scholarly journals Investing In Leadership, Governance And Management To Improve Quality Of Teaching And Learning: A Human Capital Perspective

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 475
Author(s):  
Isaac M. Ntshoe ◽  
Jacob M. Selesho
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Content Knowledge ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Department Of Education ◽  
Free State ◽  
Improve Quality ◽  
African Context ◽  
Quality In Education

While funding is undoubtedly necessary to promote the quality of the curriculum, teaching, and learning, funding in and by itself is not a guarantee to achieve equity and equality of outcomes. Accordingly, in some cases, such as the South African context, a sound funding regimen to address inequities and quality in education in the post-apartheid setting, the quality of leadership, governance and management are equally key and sometimes more critical to achieving sustainable quality and equity improvements in education, including the quality of matric learners. Five quintile 1s (non-fee paying schools) in the Fezile Dabi district in the Free State Province of South Africa were sampled for this study. The schools were used as samples because they formed what is known as non-performing schools in terms of their matric results for the 2009 and 2010 academic years. We used purposive sampling comprising schools that did not perform satisfactorily in their matric results and adopted an utilisation-focused strategy that could assist the Free State Department of Education to improve quality. The data were collected from School Management Teams comprising the school principals of the five schools and Heads of Department. Knowledge of how principals manage the curriculum in schools in South Africa is therefore limited. Although there are detailed normative frameworks (often from elsewhere) on what principals should do, there is little consideration of the reality of the work of principals, in particular contexts, and what they actually do. There was a concern about some HODs with regard to their content knowledge of the different subjects streams. There was an outcry of 45% of HODs in highly cognitive subjects, such as Mathematics, Accounting, and Physical Science, who did not possess the content knowledge required in their respective subjects streaming. Consequently, a statement was made concerning the level of leadership in high-focus subjects. Similarly, there is a perception that there should be a strong content knowledge from the HOD as an instruction leader as their subjects are regarded as highly skilled subjects.

scholarly journals Turnaround Learner Discipline Practices through Epistemic Social Justice in Schools

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rudzani Israel Lumadi
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
South African ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Justice Theory ◽  
Discipline Practices ◽  
Social Justice Theory

Researchers claim that learner discipline has continued to be a problem in schools since corporal punishment was outlawed in public schools in South Africa. It is evident that teachers have a vital role to play in the improvement of learner discipline in schools. An interpretivist qualitative approach was adopted to investigate learner discipline practices as perceived by teachers in South African public schools. A sample of 10 (3 principals, 3 teachers, 3 parents and 1 learner) participants was used for the study. Social justice theory was used as a lens to consider the process of humanising learner discipline practices in terms of human rights. The article investigates how learner discipline practices can be turned around through epistemic social justice to influence the quality of teaching and learning in schools. The findings revealed that in South Africa there are no effective learner discipline practices. There is a need for education authorities to introduce compulsory training and development programmes for aspiring teachers to be equipped with new strategies to deal with learner discipline through a social justice approach. Social justice theory was used as a tool to address learner discipline practices in selected schools. It was recommended that there be more parent involvement in decision-making to consider a policy of transforming learner discipline practices to deal with the inequality and injustice in schools.

Fabric Quality Issues Related to Apparel Merchandising

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sweta Das ◽  
L. Hunter
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Advanced Technology ◽  
Research Gaps ◽  
Apparel Manufacturing ◽  
Specific Focus ◽  
African Context ◽  
New Generation ◽  
Garment Manufacturing

The objectives of this study are to develop an understanding of fabric quality related issues and research gaps relevant to apparel manufacturing and merchandising within the South African context. The specific focus is on fabric objective measurement (FOM), a relatively new and highly advanced technology which involves a new generation of instrumentally measured parameters that provide a more complete picture of fabric quality, tailorability and clothing performance, and which has found wide application internationally. The research involves a questionnaire survey of major clothing and retail companies in South Africa and interviews with them, with a specific focus on apparel and garment manufacturing and retailing in South Africa. The data and information so captured are graphically presented, statistically analyzed and interpreted. The main finding is that although manufacturers and retailers carry out most of the important fabric and garment testing, they lag behind the world in adopting highly advanced and integrated FOM systems, such as FAST and Kawabata, which are widely used to improve and ensure the quality of apparel fabric and garments.

scholarly journals Present challenges and some critical issues for research in industrial/organisational psychology in South Africa

2007 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
S Rothmann ◽  
FVN Cilliers
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
South African ◽  
South African Context ◽  
Health And Wellness ◽  
The South ◽  
Critical Issues ◽  
African Context

The objective of this study was to determine a set of problems and critical issues that researchers in Industrial and Organisational Psychology deem to be important areas for immediate and future enquiry. The changing identity of this field of application is investigated, more relevant paradigms in the study of organisational health and wellness is explored and methods, techniques and interventions suitable to the South African context are suggested. Conclusions are formulated to increase the ability of organisations to work towards economic development, while promoting the wellness and quality of life of employees.

Educational Resources to Under-Resourced Schools in the Limpopo Province: Proposed Library Model

Mousaion ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Maredi Mojapelo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
South African ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Basic Education ◽  
School Library ◽  
Limpopo Province ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Daunting Challenge

Universally, the significance of adequately resourced and well-staffed libraries to improve teaching and learning accomplishments in under-resourced schools cannot be overemphasised. In South Africa, resource provision is still a daunting challenge adversely affecting the quality of the results of learners. It is a distressing fact that, even in the post-apartheid South Africa, only a few (7%) schools have well-stocked and functioning libraries. One of the outcomes of this largely quantitative study was to propose a library model that the author hopes can be implemented to offer effective library and information services for schools - particularly in disadvantaged rural communities. Given the way in which the majority of South African schools are distributed in disadvantaged rural communities, the study recommends a cluster school library model that involves a number of schools in a particular circuit office being serviced by one well-equipped stand-alone library (cluster library) under the education library services of the provincial Department of Basic Education.

scholarly journals RETHINKING TRADITIONAL SCIENCE TEACHING THROUGH INFUSING ICT LEARNING EMBEDDED BY A ‘LEARNING-AS-DESIGN’ APPROACH

2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-6
Author(s):  
André du Plessis
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Basic Education ◽  
Department Of Education ◽  
The South ◽  
Effective Learning ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
African Context ◽  
Learning Principles

The South African Department of Basic Education (DoBE) has been promoting constructivist learning principles, the development of higher order thinking, the implementation of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) (Department of Education, 2004; Du Plessis, 2014) and the development of critical outcomes such as problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration, self-management, finding and analysing information, developing effective communicating skills, assisting learners to use science and technology effectively as well as promoting effective learning strategies (Department of Education, 2004). The use of ICTs to promote teaching and learning has also been high on the agenda of the DoBE (2004; 2007). However, it appears that the use of ICT within South African schools is ‘bolted-on’ on to the curriculum as an added extra, resulting that integration with school subjects is minimal (Du Plessis, 2010). The above is probably prevalent outside the South African context too in many other schools all over the globe.

scholarly journals Audiological testing for ototoxicity monitoring in adults with tuberculosis in state hospitals in Gauteng, South Africa

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 44-49
Author(s):  
Katijah Khoza-Shangase ◽  
Megan Stirk
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Tuberculosis Treatment ◽  
State Hospitals ◽  
Sample Data ◽  
African Context ◽  
Current Sample ◽  
Record Review

Background: Ototoxicity monitoring during treatment of medical conditions, where the medications used are known to be toxic to the ear, is an important scope of practice of the audiologist; and, is an important clinical service aimed at enhancing patients’ quality of life.Aim: The aim of the current study was to determine audiological testing practices for ototoxicity monitoring in adults with tuberculosis in State Hospitals in Gauteng, South Africa. Specific objectives included establishing if ototoxicity (cochleotoxicity) monitoring occurs; determining the timing as well as frequency of monitoring; and, establishing what management protocols are followed once ototoxicity is established.Methodology: A retrospective data record review design was adopted where hospital records from tuberculosis treatment units were reviewed. A total of 191 participant files comprised the research sample. Data obtained was analysed using descriptive statistics.Results: Findings indicated that out of 5 hospitals recruited, only one had an ototoxicity monitoring programme in place. At this programme only 66% of participants were enrolled in an ototoxicity monitoring program in which baseline audiological measures were only conducted one month post treatment in 41% of the samples monitored. The majority of those monitored had repeat measures conducted once monthly. No clear and systematic medical management of ototoxicity, once identified, was found in the current sample. A small number of participants’ medication was adjusted as an intervention measure.Conclusion: Findings demonstrate the need for systematic and integrated ototoxicity monitoring programs in tuberculosis treatment centres in South Africa; as well as highlight the need for the development of evidence-based management protocols for ototoxicity within state hospitals in this South African context. 

Book review: Jansen, J. 2017. As by Fire: The End of the South African University. Cape Town: Tafelberg.

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 117
Author(s):  
Jared McDonald
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Cape Town ◽  
The South ◽  
Scholarship Of Teaching ◽  
Creative Commons ◽  
Vice Chancellor ◽  
The University

Dr Jared McDonald, of the Department of History at the University of the Free State (UFS) in South Africa, reviews As by fire: the end of the South African university, written by former UFS vice-chancellor Jonathan Jansen.    How to cite this book review: MCDONALD, Jared. Book review: Jansen, J. 2017. As by Fire: The End of the South African University. Cape Town: Tafelberg.. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in the South, [S.l.], v. 1, n. 1, p. 117-119, Sep. 2017. Available at: <http://sotl-south-journal.net/?journal=sotls&page=article&op=view&path%5B%5D=18>. Date accessed: 12 Sep. 2017.   This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

‘Limping, Yet Made to Climb a Mountain!’ Re-Reading the Vashti Character in the Hiv And Aids South African Context

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madipoane Masenya (Ngwan’A Mphahlele)
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
External Factor ◽  
Hiv And Aids ◽  
African Women ◽  
South African Context ◽  
Land Grabbing ◽  
The Bible ◽  
History Of ◽  
African Context

The history of the Christian Bible’s reception in South Africa was part of a package that included among others, the importation of European patriarchy, land grabbing and its impoverishment of Africans and challenged masculinities of African men. The preceding factors, together with the history of the marginalization of African women in bible and theology, and how the Bible was and continues to be used in our HIV and AIDS contexts, have only made the proverbial limping animal to climb a mountain. Wa re o e bona a e hlotša, wa e nametša thaba (while limping, you still let it climb a mountain) simply means that a certain situation is being aggravated (by an external factor). In this chapter the preceding Northern Sotho proverb is used as a hermeneutical lens to present an HIV and AIDS gender sensitive re-reading of the Vashti character in the Hebrew Bible within the South African context.

Reimagining Intersectionality and Social Exclusion in South Africa

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khosi Kubeka ◽  
Sharmla Rama
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
South African Context ◽  
Social Division ◽  
Common Reference ◽  
Local Contexts ◽  
African Context

Combining the theories of intersectionality and social exclusion holds the potential for structural and nuanced interpretations of the workings of power, taking systemic issues seriously but interpreting them though social relations that appear in local contexts. An intersectional analysis of social exclusion demonstrates to what extent multiple axes of social division—be they race, age, gender, class, disability or citizenship—intersect to result in unequal and disparate experiences for groups of youth spatially located in particular communities and neighborhoods. A common reference point is therefore power and how it manifests at the intersection of the local and global. A South African case study is used to explore the subjective measures and qualitative experiences of intersectionality and social exclusion further. The unique ways that language intersects with space, neighborhood, and race in the South African context, enables opportunities in education and the labor market, with profound implications for forms of social exclusion.

scholarly journals Teaching Mathematics during the COVID-19 Lockdown in a Context of Historical Disadvantage

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 177
Author(s):  
Brantina Chirinda ◽  
Mdutshekelwa Ndlovu ◽  
Erica Spangenberg
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Mathematics Teachers ◽  
Education System ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Education Community ◽  
South African Education

The COVID-19 global pandemic widely affected education across the world and engendered unprecedented scenarios that required expeditious responses. In South Africa, the pandemic came on top of pre-existing inequalities in the education system. Using a qualitative research method of exploratory and descriptive nature, this study engaged a social justice framework to explore the teaching and learning of mathematics during the COVID-19 lockdown in a context of historical disadvantage. A sample of twenty-three Grade 12 mathematics teachers at various public secondary schools in Gauteng, South Africa was used in the study. The teachers were selected through purposive sampling. A Google-generated open-ended questionnaire and follow-up telephonic interviews were used to collect data. Data were analysed thematically in five steps. The findings revealed that the WhatsApp platform is a valuable tool that can support the teaching and learning of mathematics beyond the classroom in the contexts of historical disadvantage. The findings also provided insights into how mathematics teachers became learners themselves during emergency remote teaching (ERT) as they had to adapt to digital teaching, find solutions to unfamiliar problems and acquire knowledge from a larger mathematics education community around the globe. The article discusses these findings and teachers’ challenges of transitioning from traditional face-to-face classrooms to ERT and how they were addressed. At the time of publishing the article, most learners in South Africa had started going to school on a rotational basis. Nonetheless, the study reported in this article is of importance as ERT in the context of historical disadvantage has foregrounded issues of inequality in the South African education system that must be dealt with urgently.

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