Bibliography: leaves 87-90. / The purpose of this study is to compare and assess two theoretical models of higher education institutional change: the policy response and the adaptational model. The policy response model is essentially a measurement of policy impact, and through the application of an indicator framework allows the evaluation of the extent to which a higher education institution has applied a government policy directive. The adaptational model is based on the idea that institutional change can be explained in terms of the categorisation of the strategic choices an institution makes in order to adapt to and survive in a constantly changing environment. The application of the two models is demonstrated through case studies of two South African higher education institutions: the University of Port Elizabeth and Peninsula Technikon.

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Bibliography leaves: 69-75. / Quality has been one of the most talked about issues in higher education in the last fifteen years. Concerns about the quality of higher education have been directed predominantly at publicly-funded institutions which have been required increasingly, in the last decade, to do more with less and expected, simultaneously, to provide assurance that the quality of educational provision is not being compromised. Quality assurance systems, established to measure and assess the quality of higher education institutions and programmes, have become a global trend. This movement, which began in Europe and the United States in the early to mid-1980s, has spread to many other countries. Publications on quality in higher education draw contributors from, inter alia, Hong Kong, Australia, India, Chile and Canada. The Fourth Biennial Conference of the International Network of Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education which was held in South Africa in 1997 attracted more than 50 papers by contributors from 20 countries and many more countries were represented. Appropriately the theme of the conference was "Quality without frontiers". South Africa has been engaged in discussions about quality since the National Education Policy Investigation was launched in 1990. Although a relative newcomer to the 'quality movement', South Africans have not hesitated to draw on international expertise in an effort to join the global university system, especially as international accreditation of qualifications looms on the horizon. However, the most important reason for establishing a quality assurance system in South Africa is the need to achieve acceptable standards of quality across a system which has been distorted over time as a result of apartheid's discriminatory policies. This study looks at the extent to which South Africa has relied on models of quality assurance developed in older academic systems, notably those in Europe. The study is interested in how much South Africa's approach has been borrowed and what dynamics within the South African system have given it its specific character.

Includes bibliographical references. / The focus of this thesis is the crisis currently affecting the NGO sector in South Africa and profound implications that it has for the development process South Africa. The thesis sets out to examine the extent to which the state and civil society can collaborate under conditions of transformation and restructuring to ensure the equitable achievement of wide-scale social amelioration. The thesis surveys the current state of the NGO sector in South Africa and then moves to the micro level to examine the development work of a medium-sized educational NGO and the implementation of one of its donor-funded projects the Northern Cape province of South Africa. The argument is put forward that although this project is very context- specific it illuminates a set of problems are generalizable across the NGO sector. The difficulties being experienced by NGOs are analyzed using elements of Gidden's 'structuration theory' and Hargreaves's 'educational restructuring' matrix to chart prevailing development practice within the state-civil society nexus. It is argued that these positions yield four interlinked and recursive elements that are used as theoretical tools to explore the praxis of South NGOs. The thesis proceeds to examine sequentially, and within the parameters of the structure-agency debate, how tensions and ambiguities are generated within the symbolic order, through the manifestations of power and authority within the policy-making process and through the allocation of resources determine space and contextual realities within which NGOs operate. The argument is put forward that one of the key tasks for NGOs is the necessity of constructing theoretical models that not only inform and shape their development practice but are also recursively modified by changing circumstances and conditions. The thesis concludes that engagement in this form of praxis may one for NGOs to ensure their survival and adds some suggestions for the way forward.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 99-106). / Teacher shortage in schools is the current subject of interest among academics worldwide. Prospects of teacher supply and demand have declared imminently high teacher shortage in the developing and developed world alike. Based on the theories of occupational choice and other studies on the choice of teaching as a career, this study attempts to address this worldwide teacher shortage problem by examining factors that influence people in choosing teaching as a career in Lesotho.

Includes abstract. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 93-99). / Current science education stakeholders such as Sadler (2006) and Supovitz and Turner, (2000) emphasize the importance of teachers' professional development as a means of improving student level of enrollment and achievement in sciences. The provision of in-service education and training (INSET) programmes, as a consequence, have come to constitute a critical area of investment for almost all educational systems in order to improve the teaching and learning of sciences. In order to maximize the trustworthiness of the research findings, this study employed a mixed methods approach (deductive and inductive) to examine the availability and value of INSET programmes for secondary school physical science teachers in Malawi. The study's site was Blantyre, one of the major cities in Malawi. A survey questionnaire administered to 49 physical science teachers constituted the main data collection instrument. The participants were randomly selected from 12 secondary schools across Blantyre City. Informal classroom observations of four teachers selected from the 49 teachers who responded to the survey questionnaire were done to confirm or query the results of the questionnaire.

In 2015, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by nations across the globe to eradicate poverty in all its forms, combat inequality, preserve the planet, create sustainable economic growth and foster social inclusion (United Nations [UN], 2015:5). Social workers are compelled to act on environmental injustices because of their ethical mandate to address social injustices (Erickson, 2012:184). This study adopted green social work (Dominelli,2012) as a theoretical framework. The goal of the study was to explore and describe the role of social workers in promoting environmental justice for sustainable communities from a government perspective in the City of Ekurhuleni. The study adopted a qualitative research approach, which had an exploratory and descriptive purpose (Fouché & De Vos, 2011). The case study design was an instrumental case study. The study sample was purposively selected and composed of ten social workers from three units of the Department of Social Development in the City of Ekurhuleni. Data was collected through one-on-one semi-structured interviews using an interview schedule. Data was analysed by using Creswell’s (2014) theme approach. The findings of the study indicated that participants are aware of the environmental injustices in the City of Ekurhuleni. Furthermore, although participants understand the effects of these injustices on the lives of the poor, they believe they have little to offer to promote environmental justice. This is due to the specialised nature of the service delivery units of the Department of Social Development (DSD). The study concluded that participants need knowledge and skills in green social work. Furthermore, collaboration with relevant stakeholders and community engagement is essential in promoting environmental justice to contribute to sustainable communities. The study recommends that the DSD adopts green social work as a practice model and that all the service delivery units of the DSD integrate an environmental justice focus. Furthermore, social workers in the DSD should be trained in the knowledge of and skills in green social work and how it relates to developmental social work and sustainable development. / Mini Dissertation(MSW (Social development and policy))--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Social Work and Criminology / MSW (Social development and policy) / Unrestricted

Includes abstract. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 100-106). / The focus of this study is an examination of (i) the extent to which teachers are implementing the 2006 Junior Secondary Accounting Syllabus (JSAS) in five Namibian schools; (ii) the influence of sense-making process on teachers' classroom practice and pedagogical understanding of the new JSAS descriptors. The study hopes to add to the information about the importance of the teacher in the process of policymaking and policy implementation.

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This dissertation presents an historical-sociological study of how governments of the modern western state use the language and techniques of quantification in the domain of social policy. The case material has an Australian focus. The thesis argues that by relying on techniques of quantification, governments risk introducing a false legitimacy to their social policy decisions. The thesis takes observed historical phenomena, language and techniques of quantification for signifying the social, and seeks meaningful interpretations in light of the culturally embedded actions of individuals and collective members of Australian bureaucracies. These interpretations are framed by the arguments of a range of scholars on the sociology of mathematics and quantitative technologies. The interpretative framework is in turn grounded in the history and sociology of modernity since the Enlightenment period, with a particular focus on three aspects: the nature and purpose of the administrative bureaucracy, the role of positivism in shaping scientific inquiry and the emergence of a risk consciousness in the late twentieth century. The thesis claim is examined across three case studies, each representative of Australian government action in formulating social policy or providing human services. Key social entities examined include the national census of population, housing needs indicators, welfare program performance and social capital. The analysis of these social statistics reveals a set of recurring characteristics that are shown to reduce their certainty. The analysis provides evidence for a common set of institutional attitudes toward social numbers, essentially that quantification is an objective technical device capable of reducing unstable social entities to stable, reliable significations (numbers). While this appears to strengthen the apparatus of governmentality for developing and implementing state policy, ignoring the many unarticulated and arbitrary judgments that are embedded in social numbers introduces a false legitimacy to these government actions.