Learners' views regarding their effective participation in school governance
- Authors: Munikwa, Julius
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Student participation in administration
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , Education
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/16013 , vital:40582
- Description: Effective learner participation for the development of Representative Council of Learners (RCL) governors in school governance (SG) is of great essence. A qualitative study was conducted in order to assess the learners’ views regarding their lived views and experiences in SG. Twenty four (24) RCL and class representatives from three data sites comprising three high schools in East Cape, in the East London District Education participated in the study. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and document analysis from two convenient and one snowball samples, respectively. From each school, a chairperson, a secretary and six focus group discussions (FDGs) members were utilised as participants in order to enrich the study. In doing so, the study made use of Wilcox’s ladder of participation as the lens to unpack the learners’ views regarding their effective participation in school governance. This ladder includes information, consultation, deciding together, acting together and supporting independent community interests. The findings showed that learner participation in both township and former Model C schools is significant. However, a number of pertinent factors that make the voices of learner governors to be stifled emerged. These include lack of capacity building, exclusion from other meetings, dominance of adult governors, lack of collaboration and the fact that learners have to be seen as being respectful and disciplined when in meetings with parents. This makes them to accept their role as a tool for middlemen between the parents, teachers and fellow students. These make the field of effective learner participation uneven, hence making them window dressers and have pseudo contributions in SG. The study therefore suggested that learners should be capacitated to make effective and meaningful contribution in school governance. Learners should work collaboratively with adult governors to enhance effective participation in SG.
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The perceptions of teachers teaching mathematical literacy at Further Education and Training level : a case study conducted in the East London District
- Authors: Pillai, Sivarama Panicker Mohanan
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Mathematics--Study and teaching--South Africa--Eastern Cape Education, Higher--South Africa--Eastern Cape--Administration
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , Education
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/15980 , vital:40571
- Description: Mathematical Literacy is a compulsory subject at the Further Education and Training (FET) level in South Africa. All learners who do not select Mathematics are required to study Mathematical Literacy as their numeracy subject in Grade 10, the first year of studying at the FET level. This requirement coincided with the educational reforms which were introduced in South Africa after democracy was attained in1994. Mathematical Literacy was introduced in Grade 10 in 2008, in Grade 11 in 2009 and in Grade 12 in 2010. Matriculants in 2012 comprised the cohort who wrote the Mathematical Literacy examination for the first time in South African history. Although 4 years have passed since the introduction of Mathematical Literacy in Grade 12, many teachers are still not sufficiently competent enough to teach the subject. This fact has been demonstrated quite conclusively in the matriculation results of the past 4 years. The failure to teach the subject satisfactorily is the result of poor knowledge of the content of the courses, insufficient teaching materials and incorrect teaching methods. This study has focused on uncovering the perceptions of teachers of the teaching of Mathematical Literacy and on how best to support and assist teachers in order to improve their knowledge of the content of their courses, to improve the methods of teaching the subject and to provide sufficient resources to support both teaching and learning. The study is also aimed to draw the attention of the Department of Education (DoE) to the need to provide better training in order to develop the competency of teachers in the subject and to overcome the lack of resources through developing innovative ways of teaching it. A qualitative approach was adopted in order to conduct the research, as it aims to provide an explicit rendering of the structure, order and broad patterns pertaining to the teaching of the subject from a group of participants. Qualitative research is best suited to studies of this sort, as it provides the means to conduct an in-depth investigation of the thoughts, beliefs, attitudes and responses of teachers concerning the teaching of Mathematical Literacy at the FET level. The research was conducted in 6 FET schools in the East London Education District. Six teachers of Mathematics and Mathematical Literacy in Grades 10, 11 and 12 were selected to comprise the research sample for the study. Semi-structured questions were used to collect the data. The research study established that educators have divergent perceptions and beliefs concerning the teaching of Mathematical Literacy at the FET level. The study was also able to identify the problems, obstacles and difficulties encountered by the teachers in their attempts to teach the subject and the trends which emerged during the conducting of the research.
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