and the other by way of a student-centred approach. The linguistic construal of evaluative stance in these guides is analysed and interpreted in interpersonal terms. The thesis develops a theoretically motivated explanation of the linguistic characteristics of student-centred distance education texts, and in the process provides evidence of the interpersonal and pedagogic relevance of evaluative stance in the context of distance education. Some of the main conclusions reached are that student-centred texts differ from contentcentred ones with regard to: the extent to which the social presence of discourse participants is signalled in such texts; the extent to which solidarity is negotiated with students; the participation of students in the knowledge construction process; the relationship that prevails between lecturers and students; and the identity developed for both students as well as lecturers. / Linguistics and Modern Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (Linguistics)

The goal of the study was twofold: firstly to investigate and describe how senior secondary school geography teachers were implementing enquiry-based learning through fieldwork. Secondly, to investigate and document how enquiry-based learning through fieldwork facilitated the development of action competence amongst learners in a geography classroom. In order to address the first goal, a survey questionnaire was utilised to generate descriptive data from a sample of seven geography teachers in the Hardap region of Namibia. Although teachers engaged learners with enquiry-based fieldwork learning activities it is suggested, based on the findings of data of this goal, that teachers face severe limitations in terms of integrating environmental learning into the geography curriculum. The main limitations of the teachers include: limited practical knowledge of and training in how to teach fieldwork skills; a lack of teaching resource materials; time constraints; heavy personal loads; and lack of school support for environmental education. In addressing the second goal an enquiry-based fieldwork learning unit was planned and implemented in the researcher’s classroom. Observation, focus group interviews, and audio records of learning interactions, were used as data generation methods for this cycle of the study. An indicator framework for identifying action competence in learners was constructed as a data analysis tool. In terms of the findings of goal two it is evident that enquiry-based learning through fieldwork facilitated the development of action competence amongst learners. Six overarching benefits of this type of learning were identified in this study, namely: - It empowered learners to develop contextual knowledge and understanding of issues that they investigated. - It facilitated commitment thus motivated learners to take indirect action. - It promoted social interaction and group cohesion amongst learners thus enhanced their decision-making ability for problem-solving and action taking. - It elicited emotional responses and a greater understanding of learners’ own and others’ attitudes and values towards issues. - It fostered critical thinking thus permitted learners to envisage a future based on their learning experiences. - It enabled learners to plan and take indirect action during the learning process. Based on the research findings, some lessons learned are presented in an attempt to contribute to the effective implementation of enquiry-based fieldwork at the classroom level.

This research investigated the educational orientation of teacher educators in colleges of education in Botswana whether pedagogic or andragogic, and how they influence their educational practice. The methods of investigation were, a literature study of belief systems, andragogy and pedagogy as well as the nature of educational orientation, a survey of the educational orientation of teacher educators in Botswana using a structured Educational Orientation Questionnaire (EOQ) adopted from Hadley (Quam, 1998) and a semi-structured group interview to a stratified random sample of student teachers at two of the colleges of education. The results showed that most teacher educators in colleges of education in Botswana had a pedagogical rather than an andragogical orientation. They predominantly use educator-centred rather student-centred teaching methods. / Educational Studies / M Ed. (Didactics)

Many students have difficulty of learning abstract and complex topic in chemistry. This study investigated how students develop their understanding of abstract and complex topics of chemistry with the aid of visualizing tools: animation, simulation and video. A particular focus of this investigation was to assess to what extent the uses of pedagogy based technology (PBT) is effective in learning chemistry. The combined effect of animation, simulation and video clips enable learning by doing and provide opportunity to explore the abstract and complex lessons of chemistry. The research was conducted with sequential embedded mixed research (quasi experimental and Explanatory) case study design. The experiment was carried out with second year chemistry students include 90(14 female and 76 male) students, 12 male chemistry lecturers and the college heads. The students were constituted 45 Control group and 45 Treatment groups. The groups were non-equivalent (convenient samples), suggesting that randomization was not possible as the students were in intact classes. To apply animation, simulation and video in supporting student-centered learning activities of electrochemistry for second year students flash and micro media player were used. The treatment group was trained for two weeks how to operate and use animation, simulation and video software. Pre and Post tests were administrated to the target groups. The effectiveness of PBT was also evaluated by administrating separate Schedule containing open and closed ended questions. The comments and ratings obtained from the learners‟ and lecturer insights provided the basis for the learning impact of the study. The result obtained from the vi experiment and responses of the schedule shows that PBT improves the performance of students. Therefore, to make the abstract and complex concepts of chemistry easy and clear Electrochemistry learning should be supported by animation simulation and video. An extended study may help to understand the multi sensory benefit of Pedagogy-Based-Technology. Thus, a possible extension to this study should cover a variety of universities and should aim at evaluating its effectiveness in various context and subjects‟. / Science and Technology Education / D. Phil. (Mathematics, Science and Technology Education (Chemistry Education))