An investigation of teachers' perceptions of their professionalism: a case study of three schools in the Butterworth district, Eastern Cape
- Authors: Mpahla, Ntando Elliot
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Teacher effectiveness -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Province
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Ed
- Identifier: vital:16163 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/206 , Teacher effectiveness -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Province
- Description: The study investigates teachers’ perceptions of their professionalism and how this professionalism is observed by both teachers and school community. The investigation takes place at three Junior Secondary Schools. In composing the research, the researcher adopted a qualitative and quantitative approach based on an interpretive paradigm. The study is concerned with how teachers view themselves as professional people. Since the extent of teachers’ professionalism is always questioned by the school community, teachers’ professionalism is not guaranteed to be easily accepted and recognised. The findings reveal that teachers in general accept the fact that they face an enormous challenge in performing their duties as they are required to act professionally and ethically at all times. SACE, the education “watchdog” has further strengthened the issue by proclaiming legally enforced ethical standards for teachers in South Africa. The study describes how teachers who joined the teaching profession for different reasons conceptualise teacher professionalism differently from each other but also agreeing on other issues. The findings of this study also show how educational policies, teachers’ conditions of service, personal beliefs and relationships between parents, learners and teachers can influence teacher professionalism.
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- Date Issued: 2009
Investigating the learners perceptions on the factors that influence learners to use and abuse drugs: a case study of one secondary school in the Eastern Cape Province
- Authors: Pama, Mzingisi Nimrod
- Date: 2008
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Ed
- Identifier: vital:16160 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/186
- Description: The research interest in this study was on learners’ perceptions on the factors that influence learners to use and abuse drugs. This study discussed learner understanding of drug use and abuse, what learners consider as reasons why learners use and abuse drugs and what could be done to discourage this phenomenon. The investigation was carried in the central region of the Eastern Cape in Fort Beaufort District. This district covers the rural areas of Nkonkobe municipality. I made use of qualitative methodology to obtain data from a sample of 56 learners and 12 teachers including the principal of the school. This study is located in one high school in the Fort Beaufort District. Methods used included learner surveys, learners’ focus group discussions, teachers’ focus discussions, learners individual interviews as well as document analysis. A major finding in this study indicates that learners understood what drugs as well as heir effects on those who use and abused them. The learners also unpacked factors that contribute to this phenomenon, which include peer pressure, socialization, stress and others. Teachers and learners also suggested ways in which drug use can be discouraged. Teacher also acknowledged that there was a drug problem amongst learners in their school and that something should urgently be done to discourage this phenomenon.
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- Date Issued: 2008