3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item Understanding oral hygiene knowledge and curriculum issues at training institutions in South Africa.(2015-05-07) Vergotine, GlynnisHigher Education is influenced by society and workplace demands, which affects the structure of curricula. The literature review exposed a lack of understanding of knowledge in the Oral Hygiene occupational field. This led to a call to understand which knowledge is most valued by the Oral Hygienist and how it affects professional development. This necessitated the examination of knowledge located in curricula. The aim of this study was to study the perceptions of South African Oral Hygiene lecturers and the organisation of knowledge in curricula, in order to learn about current attempts to professionalise the field. The study makes use of a qualitative descriptive design. The study population is based at two universities, consisted of full-time lecturers teaching Oral Hygiene. Data collection and analysis comprised three methods: semi-structured questionnaires to examine the lecturers’ perceptions about knowledge; curriculum analysis gathering information about the curricula making use of a knowledge type analysis tool developed from the conceptual framework; and examination question analysis to assess the recontextualisation of knowledge from concepts or everyday knowledge of practice. The results show a comparison of lecturers’ perceptions and the organisation of knowledge in the curriculum suggest that although it is clear that the lecturers aspire to professionalise the field, the curricula and their own research identities promote the preparation of practitioners with technical skills. This is shown (inter alia) in the following findings about both curricula: ‘clinical applied knowledge’ is highly valued (UNIV1-73% and UNIV2-53%) with a small amount of time spent on ‘pure’ knowledge (UNIV1-8% and UNIV2-12%). The point to be made here is, that an emphasis on ‘Clinical Applied knowledge’ suggests that a large amount of time is spent on covering procedures for practice, which in turn is an indication that the two curricula are inclined towards preparing students for an occupational model of practice. The lecturers’ research identity focuses on knowledge borrowed from clinical practice. Lecturers use a unifying concept for practice and believe they are experts in clinical teaching. In conclusion, examining South African lecturers’ current views of the Oral Hygiene knowledge base and studying its organisation within different curricula reveal that the knowledge most valued in the field is Clinical Applied knowledge with less emphasis on pure knowledge and knowledge applied from the sciences. This study highlights that lecturers aspire to professionalise the field, even though curricula promote the preparation of practitioners with technical skills.Item Caught in the "nest" : teachers' experiences of layered regulation of quality improvement : a case study of teachers working in five "achieving" public secondary schools in Gauteng.(2010-02-26T06:44:31Z) Cereseto, AntheaThis study investigates in what ways a relevant and reliable accountability system that supports and strengthens the professional responsibility of teachers could improve quality. The study explores three issues: why teachers believe their professionalism is under attack, what they believe can improve the quality of learning outcomes in their schools, and what model of teacher regulation emerges from their accounts. The study is conducted by means of a case study of five individual “quality teachers” and five focus groups of teachers from five diverse “achieving schools” in Gauteng, South Africa. The beliefs and experiences of these teachers are investigated by means of an interview using a semi-structured interview schedule, a written questionnaire and a drawing. The data is analysed using grounded theory analysis. The study finds that the teachers’ professional identity is fragile. There are factors operating mostly at the internal level of the school and at the level of teachers’ capacity that strengthen their professional identity but others, particularly from the external environment, tend to fragment it. The study finds that if teachers, who are embedded in a nest of contractual obligations, do not have capacity and the other layers of the nest do not support the teacher, neither the teacher nor the school can improve quality regardless of the amount of pressure placed on them. To deliver quality teachers require a balance between autonomy and control. This is best attained by ensuring that teachers’ internal capacity/accountability is aligned to external accountability demands. A teacher-centred model of accountability that recognises the moral obligation of all parties, understands that the teacher is at the centre of the process of quality education and consequently invests in building their instructional capacity, and ensures institutional alignment, emerges as an appropriate model for quality improvement. This model respects and strengthens the professionalism of teachers.Item The value of school-initiated professional development in South African schools: a case study of two schools in two Gauteng districts(2008-06-03T06:41:34Z) Ryan, Ellenore DinahThe purpose of this research report is to record and analyse the school initiation and implementation of Professional Development for teachers in South African schools. The literature review highlights a number of key terms, namely: professionalism, the status of teachers, teacher appraisal and accountability and instructional improvement. Two significant findings are 1) that teachers find that the new curriculum intensifies their work, leading to some form of de-professionalization, and 2) that teachers prefer professional development related to discipline and classroom management rather than instructional improvement.