ABSTRACT: The study investigated a service learning partnership between mid-career teachers at a
primary school in Atteridgeville and newly-qualified, mostly secondary, teachers from
Nottingham University. The aim was to identify benefits and challenges with a view to
optimising future partnerships. Data was gathered through participant observation and
interviews, analysed by thematic content analysis and interpreted from a critical/postcolonial
perspective. The research found a range of benefits accrued to the various
stakeholders, including enhanced literacy teaching and learning, opportunities for
shared teaching practice, and the lasting legacy of a functional library. While crosscultural
contact was identified as a benefit, it also created some tensions related to
equitable power-sharing. Therefore, recommendations for future partnerships include
clear and consistent communication between partners regarding expectations, goals,
and accountability, closer collaboration between partners, and proactive conflict
resolution mechanisms. Finally, the research highlights the viable, yet scarcely tapped,
potential of such partnerships to address both pre-service and in-service training needs
in teacher education in South Africa.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/4803 |
| Date | 14 May 2008 |
| Creators | Graetz, Catherine M. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 1270536 bytes, application/pdf, application/pdf |
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