Masters Degrees (Office of the Dean: Education)

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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
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
An exploration of mobile learning in South African accounting classrooms: a case study
(University of the Free State, 2019-06) Faber, Martelize; Louw, L. P.
In this digital age, where mobile learning is being incorporated into teaching and learning, this research tries to explore the perceptions and experiences of teachers and learners on the use of mobile learning in South African high school accounting classrooms. Such a study is significant in order to see how mobile learning can enhance and improve the delivery of accounting so that learners will find the subject more enjoyable, develop their critical thinking abilities and understand the benefits of learning accounting at school level. The study is a case study of three high schools where the delivery of accounting as a school subject incorporates mobile learning. The main findings from the research provide evidence of the following: teachers and learners still do not realise the benefits of mobile learning; although mobile learning has the power to transform teaching and learning, many still think it is only a substitute for the traditional ways; although these learners are the generation that grew up with technology, one should not assume they know how to use it effectively for academic purposes; what will determine how effective mobile learning will be adopted into an accounting teacher’s teaching methods depends on the teacher’s attitude and willingness to adopt; and the resources and software available to high school accounting are not effectively being used. This contributes to both teachers’ and learners’ acceptance of mobile technology in accounting being low, mobile learning currently hindering the understanding of the subject and both learners and teachers not feeling confident in using mobile learning. This dissertation recommends that for mobile learning to have an impact on the teaching and learning practices of accounting, extensive and in-depth training for both teachers and learners are needed. More research on the use of mobile learning in high school accounting should be carried out. A great need for a more practical and relevant digitally enhanced curriculum exists. Such a curriculum should incorporate the appropriate software that is currently being used in the accounting workplace.
Open Access
Exploring online teaching strategies used by high school teachers in teaching Sesotho during Covid-19
(University of the Free State, 2023) Makhasane, ‘Makananelo; Mafugu, Tafirenyika; Mokoena, Mosebetsi
COVID-19 is a global crisis that has affected many aspects of society, including education. Due to the restrictions imposed by COVID-19, teachers had to reconsider their teaching strategies. Therefore, this study, aimed to explore online teaching strategies used by high school teachers to teach Sesotho during COVID-19 pandemic in Lesotho. This study used the interpretive paradigm. Through this paradigm, the researcher identified the online teaching strategies used by Sesotho teachers through the interpretations informed by the social constructivism theory and The Unified Theory of Acceptance and use of Technology (UTAUT). The qualitative research approach was used in this study. A case study research design was also employed. The case in this study was a group of Sesotho high school teachers in Qacha’s Nek district, Lesotho; teaching Sesotho during the COVID-19 pandemic using different online teaching strategies. This study employed purposive sampling to select the participants with requisite characteristics. Two Sesotho high school teachers were selected per school, in the three chosen high schools in Qacha’s Nek district, Lesotho. Two data collection methods were used in this study, individual semi-structured face-to-face interviews and document analysis. Following the collection of data, there was data transcription, presentation, analysis, and interpretation of the major findings. The findings revealed that the Sesotho teachers in the three high schools used traditional face-to-face teaching strategies such as discussions, question and answer, and group work to teach Sesotho before COVID-19. The researcher also found out that the Sesotho teachers used WhatsApp facilitated teaching strategies such as question-and-answer and discussions to teach Sesotho during COVID-19. Several challenges and opportunities posed by those WhatsApp facilitated teaching strategies were also found. This study recommended policies for application online teaching and learning, provision of full network connectivity and electricity coverage for teachers and learners and low data costs for learners, provision of workshops that equip teachers with knowledge about online teaching.
Open Access
Exploring psychosocial factors that influence the academic performance of students in a rural college
(University of the Free State, 2022) Zwane, Nomthandazo Prudence; Mukuna, K. R.
The focus of the study is exploring the psychosocial factors that influence the academic performance of students in a rural college. Students’ academic performance is the responsibility of all educational stakeholders. ‘Psychosocial’ refers to a combination of psychological factors and the influence of the surrounding social environment on the physical and mental wellness of individuals. Psychosocial factors have been known to influence the academic performance of students. Erik Erikson’s psychosocial theory informed the study, and the mixed method approach was adopted to address the main and sub-research questions of the study. The study used an explanatory sequential design. Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were employed to collect data for the study. The study used convenience and purposive sampling to select the participants in two phases of the study. The population of the study consisted of 115 participants. The first phase selected a sample of one hundred and fifteen (115) participants (N=115; gender: 19 males and 96 females) for the quantitative component, and the second phase selected six (6) participants for the qualitative component (N=6; 3 males and 3 females). All participants were students registered for the 2020/21 academic year at a rural TVET college in the KZN province, South Africa. This study used descriptive statistics to determine the frequency and percentages to analyse quantitative data, and thematic analysis for qualitative data. The findings were coded, presented and organised into themes, and subsequently discussed. The results revealed that the support services as well as psychological and social factors influenced the academic performance of the students in a rural college. Most participants viewed negative psychosocial factors as influencing their academic performance negatively. Furthermore, it was evident that the rural colleges lacked resources and intervention programmes to improve the academic performance of the students. The results indicated that students could not fully benefit from available support system and resources. They also provided suggestions regarding interventions the institution can employ to improve the academic performance of students who are negatively influenced by psychosocial factors. Based on the findings, the study recommended improving academic performance of students negatively influenced by psychosocial factors in a rural college.
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.
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
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

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