Abstract in English, Afrikaans and Xhosa / Critical thinking competencies are not only seen as crucial for success in higher
education, but also for future personal and workplace success. These competencies
are commonly cited as a graduate attribute or goal of higher education, and resulting
research has tended to focus on exploring and measuring the development of critical
thinking competencies in students within higher education. However, few researchers
have explored the curriculum and practice of academic staff within higher education
in relation to their influence on developing critical thinking competencies in students,
or how they theorise about the development of these competencies as part of their
professional practice.
Within the South African context, there is a perception of a decline in the development
of critical thinking competencies within the secondary school system. This has
informed policy imperatives to improve access and success in South African higher
education through additional support for students, as well as through research into the
first-year experience.
Within a constructivist paradigm, and adopting a qualitative approach, this study takes
the first year of higher education as its context in order to explore the curriculum,
assessment, pedagogical and andragogical practices of academic staff designed to
develop critical thinking competencies in first-year students. The aim is to explore how
academic staff construct their theory and practice in order to contribute to the
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in South African Higher Education.
Phenomenological case study research methods, which draw on data collection
through semi-structured interviews and document analysis, enabled a better
understanding of the lived experience of academic staff within private higher education. Academic staff, as research participants, were able to describe deliberate
actions taken in their teaching practices to facilitate the development and assessment
of critical thinking competencies. The findings revealed that academic staff – while
having no coherent, well-articulated construction of critical thinking competencies –
feel that such competencies are essential for academic and future life success. This
not only affirmed previous research reviewed, but aligned to the inclusion of explicit
and implicit references to critical thinking competencies found in the curriculum and
assessment documents. Recommendations for professional development responded
specifically to these findings. / Kritiese denkvaardighede word nie net as wesentlik vir sukses in hoër onderwys
beskou nie, maar ook vir toekomstige sukses, op persoonlike vlak en in die werkplek.
Hierdie bevoegdhede word algemeen aanvaar as dié van ‘n gegradueerde of as
oogmerk in hoër onderwys. Gevolglik was ondersoeke geneig om te fokus op die
verkenning en meting van die ontwikkeling van kritiekedenkbevoegdhede by studente
binne die hoër onderwys. Min navorsers het egter die kurrikulum en praktyk van
akademiese personeel binne die hoër onderwys met betrekking tot hul invloed op die
ontwikkeling van kritiekedenkbevoegdhede in studente verken nie, of hoe hulle
teoretiseer oor die ontwikkeling van hierdie bevoegdhede as deel van hul
professionele praktyk.
Binne die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks is die persepsie dat die ontwikkeling van
kritiekedenkbevoegdhede binne die sekondêreskoolstelsel afneem. Dit het bygedra
tot beleidsimperatiewe om toegang en sukses in die Suid-Afrikaanse hoër onderwys
te verbeter deur bykomende ondersteuning aan studente te gee, asook deur die
eerstejaarervaring te ondersoek.
Binne ‘n konstruktivistiese paradigma, en deur gebruik te maak van ‘n kwalitatiewe
benadering, neem hierdie studie die eerste jaar van hoër onderwys as konteks ten
einde die kurrikulum, assessering, pedagogiese en andragogiese praktyke van
akademiese personeel wat ontwerp is om kritiekedenkbevoegdhede by
eerstejaarstudente te verken. Die doel is om na te volg hoe akademiese personeel hul
teorie en praktyk saamstel ten einde by te dra tot die Kundigheid in Onderrig en Leer
in Suid-Afrika se Hoër Onderwys. Fenomenologiese gevallestudienavorsingsmetodes
wat steun op die inwin van data deur middel van semigestruktureerde onderhoude en
dokumentontleding, het gelei tot beter begrip van die geleefde ervaring van
akademiese personeel binne privaat hoër onderwys. Akademiese personeel, as
navorsingsgenote, kon optrede beskryf wat doelbewus in hul onderrigpraktyke
geneem word om die ontwikkeling en assessering van kritiekedenkbevoegdhede te
fasiliteer. Die bevindinge het getoon dat akademiese personeel – sonder koherente,
goed geartikuleerde konstruksie van kritiekedenkbevoegdhede – voel dat sulke
vaardighede wesentlik is vir akademiese en toekomstige sukses in die lewe. Dit het
nie net vorige navorsing bevestig nie, maar gestrook met die insluiting van eksplisiete
en implisiete verwysings na kritiekedenkbevoegdhede binne die kurrikulum- en
assesseringsdokumente. Aanbevelings vir professionele ontwikkeling het spesifiek op
hierdie bevindinge reageer. / Ubuchule bokucinga nzulu abubonwa kuphela njengecebo elibalulekileyo
lokuphumelela kwimfundo ephakamileyo, bukwabonwa njengecebo lokuphumelela
komntu kwizinto zakhe nakwindawo axelenga kuyo. Obu buchule bukholisa
ukuchazwa njengenjongo yemfundo ephakamileyo, kwaye uphando lweziphumo
luthande ukugxininisa ekuqwalaseleni nasekulinganiseleni ukuphuhliseka
kwezakhono zokucinga nzulu kubafundi bemfundo ephakamileyo. Noxa kunjalo,
bambalwa abaphandi bolwazi abakhe baqwalasela ukusetyenziswa kwekharityhulam
ngabahlohli bemfundo ephakamileyo malunga nefuthe ekuphuhliseni izakhono
zokucinga nzulu kubafundi, okanye iingcingane zophuhliso lokuphuhliseka kwezi
zakhono njengenxalenye yomsebenzi wabo.
Kwimeko yoMzantsi Afrika kukho imbono yokuba ziyaphelelwa izakhono zokucinga
nzulu kwinkqubo yemfundo yezikolo zeesekondari. Oku kukhokelele ekusekeni
iinkqubo zempumelelo kwimfundo ephakamileyo ngokunika inkxaso
eyongezelelekileyo kubafundi, nangokuphanda ngamava abafundi abakunyaka
wokuqala.
Ngokujonga kwinkalo ethi imfundo yinkqubo yokusebenza, nangokusebenzisa indlela
yophando lomgangatho, esi sifundo sithatha unyaka wokuqala wemfundo
ephakamileyo njengemeko nendawo yokuqwalasela ukusetyenziswa
kwekharityhulam, uhlolo, ukufundiswa kolutsha nasebekhulile ngabahlohli
ekuphuhliseni izakhono zokucinga nzulu kubafundi bonyaka wokuqala. Injongo
kukuqwalasela ukuba abahlohli bayiqulunqa njani ingcingane nokusebenza ukuze
kuncediswe kubungcali bokufundisa nokufunda kwimfundo ephakamileyo yoMzantsi
Afrika. Iindlela zophando zeemeko ezithile, ezifumana iinkcukacha zolwazi
ngokuqhuba udliwano ndlebe oluphantse lwangqongqo, nangokuphengulula imibhalo, kwanceda ukuba kuqondakale ngcono amava abahlohli bemfundo ephakamileyo
yabucala. Abahlohli abangabathathi nxaxheba kuphando baye bakwazi ukuchaza
izenzo ezingqalileyo ezenzelwe ukuphuhlisa nokuhlola izakhono zokucinga nzulu.
Okufunyanisiweyo kwadulisa ukuba abahlohli – lo gama bengenasakhelo
sibambekayo nesinokuchazwa gca sezakhono zokucinga nzulu – bayaqonda ukuba
ezi zakhono zingundoqo kwimpumelelo kwezemfundo nakubomi obuzayo. Oku
akwanelanga nje ukungqina okuvezwe luphando lwangaphambili, koko kongeze
kosele kuthethwa ngqo okanye mayana, kwimibhalo yekharityhulam nohlolo, malunga
nezakhono zokucinga nzulu. Iingcebiso zophuhliso zisabele ngqo koko
kufunyanisiweyo. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Phil.(Education in the subject Curriculum Studies)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:unisa/oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/26729 |
| Date | 23 October 2020 |
| Creators | Goode, Heather Ann |
| Contributors | Van den Berg, Geesje |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 1 online resource (xvi, 374 leaves) : illustrations (some color), application/pdf |
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