Walter Sisulu University
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Enhancing Teacher Support for the Effective Implementation of Inclusive Education: A Case of Selected Districts in South Africa
Get PDFThis study was conducted in three education districts of the Eastern Cape Province. This province has been characterised by a high failure rate in Grade 12 for many years now and it is known to be the poorest province. The South African Alternate Report (2015) found that learners with learning barriers were not reaching their full potential because of “poor curriculum delivery, unskilled educators, inflexible curriculum and the lack of commitment to inclusive education”. Equal Education (The Citizen, January, 2019) complains of a situation where 78% of Grade 4 learners in South African rural schools cannot read for meaning in any language. This is a serious situation as ‘weak foundation leads to weak academic outcomes in high school’. This study sought to ascertain the need to enhance teacher support in schools for the effective implementation of inclusive education. A qualitative research approach was used with a case study as the research design. In this study, 5 principals, 10 teachers (5 out of 10 teachers were SBST members and the other 5 class teachers), 7 DBST members (3 DCES, 3 LSFs and 1 Psychologist) and 5 local university representatives (3 HODs and 2 lecturers in the Faculty of Educational Sciences) were purposively selected. This study reveals that teaching and learning remains a challenge in diverse classes as teachers feel incapable of catering for educational needs of the heterogeneous mix of learners in their classes. Insufficient support provided to teachers for diverse classes negatively impacts on the quality of education delivered in the classroom. The researcher recommends that the Department of Basic Education should empower school principals and teachers so as to provide quality education in these diverse classes. It is also recommended that Higher Education Institutions should better prepare teacher trainees to be well equipped for diverse educational needs found in mainstream schools as well as teachers now in the field. Schools also need to be better resourced and class numbers reduced in order to alleviate teachers’ workload. The study concludes by suggesting that collaborative teacher informed workshops (CTIW) model in which content used in inclusive education workshops are informed by teachers. ii KEYWORDS: Teacher support, effective implementation, inclusive education, workload, workshops and quality education
The Impact of Curriculum Change on Grade 12 Business Studies Learners Academic Performance in the Mthatha District of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
Get PDFCurriculum change processes in South Africa have been effected since 1994 after the general elections. This was meant to deconstruct the apartheid education curriculum, which was biased against the black majority. A curriculum change strategy is meant to improve the education system. It is also traditional that teachers form an important component of any curriculum change process. In spite of this, teachers have never played a centre stage in any curriculum change process. This study had the objective of investigating the impact of curriculum change on the academic performance of Grade 12 Business Studies learners in the Mthatha Education district of the Eastern Cape Province. The researcher set out to collect data using stratified random sampling design where a school represented a stratum. Two research instruments were constructed for this study. The two instruments were: a questionnaire and an interview schedule. The participants to the two research instruments were selected by random procedure. A random number table was used to select the participants based on a properly laid down statistical mechanism. Ten high schools constituting of 100 Business Studies learners and ten Business Studies teachers were randomly selected to participate. The data were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively and later merged for common themes. The key findings were: curriculum change having influence on teachers’ and learners’ academic performance and improved availability of resources for teaching and learning. The findings also revealed factors that drive curriculum change and challenges facing curriculum change. Another key finding was the support by the majority of participants in favour of frequent curriculum reviews, an established positive attitude by teachers towards curriculum change and showing skills and sufficient knowledge in the cause of delivering of lessons. These were not influenced by the respondent’s age group. Finally, it was observed that there was dire need for frequent curriculum reviews and institution of learner-centeredness of classroom activities. The recommendations proffered included: Workshops for the professional development of teachers be on going, considering the inevitable continuous change. This should be boosted by incentives in the form of certificates or cash for workshop attendance. There should also be on-going post-training follow-ups and cluster visits by EDOs and Subject Advisors for guidance purposes: regular feedback helps teachers to effectively apply change because help is immediately available.Thesis (D.Ed) -- Faculty of Education Sciences, 201
Pentalogy of Cantrell with Total Ectopia Cordis and a Major Omphalocele—A Case Report
Get PDFAbstract: Ectopia cordis (EC) is a rare malformation due to failure of maturation of the midline mesodermal components of the chest and abdomen. It can be defined as 0.1% of congenital heart diseases, and it could present isolated or could belong to the spectrum of the Pentalogy of Cantrell (PoC), which is a rare congenital disorder first described in 1958 by Cantrell.We are reporting a rare case of total ectopia cordis, associated to a major omphalocele, total agenesis of the sternum, anterior diaphragmatic deficiency, absence of pericardium, and persistence of the Ductus arteriosus, making therefore these features compatible with a full spectrum of the Pentalogy of Cantrell, encouraging us to report this case
Antihypertensive effects of the hydroethanol extract of Senecio serratuloides DC in rats
No full textSenecio serratuloides DC is used in folk medicine for treating hypertension, skin disorders, internal and external sores, rashes, burns and wounds. This study aimed at investigating the antihypertensive effects of the hydroethanol extract of S. serratuloides (HESS) in N-Nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) induced hypertension in rats. Methods: Acute toxicity of HESS was first determined to provide guidance on doses to be used in this study. Lorke’s method was used to determine safety of the extract in mice. Female Wistar rats were treated orally once daily with L-NAME (40 mg/kg) for 4 weeks and then concomitantly with L-NAME (20 mg/kg) and plant extract (150 and 300 mg/kg), captopril (20 mg/kg) or saline as per assigned group for 2 weeks followed by a 2-week period of assigned treatments only. Blood pressure was monitored weekly. Lipid profile, nitric oxide, renin and angiotensin II concentrations were determined in serum while mineralocorticoid receptor concentration was quantified in the kidney homogenate. Nitric oxide (NO) concentration was determined in serum and cardiac histology performed. Results HESS was found to be non-toxic, having a LD50 greater than 5000 mg/kg. Blood pressure increased progressively in all animals from the second week of L-NAME treatment. HESS treatment significantly and dose-dependently lowered systolic blood pressure (p less 0.001), diastolic blood pressure (p less 0.01), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (p less 0.01) and triglycerides (p less 0.01). It significantly prevented L-NAME induced decrease in serum angiotensin II (p less 0.01), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (p less 0.001) and serum nitric oxide concentrations (p less 0.001). HESS also significantly (p less 0.01) prevented collagen deposition in cardiac tissue. Conclusion The hydro-ethanol extract of Senecio serratuloides showed antihypertensive, antihyperlipidemic and cardioprotective effects in rats thus confirming its usefulness in traditional antihypertensive therapy and potential for antihypertensive drug development
Hepatoprotective Effects of Fadogia ancylantha (Makoni Tea) on Ethanol-Induced Liver Damage in Wistar Rats
Get PDFDoes femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) cause less endothelial cell loss and corneal oedema than conventional cataract surgery with phacoemulsification?
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