1,720,958 research outputs found
Exploring teachers’ experiences of teaching reading in the Foundation Phase classrooms
No full textThe aim of this study was to explore teachers' experiences of teaching reading in Foundation Phase classrooms in terms of understanding their applications of strategies towards the successful teaching of reading. A qualitative research methodology was adopted in a case study design. Data was generated using semi-structured interviews and classroom observations. Teaching reading has been an ongoing challenge in Foundation Phase classrooms. The research study focused on three schools from different settlement areas in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. These findings revealed that teachers' classroom practice was not consistent with current best practice and the modern theories of teaching reading. This factor negatively affects their expertise in teaching reading using the CAPS (2011) recommended reading methodologies in general. The challenges faced by applying different reading methodologies might be the reason for learners' inability to achieve successful reading outcomes in the Foundation Phase classrooms
The impact of Grade R readiness on Grade one teaching
Full text linkGrade R readiness development is an ongoing challenge in the Foundation Phase in
South Africa. In response to this issue, the overarching aim of the study was to
investigate the impact of Grade R readiness on Grade One teaching and to understand
the skills, strategies and methods Grade R teachers use to develop readiness. To
further the aim of the study, a qualitative research design and methodology were
employed in a cross-sectional case study design. The study drew on Bronfenbrenner’s
ecological systems theory to explore the perspectives of four Grade R teachers from
two different settlements in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. This framework
allowed the researcher to unpack and explore the multi-level development processes
related to Grade R readiness, how learners interact within the different systems, their
understanding of and physical being in their environment and how it impacts on the
context. Data were generated using semi-structured interviews, observation and
document analysis. The findings revealed that the two schools developed readiness;
however, their understanding of how readiness is developed and the skills and
strategies they used to develop readiness in Grade R classes differed. The teachers
still encountered challenges, including a lack of infrastructure that would have allowed
them to lay out all the learning areas prescribed in the DBE's Resource Kit, which
provides relevant teaching aids for learners to use in the different learning areas to
develop holistically. Fully equipped playgrounds would ensure that teachers are able
to assess the development of learners’ readiness holistically during outdoor activities.
Therefore, the DBE should review its policies as there are setbacks concerning
practice and implementation in schools. It is recommended that the DBE revisits the
following issues: the no-repeat policy at the Grade R level; the policy on admission of
undocumented learners; building Grade R centres equipped with indoor and outdoor
learning resources; and the employment of qualified Grade R teachers.D. Phil. (Early Childhood Education)Early Childhood Educatio
Grade R Teachers’ Experience in Preparing Grade R Readiness: How Grade R Readiness Impacts Grade One Teaching
Full text linkThe development of Grade R readiness in South Africa's Foundation Phase presents ongoing challenges that significantly impact Grade One teaching. This study sought to investigate how Grade R readiness influences Grade One instruction, focusing on the methods, skills, and strategies employed by Grade R teachers and their subsequent effects. To conduct this investigation, the study adopted a qualitative research design with a cross-sectional case study format, utilising Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory. This theoretical framework provided a comprehensive approach to exploring the multi-level developmental processes related to Grade R readiness. Specifically, it examined how learners interact within various systems, their understanding and physical engagement with their environment, and how these factors influence the educational context. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, observation, and document analysis. The findings indicated that, while both schools developed readiness, their understanding of how readiness is developed, and the approaches used in Grade R classes differed. Additionally, the study highlighted those policies from the Department of Basic Education often created setbacks in practice and implementation within schools. These policies tended to lack clarity or support for effective application, thereby hindering the development of a cohesive and comprehensive approach to Grade R readiness
Teaching Methods to Support the Teaching of Reading in the Foundation Phase Class: A Case Study of Schools around Capricorn South District, Limpopo, South Africa
Full text linkThe purpose of this study was to investigate how instructors experienced teaching reading in Foundation Phase classrooms and how they applied various tactics to make reading instruction successful. In a case study design, a qualitative research methodology was used. Six educators from three distinct schools made up the sample: two were Foundation Phase specialists, two had never participated in in-service training, and two are from former Model C schools. Semi-structured interviews and in-class observations were used to gather data. The semi-structured interviews' raw recorded data was first converted into written language, after which initial codes were assigned to each category of data. These results showed that teachers' methods in the classroom did not align with contemporary theories and best practices for teaching reading. Their proficiency in teaching reading utilising the CAPS-recommended reading approaches generally is adversely affected by this aspect. Learners' failure to meet satisfactory reading outcomes in Foundation Phase classrooms may be due to the difficulties in implementing various reading approaches
Teachers’ Experiences on the Implementation of COVID-19 Protocols Amidst the Pandemic in Mmashadi Circuit of the Sekhukhune District
Full text linkThe global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic extended to the education sector in South Africa, prompting the implementation of preventative measures by the National Coronavirus Command Council. These COVID-19 protocols included the wearing of face masks or face shields, ensuring maximum ventilation, washing of hands, and school attendance routines to deal with overcrowded classrooms, among others. This study aimed to delve into the implementation of COVID-19 protocols in schools, focusing on the strategies utilised and the challenges teachers encountered. Employing a qualitative research methodology within a case study framework, the study involved eight teachers (five male and three female) from four schools in the Sekhukhune District, selected through purposive sampling. Data were elicited through semi-structured interviews to gain a thorough understanding of the phenomenon and coded for anonymity purposes. Aligned with the goal of the study, thematic data analysis was adopted for analysing the data. The findings revealed that teachers faced significant challenges in balancing their responsibilities in implementing COVID-19 protocols alongside making up for lost teaching time. However, alternative strategies were employed by teachers to mitigate this loss including the deployment of assistant teachers to support protocol and assist students with homework, additional security personnel to help guard and control unnecessary school visits, and for teachers to provide supplementary notes and embark on online learning. Recommendations include the increased deployment of support personnel, increased community involvement, training teachers to use online learning platforms, and for the Department of Basic Education to develop a guidance sheet to assist teachers in navigating the challenges of teaching during a pandemic
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
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
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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