3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item The nature and extent of teachers as targets of bullying by their learners in a high school(2016-03-07) Hoffmann, Caron TheresaThis study investigates and addresses the issue of bullying of teachers by learners, which is also referred to as teacher-targeted bullying (TTB). The purpose of this study is to obtain data relating to the nature and extent of teacher-targeted bullying in a High School in Gauteng West. The setting is a former Model C, co-educational school, consisting of 1 354 learners (Grade 8 to Grade 12). The ethnicity of the School is predominantly Black, with 60% Black learners to 40% Caucasian, and the gender ratio of learners in the school is 706 girls to 648 boys. The current teacher population consists of a staff quotient of seventy-five teachers (75), twenty (20) male and fifty-five (55) female teachers, who are employed at the school, which will also be known as “the workplace” for the purposes of this research. The procedure for this research entailed using a teacher group of seventy (70) teachers, of whom fifty four (54) volunteered to complete the questionnaire, allowing an in-depth response by establishing factors contributing to the difficulties of learner bullying experienced by teachers; the effect on teacher performance, morale and student learning; and the support needed from education management for teachers experiencing bullying by their learners. From these questionnaires, the process was extended to a semi-structured interview, in order to follow up on the questionnaire. This allowed an understanding of the teacher’s life experiences or situations as experienced in their own words, for the twelve (12) volunteer teachers who had experienced bullying by learners. In this mixed method design, quantitative results enhanced generalizability, and qualitative results helped to explain how teachers experienced teacher-targeted bullying by learners in this Gauteng West High School. The research findings indicated that, prominent in this study, is the stress reported by teachers relating to the disciplining of learners. The level of reported learner-on-teacher-bullying was more evident in the classroom. It was also reported that all Grades were problematic for teachers, but the level of reported stress was more evident with Grade 9 male learners in same-gender classes. Furthermore, difficulties within this school environment, as well as the effect on teachers’ performance, morale and support from school management were established. In an effort to respond to the epidemic of learners who target and bully teachers, a reconceptualisation of the learner-on-teacher-bullying construct in the School under review, as well as other schools in South Africa, is needed. Thus bullying of teachers by learners must be tackled as a whole-school issue, with the focus on positive learner behaviour, good support structures, and active leadership, ensuring that staff are not only supported, but are also seen to be supported, by the various role players.Item Grade 11 learners' and teachers' conceptions of scientific inquiry in relation to instructional practices.(2013-09-30) Dudu, Washington TakawiraThis exploratory, descriptive and interpretive study investigated the interactions among learners’ conceptions of the nature of scientific inquiry (NOSI), teachers’ conceptions of NOSI and teacher instructional practices when teaching investigations in Physical Science. The participants were South Africa, Grade 11 learners (n= 167) and teachers (n=5), from five schools in the Johannesburg region of South Africa. The schools were conveniently and purposefully sampled. Learners’ and teachers’ conceptions on six NOSI tenets were investigated. These tenets are: difference between laws and theories; difference between observation and interpretation; there is no one method in science; accurate record keeping, peer review and replicability in science; socially and culturally embeddedness nature of scientific knowledge; and the role of human creativity and imagination in the development of scientific knowledge. Data on learners’ and teachers’ conceptions of the NOSI was obtained through; questionnaires, probes and interviews. Teacher instructional practices were determined using laboratory class observations, questionnaires, teacher and learner interviews, and analysis of instructional materials. The data was quantitatively analyzed using mainly, descriptive statistics, correlations, Regression Analysis and Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA). Qualitative data was analyzed using a combination of analytic induction and interpretive analysis. The results show that learners’ NOSI conceptions were inconsistent, fragmented and fluid, with the majority of the learners displaying naïve conceptions. Teachers were found to hold mixed NOSI conceptions ranging from static, empiricist-aligned to dynamic, constructivist-oriented. Teacher instructional practices were found to be a repertoire of contrasting methodological approaches lying along a continuum ranging from close-ended inquiry to open-ended inquiry. The study found the interactions between and among the investigated variables to be weak and not direct and simple, but complex and under the governance of a variety of factors in the instructional milieu. Curriculum and assessment demands were found to be major factors possibly responsible for weakening the interactions. For the investigated variables, it is posited that the interaction between variables is under the governance of both the context in which the instruction takes place and some factors already embedded in the teacher’s or learner’s conceptual ecology. Recommendations and implications for the practice of science education and future research are raised and discussed.Item A case study of South Africa's teachers' understandings of the nature of science and classroom instructional practices.(2011-05-27) Beauchamp, Nondyebo JuliaThis study investigated South Africa’s secondary school teachers’ understandings of the nature of science (NOS) in relation to their instructional practices. The participants were three Grade 10 Physical Science teachers conveniently selected from three schools in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Teacher understandings of the nature of science were elicited through semi-structured interviews. The core questions for the interviews were adapted from the Views of Nature of Science Questionnaire (VNOS) – Form C developed by Abd-El-Khalick, Lederman, Bell and Schwartz (2002). The nature of science tenets explored were: what is science?: the role and purpose of experiments in science: the difference between scientific theories and laws in science and how scientists settle scientific disputes. Teacher instructional practices were ascertained through semi-structured interviews and lesson observations. The results were analyzed using a combination of typological analysis and interpretive analysis. These results show that on the selected NOS tenets, the sampled teachers hold a mixture of naïve and sophisticated understandings. These understandings are, however, largely naïve. It was found that the teachers only teach about NOS implicitly. None of the teachers was found to explicitly teach about the NOS. It also came out that the teachers were experiencing difficulties in both interpreting and implementation of Learning Outcome 3 of South Africa’s new science curriculum. It is concluded that the interaction between teachers’ NOS understandings and their instructional practices occurs without the teachers being aware of it, i.e. unconsciously. Recommendations for teaching, curriculum implementation and future research are suggested.Item School leadership and teacher professional development in Lesotho : a case study of two secondary schools in Leribe District.(2010-03-04T08:57:19Z) Letsatsi, SetungoaneThis study investigates the role of leadership in teacher professional development in Lesotho high schools. The specific variables being investigated include teachers‟ perceptions of teacher professional development; their expectations as well as the principals‟ role in facilitating teacher professional development. Developments in leadership have led to changes in the ways teachers work. These have subsequently increased the need to review teacher professional development programmes as a means to enhance teachers‟ competences and to determine their appropriateness to their work Green (1999) in Blandford (2000) argues that professional development has now become a prerequisite to effective schools. In his view, effective schools don‟t just happen; they thrive because the people in them work hard to make them successful. Blandford (2000) emphasises this in stating that, “in order [for schools] to be effective, managers and teachers will need to engage in professional development.” One of the most influential links to accurate teacher professional development is the active involvement of principals in such initiatives. The objective of this research is to establish how the dual responsibility of the principal and the teachers manifests itself in professional development. So while, the principal is expected to take a lead role, both are expected to take an active part if professional development is to have any impact in their teaching and learning - the core business of schools. Even though, it is very important to know teachers‟ perceptions on the link between leadership and teacher professional development, this is one of the few researches carried out on how leadership contributes to teacher development, This research is iii therefore significant as it examines the voices of teachers on how leadership contributes to teacher professional development. In Lesotho, there is a problem of limited understanding of professional development by teachers and the schools in general. The research was conducted using qualitative methodology. It was based on a case study of two high schools in the Leribe district in Lesotho. Data was collected using questionnaires and follow up interviews which were administered to elicit responses from principals, deputy principals and teachers in both schools. The findings revealed a need for teachers in Lesotho to engage more in teacher professional development programmes so that they may have a better understanding of the concept. Their understanding at the time did not go beyond workshops or at the most induction programmes that are provided at the beginning of their careers. This study also demonstrated that teacher professional development should be core to the work of both the principals and teachers in order to create a learning environment in their schools where both can develop professionally. In addition to this, teachers should be encouraged to initiate some of the professional development activities that can only be accessed if they show willingness. This is consistent with Blandford (2000:4), who asserts that the effective management of professional development depends on individual enthusiasm, not compulsion, and on individuals prepared to take action in addressing their own professional needs. What also emerged as one of the key findings was that teachers felt that principals should take more responsibility in reinforcing the culture of professional development in schools. iv Based on the results obtained in this study, the results suggest that schools in Lesotho need more awareness in teacher professional development and how it is influenced by leadership. There is an overarching need for a properly functioning policy that would guide the implementation of teacher professional development activities both from outside and within the school.Item Lesotho junior secondary science teachers' perceptions and use of past examination papers in teaching.(2009-06-17T07:36:59Z) Majara, Sophia M.Literature has shown that assessment has various purposes in education, ranging from establishing the starting point, to monitoring and evaluation, while the role of assessment in supporting learning is yet to be explored. In this study I explore the influence of assessment on teaching in the Lesotho junior certificate science curriculum. I achieve this by exploring the nature tools of summative assessment, teachers’ views on these tools and how teachers engage the tools once they have served the summative assessment purpose. In exploring the nature of tools of assessment I conducted a documentary analysis of junior certificate science papers written over three years, and obtained teachers’ views on the papers and their uses through a questionnaire and a focus group interview. The study is predominantly qualitative and interpretive and is informed by three theories; curriculum theory; which explains the cyclic relationship of the curriculum elements, Bloom’s taxonomy which guides the drawing of educational objectives and construction of tools of assessment and social theories explaining reflection on and understanding of one’s social practices. Analysis of the past examination papers showed that they are relatively valid for the syllabus for which they are designed, though there are some discrepancies. Teachers find the questions in the examination papers appropriate for use in teaching, though they need to be simplified at times. The question papers also assess the understanding of science in the context of life around the learner. The uses to which teachers put past examination papers range from planning to testing and the most common uses are teaching and testing. According to the findings, past examination papers do have an influence on what teachers select for teaching and how they approach what they have selected. Further recommendations that I can make on the basis of this study are; that teachers can derive themes for action research from which they can build pedagogical content knowledge for various topics. Finally, they can also be used as a source of a variety of tasks for learners.