Doctoral Degrees (School of Education Management, Policy, and Comparative Education)
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Browsing Doctoral Degrees (School of Education Management, Policy, and Comparative Education) by Author "Mdodana-Zide, L."
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Item Open Access Dynamics of managing learners’ classroom disruptive behaviour: experiences of secondary school staff, South Africa(University of the Free State, 2023) Letuma, Motsekiso Calvin; Mdodana-Zide, L.; Nhlumayo, B. S.The efficacy of the classroom environment in facilitating learning is contingent upon the teacher’s successful management of Classroom Disruptive Behaviour (CDB) and the degree to which learners adhere to the strategies the teachers use. The function of schools in influencing learners’ good behaviour is paramount due to the intricate nature of the behavioural challenges learners encounter, which stem from the different factors. The study explored secondary school staff’s experiences in the dynamics of managing learners’ disruptive behaviour in the classroom. The following subsidiary questions guided the study: What are the views of secondary school staff on the factors that cause learners’ CDB in school? How do secondary school staff manage the dynamics of learners’ disruptive behaviour in the classroom? What challenges do secondary school staff experience when managing learners’ disruptive behaviour in the classroom? What strategies can be used to address the challenges and strengthen the management of learners’ disruptive behaviour in the classroom? The study adopted a qualitative approach and employed interpretive paradigm as the lens and descriptive phenomenology as the design to explore staff’s lived experiences of CDB management. The study was grounded in Assertive Discipline Theory. Seven teachers and six School Management Team members were selected purposively from four quintile three secondary schools. Seven teachers formed a focus group discussion, while semi-structured interviews were conducted with six School Management Team (SMT) members. Three data-collecting instruments, namely focus group discussion, semi-structured interviews and document analysis, were used during data collection. To extract significant concepts pertinent to the generated data accurately, inductive content analysis was used to analyse data. This study found that a mix of external, school and learner factors contribute to CDB. This research offered evidence that the schools are likely to endure academic underperformance since CDB significantly affects teaching and learning.The research threw light on how schools were making concerted efforts to address CDB through various initiatives related to policy. The study also revealed that the staff members adopt ed non-policy-related approaches when managing CDB and that when the staff members confronted CDB, they experienced both internal and external difficulties. To address the schools’ contextual factors contributing to CDB, the study recommends that staff, especially the School Management Team (SMT), be capacitated with skills in areas like monitoring, setting up functional school committees (Disciplinary and School-Based Support Team), putting in place effective textbook retrieval systems, starting functional induction programmes for new teachers and outsourcing professional development. The study further recommends that the district set up a District Support Team to show the staff how to create effective classroom rules, implement policies related to the suspension of learners, understand the difference between discipline and punishment, and put the National School Safety Framework into place. The study also suggests that the district monitors the admission of learners in schools. The research provided evidence that there was overcrowding in schools and that such a situation propelled CDB. In addition, the study recommends that the district assist the school in establishing various athletics opportunities for learners to showcase their talents. Implementing the Screening, Identification, Assessment and Support policy should be mandatory across every school. Presently, schools are just being encouraged to screen learners. The research found that secondary schools admit learners without Screening Assessment Needs forms. Thus, such practice makes it tough to establish proactive measures to manage disruptive behaviour among learners efficiently, particularly those with severe learning impairments. The study further recommends that the admissions policy should outline the age limits for learners to be enrolled in each grade level. The policy should also expressly state that parents should enrol their children in Adult Basic Education and Training if they surpass the stipulated age restriction. The study offers evidence that older learners cause behavioural problems for teachers and their peers in the same classroom. In the context of secondary schools, the policy should specifically restrict the admission of learners who exceed the designated age limit. Presently schools can only go as far as encouraging parents to enrol their older children in Adult Basic Education and Training. There is a loophole in that parents may refuse to follow the schools’ suggestions. To add to existing strategies and strengthen the management of CDB, the study proposed the Alternatives to the Establishment of the Conducive Learning Environment model.Item Open Access Perceptions of Lesotho secondary school principals on their professional development needs to enhance leadership(University of the Free State, 2023) Mabeleng, Matanki Irene; Mdodana-Zide, L.; Nhlumayo, B. S.School leadership plays a critical role in effective management of teaching and learning. Principals are entrusted with a huge responsibility of managing schools although they face a variety of challenges running the schools effectively in the 21st century. The professional development of principals is, therefore, crucial to their success as leaders since it extends their knowledge and improves their job performance. This study explored the perceptions of Lesotho secondary school principals on their professional development needs to enhance leadership. Constructivism paradigm was used as a lens for this study. The research was informed by constructivism theory as well as complexity leadership theory. A qualitative research approach was employed, and a multiple case study was adopted to gather data from twelve individual principals from twelve schools. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and purposive sampling was used to identify and select individual principals who were knowledgeable and had insights to share regarding their professional development needs. Thematic data analysis approach was employed to extract meaning from the collected data. The major findings of the study revealed that principals lack exposure to professional development programmes, and this adversely affects school leadership. The study further exposed that principals need capacitation in digital literacy skills, financial management skills, legal skills as well as management and instructional leadership skills. Additionally, the study found that principals experience numerous challenges in their leadership role, and these have a negative effect on their performance. It further revealed financial constraints and lack of support from the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) as some of the factors hindering principals’ professional development. The study recommends that professional development programmes be arranged for principals to address their needs to enhance school leadership. Additionally, short training courses could be arranged by MoET to capacitate principals in the areas where they lack skills. The findings of this research contributed to the body of knowledge on the professional development needs of school principals. The study has the potential to raise awareness of the professional development needs of Lesotho secondary school principals, which is the area of focus that previous research conducted in Lesotho failed to address. The results of this study could assist MoET in development of professional development programmes for newly appointed principals to advance their leadership skills. To further enhance leadership, teacher training institutions could also use the results of this research to upgrade pre- and in-service leadership training programmes that could be used to assist principals in their leadership positions. The results of the research will as well assist policymakers and the Ministry of Education and Training in Lesotho on how to structure professional development programmes to meet the needs of secondary school principals.