D.Ed. / This research study focuses on the status of educators and aims at determining whether In-Service Education and Training (INSET) will assist in enhancing their professional status. From the researcher’s personal experiences, discussions with fellow educators and review of literature and media reports, it appears that there are a plethora of problems experienced by educators. Awareness of a crisis in education is of great concern, as is the low morale of educators. Credibility of educators needs to be restored. Some educators are unqualified, under-qualified, display poor attitude and mediocre behaviour. It is essential that these educators should be encouraged to improve their teaching skills and performance, build confidence, adopt a positive outlook towards education and perform as professionals. The research design and methodology followed generally, the qualitative, descriptive and exploratory principles. The survey method using structured questionnaires was employed to collect the primary data for the study. The data was collected on the Microsoft Windows 2000 Excel programme and analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). During the last decade, a number of countries have addressed reform measures and refocused on educators’ professionalism. A historico-comparative study of various models of INSET was undertaken of the following countries: the United Kingdom, Denmark, Hungary, Hong Kong and Zambia. INSET initiatives undertaken abroad, to improve the quality of educators, is crucial to this study. INSET structures, provided by various stakeholders in South Africa are discussed. The Code of Professional Ethics, compiled by the “guardian of the profession”, the South African Council for Educators (SACE), was outlined. The study also highlights SACE’s role of monitoring educators who are guilty of transgressions and misbehaviour. The findings of this research, conducted in the Umlazi District of the eThekwini Region within the Province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), based on the questionnaires, are twofold. Firstly, officials are of the opinion that a reduction of staff, increase in iii workloads and a lack of incentives and promotional opportunities have led to educators’ poor performance. Secondly, educators believe that implementing quality INSET programmes would assist them to perform as improved professionals. Educators in the study acknowledge that teaching is stressful and are of the opinion that they are accountable for their behaviour and should be au fait with the Professional Code of Conduct and Ethics. Following on from the analysis of the questionnaires, three training programmes were identified and conducted at a public, secondary school. The programmes were entitled: Coping with Stress, Compiling an Educator’s Portfolio and Code of Conduct for Educators. The study concludes with recommendations and implications for future research.

D.Ed. / Hierdie navorsing fokus op onderwysers se persepsies aangaande deurlopende professionele onderwyser ontwikkelingsprogramme in Omgewingsopvoeding en die mate waartoe dit hul onderwyspraktyk beïnvloed. Die navorsingsprobleem word omskryf deur die volgende sub-vrae: • Wat is die onderwysers se persepsies aangaande hul eie bekwaamhede in Omgewingsopvoedingspraktyke as resultaat van die indiensopleidingsinsette? • Welke onderwysstrategië en -metodes het die onderwysers tydens indiensopleiding aangeleer en op watter wyse(s) hul dit in die klaskamersituasie aanwend om hul praktyk te verbeter. • Watter kennis, vaardighede en waardes op die terrein van Omgewingsopvoeding het die onderwysers tydens die indiensopleidingsinsette aangeleer? • Watter riglyne kan uit die navorsing gepostuleer word ter optimalisering van indienslopleidingsinsette in die algemeen, en in besonder in die geval van insiensopleidingsprogramme vir Omgewingsopvoeding? Die navorsingsontwerp vir die empiriese komponent van hierdie navorsing het ‘n kombinasie van kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe navorsingsmetodes behels en deur middel van triangulering van die ingesamelde data toegepas. In die kwantitatiewe dimensie van die navorsing is ’n omvattende gestruktureerde vraelys ontwikkel en deur die steekproef van respondente, wat willekeurig uit die populasie getrek is, voltooi. Die data hierdeur verkry is aan beide die Kaiser-Meyer-Olken en die Bartlett toetse onderwerp. Die 33 (uit die oorspronklike 35) oorblywende items is aan twee opeenvolgende faktor-analise prosedure onderwerp op basis van die “Principle Axis Factoring” metode. Die kwalitatiewe dimensie van die navorsing het gesteun op fokusgroep onderhoude waaraan drie groepe van vyf respondente elk (‘n total van 15 respondente) deelgeneem het. Respondente vir hierdie drie groepe is willekeurige getrek om die volgende drie geografiese gebiede te verteenwoordig: Oos-Rand, Johannesburg-Suid en Johannesburg-Sentraal. ‘n Onderhoudskedule bestaande uit vier oop-end vrae is vir hierdie doel ontwikkel. Die data is op die wetenskaplik aanvaarde prosedure van bandopnames, transkripsies en verifiëring deur die respondente ingesamel, waarna dit gekodeer, grafies voorgestel en geanaliseer is. Die belangrikste bevindings van hierdie navorsing sluit in dat: • Die aantal vorige indiensopleidingsprogramme deurloop; die jare onderwyservaring bydra tot onderwysers se positiewe belewing van indiensopleidingsinsette vir Omgewingsopvoeding. • Indiensopleidingsprogramme wat voorsiening maak vir die volgende aspekte baie sterk positief beleef word:  groepwerk tussen deelnemers tydens die indiensopleidingsprogram;  geleentheid om die programinhoud in hul klaskamers te gaan toepas en daarna gesamentlik daarop te reflekteer; asook  geleenthede waar fasiliteerders van die indiensopleidingsprogramme die deelnemers in hul klaskamersituasie gaan waarneem en ondersteun in toepassing van die programinhoude. / Prof. H.G. Van Rooyen

Hoofstuk een voorsien die agtergrond tot die navorsing asook ‘n beskrywing van die probleme. Dit bevat die doel van die navorsing, die metodologie wat gevolg is en gee ‘n uitklaring van konsepte wat in die navorsing gebruik is. Hoofstuk twee fokus op ‘n uiteensetting van die onderwerp van die navorsing, naamlik DIE ASSESSERING VAN PROFESSIONELE ONTWIKKELING VAN ONDERWYSERS EN DIE IMPLIKASIES VIR GEHEELSKOOL EVALUERING. Die doel van die navorsingsprojek was om te bepaal watter kriteria noodsaaklik is vir die doeltreffende professionele ontwikkeling van onderwysers. Om hierdie doel te verwesenlik is ‘n literatuurstudie onderneem wat as basis vir die empiriese navorsing gedien het. Die bespreking in hoofstuk twee is gerig op die geïntegreerde gehalte bestuurstelsel wat bestaan uit werkverrigting assessering, die ontwikkeling van ‘n stelsel vir assessering en geheel skool evaluering. Die studie belig hoe bogenoemde assesseringstelsels gebruik is om die professionele ontwikkeling van die onderwyser te fasiliteer. In die geïntegreerde gehaltebestuurselsel is klaskamer-waarneming ‘n kritiese aspek wat gebruik is om die behoeftes van onderwysers te bepaal oor hoe hulle ‘n klaskamer moet bestuur. Klaskamerwaarneming is gegrond op die volgende kriteria: die skepping van ‘n positiewe leeromgewing, kennis van die kurrikulum, lesbeplanning, voorbereidng en aanbieding, asook leerlingassessering. Sodra die behoeftes van die onderwyser vasgestel is, is gepaste professionele ontwikkelingsprogramme noodsaaklik om klaskamer bestuursvaardighede te verbeter. Met ander woorde, wanneer onderwysers professioneel ontwikkel word, verbeter hulle die gehalte van leer en onderrig by skole deur hul betrokkenheid in en by lewenslange leer. Die ontwerp van die navorsingsprojek is in hoofstuk drie uiteengesit. ‘n Beskrywing van die empiriese ondersoek is voorsien. Die vraelys is bespreek en die verloop van die navorsing kortliks aangeraak. Al die vrae met betrekking tot doeltreffende professionele ontwikkeling het gelei tot gemiddelde tellings tussen 2,20 en 3,23. Die ontleding en interpretasie van die empiriese data is in hoofstuk vier bespreek. Die konstrukgeldigheid van die navorsingsintrument is deur middel van twee opeenvolgende faktoranalitiese prosedures ondersoek en sodoende is die 37 items tot twee faktore gereduseer, naamlik: effektiewe ontwikkelingsprogramme bestaande uit 20 items met ‘n betroubaarheidskoëffisient van 0,913; en personeel ontwikkelingsprogramme bestaande uit 17 items met ‘n betroubaarheidskoëfissient van 0,892. Die statistiese ontleding van die navorsing is beperk tot ‘n vergelyking van een voorbeeld van twee onafhanklike groepe met een voorbeeld van drie of meer onafhanklike groepe. Hipoteses is opgestel en multivariante statistieke gebruik om die data te ontleed en te interpreteer. Na hierdie oorsigtelike opsomming van die aspekte wat in die huidige navorsing aangeraak is, word belangrike bevindings wat uit die navorsing voortspruit, gemaak. / Prof. R. Mestry

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of participation in a Problem-based learning (PBL) teacher education program at the University of British Columbia. The PBL teacher education program included changes to the program of studies and changes to the practica experiences. First, this study examined changes in the PBL teacher education students' feelings of teacher efficacy, feelings of teacher preparedness, and learning styles arid strategies. The PBL students, showed significant increases in their feelings of personal teaching efficacy and feelings of teacher preparedness. In order to better understand the changes over time in the PBL teacher education students the present study also compared the opinions and attitudes towards inclusion of students with special needs, feelings of satisfaction with their programs, feelings of preparedness, and ratings of self-directed learning using both Likert-scale and short answer responses of the. same PBL students to 40 non-PBL teacher education students. The results indicated that proportionally more PBL than non-PBL teacher education students had increased concerns about inclusion of children with special needs. As well, proportionally more PBL than non-PBL teacher education students felt the time that they had spent in the classroom had the greatest influence on changes in their opinions. The results revealed that proportionally fewer PBL than non-PBL teacher education students felt well prepared. Participation in a PBL curriculum was not found to have an effect on students' feelings of satisfaction with their program or ratings of self-directed learning. To further examine the effects of a PBL curriculum in teacher education, the present study also examined the perceptions of university and school-based personnel who were involved with PBL. The results from this investigation revealed that the majority of the groups involved agreed that a PBL curriculum does have an effect on reasoning, interest, enthusiasm, and satisfaction of faculty and teacher education students. The majority of participant groups also were of the opinion that PBL and non-PBL curriculums provided equal knowledge of basic skills and principles, and professional preparation to the students. Implications of the findings are discussed. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

Policy trends in initial teacher training (ITT) in England have increasingly located training in schools, where trainee teachers are supported by practicing teachers designated as ‘mentors’. The nature of the mentoring that trainee teachers experience has been shown to be of critical importance, both to outcomes in the initial training period and also in terms of teachers’ professional identity construction and retention within the profession. School-based mentoring has been typically characterised, however, as of variable or inconsistent quality. Teach First is a teacher training programme with a number of features which set it apart from other routes into teaching. Teach First grows from and sits within the contemporary policy landscape of teacher training; the programme has a distinctive identity and is the focus of significant interest in the education sector in England and beyond. Teach First is an employment-based training programme and Teach First trainees are mentored by teachers as they work and train in schools; trainees also receive periodic support from tutors based in higher education training providers. This study takes Teach First as a case study and adopts a mixed-methods approach, including both quantitative and qualitative analysis where appropriate. Empirical data is drawn from a multi-layered programme of surveys, focus group discussions and interviews. The study explores how those involved in Teach First mentoring conceptualize the process and how they perceive their role in supporting it. In addition, the study considers the extent to which Teach First mentoring can be considered distinctive. The thesis presents a framework for understanding the mentoring process which is based on an extension of relevant theories of learning and models of mentoring. Empirical findings from the data lead to two propositions: firstly, that the mentoring process in initial teacher training is based on a triadic relationship, in which the relationship between supporters of mentoring is particularly important to its efficacy; secondly, that there is no programme-wide model for Teach First mentoring and, as a consequence, the distinctiveness of the Teach First programme is attenuated by the school-based mentoring process. This latter point has implications for both the nascent identity construction of Teach First teachers and also for how Teach First is perceived in relation to more mainstream teacher training programmes.

This thesis grew out of a concern shared by others that, in an era in which teacher educators are required to place increasing faith in the utility and objectivity of ideal end-of-training competencies, ‘the messiness, muddle and ambivalence that education is always and inevitably heir to’ (Bainbridge and West, 2012, p.5) and the consequent complexity that typifies student experiences as they learn to teach and make their subsequent transition into teaching, can be too readily ignored. Drawing on extensive data from interviews, research participant’s self-writing and their contributions to on-line forums, the experiences of two trainees as they make such a transition into and through their first year of teaching is examined in detail. As an experienced educator the author makes use of an auto/biographical approach in which aspects of his personal life history are acknowledged both as sources of insight but also as sites of my partiality. The importance of key incidents and individuals in my own development are acknowledged and in so doing, I recognise both the manner in which the familiarity of past experiences can provide a source of insight, but may equally act to shape or stifle alternate stories. A range of ‘critical friends’ are used to aid my analysis and to chart both the trainee’s transition to teacher and my own transition to that of auto/biographical researcher. Bourdieu and Brookfield provide a starting point for an examination of the participants’ reported experiences and the contexts in which they work. Turkle points towards an understanding of the online world where identities can be created, played with and critically evaluated. Mezirow and Dirkx provide contrasting views of what it means to be a transformational learner whilst Goodson and West support my development towards that of a researcher, whose fascination with the individual stories of the students with which I have worked provided the starting point for the research. As the thesis ends, the shades of friends return to remind this researcher that it was the experiences of the participants which resonated with, but did not mirror my own. For, whilst the boundaries between individuals is at all times honoured, it is in the shared boundaries that we meet and our mutual human dependency is framed. Reference Bainbridge, A. & West, L. 2012. Psychoanalysis and education: Minding a gap. London, Karnac Books.

The topic of this thesis is initial teacher education (ITE) pedagogy, exploring the nature of teaching and learning about teaching (or ‘meta-teaching’), and how teacher educators in English universities translate this into practice. Its purpose was to gain an appreciation of teacher educators’ pedagogical practice beyond their first three years in the role: not just how, but why they teach student teachers in a particular way, and to observe what this looks like in practice. A collective case study approach was taken, involving four participants working in four geographically distanced universities. The methods consisted of a semi-structured interview, videoed observation of a teaching session, and a stimulated recall interview which was led by the participant whilst co-viewing the video. Analysis of the data revealed that, whilst the meta-pedagogical practice appeared to have individual drivers for each of the participants, there could be potential inhibitors to developing a distinct pedagogy of ITE which are inherent in the teacher educators’ experience and practical wisdom accumulated as school teachers. These may hinder teacher educators’ engagement with a theoretically underpinned knowledge base for their pedagogical practice. The similarities and differences in meta-pedagogical practice were explored using Bourdieusian concepts of developing habitus in the new field, leading to expanding cultural capital. It is argued that distinct drivers for the participants’ respective practices impacted upon the development of first to second order habitus. A continued focus on (curriculum) subject knowledge or on passing on the craft knowledge of (school) teaching was shown to be located in first order practice, whereas a focus on developing meta-pedagogical understandings allowed for an expanding habitus, and thus to the potential for increased cultural capital – both for themselves as individuals, and for the occupational group of teacher educators. Whilst a deep-seated sense of teacher professional identity may help to bridge the two (sub-)fields, it appeared that an accepted body of knowledge based on theoretical underpinnings could distinguish this group and enhance their cultural capital. In light of this, the role of episteme and phronesis were explored as enablers of the development of a shared meta-pedagogy. By illuminating current meta-pedagogical understandings and practice, the study aims to feed into a wider debate on teaching and learning to teach, at a time when ITE in England is in a state of flux and the future of university-based programmes – as well as university involvement in school-based programmes – is under threat. It is argued that, not only would it be possible to accelerate the process of teacher educators developing their meta-pedagogical practice through exploration of the theoretical perspectives, but that this has the potential to underline and reinforce the distinction between university- and school-led ITE in uncertain times.

This thesis explores the development of the thinking and practice of beginning and early career teachers in relation to pupil behaviour through the examination of questionnaire data from two surveys conducted with a PGCE cohort and case study data gathered through a sequence of interviews with seven teachers from this group during their first three years as qualified teachers. It draws on literature to critically examine the established discourse of pupil behaviour as a problem in schools, the management of behaviour as a concern for beginning teachers and the preparation provided by Initial Teacher Training in this area as insufficient. Attention is also given to prevailing approaches to behaviour described in literature that might represent the knowledge base for improved training in relation to behaviour management. The questionnaire data presented a picture of the cohort as prepared in relation to pupil behaviour and realistic in their views on the types of behaviour that they would encounter most frequently. There was a clear perception that the most valuable learning about behaviour took place in schools. The data collected from the case study participants suggested that learning about behaviour continued to be based on their own direct experience of teaching, formal and informal advice from colleagues and formal and informal opportunities to observe others’ practice. The implication is that development in relation to behaviour is very parochial, with few influences external to the school. This, coupled with a general antipathy towards anything construed as theoretical, suggests the development of beginning teachers’ thinking and practice in relation to behaviour is based upon very few reference points beyond that which is available in the school and the individual’s general dispositions, preconceptions, concerns and perceptions. Attempts to address perceived issues regarding the preparation of beginning teachers has tended to focus on the content dimension, typically defined as knowledge, skills and understanding. This thesis puts forward the view that, whilst there is valuable work to be done in attempting to define what content represents a useful grounding for the beginning teacher, there needs to be greater attention paid to the influence of the individual and the context in which they are placed. This might be achieved by reconceptualising the development of the thinking and practice of beginning and early career teachers in relation to pupil behaviour as an interaction between the content dimension, the individual and the context.

The focus of this study is the development of an ICT training package for novice female primary teachers in Saudi Arabia. In recent years, the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia has placed a lot of importance on increasing the use of ICT within schools. Evidence suggests however that little attention has been paid to the provision of ICT training, particularly in primary education. Furthermore, in the general research literature; whilst there is much talk about the need for training, very little evidence is provided regarding what kind of training is effective. The purpose of this study therefore was to systematically design and evaluate an ICT training package that was informed by learning theory, research evidence and user needs. The study was conducted in two phases: 1) determining the ICT training needs of novice female primary teachers in Saudi Arabia; 2) designing, piloting and evaluating a training package based on identified needs and preferences, in-service teacher training literature and common learning theories in the field. In phase one, a qualitative survey that employed a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews was conducted. There were 135 participants in the questionnaire and 20 interviewees. The survey findings of revealed a great gap in both the technical and pedagogical skills of teachers. Furthermore, the data identified some factors that either limit or motivate teachers’ use of ICT. The participants’ preferences for their future ICT training were also determined. These results were used to inform the design of a training package. Key design features of the training package included: covering both technical and pedagogical content; using a blended approach that combined face-to-face and online delivery and using iv social constructivism and experiential learning to underpin its pedagogy. Twenty-two teachers participated in the pilot training. Evaluation data collected from a range of sources suggest that the teachers responded well to the design features of the training package and that the training had some positive influence on their practice. Using the literature review and the training needs data as well as the data generated from my own study I have identified five key design criteria that I believe can be applied to designing similar training packages in the future: Ownership; Shared learning; Contextualisation; Transformational potential and Evidence-based.

No description available.