Masters Degrees (School of Education Studies)
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Browsing Masters Degrees (School of Education Studies) by Author "Alexander, G."
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Item Open Access Enhancing learners' academic achievements in rural Lesotho schools: matching teaching and learning styles(University of the Free State, 2009-05) Letele, Moeketsi Joseph; Alexander, G.; Swanepoel, Z. I.English: The Lesotho Junior Certificate results between 2003 and 2006 indicate that in the rural secondary schools of Lesotho the pass rate ranged from 51% to 58%. These figures are low compared to those in the urban schools for the same years which ranged from 70% to 72%. The Teaching Service Department shows that there was 40% of unqualified teachers in these schools in 2003 and 35% in 2007. There seems to be a correlation between the high numbers of unqualified teachers and the low pass rate in these schools. This view is underscored by Wheeler and McLeod (2002: 696) who note that teachers are more likely to develop teaching styles which are congruent with their own learning styles rather than those of their learners if they are unaware of the learning and teaching styles literature. This study aims to establish teaching styles that match the learning styles of learners in the rural secondary schools of Lesotho with the view to improve academic achievement. The objectives are: to determine whether teachers in these schools have adequate knowledge pertaining to teaching and learning styles; to identify the predominant styles; to determine the extent to which matching teaching and learning styles improves academic achievement; and to provide a teacher's guide on teaching and learning styles. The research comprises of a literature study and empirical investigation. The Solomon Felder Index of Learning Styles (SFILS) and self-designed teaching style questionnaire were used. The learners' end-of-year examination marks were studied. The empirical findings indicate that most teachers in rural secondary schools of Lesotho do not have adequate knowledge on teaching and learning styles, while findings from the literature and empirical study indicate that academic achievement of learners can be enhanced by matching teaching and learning styles. Therefore, these findings can be used to improve the teaching and learning process and ultimately the level of success that learners in rural secondary schools can experience in their respective schools. Finally, the findings of this study were used to develop a teacher's guide on teaching and learning styles. This would hopefully guide teachers in the rural secondary schools of Lesotho on which styles could work best in their contexts.Item Open Access The role of school management teams (SMTs) in rendering learning support in public primary schools(University of the Free State, 2015-07) Ntseto, Rachel Motshidisi; Palmer, J. M.; Alexander, G.The education environment in South Africa is characterised by diverse layers of complexity and there is recognition by education practitioners, scholars, and researchers world-widethat schools require effective leaders and managers if they are to provide the best possible education for their learners. The term learning support is commonplace in the education provision of learners with special education needs and barriers to learning. In this regard, learning support is critical to these learners to achieve academically. The South African Ministry of Education recognised that the success to the approach to address barriers to learning effectively lies with education managers and education cadre (EPW 6 2001:29). Effective schools are educationally inclusive schools in which the teaching and learning, achievements, attitudes and well-being of every person matter. This is shown not only in their performance, but also in their ethos and willingness to offer new opportunities to learners who may have experienced previous difficulties. This study aims at highlighting the challenges that SMTs of clustering primary schools face as well as their roles in rendering effective inclusive learning support to SEN learners. The theory underpinning this research is the ecosystem theory which the researcher regarded as the most suitable to address learners with barriers to learning and development. In an education system characterised by inclusion, the ecosystem perspective suggests that inclusive learning support should not only be directed at an individual learner but that it should be extended to all systems that surround the learner. Employing a qualitative interpretive design, the study utilised a case study where of four clustering schools in the Motheo schools district were purposefully selected. Utilising focus group interviews, group discussion and semi-structured interviews as the research tools, the target population comprising of SMTs, SBSTs, SGBs and educators, the study yielded the data for this study. A key finding of this study revealed that SMTs of the public primary schools researched in the Motheo District cluster are not fully attentive to the value of their roles as mangers in rendering of effective ILS. This study recommends that it is crucial for SMTs in conjunction with relevant stakeholders (District Based Support Teams, School Based Support Teams, School Governing Bodies and educators and Government departments) to create a conducive environment for the promotion of ILS.