ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
A Case Study of a Learner's Transition from Mainstream Schooling to a School for Learners with Special Educational Needs (LSEN): Lessons for Mainstream Education
Author: Pillay, Jace
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Case Studies,Special Schools,Mainstreaming,Inclusion,Disabilities,Student Placement,Student Needs,Foreign Countries,Educational Resources,Parent Attitudes,Interviews,Elementary School Students,Focus Groups,Video Technology,Play,Social Experience,Academic Achievement,Grade 2,Academic Support Services,Qualitative Research

Currently there is an international shift towards inclusive education, a means of education according to which the learner is schooled in the least restrictive environment possible, to overcome his or her challenges to learning and development. Bearing this in mind we considered the experiences of a learner with learning difficulties who transited from a mainstream school environment to a school for learners with special education needs (LSEN). Inclusive education 1 and ecological systems were the theoretical underpinnings of this study. The findings revealed that the learner benefited from placement within the LSEN environment on psychological, social, and academic levels. It appears that these changes occurred as a result of being placed in an environment that provided valuable and necessary resources to meet his learning needs, which were lacking in the mainstream school environment. Therefore, it seems that while inclusive education may be a way forward to access quality education for all, it can be argued that the current South African socio-economic environment does not necessarily allow for its successful implementation, as further access to resources and facilities need to be made available. These findings provide useful lessons at regulatory, infrastructural, and instructional functional levels for what is needed for learners with special education needs to succeed in mainstream school environments.
Learner-Centredness: An Analytical Critique
Author: Horn, Irmhild
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Criticism,Student Centered Learning,Educational Theories,Educational Policy,Foreign Countries,Academic Achievement,Cognitive Ability,Educational Philosophy,Sensory Experience,Intellectual Development,Incidental Learning,Developmental Stages,Child Development,Whole Language Approach,Constructivism (Learning),Reading Difficulties,Learning Disabilities,Mathematics,Developmentally Appropriate Practices,Teaching Methods,Discovery Learning

Contemporary education theory (and official South African policy) underwrites learner-centredness. I analyse learner-centredness as a possible piece of the puzzle about why it is proving so difficult to improve academic achievement. Learner-centred ideas are grounded in the belief that cognitive abilities develop spontaneously in accordance with a natural developmental trajectory and optimal education is education that is in harmony therewith. The origin of learner-centredness is Rousseau's &quot;education naturelle.&quot; I set out Rousseau's ideas and then critically analyse their manifestation in contemporary education.
Personal Characteristics That Predict South Africans' Participation in Activities of Their Children's Schools
Author: Mmotlane, Ronnie
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Parent Participation,Individual Characteristics,Parent Surveys,Regression (Statistics),Predictor Variables,Age Differences,Marital Status,Socioeconomic Status,Racial Differences,Employment Level,Educational Attainment,Place of Residence

We investigated the extent to which personal characteristics such as age, marital status, education level, living standard measure (LSM), environmental milieu, race, gender and employment status predict parents' participation in the activities of their children's schools. The data used for analysis were drawn from 5,734 South Africans aged 16+ years who participated in the Human Sciences Research Council's (HSRC) annual South African Social Attitudes Survey (SASAS). Respondents (n = 1,364) who had at least one child in school were selected for the analysis. The logistic regression model was used to estimate the extent to which personal characteristics would predict parents' level of participation. Results showed that personal characteristics such as age, marital status, gender, and living standard measure (LSM) had a significant influence on parental participation. Amongst these, gender was the most significant factor. Respondents aged 35-49 years were 1.5 times more likely than those aged 50+ years to participate in their children's school activities. Respondents who were married were more likely than those who had never married to participate. Mothers were more likely than fathers to participate in their children's school activities. The literature suggests that American fathers show some interest in participating in activities of their children's schools, at least in the first few years, but discontinue that participation in time. The results confirm a common belief in some communities in South Africa that fathers do not take seriously their responsibility to provide for their children and their partners in that regard from the onset. Even though the results on personal characteristics support existing theory and empirical literature on parental participation, a multidimensional perspective is needed that would incorporate other factors into the study.
Situational Effects of the School Factors Included in the Dynamic Model of Educational Effectiveness
Author: Creemers, Bert
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Longitudinal Studies,Elementary School Students,Institutional Characteristics,Models,School Effectiveness,Validity,Mathematics Education,Greek,Religious Education,School Policy,Teacher Effectiveness,Educational Environment,Questionnaires,Factor Analysis

We present results of a longitudinal study in which 50 schools, 113 classes and 2,542 Cypriot primary students participated. We tested the validity of the dynamic model of educational effectiveness and especially its assumption that the impact of school factors depends on the current situation of the school and on the type of problems/difficulties the school is facing. Reference is made to the methods used to test this assumption of the dynamic model by measuring school effectiveness in mathematics, Greek language, and religious education over two consecutive school years. The main findings are as follows. School factors were found to have situational effects. Specifically, the development of a school policy for teaching and the school evaluation of policy for teaching were found to have stronger effects in schools where the quality of teaching at classroom level was low. Moreover, time stability in the effectiveness status of schools was identified and thereby changes in the functioning of schools were found not to have a significant impact on changes in the effectiveness status of schools. Implications of the findings for the development of the dynamic model and suggestions for further research are presented.
The Representation of Women in a Sample of Post-1994 South African School History Textbooks
Author: Schoeman, Sonja
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Females,Textbooks,History Instruction,Gender Bias,Case Studies,Qualitative Research,Sex Fairness,Males,Media Literacy,Critical Literacy,Postmodernism,Textbook Content,Surveys,Focus Groups,Grade 10

History curriculum revisions post 1994 were followed by a range of new History textbooks intended to meet the needs of teachers seeking to implement the revised curriculum. I sought to establish whether or not a sample of these textbooks had built upon the gender equality initiatives introduced after 1994. A qualitative intrinsic case study was conducted to determine the extent of the representation of women in three South African school History textbooks. The results demonstrated that, despite the introduction of gender equality initiatives, in the sample selected the role of men in history continued to receive emphasis. In South African history men have indeed been more prominent than women, and have been viewed as the decision-makers, yet there is room in standard South African History textbooks for the inclusion of the ordinary daily events in which women participated or through which they exercised an influence on decision-making by men. Shepherd's media literacy curriculum model, incorporating the Department of Education's approaches to critical media education, is proposed as a tool to empower in-service History teachers to teach learners to deconstruct patriarchal or hegemonic power relations in school History textbooks.
Manifestations of &quot;Capabilities Poverty&quot; with Learners Attending Informal Settlement Schools
Author: Maarman, Rouaan
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Student Experience,Poverty,Barriers,Well Being,Social Bias,At Risk Persons,Phenomenology,Elementary Secondary Education,Socioeconomic Influences,Blacks,Educational Research,Democracy

In this study I use the notion of &quot;capabilities poverty&quot;, as theorised by Sen, to examine the experiences of learners attending informal settlement schools in North-West Province, South Africa. Sen distinguishes between functionings (what people do or their ability to do something) and capabilities (various combinations of what people do, their notions of freedom, what life opportunities they may have). The study was based on a sample of respondents from four schools in the Sarafina informal settlement in Ikageng Township in the municipal district of Tlokwe (Potchefstroom). It captured some complexities of schooling within South Africa's democratic educational framework and clearly exposed the manifestations of capabilities poverty. The precise location of capabilities poverty within the plethora of poverty approaches presents educational research with a reality check when looking at informal settlement schools. The study revealed a multiplicity of barriers for informal settlement learners that prevent them from choosing the educational experience they value and contributes to research into the nuanced nature of the interface between poverty and schooling.
A Narrative Analysis of Educators' Lived Experiences of Motherhood and Teaching
Author: Knowles, Mariska
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mothers,Women Faculty,Teacher Attitudes,Cultural Influences,Beliefs,Role,Conflict,Family Work Relationship,Gender Issues,Sex Stereotypes,Identification (Psychology),Qualitative Research,Interviews,Journal Writing,Observation,Personal Narratives,Foreign Countries

In this article we argue that mothers often construct images of what they perceive as society's expectations of them. These images become the parameters in the eyes of society to which they aspire. This is reminiscent of the adage: &quot;I am not who you think I am. I am not who I think I am. I am who I think you think I am&quot;. This study is based on analysis of the life-stories of four professional female educators. These mother-educators shared their assumptions, cultural values and beliefs and showed how these shaped the subjective construction and harmonisation of the multiple roles of mother and educator. It was found that they often find themselves faced with the conflicting and complementary dimensions of the multiple roles of mother and professional. We contend that these mothers set high standards and expectations for themselves as mother-educator and they worry about failing, not only themselves, but also &quot;others&quot;. They see the world of work, including parents, educators and school principal, as being against them--which is possibly a manifestation of a faltering self-image and linked to feelings of inadequacy. It is argued that mother educators need to negotiate new meaning in terms of their own perceived multiple role expectations so as to enable them to experience success as both homemakers and professionals. The challenge for the mother then is to engage in a constant search for her own identity.
A Transitiological Study of Some South African Educational Issues
Author: de Wet, Corene
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,School Segregation,Blacks,White Students,Language of Instruction,Language Usage,School Policy,Bilingualism,English (Second Language),Racial Differences,Educational History,Minority Group Students,Elementary Secondary Education,Enrollment Trends,Politics of Education,Equal Education,Comparative Education,Social Change

In this study enrolment numbers and levels, as well as language-in-education, were viewed from a linear, comparative perspective. In the era prior to 1994, black and white learners not only attended separate schools but the segregated schools had different policies regarding medium of instruction. Resistance to the language policy regarding black education culminated in the 1976 uprisings. This led to the scrapping of both Afrikaans and black home languages as language of instruction in black schools. After the uprisings, black schools followed a policy of decreasing bilingualism. After 1994, in the spirit of democracy, official and educational status were granted to eleven languages. Deep-seated distrust and fear, that home-language education would lead to impoverishment, social and political isolation, and disempowerment, caused the majority of South African learners to prefer English rather than their home language as language of instruction. From a linear comparison, it transpires that the language-in-education situation in the classroom has changed very little since 1994. Enrolment numbers and levels, particularly the disparities between white and black, were other points of criticism regarding the education system before 1994. Prior to 1994, compulsory education had only been fully implemented with regard to the white and, to a lesser extent, Indian and coloured sections of the population. The vision that the ANC had in 1955, that &quot;the doors of learning shall be open&quot;, was only reflected in policy documents and laws. Both primary-school and secondary-school enrolment numbers showed an increase after the ANC government came to power. The net enrolment numbers (1995-2004) for primary education showed a decrease from 95.0% to 87.4%, but the enrolment numbers for secondary education showed an increase from 56.0% to 67.2%. Despite the latter positive statistics, it would appear that the objective of universal education has still not been realised in South Africa.
Creating Cartoons: A Learner-Centered Approach to Comprehending Texts
Author: Malu, Kathleen F.
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Cartoons,Teaching Methods,Reading Comprehension,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Foreign Countries,Language Skills,Affective Behavior,Reader Response,Goal Orientation

In this article the authors describe how a specific technique--having learners create cartoons based on a reading passage--helped learners explore their understanding of reading passages and helped the teachers reflect on what the learners had comprehended.
Incorporating the Indigenous Game of &quot;Morabaraba&quot; in the Learning of Mathematics
Author: Nkopodi, Nkopodi
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Games,Indigenous Knowledge,Cultural Influences,Mathematics Instruction,Teaching Methods,Interaction,Student Attitudes,Participant Observation,Grade 10,Secondary School Mathematics,Qualitative Research

For many years, education in South Africa has been based mainly on western values. This has contributed to the fact that many learners from disadvantaged backgrounds cannot see the connection between the education they receive at school and their everyday experiences. This may well have contributed to the high failure rate amongst mathematics learners as well as the perceived difficulty of mathematics. It is believed that indigenous knowledge, in general, can be used to promote the teaching of mathematics in multicultural classes. We report on an enquiry into the use of the indigenous game of &quot;morabaraba&quot; in the mathematics class. Various mathematical concepts have been identified from the game. It was found that learners enjoy playing the game, and that it can be used in the mathematics classroom to promote the learning of mathematics. It was also found that the use of this game promotes spontaneous interaction amongst learners as they communicate their activities to fellow participants. The enjoyment of the game was found not to be restricted to a specific cultural group, which suggests that it can be used in a multicultural setting.
Get up and Sing! Get up and Move! Using Songs and Movement with Young Learners of English
Author: Shin, Joan Kang
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Singing,Teaching Methods,Second Language Learning,Motion,English (Second Language),Young Children,Child Development,Scaffolding (Teaching Technique),Learner Engagement,Repetition

Teachers of young learners (YLs) often use songs and movement to engage children in the classroom. However, are there missed opportunities for language learning and practice that can be added to what they are already doing in their English for young learner (EYL) classes? A deeper understanding of the importance of music in children's lives and their learning process will help EYL teachers use songs and movement more effectively. This article focuses on how music and movement can work naturally together to create an exciting and effective EYL classroom. It details why teachers should use music and movement to teach YLs by explaining the benefits for child development, language learning, and cultural awareness. To connect theory to the classroom, the article gives practical suggestions to help teachers improve their use of songs and movement in the EYL classroom. These suggestions can be applied to all English as a second and foreign language (ESL/EFL) classrooms for YLs.
The Advocacy of an Appraisal System for Teachers: A Case Study
Author: Bisschoff, Tom
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Case Studies,Advocacy,Teacher Evaluation,Evaluation Methods,Performance Based Assessment,Secondary School Teachers,Management Systems,Quality Assurance,Teacher Effectiveness,Foreign Countries,Interviews

Education systems all over the world, like all other organisations, have certain organisational goals that they set and wish to achieve. It is argued that for increased pupil performance, in the case of education systems, teachers must work harder and smarter. A performance system is regarded as part of the process to achieve this organisational goal. Some prominent researchers, however, forecast a movement away from performance management as we know it. In this paper we use insights from a specific school district in South Africa to highlight the need for effective advocacy of a performance system to ensure a measure of success. One of the major findings is that although advocacy in its narrow sense is a process to make stakeholders aware of a new policy, the data collected reveal two broad themes, namely, the process itself but also the issues about the content of that which should be advocated. Findings on the process itself focus on sufficient funding, effective training, reconsideration of the cascading mode of delivery, clarity on the roles of different structures, official sources of information, anticipated reaction of teachers and effective monitoring of the implementation process. Findings on the content of IQMS focus on the conceptual framework of IQMS, clarity of the content and contextual factors to be considered.
Utilising Learning Environment Assessments to Improve Teaching Practices among In-Service Teachers Undertaking a Distance-Education Programme
Author: Aldridge, Jill
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Distance Education,Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Questionnaires,Educational Environment,Elementary School Students,Elementary School Teachers,Foreign Countries,Feedback (Response),Teacher Education Programs,Mixed Methods Research,Grade 4,Grade 5,Grade 6,Grade 7,Case Studies,Observation,Interviews,Action Research,Multivariate Analysis

We examined the viability of using feedback from a learning environment instrument to guide improvements in the teaching practices of in-service teachers undertaking a distance-education programme. The 31 teachers involved administered a primary school version of the What Is Happening In this Class? (WIHIC-Primary) questionnaire to their 1,077 learners in order to determine preferred and actual classroom environments. Feedback about discrepancies between learners' actual preferred learning environments were used to formulate teaching strategies to reduce discrepancies over a 12-week intervention period. In-service teachers' reports, contact sessions, interviews between teachers and researchers, and three case studies based on classroom visits (one of which is reported here) provided thick descriptions of teachers' reactions to utilising the learning environment instrument. Our research provided the first learning environment study at the primary school level in South Africa, cross-validated an IsiZulu version of the WIHIC when used for the first time in South Africa, and supported the success of teachers' use of a learning environment questionnaire in guiding improvements in their teaching.
Legislation on School Governors' Power to Appoint Educators: Friend or Foe?
Author: Beckmann, Johan
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Educational Legislation,Federal Legislation,Boards of Education,Governance,Board of Education Role,Teacher Selection,School Administration,Administrative Organization,Democracy,School District Autonomy,Power Structure,Parent Rights,Government Role

The establishment of school governing bodies represents a significant decentralisation of power in the South African school system. The South African Schools Act (Act 84 of 1996) plays an important role in encouraging the principle of partnership in and mutual responsibility for education. With the institution of school governing bodies (SGBs), SASA was aimed to give effect to the principle of the democratisation of schooling by affording meaningful power over their schools to the school-level stakeholders including the governors serving on SGBs. While such decentralisation could well be expected to mean an increase in democratic participation in the governance of schools, this is not necessarily the case. The picture that emerges from the analysis made in this article is that of the state encouraging participation but cautioning against too much involvement and even taking steps to limit the involvement and powers of stakeholders in the appointment of staff. Governors may well view what has happened since 1994 as a promise first fulfilled but later disappointed and frustrated.