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Experiences of grade 9 educators regarding the implementation of the curriculum and assessment policy statement : a case study in the Sarah Baartman District

This study investigated the experiences of 10 Grade 9 Post Level 1 (PL1) educators regarding the implementation of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) in a specific school in the Sarah Baartman District since it was introduced in 2014 for Grade 7-9 and Grade 12.
South African schools have gone through several curriculum transformations over the past 23 years. The Curriculum 2005 (C2005) was introduced in 1997 and educators had to implement the C2005 in their classrooms without the required training. Educators experienced several challenges during the implementation processes of the C2005, which included the complexity of the terminology, and complicated design features. Moreover, they were overburdened with administrative duties. The Department of Education (DoE) reviewed and streamlined the C2005, and in May 2002, the Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS) was presented to schools. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of the implementation of the RNCS was plagued by many problems experienced by educators. Main factors that impeded the implementation of the RNCS were educator training and development, educator consultation and participation, additional educator workload and lack of resources. These issues urged the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to review the RNCS, after which the CAPS was introduced to improve teaching and learning.
This research utilises the Concerns Based Adoption Model (CBAM) in its theoretical analytical framework. I used the interpretivist paradigm and applied a qualitative approach. A case study research design was also employed. The participants for this study were 10 Grade 9 PL1 educators teaching in the Senior Phase (SP) at the same school in the Sarah Baartman District. The data collection instruments used to collect data were semi-structured interviews and document analysis. The data collection processes were hindered by the global COVID-19 pandemic that we were facing at the time of writing. Due to challenges in the form of COVID-19 surges faced by schools, the initial classrooms observations could not take place. The data gathered and generated were analysed through three different content analysis procedures, namely the six-step guide, the qualitative analysis procedures, and word cloud analysis to ensure the trustworthiness of the collected data.
This study concludes and draws attention to the experiences of educators and challenges faced regarding the implementation of the CAPS in Grade 9. This study envisions that Care and Support for Teaching and Learning (CSTL), Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) and South African Schools Administration and Management System (SASAMS) are some of the existing programmes that can be incorporated to assist the Schools Management Teams (SMTs) and educators with the implementation processes of the CAPS. Based on the findings of this study recommendations are made for the improvement of the implementation processes of the CAPS. Consequently, this study recommends that the DBE, educators and SMTs from neighbouring schools and Subject Advisors (SAs) should work closely together to assist with the implementation of the CAPS. Schools should integrate the implementation of the CAPS in their annual planning. Existing supporting structures (CSTL, IQMS and SASAMS) should be utilised optimally by schools to assist with the implementation of the CAPS, especially in the SP. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:unisa/oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/27711
Date12 1900
CreatorsStuurman, Celestine Joanie
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeDissertation
Formatapplication/pdf

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