Faculty of Education

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The vision of the Faculty of Education is to be "acknowledged and respected unequivocally as a leading and engaged research-driven education faculty". In line with this, we pride ourselves on playing a leading role in education, both locally and globally. Central to our vision is a commitment to engage with educational challenges, particularly in South Africa.

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2020-12-31 The role of student feedback in university teaching at a research-led university
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-12) Petersen, Melanie; Bitzer, Eli; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. Educational Psychology
ENGLISH ABSTRACT : Student feedback is widely accepted as a useful source of information about the quality of teaching and as a potential professional learning tool to enhance university teachers’ teaching. A review of the literature, however, revealed a shortage of systematic research about how student feedback influences university teachers’ teaching practices. A similar gap in knowledge was identified at Stellenbosch University. Preliminary studies at this institution indicated dissonance between university teachers’ perceptions of the potential value of student feedback and how they actually made use of student feedback in their teaching. In researchled university contexts, teaching is often perceived to have lower status than research. This study therefore set out to explore how university teachers at this particular research-led institution experienced the role of student feedback in their teaching. A case-study research design was followed, with the potential relationship between student feedback and university teaching practice at a research-led university constituting the unit of analysis. Qualitative data was generated by way of semistructured interviews with 16 purposely selected university teachers. Institutional policies relating to student feedback, teaching and learning and human resource management were also included as secondary sources of data to ascertain how university teachers’ experiences of student feedback related to institutional policy directives. Activity theory was used as analytical framework to interrogate the data. The findings of the study indicate that the research-led context at Stellenbosch University plays a significant role in how university teachers experience and respond to student feedback. The perceptions of research being more valued than teaching in terms of recognition and rewards, limits the optimal use of student feedback for the purpose of improving teaching. Raising the stature of teaching would thus be a necessary requirement for promoting the use of student feedback to improve teaching. Furthermore, the potential role of student feedback in university teaching practice at Stellenbosch is influenced by other subsystems, in particular the performance appraisal system. A concerted effort should be made at institutional level to come to a common understanding of what good teaching is considered to be. In the absence of such a common understanding, the growing culture of performativity has led to student feedback being reduced to a mere quantitative measure of the quality of teaching in many cases. Since mid-level university management carries the biggest responsibility for managing the performance appraisal processes in academic departments, they also exert a significant influence on how university teachers would use student feedback for professional learning and the enhancement of their teaching. The diverse practices followed by mid-level managers in the various academic departments represented in this study further pointed to the possible need for a guiding framework to support an ethics of practice approach to the use of student feedback. Based on its findings, this study is considered to have made a contribution to the body of knowledge regarding the contextual and relational nature of student feedback, particularly within a research-led university context.
'n Aangepaste bewustheidsprogram om fonologiese en fonemiese bewustheid in aanvangslees van graad 1 leerders in 'n taalarm omgewing te verbeter
(Stellenbosch University, 2015) Marthinussen, Patricia Joyce; Van der Merwe, Michele F.
Die rol van fonologiese en fonemiese bewustheid en die verstaan van letter-klankkorrespondering in aanvangslees in ’n graad 1-klas word in die artikel beklemtoon. Die vermoë van leerders om ouditiewe en visuele persepsies, asook onderskeidingsvermoë tussen klanke en klankpatrone te ontwikkel, word as voorspellers vir suksesvolle lees beskryf. Vroeë en deurlopende assessering van aanvangsleesvaardighede is ŉ belangrike aspek om die voorkoming van leesuitvalle te bewerkstellig. ‘n Intervensieprogram om die fonologiese en fonemiese bewustheid van leerders te verbeter, word beskryf. Die navorsingsmetodes, insluitende voor- en natoetse word beskryf. Navorsing is in ’n graad 1-klas uitgevoer met leerders wat geen graad R- onderrig ontvang het nie en op die ouderdom van 5½ jaar reeds by die skool ingeskryf is. Die leerders is jonk en ontvang nie genoegsame stimulering tuis nie. Hulle toon reeds agterstande in effektiewe taalgebruik en hoe om aandag te gee en te leer by skooltoetrede. Hierdie agterstande noop die navorser om te fokus op die fonologiese en fonemiese bewustheid in aanvangslees van die jong kind.
Aanpassing van wiskunde-onderrigpraktyk vir die integrasie van getalbegrip, wiskundige bewerkings en probleemoplossing vir verstandelik erg gestremde leerders
(2023-03 ) Cloete, Jevonn; Lampen, Erna; Basson, Magdalene; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Curriculum Studies.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study examines the mathematics teaching practice of severely intellectually disabled (SID) learners in the integration of mathematical operations, problem solving and number sense. The study was carried out in a special school for SID learners. Based on the data generated, a teaching intervention was designed and implemented. This investigation was undertaken against the background of a lack of methodological guidelines for the teaching of mathematical operations, problem solving and number sense in the new adapted curriculum for SID learners. Five other mathematics educators in the research school indicated that their choice of learning tasks only included number facts and arithmetic fluency. The methodological decisions of these educators also often seem to be influenced by the learners' need for individualised teaching. This realisation highlighted the need for alternative teaching to SID learners. The lived experiences of the ten learners involved in the investigation were subsequently included in mathematical problems to design context-rich tasks. This study followed a qualitative research approach. Empirical data were generated through action research which included three cycles. The research design and methodology are therefore based on the principles of action research. The data were collected in the following ways: semi-structured focus group interviews with five mathematics educators, two mathematics specialists and ten learners as well as field notes, a literature review, learner's written work and learner drawings. A literature review was conducted to obtain an educational approach as well as a theoretical framework for the study. This study is informed by the social constructivist framework of Vygotsky (1978) as an educational approach. Vygotsky's theory described the importance of social interactions. The problem-centred mathematics teaching approach of Murray, Olivier and Human (1998) in collaboration with the Stages of Early Computational Knowledge Framework of Wright (2006) were used as theoretical underpinnings for the partial planning of mathematics tasks for the teaching intervention. The study's findings were weighed against the main research as background. Three sub-research questions were used to answer the main research question. These questions brought forth findings that indicate which mathematical problem types, real-life contexts and teaching strategies can be developed in learning experiences for SID learners to intentionally integrate number sense and mathematical operations. The teaching intervention suggested adjustments to my teaching intervention and will continue to be used to adjust my mathematics teaching practice.
Aanvangsleesonderrig en die hersiene nasionale kurrikulumverklaring
(Stellenbosch University, 2002) Menkveld, Hannie
Sedert die begin van die twintigste eeu, toe onderrig deur medium van Afrikaans in Suid-Afrika ën aanvang geneem het, is verskeie aanvangsleesbenaderings vir leerders met Afrikaans as moedertaal, bekend gestel en in gebruik geneem. Een so ën benadering is die psigolinguistiese benadering wat in die sewentigerjare bekendheid begin verwerf het. Een van die psigolinguistiese benaderings, die geÔntegreerde benadering, is by uitstek geskik om binne uitkomsgebaseerde onderrig, die basis van die Hersiene Nasionale Kurrikulumverklaring, gebruik te word. In hierdie artikel word twee aanvangsleesmetodes wat gebaseer is op 'n geÔntegreerde benadering, die Oxford Storieboomreeks en Ster Stories, met mekaar vergelyk. Daar word veral gelet op hulle versoenbaarheid met leeruitkoms 3 en graad 1 se gepaardgaande assesseringsstandaarde soos vervat in die Hersiene Nasionale Kurrikulumverklaring (Kurrikulum 2005) wat in 2004 in die Grondslagfase in gebruik geneem gaan word (Departement van Onderwys 2002). Die menings van drie graad 1-onderwyseresse word ook by die bespreking betrek.
Die aanwending van 'n rekenaarsentrum ter bevordering van rekenaargeletterdheid in die primere skool
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 1995-03) Arangies, H. L. (Hendrickus Lourens); Blanckenberg, J. M.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Department of Educational Psychology.
AFRIKANSE OPSOMMING: Die rekenaar is 'n instrument wat stelselmatig besig is om 'n groter invloed op die lewe van elke mens uit te oefen. Waar sommige nog 'n vrees daarvoor het, is dit so 'n kragtige hulpmiddel dat opvoeders dit nie meer uit die skole kan hou nie. Soos elke ander nuwe onderwerp in die onderwys word die rol en plek van die rekenaar 'n strydpunt wat deur baie beredeneer word. Daar is diegene wat glo dat die koste daaraan verbonde nie die aankoop van rekenaars vir skole regverdig nie. Ander sien weer die rekenaar as 'n ekstra vak wat tot die kurrikulum toegevoeg word en oorbeklemtoon die gebruik en aanwending van die rekenaar. Die werkstuk kyk na die rol van die rekenaar ten einde rekenaargeletterdheid ender leerlinge te bewerkstellig. Dit word deurgaans egter beklemtoon dat rekenaargeletterdheid onder leerlinge bloot 'n middel tot 'n doel is. Daar sal verwys word na die eintlike rol van die rekenaar in die skool, naamlik die van 'n hulpmiddel vir probleemoplossing en toepassingsoefeninge. Die grootste gedeelte van die mensdom is bloot eindgebruikers van die rekenaar en as opvoeders is dit ons plig om hulle daarvoor voor te berei. Tesame hiermee ontwikkel die rekenaartegnologie teen so 'n snelle pas, dat die onderwyser nooit kan terugsit en dink dat sy werk afgehandel is nie. Dit is daarom noodsaaklik dat daar in die onderwys mense sal wees wat op die voorpunt van die tegnologiese verandering sal wees sodat die leerlinge die voordeel uit hierdie tegnologie sal trek. Dit is jammer dat hierdie onderwerp direk gekoppel is aan die beskikbaarheid van geld. Dit is sonder twyfel so dat Suid-Afrikaanse skole in die nabye toekoms baie deeglik sal moet besin oor die aanwending van fondse ten einde onderwys van 'n hoe standaard daar te stel. In hierdie proses is die integrering van die rekenaar ongelukkig een van die belangrike fasette wat moontlik in die slag sal bly weens meer primere behoeftes van die leerlingkorps van Suid-Afrika.
Die aard van jeugdiges se subjektiwiteite by 'n skool in 'n diverse plattelandse mynbou-omgewing
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2013-03) Groenewald, Emma; Fataar, Aslam; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Education Policy Studies.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to determine the nature of the youths` subjectivity at a school in a diverse rural mining environment. The study was done in an isolated rural mining environment. Space is an important point of departure and a thorough background of the contextual factors are given. The participants in this study are daily confronted with challenges such as long distances, poverty, unemployment and alcohol and substance abuse. Space, subjectivity and cultural capital are used to understand youth development and youth experience. The main premise of the study is that the environments of these youth greatly overlap. There is a dynamic relationship between their living and school environment. Distinctive processes, social networks, relationships and cultural groups are found in each of these environments. Another focus of this study was to determine how these young people bridge their different lived spaces, negotiate and adapt within these environments. Qualitative reseach methods were used in formal and informal interviews. Participants had the opportunity to present their experiences in storyline. A narrative-based, interpretive, -descriptive research paradigm was the most appropriate research method of capturing the wide variety of living experience. The study demonstrates how these youth are positioned within their environments in order to embody their space subjectivity. By making use of their own resources, networks and interactions, they navigate their overlapping spaces and thereby lead meaningful lives.
Die aard van leerderafwesigheid in ŉ plattelandse skool
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-12) Engelbrecht, Louisa; Dreyer, Lorna; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. Education Policy Studies
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : Leerderafwesigheid, wat ‘n komplekse probleem is in plattelandse skole, was die fokus vir ‘n intensiewe ondersoek. Hierdie ondersoek na leerderafwesigheid is ’n volgehoue proses om die voorkoms, simptome en karaktertrekke van leerders te verstaan. Ten spyte van die Departement van Basiese Onderwys se duidlike riglyne oor die belangrikheid van gereelde skoolbywoning wat ook die ouers, skool en leerders se verantwoordelikheid insluit, bly leerders nog steeds afwesig vanaf die skool. Die klem van hierdie studie het ook spesifiek geval op die sosio-ekonomiese en kulturele karaktereienskappe van die plattelande skool en die gemeenskap waar leerderafwesigheid die wesenlike probleem is. Hierdie plattelandse leerders en gemeenskappe ervaar verskeie uitdagings, soos byvoorbeeld leerderafwesigheid, lae akademiese uitslae en dissiplinêre probleme. Die basiese interpretatiewe kwalitatiewe navorsingsparadigma is gebruik binne die die bio-ekologiese teoretiese raamwerk. Doelbewuste steekproewe is gedoen by die skool en die data is by wyse van agt semi-gestruktureerde individuele onderhoude, een fokusgroeponderhoud en visuele tekeninge ingesamel. Die versamelde data is geanaliseer volgens die inhoudsanalise. Na aanleiding van die data-analise en kodering het daar vier hoof kategorieë na vore gekom. Die vier hoof kategorieë is eerstens, omgewings faktore wat die kind se woonbuurt, skool se ligging en dwelmafhanklikheid insluit; tweedens, persoonlike faktore wat die kind se ouers en portuurgroep insluit; derdens die gesinsuitdagings wat die gesins-dinamika en ekonomiese faktore insluit en laastens die skoolaangeleenthede, naamlik boelie, kurrikulum en ouerbetrokkendheid. Die bevindinge was dat leerderafwesigheid deur verskillende sisteme soos die gesin, skool en gemeenskap beïnvloed word. Die fisiese, ekonomiese en sosiaal-maat-skaplike kwessies waarbinne die kind funksioneer, speel ‘n deurslaggewende rol in die leerders wat probleme ervaar met leerderafwesigheid. Die plattelandse konteks, waar gesinne in armoede leef en op plase werk as seisoenwerkers, het ‘n groot impak op die leerders se belewenis van skoolbywoning.
Academic development : bridging at a South African University
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 1999-12) Troskie-de Bruin, Christel; Botha, H. L.; Cilliers, C. D.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Curriculum Studies.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this study two of the academic development initiatives of the University of Stellenbosch, namely the Gencor Bridging Programme (GBP) and the foundation programme (FP) were investigated. The GBP is a four-week bridging programme that is held annually during January, before the start of the academic year. The main purpose of this programme is to channel students into appropriate programmes. The FP forms part of the extended curriculum. Students who participate in the FP follow a programme that is extended over a longer period and provides additional support modules during the first year. A two-pronged research approach was followed, which consisted of both a quantitative and qualitative investigation. The purpose of the quantitative research was to investigate the influence of the GBP and FP on students' academic performance and persistence. A control group of mainstream students with a cultural and educational background similar to that of the GBP and/or FP participants was used during the quantitative investigation. The aim of the qualitative investigation was to establish how the GBP and FP are perceived by the students and to identify some of the factors that influence student performance both positively and negatively. The main findings of the quantitative research were that there was no consistent pattern in the fluctuation in students' academic performance at different year levels, and that the influence of the GBP and FP on students' persistence seemed to be positive during the first year, but the long-term influence on student performance could not be established with certainty. The main findings of the qualitative investigation were that students perceived both the GBP and the FP to be of greater social than academic value, and that students relied mainly on peers from their own cultural group for academic and emotional support.
An academic leadership model for transformation towards learning organisations in higher education
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 1998-12) Van der Westhuizen, Andre Jeanne; Kapp, C. A.; Bitzer, E. M.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Education Policy Studies.
ENGLISH SUMMARY: The pressures and demands for change and transformation are not bounded by national borders or geography and the complex challenges facing higher education call for a diversity of viewpoints and approaches. Institutional leadership must adjust to realize the full potential of institutions. Leaders will have to look beyond their own self - interest and meet the emotional needs of followers and find a radically new understanding of what it is to be effective. The study indicates that higher education institutions must have the will and the ability to adjust and respond to rapid change. It will be the responsibility of the leader(s) to define reality, to have an understanding of the past, the present and the future. Leading requires a refocusing of the mind, that includes fundamental beliefs, knows what it aspires to and where it is going to. Organisations have become so complicated that conditions must be created that are flexible enough that they can create a value system and learning culture that will inspire employees to participate enthusiastically, and at the same time enable and empower followers and individual leaders. However, before leaders can lead others, they must learn to lead themselves. Leaders have to understand that self - leadership is the power that drives new "boundaryless organizations." Such strategies help to create organisational culture where people value strong leadership and strive to create it. For higher education institutions to be able to survive the next millennium, they will have to strive for empowering their workforce and becoming learning organisations. Employees must experience the aliveness of a learning organisation, of something that has to do with the "whole"(Senge, 1990:339;371). The format of the study is that of a literature review of the leadership, transformation and learning organisations disciplines for the purpose to identify patterns and regularities to provide a systematic representation to be able to create a model. The model for academic leadership to accommodate change and transformation provides the institutional culture for leadership development and becoming learning organisations. The model gives a "(w)holistic" viewpoint on how leadership development in institutions can create the "space" to become, not only, learning organisations, but boundaryless organisations as well.
Academic literacy as a graduate attribute: implications for thinking about curriculum
(AFRICAN SUN MeDIA, 2011) Leibowitz, Brenda
INTRODUCTION: This chapter is set within the current focus on graduate attributes. These are qualities which students require in order to study at university, as well as and more typically, the attributes that students require in order to graduate as competent and meaningfully engaged members of society. The particular subset of attributes on which the chapter focuses covers approaches towards academic literacy, broadly understood as encompassing writing and reading, digital literacy and information literacy. I locate my understanding of academic literacy within what is broadly referred to as a ‘situated literacies’ approach and trace the implications of this approach for curriculum design and for research into the curriculum. In order to substantiate many of the claims in this chapter, I provide examples from various studies conducted while being involved in research and development work on language across the curriculum at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), and from research into language, biography and identity I have conducted while working at Stellenbosch University. I draw from the international literature, as well as from South African literature, which has its own trajectory and concern to respond to the educational, racial and linguistically saturated divisions and inequities of our past. This chapter makes a strong argument for an understanding of graduate attributes in general – and of academic literacy in particular – as practices deeply embedded in the disciplines. For pragmatic reasons, it might be necessary to provide for stand-alone approaches towards the facilitation of academic literacy amongst students. With regard to the broader concept of graduate attributes, I ask whether the kinds of attributes we expect from students, such as criticality or lifelong learning, should not be the subject of attention for educators themselves.
Academic literacy practices of African-language-speaking, first-year Private Law students at a multilingual university
(2020-02-26) Kese, Pamela Phumla; Van der Walt, Christa
Academic support and development at technical and vocational colleges in the Western-Cape
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 1996) Botha, Laetitia Mariette; Park, T.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Educational Psychology.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The general aims of the study were to assess the current status of academic support and development at technical and vocational colleges and to determine perceived medium-term and long-term needs. A literature study encompassing the context, approaches and applications of academic support in higher education was conducted. Two questionnaires, for principals and lecturers respectively, were designed to assess the institutional and didactic status of academic support and development. These questionnaires were used in an empirical survey in 18 technical and vocational colleges which fall under Western Cape Education Department. Thirteen (13) principles and 60 lecturers from 13 colleges responded. The data indicates that there is general consensus among principles and lecturers on the medium-term and long-term needs related to academic support and development.
Academics' conceptions and orientations of graduate attributes in applied design programmes at a university of technology
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2014-04) Bester, Marianne; Bitzer, E. M.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Curriculum Studies.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Based on a number of comprehensive international studies conducted in the past three decades as well as various other national surveys and reports, it is reasonable to argue that a focus on mere academic disciplinary knowledge is not sufficient to meet employers’ and students’ expectations about higher education studies. These studies support arguments of preparing students for today’s rapidly changing and highly competitive labour markets, for periods of unemployment in terms of economic downturn, and for lifelong learning. Moreover, the literature suggests that the so-called discrepancy between the needs of the world of work and those offered by higher education could possibly be addressed by placing a more pertinent focus on the development of graduate attributes. Despite the fact that graduate attributes have been the centre of discussion in many countries over a number of decades, literature indicates that the notion of graduate attributes is a complex concept that relates to issues such as employability, lifewide and lifelong learning, social responsibility and good citizenship, as well as others related to environmental consciousness and technological adeptness. This study is located within a constructivist-interprevist paradigm using a phenomenographic approach to investigate the qualitatively different ways in which academic staff members in five undergraduate Applied Design programmes at a University of Technology experience, conceptualise, perceive and understand the phenomenon of graduate attributes in the subjects they teach. The conceptual framework used in the study is based on the three domains of higher learning of the engaged curriculum model of Barnett and Coate (2005). For this study qualitative data was collected using multiple data collection methods, including curriculum document analysis, focus-group sessions and semi-structured interviews. The data analysis process consisted of seven stages of defining the categories of description that emerged from the qualitative data available to the researcher. This was an iterative process of discovery of which the categories of description were not based on predetermined classifications. A set of a limited number of hierarchically related categories of description emerged from this analysis. These categories of description, in conjunction with the relationships among the categories, constitute the outcome space of phenomenography. Based on the findings from the literature perspectives on graduate attributes and the empirical findings of the phenomenographic study a number of important issues can be highlighted. These include academics’ misconceptions of what is meant by graduate attributes as well as the interactions between their conceptions of graduate attributes and how they approach the development of graduate attributes through their teaching practice. The phenomenographic analysis indicates that if academics view graduate attributes as discrete, isolated units of learning that can be attached to an existing curriculum as a ‘quick-fix’ to address employers’ needs, they are likely to have a simplistic, technicist conception of curriculum and may adopt a transmission, teacher-centred approach to their teaching. Literature has revealed that such approaches negatively influence students’ learning experiences. As an alternative approach, an integrated capabilities framework is suggested to support the notion of graduate attributes as a complex, multi-dimensional and inter-related aspects of higher education.
Acquiring academic literacy : a case of first-year extended degree programme students at Stellenbosch University
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2008-03) Van Schalkwyk, Susan C.; Bitzer, E. M.; Van der Walt, C.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Curriculum Studies.
In this study the experiences of a group of first-year Extended Degree Programme (EDP) students were explored in order to obtain insight into their acquisition of academic literacy. The study was undertaken against the backdrop of a higher education sector that is facing an increasing influx of first-year students on the one hand, and poor retention rates on the other. In South Africa, where the opening up of access to higher education for all citizens has become a political imperative, the need to address the undesirable dropout rate is self-evident. Students’ poor performance at university is often linked to their under-preparedness for higher education studies, and an important aspect of such under-preparedness is their academic literacy. In this context academic literacy is seen as knowing how to speak and act within a particular discourse, and the reading and writing that occur within the discipline as tools through which to facilitate learning. While some students acquire academic literacy by virtue of their participation in the discourse community of the relevant discipline, this is not always so for students who are less prepared for higher education studies. In response to the disconcerting retention rates, higher education institutions have implemented academic support programmes to address the needs of students who enter university with poor school results. One such intervention at Stellenbosch University is the Extended Degree Programme in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, which makes provision for students to extend their first academic year over two years. Since 2006 EDP students have also been required to register for an academic literacy module and it is this group that comprises the focus of this study. Using a case study design, this qualitative, interpretive inquiry was characterized by multiple data collection methods. In this way qualitative data that pointed to the perceptions of the students and some of the lecturers who taught the EDP classes were generated via semi-structured interviews, focus group interviews, observation and content analysis. In addition, descriptive quantitative data was collected and this further contributed to generating the rich, in-depth data that characterize case study research. The analysis of the data was undertaken according to a three-tiered approach, in which the results of the empirical inquiry were first analysed per data source and then themes and trends across all the data sources were identified. Ultimately, these findings were interpreted according to an explanatory framework. The study highlights a number of important issues, key of which is that providing an academic literacy module for under-prepared students can facilitate the acquisition of academic literacy, particularly when such provision seeks to support the different discipline-based mainstream modules. Another important finding of the study emphasizes the extent to which institutional factors, such as increased student numbers, have placed pressure on university infrastructure and human resources. The impact of this situation filters down to the first-year classroom and negatively influences student learning. Finally, the results of the study question prevailing notions about under-prepared students as all of the students in the study, irrespective of their backgrounds and levels of sophistication, attested to the significant challenges that entry into the academic community posed for them. The findings of this study, while specific to the context in which it was undertaken, contribute to the growing body of knowledge in the field of academic development within higher education and the role of academic literacy in student learning.
Action research : a wonderfully uncomfortable mode of creating knowledge
(SUN MeDIA Bloemfontein, 2007) Beylefeld, Adriana; Bitzer, Eli; Hay, Henriette
Changed views on the nature and purpose of knowledge production provide the backdrop for the authors’ demonstration of the ways in which action research on the development of general skills transformed their values into a living theory. This paper recounts how action research was used to integrate general skills into a medical curriculum. It also presents evidence of the critical scrutiny to which the first author’s educational practice was subjected. The distinctive features of action research provide an analytical framework for arguing that an action researcher can produce useful knowledge and so certainly can have a “scientific message”.
An action research inquiry into outcomes-based education and training in an adult learning environment at the Forensic Science Laboratory
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2007-03) Naidoo, Jason; Kapp, C. A.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Curriculum Studies.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) is a component of the South African Police Service (SAPS). The Questioned Document Unit (QDU) is a section within the FSL. It has been practice in the QDU to recruit members of the SAPS for training as Questioned Document Examiners within the FSL. Although the SAPS has a policy on education, training and development, it is not applied. Even after the establishment of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) and the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), the QDU and the rest of the FSL continued their training practices at the workplace outside the outcomes-based paradigm. As part of standard practice, the FSL has taken content experts (forensic analysts) and turned them into trainers. These forensic experts had no training qualifications and little or no facilitation skills. Their knowledge of outcomes-based education (OBE) and adult learning was also either inadequate or non-existent. This shortcoming has influenced the quality of learning in this environment. In 2004 the Forensic Science Laboratory began to give some members an opportunity to be trained as trainers, assessors and moderators of learning. However, this has been a disjointed effort. Generally, learners have had to endure a frustrating period of more than four years of internal training before being certified as competent to act as examiners. Before 1994 the QDU employed mostly white personnel as examiners. Most black personnel still occupy the lower salary levels amongst examiners. There are no black trainers. At present (2006) in the FSL, the tendency is that white personnel hold senior positions and black personnel are juniors. There is covert racial tension among the members. In the QDU, the training manager has always been a trainer as well. In the training environment at the QDU there have been obvious problems, namely – 􀂾�� poor practice of OBE and adult learning; 􀂾�� relationship problems between trainer and learners; 􀂾�� distrust and a lack of communication and dialogue between trainer and learners; and 􀂾�� underlying racial tension. The action research process on which we (the learners, training manager and I) embarked was aimed at – 􀂾�� opening dialogue/communication between the training manager and learners; 􀂾�� increasing learner participation in the process; and 􀂾�� providing the opportunity for both the learners and the training manager to increase their knowledge of adult learning and OBE. We hoped that by making the entire action research process transparent we could create a platform for the learners and the training manager to build relationships in order to bring about an improvement in learning practice. We used an action research process that included participation by both the learners and the training manager. Change occurs within the action component of the action research process, while the research component is meant to generate knowledge. We used a cyclic method that entailed stages of planning, action, observation and reflection. Continuity was achieved by the reflection stage of one cycle informing the planning stage of the next. The action research process used in this setting has supported the existing theory and assumptions that adult learners want to participate, be involved in decision-making, and learn by doing. It has also shown that they are critically aware. The learning practice at the QDU has improved. The action research process that took place at the unit can serve as a powerful case study for trainers who endeavour to improve practice in other environments.
Adapting instruction to meet the individual needs of foundation phase readers and writers
(Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2011-03) Swart, Marika; Nathanson, Renee Riette; University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Curriculum Studies.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Current intervention programmes implemented in most Western Cape schools reflect the use of isolated item-based literacy teaching methods. However, the low literacy levels in the Western Cape primary grades do not indicate successful literacy learning. Therefore, this study seeks to implement alternative approaches to fostering literacy comprehension, such as socio-cognitive processing and constructivist approaches, which are more in line with current research than the traditional items based models of literacy instruction. The alternative, research-based methods were explored through the implementation of an individualized contingent literacy intervention with emergent literacy learners. The intervention took shape as a comparison between low progress learners, who participated in the literacy intervention lessons, and average progress learners, who did not participate in the literacy intervention lessons. The aim was to accelerate the low progress learners’ literacy learning so that they could reach the average-band performance of their classmates after 12 weeks in the intervention. Data were gathered by means of observations of learners and a Grade one teacher, an interview with the teacher and assessment results obtained in a pre-mid-post-test design. In order to triangulate the results of the intervention, both qualitative data and quantitative data were obtained and discussed. Based on qualitative data, the intervention lessons proved to be successful, because observations indicated positive change in the low progress learners’ reading and writing behaviours. Given the small sample size, the overall trend in the quantitative data supported the value of the intervention and indicated a need for extending the research beyond a pilot study. Further research using larger sample sizes is thus recommended. More research is also needed to obtain data on research-based interventions that are flexible enough to meet the diverse needs of learners from different cultural backgrounds.
Addressing dualisms in student perceptions of a historically white and black university in South Africa
(Taylor & Francis, 2016) Carolissen, Ronelle; Bozalek, Vivienne
Normative discourses about higher education institutions may perpetuate stereotypes about institutions. Few studies explore student perceptions of universities and how transformative pedagogical interventions in university classrooms may address institutional stereotypes. Using Plumwood’s notion of dualism, this qualitative study analyses unchallenged stereotypes about students’ own and another university during an inter-institutional collaborative research and teaching and learning project. The project was conducted over 3 years and 282 psychology, social work and occupational therapy students from a historically black and white institution in South Africa, participated in the study. Both black and white students from differently placed higher education institutions display prejudices and stereotypes of their own and other institutions, pointing to the internalization and pervasiveness of constructions and hegemonic discourses such as whiteness and classism. It is important to engage with subjugated student knowledges in the context of transformative pedagogical practices, to disrupt dominant views and cultivate processes of inclusion in higher education. Keywords: dualisms, higher education, inclusion, transformative pedagogies, South Africa.
Addressing the needs of commuter students : an evaluation of the amamaties hub at Stellenbosch University
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-03) Van Zyl, Benita; Fourie-Malherbe, M.; Dunn-Coetzee, M.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Curriculum Studies.
ENGLISH SUMMARY : Massification of higher education has led to increasing numbers of a diversity of students entering universities. At the same time financial constraints prohibit higher education institutions from providing sufficient student accommodation on campus. This results in growing numbers of commuter students with different needs and challenges. The residential education (ResEd) and cluster initiative at Stellenbosch University (SU) aim to address the needs of commuter students by providing a physical on-campus space (hub) for commuter students and by granting access for them to common areas in residence dining halls and study areas. The hub and cluster initiative aims to promote commuter student success and to enhance the social interaction among residential and commuter students in the co-curricular environment. It further seeks to create integrated learning communities that are commuter-friendly and promote active and collaborative academic and social activities outside the classroom. This initiative was implemented in 2008, and has not been evaluated before. This study used program evaluation to gain a better understanding of the cluster initiative and hub, and the extent to which it actually addresses the needs of commuter students. The following outcomes of the Logic Model were evaluated: to create spaces which would address the basic needs of commuter students (in terms of safety, meals, rest and relaxation); to create opportunities within the cluster for commuter and residence students to participate in learning communities (i.e. attend mentor and/or tutor sessions and form study groups); to make campus life more welcoming by creating spaces and opportunities where diverse commuter and residence students can socialize in the same community; to enhance the academic experience and academic success, especially that of commuter students. All the commuter and residential students in the amaMaties cluster during 2014 and 2015 were asked to participate in the study. A self-generated questionnaire was used for an electronic survey among the research participants. The questionnaire was completed by 331 students, of whom 126 were commuter students and 205 were residential students. Some of the findings of the study included that significant interaction between commuter and residential respondents occurred in the learning community of the hub, and although a gradual improvement of average percentages of commuter students occurred, graduation rates of residential students still exceeded those of commuter students, especially in the case of black and coloured students who live in residences. This study found that the hub and cluster contributed firstly to the positive experience and sense of belonging of commuter students. Secondly, it contributed to the spontaneous interaction across race and gender differences among commuter and residential students. Thirdly, an unexpected change in behaviour of residential students to open up previously exclusive spaces in residences occurred. Fourthly, both commuter and residential students experienced the space as a learning community that enhanced their student experience, and lastly the study provides guidelines to student affairs practitioners at other South African universities on how to better integrate commuter and residential students, leading to a stronger sense of belonging among commuter students.
Addressing the negative impact of consumerism on young people by (re)awakening their spirituality through sense of place
(HESA, 2018) Ontong, K.
Consumerism holds the view that personal wellbeing and happiness depend largely on the material goods a person can buy (Dwyer 2007). Advertising constantly bombards our youth with images of materially seductive things. The impression given is that the right consumer goods will lead to a fulfilled life. However, the life experience of most young people is in stark contrast with what they should want as advocated by the consumption norms of society. It is often these contrasts that lead to feelings of inadequacy, lack of desirability and an inability to recognise one’s own worth. I argue that one way of addressing these feelings among young people is by (re)awakening their spirituality, starting at school. However, spirituality in education is a potentially contentious area and educators tend to shy away from it (De Klerk-Luttig 2008). I therefore suggest a pedagogy of place with specific reference to sense of place, as an avenue for reawakening students’ spirituality. I draw on the works of spirituality by Kessler (2000) and Webster (2004) and sense of place (Ardoin, Shuh, and Gould 2012) to provide a renewed, integrated framework.

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