Masters Degrees (Education Policy Studies)
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- ItemBeginner-onderwyseresse ervaring van mentorskap en induksie in Wes-Kaap(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2024-03) Adams, Theo; Joorst, Jerome P.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Education Policy Studies.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study explored the experiences of novice teachers with induction and mentoring. A qualitative approach was used with data from semi-structured interviews. The study was conducted with participants working in primary schools under the control of the Western Cape Education Department. Participating teachers were purposefully selected based on specific criteria and a contribution to the enrichment of the research question. The New Teacher Induction (2020) regarding the induction of novice – teachers underpinned the study. An interpretative research perspective was used in the investigation. This approach focused on participants' experience and was the most appropriate for understanding their experience within their respective school settings. The data was analysed using Pierre Bourdieu, Tara Yosso and Stephen Ball's theories, bringing a dynamic view of the study findings. The most important finding was that novice teachers received minimal to no mentoring during their induction into the teaching profession. They crafted viable pathways for themselves to stay on track in their practical immersion into their school. Their search for growth opportunities and self-empowerment helped them navigate within the practice. Although the study was limited to only four novice teachers, the insights from the investigation can inform and motivate other novice teachers to successfully navigate their induction into the teaching profession if mentorship is unavailable in their schools.
- ItemThe role of school management teams in providing care and support to high school teachers(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2024-03) Muller, Carla; Feldman, Jennifer; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Education Policy Studies.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study explored the experiences of novice teachers with induction and mentoring. A qualitative approach was used with data from semi-structured interviews. The study was conducted with participants working in primary schools under the control of the Western Cape Education Department. Participating teachers were purposefully selected based on specific criteria and a contribution to the enrichment of the research question. The New Teacher Induction (2020) regarding the induction of novice – teachers underpinned the study. An interpretative research perspective was used in the investigation. This approach focused on participants' experience and was the most appropriate for understanding their experience within their respective school settings. The data was analysed using Pierre Bourdieu, Tara Yosso and Stephen Ball's theories, bringing a dynamic view of the study findings. The most important finding was that novice teachers received minimal to no mentoring during their induction into the teaching profession. They crafted viable pathways for themselves to stay on track in their practical immersion into their school. Their search for growth opportunities and self-empowerment helped them navigate within the practice. Although the study was limited to only four novice teachers, the insights from the investigation can inform and motivate other novice teachers to successfully navigate their induction into the teaching profession if mentorship is unavailable in their schools.
- ItemThe perceived roles and competencies for distance educators employed by a private higher education institution(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2023-12) Wiese, Sandra; Tshuma, Nompilo; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Education Policy Studies.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Education educators need to fulfil new roles and competencies as traditional teaching techniques cannot simply be transferred to the distance education environment. Educators need assistance in clarifying their new roles in order to address the challenges brought about by the differences between traditional learning environments and distance education. Numerous studies have been conducted on roles and competencies in distance education in the USA, Canada, Australia and India. In the South African context, such studies have been situated within the context of one public mega open distance learning university, namely the University of South Africa. To date, research regarding the roles of educators in private higher education institutions is limited. Therefore, the focus of this study was an attempt to fill the gap in the literature regarding the roles and competencies of private distance educators. The results will form the basis for the future development of a framework for academic staff development in private distance higher education. The study employed a survey design using a quantitative web-based questionnaire to gather data on the perceived roles and competencies of distance educators employed by a private higher education institution. The respondents were firstly required to indicate their perceived importance of the eight roles according to the Online Instructor Roles and Competencies which was developed by Martin et al. 2021, and, secondly, their perceived competency in each role. The study indicated that private distance education educators perceived all eight role categories as important and viewed their role competency in the following descending order: subject matter expert, course designer and developer, assessor/evaluator, advisor/mentor, course facilitator, technology expert, course manager, and lifelong learner. The respondents found the roles of advisor/mentor and course facilitator the most challenging. Respondents perceived the role of advisor or mentor as challenging mainly because advisors and mentors struggled to encourage students to engage with the resources and announcements on the Learning Management System. The findings in the study will be utilised to develop an induction programme covering the eight academic roles and addressing the challenges faced by distance educators who work online.
- ItemThe reflective account of the leadership and management practices of four primary school principals during the COVID-19 pandemic(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2023-12) Roberts, Jamie Jeanette; Feldman, Jennifer ; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Education Policy Studies.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study aimed to understand how school principals led and managed their schools during the 2020 and 2021 COVID-19 pandemic. It provides an in-depth interpretation and analysis utilising relevant literature and Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus and field to investigate the school principals’ leadership and management practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study followed a qualitative research method located in the interpretivism paradigm where the participants were purposefully selected. The principals selected to partake in the study were school leaders who led and managed their schools during the 2020/1 pandemic period. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews in the comfort of the school principal’s office. School principals are responsible for the schools’ daily functioning and were at the forefront of dealing with the pandemic crisis. The analysis of how principals led and managed their schools during the pandemic, within the diversity of their context, provides an understanding of the complexity of school leaders' leadership and management practices. The findings revealed that throughout the 2020 and 2021 pandemic, school principals led and managed their schools according to their previous educational and leadership and management experiences. Drawing on Bourdieu, the study shows how their previous experiences informed their dispositional ways of thinking and being which impacted their practices as leaders and managers during the pandemic conditions. Thus, the thesis responds to the main research question: What do the reflective accounts of four primary school principals in diverse contexts reveal about leading and managing a school during a crisis?
- ItemAn auto-ethnographical account of curriculum flexibility in primary school science in relation to CAPS policy(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2023-12) Tryon, Tania Adelle ; Jansen, Jonathan D. ; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Education Policy Studies.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study is an auto-ethnographical account of my experiences as a teacher teaching CAPS in a primary school science classroom. This study aimed to investigate whether, and if so, to what extent the CAPS curriculum limited my ability as a teacher to experience curriculum flexibility in terms of allowing me to adapt the curriculum content to suit the needs of learners in my class. Furthermore, what strategies and approaches have I put in place to address my challenges of curriculum flexibility in the CAPS curriculum? Data gathered for this study indicate that the strict adherence to the topic coverage timeframes outlined in the CAPS policy, a teacher’s autonomy to make decisions about the pace at which they teach content in accordance with learner needs, is restricted. The study also indicates that teacher subject knowledge and pedagogical skills are key factors determining the extent to which the teacher can create opportunities for curriculum flexibility within the CAPS curriculum. The study recommends that for teachers to experience curriculum flexibility within the CAPS curriculum requires a less stringent approach to the implementation of curriculum content, as the timeframes outlined in policy are not necessarily always in line with the needs of the learners in a class. Therefore, teachers should have the ability to adapt and adjust the pace of their teaching and the delivery of content to suit learners' needs and should not solely comply with policy guidelines and timeframes.