M.Ed. (Education) / The research was structured to determine the present state of inservice education and training (INSET) in South Africa with regard to teachers' centres. It addressed the present education system in South Africa as well as the underlying philosophy of teachers' centres. The hypotheses were formulated to determine whether teachers' centres meet the needs of the teachers they serve; whether domestic circumstances have any influence on a teacher's usage of a teachers' centre; and how teachers perceive a good teachers' centre to function. The history of in-service education and specifically teachers' centres was traced through 13 countries, including South Africa, and factors determining the nature of teachers' centres were discussed. Five possible types of teachers' centres were identified and the Johannesburg Teachers' Centre, as being representative of the majority of the centres in South Africa, was analized...

M. Ed. / Professional Teacher Development (PTD) is an ingredient essential to the creation of effective schools, positively impacting learners’ performance and enhancing teachers’ knowledge, skills and attitudes, which are imperative in improving leaner performance. Effective PTD requires considerable time, must be well organised, be carefully structured, purposefully directed and focused on both content and pedagogy. It should be cost effective, in terms of time and effort persistent to teachers’ needs, relevant, practical and educationally sound. It is not a single stroke; one must work hard so as to attain mastery. PTD is an effective transfer of knowledge-sharing from within the institution, supporting critical junctures in its networks, ensuring integration within the externally. When carried out correctly, it is the key to ‘recharging’ teaches, giving them the tool they need. Principals are being challenged about what constitutes quality in education, and are forced to make efforts to change the status quo – instead of cocooning themselves in isolation. They have to design coherent and purposeful programmes effecting learning which is accompanied by change in behaviour, perception, thinking, beliefs, values, and awareness. It also will alter insight, and involve new patterns of operation, new strategies and new procedures. A structural PTD is determined by the specific institution’s context, helping to overcome teachers’ negative reaction to school-based PTD. They will be changed in major ways, both in terms of their teaching practices and their personal behaviour as there is no substitute for on-the-job learning with opportunities to reflect on action. One potential way to enhance PTD is to utilise constructivist strategies with the teacher. For PTD to be effective and bring improvement within the institution, the teachers should meet regularly to explore common problems and seek solutions based on shared experiences and collective wisdom. School-based PTD will cause DCS teachers to shift cultural paradigms, instil new values and goals, and help shape their professional identity, taking the microenvironment of DCS into cognisance. A good PTD needs to be mindful of connecting good theory to classroom practices, as quality PTD is the vehicle for providing the knowledge needed to support effective teaching – an adult institution. No improvement efforts can succeed in the absence of thoughtfully planned and wellimplemented PTD.

M.Ed. / The purpose of this study was to research and record the training process of teachers in a Grade R learning programme, within a context of inclusive education, by describing the teachers’ perception of the Grade R learning programme and by making certain changes to the training and training process that have been suggested in the study, and to offer guidelines with regard to the training of foundation phase educators, with specific reference to Grade R educators working within the context of inclusive education. The researcher opted for an interpretative action research design within a qualitative research paradigm since she wished to describe, interpret and explain actions within her research whilst attempting to bring about certain improvements within the teaching practice. The type of action research that was performed is known as practitioner action research because it was performed in the presence of, and with the cooperation of education practitioners as well as academics who assisted the researcher with relevant skills and resources. The following major themes were identified: Facilitating, programme implementation, complete empowerment, cooperation as well as common religious convictions. The most significant findings were the following: When we look at the facilitation of training programmes, it is of the utmost importance that the facilitator accepts from the onset that the participants as well as the facilitators will experience uncertainty within themselves, specifically regarding their own knowledge and abilities and the level of acceptance they will experience in the company of other professionals. It is therefore all the more important to determine each participant’s expectations regarding the purpose and outcomes of the the training programme as this will ease the process considerably and at the same time render the facilitator a clear idea of what needs to be addressed and what not. Facilitators of training programmes, especially within contexts similar to this study, should reflect on the importance of sound relationships being established between facilitator and participants. The initial level of experience and skill of each participant should be determined before the start of the programme and here the facilitator plays an enormous role as far as emotional and social support is concerned. When it comes to programme implementation, I should think that educators in all possible contexts will benefit immensely from the format of the lessons, the contents of the lessons as well as the presentation thereof because these are outcomes-based lessons. In terms of contexts similar to the one in this reseach, it is important that the facilitator works through each new lesson with the educators to ensure that they fully understand everything and also to give them the opportunity to ask questions as this will enable them to implement these lessons with enhanced confidence in their own classes. It was important for the teachers to experience their training in a practical manner because they learnt from one another, they had the opportunity to exchange ideas and, whatever problems they experienced, could be addressed and solved immediately. In conclusion I would like to strongly advocate the choice of practitioner research as research methodology in any study that is focussed on the improvement of the teaching practice. Not only does it hold immense benefits for practitioners, but as researcher I experienced complete personal enrichment in as far as I acted as an agent of meaningful change in the lives of the practitioners who accompanied me on this journey.

M.Ed. (Adult and Higher Learning) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

The research presented in this thesis is a case study, based on ethnographic principles, located in the interpretive paradigm of qualitative research. The focus is specifically on the development of a collaborative approach ro teacher professional development: an approach that recognises and celebrates teachers themselves as resources for their own and other teachers' professional development. The study was carried out over a period of four years with a group of twelve teachers who had recognised the need and expressed the desire to develop their teaching. The research evolved in two main phases. The initial phase was based on the implementation and evaluation of a project designed to encourage a collaborative approach to teacher development based on mutual peer support. This led to a second phase, the main focus of the research, aimed at gaining a greater understanding of the teachers' situation and situating their practice in the wider context generated by this understanding. Conversations with the teachers led to the identification of dimensions and tensions characterising their experience. The research presented here, represents an attempt to understand, interpret and make recommendations relating to the professional development of teachers. The understanding is linked to the teachers' educational biographies and experience of the culture in which they are situated. The interpretation is based on what may be viewed as a dynamic ongoing construction of meaning - a journey of negotiation. The text, described as a narrative collage, a tapestry of voices interwoven by threads of negotiation, represents a collaborative accomplishment. The teachers' words have been interpretively framed and these constructions validated in an interpersonal construction of social reality. The reader is invited to engage in an act of complicity, to collude with the text in the construction and negotiation of shared meaning, possibly finding resonance with their own situations. Reflections on the teachers' experience reveal journeys which resonate with that of the society in which the school is located - 'a case in transition' - situated between an environment characterised by constrained cooperation and an environment characterised by freer collaboration. The overall tension may be viewed metaphorically as a 'Tug o' War'. On one end of the rope is a cultural legacy of authority, isolation, social division and conservatism, while on the other end there is a pull towards greater autonomy and interaction, to adapt rather than conserve and to work together in mutual collegial support: a struggle between cooperating with what is and collaborating towards what could be. The main contention of this thesis is that we ought strongly to support and encourage collaborative approaches to professional development based on mutual peer support. We need to look towards a future of open professionalism where the teachers are regarded as key persons in the process. The attainment of such an ideal needs to be seen as part of systemic changes in management, policies and structure geared towards greater inclusivity and democratic practice; it necessitates a coherent approach that is based on relationships of mutual respect and appreciation.

It is clear that the concept of inclusive education implies that learners experiencing barriers to learning should, wherever possible and with suitable support, be educated with others in a regular school setting and through a regular curriculum. It is assumed that suitable facilities, resources and assistance, where needed, will be available. An adaptable curriculum that accommodates the specific learners who experience barriers to learning is also essential for inclusive education. The focus on providing equal educational opportunities for learners experiencing barriers to learning means that the traditional roles and responsibilities in education will inevitably change. Teachers have to modify their views of themselves, their teaching methods and the roles that they have to play during the implementation of inclusive education. Teachers will have to be adequately trained to effectively and confidently provide appropriate education to learners experiencing barriers to learning. The primary goal of the study is to explore the experiences, perceptions and needs of teachers regarding inclusive education. The secondary goal is to develop a training model to equip in -service teachers better for inclusive education. The research process was structured by the application of a qualitative research approach within a theory generative design, utilising five steps of theory generation in order to reach the objectives of the study. The qualitative approach was selected, as it is exploratory in nature. Founded in this exploratory research, a central concept was identified, with the aim of developing a model to assist teachers in implementing inclusive education. ABSTRACT (xvii) The research was conducted in two phases. The first section of the research comprised an exploration of the experiences, perceptions and needs of teachers regarding inclusive education. It embraced several decisions relating to data collection and analysis processes, such as defining the population and selecting the sample procedure and the data collection method, namely personal interviews with teachers, in order to determine their experiences, perceptions and needs. Concepts in the transcripts were categorised into themes and sub-themes and were verified by a literature review. A central concept was identified ( of the theory-generative research design) that can be further analysed in the second section of the research. The second section of the research was based on the findings of the research and the work of Chinn and Kramer (1995) in order to develop a training model to assist teachers in implementing inclusive education. The following additional steps of model design were employed: - Step Two : Concept definition and classification - Step Three : Construction of relationship statement - Step Four : Description and evaluation of the model - Step Five : Model operationalisation After data analysis was completed, the research established that the participating teachers were not in favour of inclusive education and therefore perceived it negatively. They also viewed themselves as not suitably equipped to work in inclusive settings. They were also discontented and experienced an intense feeling of incompetence. The researcher identified the in teachers as the central concept, which served as the foundation of the design of a model for teachers with regard to inclusive education. The essential criteria of the concept were identified and linked to each other by means of relationship statements. The model was described and evaluated according to the five criteria of clarity; simplicity; generality; accessibility; and significance, as proposed by Step One revitalisation of competence Chinn and Kramer (1995). The researcher also reflected on the limitations inherent to this research study and presented guidelines and recommendations for the operationalisation of the model in practice, to guide future research and in-service training programmes.

This dissertation challenges the traditional patriarchal conception of mentoring, in which mentors are cast as experts and the task for novices is to assimilate their mentors' knowledge and proposes an alternate feminist conception in which mentors and novices are learner-teachers. The conception is based on practices of conversation and shared experience, through which mentoring partners develop trust and reciprocity. Through reciprocity, mentoring dyads move to a practice of thoughtful critique, in which they trouble taken-for-granted structures within schools. Central to feminist mentoring are issues of concern to the teachers involved, including issues of gender, race and culture as experienced in their own lives. To explore the conception of feminist mentoring, a qualitative research study was undertaken. Data about four mentoring dyads and one triad were collected through a series of structured interviews with individuals and pairs of teachers during one school year. The interviews were recorded and transcribed, and the resulting transcripts were analyzed for common themes. It was found that more successful dyads formed on the basis of the beginning teacher's choice and involved considerable time commitment. Successful mentoring dyads participated in frequent conversations, both casual and planned, in which they talked about students, shared resources, and co-planned curriculum. Conversations centred on both work-related and personal issues. The most successful dyad created numerous shared experiences which provided opportunities for the partners to learn reciprocally. Mentoring conversations and shared experiences led to two complementary ways of coming to know about teaching. In percolated learning the beginning teacher came to know based on hearing and thinking about the mentor's experiences. Thoughtful critique is a more deliberate mode of learning in which the mentor and beginning teachers intentionally address issues of common concern. Although there was some evidence of explicit thoughtful critique emerging within the mentorships, critique was expressed tentatively and cautiously. I suggest that the conditions of schools discourage critique and beginning teachers feel discouraged from being overtly critical. Mentoring dyads may need to work together for more than one year to develop a sufficient level of trust to move to a more critical feminist reconception of mentoring that supports and challenges both mentors and beginning teachers. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

M.Ed. / After the introduction of new educational laws and policies in the education system, Outcomes-Based Education was introduced with the aim of producing quality education in South Africa. All educators consequently needed training in the new system of education. The National Department of Education provided training for educators as regarding the methods of teaching and assessment of learner performance using Outcomes-Based Assessment (OBA). However, this training was not sufficient to equip educators with knowledge and skills to assess learner performance effectively. The school assessment teams and school management teams also lacked the knowledge and skills to develop and empower educators to implement OBA successfully. The key research question for this study therefore asks, “What are the reasons that cause ineffectiveness in the implementation of Outcomes-Based Assessment in schools?” The aim of the current study is likewise to investigate the effectiveness of training educators in learner assessment using OBA. The objectives are to provide a clear understanding of OBA, to identify the problems experienced by educators in performing assessment, to determine whether the latter understand the difference between OBA and the assessment of the past and to improve the assessment strategies and methods used by the educators in implementing OBA in Daveyton primary schools. The literature review has revealed that educators can be equipped with knowledge and skills for assessing learner performance effectively. This study employs the qualitative research methodology. All data is collected in the form of participants’ words. Participants were selected by means of purposive sampling. The findings from the responses of the participants indicate that educators lack knowledge of how to conducting OBA effectively. The findings also indicate that there is a need for continuous training and development to empower educators.

Although the necessary legislations such as the South African Schools Act and Employment Equity Act are in place, these are not implemented to effect systematic change in disadvantaged schools. The autocratic and laissez-faire styles of leadership seem to be more prevalent. Human resource management in disadvantaged schools is still based on a disempowering autocratic ethos inherited from the apartheid era. The principles of collegiality are mentioned in theory but not practised. Due to lack of power sharing, great pressure is placed on senior managers to be skilled and reskilled for collegiality. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether reskilling for collegiality in disadvantaged schools helps to enhance the work ethos of educators. This study also aimed at determining the involvement of educators in the formulation of vision, leading to a sense of ownership and enhancing prospects of successful innovation. Educational managers and educators who were purposely selected from disadvantaged primary and secondary schools in Poortjie in the Vaal Triangle were interviewed. Verbatim-transcribed data was further analysed using the constant comparative method. The research findings suggested that reskilling for collegiality in poorly managed schools is necessary. The Department of Education is not doing enough to educate both school management teams and educators on reskilling for collegiality. Research findings also indicated that most principals tend to use autocratic, as opposed to collegial styles of leadership. It also appears that the school system needs to transform its culture from one of control to one where autonomy, participative management and empowerment are valued. In view of the foregoing discussion it is recommended that a joint effort by the Department of Education, principals, teachers, and non-government organisations is needed to solve the problem. Moreover, structuring professional development programmes for educators by the latter and learning how techniques should be employed within the career development of educators through the appointment, induction, in-service training and the transitional stages are highly valued.

The problem of this study was the determination and analysis of perceptions of selected educators in the State of Texas with regard to current in-service education programs in the public secondary schools. Conclusions were, (1) differences appear to exist in the perceptions of personnel who represent large-, medium-, and small-school districts, (2) teachers' needs, such as motivation, seem to be good staff improvement topics, (3) there appears to be substantial differences in the perceptions of administrators and teachers in the organizing and conducting of programs, (4) current programs and ideal programs appear to have differences in such areas as selection of activities, and (5) programs are not as effectively planned and organized as they should be.