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Investigating mentoring as a form of social learning for school principals

Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Mentoring as a professional development strategy forms an integral part of the Advanced
Certificate: School leadership that was introduced in 2007 by the National Education
department as an entry qualification in the school principalship. The Advanced Certificate in
Education: School Leadership is aimed at capacitating school leaders to address the
challenges experienced by school principals.
The primary objective of this study was to investigate whether the mentorship component of
the course is experienced as a form of social learning by the candidates. To achieve this
goal, open-ended questions were prepared and administered during semi-structured
interviews with the school principals who have been mentored within the ACE programme.
The interviews were conducted to ten (10) participants including principals, deputy principals
and heads of departments (school level) within the Gert Sibande District (Mpumalanga
Province).
The investigation highlighted that principals do indeed experience mentoring as a form of
social learning. This was confirmed by the statements given by the interviewed principals that
their learning was based on learning from each other through observation and engagement
as well as through their mentors. This learning is confirmed by Bandura’s Social Learning
Theory (1977) which suggests that learning takes place through observation and positive
behaviour of the mentor.
Based on the findings, the main recommendations were that mentorship, as social learning,
should be extended to all school leaders and ultimately to school educators, that a mentoring
unit should be based at each district office, that the selection of mentors should be carried
out carefully so that protégés could benefit maximally and that the period of mentoring should
go beyond merely being a component of an academic course. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Mentorskap as ‘n professionele ontwikkelingstrategie vorm ‘n integrale deel van die
Gevorderde Onderwyssertifikaat: Skoolleierskap wat in 2007 deur die Nasionale
Onderwysdepartement as ‘n toetree-kwalifikasie vir skoolhoofde ingestel is. Die Gevorderde
Onderwyssertifikaat: Skooleierskap is gerig op die kapasitering van skoolleiers om die
uitdagings wat die posisie van Skoolhoof meebring aan te spreek.
Die primêre doelwit van die studie was om vas te stel of die mentorskapkomponent van die
kursus deur kandidate as ‘n vorm van sosiale leer ervaar word. Om die doel te bereik is
oopvrae voorberei en geadministreer tydens semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude met
skoolhoofde wat as deel van die Gevorderde Sertifikaat: Skoolleierskapkursus gementor is.
Die onderhoude is gevoer met tien skoolhoofde, adjunkhoofde en departementshoofde van
die Gert Sibande distrik (Mpumalanga).
Die ondersoek het aan die lig gebring dat skoolhoofde wel die mentorskapproses as ‘n vorm
van sosiale leer ervaar. Hierdie aspek is bevestig deur die respons van skoolleiers dat hulle
van mekaar geleer het deur observasie en braadslaging asook deur die modelering van
mentors. Diè vorm van leer strook met Bandura se Teorie van Sosiale Leer (2007) wat die
idée onderskryf dat leer plaasvind deur observasie en modelering van positiewe gedrag van
die mentor.
Gebaseer op die bevindinge is die hoof aanbevelings wat in die studie gemaak word dat
mentorskap, as sosiale leer, uitgebrei behoort te word na alle skoolleiers en uiteindelik na
alle onderwysers, dat ‘n mentorskapeenheid by elke distrik gebaseer behoort te word, dat die
keuring van mentors omsigtig moet geskied sodat protégés maksimaal voordeel trek en dat
mentorskap verder moet strek as bloot ‘n komponent van ‘n akademiese kursus.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/20150
Date03 1900
CreatorsThambekwayo, Musa A.
ContributorsVan Louw, T., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Education Policy studies.
PublisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
Languageen_ZA
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis
Formatx, 105 p.
RightsStellenbosch University

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