Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Teachers’ classroom resources and material'

The principal aim of this essay was to study why some teachers at upper secondary school choose to work with alternative material in the English classroom, whereas others choose a combination of alternative material and coursebooks. The investigation further deals with how alternative material is used. What students think about various kinds of material and whether they are encouraged to influence the choice of material has been considered as well. The method used was interviews with three teachers and six students.

The results of the study showed that all three teachers agreed that coursebooks should not be the only teaching material used in the classroom; they believed that the use of course-books alone would be boring and not very stimulating for the students. Coursebooks combined with alternative material were considered to work very well as teachers and students benefit from the advantages of both. Furthermore, alternative material would be used more if it were not such a time-consuming business for the teachers. Concerning how the three teachers made alternative material, practise varied. One teacher for who mainly used alternative material and also made it herself, had many different sources, whereas the other two teachers mostly used books and movies. Regarding the students, their requests of teaching material varied. The majority however preferred either alternative material or a combination with coursebooks. They also declared that they are encouraged to influence the choice of material.

This thesis investigates the teaching of English literature in France on a country-wide scale. The aims of the study were to determine the types and frequency of literature used in the secondary school classroom, to gain information about teachers’ attitudes and approaches to this resource, and to analyse textbooks published for the secondary English classroom in France in order to determine what literary resources were readily available. In support of these aims, interview and questionnaire data were collected from 301 teachers around the country and ten textbooks were analysed. In French lycées, the role of literature teaching is in flux. It currently exists in the periphery of the general English course while serving as the main resource in the Literature in a Foreign Language (LELE) course, which began in the 2012-2013 academic year for students in the literary section of Baccalauréat preparation. While the French Ministry of Education provides objectives to be met and themes to cover in each year of secondary school, teachers have a great deal of autonomy in terms of what they bring to their classrooms. The data revealed that teachers often used literature because they have a personal affinity for it, and chose to use their own materials instead of the textbooks available. Novel excerpts were the most frequent type of text used, as well as the most common type of literary text in the textbook. While British literature was dominant in all genres, the prevalence of Shakespearean plays was surprising, as contemporary literature accounted for over half of all texts mentioned.

This thesis uses Narrative Theory and Technology Acceptance Model to uncover the experiences, perceptions, and challenges that five experienced teachers face when using and integrating technology in their classroom. It gives narrative consideration of the value of unique experience by focusing on the stories of each participant, and it analyzes narrative themes. This study found that there were numerous impacts on teachers’ perceptions on the usefulness and ease of use of technology: this included (a) Limits: technology limits, teacher limits, student limits, and practical limits; (b) Support: school board, resources, equipment, parents; and (c) Dynamic environment (teacher-student feedback loop) which influence strategies for integrating technology: attitude, teaching orientation, classroom management, technology management, technology tools, and participant-observer strategies. Study limitations and recommendations are discussed.

The nurturing of creative thinking skills is one of the cornerstones of Outcomes-Based Education (OBE). This study investigated to what extent teachers nurture the development of creative thinking through the choice of teaching methods, which include the application of teaching strategies and the utilization of resources, in the Grade 9 Social Sciences classroom. A literature study was undertaken to highlight the importance and nature of the development of creative thinking skills, and to establish which teaching methods, strategies and resources nurture the development of creative thinking in Social Sciences classrooms. The literature review provided the conceptual framework for the study, as well as the framework for designing a questionnaire that was utilized to obtain the perceptions of learners regarding the teaching methods, strategies and resources that their teachers use to nurture the development of creative thinking in the Grade 9 Social Sciences classroom. By means of a sequential explanatory mixed method research design, quantitative data were collected by means of a self-constructed questionnaire that was administrated to a convenient sample of a purposively selected group of Grade 9 Social Sciences learners (n=399) in the D7 district of the Gauteng Department of Education. Following this, a qualitative interview, which was constructed from the findings in the questionnaire, was conducted with purposively selected Grade 9 Social Sciences teachers (n=6) in order to ascertain the reasons behind the quantitative findings. The combination of quantitative and qualitative data revealed differences and similarities in opinion related to the teaching methods, strategies and resources that teachers use for nurturing creative thinking. In essence, the data revealed that teachers are, to some extent, nurturing creative thinking through their choice of teaching methods and strategies as well as the questioning techniques that they choose. However, the responses did not convincingly indicate to the researcher that the nurturing of creative thinking skills takes place on a regular and frequent basis. According to the learner responses, it appeared that teaching and learning methods and strategies that promote indirect, independent, interactive and experiential learning, are under-used by the Grade 9 Social Sciences teachers. In addition, resources that nurture creative elaboration such as political cartoons and photographs appear to be under-utilized. This study is concluded with recommendations to teachers concerning which teaching methods, strategies and resources could be implemented in order to promote the nurturing of creative thinking in the Grade 9 Social Sciences classroom.
Thesis (MEd (Learning and Teaching))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

The aim of this study is to investigate teachers’ opinions and experiences using analogue coursebooks in lower secondary school English teaching. The study was conducted using written interviews, interviewing 7 currently active teachers teaching English in the Swedish school system, with the participants’ answers being the material. Thematic Analysis was a method used to structure the results, and Sociocultural Theory was the theoretical perspective. The themes that were identified were: analogue coursebooks; digital coursebooks; more or less suitable activities for coursebook usage; the future of coursebook usage; and desirable qualities of a coursebook. The results of the study reveal that the participants have a positive outlook on using analogue coursebooks in the English classroom as a way of maintaining a certain level of difficulty and quality in the teaching, whilst also having something to fall back on as a source with varied content that can be used. There were no noticeable differences in the teachers’ opinion of what they could be used for but the extent to which they used them varied depending on their experience in the profession. Finally, the cost of coursebooks was mentioned as a key aspect in the process of selecting coursebooks, together with user-friendliness and flexibility.

This thesis studies designs for learning in the extended digital interface in the Social Science classroom. The aim is to describe and analyse how pupils interact, make meaning and learn while deploying digital learning resources. Together with the thesis a multimodal design theoretical perspective on learning has developed: Designs for Learning. Here learning is understood as multimodal transformative processes of sign-making activities where teachers and pupils are viewed as didactic designers. A model called Learning Design Sequence has been developed and serves as a tool for data collection and analysis. Video observation material from five ICT-advanced schools with pupils aged 6-17 was multimodally transcribed and analysed. In conclusion the thesis, among other things, indicates that: - Social Science acquires informal features and pupils are independently designing their own digital Social Science material. - Pupils’ interactions are significantly multimodal and the digital learning resource becomes a third element in interaction. Pupils are constantly active and very responsive to each others’ representations. They cooperate as if learning in the extended interface is a collective responsibility. - Pupils’ learning is also significantly multimodal. Being digital natives, they engage in colours, sounds and images to represent some of their learning. - Learning represented in modes other than text and speech becomes invisible and disappears in the digital divide. - Pupils are simultaneously designing parallel paths of learning. One path represents the formalised education which is the path initiated, promoted and assessed by the teacher. The other path is guided by pupils’ interests and by affordances in the digital interface. This represents the extended learning that goes on below the surface.           The thesis ends with a discussion about didactic complexities in The Online Learning Paradigm.
At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 1: Accepted. Paper 5: Submitted.

This essay investigates if texts featuring different parts of the world are present in the English as a Foreign Language classroom for grades 1-3 of Swedish primary school. The focus in the essay is to investigate what texts teachers use in the English classroom and what content the texts feature related to different parts of the world. The data was collected by a combined method of a quantitative and a qualitative study with the field of English as an International Language as an area of focus. The quantitative study consisted of an online survey which received 72 replies from primary school teachers and a case study was conducted at one school with two teachers which featured both interviews and an analysis of teaching material. The online survey shows that content featuring different parts of the world is common, even if there is a bias towards the so called Inner Circle of English speaking countries of Great Britain, USA, Australia and Canada while the rest of the world is not as commonly represented. However, this depends on the material used, as the case study did not share this clear bias towards the Inner Circle and the difference was not as clear.

Глобализација светске привреде довела је да је квалитет постао приоритетан фактор у борби са конкуренцијом за опстанак на тржишту. Квалитет се дефинише као скуп особина, карактеристика производа, робе, услуга, рада, изазивајући њихову способност да задовоље потребе и захтеве потрошача у складу са циљем и њиховим очекивањима. Због потребе привреде за радном снагом која ће бити компетента да производи производе који ће задовољити потребе и жеље купаца, све су израженији захтеви за квалитетом у стручном образовању. Основу за оцену квалитета образовног процеса чине образовни исходи који обухватају знања, способности вештие и ставове ученика који се стичу кроз формално образовање у школама. Квалитетно образовање не би требало посматрати као процес потрошње него као процес интгеракције између наставника и ученика. Образовање мора имати за циљ давање ученицима прилика за лични развој и поверење да ће се прилагодити новим ситуацијама да ће их променити ако то буду сматрали потребним. Образовање никад не може бити неутралан процес; увек ће бити базиран на вредности. Равнотежа између објективних чињеница и испитивање тих чињеница представља велик изазов за професионалног наставника (www.ei-ie-org).На квалитет образовних исхода средњег стручног образовања утичу разни фактори међу којима су: наставници са својим компетенцијама, менаџмент школа, наставни планови и програми, материјални ресурси.За истраживање утицаја поменутих фактора, констурисан је упитник за директоре, наставнике, ученике, родитеље и привреднике којим је вршено прикупљање податак у узорку. Смањење количине података вршено је помоћу факторске анализе у SPSS Statistics 17, односно, извршили смо издвајање најмањег броја фактора који добро представљају међувезе у скупу променљивих из помоћ:- анализе главних фактора (Кајзеров критеријум),- факторизације слике (дијаграм одрона,  engl.scree тест),- паралелне анализе (користећи програм MONTE CARLO PCA for PARALLEL ANALYSIS),- оцене прикладности података за факторску анализу (Бартлетов тест сферичности и Кајзер-Мајер-Олкинов-КМО показатељ адекватности узорка).У обради података и доказивању галавне и помоћних хипотеза  коришћене су основне статистичке методе:1. дексриптивна статистика,2. непараметарски тест:-Колмогоров-Смирновљев тест нормалности дистрибуције-HI квадрат тест3. графички приказ резултата статистичке обраде.Резултати истраживања су показали да квалитет средњег стручног образовања зависи од наставног кадра, менаџмента школа, модуларних наставних планова и програма и материјалних ресурса. Да квалитет средњег стручног образовања утиче на повећање нивоа производње, доказ је изведен на основу резултата истраживања које је проведено међу привредницима.Даља истраживања у области квалитета средњег стручног образовања треба усмерити на: компетенције наставника, компетенције менаџмента, корелације опремљености школа са успехом ученика, утицај модуларних наставних планова и програма из појединачних предмета, смањење оптерећења ученика, сарадње школе и предузећа на утврђивању програмских садржаја практичне наставе, мотивације наставника и менаџмента школа за квалитетан рад и постизање резултата којима ће бити задовољни сви корисници.
Globalizacija svetske privrede dovela je da je kvalitet postao prioritetan faktor u borbi sa konkurencijom za opstanak na tržištu. Kvalitet se definiše kao skup osobina, karakteristika proizvoda, robe, usluga, rada, izazivajući njihovu sposobnost da zadovolje potrebe i zahteve potrošača u skladu sa ciljem i njihovim očekivanjima. Zbog potrebe privrede za radnom snagom koja će biti kompetenta da proizvodi proizvode koji će zadovoljiti potrebe i želje kupaca, sve su izraženiji zahtevi za kvalitetom u stručnom obrazovanju. Osnovu za ocenu kvaliteta obrazovnog procesa čine obrazovni ishodi koji obuhvataju znanja, sposobnosti veštie i stavove učenika koji se stiču kroz formalno obrazovanje u školama. Kvalitetno obrazovanje ne bi trebalo posmatrati kao proces potrošnje nego kao proces intgerakcije između nastavnika i učenika. Obrazovanje mora imati za cilj davanje učenicima prilika za lični razvoj i poverenje da će se prilagoditi novim situacijama da će ih promeniti ako to budu smatrali potrebnim. Obrazovanje nikad ne može biti neutralan proces; uvek će biti baziran na vrednosti. Ravnoteža između objektivnih činjenica i ispitivanje tih činjenica predstavlja velik izazov za profesionalnog nastavnika (www.ei-ie-org).Na kvalitet obrazovnih ishoda srednjeg stručnog obrazovanja utiču razni faktori među kojima su: nastavnici sa svojim kompetencijama, menadžment škola, nastavni planovi i programi, materijalni resursi.Za istraživanje uticaja pomenutih faktora, konsturisan je upitnik za direktore, nastavnike, učenike, roditelje i privrednike kojim je vršeno prikupljanje podatak u uzorku. Smanjenje količine podataka vršeno je pomoću faktorske analize u SPSS Statistics 17, odnosno, izvršili smo izdvajanje najmanjeg broja faktora koji dobro predstavljaju međuveze u skupu promenljivih iz pomoć:- analize glavnih faktora (Kajzerov kriterijum),- faktorizacije slike (dijagram odrona,  engl.scree test),- paralelne analize (koristeći program MONTE CARLO PCA for PARALLEL ANALYSIS),- ocene prikladnosti podataka za faktorsku analizu (Bartletov test sferičnosti i Kajzer-Majer-Olkinov-KMO pokazatelj adekvatnosti uzorka).U obradi podataka i dokazivanju galavne i pomoćnih hipoteza  korišćene su osnovne statističke metode:1. deksriptivna statistika,2. neparametarski test:-Kolmogorov-Smirnovljev test normalnosti distribucije-HI kvadrat test3. grafički prikaz rezultata statističke obrade.Rezultati istraživanja su pokazali da kvalitet srednjeg stručnog obrazovanja zavisi od nastavnog kadra, menadžmenta škola, modularnih nastavnih planova i programa i materijalnih resursa. Da kvalitet srednjeg stručnog obrazovanja utiče na povećanje nivoa proizvodnje, dokaz je izveden na osnovu rezultata istraživanja koje je provedeno među privrednicima.Dalja istraživanja u oblasti kvaliteta srednjeg stručnog obrazovanja treba usmeriti na: kompetencije nastavnika, kompetencije menadžmenta, korelacije opremljenosti škola sa uspehom učenika, uticaj modularnih nastavnih planova i programa iz pojedinačnih predmeta, smanjenje opterećenja učenika, saradnje škole i preduzeća na utvrđivanju programskih sadržaja praktične nastave, motivacije nastavnika i menadžmenta škola za kvalitetan rad i postizanje rezultata kojima će biti zadovoljni svi korisnici.
Globalization of the world economy has brought about the fact that the quality is apriority factor in the competition for the survival on the market. The quality is definedas a collection of features, characteristics of products, goods, services, work, which challenges their capacities to meet the needs and the demands of the consumers in accordance with the goal and their expectations.Because of the needs of the economy for labour forces, that are competent to produce products which would meet the needs and desires of buyers, the demands for the quality in the vocational education have become prominet. The assesment of the quality of the educational process is based on the educational results which comprise knowledge, abilities, skills and attitudes of students, which are requiredthrough formal education in schools. A high quality education should not be viewedas a process of consumption but as a process of interaction between teachers and students. The educational goal should be to provide opportunities for the students for their personal developement and for boosting their confidence that they would be able to adjust to new situations, and that they would be able to change such situations, if necessary. The education can never be a neutral process; it isalways based on values. The balance between objective facts and the examination of these facts represents a big challenge for a professional teacher (www.ei-ie.org).The quality of educational results in the secondary vocational education is affected byvarious factors, some of which are: teachers with their competences, management ofschools, educational curricula and programmes, material resources. For the purposes of research of the impacts and of the abovementioned factors, a questionnaire was designed for schoolmasters, teachers, students, parents and businessmen, through which a collection of data in the sample wasmade. The reduction of the quantity of the data is conducted by means of factor analysis in SPSS Statistics 17, i.e., the extracting of the smallest number of factors was done, which represents well the interrelations in the collection of variables by means of: Analysis of major factors (Kajzer'scriterion), Factorization of the picture (screen test), Parallel analyses (programme used: Monte Carlo PCA for Parallel Analysis), The assessments of the adequacy of the data for the factor analysis (Bartlet test of specification and Kajzer-Majer-Olikin -KMO indicator of the sample adequacy) For the data processing and in proving the main hypothesis as well as the auxilliary hypotheses, two basic statistical methods were used:1. Descriptive statistics2. Non-parameter test:1. Kolmogorov-Smirnov test of the normality of the distribution2. HI-square test3. Graphic representation of the results of the statistical processing.The results of the research have shown that the quality of the secondary vocational education depends on the teaching staff, school management, modular educational curricula and programmes and material resources.For the fact that the quality of the secondary vocational education affects the increase of the level of production, the evidence was deducted on the basis of the results of the research which was conducted among businesmen. Further researches in the area of the quality of the secondary vocational education should be focused on: competences of teachers, competences of the management, correlation between the level of equipment of a school and the achievemtents of students, the impact ofmodular educational curricula and programmes of individual subjects, reduction of the encumbrance of students, co-operation of schools and companies on defining the content of the programme of practical education, motivation of teachers and of the management of schools for a high qulity work and for achieving results with which all the beneficiaries will be satisfied.

The research aims to investigate the responses of teachers and learners in a particular rural context to a chapter from a South African English First Additional Language textbook which is currently being developed for commercial publication. The activities and content of the chapter aim to encourage learners to think critically about power relations in teenage relationships. The material was used in two classes of Grade 11 English learners by two English teachers from the same school. Data from classroom observations, from learners’ writing and from interviews with teachers and learners was analysed in order to respond to a series of questions which focus on teachers’ and learners’ responses to a theme which was assumed to be a sensitive and controversial one and responses to the design features of the material. Firstly, the theme appeared not to be considered sensitive or controversial by either teachers or learners. Secondly, the teachers ignored almost completely the pedagogic design of the materials and in doing so negatively affected opportunities for learners to learn. Possible explanations for both findings are discussed.

The study explored the classroom practices of Natural Sciences teachers when teaching the Matter and Material strand in senior phase schools in the Siyabuswa circuit. The following research questions were explored: What is the nature of the teacher’s teacher knowledge when teaching Matter and Material strand in the senior phase schools? What is the nature of the teacher’s instructional strategies when teaching the Matter and Material strand in the senior phase schools? How does the teacher’s teacher knowledge and instructional strategies shape the classroom interactions and discourse? The qualitative case study approach was employed, wherein three teachers participated. Interviews and observation were used for data collection. The findings revealed that Natural Science teachers lack content knowledge and inadequate Subject Matter Knowledge which influences their instructional strategies, hence their classroom interactions and discourses. Recommendations were made to the Department of Education and government to look into the factors that influence the teaching of Natural Sciences as far as teacher’s knowledge and contextual factors are concerned.
Irhubhululo leli liphathelene nomfundisi nakafundisa ngekumbeni isifundo se Natural Sciences khulu khulu sitjheje amakghono kunye nobukgwari I Matter and Material strand emabangeni aphakathi (Senior Phase) isiyingi sange Siyabuswa. Imibuzo erhujululiweko netsengiweko ngelandelako: inzindzolwazi lomfundisi lingangani lokha nakafundisa isifundo se Matter and Material strand emabangeni aphakathi (Senior Phase)? Anjani amakgono womfundisi nakafundisa / nokwethula isifundo se Matter and Material strand emabangeni aphakathi (Senior Phase)? Ingabe ilwazi neendlela zokufundisa zomfundisi ziletha njani ukuzwisisa nokuragela phambili kwesifundo ngekumbeni? Irhubhululo elingeneleleko mayelana nokufuna ilwazi ngesihloko esingehla lisetjenzisiswe. Kusetjenziswe abafundisi abathathu kulelirhubhulo. Ukuhlolwa kwelwazi babuzwe imibuzo begodu baphoswa ilihlo elibukhali ukubuthelela inzinzolwazi. Imiphumela iveze pepeneneni bona abafundisi be Natural Sciences bayatlhayela ngelwazi kunye nelwazi elingeneleleko mayelana nesifundo, lokho kunomthelela omumbi ngendlela abathula ngayo ilwazi kunye nendlela yokuzwisisa kwabafundi. UMnyango wezeFundo kunye norhulumende bayelelisiwe bona batjheje amaphuzu anemithelela emimbi lokha nakufundiswa isifundo se Natural Sciences khulu khulu inzinzo lwazi lomfundisi kunye neenqabo zokufunda.
Die studie is die ondersoek na klaskamer praktyke van Natuurwetenskaponderwysers wanneer onderrig gegee word in Materie-en Materiale vesel in senior fase skole, in die Siyabuswa omgewing. Die volgende navorsingsvrae was ondersoek: Wat is die aard van die onderwyser se onderrigkennis wanneer Materie-en Materiale vesel in senior fase skole onderrig word? Wat is die aard van die onderwyser se onderrigstrategie wanneer Materie-en Materiale vesel in senior fase skole onderrig word? Hoe vorm die onderwyser se kennis-en onderrigstrategieë die klas se interaksies en diskoers? Die kwalititatiewe gevallestudie benadering was toegepas waartydens drie onderwysers deelgeneem het en die versamelde data gebruik was. Die bevindinge het die Natuurwetenskaponderwysers se gebrek aan inhoudskennis en onvoldoende Vakkennis, wat hul onderrigstrategieë nadelig beïnvloed uitgewys, vandaar hul klaskamer en interaksie diskoerse. Aanbevelings is gemaak aan die Departement van Opvoeding en die Regering om ondersoek in te stel na wat die onderrig van Natuurwetenskappe benadeel in so verre dit die kennis van die onderwysers betref.
Science and Technology Education
M. Ed. (Specialisation in Natural Science Education)

Sendo recente o mais intenso apetrechamento informático e tecnológico nas escolas portuguesas com a implementação do Plano Tecnológico da Educação, sabemos ainda muito pouco sobre o impacto dessa ação e, mais especificamente, nas práticas dos professores. Para tentar perceber o grau de utilização de recursos educativos digitais (RED) e os fatores que determinam o seu uso pedagógico, efetuámos este estudo exploratório e descritivo. No âmbito do problema desta investigação, considerámos o desenvolvimento profissional dos professores centrado nas competências digitais. Estas permitem-lhes recorrer à integração das tecnologias de informação e comunicação (TIC) e à utilização de RED, no processo de ensinar e aprender, no sentido de tirar partido da tecnologia presente nas salas de aula portuguesas. O desenho metodológico estruturou-se em torno de dois ciclos. O primeiro constituiu-se num inquérito por questionário aplicado a professores de todos os níveis de ensino não superior do Continente e Ilhas, numa amostra não aleatória, obtida da população de utilizadores de TIC e RED. O segundo ciclo centrou-se na aplicação do método e-Delphi com Q-Sort a dois painéis: i) um formado por professores participantes no primeiro ciclo e ii) um outro constituído por professores de instituições de ensino superior e outras (especialistas em RED), em amostras por conveniência. A análise dos resultados obtidos com o instrumento aplicado no primeiro ciclo indicia um acesso a equipamento e a infraestruturas tecnológicas e informáticas na sala de aula, relativamente elevado. Parece ainda demonstrar uma utilização de RED, no global, moderada, nomeadamente no concernente a usos mais avançados como a criação, produção e publicação na web. Os resultados decorrentes da aplicação do e-Delphi com Q-Sort e relativos à convergência de perspetivas entre os professores e os especialistas, fornecem evidências sobre os fatores que os membros dos dois painéis consideram determinantes para que os RED sejam pedagogicamente úteis. As implicações que emergiram da investigação podem ser exploradas, investigadas ou desenvolvidas futuramente.
Being recent a most intense computer and technological equipping in Portuguese schools through the implementation of the Technological Plan of Education, we still know very little about the impact of this action and, more specifically, in teachers’ practices. In order to try to perceive the degree of use of digital educational resources (DER) and the factors that determine its pedagogical value, we accomplished this exploratory and descriptive study. In the scope of the problem of this research, we considered teachers’ professional development centered on the digital skills. These allow them to resort to the integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) and to the use of DER, in the process of teaching and learning, in order to take advantage of the presence of technology in Portuguese classrooms. The methodological design structured around two cycles. The first one consisted of a survey applied to teachers of all levels of K-12 education on Continent and Islands, in a non-probabilistic sample, obtained from the population of ICT and DER users. The second cycle, focused on the implementation of the e-Delphi method with Q-Sort, to two panels: i) one formed by teachers, who participated in the first cycle and ii) one other consisting of professors of higher education and other institutions (experts in DER), on samples of convenience. The analysis of the results obtained with the instrument applied in the first cycle indicates an access to equipment and technological infrastructures in the classroom, relatively high. It also seems to establish, in general, a moderate use of DER particularly in what concerns more advanced uses such as the creation, production and publication on the web. The results, arising from the application of e-Delphi with Q-Sort and concerning the convergence of perspectives between teachers and experts, provide evidence about the factors that the members of the two panels believe determinants in considering the DER pedagogically useful. The implications that emerged from the research can be explored, investigated or developed in the future.

The present study assessed the factors that affect the implementation of inclusive education for children with learning disabilities in Zimbabwean primary schools. The assessment serves as a context for finding ways of dealing with challenges and proposing a model of implementing inclusive education for children with learning disabilities. The survey method was used in the empirical study and a self-constructed questionnaire was used to collect data. Two hundred and fifty primary school teachers, twenty education officers and thirty college/university lecturers participated in the study. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 16.0 was used to analyse data. Frequency tables and ratios were calculated to establish the relative rating of each item. Chi-square tests were also calculated. This study revealed that primary school teachers lacked training to assist children with learning disabilities in their classes. The study also revealed that the primary schools did not have material resources to implement inclusive education for children with learning disabilities. The current study also established that the stakeholders had negative attitudes towards the implementation of inclusive education for children with learning disabilities. Findings of the study also revealed that there was no inclusive education policy for the implementation of inclusive education for children with learning disabilities in primary schools. The present study recommended that the implementation of inclusive education for children with learning disabilities in primary schools would be improved through the professional preparation and training of Zimbabwean school teachers, the availability of trained teachers, the provision of resources and the need to formulate mandatory policies and legislation for the implementation of inclusive education.
Inclusive Education
D. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

This study focused on learners’ assessment practices in overcrowded classes in Kamwenge District, Uganda. Apart from a literature review, an empirical investigation based on qualitative and quantitative methods were used to collect data by the researcher at 4 primary schools in Kamwenge district so as to find answers to the research questions. The empirical findings elicited that all teachers agreed that assessment was useful to them and had a clear idea of what classroom assessment was all about. An interpretive paradigm made it possible for the researcher to gain an in-depth understanding of learners’ assessment practices within their school contexts. There was a mismatch between what teachers said they do and what they practiced and this follows that the majority of teachers may have the theoretical knowledge of methods and tools used to assess learners but fail to translate it to classroom practice.
Educational Leadership and Management
M. Ed. (Educational Management)

This study aims to investigate the challenges affecting reading in the foundation phase and to explore the different approaches that teachers use to address them. The research is qualitative in nature and used a case study approach. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, observations, and document analyses. Participants were teachers from two different schools in the rural areas of Bolobedu, Limpopo Province of South Africa. The data collected revealed the challenges encountered by teachers in teaching reading in the foundation phase of schooling. I also analysed documents that teachers used in teaching reading. The documents were used to triangulate the data obtained through observations and interviews. Content analysis was used to interpret and make meaning of the data. The findings revealed challenges of a socio-economic nature, parental involvement, family roles, poverty, teacher competency, availability of resources and language barriers leading to barriers to reading. In addressing these challenges, teachers rely on workshops, phase and grade meetings and their personal experiences.
Curriculum and Instructional Studies
M. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)