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1
Young, Kathryn, and edu au jillj@deakin edu au mikewood@deakin edu au wildol@deakin edu au kimg@deakin. "AN ONGOING COLONIAL LEGACY: CONTEMPORARY EDUCATION BELIEFS AND PRACTICES IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA." Deakin University. School of Education / School of Social & Cultural Studies, 2000. http://tux.lib.deakin.edu.au./adt-VDU/public/adt-VDU20040726.102645.
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In the late 1980¡¦s, a realisation that the western education system bequeathed to Papua New Guinea at the time of Independence had functioned to devalue and marginalise many of the traditional beliefs, knowledge and skills students brought with them to education, led to a period of significant education reform. The Reform was premised on the report of a Ministerial Review Committee called A Philosophy of Education. This report made recommendations about how education in Papua New Guinea could respond to the issues and challenges this nation faced as it sought to chart a course to serve the needs of its citizens on its own terms.
The issues associated with managing and implementing institutionalised educational change premised on importing western values and practices are a central theme of this thesis. The impact of importing foreign curriculum and associated curriculum officers and consultants to assist with curriculum change and development in the former Language and Literacy unit of the Curriculum Development Division, is considered in three related sections of this report:
P a critical review of the imported educational system and related practices
and related issues since Independence
P narrative report of the experience of two colleagues in western education
P evidential research based on curriculum Reform in the Language and
Literacy Unit.
How Papua New Guinea has sought to come to terms with the issues and challenges that arose in response to a practice of importing western curriculum both at the time of Independence and currently through the Reform, are explored throughout the thesis. The findings issues reveal much about the capacity of individuals and institutions to respond to a post-colonial world particularly associated with an ongoing colonial legacy in the principle researcher¡¦s work context.
The thesis argues that the challenges Papua New Guinea curriculum officers face today, as they manage and implement changes associated with another imported curriculum are caught up in existing power relations. These power relations function to stifle creative thinking at a time when it is most needed. Further, these power relations are not well understood by the curriculum officers and remained hidden and unquestioned throughout the research project.
The thesis also argues that in the researcher¡¦s work context, techniques of surveillance were brought to bear and functioned to curtail critical thinking about how the reformed curriculum could be sensitive and respectful of those beliefs and traditions that had sustained life in Papua New Guinea for thousands of years. Consequently, many outmoded beliefs and practices associated with an uncritical and ongoing acceptance of the superiority of western imports have been retained, thereby effectively denying the collective voices of Paua New Guineans in the current curriculum Reform.
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Engle, Marshall. "Occupational stress amongst lecturers with specific reference to a further education and training college in the Western Cape." University of the Western Cape, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/5046.
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Magister Commercii (Industrial Psychology) - MCom(IPS)Research on stress has indicated that people in the helping professions dealing with people, especially those in the teaching profession, are particularly prone to emotional distress. However, information regarding the stress-related emotions specifically experienced by academic lecturers at institutions of Further Education and Training is not abundant. University teaching has traditionally been conceived of as a relatively stress-free occupation, or at least has been seen in this way by outsiders. Nevertheless, there is overwhelming evidence attesting to the fact that academia is a highly stressful occupation.The contemporary academic context in South Africa is characterised by changes such as the incorporation of colleges and the merging of universities and technikons, now referred to as universities of technology. Consequences such as financial predicaments, insecurity of employees, short-term contract positions, fewer fringe benefits, increasing emotional disturbance and stress, are unavoidable. Although they are not highly paid in comparison to professionals in the commercial sector, academics have been envied for their tenure, light workloads, flexibility and freedom to pursue their own research.Concerns about academic stress have been articulated over the past three decades. Research conducted in the United Kingdom (UK), United States of America (USA), Australia and New Zealand has identified several key stressors commonly associated with stress among academic staff. These include work overload, time constraints, lack of promotion opportunities, inadequate recognition, inadequate salary, changing job role, inadequate management and/or participation in management, inadequate resources and funding and student interactions. Other sources of stress, such as high self-expectations, poor interactions with colleagues, inequality in the system and lack of regular performance feedback have been highlighted in a few studies. Although some studies found high levels of stress relating to work relationships, control, resources and communication and job insecurity, excessive overload and work-life imbalance are among the most frequently reported stressors by academics. Since academics do not represent an homogeneous group of professionals, it is considered inappropriate to examine academic stress without taking all their professional and personal characteristics into account. Research has shown that workload, inadequate salaries and a lack of public recognition were perceived as more significant sources of pressure by men than by women, whilst job insecurity, isolation from colleagues, a lack of institutional recognition of worth and work politics were more salient for women. Since academia is still largely a male dominated occupation, female academics may experience more stressors and strains than their male counterparts due to a lack of role models, less socialisation from women from their own rank, gender stereotypes and increased role conflict as they endeavour to balance roles at work and at home. Researchers have also noted the importance of age-based differences, and conventionally believe that stress universally declines with chronological age.Data was collected through a biographical questionnaire and the Experience of Work and Life Circumstances Questionnaire (WLQ). A convenience sample of lecturers in an FET College (n=150) completed the questionnaires, which were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 20. Statistical procedures for data analysis include: T-Test, Multiple Regression Analysis and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA).The results in the current research reveal that there are statistically significant differences in stress levels of academic staff at the FET college based on gender, age, race, marital status and tenure. Based on the responses obtained, 35.33% of the variance in total stress could be explained by Organisational functioning, Task aspects, Salary, benefits and personnel policies, Extra-organisational factors and Career aspects, and suggest that other unexplored variables could explain the variance in stress levels experienced by academics at the FET college.
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Wafula, Robert J. "Male ritual circumcision among the Bukusu of Western Kenya : an indigenous African system of epistemology and how it impacts Western forms of schooling in Bungoma District /." View abstract, 2006. http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3220621.
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Van, Wyk Christoffel. "The development of an education management information system from a sensemaking perspective and the application of quantitative methods to analyse education data sets." Thesis, Link to the online version, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10019/1276.
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Hunter, Lawrence Crittenden. "Public Relations: Its Importance in the Public School System." TopSCHOLAR®, 1990. http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/1690.
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Literature was reviewed to determine the importance of a public relations program in the public school system. Information was retrieved from various published sources, including materials from the National School Public Relations Association, professional journals, books relating to public relations and a variety of other educational reports.
An analysis of the literature reveals the following components of a successful public relations program: A plan of action benefits the public relations program. Staff participants benefit the public relations program. Parent involvement is an important aspect of the public relations program. Community involvement is essential to a successful public relations program
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Owen, Julie. "Development of a culturally sensitive program delivering cardiovascular health education to indigenous Australians, in South-West towns of Western Australia with lay educators as community role models." University of Western Australia. School of Population Health, 2006. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2006.0061.
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[Truncated abstract] Indigenous Australians suffer cardiovascular disease (CVD) at a rate six times greater than the general population in Australia and while the incidence of CVD has been reduced dramatically amongst the majority of non-indigenous Australians and amongst Indigenous populations in other countries in the last 30 years, there has been little change in the figures for Aboriginal Australians, showing that heart health campaigns have little impact, for this group of people. Aims : The principal aims of this study were firstly, to determine and record the barriers to the development and delivery of CVD prevention programs amongst Indigenous Australians and secondly, to develop an alternative, effective and culturally sensitive method of delivering heart health messages. Methods and results : The study was qualitative research undertaken in three South-West towns of Western Australia where the incidence of CVD was high amongst the Aboriginal community members. The use of semi-formal interviews, informal individual consultation, observation, and focus groups were methods implemented to obtain information. The first phase of the research was to identify the barriers which affected the Aboriginal Health Workers’ ability to deliver specialist educational programs. Questionnaires and interviews with the Aboriginal Health Workers and other health professionals in the towns, and community focus groups were undertaken in this phase of the study. The second phase of the research was aimed at developing an alternative strategy for delivering heart health messages. The focus changed to adopt more traditional ways of passing on information in Indigenous communities. The idea of small gatherings of friends or family with a trusted community member presenting the health message was developed. The third phase of the research was to implement this new approach. Lay educators who had been identified within focus groups and by Aboriginal Health Workers were trained in each of the towns and a protocol involving discussions of health issues, viewing a video on CVD, produced by the National Heart Foundation, sharing in a ‘heart healthy’ lunch and partaking in a ‘heart health’ knowledge game which was developed specifically for the gatherings. Several of these gatherings were held in each of the towns and they became known as ‘HeartAware parties’.
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Robert, Makuna Kananga M. "Administration of the adjusted Rorschach comrehensive system to learners in a previously disadvantaged school in the western Cape." University of the Western Cape, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/4269.
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Magister Educationis - MEdThe study focuses on the administration procedure of Adjusted Rorschach Comprehensive System (ARCS) to learners from a previously disadvantaged school in the Western Cape. ARCS is the Rorschach administration procedure developed by Moletsane-Kekae (2004) in her research study. The aim of the study was to determine the response rate of learners from a previously disadvantaged school when they were exposed to the Adjusted Rorschach Comprehensive System (ARCS). The objectives are to determine the possible factors that can lead to high and low response rate when administering Adjusted Rorschach Comprehensive System (ARCS). The main assumption that guides the study was that the responses of the administration of Adjusted Rorschach Comprehensive System (ARCS) to the learners from a previously disadvantaged school in the Western Cape would yield more than 14 responses (R>14). The study adopted a qualitative approach, case study design, interpretivist paradigm. The Rorschach test, ARCS procedure, observation, interview, and Field notes were used as data collection techniques. The sample was made of six learners (3 girls and 3 boys) in Year 1 selected from a previously disadvantaged school in Cape Town. In order to analyze the data, the thematic analysis and interpretation procedures were used. The results revealed that the majority of the learners gave high responses, because the ARCS accommodated their cultures, believe and backgrounds. This study found out that language, seating arrangement, strategies using during the ARCS procedure were the factors that influenced the higher response rate. Furthermore, the study also found that the lack of previous exposure and experience of the psychological test was a factor that can lead to low response.
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Stoltenkamp, Juliet. "An integrated approach to e-learning implementation in a complex higher education setting: A case study of the University of the Western Cape." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/8474.
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Philosophiae Doctor - PhDThere has been a global transformation of higher education institutions (HEls) in response to a wave of dynamic education sector reforms; specifically, this is related to the adoption of educational technologies to enhance teaching-and-learning practices, education management, research and administration. This situation has placed a strain on HEls in South Africa and elsewhere, due to changing societal expectations, the inevitable integration of technology, and specifically eLearning into traditional interventions; and at the same time, the increasing pressure on practitioners to deliver quality education. Equally important, the question arises whether Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is indeed constructively impacting teaching-and-learning practices. Consequently, a need has arisen for ePedagogy training and support for academics and students within challenging, complex HE settings. Within this context, the research has endeavoured to position the eLearning discourse within a global perspective; as well as to explore the theoretical underpinnings which impact the application of learning, and specifically eLearning. In particular, the merging of learning theories; different teaching and learning approaches, and technology that enables the creation of effective eLearning models and provides a more structured approach to the implementation of eLearning, were studied. Building on this theoretical basis, the importance and content of models within the discourse have highlighted the recent emphasis on the delivery of quality education. The principal thrust of this research was, therefore, to highlight the main developmental phases towards the creation of an Integrated eLearning model to influence organisational cultural change in Higher Education Institutions. The research was built on an in-depth case study of a large HEL namely: the University of the Western Cape (UWC), over the period September 2005 to October 2011. This explorative, longitudinal study was undertaken because of the numerous "unsuccessful" or "incomplete" eLearning implementations in developing countries, as well as the many challenges faced by academics. As a result, the study explored the factors that contribute to the successful implementation of eLearning within the empirical setting of UWC, a complex higher education environment. This has been an accumulative exercise that started shortly before the establishment of the E-Learning Development and Support Unit (EDSU) and the 'el.earning Awareness Campaign' - reflecting on the deployment of a non-coercive approach to the implementation of el.earning and its impact on the organisational culture of the institution. The result was the development of an Online Course Creation model, which forms the core of phase 1 (September 2005 - December 2006) of the case study. Subsequently, phase 2 (January 2007 - August 2008) of the case study showcased gaps in the Online Course Creation model and emphasised that eLearning implementation in a complex higher education setting should go beyond thefocus on ePedagogy with regard to effective online course creation. Hence, this second phase of the case study involved the development of a revised eLearning model, the Inclusive ePedagogy model. Consequently, phase 3 (September 2008 - October 2011) of the case study highlighted the main developmental stages implemented in the creation of a final Integrated el.earning model, and discussed how these integrated factors contribute to the implementation of eLearning, and ultimately, influence the organisational cultural change within UWC. Interaction with various stakeholders during the phases of the study included interviews and questionnaires. As a result thereof, the research reflected on the exponential growth of eLearning; improved attitudes and mindsets; strategic commitment for the infusion of technology and ePedagogy; and the institutional teaching and learning strategy. On the other hand, these results are in stark contrast to the lack of management in the development of the home-grown Open Source platform, coupled with intermittent access to internet connectivity. This shortcoming has often hindered online teaching and learning initiatives and support processes. Furthermore, the research has indicated how educational technology has positively impacted on prevailing communities of practice, and has even led to sound practices, such as sharing online courses/modules within the institution and with the global community. The escalating numbers of students seeking eLearning training and support have been supported by blended eLearning approaches. These approaches reflect the importance of integrated curriculum design. Moreover, the presented Integrated eLearning model, shows that 'eLearning success' can never be claimed, but is rather a process undergirded by a dedicated support team committed to continuous eLearning marketing, together with the review of processes within dynamic, complex higher education settings. Equally important, eLearning implementation within a HEI inherently impacts the organisational cultural changes. This is not just a once-off event, as it entails the difficult task of changing mindsets toward the use of new pedagogies, in order to supplement traditional instruction. At the same time, considering people-development processes; as well as organisational issues, which include peoples' perceptions at different times of the eLearning continuum, is presented as various factors, which contribute to the successful implementation of eLearning. The most important factors contributing to successful eLearning implementation, as established through the research, and also incorporated into the proposed Integrated eLearning Model are: the provision of holistic online activities; integrated institutional ICT infrastructure and systems; the support of educators and students; the necessary positive attitude by lecturers to take a hands-on role in the application of blended eLearning practices - aligned to research - and the contribution to the knowledge era; the importance of communities of practice within and outside the institution; the need for motivated formal leadership and educators to take ownership of the development of aligned, integrated curriculum strategies supportive of emergent educational technologies; continuous commitment to eLearning support, and quality-assurance processes; sustainable eLearning change management and marketing strategies; as well as crucial integrated professional leadership, management and support of the elements of the Integrated eLearning model.
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Al-Eissa, Mohammed A. "A conceptual plan for a functional educational resource system as a core to create a new learning environment in the western province (as a sample province) in Saudi Arabia : with emphasis on the secondary school level." Thesis, Cardiff University, 1988. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.301789.
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Evans, Paul. "A multimedia system to instruct novice users of online library catalogues." View thesis, 1996. http://library.nepean.uws.edu.au/about/staff/thesis.html.
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Sterling, Stephanie A. "Preschool teaching experience and special education support systems a survey of western Pennsylvania /." Morgantown, W. Va. : [West Virginia University Libraries], 1999. http://etd.wvu.edu/templates/showETD.cfm?recnum=715.
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Thesis (M.A.)--West Virginia University, 1999.Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains iii, 30 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 29-30).
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Duncan, Pearl, and n/a. "An analysis of post-secondary Aboriginal support systems." University of Canberra. Education, 1991. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20060706.112807.
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An overview of Aboriginal education in the last two hundred years reveals that Aborigines
have had a depressingly inadequate education, also marked by inequity of opportunity and
participation.
The developmental pattern of Aboriginal education has been characterised by four broad
periods or eras related to specific government policies. These periods are identified
successively as The Protection Era, the Segregation Era, The Assimilation Era and The
Integration Era. The Protection Era began with the early frontier settlement of Europeans in
Australia and extended until the 1860's. The Segregation Era marked the full development
of Aboriginal reserves from 1860 to 1940. The Assimilation Era extended from the 1940s
to the mid 1960s. Finally the period of Integration began in the late 1960s and gathered
momentum in the 1970s.
Throughout the periods of protection, segregation and assimilation very little effort was
expended in the provision of adequate education for Aborigines.
It was not until the late 1960s that concerted attempts were made to redress the many
decades of neglect and apathy.
Researchers uncovered glaring problems needing urgent redress. Aboriginal pupils
persistently achieved very poorly in comparison with others and left school at an earlier age.
As a consequence Aborigines left school lacking the knowledge and skills to compete with
other Australians and had much poorer prospects of employment.
In the early 1970s the National Aboriginal Education Committee and the state Aboriginal
Education Consultative Groups, combined with support and funding from DAA,
Commonwealth Education and The Schools Commission, were very influential in
establishing programmes.
In response to the growing numbers of Aborigines who were denied adequate schooling,
three general types of adult programmes were developed: a) enclave/support systems; b)
pretertiary/bridging courses and c) off campus centres.
It was these programmes operating at WACAE that DEET commissioned me to evaluate.
The existence of these programmes is the result of WACAE's prompt response to the need
for redressing Aboriginal educational imbalance. The programmes developed following the
commencement of the Aboriginal Teacher Education Programme at Mt Lawley College in
1973. The first enclave was established in 1976, external AEEC commenced in 1978 and
G.E.C. in 1980, the first off campus centre was set up in 1983, and the Tertiary Preparation
Course (internal AEEC) began operation in 1985.
Commonwealth money has provided the financial basis for the programmes, but WACAE
was the first institution in Australia to implement programmes and its achievement is
significant.
The terms of reference for this project required that the method of research should be
through data gathering by means of interviews and examination of documentary evidence
during a three week period in Perth.
The evaluator consulted DAIS staff, students and, as particularly requested in the brief,
Aboriginal community members.
Findings revealed that WACAE's enclaves, on campus and off campus, have made
progress towards educational equity for Aborigines, provide good support and are valued
by students and Aboriginal community members.
Aboriginalisation was found to be essential to maximum enclave effectiveness. Staff,
students and Aboriginal community members would like to see increased Aboriginal
representation, contract hiring of staff not being conducive to employment security or staff
continuity.
It is recommended that rationalisation of enclaves would achieve a more efficient pooling of
resources. During the last thirteen years considerable amounts of external funds have
been injected and it is recommended that WACAE take greater institutional responsibility
for enclaves, using funds from normal Commonwealth sources, as distinct from special
course funding.
The existing staffing patterns and conditions of employment should be regularised in
regard to salary, tenure, study leave, superannuation, etc. Such a measure is necessary to
ensure staff continuity, security and inclusion in the power structure of the institution.
WACAEs external pretertiary courses (AEEC and GEC) have achieved a small measure of
progress towards equity of access and participation in education for Aborigines.
The wide geographical distribution is significant in providing availability of courses.
The courses are valued by Aboriginal community members and there is a need for external
courses of this nature to continue in the future.
However, progress towards equity has been extremely slow and time taken for completion
of courses is unduly long considering the basic nature of GEC, and the fact that the courses
are designed for completion in one year.
The courses are preceived as enhancing employment performance and prospects as well
as being preparation for tertiary study.
There has been a shift in opinion regarding Aboriginal education during the 1980s towards
the view that education should not be seen in isolation but in combination with employment
and training.
It is recommended that DEET take immediate steps to implement the Aboriginal
Employment Development Policy in Western Australia, considering how best the benefits
of external AEEC and GEC can be maintained and expanded. On the other hand, the
Tertiary Preparation Course (internal AEEC) has achieved commendable results and is
assessed as being worthy of increased resources and energy.
Difficulty was encountered in efforts to determine exactly how DEET funding was used. It
seems that this type of enquiry would necessitate the services of a qualified accountant.
Enclave/support systems and pretertiary/bridging courses will be needed for some time to
come. Many Aboriginal people stated that they envisage the time when these programmes
will no longer be needed, 'when inequity of education has been addressed' and 'equality'
achieved. Until this goal is reached the programmes will remain necessary. The
achievement of the broad objectives of the AEDP, i.e. employment and income equity with
other Australians and equity of participation in all levels of education, will see Aboriginal
aspirations becoming a reality.
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Worley, Jerry A. "E-mail spam filtering solution for the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE)." [Denver, Colo.] : Regis University, 2005. http://165.236.235.140/lib/JWorley2005.pdf.
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Martins, Anna Clara Z. A. B. "Moving Between Academic Systems: Chinese Students And The Educational Challenges Within Western Universities." Bowling Green State University / OhioLINK, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1429180903.
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Jacobs, Keith Ronald. "The classroom implementation of indigenous knowledge in the science curriculum by science teachers in the Western Cape province, South Africa." Doctoral thesis, University of Cape Town, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/15553.
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Includes bibliographical referencesThe South African policy document of the Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS) for Natural Science (Department of Education, 2002), the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) for Life Science (Department of Education, 2003), and the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) for Natural Science and Life Science (Department of Education, 2011) recognises and affirms the critical role of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) in science education. These policy documents expect the science teachers to integrate indigenous knowledge in their lessons. This study strove to establish how selected high school science teachers in the Western Cape Province responded to the inclusion of indigenous knowledge in their teaching. The present study employed a multi-method approach, involving different research methods used in parallel or sequence but are not integrated until inferences are made (Johnson, Onwuegbuzie & Turner, 2007). This study took place in two main sequential data collection phases, namely, the quantitative data collection phase ((QUAN) and the qualitative data collection phase (qual). This contemporary approach was employed in order to provide credible and trustworthy answers to the following research questions, namely, 1) To what extent are the science teachers in the Western Cape Province integrating scientific and indigenous knowledge, as required by the Department of Education? If not, what are their reasons for this? 2) What are the teachers' views about and understanding of the nature of science and indigenous knowledge as well as their views on how the two worldviews can be integrated in the classroom? 3) How effective was the treatment in enhancing the teachers' ability to integrate science and indigenous knowledge in the classroom? 4) To what extent can the model of Snively and Corsiglia (2001) be useful for measuring change as the teachers implement the integration of indigenous knowledge in the science classroom? For the QUAN phase, the researcher adapted a questionnaire and a new questionnaire, the Nature of Indigenous Knowledge Questionnaire (NOIKQ), was developed. The purpose of this questionnaire was to obtain a detailed description of high schools science teachers' understanding of scientific and indigenous knowledge, as well as the problems the teachers encounter in their implementation of Learning Outcome 3 of Life Sciences and Natural Science. After the pilot study of the questionnaire and subsequent modifications to it, data were collected. Convenience sampling and purposeful sampling characterised the samples of respondents and schools. This sampling strategy ensured a total sample of 370 high school science teachers in 80 public schools, represented by urban and township schools in the Western Cape Province. The results of the QUAN phase indicated that the teachers did not receive training on how to integrate science and indigenous knowledge, and that they did not have sufficient knowledge of indigenous knowledge to teach this aspect confidently to their learners. An inquiry was embarked on in order to train the science teachers in how to integrate indigenous knowledge in the science classrooms. A workshop was chosen as an intervention to improve the teaching skills of the teachers and to develop new methods of teaching. A quasi-experimental design was chosen to establish how effective the intervention was. In this quasi-experimental design, one group of five teachers was assigned to the intervention, whilst the other group of six teachers received no intervention at all. This intervention was based on the model of Snively and Corsiglia (2001) for integrating IK in the science curriculum. These teachers had participated in the survey and were selected for their particular interest in the research study. Classroom observations and three teacher and six learner interviews were used for collecting qualitative data to establish the effectiveness of the intervention. A finding from this study is that the worldviews that the teachers bring into the classroom have implications for approaches they take to include IKS in their lessons. The results of the qualitative phase indicated that, given the teachers background (i.e., cultural, political and social), teachers interpreted and implemented IKS in different ways in the curriculum. The teachers who attended the workshop and were trained to integrate indigenous knowledge in the science curriculum were more confident than those teachers who were not trained to integrate IK in the science curriculum. This increased confidence resulted from the workshop which enhanced the teachers' IK content knowledge and made them less dependent on the learners for examples of IKS. The study offers important implications and recommendations to teachers and policy- makers regarding the implementation of the integration of IKS in the science curriculum, as well as fruitful avenues for further research.
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Davis, Gavin Rapheal. "Information retrieval interaction and the undergraduate student at historically disadvantaged higher education institutions in the Western Cape, South Africa: a cognitive approach." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2005. http://etd.uwc.ac.za/index.php?module=etd&.
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This study observed the interaction between historically disadvantaged undergraduate students and on-line information retrieval systems at the University of the Western Cape and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.
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Bytheway, Andy. "The availability, applicability and utility of information systems engineering standards in South African higher education." University of the Western Cape, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/5023.
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Philosophiae Doctor - PhDHigher education institutions in South Africa have invested heavily in information technology and information systems, with variable outcomes. Organisations in other sectors, such as engineering, the defence industry, public administration and business, have developed and adopted standards and guides to good practice for the development and operation of software-based systems. In the history of standards-making there was an early vision of the need to extend standardisation beyond software engineering into the world that acquires and uses systems, and yet the overall scope of available standards is still limited. Seeing slow progress in the international committees that develop nationally-endorsed standards (such as ISO-IEC/JTC1/SC7) practitioner communities moved to develop good practice guides such as COBIT and ITIL, that have found considerable interest in progressive organisations. Hence a range of potential guidance is available. In order to assess the extent to which standards and good practice guides might assist higher education, the four tertiary institutions in the Western Cape were approached and a representative range of academic, administrative and managerial individuals agreed to contribute to the study as respondents. Interviews were organised in two parts: the first an open conversation about their involvement with systems, and the second a structured examination of systems-related events that they considered significant. By inspection of those events, bipolar scales were developed by which respondents were able to characterise events (for example as ‘challenging’ or ‘easy’, or as ‘functional’ or ‘dysfunctional’). Respondents rated events on those scales. Repertory Grid analysis was applied so as to investigate which scales correlated with event success. 30 scales (out of 170) proved to be adequately correlated with success, and by principal component analysis they were combined to form nine ‘success scale’ groups, indicating nine areas where the deployment of standards or good practice guides might be expected to lead to more effective use of improved information systems. The study adopted an abductive approach to the work, keeping open the question of what might be the contribution to knowledge. In the event, a new Reference Model emerged from the data analysis that contributes to the effective choice and management of standards and good practice guides .A review of available standards and good practice guides using the new Reference Model concludes that the good practice guides are more applicable than the internationally developed standards, and in some areas management models and frameworks have a contribution to make. The utility of standards, good practice guides and management models will depend on the circumstances and context of use, which are extremely variable. A portfolio approach to the management of information systems provides a means to deal with that variability. It is further found that the IMBOK1 can be used to assess the linkages between information technology, information systems, business processes, business benefits and business strategy. The new Reference Model has a role to play in resolving the need for standards in the four junctions between those five IMBOK domains. Selected standards are assessed in that way, and an illustrative commentary is provided showing how projects and other systems-related initiatives can be assessed using the new Reference Model and the IMBOK.
Carnegie Corporation of New York
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Schira, Norma. "A Survey of Health Promotion Activities of Health Systems Agencies." TopSCHOLAR®, 1986. http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/1980.
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The National Health Planning and Resources Development Act. Public Law 93-641, the last major step in the regulation of the health care system, created a network of health system agencies and state level health planning agencies. Subsequent legislation, the Health Planning and Resources Development Amendment 1929, Public Law 96-79, amended 1974 Law and changed the role and function of health systems agencies to include more regulatory activities. By 1981, the activities of Health System Agencies were being curtained by the action of the Reagan administration.
The Health promotion/wellness movement which seeks to improve health has been developing as a compliment to medical medicine for several years. Previous research has determined that health systems agencies were active in health promotion and identified several planning and implementation activities related to this involvement. This is a survey of health systems agencies to determine their efforts in healthy promotions. Resources allocated to these activities, and opinions of the director relevant to agency involvement in health promotion.
All active healthy system agencies listed in the 1980. Directory of Health System Agencies (DHSH) were surveyed by a mailed questionnaire. Reponses were receive from 112 agencies (57%) and the respondents were found to be representative of the population.
The results revealed health systems agencies to be involved in health promotion. More than 90 percent of the responders listed some type of health promotion activity in their Healthy System Plans for the 1979-1980 planning year. Approximately half of the responders reported some community activity in health promotion. The majority of executive directors saw health systems agencies as being only moderately effective in controlling health care costs: considered healthy promotion as a viable means of controlling health care cost: and believed that modifications of individual life-styles had the greatest potential for improving health status.
The survey revealed that Healthy System Agencies did not restrict the wellness/health promotion activities to traditional health facilities, but were defining health broadly and working with a variety of agencies to develop services.
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Mbengo, Ivy. "The role of information, communication and technology in promoting gender equality in the workplace: a study of a University in the Western Cape." Thesis, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/3016.
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Thesis (MTech (Business and Information Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019Various efforts have been made to address the issue of gender equality at the workplace. It can be noted that even though equal opportunities between men and women may exist, the discrimination of women is still immanent in the workplace for example gender bias, unequal opportunities and underrepresentation. Previous research has failed to give a clear picture on the impact of information, communication, and technologies on gender gaps. It is mostly generalised. This study evaluates the role of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) in promoting gender equality in the workplace. The research explores different theoretical perspectives namely Gender Glass Ceiling, Equity Theory, Technology Acceptance Model, Gender Inequality and Discrimination, Critical Information Systems Theory and the Feminist Theory. The study used a qualitative research method and a case study design in order to fulfil the study’s objectives and aim. It was carried out at a selected higher education institution in South Africa. Purposive sampling was used and 19 research participants were interviewed both men and women. The data that was collected was transcribed, coded using open coding, analysed and interpreted using thematic analysis to make sense of the findings. Ethical codes of conduct such as truthfulness, confidentiality, anonymity, beneficence and data protection were employed due to the sensitive nature of the study. Results show that ICTs play a vital role in promoting gender equality. ICTs enable employees to become educated, skilled and knowledgeable becoming aware of their rights and fair practices in the workplace. ICTs also enhance both men and women empowerment in independency, decision making and self-actualisation. Fundamental recommendations are given by the researcher regarding ICTs and the promotion of gender equality in the workplace to enhance organisational performance. Organisations need to view ICTs as an integral part of business and enhance its use to promote gender equality.
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Riffel, Alvin Daniel. "Social and cultural relevance of aspects of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS), meteorological literacy and meteorological science conceptions." University of the Western Cape, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/7258.
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Philosophiae Doctor - PhDThis research study examines those aspects of Indigenous Knowledge (IK) that could be socially and culturally relevant in the Western Cape Province, South Africa, for teaching meteorological science concepts in a grade 9 Social Science (Geography) classroom using dialogical argumentation as an instructional model (DAIM). The literature reviewed in this study explains the use of argumentation as an instructional method of classroom teaching in particular dialogical argumentation, combined with IKS (Indigenous Knowledge Systems), which in this study is seen as a powerful tool both in enhancing learners’ views and positively identifying indigenous knowledge systems within their own cultures and communities, and as tool that facilitates the learning of (meteorological) literacy and science concepts. With the development of the New Curriculum Statements (NCS) and the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) for schools, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) of South Africa acknowledges a strong drive towards recognising and affirming the critical role of IK, especially with respect to science and technology education. The policy suggests that the Department of Education take steps to begin the phased integration of IK into curricula and relevant accreditation frameworks. Using a quasi-experimental research design model, the study employed both quantitative and qualitative methods (mixed-methods) to collect data in two public secondary schools in Cape Town, in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. A survey questionnaire on attitudes towards, and perceptions of high school, of a group of grade 9 learners, as well as their conceptions of weather, was administered before the main study to give the researcher baseline information and to develop pilot instruments to use in the main study. An experimental group (E-group) of learners were exposed to an intervention - the results were recorded against a control group (C-group) that were exposed to no intervention. Both the E-group and C-group were exposed to a Meteorological Literacy Test (MLT) evaluation before and after the DAIM intervention. The results from the two groups were then compared and analysed according to the two theoretical frameworks underpinning the study, namely, Toulmin’s Argumentation Pattern - TAP (Toulmin, 1958) and Contiguity Argumentation Theory - CAT (Ogunniyi, 1997). The findings of this study revealed that: Firstly, the socio-cultural background of learners has an influence on their conceptions of weather prediction and there was a significant difference between boy’s and girls’ pre-test conceptions about the existence of indigenous knowledge systems within the community they live in. For instance, from the learners’ excerpts, it emerged that the girls presented predominantly rural experiences as opposed to those of the boys which were predominantly from urban settings. Secondly, those E-group learners exposed to the DAIM intervention shifted from being predominantly equipollent to the school science to emergent stances and they found a way of connecting their IK to the school science. The DAIM model which allowed argumentation to occur amongst learners seemed to have enhanced their understanding of the relevance of IK and how its underlying scientific claims relate to that of school science. Thirdly, the argumentation-based instructional model was found to be effective to a certain extent in equipping the in-service teachers with the necessary argumentation skills that could enable them to take part in a meaningful discourse. The study drew on the personal experiences and encounters from a variety of sources. These included storytelling-and sharing, academic talks with local community members recorded during the research journey, formal round table discussion and talks at international and local conferences, conference presentations, informal interviews, indigenous chats at social event-meetings, and shared experiences at IKS training workshops as a facilitator. These encounters lead to the formulation of the research study and occurred throughout the country in various parts of the Southern African continent including: Namibia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Botswana, Tanzania and Mozambique.
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Wright, David George. "Creativity and embodied learning : a reflection upon and a synthesis of the learning that arises in creative expression, with particular reference to writing and drama, through the perspective of the participant and self organising systems theory /." View thesis, 1998. http://library.uws.edu.au/adt-NUWS/public/adt-NUWS20030807.134153/index.html.
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Tayob, Hawa. "Understanding primary school teachers' knowledge and attitudes around HIV and AIDS." Thesis, Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/5398.
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Thesis (MEdPsych))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010.Bibliography
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Teachers have been strategically positioned to mediate information that might lead to increased HIV and AIDS knowledge and preventative measures among school-based youth. This study attempted to understand such teachers' knowledge and attitudes within a particular social context using the Bio-ecological systems model of Bronfenbrenner. The systems model provided the framework for understanding teachers' knowledge and attitudes of HIV and AIDS given their choices in terms of background, knowledge, attitude, and their links with multiple systems. The study was conducted within the qualitative paradigm. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with thirteen intermediate phase primary school teachers from seven primary schools in Phillipi, Cape Town. This study showed that teachers were aware of being part of complex systems. They expressed their difficulties with teaching HIV and AIDS education in the classroom, particularly conditioned by cultural taboos. This study further showed that teachers. interactions, particularly with people living with HIV and AIDS, changed their knowledge of, and attitudes towards, HIV and AIDS and the teaching thereof. It also pointed to the dissonance between teachers' beliefs and behaviours in serving people living with HIV and AIDS. For some teachers, religious beliefs provided the means with which to deal with the HIV and AIDS pandemic. For others, particularly some female teachers, unequal gendered roles and expectations with regard to sex and sexuality in their communities had a direct impact on the spread of HIV and AIDS and safe-sex practices (knowledge) in their communities. Finally, teachers were actively and critically engaged with systems that impact upon them; particularly, the Macrosystem of the Education Department (in this case, the Western Cape), and the Microsystems of the societies and communities within which their schools were located. In summary, the study showed that a contextual, system-related approach to teachers in the classroom highlighted how they related to HIV and AIDS. Such complex, and inter-connected relations cannot be ignored by teachers, educators, policy-makers, material developers and trainers. More studies will give us a better model of the challenges and opportunities facing those who are helping stem the tide of the pandemic.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Onderwysers is in 'n strategiese posisie om inligting oor te dra aan jong leerders wat sal lei tot meer kennis van MIV en ook sal voorkom dat dit versprei. In hierdie studie is onderneem om onderwysers se kennis en denkwyse in 'n besondere sosiale verband te verstaan, deur gebruik te maak van die Bio-ekologiese stelsels-model van Bronfenbrenner. Die stelsels-model voorsien die raamwerk om onderwysers se kennis en houdings van MIV/VIGS te verstaan, aangesien hulle keuses maak in terme van hulle agtergrond, kennis, denkwyse en hulle kontak met meervoudige stelsels. Hierdie studie is uitgevoer in die kwalitatiewe paradigma. Halfgestruktureerde onderhoude is uitgevoer met dertien intermediêre fase primêre-skool onderwysers by sewe primêre skole in Philippi, Kaapstad. Hierdie studie het bewys dat onderwysers bewus is daarvan dat hulle deel vorm van ingewikkelde stelsels. Hulle het te kenne gegee dat hulle dit moeilik vind om MIV/VIGS opvoeding te gee in die klaskamer, veral as gevolg van kulturele taboes. Hierdie studie het ook bewys dat onderwysers se interaksie, veral met mense wat met MIV/VIGS saamleef, hulle kennis van en houding teenoor MIV/VIGS, en die onderrig daarvan, verander het. Dit het ook die verskil tussen onderwysers se godsdienstige oortuigings en houdings uitgewys wanneer hulle in kontak kom met mense wat met MIV/VIGS saamleef. Sommige onderwysers het hulle godsdienstige oortuigings gebruik wanneer hulle met die MIV/VIGS pandemie gewerk het. Sommige onderwyseresse veral, het gevind dat ongelyke geslagsrolle en verwagtinge ten opsigte van seks en seksualiteit in hulle gemeenskappe 'n direkte invloed gehad het op die verspreiding van MIV/VIGS en veilige sekspraktyke in hulle gemeenskappe. Onderwysers was aktief betrokke by stelsels wat 'n invloed op hulle gehad het, veral die Makrostelsel van die Onderwysdepartement (in hierdie geval die Wes-Kaap), en die Mikrostelsels van die samelewings en gemeenskappe waar die skole hulself bevind. In opsomming, het hierdie studie bewys hoedat 'n kontekstuele, stelsel- verwante benadering tot onderwysers in die klaskamer in verhouding staan met kennis en houdings teenoor MIV/VIGS. Sulke komplekse en onderlinge verhoudings kan nie deur onderwysers, beleidmakers, materiële ontwikkelaars en afrigters geïgnoreer word nie. Verdere navorsing en studies sal vir ons 'n meer effektiewe model bied van die uitdagings en geleenthede wat onderwysers in die gesig staar en wat sal help om die pandemie hok te slaan.
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Olsen, Sissel Tove. "Support provision to schools in a context of HIV/AIDS, poverty and gender." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2007. http://etd.uwc.ac.za/index.php?module=etd&action=viewtitle&id=gen8Srv25Nme4_1952_1248049219.
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The school environment presents a valuable opportunity for the identification, monitoring and support of children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS and poverty. Many children are caring for parents suffering from AIDS related illnesses and/or they are the main breadwimnner of the household. As a reult of HIV/AIDS and poverty therefore, children might be dropping out of school, or their ability to performadequately at school might be significantly reduced. The main aim of this study was to use a case study approach to explore and describe support provision in a South African formal school, examining in particular, the relative significance of leadership, organisational development and gender-related matters in addressing the needs of children made vulnerableby HIV/AIDS and poverty.The availability and quality of this support is analysed within the context of the Western Cape Education Department (WECD) transforming itself from a system focussed on controlling schools to a system focused on supporting schools.
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Cirino, Gina. "American Misconceptions about Australian Aboriginal Art." Kent State University / OhioLINK, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1435275397.
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Masaka, Dennis. "Impact of Western colonial education in Zimbabwe's traditional and postcolonial educational system(s)." Thesis, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/20951.
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In this study, we employ the theory of deconstruction to challenge and reject the
contention that a knowledge paradigm was non-existent among the indigenous people of
Zimbabwe before the arrival of the colonisers. This is necessary because the imposition
of the colonisers’ knowledge paradigm was premised on the supposed absence of an
epistemology among the indigenous people. In defending the thesis that education and
indeed an epistemology was in existence among the indigenous people of Zimbabwe, we submit that education is part of any given culture. In the light of this, it becomes
untenable to deny the existence of education among the indigenous people of Zimbabwe
before the arrival of the colonisers. Knowledge ceases to be the exclusive preserve of the
colonisers. It must be noted that the imposition of the colonisers’ knowledge paradigm
was accompanied by the suppression and partial destruction of the epistemology of the
indigenous people.
The suppression and partial destruction of the indigenous people’s epistemological
paradigm is called epistemicide. The epistemicide that the colonisers inflicted on the
indigenous people led to the exclusive dominance of their knowledge paradigm in the
school curriculum at the expense of that of the indigenous people. In the light of this
status quo, we present transformation and Africanisation as corrective to the unjustified
dominance of the present day curriculum by the epistemological paradigm of the
colonisers. We argue that despite the commendable proposals contained in the Report of
the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into Education and Training (1999: 24) to
change the curriculum so that unhu/ubuntu becomes its organising principle and to allow
the co-existence of the indigenous people’s epistemological paradigm and others, in
practice the dominance of the colonisers’ epistemological paradigm remains in place. We
submit that the Africanisation of the curriculum is a matter of justice that demands the
end of the dominance of the knowledge paradigm of the colonisers and the co-existence
of the indigenous people’s knowledge paradigm and othersPhilosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology
D.Litt et Phil. (Philosophy)
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Meyer, Beryl Patricia. "The Western canon in a multicultural education system for South Africa." Thesis, 2014.
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This report confronts the issue of the globalisation of European culture and its
significance for the Western canon in South African education. It considers the difficulty
of defending the canon as cultural resource for a local minority while avoiding the
imposition of the globally dominant Anglophone culture on all South Africans.
It is argue-d that whatever in the canon can be freely accepted as advancing the interests
of all South Africans should qualify for inclusion in a common curriculum, but that other
canonical works should be regarded as minority culture in the same way as aspects of
traditional African culture. An attempt is made to establish a perspective from which
Africanism and the defence of the canon can be seen as congruent and compatible aims,
equally deserving of accommodation within a multicultural curriculum.
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Thompson, Arianna R. G. "Food System Planning in Western Massachusetts: A Community Organization Assessment." 2012. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/theses/770.
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Comprehensive planning for regional food systems is a relatively new focus in the planning field. Heightened national awareness of the economic, environmental and equity implications of our current food system has magnified the importance of planning engagement on food-system issues. While addressing food system concepts is relatively new to planners, community-based organizations have been historic players in the development of food-system programs and critical food-system policy, particularly with regard to food access and local food production. This thesis reviews the status of the regional food system in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts through an assessment of the efforts of food-related community-based organizations working in the region. The data results provide a knowledge platform for the regional planning agency that supports collaboration with community-based organizations, builds upon current assets and opportunities for improvement, and facilitates strategies to address food-system barriers, in order to develop and sustain a viable food system for the Pioneer Valley region. This research intends to support two central conceptual objectives: first, providing evidence to support the key role of planning practice in food-system efforts; and second, highlighting the importance of planning and community-organization collaborations to achieve greater systemic impact. Finally, this research aims to expand available information regarding the role of collaborative planning and community organization partnerships in the food-system change process, so as to highlight assets and strengthen the integration of efforts towards building comprehensive and sustainable regional food system networks.
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Sigudla, Jeffrey Pikky. "A framework for effective implementation of Integrated Quality Management System in primary schools in the Western Cape province." Thesis, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/26618.
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The purpose of the study was to investigate the practices and challenges faced by primary schools in the Western Cape province when implementing the Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) policy. The study concentrated mainly on monitoring and evaluation processes; as well as the relevance and appropriateness of the measures in place for refining the IQMS.
In 1994, the attainment of democracy in South Africa brought radical transformation to the education system, which resulted in the development of various educational policies. One of these policies was the Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS), which was introduced in 2003. The IQMS was aimed at improving quality education delivery. However, based on learners’ academic and quality results in terms of progression over the past two decades, the South African education system may not have achieved all of its desired outcomes. The school development teams, especially those in rural and previously disadvantaged schools, do not comply with the principles of the IQMS policy and, as a result, fail in their mandate.
The empirical approach employed in this study was successful in obtaining information from participants about the challenges they faced in implementing the IQMS policy. The study used qualitative approach. Participants included post-level one teachers as well as members of the school management team at five different schools. The research findings indicated that some schools only implement the IQMS to comply with the department requirements and to ensure that their educators receive the salary increments based on IQMS. Consequently, there is no real school development taking place. The study made a number of recommendations to consider with regard to effective implementation of IQMS in schools. It is recommended that the School Development Team (SDT) and the School Management Team (SMT) employ a well-adjusted approach to whole school evaluation, with a resilient effort on both professional development and performance appraisal in the engagement of whole school development. The study also suggests the appointment of Senior Education Specialists who will be based at every school and become part of the SDTs in order to assist the schools in converting evaluation into school development. Further suggestion is also made for performance agreements and targets linked to salary increments.Educational Management and Leadership
Ph. D. (Education Management)
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Hammersmith, Jerome Alvin. "Converging indigenous and western knowledge systems: implications for tertiary education." Thesis, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/2318.
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This study is offered as a potential contribution to the struggle for Indigenous reclamation, revitalization and renewal of knowledge systems, cultures, lands and resources. It acknowledges that Canadian Indigenous history does not begin with the arrival of the Europeans. Neither does their future depend exclusively on Western worldviews. Rather, the study argues, the future depends on the convergence of Indigenous worldviews, encapsulated through orality in their languages and knowledges, with imported Western worldviews and knowledges encapsulated through literality.
Using qualitative ethnographic, sociolinguistic and phenomenological research approaches, this study focuses on some primary questions:
Firstly, can locating the discourse between Indigenous and Western knowledge systems in an abstract, neutral and voluntary `ethical space' between them contribute to identification of their complementary diversities?
Secondly, can the convergence of these knowledge systems in creative interconnections in research, development and teaching enable each system to preserve its own integrity?
Thirdly, can a portable (collaborative, multi-venue) institutional model for Indigenous tertiary education be developed?
This model will be capable of being locally-customised. It will be intended for local development by Indigenous communities wishing to add a community-based delivery mode interconnected with others to the delivery of tertiary education to their citizens.
To address these questions, findings from literature on Indigenous knowledges globally and literature on Indigenous tertiary education in North America is converged with field research findings. Findings from the literature and field research are converged to describe how the imposition of Western worldviews has contributed to a systemic erosion of Indigenous worldviews, languages, knowledges and practises. However, interviewees do not advocate `either-or' choices. They are clear that `both-and' solutions, under community jurisdiction, hold the greatest promise for stimulating the resurgent forces that can play a lead role in reclaiming, renewing and revitalizing Indigenous responsibility for Indigenous peoples, resources, economies, communities and governance. They are just as clear that the reclamation, renewal and revitalization of Indigenous knowledges through tertiary education can lead the way in Indigenous governance, community, social, health, justice, and economic development.
Data illustrate that conventional/mainstream tertiary institutions often argue for the inclusion of Indigenous program content managed by Indigenous people. They argue that this will assure that a few incremental reforms may turn the institutions into instruments that serve Indigenous peoples and communities effectively. This study shows that such arguments ignore Indigenous contexts and Indigenous teaching/learning processes while continuing to embrace the Western development paradigm. It also calls for a complementary Indigenous Multiversity that, while pluralist and open to all knowledges, is rooted in Indigenous thought and knowledge. It can be the basis for reaching out to and interfacing with other peoples and their knowledges.
This study sees the `ethical space' in an Indigenous Multiversity as an optimal location for confronting and reaching out to all knowledges and worldviews while resolving content/context/teaching-learning process issues. Starting in one community, the Multiversity could finally be made up of a consortium. The consortium could unite interdependent Indigenous community-based tertiary institutions. The institutions could be partnered with conventional/mainstream professional and technical institutions and colleges. Such partnerships could assure that, in addition to having access to local and other Indigenous languages, values, knowledges and worldviews, students may be able to access Western languages, values, knowledges and worldviews.Educational Studies
D.Ed. (Comparative Education)
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Moichela, Keikantsemang Ziphora. "Integration of indigenous knowledge systems in the curriculum for basic education : possible experiences of Canada." Thesis, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/25096.
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This study is a meta-analysis of the transformation of the curriculum for basic education in South Africa. The integration of indigenous knowledge systems (IKSs) in the curriculum is one of the reconciliatory practices adopted in an effort to deal with the rights of indigenous people globally. The study analysed cases relating to IKSs and the curriculum in Canada for a case reference in juxtaposition with South Africa, in particular. Examples of cases drawn from elsewhere in the world have also been included briefly to justify the researcher’s claims for the urgent integration of IKSs into the curriculum, which complies with the human rights course of the rights of indigenous people. Cognitive imperialism – in the form of residential schools and their assimilation policies, which functioned in the context of an informal apartheid system as was the case in South Africa with Bantu education – has been an obstacle to transformation of the curriculum in the education system in Canada.
However, the Canadian government of the day has been held to account for recognising the knowledge of the indigenous people (IP) of Canada. In South Africa, the curriculum continues to be characterised by the “mute” tendencies of perpetuating a colonial-type of curriculum, which is still being European in nature and is largely excluding African interests and cultural practices. The affirmation of the United Nations Organisation’s (UNO 2007) advocacy for recognising the rights of indigenous people by means of various international forums motivated a number of scholars globally to shift their attention to a research agenda on IP issues such as their IKSs in relation to education systems that should be transforming their curricular programmes. This study forms part of that indigenous research agenda by proposing that IKSs be integrated into the curriculum for basic education in South Africa, in response to the UNO’s declaration on crucial guidance to developing societies for transforming their education systems to include relevant curricula related to IP.
The aim of this study is to explore ways in which the curriculum for basic education in South Africa can be transformed by, among other things, changing the paradigm of knowledge production through emerging concepts in developmental education and using, on the way to recovery, experiences of assimilation in the education system of South Africa, with reference to experiences from Canada, in particular, and elsewhere. An in-depth literature study relating to IKS perspectives of integration in the curriculum, and its implication for transformation in the basic education curriculum in South Africa, was done. The qualitative research approach was used and a cultural phenomenological design was used. Data were collected through a desk research, including pre-meta-analysis (PMA), meta-analysis (MA), in-depth desk research (IDR), and case studies (CSs). The collected data were investigated by means of a pre-meta-analysis, which demonstrated how the transdisciplinary approach can be used to immerse IKS in such a way that it may enable indigenous people to define their own perspectives instead of relying solely on Western research concepts of anthropology and history theorists, which have relegated IKSs to something “exotic”.
The synthesis of data in this study “opened a window” to the researcher, which also assisted the researcher to understand the concept of “coming to knowing”1 as an antithesis of the language of conquest that is used in the hidden agenda of assimilation in a curriculum that continues to marginalise the representation of IKSs. The transformation of the curriculum in the education system of South Africa is a political initiative driven by government, by virtue of the establishment of the South African Chairs Initiative (SAChI) which has been entrusted with the task of developing education in the country in the different disciplines. One of the driving concepts of this particular chair, the South African Chair Initiative in Development Education (SAChI-DE), is the methodology of immersion that is based on the notion of “transformation by enlargement” (TbE).
Using this methodology, the emergence of new concepts in transformative education is propagated, which, according to the findings of this study, may reverse the negative situation in which the indigenous worldviews is erased for indigenous learners (IL) throughout the world. The findings were used to invoke the attention of the Department of Basic Education (DBE), for them to consider validating the newly emerging concepts of the SAChI-DE, which can make a meaningful contribution to the guidelines for a suggested, Afriko-continuum curriculum for basic education at the foundation level.Curriculum and Instructional Studies
Ph. D. (Education)
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Badugela, Thivhavhudzi Muriel. "Exploring the viability of integrating indigenous knowledge into life orientation curriculum in the intermediate phase Nzhelele East Circuit, Vhembe District, Limpopo Province of South Africa." Thesis, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/11602/1281.
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Department of African StudiesPhD (African Studies)
One of the contemporary themes which dominated discourse in the education fraternity is the integration of IKS in the curriculum of South African education system. There is a growing call for the recognition of contribution by locals and indigenous societies in making education relevant to African children. The aim of the study was to explore the viability of integrating indigenous knowledge into Life Orientation (LO) Curriculum in the intermediate phase. Objectives were to explore Indigenous Knowledge that could be integrated into LO Curriculum in the intermediate phase and to generate knowledge exchange platforms where community and other stakeholders could be involved in the discussion about Indigenous Knowledge integration. A qualitative method and an exploratory-interpretive approach were adopted in the study. Data were gathered through focus group discussions. Data analysis and field notes were clustered thematically. The study indicated that, to integrate Indigenous Knowledge into LO effectively, it could require a shift from the western knowledge focused curriculum taking into cognisance the knowledge of the local inhabitants. The study showed that the integration of Indigenous Knowledge in the South African school curriculum in LO will bring new life into the content and the delivery of tuition. Although there were opportunities to integrate indigenous knowledge in the curriculum, educators felt that the curriculum does not create sufficient space, time and training for the integration of indigenous knowledge. Some of the reasons put forward were that there was inadequate content knowledge on Indigenous Knowledge integration, inadequate support and insufficient allocation of resources. Without a deliberate educator capacity development focusing on indigenous knowledge systems, the viability of IKS integration remains questionable. This is exacerbated by the growing discouragement of Indigenous Knowledge amongst the parents who also felt that there is no practical relevance for IKS in the current education trajectory. Vigorous efforts need to be executed to fast track the process of integrating Indigenous Knowledge in teaching LO in the intermediate phase.