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- ItemPedagogical Content Knowledge of Life Orientation Teaching of Life Skills Among Learners in the Vhembe East District(2023) Randela Rudzani JusticeLife Orientation teaching in the General Education and Training (GET henceforth) band in the Vhembe East District has been a challenge. The aim of this study was to investigate the pedagogical content knowledge of Life Orientation in the teaching of life skills among learners in the GET band in the Vhembe East District. The study used both qualitative and quantitative approaches, collecting data through questionnaires and face to face interviews. The findings show that teachers must be masters of their subjects for them to be proficient and effective in delivering the content to learners. Life Orientation, if successfully facilitated may influence learners’ lives and redress the social and economic disparity of the post-apartheid era. Life Orientation assists learners to take right decisions when solving problems. The study recommends that teachers should be motivated towards furthering their professional qualifications in Life Orientation teaching.
- ItemExperiences of Teaching Reading in IsiZulu in Grade 3 in Ilembe District Schools(2023) Shozi- KunenePrisca HlengiweThere is much concern regarding learners who struggle with reading. The study aimed to look into teachers' experiences teaching reading in isiZulu in Grade 3 in iLembe District schools. All of the learners spoke isiZulu as their home language. The research was conducted qualitatively. The interpretive paradigm was the study's paradigmatic position. Individual teacher interviews, classroom observations, and content analysis were used to gather data. After the interviews were taped, transcribed, and analyzed, the data were grouped into themes. Three schools were chosen, each with three Grade 3 classes. Learners participated because the primary goal was to observe teachers' experiences teaching reading in isiZulu. The purpose of this study was to learn more about the teachers' experiences teaching reading in IsiZulu in Grade 3 classrooms, rather than to assess learners' performance. The goal of this study was to find out how teachers in isiZulu classrooms teach reading. The study's findings suggested that the teachers who took part had a weak understanding of reading skills. They saw teaching reading as a difficult task because they had no idea what reading tactics were or how to use them. Teachers spent little time with learners discussing reading, and there was no consistent approach to teaching reading among them. Teachers also demonstrated a lack of theoretical knowledge and practical expertise in teaching reading skills, which leads to teachers adopting a negative attitude toward their learners (who struggle to read). Although the participating teachers claimed to understand reading, interviews and classroom observations demonstrated no correlation between what they stated and what they performed in practice in their classes. Teaching reading has been an ongoing challenge in Grade 3 classrooms. These findings revealed that teachers' classroom practice was not consistent with current best practice and the modern theories of teaching reading. This factor negatively affects their expertise in teaching reading using the CAPS (2011) recommended reading methodologies in general. The challenges faced by applying different reading methodologies might be the reason for learners' inability to achieve successful reading outcomes in Grade 3 classrooms. They felt forgotten because the instructions were only in English and not African languages like isiZulu. As a result, there are no isiZulu teachings for teachers with isiZulu examples. Workshops had also been ineffective for isiZulu teachers. In other schools, the survey found a dearth of learning v | P a g e support tools, a scarcity of books, and a lack of a variety of reading materials for learners.
- ItemExamining the impact of distributed leadership practices on learner performance in selected secondary schools in the Zululand district(University of Zululand, 2022-12) Dlamini, Mla RobertThis study sought to examine the impact of distributed leadership practices on learner performance in selected secondary schools in the Zululand District. The activity theory was the lens for the study. A qualitative research design underpinned by an interpretive paradigm was used in this study. Purposeful sampling design was used to select sixteen participants, who were secondary school principals. Data were generated by means of semi-structured interviews, and data analysis emerged with themes and sub themes. Data were analysed thematically and using themes and sub-themes. The study found that distributed leadership practices not only motivate teachers, but requires them to recognised their own strengths, and contribute to school leadership by taking on roles that interest them. The study also revealed that some factors promote the enactment of distributed leadership practices, such as enhanced collegiality, trust, joint decision-making, data dialogues, promotion of democracy and distribution of power. This study revealed that school leaders must effectively harness each teacher's talents to address complex challenges that permeate through the school community. The study further revealed that teachers should be given time to take on leadership duties and participate in decision-making. The study recommends teamwork, consultation, capacity development, execution of plans and reflective meetings to be encouraged in schools. It further recommends that principals should support teacher leaders and conduct on-the-job workshops to upskill teachers in their areas of interests. A distributed leadership model of practice was designed with the purpose to be presented during the adoption of the practical distributed leadership process.
- ItemTeaching handwriting skills to foundation phase student teachers based at a rural university in the Limpopo province(University of Zululand, 2022) Kwinda, Ntsumbedzeni AngelaThe aim of this study was to determine how Foundation Phase student teachers, based in a rural University of the Limpopo Province, might build their methodology for teaching handwriting skills. The study was underpinned by the concepts of Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Connectivism Learning Theory. The study is anchored on the interpretivism paradigm based on action research which the investigator to deconstruct the realities of knowledge about teaching handwriting for foundation phase student teachers. A qualitative research approach was adopted in this study. The population comprised of three officials from the Department of Education who formed one group of participants; three student teachers who were observed at schools during the teaching of handwriting, and nine foundation-phase student teachers for focus groups discussions on the social media platform, WhatsApp. A purposive sampling method was employed to select the three officials and the nine student teachers who participated in the study. Qualitative data was generated through electronic online individual interviews, classroom observation schedules, and electronic online focus group discussions. Discussions were conducted electronically through WhatsApp because of the COVID 19 restrictions which did not permit face-to-face interactions. The results included the fact that student teachers in the foundation phase value and acknowledge the importance of teaching handwriting skills, but that their teaching of handwriting was not extensive enough as too little time was devoted on “how to teach” handwriting. Formative assessment tasks for developing Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) for teaching handwriting were not sufficient and Curriculum and Assessment Policy Document (CAPS) do not give guidance to teachers on how handwriting assessment is done. The study also revealed that the foundation phase curriculum does not provide enough time for learners to learn handwriting skills because handwriting is only a small portion of the Language subject and does not guide teachers on how to assess it. This was a common theme which emerged from the data of the student teachers and education department officials. The product of this study, therefore, is extensive data for foundation-phase student teachers on handwriting. Recommendations are that the Department of Education should consider handwriting as an important subject and give the learners' adequate time to develop all necessary v skills. It is also recommended that foundation-phase student teachers develop PCK for teaching handwriting and that universities provide online learning opportunities for student teachers to develop this as well as provide visual information on how to teach handwriting. Formative assessment activities for the student teachers' own handwriting development should also be included in the online learning teaching unit.
- ItemManagement practices of competency-based education by primary school principals in Eswatini(2022) Dlamini, Nokuthula CelumusaThe introduction of Competency-based Education (CBE) in the Eswatini primary schools in 2019 brought about change in the management practices of the primary schools’ principals. They were mandated to see to it that the CBE curriculum is effectively implemented. However, there was minimal capacitation of this CBE curriculum. The aim of this study was to explore the management practices by primary school principals on the Implementation of Competency-based Education in Eswatini. The study followed the pragmatist philosophy and followed a mixed method approach. The skills theory of leadership and the management functions theory were used as lenses that underpinned this empirical study. Two research instruments; the questionnaire and face to face semi structured interviews were utilized for soliciting data from the purposively and conveniently sampled respondents and participants for the quantitative and qualitative data sources, respectively. The findings of this study pointed out that principals do practice their management roles although they have limitations brought by lack of confidence with the CBE curriculum. On the part of the implementability of CBE, the results established some impediments in the implementation. These include the fact that the Eswatini economy proved to be a challenge for the implementability of this curriculum reform, hence the CBE implementation was seen as haphazardly done; Inadequate resources, both human and material, which include infrastructure in the schools and lack of capacity development which affects the implementation of CBE in the schools. The study recommends that government extensively capacitate principals, educators and parents in CBE and provide resources in all schools. A model is proposed from the findings for the realization of effective implementation and management practices by the principals.