A contextual analysis of the implementation of a curriculum at a teacher education institution

Date
2023-12
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Publisher
Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch
Abstract
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study explored the presence or absence of a constructivist epistemology Namibia adopted to underlie her education system at all levels including teacher education. An epistemology is central in any study programme for it informs the teaching-learning views and actions. Conducted at University of Namibia’s satellite campus, the study sought the meaning and role accorded it in informing English teacher education instruction as well as the grounds established to enable its application. The thesis employed a case study along with the qualitative design entrenched in an interpretative constructivist worldview and engaged an analysis of leading policy texts on education to situate the written position of the epistemology as an underlying theory. To narrow the scope of the study, it embraced interactive semi-structured interviews with eleven senior student teachers and seven teacher educators from an area of English (with an exception) purposely selected to extract their experiences and views pertaining to a constructivist pedagogy centred on their academic involvement with its reception and application. Bernstein’s theory of pedagogical discourse and practice offered a framework for analysing the study’s outcomes.The outcomes of the study revealed an absence of an explicitly defined epistemology and a low status assigned to it in steering the educational practices. Data generated through documentary analysis unearthed incompatibility between basic education and teacher education policy documents, a development that culminated into incongruence, discord and contradiction. Similarly divergence emerged among teacher education programmes in their subscription to the underpinning theoretical framework. Similar revelations were also exposed by interview generated data. At the level of description, the findings indicated an aspiration towards a pedagogical organisation and progression featuring a weak framing over the governing rules concerning the interpersonal social relations of educators and students. The attempts to weakly frame the rules pertaining to selection, sequence and pace also existed. The success on these would have enabled students into the role of active participants with educators acting as facilitators. Contrarily the implementation level signified educators shifting into a dominant position of authority and control into the above rules turning the pedagogy towards teacher-centredness which dislodged students from the centre of the education to the periphery that fostered passivity and further bred the mechanistic view of education. Whilst this could be interpreted as of ensuing educator dominance into this pedagogical encounter they also became disempowered to guarantee instructional perspectives and approaches in line with the expected invisible pedagogy as they lost authority over the regulative rules concerning text, time and evaluative criteria that came to feature the pedagogical practices strongly. The effective and meaningful implementation of the envisioned epistemology became furthermore negatively impacted by the contextual classroom conditions not tuned into the grounds capable of enabling its smooth application.The study recommends a revamp of the epistemology’s current lower position in informing study programmes; an imminent overhaul of the disconnected approach out of which its current state ostensibly originated and the conceited efforts to address constraining structural and contextual factors perceived to impact its clearer meaning and comprehension and effective implementation.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek die teenwoordigheid of afwesigheid van ’n konstruktivistiese epistemologie wat Namibië aanvaar het as grondslag vir die land se opvoedingstelsel op alle vlakke, waaronder onderwyseropvoeding. ’n Epistemologie vorm die middelpunt van enige studieprogram aangesien dit die opvattings en aktiwiteite in verband met leer en onderrig ten grondslag lê. Die studie wat op die Universiteit van Namibië se satellietkampus uitgevoer is, was gerig op die betekenis en funksie wat daaraan toegeken is vir die onderrig van Engels-onderwyseropvoeding, asook die grondslae wat gelê is om die toepassing daarvan te verseker. Die tesis gebruik ’n gevallestudie tesame met die kwalitatiewe ontwerp wat in ’n interpretatiewe konstruktivistiese wêreldbeskouing verskans is en betrek ’n ontleding van toonaangewende opvoedingsbeleidtekste vir die kontekstualisering van die skriftelike status van die epistemologie as ’n onderliggende teorie. Ten einde die studie-omvang te beperk is daar doelbewus gebruik gemaak van interaktiewe semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude met elf senior studente-onderwysers en sewe onderwyser-opvoeders uit ’n vakgebied van Engels (met een uitsondering) wat doelbewus gekies vir die uitlig van hul ervarings van en sienings oor ’n konstruktivistiese pedagogie gerig op hul akademiese betrokkenheid by die ontvangs en toepassing daarvan. Bernstein se teorie oor die pedagogiese diskoers en praktyk het ’n raamwerk vir die ontleding van die studie-uitkomste voorsien, Die studie-uitkomste het die afwesigheid van ’n duidelik gedefinieerde epistemologie uitgewys, met ’n lae status wat daaraan toegeken is ten opsigte van rigtinggewing aan opvoedkundige praktyke. Data gegenereer deur dokumentêre ontleding het onversoenbaarheid tussen die beleidsdokumente oor basiese opvoeding en onderwyseropvoeding aan die lig gebring, wat inkongruensie, onenigheid en teenstrydigheid tot gevolg gehad het. Net so het afwyking by onderwyseropvoedingsprogramme voorgekom wat betref voldoening aan die onderliggende teoretiese raamwerk. Soortgelyke onthullings het ook via die onderhoudgegenereerde data aan die lig gekom. Op die vlak van beskrywing dui die bevindinge op ’n strewe na ’n pedagogiese organisasie en progressie, met swak beheer oor die geldende reëls rakende die interpersoonlike sosiale verhoudings van opvoeders en studente. Daar was swak beheerpogings ten opsigte van seleksie, volgorde en tempo. Indien dit suksesvol sou wees, sou studente die rol van aktiewe deelnemers kon inneem, met opvoeders wat as fasiliteerders optree. Daarteenoor het dit op implementeringsvlak duidelik geword dat opvoeders ’n dominante gesags- en beheerposisie inneem wat die voornoemde reëls betref, wat die pedagogie in die rigting van onderwysergesentreerdheid stuur. Dit verskuif studente uit die middelpunt van die opvoeding na die periferie en bevorder passiwiteit, wat die meganistiese siening van opvoeding onderskryf. Alhoewel dit geïnterpreteer kan word as daaropvolgende opvoederdominansie tydens die spesifieke pedagogiese ontmoeting, het die opvoeders ook ontmoedig geraak om onderrigperspektiewe en -benaderings in pas met die verwagte onsigbare pedagogie te lewer, terwyl hulle gesag verloor het wat betref die geldende reëls in verband met teks-, tyd- en evalueringskriteria, wat ’n belangrike rol in pedagogiese praktyke speel. Die effektiewe en betekenisvolle implementering van die voorgestelde epistemologie is verder negatief beïnvloed deur die kontekstuele klaskameromstandighede wat nie bevorderlik was vir die gladde toepassing van die grondslae wat dit ten grondslag lê nie. Die studie beveel aan dat die huidige laer posisie van die epistemologie wat studieprogramme onderlê, hersien word; ’n dringende verandering aan die onsamehangende benadering waaruit die huidige situasie skynbaar ontstaan het en die selfingenome pogings om die beperkende strukturele en kontekstuele faktore aan te pak wat duideliker betekenis en begrip, sowel as die effektiewe implementering daarvan, beïnvloed.
Isishwankathelo sesiXhosa: Olu phononongo luye lwaphengulula ubukho okanye ukungabikho kwe-ephistemoloji engokwakhayo eyathi yamkelwa yiNamibhiya ukuze ibe sisiseko senkqubo yayo yezemfundo kuwo onke amanqanaba kuquka nemfundo yootitshala. I-phistemoloji ibalulekile kuyo nayiphi na inkqubo yezifundo nanjengoko ixhobisa iimbono nezenzo zokufundisa nokufunda. Luqhtywa kwikhampasi yeYunivesithi yaseNamibhiya ekude, olu phononongo luye lwafuna intsingiselo nendima yayo ekuxhobiseni imiyalelo yokufundiswa kootitshala besiNgesi kwakunye nezizathu ezimiselweyo zokwenza ukusetyenziswa kwaloo miyalelo kube nokwenzeka. Le thisisi iye yasebenzisa imeko ephengululwayo kunye noyilo oluphanda umgangatho nolugxile kwimbonakalo engokuqonda ngokwakhayo yaza yabandakanya uhlalutyo lweetekisi zemigaqonkqubo ezihamba phambili nezimalunga nezemfundo ukuze ifumane okubhalwe phantsi ngale ephistemoloji njengethiyori esisiseko. Ukunciphisa ubumbaxa bolu phononongo, kuye kwaqhutywa udliwanondlebe olungokusebenzisana nolwakheke ngokungephi kunye nabafundi abafundela ubutitshala abangenzi nyaka wokuqala abalishumi elinanye nabahlohli abasixhenxe babafundi abafundela ubutitshala abasuka kummandla wesiNgesi (ngaphandle komnye) nabakhethwe ngenjongo ukuze kufunxwe amava neembono zabo ngokuphathelene nendlela yokufundisa engokwakhayo esesizikithini sokubandakanyeka kwabo gokwezemfundo nokuqondwa nokusetyenziswa kwayo. Ithiyori kaBernstein yeentetho nemisebenzi yeendlela zokufundisa iye yanikezela ngesikhokelo sokuhlalutya iziphumo zolu phononongo. Iziphumo zolu phononongo ziye zabonakalisa ukungabikho kwe-ephistemoloji ecaciswe ngokucace gca nesimo esisezantsi esinikiweyo ekuqhubeni imisebenzi yezemfundo. Idatha eqokelelwe ngohlalutyo lweedotyhumentari iye yaveza ukungahambisani ngokufanelekileyo phakathi kwemfundo esisiseko namaxwebhu emigaqonkqubo emfundo yobutitshala, uphuhlo olo luye lwakhokelela ekngahambelanini, kwimbambano nakungquzulwano. Ngokuyelelene noko ukwahlukana kuye kwavela phakathi weenkqubo zemfundo yootitshala ekusebenziseni kwazo isikhokelo seethiyori esisiseko. Ukuvela kwezinye izinto eziyelelene nezo kuya nako kananjalo kwabonakaliswa yidatha ethe yaqokelelwa kudliwanondlebe. Kwinqanaba lokuchazwa, okuthe kwafunyaniswa kuye kwabonakalisa ulangazelelo olusingisele ekwakhekeni .nokuqhubela kwikhondo lesikhokelo esibhetyebhetye phezu kwemigaqo elawulayo ngokuphathelene nobudlelwane baphakathi kwabntu ngokwasentlalweni phakathi kwabahlohli nabafundi Kuye kwabakho kananjalo nemigudu yokwenza izikhokelo ezibhetyebhetye ngokuphathelene nokukhethwa, ulandelelwano nesantya. Impumelelo kwezi ibinokwenza ukuba abafundi babe nako ukudlala indima yokuba ngabathathinxaxheba abakhutheleyo nalapho abahlohli besebenza njengabaququzeleli. Ngokuphikisanayo noko inqanaba lomiliselo liye labonakalisa abahlohli betshintshela kwimo eyongamelayo yokuba semagunyeni nakulawulo kule migaqo ilapha ngentla nto leyo ijike le ndlela yokufundisa iyise kwimeko apho ingabahlohli abasesizikithini baza abafundi bona basuswa esizikithini sezemfundo batyhalelwa emacaleni, oko kwaqinisa ukwehla kwenkuthalo kwaza ngaphezu koko kwadala imbonakalo yezemfundo engobuchwepheshe. Nangona oku kunokuqondwa njengokwenzeka kwemeko yokongamela kwabahlohli kule ndlela yokufundisa kodwa baye kananjalo baphulukana namandla okuqinisekisa iindlela zokubona izinto ngokwemiyalelo yokufundisa nangokuhambelana nale ndlela yokufundisa ingabonakaliyo nanjengoko bethe baphulukana namagunya olawulo lwemigaqo elawulayo ngokuphathelene netekisi, ixesha nekhrayitheriya evavanyayo ezithe zaqukwa ngamandla kwimisebenzi yeendlela zokufundisa. Umiliselo olusebenzayo nolunentsingiselo lwale ephistemoloji ifunekayo ithe nangakumbi yachaphazeleka kakubi ziimeko ngeemeko zakumagumbi okufundela ezingangqamenanga neziseko ezinako ukwenza kube lula ukusetyenziswa kwayo. Olu phononongo lucebisa ukuvuselelwa kwemo yangoku yale ephistemoloji esezantsi ekuxhobiseni iinkqubo zokufunda; ukuqalelwa okukhawulezileyo kwale ndlela ingaqhagamshelenanga nalapho ithe yavela khona le mo yayo yangoku nemigudu engokuzingca ukukhawulelana neempawu ezizithintelo ekwakhekeni nakwiimeko ngeemeko nezibonakala ziyichaphazela intsingiselo nokuqondwa kwayo nokumiliselwa kwayo ngokusebenzayo.
Description
Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2023.
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