Assessing teaching capacity of novice teachers through mentoring in primary schools.
- Authors: Mthi,Tanduxolo Nicholas
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Mentoring in education Teachers -- In-service training
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/16566 , vital:40732
- Description: The quality of teacher education seems to have become a crucial point of debate worldwide. However, teaching seems to be one of the careers without a recognised apprenticeship. Therefore, mentoring has been seen as an appropriate way for experienced teachers to guide, assist, coach and motivate teachers in their teaching capacity. Teaching capacity is described as having a broad content which can be related to quality teaching, teacher effectiveness and teacher behaviour in the classroom or in the school. The lens with which the study was viewed was through Lave and Wenger’s (1998) theory, Community of Practice (CoP). Community of Practice is defined as a process of social learning that occurs when people who have a common interest in a subject or area collaborate over an extended period of time, sharing ideas and strategies, determining solutions and building innovations. The study used mixed methods and concurrent triangulation design in sampling 60 participants for quantitative data and 6 participants for qualitative data. The unit of analysis were novice teachers who were randomly and purposively selected. Data gathering methods included questionnaires, classroom observations and document analysis. The focus was on the primary schools, Foundation Phase (FP) novice teachers. The findings revealed utilisation of different mentoring approaches such as one on one; Foundation Phase Team and school- based mentoring. Although the study reveals that the work of the mentor teachers and novice teachers has evolved to include Learning Teams to improve the teaching capacity of teachers; some mentoring approaches were less effective. The study suggests, therefore, that schoolbased and district-based mentoring programmes to be formally organised as part of developing novice teachers’ teaching capacity.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Mthi,Tanduxolo Nicholas
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Mentoring in education Teachers -- In-service training
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/16566 , vital:40732
- Description: The quality of teacher education seems to have become a crucial point of debate worldwide. However, teaching seems to be one of the careers without a recognised apprenticeship. Therefore, mentoring has been seen as an appropriate way for experienced teachers to guide, assist, coach and motivate teachers in their teaching capacity. Teaching capacity is described as having a broad content which can be related to quality teaching, teacher effectiveness and teacher behaviour in the classroom or in the school. The lens with which the study was viewed was through Lave and Wenger’s (1998) theory, Community of Practice (CoP). Community of Practice is defined as a process of social learning that occurs when people who have a common interest in a subject or area collaborate over an extended period of time, sharing ideas and strategies, determining solutions and building innovations. The study used mixed methods and concurrent triangulation design in sampling 60 participants for quantitative data and 6 participants for qualitative data. The unit of analysis were novice teachers who were randomly and purposively selected. Data gathering methods included questionnaires, classroom observations and document analysis. The focus was on the primary schools, Foundation Phase (FP) novice teachers. The findings revealed utilisation of different mentoring approaches such as one on one; Foundation Phase Team and school- based mentoring. Although the study reveals that the work of the mentor teachers and novice teachers has evolved to include Learning Teams to improve the teaching capacity of teachers; some mentoring approaches were less effective. The study suggests, therefore, that schoolbased and district-based mentoring programmes to be formally organised as part of developing novice teachers’ teaching capacity.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Understanding how trainee teachers engage with prior everyday knowledge and experience associated with biological concepts during integrated natural science education 5-7 : a case study
- Authors: Enghono, Albertina Magano
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Biology teachers -- Training of -- Namibia -- Case studies Teacher educators -- Training of -- Case studies Teachers -- Training of -- Namibia -- Case studies Education -- Namibia -- Case studies Prior learning -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1970 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011972
- Description: Since the Namibian independence in 1990, the education system has undergone some major revamping which involved the adoption of social constructivist perspectives in the teaching and learning of sciences. This learning theory acknowledges learners’ background prior knowledge as valuable tools in the effective construction of science concepts during lessons. A corollary is that the socio-cultural circumstances of learners might negatively influence the way learners construct new knowledge in the science classroom if they are not taken into consideration. This study was thus prompted by the need to understand how trainee science teachers engage with prior everyday knowledge and experiences, so as to enhance the conceptual development of biological concepts. The study was qualitative and it was underpinned by an interpretive paradigm with some elements of action research. Science trainee teachers at Katima Mulilo, Unam Campus were used as research participants. The techniques used to gather data included document analysis, brainstorming, observation, audio-visual, microteaching and semi-structured interviews. The results of this study showed that the changes that occurred during microteaching practices of the four trainee teachers involved in the study reflected their professional development in this approach. However, it emerged that prior everyday knowledge can be both a barrier and enabler to the construction of meaningful teaching and learning; hence its oversight may lead to instructional failures. The findings also indicated that selected platforms are essential to enable trainee teachers to incorporate prior everyday knowledge and experiences into the teaching of Western science. However, larger scale study should be conducted in order to deepen the understanding of the topic.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Enghono, Albertina Magano
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Biology teachers -- Training of -- Namibia -- Case studies Teacher educators -- Training of -- Case studies Teachers -- Training of -- Namibia -- Case studies Education -- Namibia -- Case studies Prior learning -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1970 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011972
- Description: Since the Namibian independence in 1990, the education system has undergone some major revamping which involved the adoption of social constructivist perspectives in the teaching and learning of sciences. This learning theory acknowledges learners’ background prior knowledge as valuable tools in the effective construction of science concepts during lessons. A corollary is that the socio-cultural circumstances of learners might negatively influence the way learners construct new knowledge in the science classroom if they are not taken into consideration. This study was thus prompted by the need to understand how trainee science teachers engage with prior everyday knowledge and experiences, so as to enhance the conceptual development of biological concepts. The study was qualitative and it was underpinned by an interpretive paradigm with some elements of action research. Science trainee teachers at Katima Mulilo, Unam Campus were used as research participants. The techniques used to gather data included document analysis, brainstorming, observation, audio-visual, microteaching and semi-structured interviews. The results of this study showed that the changes that occurred during microteaching practices of the four trainee teachers involved in the study reflected their professional development in this approach. However, it emerged that prior everyday knowledge can be both a barrier and enabler to the construction of meaningful teaching and learning; hence its oversight may lead to instructional failures. The findings also indicated that selected platforms are essential to enable trainee teachers to incorporate prior everyday knowledge and experiences into the teaching of Western science. However, larger scale study should be conducted in order to deepen the understanding of the topic.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Academic experiences of faculty of education postgraduate students who have dropped out of a higher education institution in the Eastern Cape Province
- Authors: Mdyogolo, Winkie
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Dropouts -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Education, Higher -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Universities and colleges -- South Africa -- Graduate work -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/8317 , vital:32268
- Description: The purpose of this study was to explore academic learning experiences of students who have dropped out of postgraduate studies in a Higher Education Institution in Eastern Cape. The study employed phenomenological approach using unstructured in-depth interviews to collect data from participants who have dropped out of Masters Programme in HEI in Eastern Cape. Four participants participated in this study. A lot of themes emerged from what the participants reported and similar experiences were noted as well as different experiences. Central to what this study ascertained is the relationship between the supervisor and supervisee. From the findings of the study it can be ascertained that for any postgraduate student to succeed in his/her studies he / she needs a positive relationship with the supervisor who will play a role of guide, mentor, supporter and a friend. However, the academic preparedness of the students in terms of academic reading and writing, computer literacy and determination to be an independent researcher is also key. Whilst this study provides insight to what the students have experienced academically its findings cannot be generalised because the experiences are those of individuals.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Mdyogolo, Winkie
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Dropouts -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Education, Higher -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Universities and colleges -- South Africa -- Graduate work -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/8317 , vital:32268
- Description: The purpose of this study was to explore academic learning experiences of students who have dropped out of postgraduate studies in a Higher Education Institution in Eastern Cape. The study employed phenomenological approach using unstructured in-depth interviews to collect data from participants who have dropped out of Masters Programme in HEI in Eastern Cape. Four participants participated in this study. A lot of themes emerged from what the participants reported and similar experiences were noted as well as different experiences. Central to what this study ascertained is the relationship between the supervisor and supervisee. From the findings of the study it can be ascertained that for any postgraduate student to succeed in his/her studies he / she needs a positive relationship with the supervisor who will play a role of guide, mentor, supporter and a friend. However, the academic preparedness of the students in terms of academic reading and writing, computer literacy and determination to be an independent researcher is also key. Whilst this study provides insight to what the students have experienced academically its findings cannot be generalised because the experiences are those of individuals.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
Creating a relationship: a discourse analysis focusing on the construction of identities and relationships in distance education materials for a teacher upgrade programme
- Authors: Van der Mescht, Caroline
- Date: 2005
- Subjects: Distance education -- South Africa Teachers -- Training of -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1467 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003348
- Description: Distance education, and therefore the writing of distance materials, is a growing field in South Africa. This makes it potentially a site of innovation and change as writers experiment with ways of creating effective teaching situations at long range. The Fort Hare Distance Education Project materials seem to be a response to both the increased need for teacher upgrade programmes and the need for innovation to tailor those programmes to the needs of local teachers in a changing society. This innovative attempt to communicate with tertiary distance students has unusual features which suggest that they are worth investigation. Using discourse analysis, including the work of Scollon and Scollon on politeness theory, and an analysis of visual elements using categories developed by Kress and van Leeuwen, this study focuses on 18 pages of a sample text, booklet 9, “A Whole Language Approach,” to investigate how the writer-reader relationship and the identity of the reader are constructed. The analysis reveals a complex, interlocking construction of identity and relationship, producing and resolving apparent contradictions as writers move from one position to another while they negotiate their ongoing and evolving relationship with the readers. Features of identity and relationship operating through the text include issues of authority, changing roles of teachers and learners, trust, what constitutes appropriate language and materials, acknowledging prior learning in under-qualified professionals, ownership of the text, hierarchy and egalitarianism, and stereotyping. The study suggests that the Fort Hare Distance Project materials offer an example of strategies suited to local students which should benefit those who design such courses. It further suggests that visual analysis together with discourse analysis provides insights which seem not to be accessible through a study of the verbal text, and that an analysis of visual elements may widen a researcher’s options. It reveals ways in which writers can negotiate conflicting positions and consciously or unconsciously attempt to resolve contradictions and ambivalence. It suggests issues which need to be negotiated in any text written in South Africa for a similar audience.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2005
- Authors: Van der Mescht, Caroline
- Date: 2005
- Subjects: Distance education -- South Africa Teachers -- Training of -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1467 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003348
- Description: Distance education, and therefore the writing of distance materials, is a growing field in South Africa. This makes it potentially a site of innovation and change as writers experiment with ways of creating effective teaching situations at long range. The Fort Hare Distance Education Project materials seem to be a response to both the increased need for teacher upgrade programmes and the need for innovation to tailor those programmes to the needs of local teachers in a changing society. This innovative attempt to communicate with tertiary distance students has unusual features which suggest that they are worth investigation. Using discourse analysis, including the work of Scollon and Scollon on politeness theory, and an analysis of visual elements using categories developed by Kress and van Leeuwen, this study focuses on 18 pages of a sample text, booklet 9, “A Whole Language Approach,” to investigate how the writer-reader relationship and the identity of the reader are constructed. The analysis reveals a complex, interlocking construction of identity and relationship, producing and resolving apparent contradictions as writers move from one position to another while they negotiate their ongoing and evolving relationship with the readers. Features of identity and relationship operating through the text include issues of authority, changing roles of teachers and learners, trust, what constitutes appropriate language and materials, acknowledging prior learning in under-qualified professionals, ownership of the text, hierarchy and egalitarianism, and stereotyping. The study suggests that the Fort Hare Distance Project materials offer an example of strategies suited to local students which should benefit those who design such courses. It further suggests that visual analysis together with discourse analysis provides insights which seem not to be accessible through a study of the verbal text, and that an analysis of visual elements may widen a researcher’s options. It reveals ways in which writers can negotiate conflicting positions and consciously or unconsciously attempt to resolve contradictions and ambivalence. It suggests issues which need to be negotiated in any text written in South Africa for a similar audience.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2005
An examination of the suitability of some contemporary South African fiction for readers in the post-developmental reading stage
- Authors: Cole, Lorna
- Date: 1992
- Subjects: Children's literature, South African -- History and criticism Children -- Books and reading -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1530 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003412
- Description: Adverse criticism regarding the quantity and quality of children's books in South Africa appear in such respected sources as The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature and The Companion to South African English Literature, the authors of which are of the opinion that South African children are dependent solely upon Eurocentric literature for their reading material. In recent years however, local publishers have attempted to redress this imbalance by offering prizes for unpublished works. These prizes have acted as incentives for aspiring writers, many of whom have had novels published specifically for children in the post-developmental reading stage. This study critically examines some of these prizewinning works of fantasy and contemporary realism, in an effort to gauge their literary worth within the context of accepted criteria for judging children's literature. Accolades from adults are not however a guarantee that the prizewinning books will be received with equal acclaim by the children for whom they are written. For this reason, five children in the post-developmental reading stage were asked to pass their opinions and non-literary judgments on the books. Although the critical evaluation of the indigenous works proves them to be eminently worthy of the prizes which they received on publication, the children did not rate them as highly as certain imported works. The works of fantasy by Marguerite Poland rated poorly in terms of their popularity despite the fact that the children said that in a non-circumscribed context, they choose fantasy in preference to contemporary realism. Within the context of the indigenous literature which they read for this study though, they preferred the works of contemporary realism as they were able to identify with particular aspects of the novels. Indigenous literature for children in the post-developmental reading stage is a comparatively new phenomenon which needs to be nurtured if it is to attain any lasting status. The onus rests upon the teachers of literature and librarians to introduce the literature and make the books more accessible to young readers. Publishers need perhaps to engage the views and opinions of the audience for whom the books are written in an effort to publish books which, without in any way detracting from their literary worth, will deal with subjects favoured by young readers.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1992
- Authors: Cole, Lorna
- Date: 1992
- Subjects: Children's literature, South African -- History and criticism Children -- Books and reading -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1530 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003412
- Description: Adverse criticism regarding the quantity and quality of children's books in South Africa appear in such respected sources as The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature and The Companion to South African English Literature, the authors of which are of the opinion that South African children are dependent solely upon Eurocentric literature for their reading material. In recent years however, local publishers have attempted to redress this imbalance by offering prizes for unpublished works. These prizes have acted as incentives for aspiring writers, many of whom have had novels published specifically for children in the post-developmental reading stage. This study critically examines some of these prizewinning works of fantasy and contemporary realism, in an effort to gauge their literary worth within the context of accepted criteria for judging children's literature. Accolades from adults are not however a guarantee that the prizewinning books will be received with equal acclaim by the children for whom they are written. For this reason, five children in the post-developmental reading stage were asked to pass their opinions and non-literary judgments on the books. Although the critical evaluation of the indigenous works proves them to be eminently worthy of the prizes which they received on publication, the children did not rate them as highly as certain imported works. The works of fantasy by Marguerite Poland rated poorly in terms of their popularity despite the fact that the children said that in a non-circumscribed context, they choose fantasy in preference to contemporary realism. Within the context of the indigenous literature which they read for this study though, they preferred the works of contemporary realism as they were able to identify with particular aspects of the novels. Indigenous literature for children in the post-developmental reading stage is a comparatively new phenomenon which needs to be nurtured if it is to attain any lasting status. The onus rests upon the teachers of literature and librarians to introduce the literature and make the books more accessible to young readers. Publishers need perhaps to engage the views and opinions of the audience for whom the books are written in an effort to publish books which, without in any way detracting from their literary worth, will deal with subjects favoured by young readers.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1992
A comparison of attitudes toward intensive competition among high school pupils
- Authors: Potgieter, Justus R
- Date: 1971
- Subjects: Competition (Psychology) in adolescence Competition (Psychology) Interpersonal relations Motivation (Psychology)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1930 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007604
- Description: From Preface: As a teacher with experience in competitive sport, the author became interested in the topic of athletic competition when joining the staff of an all-boys' school. The competitive aspect of sport at such a school can make quite an impression on an inexperienced teacher. The question then arose; Is this competitive atmosphere universal? Is this type of competition acceptable and desirable in our schools? Being a teacher of Physical Education as well as other subjects and also being actively involved in the coaching of senior sports teams the author regarded himself suitably qualified to investigate the matter of athletic competition in our schools.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1971
- Authors: Potgieter, Justus R
- Date: 1971
- Subjects: Competition (Psychology) in adolescence Competition (Psychology) Interpersonal relations Motivation (Psychology)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1930 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007604
- Description: From Preface: As a teacher with experience in competitive sport, the author became interested in the topic of athletic competition when joining the staff of an all-boys' school. The competitive aspect of sport at such a school can make quite an impression on an inexperienced teacher. The question then arose; Is this competitive atmosphere universal? Is this type of competition acceptable and desirable in our schools? Being a teacher of Physical Education as well as other subjects and also being actively involved in the coaching of senior sports teams the author regarded himself suitably qualified to investigate the matter of athletic competition in our schools.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1971
- «
- ‹
- 1
- ›
- »