Thesis (PhD (Education))--University of Stellenbosch, 2004. / 241 leaves printed on single pages, preliminary pages i-xii and numbered pages 1-230. Includes bibliography. / Digitized at 600 dpi grayscale to pdf format (OCR), using a Bizhub 250 Konica Minolta Scanner. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Educators at schools are expected to implement education policy changes
promulgated through policy frameworks by the Department of Education in South
Africa. However, whether these teachers are equipped to implement education policy
or whether they have interacted sufficiently with policy issues remains a contentious
issue. My contention is that pre-service and in-service teachers are expected to
perform certain roles and demonstrate certain competences, as required or implied by
changing education policy frameworks, like the Norms and Standards for Educators
(Department of Education, 2000), but might not necessarily be equipped to do so.
This dissertation utilised conceptual analysis and a literature review, as research
methods, to explore constitutive meanings of the concept 'education policy' in
relation to teacher education transformation in post-apartheid South Africa, with
reference to the Norms and Standards for Educators (Department of Education,
2000). Constitutive meanings (Fay, 1975) of post-apartheid teacher education refer to
all those shared assumptions, definitions, and conceptions, which structure teacher
education transformation and post-apartheid teacher education in certain definite
ways. Without these constitutive meanings, according to Fay (1975: 76), social
practices, like teacher education, could not exist. By revealing these constitutive
meanings, in terms of the interpretive paradigm (Fay, 1975: 78), I have given a
possible explanation of post-apartheid teacher education, by articulating the
conceptual scheme that frames post-apartheid teacher education. These constitutive
meanings, which were extracted from a literature review, were explored in relation to
the main question of this dissertation: Can the new teacher education policy
framework, as set out in the Norms and Standards for Educators of 2000, improve
teaching and learning in South African schools?
I argue that the latter process will not materialise because of question marks over the
transformative potential of the Norms and Standards for Educators (Department of
Education, 2000). The mentioned policy framework may be an inappropriate
framework to structure and guide the transformation of existing teacher education
practices because of certain conceptual gaps. These conceptual gaps are stumbling
blocks to transform existing teacher education practice and improve teaching and
learning in our schools in the post-apartheid era. I argue that these gaps could be
bridged if the Norms and Standards for Educators are reconceptualised along the lines
of Benhabib's (1994) deliberative democratic model. Deliberation is necessary
because policy alone cannot lead to the transformation of post-apartheid teacher
education. Deliberation is also necessary because of the limitations on the state's
power to enforce its will through promulgated policy. More engagement, via
deliberation, is needed between the government, educational leaders, policy-makers
and the other policy actors, like teachers, bureaucrats and teacher education
institutions. The arguments of Burbules (1997) and Biesta (2004) seem to substantiate
my claim that education policy, alone, cannot lead to the improvement of teaching
and learning in our schools. Burbules (1997) posits that teaching is a complex human
endeavour that is characterised by predicaments or dilemmas, which cannot be
permanently solved. I argue against the integration of the seven roles, as advocated by
the Norms and Standards for Educators, because of certain dilemmas. We need the
tragic perspective on teaching, of Burbules (1997), to approach teaching differently.
Biesta (2004) also urges us to approach teaching differently, by advocating a new
language for education. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Daar word van Suid-Afrikaanse opvoeders by skole verwag om opvoedingsbeleid
veranderinge, wat via beleidsraamwerke gepromulgeer is deur die Departement van
Onderwys, te implementeer. Wat egter 'n kontensieuse kwessie bly is of hierdie
opvoeders toegerus is om opvoedingsbeleid te implementeer en of hulle genoegsaam
omgegegaan het met beleidskwessies. My argument is dat daar van voor-diens- en indiens
opvoeders verwag word om sekere rolle te speel en sekere kompetensies of
bekwaamhede te demonstreer, soos vereis of geimpliseer deur veranderende
opvoedingsbeleid raamwerke, soos die Norme en Standaarde vir Opvoeders
(Departement van Onderwys, 2000), maar dat hulle nie noodwendig toegerus is om
dit te doen nie. Hierdie proefskrif utiliseer konseptuele analise en 'n literatuur oorsig,
as navorsingsmetodes, om konstituerende betekenisse van die konsep
'opvoedingsbeleid', in verhouding tot onderwyseropvoeding transformasie in postapartheid
Suid-Afrika, met verwysing na die Norme en Standaarde vir Opvoeders
(Departement van Onderwys, 2000), te eksploreer. Konstituerende betekenisse (Fay,
1975) van post-apartheid onderwyseropvoeding verwys na al daardie gedeelde
aannames, definisies, en konsepsies, wat onderwyseropvoeding transformasie en
post-apartheid onderwyseropvoeding op sekere definitiewe maniere struktureer.
Sosiale praktyke soos onderwyseropvoeding kan volgens Fay (1975: 76) nie sonder
hierdie konstituerende betekenisse bestaan nie. Ek het hopelik, deur die ontbloting
van hierdie konstituerende betekenisse, in terme van die interpretatiewe
navorsingsparadigma (Fay, 1975: 78), 'n verduideliking gegee van post-apartheid
onderwyseropvoeding, deur my artikulasie van die konseptuele skema wat die
realiteit van onderwyseropvoeding op sekere maniere definieer. Hierdie
konstituerende betekenisse, wat onttrek is van 'n literatuur oorsig, was geeksploreer
in verhouding tot die hoof vraag van hierdie proefskrif: Kan die nuwe
onderwyseropvoeding beleidsraamwerk, soos uitgespel in die Norme en Standaarde
vir Opvoeders van 2000, onderrig en leer in Suid-Afrikaanse skole verbeter?
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/16031 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Waghid, Y., Adams, Noel David |
| Contributors | University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Education. Dept. of |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | xii, 230 p. |
| Rights | University of Stellenbosch |
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