International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research
The need for quality education in South Africa and beyond encourages research that interrogates t... more The need for quality education in South Africa and beyond encourages research that interrogates the preparation of pre-service teachers and their ability to teach in the classroom after graduation. This qualitative paper focuses on the reflections of final year pre-service Social Sciences teachers in a South African public university. Gibbs’ reflective cycle is used as a lens. We used open-ended questions to gather data from 19 pre service Social Sciences teachers to explore their preparedness and readiness to teach in future. The research process constituted two phases. Phase one was implemented from 10 February 2020 to 9 March 2020 and phase two occurred in July 2020. Phase two was necessitated by the negative educational implications of COVID-19. Findings indicated that the participants faced challenges pertaining to content knowledge, which was aggravated by the introduction of online learning due to COVID-19. Despite these challenges, participants remained resilient and optimis...
The so-called brain drain is a topical issue globally, and especially in Africa, where the phenom... more The so-called brain drain is a topical issue globally, and especially in Africa, where the phenomenon is multifaceted. Inspired by similar trends reported for Africa, this conceptual paper highlights the case of Cameroon by exploring the structure of academic staff recruitment by state universities, which is managed through a highly centralised bureaucratic public service system. The tendency to appoint people to key university positions, such as vice rectors, deans, and heads of departments, by presidential decree exacerbates the situation. In addition, the limitation of 45 years as the maximum entry age into the public service deprives universities of highly skilled professionals, who seek employment elsewhere although they have the potential to contribute to the development of the economy through involvement in the local higher education system. To mitigate this situation, it is imperative for governments to separate state universities from the broader public service system, and ...
Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 2018
Abstract A qualitative based study was undertaken to explore the impact of teacher professional c... more Abstract A qualitative based study was undertaken to explore the impact of teacher professional conduct on learner experiences and performance in three poor primary schools in a disadvantaged community in Cape Town, South Africa. Data was gathered through individual and focus-group interviews, observations and document reviews. The paper uses the capabilities approach to show how teacher professional conduct impact on the aspirations of primary school learners. The paper highlights the silent role limited learning resources, contextual challenges, learner backgrounds, dysfunctional school management systems and policy play in exacerbating teacher unprofessionalism and learner unfreedoms in high-poverty-level areas. It also stresses the critical role the education system has to play in normalising teacher professional conduct by reassessing the impact of these constraints in the classroom. Teachers as part of the change process have to be accountable for their own actions and also voluntarily change their attitudes when dealing with learners.
Mentor teachers are instrumental in teacher preparation programs during the teaching practice of ... more Mentor teachers are instrumental in teacher preparation programs during the teaching practice of preservice teachers that involves mentor-mentee relationships. This qualitative paper reports on the mentoring experiences of preservice teachers during eight weeks of teaching practice in 2020 using Gibbs’ experimental learning as a conceptual framework. Forty-five preservice teachers participated in a reflective exercise, sharing their stories through reflective essays guided by open-ended questions. A thematic approach was used in data analysis. Findings indicated that mentors’ experiences and personal characteristics, and abilities to create opportunities for growth influenced the preservice teachers’ experiences during teaching practice. The mentees’ perceptions toward mentor-mentee relationships also influenced their experience. Based on the findings, it is important to upskill mentors to equip them with professional and mentorship ethics to enable preservice teachers to acquire th...
This paper focuses on the extent and consequences of learner progression in the form of ‘automati... more This paper focuses on the extent and consequences of learner progression in the form of ‘automatic promotion’ or grade promotion for reasons other than academic achievement, as propagated by the existing School Progression Policy (SPP) and how its implementation affects learner performance. The paper argues that, although the advantages and disadvantages of grade retention and automatic promotion, or the promotion of learners that do not possess the required content knowledge, are highly contentious, the SPP produces numerous complexities and unfreedoms on learners when examined through the lens of the Capabilities Approach (CA). Based on a study of three Quintile-1 (Q-1) primary schools in Cape Town, the paper argues that, although the SPP is ambitious and well intentioned, critical implementation and monitoring challenges negatively reconfigures the educational aspirations of primary school learners. The paper also reveals that the implementation of the SPP imposes many unfreedoms...
Sensemaking is pivotal in shaping organisational activities, such as instructional leadership act... more Sensemaking is pivotal in shaping organisational activities, such as instructional leadership actions in schools. This study used sensemaking to explore the outcome when two middle schools with similar multi-deprivation settings followed different instructional leadership enactment trajectories for science and mathematics. Two schools with effective and ineffective instructional leadership enactment strategies respectively were purposively selected from the same locality to participate in the study. Data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with 10 participants, as well as unstructured observations. Emerging data were analysed for content by means of the technique of constant comparison. The findings of the study indicate that, although multi-deprivation conditions have the potential to shape instructional leadership, schools can use sensemaking to forge unique practices that culminate in effective instructional leadership. Since ineffective sensemaking of instructional ...
International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research
The prioritization of quality education, especially in science and in mathematics, positions effe... more The prioritization of quality education, especially in science and in mathematics, positions effective teaching and learning as a major school leadership goal. Effective curriculum implementation hinges on power dynamics in schools; this puts distributed leadership in the spotlight. Heads of departments (HoDs) are important role players in the distributed leadership structures of schools. This qualitative case study explored the roles of HoDs in four South African high schools to determine how opportunities were created for teaching and learning science and mathematics in the context of distributed leadership. Unstructured interviews were conducted with 13 participants. The findings show that, in distributed leadership structures, HoDs in science and mathematics played the roles of instructional leaders; school-based subject and classroom specialists; and that they were accountable for learner performance in their departments. Their actions supported other players in school leadersh...
The so-called brain drain is a topical issue globally, and especially in Africa, where the phenom... more The so-called brain drain is a topical issue globally, and especially in Africa, where the phenomenon is multifaceted. Inspired by similar trends reported for Africa, this conceptual paper highlights the case of Cameroon by exploring the structure of academic staff recruitment by state universities, which is managed through a highly centralised bureaucratic public service system. The tendency to appoint people to key university positions, such as vice rectors, deans, and heads of departments, by presidential decree exacerbates the situation. In addition, the limitation of 45 years as the maximum entry age into the public service deprives universities of highly skilled professionals, who seek employment elsewhere although they have the potential to contribute to the development of the economy through involvement in the local higher education system. To mitigate this situation, it is imperative for governments to separate state universities from the broader public service system, and grant the universities autonomy to manage their own affairs, including recruitment based on their peculiar realities. Giving universities the authority to manage their own recruitment and promotion processes will encourage competition, boost output and reputation, and curb brain drain.
International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research
The need for quality education in South Africa and beyond encourages research that interrogates t... more The need for quality education in South Africa and beyond encourages research that interrogates the preparation of pre-service teachers and their ability to teach in the classroom after graduation. This qualitative paper focuses on the reflections of final year pre-service Social Sciences teachers in a South African public university. Gibbs’ reflective cycle is used as a lens. We used open-ended questions to gather data from 19 pre service Social Sciences teachers to explore their preparedness and readiness to teach in future. The research process constituted two phases. Phase one was implemented from 10 February 2020 to 9 March 2020 and phase two occurred in July 2020. Phase two was necessitated by the negative educational implications of COVID-19. Findings indicated that the participants faced challenges pertaining to content knowledge, which was aggravated by the introduction of online learning due to COVID-19. Despite these challenges, participants remained resilient and optimis...
The so-called brain drain is a topical issue globally, and especially in Africa, where the phenom... more The so-called brain drain is a topical issue globally, and especially in Africa, where the phenomenon is multifaceted. Inspired by similar trends reported for Africa, this conceptual paper highlights the case of Cameroon by exploring the structure of academic staff recruitment by state universities, which is managed through a highly centralised bureaucratic public service system. The tendency to appoint people to key university positions, such as vice rectors, deans, and heads of departments, by presidential decree exacerbates the situation. In addition, the limitation of 45 years as the maximum entry age into the public service deprives universities of highly skilled professionals, who seek employment elsewhere although they have the potential to contribute to the development of the economy through involvement in the local higher education system. To mitigate this situation, it is imperative for governments to separate state universities from the broader public service system, and ...
Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 2018
Abstract A qualitative based study was undertaken to explore the impact of teacher professional c... more Abstract A qualitative based study was undertaken to explore the impact of teacher professional conduct on learner experiences and performance in three poor primary schools in a disadvantaged community in Cape Town, South Africa. Data was gathered through individual and focus-group interviews, observations and document reviews. The paper uses the capabilities approach to show how teacher professional conduct impact on the aspirations of primary school learners. The paper highlights the silent role limited learning resources, contextual challenges, learner backgrounds, dysfunctional school management systems and policy play in exacerbating teacher unprofessionalism and learner unfreedoms in high-poverty-level areas. It also stresses the critical role the education system has to play in normalising teacher professional conduct by reassessing the impact of these constraints in the classroom. Teachers as part of the change process have to be accountable for their own actions and also voluntarily change their attitudes when dealing with learners.
Mentor teachers are instrumental in teacher preparation programs during the teaching practice of ... more Mentor teachers are instrumental in teacher preparation programs during the teaching practice of preservice teachers that involves mentor-mentee relationships. This qualitative paper reports on the mentoring experiences of preservice teachers during eight weeks of teaching practice in 2020 using Gibbs’ experimental learning as a conceptual framework. Forty-five preservice teachers participated in a reflective exercise, sharing their stories through reflective essays guided by open-ended questions. A thematic approach was used in data analysis. Findings indicated that mentors’ experiences and personal characteristics, and abilities to create opportunities for growth influenced the preservice teachers’ experiences during teaching practice. The mentees’ perceptions toward mentor-mentee relationships also influenced their experience. Based on the findings, it is important to upskill mentors to equip them with professional and mentorship ethics to enable preservice teachers to acquire th...
This paper focuses on the extent and consequences of learner progression in the form of ‘automati... more This paper focuses on the extent and consequences of learner progression in the form of ‘automatic promotion’ or grade promotion for reasons other than academic achievement, as propagated by the existing School Progression Policy (SPP) and how its implementation affects learner performance. The paper argues that, although the advantages and disadvantages of grade retention and automatic promotion, or the promotion of learners that do not possess the required content knowledge, are highly contentious, the SPP produces numerous complexities and unfreedoms on learners when examined through the lens of the Capabilities Approach (CA). Based on a study of three Quintile-1 (Q-1) primary schools in Cape Town, the paper argues that, although the SPP is ambitious and well intentioned, critical implementation and monitoring challenges negatively reconfigures the educational aspirations of primary school learners. The paper also reveals that the implementation of the SPP imposes many unfreedoms...
Sensemaking is pivotal in shaping organisational activities, such as instructional leadership act... more Sensemaking is pivotal in shaping organisational activities, such as instructional leadership actions in schools. This study used sensemaking to explore the outcome when two middle schools with similar multi-deprivation settings followed different instructional leadership enactment trajectories for science and mathematics. Two schools with effective and ineffective instructional leadership enactment strategies respectively were purposively selected from the same locality to participate in the study. Data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with 10 participants, as well as unstructured observations. Emerging data were analysed for content by means of the technique of constant comparison. The findings of the study indicate that, although multi-deprivation conditions have the potential to shape instructional leadership, schools can use sensemaking to forge unique practices that culminate in effective instructional leadership. Since ineffective sensemaking of instructional ...
International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research
The prioritization of quality education, especially in science and in mathematics, positions effe... more The prioritization of quality education, especially in science and in mathematics, positions effective teaching and learning as a major school leadership goal. Effective curriculum implementation hinges on power dynamics in schools; this puts distributed leadership in the spotlight. Heads of departments (HoDs) are important role players in the distributed leadership structures of schools. This qualitative case study explored the roles of HoDs in four South African high schools to determine how opportunities were created for teaching and learning science and mathematics in the context of distributed leadership. Unstructured interviews were conducted with 13 participants. The findings show that, in distributed leadership structures, HoDs in science and mathematics played the roles of instructional leaders; school-based subject and classroom specialists; and that they were accountable for learner performance in their departments. Their actions supported other players in school leadersh...
The so-called brain drain is a topical issue globally, and especially in Africa, where the phenom... more The so-called brain drain is a topical issue globally, and especially in Africa, where the phenomenon is multifaceted. Inspired by similar trends reported for Africa, this conceptual paper highlights the case of Cameroon by exploring the structure of academic staff recruitment by state universities, which is managed through a highly centralised bureaucratic public service system. The tendency to appoint people to key university positions, such as vice rectors, deans, and heads of departments, by presidential decree exacerbates the situation. In addition, the limitation of 45 years as the maximum entry age into the public service deprives universities of highly skilled professionals, who seek employment elsewhere although they have the potential to contribute to the development of the economy through involvement in the local higher education system. To mitigate this situation, it is imperative for governments to separate state universities from the broader public service system, and grant the universities autonomy to manage their own affairs, including recruitment based on their peculiar realities. Giving universities the authority to manage their own recruitment and promotion processes will encourage competition, boost output and reputation, and curb brain drain.
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Papers by paul nwati munje