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Demands for improved quality in education here led to a rapid paradigm shift. The incompatibility between emerging and current paradigms might be addressed, according to this paper, by adaptation of Total Quality Management (TQM), a... more
Demands for improved quality in education here led to a rapid paradigm shift. The incompatibility between emerging and current paradigms might be addressed, according to this paper, by adaptation of Total Quality Management (TQM), a successful business strategy, to teaching. The author researched four U.S. schools recognised for their quality education, and argues from the findings that although TQM is not a quick fix, it can provide an alternative to entrenched autocratic thinking about schools.
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Verskeie nasionale en internasionale studies toon dat die fokus op onderwysers geplaas word om effektiewe leer in skole te bevorder en die gehalte van onderwys te verbeter. Die beskouing het daartoe gelei dat baie lande se beleid fokus op... more
Verskeie nasionale en internasionale studies toon dat die fokus op onderwysers geplaas word om effektiewe leer in skole te bevorder en die gehalte van onderwys te verbeter. Die beskouing het daartoe gelei dat baie lande se beleid fokus op die aanvanklike en voortgesette professionele ontwikkeling van onderwysers om hulle vir die taak toe te rus. Navorsing toon dat daar wel vordering gemaak is ten opsigte van voortgesette professionele ontwikkeling, maar dat verdere studies nodig is om professionele praktyk en die vorming van beleid vir professionele ontwikkeling te rig. Die vraag wat in hierdie artikel gestel word, is watter sake in ag geneem moet word om voortgesette professionele ontwikkeling volgens die Suid-Afrikaanse onderwysbeleidsdokumente doeltreffend toe te pas ten einde die gewenste uitwerking op die verbetering van onderwyserleer, leerderprestasie en uiteindelik die onderwys te he. Daar word spesifiek gefokus op die Nasionale Raamwerk vir Onderwysersopleiding en -ontwikke...
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Effective professional development (PD) programmes may deepen teachers ’ under-standing, transform their assumptions and beliefs and thus change their teaching practice. This article is part of a research project and focuses specifically... more
Effective professional development (PD) programmes may deepen teachers ’ under-standing, transform their assumptions and beliefs and thus change their teaching practice. This article is part of a research project and focuses specifically on the views of teachers from two schools on implementing invitational education (IE) intentionally in their schools to achieve improved learner success. An explorative, descriptive qualitative research design was considered the most suitable method to address the research problem. Purposive sampling was used for the study since it focused on two schools that had applied for the inviting school award from the International Alliance of IE in 2010. An awareness PD programme was conducted at each of the schools. Data was collected obtaining participants ’ views in naïve sketches on how they envisaged implementing IE to make their schools intentionally more inviting. The following categories emerged from the data: assuming an intentionally inviting stan...
Opvoeders se motivering : verskille wat verband hou met geslag, ouderdom en ervaring Hierdie artikel ondersoek faktore wat 'n invloed uitoefen op die motivering van opvoeders van verskillende geslagte, ouderdomme en ervaringstydperke.... more
Opvoeders se motivering : verskille wat verband hou met geslag, ouderdom en ervaring Hierdie artikel ondersoek faktore wat 'n invloed uitoefen op die motivering van opvoeders van verskillende geslagte, ouderdomme en ervaringstydperke. 'n Vraelys is aangepas uit Wright se lys van 51 motiveerders. Studente in 'n magisterprogram in Menslike Hulpbronbestuur is versoek om die vraelys te laat invul deur 10 ewekansig geselekteerde kollegas. 'n Analise van die 1 181 voltooide vraelyste het tot die volgende gevolgtrekkings gelei: manlike en vroulike opvoeders word grotendeels deur dieselfde faktore gemotiveer; opvoeders van diverse ouderdomsgroepe en ervaringstydperke word egter deur verskillende faktore gemotiveer. Jonger opvoeders wil hul selfvertroue versterk he, terwyl ouer en meer ervare opvoeders gemotiveer word deur positiewe verhoudings met hul kollegas, asook deur erkenning, mag en outoriteit, professionele groei en 'n eksplisiete roldefinisie. This article explores factors influencing the motivation of educators in terms of gender, age and years of experience. A questionnaire was adapted from Wright's 51 incentives that motivate educators and administered by students enrolled for a Master's degree programme in Human Resource Management to 10 randomly selected colleagues. Analysis of the 1 181 questionnaires revealed the following findings. Primarily, male and female educators are motivated by the same factors. However, educators of diverse age groups and years of experience differ in terms of what they experience as motivational. Younger educators need to have their confidence boosted, while older and more experienced educators are motivated by positive relations with peers, recognition, power and authority, professional growth and an explicit role definition.
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... Acta Academica, 41(3):114-138. Steyn, GM 2009b. Using reflexive photography to study a principal's perceptions of the impact of professional development on a school: a case study. Koers 74(3):67-86. Steyn, GM 2010. ... September,... more
... Acta Academica, 41(3):114-138. Steyn, GM 2009b. Using reflexive photography to study a principal's perceptions of the impact of professional development on a school: a case study. Koers 74(3):67-86. Steyn, GM 2010. ... September, 53(3):24-32. Vick, RC 2004. ...
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There is widespread agreement that professional development (PD) is the best possible answer to meeting the complex challenges in education systems. Studies on educational effectiveness identify the link between quality teachers and their... more
There is widespread agreement that professional development (PD) is the best possible answer to meeting the complex challenges in education systems. Studies on educational effectiveness identify the link between quality teachers and their PD. The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine the perceptions of Nigerian delegates from independent schools of the effectiveness of a training programme conducted by academic staff at the University of South Africa (Unisa). A mixed-method approach was adopted in two similar workshops. In March (2008) (Phase 1), quantitative data were collected and, in October 2008 (Phase 2), qualitative data were collected. The results reveal delegates’ experiences of the quality of the presentations, the content and learning experience, the extent to which the expectations of the delegates were met, the application possibility and relevance of the workshops to educational practice and the needs experienced in Nigerian schools and recommendations for ...
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Die afgelope twee dekades het uitgebreide bewyse gelewer van hoe belangrik skoolleierskap is om doeltreffende skole tot stand te bring. Een van die belangrikste rolle van 'n skoolhoof wat uit die literatuur geblyk het, is dat die... more
Die afgelope twee dekades het uitgebreide bewyse gelewer van hoe belangrik skoolleierskap is om doeltreffende skole tot stand te bring. Een van die belangrikste rolle van 'n skoolhoof wat uit die literatuur geblyk het, is dat die skoolhoof 'n samewerkingskultuur moet bevorder. Die studie waarop hierdie artikel baseer is, ondersoek die skakel tussen skoolleierskap en geselekteerde leierskaps- en onderwysersamewerkingsteoriee. Vorige studies by 'n laerskool in Gauteng het sterk onderwysersamewerking in die skool aan die lig gebring. Die skool is dus doelbewus gekies om die sienings van die skoolhoof vas te stel ten opsigte van die vestiging en instandhouding van 'n professionele onderwysersgemeenskap in die skool. Vir die doel van hierdie studie is die volgende modelle/teoriee gekies en kortliks beskryf: onderrig- en transformasionele leierskap; die samewerkingsteorie van Gajda (2004); die basiese beginsels van Lambert se raamwerk (1998); Mitchell en Sackney (2001) se ...
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South African schools are constantly faced with evolving needs and challenges characterised by change. As in other countries, schools in South Africa encounter pressure to ‘produce more for less’ and at the same time to achiev e c ertain... more
South African schools are constantly faced with evolving needs and challenges characterised by change. As in other countries, schools in South Africa encounter pressure to ‘produce more for less’ and at the same time to achiev e c ertain goals and standards. Transforming schools into inviting institutions requires a paradigm shift among the principals and staff. The International Alliance for Invitational Education views invitational education (IE) as a means of changing classrooms into inviting p laces an d altering the c limate at scho ols. I focus on the way in which a prim ary sch ool in G auten g p rovin ce, wh ich rece ive d th e p restigious Inv itational Education award f or be ing inv iting, succeeded in adhering to the assumptions of IE. In a qualitative investigation I explored the principal and educators’ perceptions of the way in which the school adhered to the four IE assumptions.
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Demands for improved quality in education here led to a rapid paradigm shift. The incompatibility between emerging and current paradigms might be addressed, according to this paper, by adaptation of Total Quality Management (TQM), a... more
Demands for improved quality in education here led to a rapid paradigm shift. The incompatibility between emerging and current paradigms might be addressed, according to this paper, by adaptation of Total Quality Management (TQM), a successful business strategy, to teaching. The author researched four U.S. schools recognised for their quality education, and argues from the findings that although TQM is not a quick fix, it can provide an alternative to entrenched autocratic thinking about schools.
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We identify current stressors in the professional lives of South African secondary school educators. The study was exploratory, using a questionnaire, which listed 19 possible causes of stress and was completed by 987 educators from all... more
We identify current stressors in the professional lives of South African secondary school educators. The study was exploratory, using a questionnaire, which listed 19 possible causes of stress and was completed by 987 educators from all racial groups and provinces in the country. South African educators in general currently experience the following as stressors: uninvolved parents, poor learner discipline, lack of learner motivation, learners' negative attitudes towards themselves, numerous changes inside and outside the school, and lack of self-esteem. Male and female educators differed significantly in their perceptions of some stressors. Educators with six to 15 years of experience and who were between 36 and 45 years old differed significantly from others on some issues. Keywords : educator; models; secondary school; South Africa; stressors; stress South African Journal of Education Vol. 27 (4) 2007: pp. 691-708
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The major aim of teacher appraisal is to develop teachers in order to improve their delivery in schools. The effectiveness of the process of teacher appraisal is, however, dependent on the perceptions of the teachers themselves. Since the... more
The major aim of teacher appraisal is to develop teachers in order to improve their delivery in schools. The effectiveness of the process of teacher appraisal is, however, dependent on the perceptions of the teachers themselves. Since the expansion o f the education system of Botswana in the 1970s and 1980s, as a result of the cardinal reforms, there has been concern about quality. One of the quality assurance measures introduced was teacher appraisal. The current teacher appraisal scheme in Botswana was introduced in 1992 as a non-threatening, valid, and extensive system to develop the individua l and the school. In this article we address the following question: What are teachers' perceptions of the effectiveness of the current system of teacher appraisal as practised in Botswana secondary schools? Both quantitative and qualitative methods of research were employed to address the question. The teachers' perceptions of the effectiveness of their appraisal are categorised ac...
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Verskeie nasionale en internasionale studies toon dat die fokus op onderwysers geplaas word om effektiewe leer in skole te bevorder en die gehalte van onderwys te verbeter. Die beskouing het daartoe gelei dat baie lande se beleid fokus op... more
Verskeie nasionale en internasionale studies toon dat die fokus op onderwysers geplaas word om effektiewe leer in skole te bevorder en die gehalte van onderwys te verbeter. Die beskouing het daartoe gelei dat baie lande se beleid fokus op die aanvanklike en voortgesette professionele ontwikkeling van onderwysers om hulle vir die taak toe te rus. Navorsing toon dat daar wel vordering gemaak is ten opsigte van voortgesette professionele ontwikkeling, maar dat verdere studies nodig is om professionele praktyk en die vorming van beleid vir professionele ontwikkeling te rig. Die vraag wat in hierdie artikel gestel word, is watter sake in ag geneem moet word om voortgesette professionele ontwikkeling volgens die Suid-Afrikaanse onderwysbeleidsdokumente doeltreffend toe te pas ten einde die gewenste uitwerking op die verbetering van onderwyserleer, leerderprestasie en uiteindelik die onderwys te he. Daar word spesifiek gefokus op die Nasionale Raamwerk vir Onderwysersopleiding en -ontwikke...
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Opvoeders se motivering : verskille wat verband hou met geslag, ouderdom en ervaring Hierdie artikel ondersoek faktore wat 'n invloed uitoefen op die motivering van opvoeders van verskillende geslagte, ouderdomme en ervaringstydperke.... more
Opvoeders se motivering : verskille wat verband hou met geslag, ouderdom en ervaring Hierdie artikel ondersoek faktore wat 'n invloed uitoefen op die motivering van opvoeders van verskillende geslagte, ouderdomme en ervaringstydperke. 'n Vraelys is aangepas uit Wright se lys van 51 motiveerders. Studente in 'n magisterprogram in Menslike Hulpbronbestuur is versoek om die vraelys te laat invul deur 10 ewekansig geselekteerde kollegas. 'n Analise van die 1 181 voltooide vraelyste het tot die volgende gevolgtrekkings gelei: manlike en vroulike opvoeders word grotendeels deur dieselfde faktore gemotiveer; opvoeders van diverse ouderdomsgroepe en ervaringstydperke word egter deur verskillende faktore gemotiveer. Jonger opvoeders wil hul selfvertroue versterk he, terwyl ouer en meer ervare opvoeders gemotiveer word deur positiewe verhoudings met hul kollegas, asook deur erkenning, mag en outoriteit, professionele groei en 'n eksplisiete roldefinisie. This article explo...
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Recent conceptions of leadership in the school context suggest a shift from authoritarian models of decision-making towards staff empowerment. Staff thus now have decision-making powers which they lacked in the past. Principals appear to... more
Recent conceptions of leadership in the school context suggest a shift from authoritarian models of decision-making towards staff empowerment. Staff thus now have decision-making powers which they lacked in the past. Principals appear to be relinquishing overt control in the interests of staff empowerment. Yet, in practice, it is possible for principals to gain more control than they had before. This article examines some of the issues involved in successfully empowering staff in schools. Not all empowerment programmes are successful and therefore the possible pitfalls in and necessary preparation for effective staff empowerment are briefly outlined. The article concludes by suggesting ways of redesigning school management in order to create an empowered school environment. Personeelbemagtiging : die skepping van 'n bemagtigde werksomgewing in skole Onlangse beskouinge van leierskap in skole stel voor dat daar beweeg word van outoritere besluitnemingsmodelle van leierskap na personeelbemagtiging. Personeelbemagtiging beteken dat besluitnemingsbevoegdhede aan personeel gegee word wat voorheen nie die gesag gehad het om besluite te neem nie. Dit mag voorkom of skoolhoofde beheer afstaan in die belang van bemagtiging. In die praktyk is dit egter moontlik dat skoolhoofde meer beheer oor funksies verkry as wat hulle voorheen gehad het. Hierdie artikel beskou 'n aantal kwessies wat betrekking het op suksesvolle bemagtiging van personeel in skole. Omdat nie alle bemagtiginsprogramme suksesvol is nie, word die slaggate van en voorbereiding vir bemagtiging kortliks bespreek. Die artikel sluit af met voorstelle van wyses waarop skole se bestuurstelsels herontwerp kan word om bemagtigde skoolomgewings te skep.
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This article is a follow-up on a previous quantitative study (Steyn, 2007) which explored key aspects that influenced the effective implementation of Invitational Education (IE) in schools in the United States of America (US) and Hong... more
This article is a follow-up on a previous quantitative study (Steyn, 2007) which explored key aspects that influenced the effective implementation of Invitational Education (IE) in schools in the United States of America (US) and Hong Kong (HK). This is a qualitative study in which an appreciative inquiry (AI) is used to explain staff’s positive perceptions of professional development (PD) programs on IE and strategies in which IE can be implemented. The findings explain how the first three phases of AI: discovery, dreaming and design manifest in the study. The following categories and subcategories emerged: The best practices (The role of leadership: setting the tone; the role of teachers: necessity to be actively involved in IE); and Dreaming and designing: recommendations for effective strategies to implement IE.