Research Articles (School of Education Management, Policy, and Comparative Education)
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Item Open Access A model to reconstruct lecturer dilemma in balancing research and teaching responsibilities: a case of one rural university in South Africa(ERRCD Forum, 2024) Tsotetsi, Cias Thapelo; Onaolapo, Akinlolu AdemolaIn this empirical study, we explore the challenges faced by lecturers at a rurally located university in South Africa as they try to balance the demands of research and teaching. Universities in rural areas play a crucial role in providing higher education access to underprivileged communities and promoting regional development. Our study is based on role theory, which emphasises the intended and unintended purposes of lecturer roles in society. Through a qualitative study of six lecturers, we examine the various issues they encounter when managing research and teaching commitments. We adopt a case study design within an interpretive paradigm. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six new lecturers from the university to understand their personal experiences and perspectives on the tension between research and teaching, as well as the potential consequences for their research productivity. We use thematic analysis to analyse the collected data. The findings reveal that the participants at the university struggle to balance the demands of research and teaching, encountering various challenges in the process. These challenges include a lack of funding for research, limited research resources and facilities, and an overwhelming teaching workload. Based on the findings, the study suggests solutions and strategies to guide university administrators, policymakers, and lecturers in navigating this challenging landscape and fostering a supportive environment that values research and teaching contributions. This study contributes to the knowledge by proposing a model that lecturers can follow to balance their work roles.Item Open Access Challenges of pre-service teachers' classroom participation in a rurally located university in South Africa(Richtmann Publishing, 2022) Adebola, Oyinlola Omolara; Tsotetsi, Cias T.Despite the enriched curriculum and pedagogical practices that expose everyone enrolled to be trained as professional teachers to teaching skills, the number of incompetent teachers produced by many higher learning institutions is still increasing. There is an outcry from the general public in South Africa. In order to gain insight into this concern, this study examined the challenges of pre-service teachers’ classroom participation in a rurally located university in South Africa. A qualitative research design of a case study approach was employed to collect data from ten years 3 and 4 pre-service teachers and five lecturers. A semi-structured and focus group discussion (FGD) was organised to collect data on a thematic analysis. The findings revealed that lack of preparation from both lecturer and student, the use of teacher-centred approach, difficulty in understanding English language, teaching workload, large classes, student background and tribalism are major challenges limiting pre-service teachers’ classroom participation in a rurally located university in South Africa. Pertinent recommendations were made, including student-centred and collaborative teaching and learning approaches that could encourage students to participate actively in classroom activities. This would also catalyse the pre-service teachers' involvement in the teaching and learning process.Item Open Access Exploring distributed leadership practice in Nigerian secondary schools(Richtmann Publishing, 2023) Sasere, Oluwasola Babatunde; Makhasane, Sekitla DanielA growing body of research on distributed leadership shows that it effectively improves school effectiveness in developed economies. However, due to centralized education systems, the full benefits of distributed school leadership have not been fully appropriated in developing economies. This study investigates the realities of distributed leadership practices as applicable in selected Nigerian secondary schools. Lensed with Distributed Leadership Theory, the study is located in the qualitative strand of the interpretivist paradigm. In a case study research design, a combination of purposeful and snowballing sampling techniques was adopted in selecting twelve participants comprising three school administrators and nine classroom teachers who participated in semi-structured interviews. The results show that distributed leadership is perceived and practised as delegation and distribution of roles by the superordinate to the subordinate in a manner inconsistent with the principles of distributed leadership theory. It was also revealed that teachers with no formal portfolio were assigned leadership responsibilities. Lastly, the findings showed that participants acknowledged the existence of the School Management Team in their school. Still, most are unaware of their roles in school leadership and how they impacted their jobs. Recommendations were made based on the findings.Item Open Access Collaboration: the key to managing discipline in South African schools(Education Association of South Africa (EASA), 2022) Padayachee, Amy Sarah; Gcelu, NtombizandileSouth African schools are faced with an arguably insurmountable problem as a culture of indiscipline continually increases in schools. Despite being undeterred by the legal framework that guides stakeholders in the discipline crisis in schools, indiscipline in schools has soared to critical levels. Scant literature exists on how stakeholders collaborate in managing discipline in schools. The research reported on here was guided by the primary research question: How do stakeholders collaborate in managing discipline in schools? As such, in this article we explore how stakeholders collaborate in managing discipline in schools. Through purposive sampling, 16 participants from 4 secondary schools in KwaZulu-Natal were chosen to take part in semi-structured interviews. The sample of participants comprised school management team members (SMT); the principal, 1 head of department, 1 post-level 1 educator and 1 school governing body (SGB) member from 4 schools in the iLembe education district. Themes that emerged from the data include that implementation of the school code of conduct as one of the most effective strategies in managing discipline in schools. The inclusion of stakeholders such as the local community, the Community Police Forum, the South African Police Services and the Department of Social Development in the successful management of learner discipline surfaced as an important theme. Furthermore, participants asserted that a whole-school approach to the implementation of the code of conduct was successful in managing discipline. The participants revealed that the collaboration of stakeholders in schools was very important for the smooth running of the school, including the management of discipline.Item Open Access Neoliberalism and the changing direction of schools: an edupreneurial leadership approach(Emerald, 2024) Larey, Desireé Pearl𝗣𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲 This qualitative study discusses the importance of effective leadership practices in connecting the macro-, meso-, and micro-contexts in which school leaders operate, considering the colonial and apartheid history of South Africa and the current era of neoliberal philosophies by exploring the degree to which school leaders in historically disadvantaged schools in Western Cape Province use an edupreneurial approach to steer their schools in new directions. The school leaders, especially in historically disadvantaged Colored schools, are expected to be more autonomous and accountable for making the school environment conducive to performance standards and improved learning results. The study uses an edupreneurial leadership approach as a theoretical lens to explore entrepreneurial agency, together with the educational leadership approach of school principals as a consequence of neoliberal policies. 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻/𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆/𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 This study focuses on secondary schools in historically Colored communities in Western Cape Province through semi-structured interviews with four purposively selected school principals and four teachers from four different schools in the Western Cape Province. 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 Education and training programs should focus on cultural values and practices to enhance the efficacy of these schools. Furthermore, an entrepreneurial mindset and spirit are aspects that can be encouraged in a culturally sensitive manner. The edupreneurial leadership approach in developing countries has a distinctive nature. 𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆/𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 This study contributes to forging an understanding of how neoliberal trends influence school leadership practices in developing countries, especially the leadership work of school principals across public schools in the Western Cape Province in South Africa.Item Open Access Alternatives to establishing conducive learning environment (AECLE) model for schools: assertive discipline perspective(OpenED Network, 2024) Letuma, Motsekiso CalvinEffective classroom management necessitates a continuous adaptation of teachers' tactics, due to the dynamic nature of the classroom, which comprises learners from diverse backgrounds. These individuals are influenced by the continuous changes that occur in response to the dynamic nature of the world. This paper presents a conceptual model framework for managing learner classroom indiscipline. This model is derived from a theoretical framework that was adopted during an empirical investigation, carried out in four Quintile 3 secondary schools in South Africa. The paper exclusively concentrates on a literature review of empirical studies pertaining to indiscipline in South African secondary schools, the studies that either adopted or explored the implementation of the assertive discipline model and relevant South African education legislation and reports from government websites. Based on assertive discipline theory, the alternatives to establishing a conducive learning environment model offers alternate solutions for managing learners' behavioural issues. The core component of the strategy focuses on proactive behaviour management strategies that encourage the school to take full responsibility for student conduct and disregard extraneous influences. The model emphasises implementing a behaviour management strategy that encompasses the articulation of expectations, the establishment of classroom rules, the communication and instruction of these rules to learners, the demonstration and reinforcement of desired behaviour, and the utilisation of consequences.