3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item Investigating ways that 4th year Life Science preservice teachers demonstrate topic specific pedagogical content knowledge in the planning and teaching of their lessons(2020) Muvoti, Takudzwa ChantelleLiterature shows that teacher education programmes aim to equip teachers with not only strong content knowledge but also the capability to reason soundly about teaching (Shulman, 1987). This sound reasoning requires both a process of thinking about how the teaching will be enacted as well as a sufficient body of content knowledge and experience to draw from (Shulman, 1987). Pre-service teachers in their fourth year of study may not have a wealth of experience to draw from as part of their pedagogical reasoning but they have been sufficiently exposed to instruction that has equipped them with the ability to reason soundly about their teaching. A large part of this instruction has involved use of the Topic Specific Pedagogical Content Knowledge framework. The topic specific nature of PCK has been attested to in many empirical studies (Loughran, Berry, & Mulhall, 2004). This framework has been used as a tool to help pre-service teachers transform knowledge of specific topics, particularly in maths and physical science into instruction. This research is a case study that followed three PSTs as they planned and enacted three different Life Sciences topics over a period of three lessons, respectively. The study aimed to contribute to a larger study by investigating the extent to which and ways in which pre-service teachers, in their final year of study, made use of the TSPCK framework in the planning and teaching of Life Sciences lessons. More specifically, the study looked at how PSTs were reasoning about the transformation of specific topics in the subject whilst using the TSPCK framework as the basis for their reasoning. Methods of data collection included lesson plan documents, video and audio taped lesson observations and semi-structured video (and audio) stimulated recall (VSR) interviews. The necessity of the three data collection methods was not only for triangulation and validity purposes but also to bring out the elusive nature of both pedagogical reasoning and planned and enacted TSPCK. Findings indicate that indeed, PSTs use the TSPCK framework as the basis for their pedagogical reasoning and action however, between both planned and enacted lessons, the TSPCK components that manifested the most are learner prior knowledge, representations and conceptual teaching strategies. It was further shown that pre-service teachers lacked knowledge of some aspects of TSPCK components. That being said, instruction in teacher education programmes that develops pre-service teachers’ capabilities to plan and enact richly in their teaching of science topics remains a challenge (Mavhunga, 2014). It is hoped that this study brings out the effectiveness of the Life Sciences teacher training programme at a South African university, particularly by shedding light on the effectiveness of the TSPCK framework as a content knowledge transformation tool for Life Science teachers as well as its usefulness once teachers are out in the field. Recommendations for this study include a call to develop pedagogical transformation competence in PSTs as opposed to waiting for this competence to be gained with experienceItem Parental attitudes towards, and their understanding of, barriers to learning and development(2019) Singh, ReshmikaInclusive education, a system adopted in post-apartheid South Africa, is an education system which seeks to protect the rights of all learners, irrespective of the barriers to learning and development which they may be facing. It is based on the premise that all learners have the right to an education, and that the education system needs to ensure that they have the appropriate systems in place to ensure that this right is protected. Barriers to learning and development impedes the learning process, and they need to be addressed in order for the basic need of education to be met. One of the key stakeholders in overcoming barriers to learning and development, and ensuring the successful implementation of inclusive education, are parents. This exploratory and descriptive qualitative study aimed to explore the manner in which parents conceptualise barriers to learning and development, and their attitudes towards them. Seven parents participated in individual interviews, and the data from the interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Participants were parents of school-going children, who had placed their child in one specific mainstream school in Lenasia. The analysis of the interviews revealed that parents hold an overall positive view of inclusive education, but that this perception shifts to a more negative one in light of considering the impact it might have on their own children. Parents are also able to identify barriers to learning and development being faced by the general population of learners in South Africa; these included language and cultural barriers, socio-economic deprivation, transport barriers, as well as large classrooms, and a lack of discipline within classrooms. Most of the participants’ responses regarding the barriers to learning being faced by their own children related to barriers within the chosen school, such as teacher attitude and teacher competence, as well as a perceived lack of support from the school. Finally, parents regarded parental involvement as a central contributing factor to the successful education of their children.Item An analysis of the measurement of the progress in learning outcomes at country level: the case of South Africa(2017) Deliwe, Carol Oluyemi NugaThis study contributes to the literature on the development and implementation of sample-based systemic learning assessment programmes which are used to measure the progress in learning outcomes in schooling systems. The justification for focusing on sample-based assessment is for reasons of cost and the need for test-security – conditions which prevail in most developing countries. The study modifies and emphasises the technical aspects of an existing framework, which classifies assessment systems by levels of development. This modified framework and modified rubric arising from the framework are then used to analyse and evaluate the dimensions of enabling context, system alignment and assessment quality of South African learning assessment programmes intended to measure learning progress at country level. Programmes examined include the Annual National Assessment (ANA), the National School Certificate (NSC) and the Southern and Eastern African Consortium for Monitoring Education Quality (SACMEQ) programme. This study contributes to the body of knowledge on large scale learning assessment at country level. The specific research contribution of the study includes a modified framework and evaluation matrix for analysing educational assessment programmes for measuring learning progress at the country level. The second research contribution is a detailed and updated chronology and profile of these programmes in South Africa. The research and policy implications of the findings of the study include detailed technical specifications for strengthening the measurement of the progress of learning at the country level, drawing on best practice and lessons learned from South Africa’s rich and varied participation in learning assessment programmes.Item The township schools foundation phase teachers' experiences in the implementation of CAPS(2016) Magagula, Sihle Wendy.The purpose of the study was to explore the township schools foundation phase teachers' experiences in the implementation of CAPS with regard to curriculum implementation and how their knowledge and experiences influence the implementation of the curriculum. The literature review provides insights into the current practices regarding CAPS in the foundation phase in South African primary schools comparatively throughout the world. A qualitative case study research was adopted for this study and semistructured interviews. The findings highlight that although teachers experienced challenges in implementing CAPS, they acknowledge the benefits of previous workshops. The article recommends that curriculum designers and the Department of Education need to urgently review CAPS. It has been emphasised that teachers need to be actively involved during the review process. Amongst all the requirements for curriculum implementation, teachers need to be constantly monitored and supported to ensure the quality of teaching and learning.Item Trends in learning styles amongst black and white South African learners in a multicultural classroom(2014-05-19) Levinrad, LanceThere is a growing body of literature supporting the importance of recognising individual learning styles and teaching styles. Using More's model, this study explored the prevalence of learning style profi'es amongst different racial groups within multicultural South African classrooms. Seven teachers at two multiracial, English medium schools completed the More Learning Style Inventory for 38 white learners and 30 black learners with a mean age of 11.4 years. In addition, each teacher completed the More Teaching Style Inventory. The findings suggested that learners from different racial groups showed a preference on certain learning style dimensions. In particular, white and black learners were found to differ significantly on the Global-Analytic and the Trial & feedback- Reflective dimensions. Furthermore, an investigation of teaching styles supported mismatches between teachers’ teaching style and learners’ learning style, especially where learning style differences emerged. This study highlights the possible usefulness of learning style research for addressing the challenges faced by teachers in facilitating racial integration in classrooms.Item Teaching styles and pupil progress: a South African case study.(2011-11-29) Dachs, Terence EdwardAbstract could not load on D Space.