407 research outputs found
Verbalization of L.N. Tolstoy's Ideas about School by Syntagmatic Relations of a Keyword
No full textThe work is devoted to the concept school in L.N. Tolstoy's pedagogical articles. In her research the author refers to the following statement: the information about reality conceptualization processes can be received through analysing syntagmatic relations between words. Lexical compatibility of the concept School in its usual use and in L.N. Tolstoy's texts is analyzed in the article. The results of the interpretation are compared, meanings and senses of concept important for L.N. Tolstoy are revealed
Vision as a guiding leadership strategy for school effectiveness
No full textMEd (Education Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom CampusEven though the Department of Education (DoE) has implemented various policies to establish school effectiveness, serious concerns have been raised about the effectiveness of South African schools. Schools are required to have a vision, mission and school development plan (SDP) in place to enhance effectiveness. Literature indicates that the implementation of the vision as a leadership strategy is the key factor to direct a school towards effectiveness. Therefore, in this study, the vision as a guiding leadership strategy to establish school effectiveness was investigated. A literature review was conducted to determine the importance of a vision as a leadership strategy in a school. Furthermore, the implementation of the vision, using the mission and SDP, was investigated in this study. The empirical investigation aimed to determine whether there was a difference in how often and to what extent SMT members and non-SMT members experienced the use of the vision as a leadership strategy. The researcher further enquired whether there was a difference between the biographical variables with regard to how often and to what extent the principals used the vision as a leadership strategy. A nonexperimental quantitative research design was used. The study was conducted within a post-positivist framework. The study was demarcated in the Matlosana area in the North West Province, where a convenience sampling method was used. For the purposes of this research, only primary and secondary schools with more than 500 learners were selected because these schools will have more than one SMT member. The sample included respondents from 61 schools that satisfied the criteria, but only 238 respondents from 51 schools filled in the questionnaire. A self-compiled structured questionnaire, comprising of 45 closed-ended questions, was used. Furthermore, the researcher made use of a four-point Likert scale as an ordinal scale, allowing respondents to rate the statement on a scale of 1-4, indicating the level to which they agree or disagree with the statement. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were confirmed in this study. The data were analysed through exploratory statistical techniques. In order to determine the experiences of SMT members and non-SMT members as well as the various biographical variables on the use of the vision as a leadership strategy, a factor analysis, Kaiser’s measure of sample adequacy (MSA), was used. Furthermore, Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were used to assure internal reliability of the constructs and were based on inter-item correlations. Practical significant differences were determined between the means of constructs for independent groups, using Cohen’s effect sizes (d). The literature review vis-à-vis the findings of this study revealed that a vision for a school plays an energetic and inspiring role to motivate stakeholders to improve the effectiveness of the school. The empirical investigation showed that SMT members and non-SMT members did not experience a difference on the use of the vision as a leadership strategy by the principal. In contrast, teachers from township schools and farm schools did perhaps not experience that the principals of their schools used the vision as a leadership strategy, as often and to the same extent, as those teachers from the inner-city schools. As the literature review indicated that the use of the vision as a leadership strategy improves school effectiveness, it is recommended that all principals should use the vision as a leadership strategy.Master
An exploratory study of a professional development programme for school principals : implications for sustainable change in school leadership practices
No full textPh.D. (Education)Abstract: This study was designed to explore professional leadership development by examining the Advanced Certificate in Education: School Leadership and Management (ACESLM), which is currently offered to school principals as a professional leadership development programme. Literature on leadership development highlights the importance of virtuous school leadership for effective schools. Principals, as leaders and managers can function in turbulent school environments if they are committed, dedicated, receive the appropriate training and development and remain efficacious in the execution of their work. In the 21st century, the top challenge for principals is to become leaders for learning. This is possible if principals are provided with the necessary skills, values and attitudes to manage the responsibilities associated with leading and managing schools. On an international level, many countries have leadership development programmes in place for both practicing and aspiring principals. The consideration of leadership development in the South African context has an important historical dimension, where the apartheid regime undermined principals in three core functions, namely budgetary authority or influence over the flow of resources such as textbooks in schools; influence over the hiring and firing of staff; and curriculum decision making powers. However, changing South Africa’s education and training system for school leadership is only possible if there is harmony between the vision for transformation and the day to day realities of principals leading and managing schools. Through leadership development programmes, principals are able to enhance their professional self-managed growth, they are able to encourage collaborative learning, and work within a continuum of personal and collective experience. Principals can also draw from effective school leadership practices to address essential questions concerning problems of practice relating to management and leadership issues as well as teaching and learning matters. In addition, leadership development programmes assist in addressing significant problems related to principal and teacher effectiveness and student learning, thereby improving schools and the district’s goal for overall school improvement and student learning. This investigation was framed within a pragmatic paradigm using a mixed methods research design. An exploratory sequential strategy was preferred where the qualitative phase of data collection and analysis of data preceded the quantitative phase. For the..
Peculiarities of Foreign Language Inclusions in L.N. Tolstoy’s “Mournful List of Mental Patients of the Yasnopolyansky Hospital”
No full textThe article is devoted to the study of L.N. Tolstoy’s multilingualism on the basis of unexplored from a scientific point of view “Mournful list…” The author of the article focuses on the peculiarities of the use, the meaning and the functions of foreign language inclusions in this work by Tolstoy. The article analyzes word formation, including the combination of different languages in phrases or words. In this regard, problems arise in identifying languages in foreign inclusions and choosing a translation based on authentic grammatical forms. The author of the article proposes possible solutions in each case. The appeal to manuscripts and various publications of the “Mournful list…” contribute to the restoration of the original spelling of some foreign language inclusions and the definition of the meaning nearest to the author’s intention. The research also appeals to the diaries of the writer and the memoirs of his family members. The ideological content of the “Mournful list…” is interconnected with the works of L.N. Tolstoy of the 1880s, which are identical in theme and problematic. Thus, the paper clearly shows the value of the “Mournful list…” not only for the biography, but also for the work of L.N. Tolstoy
SYMBOLISM OF THE COLOR NAMES IN THE STORY THE WALL BY L.N. ANDREYEV
No full textPurpose: this article is devoted to the linguocultural study of peculiarities of the of color terms functioningin the story The Wall by L.N. Andreyev. The author aims to identify the functions of coloration in the literary text, as well as their correlation with one of the symbolic groups that implement the opposition «life – death».
Methodology: in addition to the traditional descriptive and comparative methods, as well as elements of the component analysis, the method of linguoculturological interpretation was applied that allows to determine the correlation between language and culture in the implementation of the coloration functions in the work by Leonid Andreyev.
Results: it was found that color terms, functioning in the story The Wall by L.N. Andreyev carry a symbolic function as well as implement the opposition «life – death» within the symbolic opposition framework, the former being fundamental in both ethno-cultural and author’s artistic world view.
Practical implications: the results of this study can be usedat both the university and school while studying works by L.N. Andreyev, as well as performing integrative linguistic and cultural studies
L.N. Budagova and “Šrámkova Sobotka”
No full textThe study deals with the relationship between the leading representative of the Bohemian studies in Russia L.N. Budagová, D.Sc. (1932–2022) and the Czech town of Sobotka and to the local festival of language, speech and literature called Šrámek´s Sobotka (Šrámkova Sobotka). Based on an analysis of available sources and literature, it follows the core of the relationship defined by the years 1975–2022. Budagová got to know about the annual festival during an excursion and then she was invited to appear. Between the years 1977 and 2010, she prepared twelve lectures focused on the Czech and Russian literature, the Czech-Russian literary and cultural relations and Russian cultural realities. Her lectures and other texts about the festival are summarized in the book O literatuře and kultuře (Texty pro Šrámkovu Sobotku), published in 2012. Her next book written in Czech Z mého života s českou literaturou (Výbor z česky publikovaných prací) was published in 2021 thanks to a local initiative. It involves twenty works written between the years 1973 and 2020. Furthermore, the study deals with her articles published in the journal Zpravodaj Šrámkovy Sobotky and it analyses short articles, which were published about her there, as well. She received the Sobotka Town Award in 2012 (for a promotion of the town and the Czech culture). There is an entry regarding Budagova in the local lexicon Kdo je kdo v dějinách Sobotecka a Dolnobousovska (published in 2015). Moreover, the study includes basic information about the town and the festival for the better context and it incorporates memories of the author, as well
Die uitdagings wat vroue in bestuuren leierskapposisies aan primêre skole in die Ekurhuleni-streek ervaar
No full textM.Ed (Onderwysbestuur), North-West University, Potchefstroom CampusIn spite of the continued underrepresentation of women in management and leadership positions at primary schools in the Ekurhuleni region, some women do strive for these positions. Women face several internal and external challenges in reaching top positions. Their experiences and perceptions of leadership can be essential for understanding leadership from a female perspective. This study used four female primary school principals and three more participants at each school in management and leadership positions to determine how they achieved their positions, what challenges they had faced to achieve these and the c challenges they currently in these positions. In this research, a qualitative methodology embedded in the interpretative paradigm was used. The qualitative research strategy was phenomenological. Through the qualitative approach the researcher sought to investigate the personal experiences and views of female teachers in management and leadership positions. The method of data collection was individual semi-structured interviews based on the literature review. The interviews were recorded with an audio recorder and the reliability of the collected data was assured. The data were transcribed and analysed. The findings show that the so-called glass ceiling is an important issue because women need to work harder to get recognition in the workplace. The challenge of balancing work and family responsibilities influences the effective performance of the duties of women. A culture of discrimination and traditional myths regarding women occur as other challenges that women have to face. The findings show that gender inequality and leadership styles also hold challenges for women. It has been found that the women in leadership positions are very strong, dynamic women, who have worked hard to get where they are. There are women who do not want to hold management and leadership positions, but there are those who fight against all the challenges that arise to attain these positions. Women in management and leadership positions, especially the position of school principal, provide leadership and management in all areas of the school. This involves, among others, creating and supporting conditions in which high quality teaching and learning take place, promoting the highest possible standards of learner performance, promoting morale values and motivating the staff, promoting teamwork and creating opportunities for staff development.Master
Effective management of the Continuous Professional Development Program in selected schools in Oshana Education Region, Namibia
No full textMEd (Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom CampusContinuous professional development denotes the empowerment of teachers to execute their duties diligently, which has a ripple effect on learner performance. Highly equipped teachers enhance and guarantee the smooth academic progression of learners. The impact of continuous professional development on teacher performance has become an important issue considering their role in changing lives. In the study, the effective management of the Continuous Professional Development Programme was investigated in selected schools in the Oshana Education Region in Namibia. The programme was implemented in 2012 to mitigate the challenges teachers were facing in the execution of their duties. Since then, mixed opinions on the impact of the Continuous Professional Development Programme have been expressed. Some stakeholders postulate that the programme is a waste of money, while others appreciate and have confidence in it. The main purpose of the study was to ascertain how effective the management of the Continuous Professional Development Programme is. The case study approach was applied as a qualitative method. Four schools, four principals and twelve teachers were purposively selected for the study. The participants in the study were purposively selected from the four selected schools in the Oshana Education Region. The purposive sampling method was used since it allows the researcher to select participants who are information-rich regarding the matter under study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the participants to gather data. The data collected were analysed using content analysis and presented in the form of narratives and verbatim responses by the participants. The research findings reveal a positive relationship between continuous professional development and teacher performance. It could be noted that the Continuous Professional Development Programme equips teachers with confidence, motivation, dedication and commitment, strengthens teachers’ expertise, improves teacher performance and promotes lifelong learning. However, the effectiveness of the Continuous Professional Development Programme was found to be low due to challenges such as limited time, incompetence of principals, a lack of financial support, teachers’ lack of motivation and interest and teachers’ high workloads.
The following recommendations were made: improving school environmental factors; training principals as leaders; motivating teachers using non-financial rewards such as promotion and input in decision making; reconsidering teachers’ workload; and planning properly, both at school and at regional level.Master
Evaluation of frost heave in clay soils
No full textCopyright © 2021 The Author(s). Frost heaving in clayey soils with a low coefficient of permeability raises a lot of questions regarding the cryosuction, surface tension forces, and accompanying phase transfer of water. The freeze-thaw laboratory test results were considered in this work in terms of temperature and volumetric parameters change, dry density, and water mass transfer. The article presents a model for calculating the mass transfer of water (vapour) in the gas state under the influence of cryogenic forces. Findings include the improved understanding of the heat and mass transfer phenomenon during the unidirectional freezing of soils in an open system. Most of the tests for engineering properties registered a slight reduction in relation to strength, cohesion, and angle of internal friction. However, there was a significant increase in the coefficient of permeability after the freeze-thaw cycles with initially dense compacted soil samples, which was due to loosening and moistening of the soil samples during the heave at sub-zero temperatures. The conceptual model for frost heave in soils was developed based on the vapour mass transfer. There was presented algorithm of vapour flow calculation in unsaturated soils using fundamental thermodynamic equations
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