Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / Includes bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The South African education system needs literacy teachers with the capacity to lead
innovative and appropriate literacy instruction in schools. Schools can benefit from
suitable continuous professional development strategies that have the potential to
build the leadership capacity of literacy teachers to sustain literacy improvement
efforts.
Coaching has proven to be an effective development strategy in the business sector
and in the field of sport. However, the field of coaching in the educational context is
under-explored in research in South Africa. Coaching is a situated practice, which is
aimed at the learning and development of individuals within a specific context.
Coaching is an on-going professional development strategy for teachers and leaders
as opposed to traditional one-shot professional development activities such as
workshops or training sessions.
There is a need for evidence-based research on alternative professional
development strategies, such as coaching. In this research study the researcher
argued that coaching has the potential to provide a more effective and sustainable
capacity-building strategy for the continuous professional development of teacher
leaders. It argued further that the recognition of their own capacity as teacher leaders
can empower teachers to take ownership of decision-making for on-going literacy
improvement in schools.
The specific context for coaching in this study was the professional development of
literacy teachers as leaders for the improvement of literacy teaching and learning. In
the absence of a suitable coaching model, the Integrated Capacity Coaching model
and a coaching programme were purposefully designed by the researcher for the
development of literacy teachers as leaders in this study. Cognitive coaching, peer
coaching and coaching circles were incorporated as coaching methods in the
coaching programme.
This study was designed to determine what can be learnt from using coaching as a
professional development strategy within the formal structures of the school and its
current constraints. Findings from the data indicated a number of positive learning insights about coaching as a continuous professional development strategy to build
internal leadership capacity for literacy improvement in schools. This study is
significant because the outcome of the study extended the existing body of
knowledge and evidence-based research on coaching in the educational context.
The implementation of these findings could lead to improvements in the nature and
characteristics of future continuous professional development of literacy teachers as
leaders to sustain literacy improvement in schools.
The proposed model shows potential as a capacity-building coaching model for the
education sector, but further research is needed to determine the impact of this
coaching model and the coaching approach in different school contexts. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die Suid-Afrikaanse onderwyssisteem benodig geletterdheidsonderwysers met die
kapasiteit om leiding te gee ten opsigte van innoverende en toepaslike
geletterdheidsonderrig in skole. Skole kan voordeel trek uit toepaslike voortgesette
professionele ontwikkelingstrategieë wat die potensiaal toon om leierskapkapasiteit
in onderwysers te bou met die doel om die verbetering van geletterdheid te volhou.
Dit is bewys dat afrigting ’n effektiewe ontwikkelingstrategie in die besigheidsektor en
op sportgebied is. Navorsing in die veld van afrigting in die onderwyssektor is egter
onderverken. Afrigting is ’n gesitueerde praktyk wat gerig is op die leer en
ontwikkeling van indiwidue in ’n spesifieke konteks. Afrigting wat as ’n voortgesette
professionele ontwikkelingstrategie vir onderwysers en leiers beskou word, verskil
van tradisionele “enkele geleenthede” van professionele ontwikkeling soos
werkswinkels en opleidingsessies.
Daar is ’n behoefte aan bewysgebaseerde navorsing oor alternatiewe strategieë
soos afrigting vir professionele ontwikkeling. In hierdie navorsingstudie argumenteer
die navorser dat afrigting potensieel ’n meer effektiewe en volhoubare
kapasiteitsboustrategie vir die professionele ontwikkeling van onderwysers as leiers
blyk te wees. Daar word verder geargumenteer dat onderwysers bemagtig kan word
om eienaarskap te neem van besluite oor die verbetering van geletterdheidsvlakke in
die skool indien hulle bewus word van hul kapasiteit as onderwyserleiers.
Die spesifieke konteks vir afrigting in hierdie studie was die professionele
ontwikkeling van geletterdheidsonderwysers as leiers ter verbetering van
geletterdheidsonderrig. In die afwesigheid van ’n toepaslike afrigtingsmodel is ’n
toepaslike model vir afrigting, naamlik die Geïntegreerde Kapasiteitsafrigtingsmodel
en ’n toepaslike afrigtingsprogram deur die navorser ontwikkel. Hierdie model is
spesifiek ontwikkel vir die afrigting van geletterdheidsonderwysers as leiers in die
studie. Kognitiewe afrigting, portuurafrigting en afrigtingsirkels is as
afrigtingsmetodes in die model geïnkorporeer.
Die studie is ontwerp om binne die formele strukture en huidige beperkinge in die
skool te bepaal wat geleer kan word indien afrigting as professionele ontwikkelingstrategie gebruik word. Die bevindinge het ’n aantal positiewe leerinsigte
oor afrigting as ’n voortgesette professionele ontwikkelingstrategie getoon en om
leierskapkapasiteitvir die verbetering van geletterdheid in skole te bou. Die studie is
betekenisvol, want die uitkoms van die studie sal die bestaande kennis en
bewysgebaseerde navorsing oor afrigting in die onderwyskonteks uitbrei. Die
implementering van hierdie bevindinge kan lei tot die verbetering van die aard en
kenmerke van voortgesette professionele ontwikkeling vir geletterdheidsonderwysers
as leiers, om die volhoubaarheid van geletterdheidsverbetering in skole te verseker.
Die voorgestelde model toon potensiaal as ’n kapasiteitsbou-afrigtingsmodel vir die
onderwyssektor, maar verdere navorsing is nodig om die impak van hierdie
afrigtingsmodel en die afrigtingsbenadering in verskillende skoolkontekste te
ondersoek.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/71912 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Rutgers, Linda |
| Contributors | Carl, A. E., Van der Walt, C., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Curriculum Studies. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | xx, 370 p. : ill. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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