ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
A Holistic Professional Development Model for South African Physical Science Teachers
Author: Kriek, Jeanne
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Faculty Development,Science Teachers,Physical Sciences,Foreign Countries,Grade 10,Grade 11,Grade 12,Science Instruction,Models,Longitudinal Studies,Distance Education,Pedagogical Content Knowledge,Reflection,Journal Writing,Assignments,Workshops,Peer Teaching,Instructional Materials,Holistic Approach,Program Effectiveness,Intervention,Case Studies,Pretests Posttests,Observation,Questionnaires

The state of mathematics and science education in South Africa is a cause for concern. This situation can be attributed, in part, to many mathematics and science teachers' limited content knowledge, ineffective teaching approaches, and unprofessional attitudes. To address these three problem areas simultaneously, a holistic model for the development of Grades 10 to 12 Physical Science teachers was constructed and evaluated against national and international benchmarks. The effects of the model were assessed over a period of four years with 75 teachers. The model was developed in a distance education context, with no face-to-face contact required. It comprises the following elements: a study guide which integrates the development of teachers' content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, cognitive skills and experimental skills; reflective journals; assignments; workshops; peer support and science kits. We briefly describe the research that culminated in the Holistic Professional Development (HPD) model, followed by an account of each element of the model. We then present evidence that suggests that the model is effective in helping teachers develop along three desired dimensions, namely, content knowledge, teaching approaches, and professional attitudes.
Examining the Impact of HIV &amp; AIDS on South African Educators
Author: Louw, Julia
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS),Death,Teacher Attitudes,Foreign Countries,Case Studies,Interviews,Incidence,Educational Quality,Correlation,Prevention,Health Services,Mortality Rate,Coping,Work Environment,Teacher Attendance,Public School Teachers,Statistical Analysis,Family (Sociological Unit),Questionnaires,Teacher Student Relationship

Our aim in this study was to examine the impact of HIV &amp; AIDS on South African educators. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in public schools combining HIV testing and a face-to-face interview with participants from a nationally representative sample of public educators. The results show that HIV is highly prevalent among South African public educators (12.7%) and the educators who are absent from school for longer periods (20 days or more) compared with those who are absent for less than four days have higher HIV prevalence (16.8% vs 11.95%). Educators also spend time away from teaching while they attend funerals for colleagues who have died (6.7%), for family members (13.4%) and for m embers of their communities (47.6%). This makes them feel depressed (71%). These results suggest that HIV &amp; AIDS has an impact on the quality of education. There is a need to prevent new HIV infections and reduce morbidity through the implementation of comprehensive integrated prevention and treatment programmes targeted at educators. There is also a need to support educators in coping with the problem of HIV &amp; AIDS at work and in the community.
The Persistence of Gender Inequality in Zimbabwe: Factors That Impede the Advancement of Women into Leadership Positions in Primary Schools
Author: Chabaya, Owence
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Gender Bias,Females,Women Administrators,Elementary Schools,Barriers,Principals,Disproportionate Representation,Focus Groups,Sex Stereotypes,Self Esteem,Family Relationship,Family Influence,Semi Structured Interviews

We investigated and analysed the factors that women teachers consider as barriers to their advancement to headship positions in Zimbabwean primary schools. Specifically, we sought to identify the factors perceived by women school heads to be causes of persistent under-representation of women in school headship positions. Data were collected through structured face-to-face interviews and focus group discussions with 13 experienced women school heads. The findings revealed that although the majority of the women teachers in the study sample were qualified for promotion to school headship positions, they had not attempted to apply for them. The majority of the women teachers in the study sample were adequately qualified for promotion to school headship positions. Indeed, a large number of them either had a university degree or were pursuing degree studies and also had extensive experience. But most of them had not attempted to apply for school headship and hence were still class teachers. Gender stereotypes were shown to be one of the major causes of persistent under-representation of women in primary school headship. The influence of gender role stereotypes was found to manifest in the form of low self esteem; lack of confidence; women's perception that their role in the family overrides all other roles; and lack of support from the home and the workplace.
Challenges Facing Primary School Educators of English Second (or Other) Language Learners in the Western Cape
Author: O'Connor, Julie
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Elementary School Teachers,Second Language Instruction,English Language Learners,Speech Language Pathology,Referral,Elementary School Students,Mixed Methods Research,Questionnaires,Likert Scales,Focus Groups,Speech Therapy,Class Size,Emotional Problems,Faculty Workload,Content Analysis

We were prompted by the prevalence of English Second or Other Language (ESOL) learners identified by educators as having language disorders and being referred for Speech-Language Therapy. We describe challenges faced by Grade 1, 2 and 3 educators at government schools in the Cape Metropolitan area who were working with such learners. Applying a mixed-methods descriptive design, a self-administered questionnaire and three focus groups were used for data collection. Educator perceptions and experiences regarding ESOL learners were described. Some participant educators at schools that were not former Model C schools had large classes, including large proportions of ESOL learners. Furthermore, there was a shortage of educators who were able to speak isiXhosa, the most frequently occurring first (or home) language of the region's ESOL learners. Challenges faced by educators when teaching ESOL learners included learners' academic and socio-emotional difficulties and a lack of parent involvement in their children's education. Participant educators indicated a need for departmental, professional and parental support, and additional training and resources. Implications and recommendations for speech-language therapist and educator collaborations and speech-language therapists' participation in educator training were identified.
An Aspect of Language for Academic Purposes in Secondary Education: Complex Sentence Comprehension by Learners in an Integrated Gauteng School
Author: van Rooyen, Danielle
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English for Academic Purposes,Second Language Learning,Sentences,Secondary School Students,Comprehension,Age Differences,Gender Differences,Literacy,Learning Modalities,Language Proficiency,Statistical Analysis,Adolescents,Questionnaires,Scores,Foreign Countries

Language for academic purposes is an important concept, not always recognised and developed within the education system. The ability to use language for learning can be difficult for individuals who are educated in a second language. They are required to master complex concepts in a language they are still acquiring. We aimed to discover how secondary school learners performed on an aspect of academic language: complex sentence comprehension. A group of 464 adolescent participants' performance on the grammatical understanding subtest of the Test of Adolescent Language was analysed in relation to their status as first or second language English learners, their grade, gender, literacy experiences, preferred modality of learning, and other factors deemed to influence language acquisition in modern society. The results indicated that the majority of learners achieved within the average range. There were significant differences between the male and female participants and the junior phase ESL males achieved the lowest scores. It was concluded that it may take 8-9 years of formal schooling for some individuals to acquire the requisite academic language proficiency, particularly if they are learning in their second language. This has important implications for the teaching and assessment of second language learners.
Educators as Action Researchers: Some Key Considerations
Author: Rossouw, Daneel
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Researchers,Action Research,Reflective Teaching,Teacher Improvement,Models,Teacher Education,Teacher Competencies,Decision Making,Problem Solving

A characteristic of expert educators is their ability to interpret classroom activities critically, to identify and solve problems regarding their teaching practice, and to make thoughtful or reflective instructional and classroom management decisions that are conducive to learning. For educators to be efficacious, they should be active participants in the classroom and observers of the learning and teaching processes, assessing and interpreting the data forthcoming from the classroom and using that knowledge, together with more academic or public theory and research, as a basis for planning and decision-making. Action research provides educators with a strategy to enhance their reflective teaching practice, thereby sharpening their understanding of instruction and improving their instructional and classroom management skills, thus promoting educational change. In this article I discuss an action research model for educators to assist them in finding alternatives to current practice by gathering data and using the data to create meaning, which is then fed back into the system with a view to improved action. The proposed action research model is highly relevant to pre-service and in-service teacher training.
Holistic Curriculum Development: Tutoring as a Support Process
Author: Roux, Cornelia
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Curriculum Development,Holistic Approach,Tutoring,Intervention,Outcomes of Education,College Freshmen,Feedback (Response),Questionnaires,Qualitative Research,Foreign Countries

In many programmes, tutorials have proved to be an effective way of providing both academic and personal support. The tutor's role in these involves different aspects of teaching and learning. In this article I explore the value of tutoring as a means of supporting the holistic curriculum development process. I reflect on the reason for introducing a system of tutoring for students in curriculum studies and the results of its implementation on students' academic performance, in order to contribute to a better understanding of this kind of intervention. A summary of empirical data on the implementation of the tutor system and feedback on the system and tutors' reflections on the process are provided. Finally, the outcomes of the implementation of tutoring on the students' performance at the end of the academic year are discussed.
Educators' Perceptions of School Climate and Health in Selected Primary Schools
Author: Pretorius, Stephanus
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Educational Environment,Teacher Attitudes,Elementary School Teachers,Questionnaires,Teacher Administrator Relationship,Peer Relationship,Collegiality,Elementary Schools,Organizational Climate,Job Satisfaction,Productivity,Health,Coping,Principals,Teacher Behavior,Administrator Behavior,Statistical Analysis

The aims in this research were to determine the perceptions of school climate held by educators of primary schools in the southern Cape. Six primary schools with a staff complement of 178 educators participated in the investigation. Two instruments were used: the Organisational Climate Description Questionnaire Rutgers Elementary (OCDQ-RE) and Dimensions of Organisational Health Inventory of Elementary Schools (OHI-E). The results indicated that primary school educators in the southern Cape perceived their relations with their principals as closed, while educator-educator relations were perceived as more open. An engaged school climate was taken as the typical prototype for the relevant primary schools. Average health profiles were drawn for the overall organisational health of primary schools. A significant relationship was found between primary schools' perceptions of organisational climate and organisational health. A significant difference was found between perceptions held by educators from different primary schools regarding the various dimensions of organisational climate and health. These findings have significant implications for the implementation of change in schools, educators' job satisfaction, motivation, productivity, well-being, and learner achievement.
The Value of Play for Conflict Management: A Case Study
Author: Snodgrass, Lyn
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Play,Conflict Resolution,Secondary School Students,Intervention,Teaching Methods,Democratic Values,Workshops,Student Diversity,Cultural Pluralism,Role Playing,Training,Semi Structured Interviews,College Faculty,Graduate Students,Communication Skills,Problem Solving,Blacks,Student Attitudes,Racial Differences,Case Studies,Qualitative Research

This is a case study of a conflict management intervention in two secondary schools in post-apartheid South Africa. The feature of the intervention that we examine is the use of play as an educational strategy. The literature attests that play can facilitate change by allowing learners freedom to change their behaviour and opportunities to explore their new identities. The context of the case revealed that conflicts had become deeply entrenched over time. The literature on conflict management suggests that such situations can change if approached in the right way. In the article we describe the intervention and evaluate it with the help of feedback received from participants and facilitators. In the evaluation we found that the participants were able to overcome prejudices and develop democratic approaches to conflict. The evaluation was repeated several months later, when it was found that the benefits of the workshop had been maintained, with the result that the participants were engaging in healthier relationships.
The Mediation of Representative Council of Learners Policy in Western Cape Schools--1997 to 2003
Author: Carr, Ivan
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Policy,Educational History,Foreign Countries,Human Resources,School Administration,Governing Boards,Compliance (Legal),Theory Practice Relationship,Politics of Education,Democratic Values,Questionnaires,Social Change,Administrator Attitudes,Secondary Schools,Barriers,Educational Change

We investigated how education policy was mediated at a representative number of Western Cape schools, from 1997 to 2003, using the structure, symbolic, human resource and political frames of Bolman and Deal (1997) as the basis of the investigation. The investigation produced diverse research findings. At the one end there were a majority of representative councils of learners that received the full support of the main role players. These councils were fully functional and were making a significant contribution to the effective governance of their schools. At the other end there were significant numbers of representative councils of learners that were not receiving the requisite support, and which were merely tolerated to ensure legal compliance. The factors responsible for preventing the development of education policy into praxis, at these schools, are divided into three categories: technical challenges, cultural challenges and political challenges. In conclusion suggestions are made as to how these varied and complex challenges can be met in the interests of furthering the democratic goals that underpin RPL policy.
The Perceptions of Parents of Their Role in the Democratic Governance of Schools in South Africa: Are They on Board?
Author: Mncube, Vuzi
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Parent Role,Democracy,Governance,Educational Administration,Parent Participation,Rural Schools,Secondary Schools,Mixed Methods Research,Observation,Documentation,Semi Structured Interviews,Questionnaires,Grade 11,Discipline,Educational Finance,Power Structure,Responsibility,Blacks,Barriers,Knowledge Level,Parent Rights,Case Studies

I argue that parent participation in SGBs is an important ingredient in building democracy in the schooling system, as well as in the wider society of South Africa. At some schools in South Africa, parents are not yet playing their full role as governors mandated by legislation. Parents at some rural schools are reluctant to participate in the decision-making by School Governing Bodies (SGBs) as a result of their low educational level or of power struggles in SGBs. In some former model C schools, on the other hand, lack of participation is related to a level of education of parents in general, lack of education on parental involvement in school activities, a fear of &quot;academic victimization&quot; of their children, language barrier, and difficulty in attending meetings. This lack of involvement is at its highest in school governing bodies. It appears therefore that while representation and debate are theoretically open and fair, there are still factors that inhibit SGBs from operating democratically. Although the political control of apartheid has gone, issues related to full democratic participation have not been resolved.
The Extent and Practice of Inclusion in Independent Schools in South Africa
Author: Walton, Elizabeth
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Inclusion,Private Schools,Barriers,Administrator Surveys,Principals,Statistical Analysis,Equal Education,Questionnaires,Elementary Secondary Education,Disabilities,Access to Education,Educational Practices,Hypothesis Testing

In line with international trends in education, South Africa has embraced inclusive education as the means by which learners who experience barriers to learning will be educated. As inclusion is beginning to be realised in South African schools, a gap in the emerging research base on inclusive education is that of inclusion in the independent sector. A study was undertaken to establish the extent to which learners who experience barriers to learning are included in independent schools belonging to ISASA (the largest independent schools association in South Africa) and the practices that facilitate inclusion. The results of a survey administered to principals were analysed quantitatively and reveal that most ISASA schools include learners who experience various barriers to learning and employ inclusive practices that are described in the international literature. We report on salient aspects emerging from the study and focus on the diversity of learners found in ISASA schools, as well as the inclusive practices found at school-wide, classroom, and individual levels. The practices described are the provision of on-site specialist personnel, support for teachers, building modifications to ensure access by persons using wheelchairs and various instructional practices and assessment adaptations. Recommendations arising from the study may give direction to South African schools pursuing inclusivity.
Perspectives of Teachers on the Implementation of Life Orientation in Grades R-11 from Selected Western Cape Schools
Author: van Deventer, Karel
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Attitudes,Program Implementation,Teacher Surveys,Program Attitudes,Elementary Secondary Education,Outcomes of Education,Physical Education Teachers,Teacher Qualifications,Educational Needs,Inservice Teacher Education,Educational Resources,Questionnaires,Extramural Athletics,School Recreational Programs,Physical Education,Foreign Countries,Qualitative Research,Statistical Analysis

Educational transformation in South Africa not only brought about Outcomes-based Education and Curriculum 2005 but also a new Learning Area/Subject, called Life Orientation (LO). A major challenge for LO as a new Learning Area/Subject is the preconceptions that exist about it, and the fact that the attitude of school principals is not conducive to the successful implementation of LO. Against this background it was deemed necessary to investigate teachers' perspectives regarding the implementation of LO in Grades R to 11. For the survey 248 schools (124 primary, 124 secondary) were randomly selected, of which 157 returned questionnaires. Summary statistics were done using frequency tables and histograms. Comparisons of ordinal variables were performed using one-way analysis of variance and the Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric test. For the majority of the schools the learning outcomes, related to the movement component of LO in the General and Further Education and Training bands, are presented. The fact that most of the schools do not have qualified Physical Education teachers holds certain implications for the status of LO in general and more specifically for the growth and development of the learners. To address this situation it is recommended that in-service and preservice education and training of teachers commences immediately and that Higher Education Institutions become more involved in different forms of training initiatives than currently the practice.
Levers for Change in Educational Development in Canada: Looking Back, Looking Forward
Author: Dawson, Debra L.
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Educational Development,Educational Change,Educational Trends,Educational History,Educational Practices,Predictor Variables

This paper examines levers or drivers that have influenced the direction of educational development in Canada over the last 40 years and also tries to predict what will be the impact of some current levers on changing the work of developers in the next 20 years. Reflecting on those years, it is apparent our work in the 1980s was very focused on the individual and gradually shifted to become more organizational and sector focused, particularly as the work of developers moved from the periphery to the center of our institutions. The challenge of the next 20 years will be responding to the breadth of areas we are being drawn into in the academy yet, the diversity of our work is one of the strengths of our profession.
A Model for the Strategic Use of Metacognitive Reading Comprehension Strategies
Author: Gómez González, Juan David
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Reading Comprehension,Reading Strategies,Metacognition,Reading Instruction,Teaching Methods,Content Area Reading,Models,Educational Benefits,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Lesson Plans,College Students,Language of Instruction,Foreign Countries

This paper describes an approach to developing intermediate level reading proficiency through a strategic and iterative use of a discreet set of tasks that combine some of the more common metacognitive theories and strategies that have been published in the past thirty years. The case for incorporating this composite approach into reading comprehension classes begins with an explanation of its benefits and the context in which it came to be; its relationship to theoretical discourse in the field; a description of its three main components: textual indicators, strategy instruction, and content learning; and concludes by presenting a model for implementing the approach that integrates these three components.