D.Ed. / The focus of this research is on the proposals to improve the implementation of developmental appraisal in schools in the Northern Province (Limpopo). The research is aimed at probing the essence of developmental appraisal in schools, establishing the opinions and problems related to developmental appraisal in schools, establishing effective ways in which the school development team (SDT) can function for the support and development of educators and to make recommendations on the basis of the findings about the role developmental appraisal can play in restoring the culture of teaching and learning if well implemented. The central problem here is: How can developmental appraisal be implemented to satisfy both the appraisers and the appraises' expectations and lead to school improvement? The research starts with the background and orientation of the study giving the rationale of conducting this research. A focused literature study is then conducted, probing the essence of developmental appraisal in schools. The research strategy and the research methods follow a focused literature study. This was done against the background of a qualitative research using qualitative focus group interviews. Seven focus group interviews were held and tape-recorded with educators in the Northern Province (Limpopo). Transcriptions of tape-recorded interviews are included in this research as Appendices. The data of the report are then presented for further analysis. In analysing data, Miles and Huberman's approach was used, that is, data reduction, data display and conclusion drawings and verification. The research report is concluded with the findings and interpretation of data. Recommendations and topics for further research on the implementation of developmental appraisal in schools in the Northern Province (Limpopo) are finally given.

M.Ed. (Education Management) / The eradication of the apartheid education system and subsequently the 're-admission' of the Republic of South Africa to the international arena does not only entail that the education system be effectively managed and governed but also that the potential of all stakeholders in education be maximized. The foundation for performance is linked to investment in people to capitulate high returns in education in the form of skilled personnel, a productive and competitive workforce and an effective and efficient educational community ...

This study investigated whether the PGCE adequately develops the WIL skills of student teachers. WIL skills have contributed extensively to the effectiveness of the facilitation of teaching and learning in schools. The definitions of WIL in this study refer to the skills required to succeed in practice. The four domains of Danielson provide the WIL skills, namely Preparation and Planning, the School Environment, Instruction and Professional Responsibilities. The study showed that there is a link between the four domains and the capacity of student teachers to integrate the theory they acquire at the HEIs and practice in the schools. The quantitative approach is referred to by Creswell (2005:39) as a type of educational research in which the researcher decides what to study, asks specific narrow questions, collects numeric data, which is numbered data from participants, analyzes these numbers using statistics, and conducts the inquiry in an unbiased, objective manner. As this study requires numeric data that ask specific questions, two questionnaires were distributed. One questionnaire was directed at school – based mentors and the other at PGCE student teachers. The mentors rated the students’ capacity in the four domains and the students rated themselves on the same items based on the four domains. The research instrument provides insight from school-based mentors with regard to whether there is a balance between the theoretical knowledge provided by HEIs and the WIL skills that student - teachers need. The questionnaires completed by PGCE student teachers provided perspectives from the students with regard to the relevance of their WIL skills for the schools at which they were placed. The hypothesis for this study is: The PGCE makes a significant contribution to the development of the WIL skills of ITE student teachers. Some of Some of the key findings in this study indicated that: • Constant curriculum changes in the schools create uncertainty for student teachers. • Student teachers need assistance to motivate learners to take pride in their work and achievements. • Managing learner behaviour is cause for concern for student teachers. • Language proficiency continues to be problematic in the teaching and learning environment, because it impacts on questioning, discussion techniques and the student teachers’ capacity to explain concepts. • Student teachers need assistance with the pacing of their lessons. • Adjusting their lessons, which requires spontaneity from student teachers is needed. • Opportunities need to be created for student teachers to gain access to the parents of their learners. • Student teachers need to devote more time to the development of reflective skills. • Excessive administrative tasks hamper delivery in the classroom and teacher and learner productivity. The findings strongly suggested that a significant relationship exists between the WIL skills of PGCE students and their effectiveness as facilitators of learning. The findings of the study indicated that the PGCE curriculum needs to incorporate the crucial WIL skills as identified in the four domains. The findings of this study supported the hypothesis that the PGCE makes a significant contribution to the development of the WIL skills of Initial Teacher Education student teachers (ITE).

The problem of this study was to analyze the utilization of teacher competency testing in the eleven states that originally enacted legislation requiring teacher competency testing. A questionnaire was developed, validated, pretested, and finally submitted to state and local superintendents in eleven states. Thirty-three questionnaires were returned representing 75 percent of the questionnaires mailed. Responses were reported in percentage tables. An analysis of variance program was conducted on all data to determine whether the perceptions of the state and local superintendents were significantly different on each question. An analysis of the findings of this study led to the following conclusions. 1. The benefits of teacher testing to state agencies, schools of education, school districts, and society outweigh the disadvantages of increased budgets and larger educational bureaucracies and the possibility of teacher shortages. 2. Teacher competency testing procedures are used primarily for entrance to and graduation from teacher education programs and for certification purposes. 3. Characteristics of a comprehensive teacher competency testing program include a written assessment of acquired knowledge, procedures for evaluating an applicant during student teaching, a probationary period prior to permanent certification, additional training or assistance for teachers, and provisions for retaking of failed examinations. 4. Evidence indicates that although state-created tests are desirable, locally-created and nationally-developed tests are utilized in testing programs. 5. Legal problems will be encountered by testing programs in the areas of minority discrimination and cutoff scores, and political opposition from teacher organizations will continue.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between TeacherInsight™ (TI) scores and student performance as measured by student academic change scores on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test. School district administrators, particularly district personnel administrators, are continually faced with the task of screening and hiring potential teacher applicants who are expected to influence student achievement outcomes directly. Efforts to make the screening, selection, and hiring process more efficient and effective have led to the use of certain teacher prescreening selection instruments that provide a research-based assessment of teachers’ affective attributes, which purportedly predicts teacher effectiveness. This study addressed this concern using a teacher screening and selection tool, the TI, design by the Gallup Organization. According to the Gallup Organization, the TI is a predictor of teacher affective attributes or talents. The state of Texas uses a student evaluation process called the TAKS to measure student academic gains in certain subject areas. This study examined the relationship between the TI and teacher effectiveness as measured by student academic TAKS change scores in mathematics in fourth and fifth grade. I used data obtained from a single school district in north central Texas. The specific targeted population consisted of 874 students enrolled in mathematics and 44 fourth- and fifth-grade teachers hired over a 3-year period (20082011). I applied a quantitative causal-comparative research design. Descriptive statistics for all variables were presented and bivariate relationships between continuous variables were examined. A two-level linear regression model was used to predict student performance on state-mandated assessments using teachers’ TI scores while controlling for relevant covariates. The statistical significance level throughout the study was set at α = .05. A major finding of this study revealed that teachers’ TI scores were not significant predictors of student achievement in the final model (p = .351). Moreover, the final model did not have significant predictive power when compared to the null model. The findings suggest that other factors not recorded in this dataset may influence student academic performance. Only student gender was a significant predictor of TAKS scores. However, the effect size indicated that student gender accounted for less than 1% of the variance in student achievement (R2 = .003). The findings of this study indicate that the TI alone should not be used as the sole instrument in predicting the quality and potential influence a teacher candidate will have on student performance on state-mandated assessments, and the selected school district should consider re-evaluating its use of the screening instrument for selecting teachers. Recommendations based on the results of the study are discussed and areas for future research are provided.

This study explores the relationship between student satisfaction and faculty responsiveness to student concerns. "Action Research" was employed. Data analysis focused on group comparisons.

This mixed-methods study examined the extent to which teacher performance and student performance measures correlated, and to understand which specific practices of mathematics teachers in Grades 3-5 related to student performance. Research was conducted at five elementary schools in a large, urban north Texas school district. Data sources included component scores and recorded evidence from observation rubrics, interviews with campus administrators, and value-added modeling (VAM) student growth scores. Findings indicated a modest relationship between teacher performance levels and student performance levels. Lack of access to individual teacher VAM data, per district policy, might have impacted the strength of the relationship. Interviews with administrators and an examination of the evidence cited in the observation rubrics identified specific practices associated with highly rated mathematics teaching. Differences in administrators’ experience levels with both mathematics instruction and the observation instrument might have influenced rubric scores and the level of specificity shown in evidence statements.

The problem of this study is concerned with the relationships between selected requirements for admission to elementary teacher education and teaching performance. The purposes of this study were (1) to investigate the relationships between teaching performance, as evaluated by a principal, and five selected admission criteria (the GPA at the time of admittance to teacher education; achievement test scores in reading, language, mathematics; and instructor appraisal of the student during the first education course); (2) to determine whether or not the five selected admission criteria used singly, or in some combination, predict success in teaching performance.

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions,)[ elementary school principals of teacher evaluation practices in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Specifically, the current study was guided by the following research questions: 1) What are the perceptions of elementary public school principals regarding the effectiveness of teacher evaluation in public elementary schools? and 2) To what extent do elementary school principals' perceptions of the effectiveness of teacher evaluation vary by selected demographic variables (e.g. socio-economic status (SES), Academic Performance Index (API) score, student ethnicity makeup, and size of school)? The collective bargaining agreement for the school district was reviewed and the perceptions of the different principals regarding teacher evaluation practices as well as their specific evaluation procedures at the site level were compared. Results revealed that the collective bargaining agreement did not place serious limitations on evaluation practices. Results of this study also demonstrated that elementary school principals indicated overwhelmingly that teacher evaluation needed to be improved to be more comprehensive, including more informal observations and feedback to be taken into account during the evaluation!on process. In addition, concerns were present regarding the consistency of how the teacher evaluations were conducted and the meaningfulness of the teacher evaluation process. In addition, concerns were present regarding the consistency of how the teacher evaluations were conducted and the meaningfulness of the teacher evaluation process. Results further indicated that time constraints and other factors limited the ability of principals to provide meaningful feedback to teachers. The results of this survey reflect a desire on the part of elementary school principals to see the teacher evaluation process changed to become more effective. This change in the teacher evaluation process will help principals make a difference for everyone- principals, teachers, and students alike.

DEd (Curriculum Studies) / Department of Curriculum Studies and Education Management