The influence of grade 3 teachers’ self-efficacy on the teaching of isixhosa home language reading-comprehension: recommendations for an indigenous mother-tongue based teaching framework
- Authors: Makeleni, Sive
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Reading comprehension Xhosa language -- Study and teaching
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Education)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/16632 , vital:40738
- Description: This thesis aimed to examine the extent to which Grade 3 teachers’ self-efficacy influence the teaching of IsiXhosa Home Language reading comprehension. The study was conducted in the Buffalo City Metro Education District, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Social Cognitive theory was adopted as a theoretical framework for this study. The study employed a mixed methods approach, wherein qualitative and quantitative data were collected. Concurrent triangulation was adopted as a research design. In the quantitative phase one hundred and twelve (112) Grade 3 teachers participated through filling in questionnaires. Whilst, in the qualitative phase six (6) teachers were interviewed. Quantitative data was analysed through using descriptive/inferential statistics for the appropriate variables of data, and QUAL analysis of data, using thematic analysis related to the relevant narrative data. The findings both quantitative and qualitative reveal that the teachers spend most of their time in teaching phonics, phonemic awareness and vocabulary and less time on teaching reading comprehension. The teachers feel that the prescribed Curriculum and Policy Statement that does not accommodate indigeneity and languageness of IsiXhosa Language suppresses their innovativeness and creativeness in teaching IsiXhosa Home Language reading comprehension. The teachers highlighted the orthographic uniqueness of IsiXhosa language as one of the gaps in the curriculum. The majority of the teachers believe that Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement IsiXhosa Home Language Foundation Phase (CAPS), is back-translated from another language. Hence, the teachers feel unease to implement the curriculum as it is. Such conceptual gaps identified, negatively affected the teachers’ self-efficacy in teaching IsiXhosa Home Language reading comprehension. Also revealing in the findings are the teachers’ use of assessment as a mere compliance strategy. The findings also reveal that the teachers’ self-efficacy is affected by contextual factors. The study therefore recommends a decolonised IsiXhosa-sensitive Curriculum and Policy Statement that reflects the indigeneity and the languageness of IsiXhosa. The study further recommends an indigenous mother -tongue based framework of teaching IsiXhosa Home Language in the Foundation Phase
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- Date Issued: 2019
Home activities promoting mathematical skills in foundation phase : a case study of grandmother-headed households
- Authors: Hlungulu, Nolukholo Faith
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Home and school -- South Africa -- Case studies Education -- Parent participation -- South Africa -- Case studies Education, Elementary -- South Africa -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/4926 , vital:28796
- Description: Recent factors identified as contributory to poor mathematics performance in South Africa include lack of parental involvement coupled by the divorce of mathematics education to children’s everyday lives. This exploratory study, therefore focused on home activities grandmothers engage their Grade 2 grandchildren that may promote mathematical skills of Foundation Phase learners. This study followed a qualitative, interpretive and case study research design, to explore home activities grandmothers engage their Grade 2 grandchildren that may promote mathematical skills of Foundation Phase learners. A small scale study of six grandmothers and three Grade 2 teachers were sampled through purposive and snowball sampling. In line with the protocol of the case study, semi-structured individual face to face interviews and shadowing were used to collect data. One striking feature of the main findings was the diversity mathematics applications home activities contained. These include physical, financial and fun playful home activities. Data also revealed that these home activities could reinforce numbers and what numbers mean; reinforce shape recognition and spatial relationships; complement matching, classification and sorting and reinforce measuring and time. This implies that curriculum must incorporate children’s social capital. Both teachers and grandmothers acknowledged that children’s mathematics education is complex and an effective partnership between grandmothers and teachers is needed if children are to be competent in mathematics.
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- Date Issued: 2017
Foundation phase male student-teacher’s experiences during teaching practice: implications for initial teacher training
- Authors: Makeleni, Sive
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Student teaching -- South Africa Teachers -- Training of -- South Africa Teaching -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , Degree
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/4780 , vital:28519
- Description: The aim of this study was to explore experiences of Foundation Phase male student teachers during teaching practice. Four Bachelor of Education Foundation Phase male student-teachers were selected for the purpose of this study. Venturing of males in Foundation Phase specialisation is phenomenon. Foundation Phase has been viewed as a female territory for many years. As a result, there are few males teaching in FP. The study employed the qualitative approach as a suitable approach. As the study sought to explore experiences, a phenomenological design was followed. In a true phenomenological design, unstructured interviews and personal diaries are used for data collection. In this study data were collected through unstructured interviews and personal diaries of the participants. I employed interpretivism as a research paradigm.
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- Date Issued: 2016
Perspectives of Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) students on the effectiveness of school based mentoring
- Authors: Baartman, Nomakhaya
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Mentoring in education -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Teachers -- In-service training -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Student teachers -- Supervision of -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/5641 , vital:29354
- Description: Effective mentoring is essential for the development of student-teachers. A sequential explanatory mixed method study was conducted in order to analyse the perspectives of Post Graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) students on the effectiveness of school based mentoring. Thirty-six (36) PGCE students from a higher education institution in the Eastern Cape participated in this study. Firstly, quantitative questionnaires were used to gather data from all the participants followed by qualitative semi–structured interviews from a purposive sample of five (5) participants in order to enrich the study. This study analysed PGCE students’ perspectives of mentor teacher practices. In doing so the study evoked Hudson and Peards’ Five Factor Mentoring Model. This model includes Personal Attributes, Systems Requirements, Pedagogical Knowledge, Modelling and Feedback. From the findings, PGCE students reported that Teaching Practice (TP) is a stressful period full of anxieties, excitement and fears, hence they need to be guided and supported by knowledgeable and specialist teachers (mentors). Mentors play a significant role in supporting and guiding student-teachers during TP. From the analysis of PGCE students’ perspectives, the research suggested that those who were supported and guided by their mentors experienced positive mentoring during TP. Those who experienced negative mentoring reported limited time for mentoring and unavailability of the mentors as the causes. They further expressed that they wished mentors were understanding, good models who treated them as teacher candidates not as students and gave them constructive feedback. Finally, they indicated that the partnership between host schools and the university needs to be improved.
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- Date Issued: 2016
Assessing the preparation, induction and professional development experiences of teacher educators in Botswana and South Africa: recommendations for an andragogically based model
- Authors: Kasozi, Joseph Amooti https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0978-2171
- Date: 2015-01
- Subjects: Teachers -- In-service training , Teachers -- Training of -- South Africa , Education -- Botswana
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/24643 , vital:63388
- Description: Research evidence points to the fact that in most countries teacher educators enter the field of teacher education with little or no preparation (Abell, 1997;Ntoyi≤fuka, 2001; Robinson & Macmillan, 2006; Snoek, Swennen and van der Klink, 2009). Yet, it is argued that the teacher is the single most important factor determining the achievement of learners and the quality of education (UNESCO, 2008; Snoek, Swennen and van der Klink, 2009; Smith, 2010). Sadly, however, most countries and teacher education institutions have paid little or no attention to the preparation, induction and professional development of those who train these teachers, that is, the teacher of the teachers or the teacher educators (Martinez, 2008; Santoro, Mayer, Mitchell, & White, 2009; European Commission, 2010; van Velzen, van der Klink, Swennen, Yaffe, 2010). This situation probably arises from the general belief that good school teachers are good teacher educators and therefore there is no need to worry about their preparation, induction and professional development. This is the basis upon which this research is premised. A mixed methods approach was used to research the following questions: • How are teacher educators in Botswana and South Africa inducted and developed as teachers of adults? • How do the teacher educators (in Botswana and South Africa) adjust their teaching practice to cater for the needs of their students who are adults? • What recommendations can be made to improve the preparation, induction and professional development of teacher educators as teachers of adult student teachers? The sites for the study were four institutions (two faculties of education, one located in Botswana and another in South Africa, and two colleges of education located in Botswana). Out of a possible total of 316 teacher educators at the four institutions 128 responded to a close ended questionnaire that required them to indicate their autobiographic details, experiences as teachers and teacher educators, and their preparation, induction and professional development as teacher educators. In addition 12 teacher educators with varying experiences in teacher education were interviewed. The purpose of the interviews was to record the experiences of their preparation, induction and professional development as teacher educators. Furthermore, literature from various sources was consulted about the topic under study. The results confirmed the earlier assertion that there is very little attention paid to the preparation, induction and professional development of teacher educators in the institutions that were studied. Literature also indicated a similar pattern in most teacher education institutions in Botswana and South Africa. Based on the findings, it is recommended that the preparation, induction and professional development of teacher educators be conducted following the andragogical model. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, 2015
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- Date Issued: 2015-01