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Item Open Access Balance in academic leadership: voices of women from Turkey and the United States of America (US )(Faculty of Education, University of the Free State, 2010) Hacifazlioğlu, ÖzgeThis comparative study examines the experiences of women leaders in Turkey and the US. It argues that the theme of ‘balance in leadership’ appeared to be the most influential driving force in women leaders’ stories. It further shows that balance in leadership is associated with balance in two areas: balancing private and professional life, and balance in research, teaching and leadership. The analysis is based on qualitative interviews with nineteen women leaders working at four-year public and private (foundation) universities in Turkey and the US. It is hoped that aspiring leaders can learn from these women’s experiences.Item Open Access Job search and over-education: evidence from China’s labour market for postgraduates(Faculty of Education, University of the Free State, 2010) Fengliang, Li; Yandong, Zhao; Yongpo, TianThis article investigates the relationship between the number of informational channels and overeducation in the outcome of job search, using the survey data of postgraduates in China. The empirical results show: (1) the more the informational channels of job search are used, the lower the probability and the less the intensity of over-education will be; (2) graduates from prestigious “985” universities have lower probability and less intensity of over-education than those of their counterparts from “none-985” universities. Based on the findings above, we argue that helping graduates to get more job information and improving the quality of universities will lighten the problem of the over-education under the situation of great higher education expansion.Item Open Access Enhancing quality of student teachers’ practices through reflective journal writing during school practice(Faculty of Education, University of the Free State, 2010) Ezati, Betty Akullu; Ocheng, Mary K.; Ssentamu, Proscovia N.; Sikoyo, Leah N.This paper explores the role of journal writing in enhancing student teachers’ learning during school practice. It analyses data from 22 student teachers’ journals and 23 questionnaires. The study focuses on the areas that student teachers reflected on most, the nature of their reflection and the extent to which previous experiences informed their subsequent reflection and learning. Findings showed that student teachers frequently reflected on handling indiscipline issues, procedures and outcomes of supervision, but less on their own learning. Inadequate reflection on their learning suggests that journal writing has not yet sufficiently promoted student teachers’ professional growth. Generally, the examination and cultural orientation in the Ugandan society influence student teachers’ journal writing. Finally, the paper proposes strategies for improving journal writing in order to enhance the potential of students learning from reflection during school practice.Item Open Access “Why can’t Johnny write? He sounds okay!” Attending to form in English second language teaching(Faculty of Education, University of the Free State, 2010) Ayliff, DianaThis article addresses the problem of poor written English amongst many South African learners who study English as their First Additional Language (FAL) at secondary school level, and the effect this has on their tertiary education and their future careers. The reasons for this poor mastery of written discourse are explored and, in particular, it is argued that the problems that have arisen are because of the communicative meaning-focused approach that has been the raison d’être of the second language syllabi for many years. This approach has also underpinned the OBE curriculum for English as FAL. An alternative method, in which the form of the language is focused upon, is explored and it is argued that this methodology would be a more successful one for South African learners and go a long way to solving the problem of the poor standard of English of matriculants.Item Open Access A discursive formation that undermined integration at a historically advantaged school in South Africa(Faculty of Education, University of the Free State, 2010) Naidoo, DevikaThis paper provides an analysis of the extent of integration at a historically advantaged school. A qualitative multi-method case study allowed for in-depth analysis of integration in the school. Bernstein’s theory of code, classification, boundary and power framed the study. Data analysis showed that: racial desegregation was achieved at student and level one staff level and lacking at management and administrative staff level; staffing integration was minimal; institutional culture integration was not evident; social boundaries enacted maintained previous race based power relations; weaker boundaries between instrumental and non-instrumental forms of knowledge legitimised students’ experiences and interests but did not facilitate access to non-instrumental forms of knowledge and thinking; the dominant discursive frame of teachers was one of student deficit. These regularities point to a discursive formation (Foucault, 1977) that undermine integration and would reproduce previous racialised inequalities. Finally, an explanation of the discursive formation is touched on followed by recommendations.Item Open Access A blurred signal? The usefulness of National Senior Certificate (NSC) Mathematics marks as predictors of academic performance at university level(Faculty of Education, University of the Free State, 2010) Schöer, Volker; Ntuli, Miracle; Rankin, Neil; Sebastiao, Claire; Hunt, KarinInternationally, performance in school Mathematics has been found to be a reliable predictor of performance in commerce courses at university level. Based on the predictive power of school-leaving marks, universities use results from school-leaving Mathematics examinations to rank student applicants according to their predicted abilities. However, in 2008 the structure and scope of school-leaving examinations changed in South Africa from the former Senior Certificate (SC) to the new National Senior Certificate (NSC). This structural break seems to create fluctuations in the signalling ability of the schoolleaving marks. South African universities are unsure about how well the current NSC Mathematics marks reflect the underlying numerical competence of students, given that a high number of the 2009 student intake failed their first-year core courses across faculties. This paper estimates a deflator for the new NSC Mathematics marks relative to the former Higher Grade (HG) Mathematics marks, by comparing performance in similar first tests of two commerce subjects, Economics 1 and Computational Mathematics, between the 2008 and 2009 first-year cohorts. The results indicate that the signalling ability of the NSC Mathematics marks is reduced significantly. Instead of differentiating students according to their abilities, the new NSC Mathematics marks compress students with a wide range of abilities and disabilities into a very narrow range of percentage marks.Item Open Access Book review - Towards gender equality: South African schools during the HIV and AIDS epidemic(Faculty of Education, University of the Free State, 2010) Pillay, VenithaItem Open Access Success profiling: a methodological perspective on the interactive nature of success predictors on student performance at an open and distance learning institution(Faculty of Education, University of the Free State, 2010) Müller, Hélène; Swanepoel, Elana; De Beer, AndreasThe drive to improve the academic performance of students at an open and distance learning (ODL) institution has resulted in the incorporation of a blended learning component, namely satellite classes, in the learning strategy to enhance the academic performance of first year diploma students in Business Management and Management. Monitoring this intervention to justify implementation costs (Mathur & Oliver, 2007:3) and effectiveness in relation to student performance is essential. Whereas an initial study confirmed a statistically significant relationship between satellite class attendance and academic performance, this study evaluated the interaction effect of satellite classes and additional, potential success predictors on academic performance by applying the Chi-square Automatic Interaction Detector (CHAID) methodology. This decision tree methodology described the interactive driving forces that impacted on student success. Satellite class intervention and biographical student attributes constituted the driving forces. The CHAID analysis enabled the profiling of successful and at-risk students. The decision tree algorithm mimics true life situations where various effects interactively and jointly influence and predict an outcome. The results showed that satellite class intervention as such was an effective and significant predictor of performance, but that the critical interacting nature of satellite class attendance and additional co-predictors, such as population group and type of matriculation certificate, considerably strengthened performance prediction.Item Open Access Examining some aspects of alternative basic education programmes in Ethiopia(Faculty of Education, University of the Free State, 2010) Onwu, Gilbert O. M.; Agu, AugustineThis study examines some aspects of the quality of Alternative Basic Education (ABE) provision in Ethiopia. Educational indicators of quality were formulated under two general topic areas of ABE programme process and content, and pupil learning outcomes. A qualitative-interpretative research approach and survey design was used to collect data from primary and secondary sources and to provide separate case descriptions of the five regions and two city administrations studied. The study’s main findings give clear indication of a broad spread of ABE conceptions and practices in ABE Centres in Ethiopia. The approaches and experiences of the five participating regions reveal factors that have an impact on quality ABE delivery, as well as measures that can improve quality if supported with an appropriate institutional environment.Item Open Access Editorial(Faculty of Education, University of the Free State, 2010) Francis, DennisAbstract not available