AA 2011 Volume 43 Issue 3

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http://hdl.handle.net/11660/2483

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    Effective school governing bodies: parental involvement
    (University of the Free State, 2011) Mncube, Vusi; Harber, Clive; Du Plessis, Pierre
    English: This article investigates how parents can best be involved in school governing bodies (SGBs). The study adopts a qualitative approach, using focus group interviews. The findings suggest that the context within which schools operate plays a major role in the effective functioning of SGBs. The latter are perceived to be fraught with corruption – usurping powers bestowed upon them – as well as with difficult power relations leading to exclusion of some parents. The study provides recommendations of how best parents can be involved in SGBs for the effective functioning of the school.
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    An analysis of metaphors used for inclusive education in South Africa
    (University of the Free State, 2011) Walton, Elizabeth; Lloyd, Gillian
    English: Metaphors may delay the implementation of inclusive education. They describe ideas, construct thinking, and have implications for practice. By drawing on various theories of metaphor, the article analyses metaphors that occur in White Paper Six: special needs education and in subsequent inclusive education discourse. It focuses on inclusion as a goal, a building, a process and hospitality, and describes what these metaphors offer in order to develop an understanding of inclusive education. These metaphors have conceptual limitations which may affect the way in which inclusion is practised in South Africa. Metaphors that convey inclusion are required as an urgent imperative to ensure that all South African children access quality education.
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    The Krugersdorp samurai sword killing: a media analysis
    (University of the Free State, 2011) De Wet, Corene
    English: Using data gathered from the South African newspaper coverage, this article examines the space and time frames through which the media cultivated a particular view of the Krugersdorp samurai sword killing. The article also reports on findings from a qualitative content analysis on newspapers’ portrayal of the three dominant space frames, namely the individual, the organisational (teaching and learning milieu) and the societal frames. A total of 62 news stories and editorials were analysed. The study found that the event was mostly framed at the individual level and the present time frame. Findings from the content analysis highlighted newspapers’ conflicting portrayal of Morné Harmse, his parents and the school where the killing took place.
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    Sexuality education in South Africa: a sociocultural perspective
    (University of the Free State, 2011) Beyers, Christa
    English: In a multicultural society such as South Africa, it is difficult to define what should be viewed as “sexual health” or “culture-appropriate” content to teach in schools. Drawing on findings from black Life Orientation teachers who teach sexuality education, this article will argue that teachers shy away from teaching crucial information regarding sexuality because their own sociocultural values and moral beliefs could contradict or differ from the programmes that they are expected to teach.
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    Community participation in higher education service learning
    (University of the Free State, 2011) Van Schalkwyk, Frances; Erasmus, Mabel
    English: As a point of entry to local communities the curricular form of community engagement referred to as “service learning” has gained prominence in South African higher education institutions over the past decade. Thus far research on service learning has mostly been conducted to gauge student development and learning outcomes, while outcomes for community participants have received less attention. This article reports on research into the outcomes of a specific service learning module by involving community members as research participants. Suggestions are made for ensuring that participants from local communities play a more active role in their own empowerment through transformative service learning interactions with university students, lecturers and other participants.
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    Conceptualising the re-design of the curriculum for teacher education
    (University of the Free State, 2011) Du Toit, Gawie
    English: Over the past few years the HEQC audited higher education institutions and evaluated various programmes presented at these institutions. The Bachelors in Education degree (BEd) was one of the programmes evaluated at the majority of these institutions. Explicit levels of progression linked to theoretical depth, articulation between modules and overlapping, coherence of programmes to a shared vision, and alignment in modules were some of the typical areas of concern raised in the evaluation of some of these programmes. The main aim of this article is to conceptualise from a “pure” curriculum perspective a teacher education programme that is fostered within a theoretical framework. A further aim is to design BEd programmes, in order to address the challenges of education in South Africa. An inductive qualitative approach is used to facilitate the achievement of these aims.
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    Raising awareness of classroom constructs: an application of Kelly’s repertory grid technique
    (University of the Free State, 2011) Greyling, Willfred
    English: This article argues that Kelly’s repertory grid technique allows prospective teachers and their trainers to gain critical-reflective depth when they respond to statistically computed relationships between the poles of pairs of constructs in their group and personal grids. Using ten classroom-specific scenarios as elements, the teachertrainer elicited approximately 800 constructs from a cohort of prospective teachers in the first stage of this awareness-raising project. From these, 12 constructs were selected to include in a repertory ratings grid. Tentative hypotheses about the meaning making within the group and for each individual were formulated. These hypotheses were ten-tative trainer-formulated accounts which could only be accepted or rejected by the participating cohort of teachers in “dialogically accomplished” task-response se-quences based on relational subjectivity. Writing tasks were formulated requiring the teachers to validate or reject these tentative hypotheses. These responses were logged and used as evidence of critical-reflective analyses directed at meaning making.
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    The political economy of public-private good of open, distance, higher education institutions in South Africa
    (University of the Free State, 2011) Ntshoe, Isaac
    English: The thrust of this article is on the issues of who pays, who should pay and who benefits from open distance higher education in the current context of global competition, on the one hand, and the widening of participation, social equity and redress, on the other, in South Africa. The discussions emphasise the public-private good dichotomy, as well as social and private returns and how open and distance higher education promotes social equity and efficiency. The article explores the extent to which open distance higher education promotes the widening access for previously disadvantaged groups and improvement of social and economic equities.
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    The inadequate induction of novice educators: a leadership failure?
    (University of the Free State, 2011) Van Niekerk, Eldridge; Dube, Wilhelminah
    English: A model of long-term leadership is used as a conceptual tool to analyse qualitative data from an investigation into the induction of novice educators conducted in Community Junior Secondary Schools in Gaborone, Botswana. It is argued that the inadequate induction of novice educators reflects a failure of school leadership. Interview data are presented on features of induction programmes and the degree of support rendered to novices by relevant role players. The article concludes with a critical appraisal of the leadership inadequacies regarding the induction of novices.
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    Psychological mindedness and academic achievement of psychology students in a higher education environment
    (University of the Free State, 2011) Beets, Soretha; Nienaber, Alida; Botha, Karel
    English: This article aims to determine the relationship between psychological mindedness and academic achievement and whether there are differences in demographic variables in relation to both psychological mindedness and academic achievement. A crosssectional design was used and 211 undergraduate students participated. A biographic questionnaire as well as the psychological mindedness scale was administered and the academic records of the participants were drawn. The data were analysed by calculating correlations, t-tests and an analysis of variance. Although there is a correlation between academic achievement and psychological mindedness, other factors may also play a role in the academic achievement of undergraduate university students. Limitations and recommendations were indicated.