Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / Bibliography / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die interpretering van beleid en die toepassing daarvan in die werkplek was nog altyd ’n
aanvegbare aspek, omdat beleid nie ’n geslote entiteit is nie en dus oop is vir verskillende
interpretasies deur die toepassers van beleid. Die aanvegbaarheid van beleid kan duidelik
waargeneem word met die toepassing van die Nasionale Assesserings Beleid van 1998 op
die Suid-Afrikaanse skoolgemeenskap. In hierdie trant is die hoofdoel van my studie om
ondersoek in te stel na die implikasie wat die toepassing van beleid rakende die klassifikasie
van primêre skole as onderpresterende skole op die skole se skoolkultuur,het en hoe
sommige onderwysers teenoor so ‘n klassifikasie reageer.
Met hierdie studie wil ek ’n interpreterende ondersoek loods na die vraag: “Hoe beleef
onderwysers hul skoolkultuur nadat hul skole deur die Wes-Kaapse Onderwys Departement
as onderpresterende skole klassifiseer is. Ek beskou dit as ’n belangrike vraag vir ondersoek
omdat die literatuur rakende skoolkultuur en skool prestasie daarop dui dat hierdie twee
aspekte as kritieke elemente beskou word in die skoolopset. Om hierdie rede ondersoek ek
hierdie verskynsel in my onmiddelike skool omgewing om begrip te toon vir die wedersydse
invloed wat hierdie elemente op mekaar het. Hierdie vraag word beredeneer teen die
agtergrond van Suid-Afrika se deelname aan toetse van die ligame van internasionale
akademiese prestasies en die onbevredigende uitlae wat tydens die deelname aan hierdie
toetse verwerf is. Vanuit nege en dertig deelnemende lande het Suid -Afrika laaste geëindig.
Ek loods my studie vanuit ’n kwalitatiewe interpreterende ondersoek aan drie laerskole en
nege geselekteerde opvoeders oor die prestasie wat die Intermediëre Fase (graad ses)
verwerf het in die aanname en inwerkingstelling van die Sistemiese Evalueringstoetse vanaf
2007 tot 2010 in Geletterdheid en Wiskunde as ’n uitvloeisel van die Nasionale Assesserings
Beleid van 1998. Ek doen ’n beleidsanalise voortspruitend uit ’n historiese oorsig en konteks
van skool en prestasie verskille wat in die onderwysopset aangetref word. My fokus is egter
op die onderwysers se respons as gevolg van die klassifikasie van hul skool as ’n
onderpresterende skool. Hierdie ondersoek word ingestel deur gebruik te maak van semi
gestruktureerde onderhoudvoering met respondente van drie steekproefskole en ’n
vergelyking van sistemiese toets uitslae en interne evaluerings uitslae. Vanuit die verkennende analises en die literatuur is gevind dat skoolkultuur ’n
deurslaggewende bepaler in terme van leerderprestasie is. Waar skoolkultuur in presterende
skole positief bydra tot die prestasie en werklewering van die skool, is dit ’n negatiewe
determinant by die onderpresterende skole. Dit volgens Fleisch dui daarop dat die Suid-
Afrikaanse onderwysopset nog steeds in twee afdelings fungeer naamlik die presterende
voorheen bevoordeelde skole en aan die anderkant die onderpresterende voorheen
benadeelde skole. Die onderwysers het ook gevoel dat hierdie aspek buite rekening is
gelaat met die implementering van die sistemiese toetse en die gevolglike klassifikasie van
die skole.
Tydens die uitvoering van die studie het ek gevind dat die respondente van die
deelnemende skole saamgestem dat ’n positiewe skoolkultuur leerderprestasie positief kan
beïnvloed. Hulle het erken dat hulle in gebreke gebly het om ‘n positiewe skoolkultuur te
ontwikkel en te handhaaf. Ek eksploreer die respondente se uitleef van hul skoolkultuur,
magsverhoudinge en konseptualisering van hul identiteit aan die hand van hul gegewe
klassifikasie. In die ondersoek het ek bevind dat daar ’n negatiewe skoolkultuur heers by
skole wat as onderpresterende skole geklassifiseer is. Hierdie negatiewe skoolkultuur het
ook veroorsaak dat onderwysers ’n probleem ondervind het met die magsverhouding wat
daar bestaan het tussen hulle en die Onderwys Department. Hulle het dit gesien as ’n “top
down” verhouding waarin hulle geen inspraak het nie. ’n Verdere uitspruitsel uit die
negatiewe klassifikasie van die skool het daartoe gelei dat die onderwysers ’n negatiewe
siening van hul identiteit as onderwysers ontwikkel het.
Vanuit die literatuur wat handel oor die herstel van onderpresterende skole, stel ek die
moontlikheid van die toepassing van transformasionele leierskap wat geimplementeer kan
word in die bestuur van die deelnemenende skole as een van die strategieë om vanuit hul
klassifikasie van onderprestering te kom.
Hierdie navorsing het ten doel om die onderwysers se belewenis van hul skoolkultuur te
weergee nadat hul skole geklassfiseer is as onderpresterend as gevolg van
beleidstoepassing deur die Wes – Kaapse Onderwys Departement. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The interpretation and application of policy in the workplace will always be a contentious
issue, because policy is not a closed entity but is open to different interpretations by its
users. This contentiousness of policy is clearly illustrated with the application of the National
Assessment Policy of 1998 on the education community of South – Africa. Along these lines
my study will try to address the question: “How do teachers in underperforming schools give
meaning to their school culture after their schools have been classified as underperforming
schools by the Western Cape Education Department?” I see it as a very important question
as it explores the interrelationships between school culture and school performance. These
two elements are regarded as critical elements that can either create a positive or a negative
school environment. And in that sense I want to have an understanding of its influence in my
immediate school environment.
This question is being argued against the backdrop of South - Africa’s participation in the
tests of international bodies of academic performance where the country performed poorly.
From thirty nine participating countries, South Africa achieved the lowest mean test score.
My study is piloted in a qualitative interpretive enquiry at three different primary schools and
nine pre- selected teachers in connection with the results obtained from the systemic
evaluation tests which was administered in the intermediate phase (grade six) from 2007 up
to 2010 in the learning areas Literacy and Numeracy. The Systemic Evaluation Tests stems
from the National Assessment Policy of 1998 and was conducted as a measure to ensure
the success of the learning centers and to improve learning systems. In this study I am
conducting an analysis of education policy and also giving a historical overview of
educational differences of schooling in South Africa. The focus however is on the teachers’
response as a result of their schools’’ being classified as underperforming schools. I am
employing semi - structured interviews and do a comparison of the systemic results and the
results obtained from the continuous assessment of the different schools.
From the analyses and a study of the literature I found that school culture plays a defining
role in learner performance. I also found that school culture can act as a positive enhancer in
performing schools and can also act as a deterrent in underperforming schools. The results obtained from the systemic evaluation also shows that the South African education system
still comprises of two separate education systems according to Fleisch. He holds the notion
that there are the performing previously advantaged schools and the underperforming
previously disadvantaged schools. The teachers felt that no consideration was given to the
impact that the negative school culture and the impact of the environment could bear on the
performances of the learners from the underperforming schools. My respondents
acknowledged that a positive school culture could enhance learner performances and also
conceded that they neglected to build and maintain a positive school culture. I then explore
how my respondents gave meaning to their school culture, conceptualize power relations
and identity formation after being classified as underperforming schools.
In my study I found that there is a negative culture present in the underperforming schools.
And it negatively influences the conceptualization of the teachers of the power relationship
between them and the Education Department. They see the power relation as “top down”
and something in which they have no say in. Due to the negative relationship between the
teachers and the Education Department, the teachers also experiencing difficulties in dealing
with their own identity as they view themselves as underperforming teachers as a result of
the classification of their schools.
Dealing with the literature regarding the rehabilitation of underperforming schools, I explore
the possibility of employing Transformational Leadership as a strategy to deconstruct their
image of underperformance. This research aims to show how teachers give meaning to their
school culture after their schools were classified as underperforming due to policy
applications by the Western Cape Education Department.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/79941 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Arnolds, David |
| Contributors | Bak, Nelleke, Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Education Policy Studies. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | af_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | xiv, 154 p. : col. ill. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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