1,720,965 research outputs found
Communication used as an effective tool in principals’ instructional leadership in primary schools in Botswana
Full text linkAbstract: Instructional leadership is an interesting global phenomenon, researched by many scholars over several decades. The use or influence of communication in facilitating instructional leadership, however, has not received large scale attention or recognition. Although noteworthy research on the role of communication in instructional leadership has been made, a permanent solution to closing the gap in communication between school heads and their staff/stakeholders has not been sufficiently addressed in research...M.Ed. (Educational Leadership and Management
Teacher leadership : the advancement of teachers into leadership positions in primary schools
Full text linkAbstract: Most South African public schools operate using a hierarchal structure, adopting an autocratic leadership style that often hinders the development of teacher leadership within schools. Teachers, therefore, are often unaware of their leadership capabilities, which can influence the atmosphere of the school and, in turn, affect the learner achievement rate. When there is collaboration amongst staff and opportunities are made available to level one teachers, the culture of the school is influenced, and teachers find more satisfaction with their jobs, rather than becoming ‘burnt out’. The rationale for this study was to investigate the existence of leadership development opportunities for post level one teachers in primary schools. The development of teacher leadership in schools has the potential to improve learner achievement rates in the country. However, this can only be done if school management teams are willing to distribute/delegate responsibilities to post level one teachers in order for them to gain experience, as this is an essential requirement of teacher leadership. The researcher argues that more opportunities need to be given to teachers to lead in their classrooms, amongst their colleagues and in with regard to whole school development. Teacher leadership can occur formally and informally and must be supported so that teachers are developed holistically. A qualitative case study approach was used in this study. The researcher conducted the interviews telephonically with the six participants, consisting of two Heads of Department (HOD) and four post level one teachers, using semi-structured individual interviews, which were pilot tested with two participants who were not part of the main sample. Telephonic interviews were the preferred choice due to the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions imposed by the Government of South Africa. It was found that teachers in primary schools were, to some extent, practicing teacher leadership in their classrooms. This study resulted in three themes, which were named as follows: leadership styles and an understanding of teacher leadership that promote opportunities for leadership advancement; leadership development opportunities that exist for post level one teachers; and, lastly, challenges experienced by level one teachers when advancing to leadership positions. This study, therefore, recommends that teachers work towards capacitation in teacher leadership. This can be in the form iv of workshops, managed by school management teams. In addition, development programmes can be created and implemented to equip teachers with the skills to take on leadership roles within phases and schools. This initiative would improve the culture of the school and encourage collaboration amongst staff members. Another recommendation is for the DBE begin conducting large-scale workshops to create an awareness of the significance of teacher leadership. Teacher leadership can only be sustained if it is the result of a teacher-led, voluntary initiative. The workshops must be designed in a manner that will allow for level one teachers to gain exposure and information relating to teacher leadership and foster an understanding of the different roles of teacher leaders.M.Ed. (Educational Leadership and Management
How grade R teachers in the Oshana Region of Namibia approach literacy education
Full text linkM.Ed. (Childhood Education)Abstract: In my practice as education specialist for grade R, I have noticed that teachers find it both difficult to prepare and stimulate children for initial reading. I initiated the current study to investigate grade R classrooms in one region in Namibia, to get a closer look in order to find out what teachers say and what they do in their classrooms. I prepared the study from a dual theoretical perspective, because I was interested in both the approach to early literacy (or pre-literacy) pedagogy of the teachers, as well as their specific stage of development as early literacy education practitioners. To this end, I view teachers’ knowledge and practice of preparation for initial reading through a synthesis of two frames - Lev Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory or cultural-historical theory as it was originally known (Vygotsky, 1978, 1992), coupled with a teacher career path model of a teacher of reading (Snow, Griffin & Burns, 2005). I utilised this synthesis as a dual lens for a ‘gaze’ on grade R teachers’ in interaction with the children in their classes. Many scholars of teacher knowledge of reading pedagogy affirm that there is a void in grade R (and generally in early grades) teachers’ knowledge of what constitutes early literacy, even though teachers may practice some of its teaching techniques. Some researchers advocate for teachers’ knowledge of metalinguistic (or meta-pedagogical) knowledge, such as phonological and phonemic awareness as foundation for teaching skills of initial reading (Cunningham, Perry, Stanovich, Stanovich, 2004; Moats, 1994, Moats & Lyon, 1996). In this study I argue that teachers with sufficient pedagogical content knowledge (PCK, as first defined by Shulman, 1987) for initial literacy pedagogy are likely to make informed choices about pedagogy and assessment. In this case study (Henning Van Rensburg & Smith, 2004; Stake, 2005; Yin, 2009), the unit of analysis is teacher knowledge and practice of ‘pre-literacy’ skills pedagogy and overall PCK. The unit of sampling is 10 grade R teachers’ in the Oshana Region of Namibia. Interview and observation data were analysed, capturing teachers’ expressed knowledge and their actual literacy practices..
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Curriculum responses to community-based air pollution : an ethnographic study.
Full text linkThesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2007.The study aimed at exploring curriculum responses to community-based air pollution.
This was done through an analysis of educator and learner perceptions of community-based
air pollution and an examination of how the curriculum (teaching and learning
content) responds to local air pollution. The key forms of the study - (what are the
perceptions of educators and learners to community-based air pollution and how do
educators and learners respond to community-based air pollution within the formal
curriculum).
Ethnography as a qualitative methodology was adopted in the study. This methodological
tool created spaces to understand curriculum responsiveness in the context of wider social
and political power relations in the South Durban Basin. Ethnography suited the study
since it was a unique example of educators and learners in real situations and lived
experiences, and enabled a clearer understanding of the theory and praxis of curriculum.
The primary research methodology used in order to gather data to answer the research
questions was observation, participant observation and interviewing of educators and
learners. This study was conducted with educators and learners in the Further Education
and Training phase (Grade 10), within the Human and Social Sciences in the year 2006 .
Curriculum responses to community-based air pollution in Geography and Life
Orientation were investigated. Learners were traced from previous primary schools in the
area and who were in Grade 10.
It was found that all participants in the study were knowledgeable and well informed
about air pollution through consistent exposure to local air pollution. Collectively, they
presented a sense of enduring struggle against community-based air pollution. They have
been part of the struggle for clean air for many years and reside in the South Durban
Basin. Participants display perspicuity in respect of how air pollution infects and affects
them . Attempts at including community-based air pollution into the curriculum have been
sporadic and at times incidental from learners' point of view . On the other hand,
educators' responses were very constructive and established . Furthermore with reference
to curriculum response to the subjects Geography and Life Orientation, both educators
and learners responses were similar in that they displayed sophisticated accounts of
knowledge of community-based air pollution. There was a deep sense of understanding
of content and related to lived experiences.
It was also found that educators and learners choose to live optimistically amidst the air
pollution at Valley Secondary. Issues of class, poverty and powerlessness emerge from
the data - these govern the lives of educators and learners. Participants in the study
provided several motivations for Environmental Education to be included as a separate
subject for future curriculum initiatives by the Department of Education.
The recommendations included a strong need for responsive teaching to community-based
air pollution. Learners should also be guided on how they should handle air
pollution incidents. Recommendations in respect of re-organising the existent
Environmental Club at Valley Secondary School also emerged. There is a clear sense
that schools in the area should mobilise against the cooperate giants. Recommendations
were provided for Curriculum Planners , Policy, and Policy Makers at the level of the
Department of Education for the inclusion of Environmental Education as a separate
subject rather than a devolved input
The design and effective implementation of a financial school policy for school improvement.
Full text linkM.Ed.The design and implementation of a financial school policy is an important function of the School Governing Body. Although every public school designs a financial school policy, the success of managing the school’s finances effectively and efficiently is dependent on how the policy is implemented. The aim of this research was to investigate the role played by the School Governing Body (SGB) and the School Management Team (SMT) in the design and effective implementation of the financial school policy. The impact of the South African Schools Act together with the Norms and Standards for Funding on state funding, school fees and school fees exemptions were also explored. The functions of the SGB in respect of financial matters and the role played by the finance committee emphasizes the devolution of financial matters from the state to communities. By virtue of the Schools Act the principal is responsible for the professional management of the school and together with the SGB is directly responsible for the effective use of all funds belonging to the school. It is incumbent upon the SGB and the SMT to take accountability for all their financial activities by being transparent and responsible in the management of school funds. The design of a financial school policy and the effective implementation thereof will ensure school funds being managed effectively and efficiently. The quantitative research method was used to elicit the perceptions of SGBs, SMTs and educators with regards to the designing and implementing of the financial school policy. This research study was confined to primary and secondary schools in the district D9, D10, D11 and D12 areas of the Gauteng Province. A structured questionnaire was distributed to members of the SGB, SMT and educators in the above-mentioned districts. The empirical study resulted in mean scores of the thirty-two items ranging between 2,63 and 5,34. An analysis of the data revealed that the financial school policy is central to all financial activities in schools and it must be designed and implemented by all stakeholders.Prof. R. Mestr
Perceptions of teachers and school management teams of the leadership roles of public school principals
Full text linkOne of the reasons attributed to the continuous decline in student performance and low educational outcomes in public schools is the poor leadership displayed by many principals. Despite the fact that there are no stringent criteria for the appointment of school principals or prerequisite qualifications, principals do have the potential to lead and manage efficient and successful schools. In this paper, I argue that principals can develop exemplary leadership practices when subjected to sound training and professional development programmes. The Department of Education and Higher Education institutions have emphasised the importance of formal qualifications for enhancing career development programmes for practicing and aspiring principals in South Africa. Using questionnaires, I explore the perceptions of teachers and school management team (SMT) members of the leadership qualities exhibited by principals who acquired the professional qualification referred to as the Advanced Certificate in Education: School Leadership and Management (ACESLM). Findings revealed that leadership development for principals is crucial for school improvement because of active teaching and learning. Leadership capacity requires principals to participate with relevant stakeholders skilfully, and where there is high leadership capacity, instructional leadership develops into sound leadership practices.Keywords: effective leadership; instructional leadership; leadership practices; professional development; school improvement; school leadershi
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
An exploratory study of a professional development programme for school principals : implications for sustainable change in school leadership practices
Full text linkPh.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..
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