Office of the Dean: Education

Permanent URI for this community

http://hdl.handle.net/11660/44

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 27

Open Access
Vraagstukke in verband met die herorganisasie van plattelandsonderwys in die Oranje Vrystaat
(University of the Free State, 1929) Lemmer, Cecil Joseph Cloete
Abstract not available
Open Access
Change in higher education: the psychological experience of facilitators and co-ordinators in a resource-based learning course
(University of the Free State, 1999-01) Holtzhausen, Sophia Maria; Lategan, L. O. K.; Jooste, J. C.
English: Higher Education in South Africa is currently being characterised by massification, globalisation, more non-traditional students entering the system, striving towards quality and cost-effective educational programmes, as well as a paradigm shift from lecture-based to resource-based learning (RBL) education (which is a learning methodology where the learning content is made accessible to students and the emphasis is shifted to the facilitator as the manager of knowledge and not the main source of knowledge). During the transformation of the South African higher education system, the ministry as well as various policy documents propose RBL as an appropriate delivery mode and a key principle to meet challenges (e.g. the expectations of the learners, the realities of the work place, and to maintain high standard graduates) posed to the university system. A profound understanding of the dynamics of a nation's higher educational change process is only possible when taking international developments into account. The evaluation of the experience of change is difficult, due to the complexity and pace of change in most higher education institutions. Change is affecting all facets of human experience. In this study attention is focused on the psychological experiences of facilitators and co-ordinators due to higher educational change in a RBL course. A quantitative and qualitative investigation was done to identify the presence of as well as the differences between the specific psychological experiences by facilitators and coordinators due to higher educational change (e.g. the paradigm shift to the RBL methodology). In this comparative study facilitators seem to be more concerned about the awareness, informational, personal, consequence and refocusing stages of concern, while the coordinators are more concerned about the management and collaboration stages of concern. These results correlate with the respective job descriptions of the facilitators and co-ordinators. In this study it is evident that both facilitators and co-ordinators have limited RBL knowledge and skills, due to their short involvement period in this delivery mode. The latter may be one of the reasons to clarify the presence of negative experiences of the self as regard coping with RBL by facilitators and co-ordinators. The facilitators' and co-ordinators' involvement in RBL was due to an obliged change, because they were nominated instead of volunteering. Therefore, this may implicate that the shift to RBL implies hard and difficult work for the developers, in order to equip staff with the necessary knowledge and skills of RBL. The majority of facilitators indicated that they are in favour of workshops. Only half of the co-ordinators were positive towards workshops, which indicates an important concern, if one takes into account that co-ordinators have to be subject experts who are responsible for the training and orientation of the facilitators and therefore need workshops/training opportunities to keep up with the latest developments regarding RBL. Both facilitators and co-ordinators demonstrated an increase in motivation, competency, and confidence levels, because they experience RBL as positive and effective. After six months there appears to be a difference between facilitators whose excitement levels were decreasing, while co-ordinators' excitement levels remained equal. The latter could be due to the fact that facilitators are more directly confronted with the RBL practice. There is also the tendency of high frustration levels amongst facilitators and co-ordinators which appear to be caused by the prominent problems in the South African context and the complexity of the Western culture of the students. A unique factor that complicates the implementation of RBL in the Resource-based Learning Career Preparation Programme is that staff are presenting and students are receiving education through a second-language medium. The above-mentioned perspectives and insights gained from the comparative study could guide both the developers and managers of the Resource-based Learning Career Preparation Programme to improve directly the psychological functioning of staff, and indirectly to improve the whole programme.
Open Access
The perceptions and experiences of social representation in the Free State schools: an education management perspective
(University of the Free State, 2009-05) Bowes, John Hamilton; Niemmann, S. M.
English: This thesis examined the discourse of the perceptions and experiences school leaders have on cultural representativity in a changing environment and how such situations should be managed. The ideology behind social representation was justified with the notion that it has the task to level the playing field, so that all South Africans can share democracy, liberty and equality. In South Africa social representation is implemented as a permanent measure to achieve a truly representative society across all spheres in South Africa, which forces diverse groups of society to conform to the goal of a homogeneous society. This affects all cultures and social classes in society and consequently also the school principal in all aspects of school management. The study drew on a comprehensive literature study exploring the philosophical foundations, the principles that underpin social representation, racial, cultural and gender divides, as well as its impact on organisations and suggestions on how to manage diversity in the school. The data that emerged from the literature review was used as point of departure for the empirical investigations. In this investigation a mixed-method approach was followed, using interviews with eight school leaders in the Free State Province and a researcher developed questionnaire that was distributed to 280 school leaders at schools with diverse cultures situated in urban as well as rural communities in the Free State Province. The above investigations revealed how social representation is experienced and perceived, the problems encountered during implementation, what school leaders regard as basic elements to ensure effectively run diverse schools, as well as the training that they would like to undergo in order to become more efficient in running a socially represented school in the present South African context. The researcher came to the conclusion that, in spite of heightened racial sensitivity, school leaders have rather positive feelings about social representation and that the school and the community benefit from it. The study is concluded by a synthesis of the findings resulting in guidelines for the effective management of socially diverse schools. It was finally envisaged that this study will serve as a starting point for training and for the further dissemination of the research findings to the benefit of school management and staff performance in South Africa.
Open Access
Editorial
(Faculty of Education, University of the Free State, 2010) Francis, Dennis
Abstract not available
Open Access
Die loopbaanbelewenis van akademici aan Suid-Afrikaanse universiteite: CAP ondersoek
(University of the Free State, 2010) Wolhuter, Charl; De Wet, Corene; Higgs, Philip; Higgs, Leonie; Ntshoe, Isaac
English: This article aims to explain how South African academics experience their professional lives during different career phases by employing data from the international Changing Academic Profession (CAP) investigation into the academic profession. Two perturbing aspects emanate from the research. First, how academics during the early career phase (ages 20-39 years) experience being constricted, in view of their roles as researchers and the fact that this phase is typically the most creative in one’s career. Similarly, the fact that academics in the mid-career phase (ages 40-55 years) show the lowest levels of job satisfaction is a cause for concern, as these years are typically the most productive in one’s career.
Open Access
Editorial
(Faculty of Education, University of the Free State, 2010) Francis, Dennis
Abstract not available
Open Access
Dominant discourses of teachers in early childhood education
(Faculty of Education, University of the Free State, 2010) Ebrahim, H. B.
This article examines the dominant discourses teachers in early childhood education (ECE) used to produce understandings of children and educational practice for them. Seven teachers from two early childhood centres in urban KwaZulu-Natal participated in this qualitative study. Data were produced through semi-structured interviews and conversations. The shared discourses of biology, development and difference are discussed. The findings show that teachers unproblematically use dominant discourses which narrow possibilities for them to understand children. This in turn limits their capacity for shaping contextually relevant practice. The article concludes with a brief discussion on worthy areas to focus on in order to map a way forward for developing the skills and capacity of teachers in ECE.
Open Access
Editorial
(Faculty of Education, University of the Free State, 2010) Francis, Dennis
Abstract not available
Open Access
Enabling roles to reclaim teacher agency: insights from the Advanced Certificate in Teaching (Foundation Phase)
(Faculty of Education, University of the Free State, 2011) Ebrahim, H. B.; Verbeek, D. C.; Mashiya, J. N.
In developing the Advanced Certificate in Teaching (ACT) as a professional qualification for continuing teacher education for early schooling at the University of KwaZulu-Natal we asked the following: “What are the enabling roles foundation phase teachers need to play in order to reclaim their space as agents who significantly influence their professional practice and how can they be assisted to become fully engaged in these roles?” We believe that this focus is timely and critical given the current effect of the discourse of standards and accountability on teacher agency. In this article we present a framework of enabling roles which create opportunities for teacher-students to experience critical reflection, transformatory learning and the development towards stronger agency. A significant implication of the framework is that teachers gain the experience of being part of a community in dialogue instead of a blunt tool for externally imposed curriculum demands. Space is created for both personal direction and the development of practice from within the foundation phase. We are mindful of the fact that, once the course has been completed and the qualification obtained, the lack of personal commitment and institutional pressure to teach in government-sanctioned ways may create slippage and constrain liberating roles. Nonetheless, we feel that, in introducing the roles in the ACT, developmental opportunities for teacher autonomy and transformative professionalism will be created.
Open Access
Early school leavers and sustainable learning environments in rural contexts
(Faculty of Education, University of the Free State, 2012) Mahlomaholo, Sechaba M. G.
In this paper, I show by means of Yosso’s community cultural wealth theoretical framework how equal numbers of early school leavers (ESLs) from the rural and the urban parts of the North-West province cite similar reasons for their early departure from school. The conclusion drawn from this scenario is that, irrespective of their diverse backgrounds and locations, they all seem to be affected in similar ways by conditions in their respective schools and social milieu. The above conclusion indicates that there is nothing intrinsically inferior or backward about rural learners and their settings. What seems to be different though may be how they are excluded with regard to curriculum practices that do not address their specific circumstances directly. On the basis of this conclusion I suggest that these curriculum practices be customised to the needs and conditions in the rural settings towards the creation of sustainable learning environments so as to stem the high rates of learner attrition therein. This must be done with the intention of giving rural learners opportunities similar to those afforded to learners from urban backgrounds. To date, rural learners have been deliberately and/or inadvertently excluded and marginalised; thus, to remedy the situation I propose the creation of sustainable learning environments in rural schools as well.
Open Access
An online multiple-choice microbiology game for undergraduate medical students: a case study
(University of the Free State, 2012) Struwig, Daleen; Beylefeld, Adri; Hugo, Alwyn; Joubert, Gina
English: Educational games are increasingly used in medical curricula to enhance the process of mastering subject content. Students experience medical microbiology as an exceptional challenge because of unfamiliar terminology and the extensive volume of this field of study. Consequently, many students believe that medical microbiology could be a major contributor to failing an academic year. This article describes the use of an online multiple-choice game to improve students’ performance in the Infections module of their medical training programme. The results show that an informal approach to learning may be beneficial to students, even in tertiary institutions.
Open Access
Teacher narratives on the teaching of sexuality and HIV/AIDS education
(Department of Communication Science, University of the Free State, 2012) Francis, Dennis
This article interrogates two questions: what do teachers believe about their training and preparation to teach sexuality education, and how do teachers reconcile their own identities and beliefs with the content of sexuality education? Using a qualitative research design with in-depth interviewing as method, this article argues that Life Orientation teachers lack training and come from a diverse range of fields, which do not always adequately equip them to teach sexuality education confidently and effectively. The article also makes suggestions for policy, practice and direction that future research might take to deepen our understanding about the teaching of sexuality education, including that schools must provide in-service sessions on the teaching of sexuality and that teacher training in the area of sexuality education must take into account elements of self-reflexivity where teachers begin to recognise and name their own beliefs and prejudices, and begin to separate their own values from the content they are teaching.
Open Access
Editorial
(Faculty of Education, University of the Free State, 2012) Nkoane, Molebatsi Milton
Abstract not available
Open Access
Critical emancipatory research for social justice and democratic citizenship
(Faculty of Education, University of the Free State, 2012-12) Nkoane, Molebatsi Milton
This article proposes a research paradigm located within the respectful relationship between participants and researcher(s) towards construction of positive holding, interactions and invitational environments which privilege social justice. I outline power as expressed at the heart of any form of human society through communication. For analysing power relations, issues of social justice and democratic citizenship become central. This article also demonstrates that social justice in research depends on interactions between the participants and researcher(s). I further argue for the need to engage with the methodological expectations of critical emancipatory research (CER), using the power of language and communication. I interrogate and trouble the power of text in the form of spoken or written words or any other means of communication. In addition, the article conceptualises communication as a medium of expression between the researcher(s) and participants; the researcher should not be regarded as aloof from the conditions of the participants. Therefore, the argument developed for social justice and democratic citizenship is that researcher(s) should be sensitive to the plight of all participants, recognising their voices or experiences. The article concludes by acknowledging the fact that human language is a product of human communication and that communication is important for knowledge production.
Open Access
Performance of first-year accounting students: does time perspective matter?
(University of the Free State, 2013) Joubert, Hanli; Viljoen, Marianne; Schall, Robert
English: Academic failure of first-year accounting students is a national and international problem. Existing research is inconclusive regarding the causes for the failure and does not make provision for the possible influence of dominant time perspectives on performance in accounting. This article investigates whether time perspective has an effect on the performance of first-year accounting students. A quantitative non-experimental predictive multivariate design is used and confounding variables are taken into consideration. The results of the study indicate significant relationships between performance in first-year accounting and gender, age and a past-negative time perspective. The most significant result of this study is that a past-negative time perspective, together with an unfavourable psychosocial background, might have led to failure in first-year accounting. It is suggested that students with a negative time perspective be identified and encouraged to participate in support programmes at the university.
Open Access
Improving academic performance in a rural school through the use of an asset-based approach as a management strategy
(University of the Free State, 2014-07) Myende, Phumlani Erasmus; Nkoane, M. M.; Hlalele, D. J.
English: The aim of this study was to investigate how academic performance in a rural school can be improved using the asset-based approach as a school management strategy. In other words, the study anticipated developing an asset-based approach strategy through which the management in a rural school can improve academic performance. This was done through finding strategies of identifying and mobilising community assets. With this done, the study further sought to find out what the school management can do to set conditions conducive to the utilisation of the asset-based approach within the selected school. The last part of the study focussed on what could be the possible challenges for the approach and how the school management may address such challenges in order to use the approach to improve academic performance. Arguing that the asset-based approach has gained currency and has worked in educational psychology, community development studies, HIV and AIDS research, and economics, this study couched this approach within educational leadership and management and it treats improvement of academic performance as one of the issues school managers have to address in their daily work. The study acknowledges that indeed rural communities are not deficit, but the researcher in the study argues that research that conscietise rural people about the huge roles they can play in improving academic performance through their assets lags behind. The study further responds to the call from the Department of Education that responses to rural education challenges should be multifaceted and bring the rural people to the centre as solutions providers. The study was theoretically located within the critical emancipatory research (CER) and the asset-based approach as frameworks. The intentions were to conscietise and create a space for rural people to know their assets and further work with them in the process of establishing the strategies for using such assets towards improving academic performance in their secondary school. Through CER, there was hope that participants would be empowered by engaging in the research activities and so able to realise the capacities, skills and strengths that were found in the school and its immediate community, thereafter creating ways through which such assets are used meaningfully in the process of improving academic performance. In understanding that CER promoted equity, social justice, transformation, closeness between the participants and the researchers, spaces for dialogue and questioning of unequal power relations in the society and the conventional research approaches, this study adopted participatory research (PR), as deemed relevant to empowering participants and questioning distorted ideologies that have perpetuated deficit thinking amongst the rural people. I worked with a group of participants made up of learners, teachers, SGB members, and the school management team (SMT) members (Principal and three Heads of Department). These participants volunteered to participate but they were also purposively targeted in that they were part of the school and poor academic performance was one of the problems experienced in the school. They were amongst the people affected by the problem being investigated. Not everyone could participate in the study. The school was understaffed and it only had 11 members of the teaching staff, including four members of the SMT. All these four members participated and four post level 1 teachers (PL1) were part of the larger group that participated. As part of the group there were four members of the SGB but they were not always present during research activities. In summary, the study participants included internal members of the school. While other participants were absent during sessions, at least all sessions had 15 or more, including the components mentioned above. Different research activities were used. These included the introduction of the asset-based approach, conducting the school SWOT analysis, doing inventory capacities. After all these activities, DOI and FAI were used to facilitate discussions in order to generate data. The data was analysed using Critical Discourse Analysis. It was found in the study that assets identification and mobilisation is a difficult process in a context where the problems that would be addressed through the assets are not identified. Thus a need to identify problems is argued to be the first step of the asset-based approach, this has been called agenda-setting in this study. It was further found in this study that the SWOT analysis is not just a tool to understand the school in terms of its positive and negative features, but also a useful strategy in identifying the assets of the community. What makes it an acknowledged strategy is that it furthers the process of identifying the weaknesses and the threats towards the school and the assets identified. On understanding what each asset present in the context of the problems to be solved, the study found conducting a list of inventory capacities to be important in understanding what can be gained from all identified assets. The study therefore argues for the identification of assets through the SWOT analysis and to understand each asset’s contributions through conducting inventory capacities. Based on the assets identified, the study presents school-community assets map seen to be relevant towards improving the school in general and academic performance to be specific. While knowing the assets and their different contributions towards improving academic performance is important, the study found that a relevant setting is required to have the asset-based approach utilised as a strategy in general in improving academic performance in particular. In ensuring this setting, a balanced relationship argued for under the asset-map should be created. Adding to this, the study found that the following are relevant in making the school environment suitable for the asset-based approach: Making the school and the community a single entity; (2) empowerment for potential contributors; (3) challenging inferiority and superiority complexities; (4) avoiding “singing a solo” (leading alone) approach. To achieve the above, the study further found that leadership should be invitational and participative in the school. Power imbalances and the “brain drain” challenges are identified as amongst the challenges for the asset-based approach. Given the findings and informed by the data, the study proposes a strategy for using the asset-based approach. The strategy has four cyclical aspects that emerged in the research process and it is hoped that this can enhance the use of the asset-based approach. The study contributes into new knowledge in the form of the challenges to the asset-based approach and a simplified strategy for using this approach. Its limitation is that the strategy was not implemented and it is only based on what the participants identified as what can work in their context. Thus, I recommend action research that will try to put the strategy into practice in order to advance knowledge on its application.
Open Access
School clusters as sites for instructional leadership: a case of the better schools programme of Zimbabwe
(University of the Free State, 2015-07) Makaye, Jeriphanos; Jita, L. C.
English: Inter-school collaborations or clustering has a long history, dating back to the 1940s in Nepal and Great Britain and it has spread across many parts of the world. Zimbabwe is no exception to this trend of adopting inter-school collaborations as a reform strategy for improving teaching and learning in schools. This innovation, which was initially meant to bring together disadvantaged rural schools, has spread to include urban schools. Despite its promise, however, the utility of clusters or inter-school collaborations in terms of improving the quality and efficacy of teaching and learning remains a matter of scholarly debate and inquiry. The present study adds insights to the debates on the utility of clusters for improving teaching and learning in schools. The efforts to improve teaching and learning in schools are what this study defines as instructional leadership. Whilst many studies have been conducted to understand instructional leadership practices at either the school or district levels, very few of these studies have explored instructional leadership within a school collaborative or cluster specifically. This study took the challenge by exploring whether and how the Better Schools Programme of Zimbabwe (BSPZ), an example of a school cluster or collaborative, serves as a site for instructional leadership for the participating schools and teachers. The investigation took a pragmatic stance and adopted a mixed methods approach in order to take advantage of the strengths of both the qualitative and quantitative approaches. Using a multiple case study of four BSPZ clusters in the Masvingo district of Zimbabwe, the study employed a sequential explanatory mixed methods design where a sample of 101 participants responded to a questionnaire on the range and depth of instructional leadership practices and artefacts that are used by their clusters, as well as their perspectives on the utility of clusters for improving teaching and learning. In the qualitative phase of the study, purposively selected groups of participants that included two heads of school (or principals), two teacher leaders and two ordinary class teachers from two of the selected clusters were interviewed and observed. The qualitative phase was designed to confirm the participants’ perspectives and get an inside picture of how instructional leadership operates in practice within the clusters. The study has established that school clusters do carry out some activities that qualify to be classified as instructional leadership for the teachers in the participating schools. The drive for the instructional leadership programme of the clusters, however, is very moderate at best, and considerably weak in terms of its conception and influence on teaching and learning in schools. The dominant practices of instructional leadership at the cluster level include the administration of cluster tests, supervision of classes, as well as the conduct of some professional development workshops for the teachers. Significantly, the study also established that instructional leadership within the clusters is sometimes distributed, albeit by default, to include teacher leaders and other non-formal school leaders. The incentives for participation in general and for leadership of teaching and learning within the clusters are rather poor to non-existent, something that needs the urgent attention of educational leaders and policymakers in Zimbabwe. The study concludes by arguing that school clusters, especially the BSPZ clusters, are in a relatively good position to provide opportunities for instructional leadership to schools and teachers even though it is inevitable that their leadership activities will vary based on the will and capacity of each cluster. The study thus recommends the involvement of local school authorities, such as districts and provincial authorities in providing much needed support to ensure effective instructional leadership within the school clusters. Further research on the agendas of school clusters and how they are carried out in different contexts (and countries) is needed in order to understand how it may be possible to institutionalise instructional leadership practices within such school collaboratives or clusters.
Open Access
The attitude and experiences of high school learners on the teaching of LGBT content in a South African co-ed school
(University of the Free State, 2016-01) Nichols, Henry James; Francis, D.
English: Upon the ratification of the Constitution, the South African Schools Act of 1996 inaugurated a new education system that confronts all forms of unfair discrimination and intolerance. South African schools, however, remain heteronormative and heterosexist, where many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) learners or those who are perceived to conform to non-normative gender and sexual identities, experience heteronormativity and heterosexism daily. Schools and classrooms are spaces where compulsory heteronormative and gender-normative behaviour are tolerated and even promoted. It is in these ‘safe’ and ‘inclusive’ spaces that the LGBT youth encounters physical and emotional harassment. This research study explores high school learners’ attitudes towards, and experiences of the teaching and learning of LGBT issues, and argues that these attitudes and experiences yield rich insights into the possibility to work towards a school climate free of heteronormativity and heterosexism and to create a true ‘safe’ schooling space. Using a case study methodology, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven high school learners studying at a co-ed high school in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Findings reveal that high school learners have heteronormative and heterosexist attitudes towards sexual and gender diversity; that sexual and gender diversity is not taught in schools; due to a lack of knowledge, ignorance and stereotyping of gender and sexuality, and that exposure to sexual and gender diversity influences the attitudes of the youth. While the data demonstrates clear evidence of a culture of heteronormativity and heterosexism in high school spaces, it also shows that the youth realises the importance of the teaching and learning of sexuality and gender diversity and want to learn about it. I conclude by calling on schools to invest time in creating policies for safe classrooms and promote critical discussions regarding sexual and gender diversity issues. I also call on teachers to create learning environments where stereotypes and stigmatisations are challenged. Lastly, I acknowledge the limitations of the study.
Open Access
Teachers’ concerns about the implementation of the new curriculum in Lesotho
(University of the Free State, 2017) Tafai, Mapapali Gladys; Jita, L. C.; Tlali, M. F.
The Lesotho government has recently developed and published an inclusive curriculum and assessment policy as an approach to reducing the unconstructive pressure of examinations on the education system. The policy integrates curriculum with assessment. Some studies on curriculum implementation in Lesotho have shown that although the government made efforts to supply some of the teaching and learning materials to the primary schools, these have been either inadequate or unresponsive to the local priorities and needs of the schools. Thus, teachers are likely to struggle with the implementation of this newly proposed curriculum. The purpose of this study was to explore Lesotho primary school teachers’ concerns regarding the adoption of the integrated curriculum in Lesotho. Teachers are likely to have different concerns about any kind of change to their classroom practice. Their concerns can also be expected to differ based on such factors as the demographic characteristics, educational level and experience. The teachers’ feelings and motivations concerning the newly introduced school curriculum in Lesotho shaped the level of implementation observed in the present study. This study used the concerns-based adoption model (CBAM) as its conceptual framework. CBAM is an analytic instrument that focuses on how people, such as teachers inter alia respond to change. CBAM indentifies the seven stages of concern through which teachers could be involved as they collaborate in the implementation of new innovations as; awareness, information, personal concerns, management, consequences, collaboration and refocusing. The stages of concern questionnaire (SoCQ) as part of CBAM was employed to explore the stages of concern of the primary school teachers in Lesotho concerning the implementation of the integrated curriculum, their patterns and variations. SoCQ consists of 35 items selected to represent the different types of concerns that teachers have as they are first introduced to an educational innovation. Teachers respond on a 7-point Likert-type scale. The findings are reported in two articles that address different research questions. The first article describes the various dimensions of the concerns and their extent within a sample of primary school teachers. The second article describes how these concerns align with the teachers’ characteristics such as teaching experience, educational qualification, gender, age, integrated curriculum experience and training. It also presents the relative strength of each factor on teachers’ concerns regarding the integrated curriculum. The first set of findings suggests that primary school teachers in Lesotho are aware of the integrated curriculum although they need more information on its implications for their practice. However, their concerns are strongest on the issues of collaboration (P= 80), refocusing (P= 79) and personal adequacy (P=72).This is an indication that primary school teachers are working in cooperation with each other regarding the best practice for the implementation of the integrated curriculum. The second set of findings suggest that the female teachers were mostly focused on informational (M=18.16, SD=6.09), collaboration (M=28.37, SD=5.25), and refocusing stages (M=28.44, SD 4.95) than their male counterparts, whose major concerns were more at the awareness stage (M = 23.38, SD =.6.20) compared to females (M =22.93, SD = 6.66). It was also observed that the older teachers were less concerned at the informational stage and more at the collaboration stage as they do not want to move from their comfort zones. The first findings indicated a high percentile score at collaboration (P = 80), refocusing (P = 79) and personal adequacy (P =72).The high percentiles means indicted the high concerns of the primary school teachers. The paper concludes that the primary school teachers have responded positively to the process of new curriculum implementation. There is a need however to conduct further research that involve larger samples from different schools, and possibly from diverse contexts to further explore the findings of the present study. The second set of findings suggest that female teachers show more concerns at the informational, collaboration and refocusing stages of concerns as compared to the male teachers who showed more concern at the awareness stage. This means that gender may play a vital role in the success or failure of innovation at schools. The study concludes that there is positive relationship between teachers’ concerns and demographics though the male teachers seem to have little knowledge regarding integrated curriculum. The study suggests that more follow up workshops and monitoring sessions are needed to improve the implantation of the new integrated curriculum in Lesotho. Again, the findings indicated that age contribute to the manner at which primary school teachers adopt the integrated curriculum. It is suggested therefore that the training sessions and follow up workshops should consider the specific needs of individual teachers based on their different age groups for example.
Open Access
Investigating establishment, functionality and sustainability of primary school libraries
(University of the Free State, 2019-06) Nuku, Bomkazi; Kruger, F.; Teise, K.
This research was conducted to examine and describe the status of the establishment of functional and sustainable libraries in primary schools of the Motheo District in the Free State province, South Africa. Within the South African context, research supports the view that libraries in schools contribute to improving literacy rates amongst learners in primary levels (Paton-Ash & Wilmot, 2013: 145). It has been argued that if a school has a functioning school library, learners’ performance in reading may improve by up to 8% (DG Murray Trust, 2015). As far as can be established, very few studies have been conducted on the establishment of functional and sustainable school libraries within the context of South Africa. Furthermore, it is significant that to date no research has been conducted that investigates the establishment, functionality or sustainability of primary school libraries in any of the education districts of the Free State. To address this apparent gap, this study focused on the status of primary school libraries in the Motheo District of the Free State province. It further explored whether these libraries fulfil their purpose, as set out by the National Guidelines for School Library and Information Services (DBE, 2012) and the Free State Department of Education Policy for Education, Library, Information Technological Services (FSDoE ELITS, 2002a). This study was informed by an interpretivist paradigm and was qualitative in nature. To collect data, I employed the following methods: a literature review, policy analysis, structured observation and semi-structured interviews. A literature review was conducted to determine the importance of school libraries as well as to explore to what extent other countries managed to sustain the functionality of libraries despite their own challenges. Secondly, a policy analysis was conducted to determine the South African policy framework for the establishment of functional and sustainable libraries in schools. In this regard, a content analysis of both the National Guidelines for School Library and Information Services (DBE, 2012) and Free State Department of Education Policy for Education, Library, Information, Technological Services (FSDoE ELITS, 2002a) was conducted. Thirdly, structured observations were employed in twelve primary schools situated in the ten areas of the Motheo District. These structured observations were carried out during the initial phase of data collection to generate questions for the interviews that would follow, as well as to identify relevant research participants. Participants were identified at four primary schools and invited to clarify contributing and inhibiting factors of establishing and maintaining functional school libraries. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse both the semi-structured interview and structured observation data. Data analysis revolved around the three themes of library establishment, functionality and sustainability. This study provides a general description of the status of the establishment and functionality of libraries in primary schools in the Motheo District in the Free State province.