Educational Planning & Administration
Permanent URI for this collection
Browse
Recent Submissions
Now showing 1 - 5 of 100
- ItemSchool traditional leadership partnership in Alfred Nzo East Education District: a case study of three secondary schools notorious for school violence(University of Zululand, 2024) Mdunjana, Hopewell Mziwakhe; Kutame, A. P.; Mncube, D. W.; Ngidi, T.Traditional leaders who played an essential role in muting the idea of the construction of schools in their communities are finally placed at the periphery in school governance by the School Management Teams and School Governing Bodies in South Africa. Most relevant literature studies on partnership with traditional leaders have been done in local government, police, and public administration. The purpose of the study was to analyse the effects of availability of a school-traditional leadership partnership to the quality of governance in rural secondary schools under the authority of the headman or chief. This was a qualitative case study of the Alfred Nzo East Education District, which made use of a case research design. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Data analysis adopted theoretical prepositions and a thematic analysis approach. This study revealed that exclusion of traditional leaders in governance of schools located in rural communities under their authority caused learner violence that is resolved only by traditional leaders Principals deliberately marginalise traditional leaders through government policy by means of Inter-Governmental Relations (IGR) and departmental policies which provide space through Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign (QLTC) and School Safety structures. Policies such as IGR, QLTC, and the safety of schools’ programmes promote school traditional leadership partnership for schools located inrural communities. Therefore, only departmental monitoring of implementation of these policies can eliminate such violence. The study concludes that both the violent learners and their parents in rural schools continue to be loyal to their traditional leaders (chiefs/headmen) and regard their decision to be final even during times of misunderstandings. The study recommends that principals of secondary schools located in rural communities under chiefs/headmen should involve them in the school governance from onset, for uninterrupted delivery of quality education.
- ItemFactors influencing South African grade 11 learners’ performance in Mathematics in Johannesburg West, South Africa(University of Zululand, 2025) Bakane, Rirhandzu Maureen; Kutame, Azwidohwi Philip; Sondlo, AviweThis study investigated the factors influencing the performance of South African Grade 11 learners in Mathematics. The purpose of this research was to identify the underlying causes of poor Mathematics performance among these learners, which limited their eligibility for careers in fields such as engineering, finance, and computer science. The theoretical framework underpinning this study is the socio-ecological and conceptual framework is the Mbugua, Kibet, Muthaa and Nkonke’s (2012) model. A Mixed method was used to gain a comprehensive understanding of the performance of South African Grade 11 learners in Mathematics. The quantitative component involved a questionnaire administered to 150 Grade 11 learners from three selected schools, while the qualitative component included semi-structured interviews with six learners. Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS while thematic coding was done for the interview transcripts. Quantitative findings revealed significant correlations between parental education and student outcomes. The primary findings indicate that learner motivation, teacher-learner interactions, and access to resources have a significant impact on Grade 11 Mathematics performance. Socioeconomic factors and inadequate teaching strategies present considerable challenges. Effective interventions should prioritise building learner confidence, improving teacher-learner relationships, and ensuring equitable access to quality education. A key recommendation is to prioritize professional development for teachers, focusing on strategies like differentiated instruction, effective communication with learners, and the integration of technology to enhance teaching and learning in Mathematics.
- ItemEnhancing the role of parental involvement in learner performance in rural secondary schools in the Amajuba District of KwaZulu-Natal(University of Zululand, 2024) Hlengwa, Thamsanqa Mhlonipheni; Xulu, V. S.; Kutame, A. P.This study examined the role of parental involvement in improved student performed in rural secondary schools in the Amajuba district. The study aimed to identify strategies to enhance parental participation and examined relevant laws and theories, including Epstein’s (1995) theory of overlapping spheres of influence and Bronfenbrenner’s (1979). The study highlighted that focusing on learners, combined with internal and external influence can lead to higher success. Using qualitative research and purposive sampling, the researcher interviewed 25 parents in their preferred languages to gather detailed insights. The data was analysed using Tesch’s (2019) method to identify keythemes. The findings indicated that while some rural parents were proactive in their children's education, various environmental factored either facilitated or hindered this involvement. Facilitating factors included the understanding of parental duties, communication, and meetings. Hindered factored encompassed distance, socioeconomic issues, employment conditions, parental attitudes, and adolescents resisted to interfered. The study concluded with a recommendation for strategies to enhance parental involvement and suggested further research on this topic. The findings could help schools become effective community institutions and that enabled parents to knowledgeably support children's development.
- ItemProvision of quality education in selected disadvantaged schools in uMkhanyakude Education District: the application of participative leadership model in motivating educators(University of Zululand, 2024) Ntuli, Bonginkosi Abraham; Kutame, A. P.; Mncube, D. W.; Kapueja, I. S.Disadvantaged schools are historically marginalised regarding teaching and learning resources in South Africa; hence, quality education is not accessible to everyone. This study investigates the application of the participative leadership model in motivating educators to provide quality education in schools. The literature indicates that the participative leadership model needs to be considered in motivating educators to provide quality education. As a qualitative study, the qualitative design was used to investigate the application of the participative leadership model in motivating educators to provide quality education in schools. A population from Post Level 1 (PL1) educators to the School Management Teams (SMTs), especially in disadvantaged schools was used to collect data. Purposive sampling was adopted to select information-rich participants from a population to contribute meaningfully to the body of knowledge. An in-depth interview schedule was used to collect data from principals, deputy principals and departmental heads, while the focus group discussion schedule was used to collect data from PL1 educators. Trustworthiness was observed to ensure credibility and reliability of the research instruments and findings. As a qualitative study, thematic analysis was used to analyse and present the findings. The findings show that educators are motivated by engagement in school decisions and programmes to shape the school direction. On the grounds of the findings captured, this study concludes that school leaders who are still trapped in traditional leadership approaches discourage educators from striving for quality education. When school leaders isolate educators in running schools, educators do not take responsibility for providing quality education and achieving the school goals. As such, this study recommends that educators be involved in school decisions and programmes as the participative leadership model stresses democratisation of school processes, so that the school goals are achieved. It is also recommended that a study on the provision of quality education in selected disadvantaged schools in Umkhanyakude Education District: the application of participative leadership model in motivating educators should be extended across the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province.
- ItemExploring the effects of post provisioning norm policy on learners’ academic performance in rural secondary schools: a case of uMshwathi, Kwazulu-Natal(University of Zululand, 2025) Dladla, Thokozani Wilfred; XULU, V. S.In this study, the researcher explored the impact of the implementation of the Post Provisioning Norms policy on the academic performance of learners in rural secondary schools. This study utilized both face to face interviews and observation on focus groups to get participant’s views and opinions about the impact of the Post Provisioning Norms on the academic performance of learners in rural secondary schools. The population group consisted of 37 schools. The researcher used convenience sampling to draw a sample of 9 schools, where there was availability of one teacher and one school principal from each school. Analysis showed that the policy was applied on a blanket approach and did not consider the unique nature and history of the rural secondary schools. The result of the study confirmed that Post Provisioning Norms was impacting negatively on learner academic performance in rural secondary schools. The researcher recommended that the Post Provisioning Norms policy be revised to also include the consideration of the unique nature of rural secondary schools, the subjects being offered at such schools and not only the learner numbers. The limitation of the study was that the study was conducted in rural schools only, where there were only African teachers and learners. There is a need for future research on how best the Post Provisioning Norms formula could be improved to achieve satisfactory results for acceptable learner-teacher ratios among all races, especially African schools.