Derica Alba Kotzé, University of South Africa, South Africa

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ABSTRACT

This paper outlines the elements of a theoretical framework for open distance learning (ODL) in a developing country through the application of the case study method. The theoretical tenets of transactional distance and connectivism have been applied to investigate the feelings, perceptions and expectations of Honours students in Development Studies at the University of South Africa (Unisa). With a special focus on students’

access to and usage of the internet and web-based learning, the study contributes to developing a

framework for distance education in a developing context. In addition to a literature study and theoretical framework, a quantitative research approach was followed and entailed an exploratory study based on survey research. The results show that the vast majority of students are willing to engage fully with e-learning and are active internet users considering it as an important source of learning and information. However, it is important to note that access and usage of the internet depend on the individual profile of a student. In conclusion, elements to inform the design of an ODL theoretical framework are outlined.12

Estelle van Rensburg, University of South Africa, South Africa Anneke Venter, University of South Africa, South Africa Michele van Wyk, University of South Africa, South Africa Jane Ndinisa, University of South Africa, South Africa Albert Michau, University of South Africa, South Africa

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ABSTRACT

Course development at online distance learning (ODL) universities is frequently undertaken as a formalised collaborative process. In line with this, the University of South Africa (Unisa) has adopted a framework for a ‘team approach’ to course development, to which lecturers are key contributors, and who are supported by other specialists. The course development process has several embedded quality assurance mechanisms, which were derived from relevant literature on collaborative course development practices and quality standards. At Unisa, there has been no systematic research into the effectiveness of the quality mechanisms from lecturers' perspective. An exploratory study was conceptualised to obtain feedback from lecturers on the value of different quality mechanisms. The research posed the question: Which quality mechanisms promote successful course development, in the Unisa context, from a lecturer's perspective? A mixed-method approach was used. It involved a survey among lecturers to gauge the relative value attached to different quality mechanisms. Follow-up focus group sessions were conducted to further explore emerging issues. The results of the study highlighted the importance of formative feedback, including feedback from knowledgeable peers inside and outside the university. Furthermore, the allocation of sufficient resources was regarded as critical. On the basis of the findings, a model for quality assurance in collaborative course development that integrates the lecturers’ perspectives is suggested.

Folake Ruth Aluko, University of Pretoria, South Africa

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ABSTRACT

Situated within the ambit of Affordances Theory, this paper reports on an empirical and descriptive

investigation into a newly introduced hybrid-model teacher education programme in a developing context. The purpose of the study was to examine the extent to which the first two student cohorts availed themselves of the ICT affordances provided by the institution, which could favourably compare to those found in a developed context. The study adopted the sequential explanatory mixed-methods research design. This study involved two phases in which the quantitative data were first collected through surveys, followed by the collection of qualitative data that involved individual interviews, focus group discussions and documents. The participants included students, online tutors and an instructional designer. Findings from

both cohorts show students rarely participated online due to diverse reasons, which included limited access to the internet, the cost of bandwidth, technophobia, and inadequate online and academic support. The findings reaffirmed the interdependent relationship between both individuals and the affordances that exist in an environment. If institutions paid adequate attention to the findings, it would help to stem the

tide of poor retention rates in this mode of delivery. Further recommendations for research and practice include the need for institutions to provide relevant technology affordances, adequate and relevant student support, and ongoing monitoring of the quality of their programmes to encourage access for success.

Fariba Haghighi Irani, Department of English, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch,

Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran

Azizeh Chalak, Department of English, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic

Azad University, Isfahan, Iran

Hossein Heidari Tabrizi, Department of English, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch,

Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran2

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ABSTRACT

This paper explored the process of professional identity construction of eight pre-service teachers

through engagement during their practicum in a higher education institute in Tehran, Iran. By means of a longitudinal qualitative design within the social constructivist approach, data were collected by one semi-structured interview, one reflective essay, and five personal narratives embedded as the first phase of a teacher education programme, namely (i) engage, (ii) study, and (iii) activate (ESA). Thematic analysis at two levels (within-case and cross-case) resulted in three themes: (i) the mentor teacher’s role as an engagement facilitator, (ii) online and offline activities as effective prompts, and (iii) the engage

phase as a motivator. Data analysis revealed that negotiations on classroom activities contributed to

student teachers’ self-confidence, self-awareness and self-image. The findings suggested that successful engagement requires a variety of systematic activities. Furthermore, the findings support the significant role of engagement at the initial stage of pre-service teacher education that open new directions to design local training programmes. Focus on engagement could produce a deeper understanding of pre-service teachers’ professional identity construction.

Mary Grosser, North-West University, South Africa 

Mirna Nel, North-West University, South Africa 

Magdalena Kloppers, North-West University, South Africa 

Stefanie-Marié Esterhuizen, North-West University, South Africa 

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ABSTRACT

Equipping students with well-developed thinking skills and dispositions to become Advanced Performers appears to remain a daunting task for teachers. To this end, the research foregrounded two feasibility objectives for a pilot study that, firstly, obtained information based on teachers’ perceptions about the strengths and weaknesses in relation to the factors that influence the nurturing of Advanced Performance, and, secondly, established the suitability of the questionnaire items to ascertain teachers’ perceptions about their readiness towards nurturing Advanced Performance. Quantitative, non-experimental, descriptive survey research with a heterogeneous group of Grade R and Foundation Phase teachers from two public

primary schools and one pre-school (n = 26) in South Africa was employed. Findings revealed that a main study would be feasible and should continue with modification to the questionnaire to streamline data collection. Perceptions about teaching practice as well as competence in teaching thinking skills and dispositions seem to strongly influence teaching for Advanced Performance. Questionnaire items could be

selected and grouped more meaningfully to focus attention to these two constructs. Moreover, exploring additional contextual factors, such as curriculum overload and a content-driven approach to teaching, could extend the present identification of factors that hamper the nurturing of Advanced Performance

Theresia Joakim Kanyopa, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Dipane Joseph Hlalele, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

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ABSTRACT

Soon after attaining democracy in 1994, the South African government introduced the Schools Act (No. 84 of 1996), which came to act as an instrument for the elimination of all segregation from the exclusionary education system of the apartheid era. The Schools Act proclaimed the right to education for all learners and provided the Department of Education with guidelines on removing all segregation features in the education system. The aim of this study was to examine the learning experiences of learners in an ex-

Model C school who have transitioned from rural and township schools. The study was conceptualised within the theoretical framework of Purkey and Siegel’s invitational education theory. The participants and research site were selected using purposive and convenience sampling. Data were generated through artbased

and focus group discussion methods. Findings from this study suggest that learners in ex-Model C

schools experience both inviting and uninviting elements in the learning environment. Learners identified as inviting factors security, resources and small numbers of learners in the classroom, while as disinviting factors they mention language barriers, culturally oriented programmes and a lack of orientation. This paper argues that practices advised by invitational education theory should apply in every ex-Model C school environment in order to enhance the learning experiences of learners transitioning from rural and township schools.

Kobie (J.J.) Meiring, Stellenbosch University, South Africa2

Karolien Perold-Bull, Stellenbosch University, South Africa

Elmarie Costandius, Stellenbosch University, South Africa

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ABSTRACT

Pervasive exercising of power in educational institutions and processes could be a contributing factor to the undervalued status of art education in South African primary schools. A case study approach that aimed at gaining insight into power relations that played out in the establishment of an art education programme in a low-income area in the Western Cape, South Africa was employed. The article addresses problems of race, inequality, and exclusion as well as schools as possible spaces for critical transformative dialogue.

In order to address the impoverished status of art education in primary schools, teachers should become knowledgeable in the functioning of hidden curricula to be able to work towards unbiased observation of learners. Inequality and exclusion emphasised feelings of discomfort, which relates to language and learning barriers as well as limited material and human resources. It is suggested that dialogue could cultivate within teachers greater understanding of the intersection of class, race and power, and the unfolding thereof in education. In striving for a meaningful way to work towards social justice, schools could become spaces for critical transformative dialogue in role players’ detachment from the symbolic forms of meaning that constitute their histories, social constructions, beliefs, viewpoints and preferences.

Sakhiseni Joseph Yende, Tshwane University of Technology, South

Africa

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ABSTRACT

Over the past few years, the Tshwane University of Technology’s (TUT) Department of Performing Arts (Dance and Musical Theatre, Music and Vocal Art) has reinforced the importance of curriculum transformation in the changing South African landscape. This is due to the visible disequilibrium and insufficiency of the skills required by the industry in the previous curriculum. Therefore, The TUT Performing Arts Programme had to establish a new curriculum (artistic creativity, problem-solving, and business skills for performing

arts) to accommodate the industry demand and to ensure that performers are relevant to the contemporary Performing Arts industry. This paper seeks to explore how students and lecturers experience the changes within the new curriculum at TUT as well as their perception of the significance of the transformed curriculum.

A qualitative research methodology was used in this study, whereby methods such as interviews were conducted with Performing Arts students and graduates, lecturers, and employers in the industry. The research sought to establish how curriculum transformation is supported by the changed curriculum. The findings of this study demonstrate that the new curriculum will empower performers with balanced skill sets

that enable them to become more marketable. The study also found that the new curriculum would provide sufficient entrepreneurial skills for performers to establish their businesses confidently. The paper concludes that TUT’s new curriculum will accommodate the demands of a fluctuating 21st-century arts industry.

Erratum: Year of Submission is 2019 and not 2020

A study of the leadership approaches of

principals heading National Strategy Learner

Attainment (NSLA) schools in the Metro Central

Education District in the Western Cape Province

Name: Dr Rudolph Peter (R.P.) Cornelissen

Supervisor: Professor Juliana (J.) Smith

Co-supervisor: Dr Thandi (T.) Ngcobo

Institution: University of the Western Cape, South Africa

Year of Award: 2019

Qualification: PhD

Grade 3 teachers’ formative

assessment practices in selected

mathematics lessons

Name: Dr Poomoney (P.) Govender

Supervisor: Professor Elizabeth (E.) Henning

Co-supervisor: Professor Kakoma (K.) Luneta

Institution: University of Johannesburg, South Africa

Year of Award: 2019

Qualification: PhD

Curriculum and practice to develop

critical thinking competencies in

first-year students

Name: Dr Heather Ann (H.A.) Goode

Supervisor: Professor Geesje (G.) van den Berg

Institution: University of South Africa, South Africa

Year of Award: 2020

Qualification: PhD in Education (Curriculum Studies)

Burning to Be Men? Conspicuous

consumption as a performance

of masculinity in the activities of

Izikhothane in Tembisa

Name: Jabulani Goodhope (J.G.) Mnisi

Supervisor: Professor Pier Paolo (P.P.) Frassinelli

Institution: University of Johannesburg, South Africa

Year of Award: 2020

Qualification: PhD

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