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Journal of Educational Studies

Journal of Educational Studies is a scholarly, peer-reviewed accredited journal by the Department of Education that seeks the submission of unpublished articles on current educational issues. It encourages debate, both theoretical and practical, on a wide range of topics that represent a variety of interdisciplinary, cross-disciplinary and trans disciplinary interests. Journal of Educational Studies is interested in attracting submissions which exhibit innovative diverse research paradigms, methods and approaches. The Journal seeks to arouse reader’s interests and stimulate debate on education and transformation with respect to education in its broadest sense, and to be accessible to the broad readership of the education community. What is of particular interest to the Journal are manuscripts that seek to contribute to the challenges facing primary, secondary and higher education on the African continent as well as in broader international and global contexts.
Publisher | University of Venda |
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Frequency | Bi-annually |
Coverage | Volume 2 Issue 1 2003; Volume 9 Issue 2 2010 - current |
Accreditation(s) |
Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) |
Language | English |
Journal Status | Active |
Collection(s) |
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“They may want to be like them” : the impact of role models for primary school learners in disadvantaged school communities in South Africa
The impact of role models on the social and educational experiences of primary school learners is becoming a global discourse. This paper explores the perceptions of four teachers and a principal relating to the lack of role models in a disadvantaged school and its implications on the social and academic lives of learners. Data were gathered using a qualitative method, with individual and focus group interviews conducted with the principal and the teachers, respectively. The paper uses Bandura's social learning and observational theories and Morgenroth's role modelling theory as theoretical lenses. Findings reveal that the lack of role models was exacerbated by poverty, unemployment, and crime within the community. As a result, learners develop negative behavioural patterns, absent themselves from school, and often exhibit disciplinary problems within the classroom. The paper recommends that challenges inherent in communities such as poverty, unemployment, and crime need addressing to create an environment conducive for potential role models. The supposition is that role models have the potential to create an enabling learning environment for the learners, thus guaranteeing a better future for them. A collaborative approach involving community members, the government, non-governmental organisations, and civil society activists, gauging from the multitude of challenges, is recommendable.
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Implementation of an e-learning project in the Tshwane South District : examining the state of readiness of teachers and learners
The purpose of this study was to examine teachers' and learners' state of readiness with regard to the implementation of E-learning. The study followed a qualitative research approach with a case study research design. The population in the study consisted of School Management Teams, teachers and learners in quintile 3 schools in the Tshwane South District. Purposive sampling was used to select three School Management Teams, three teachers and three learners from underperforming schools in the Tshwane District. Data was collected through oneon-one interviews. ADDIE's model was used as a theoretical framework for determining how an instructional designer, training developer and educator should design a program such as E-learning. A thematic approach was used to analyse the data. The study found that teachers were not adequately trained prior to the implementation of E-learning, which impacted negatively on the project. Moreover, the study revealed that learners did not receive official, structured E-learning training, with the result that they relied on their teachers, who were also not properly prepared. Some schools were provided with tablets without having access to the internet, which severely curtailed their usefulness. The study recommends extensive training of both learners and teachers in the use of E-learning.
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Choosing self-professional teacher development strategies : a case study of three rural teachers
This paper explores the strategic choices of three teachers engaging with professional development practices in a rural secondary school, within a changing school curriculum policy context. A qualitative case study design using semistructured interviews was employed to understand the teachers' situated professional development practices. The findings revealed that the kinds of professional learning strategies adopted by Accounting teachers in a rural school are perhaps hidden from the view of those who want more evidence of explicit, formalised strategies. Informal networking and support from colleagues and peers seemed to be a valued source of growth. For these Accounting teachers, learning in a community was collaborative, collegial and contextualised. Despite the common perception that rural teachers do not engage with professional development, this paper suggests that these rural teachers are active constructors of their own professional development trajectories. The findings question the “one-size-fits-all” teacher professional development models designed largely for urban teachers to influence strategic interventions for rural contexts. These teachers' selfprofessionalising attempts and localised, contextual developmental agenda, are worthy of emulation, even outside rural contexts. The paper suggests the need to understand and explore rurality from within its own context and terms of reference, rather than viewing it through a prejudicial lens from outside.
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Reflections on workshops as a model for an ongoing professional teacher development for inclusive education in Limpopo Province, South Africa
This study reflects on the use of workshops as a strategy for ongoing professional development for inclusive education in South Africa. The study followed the qualitative research approach, where a case study design was adopted. Six teachers from three secondary schools in Limpopo Province were purposively selected to participate in the study. Data was collected through semi- structured interviews, observations and document analysis. Data was qualitatively analysed through the content analysis method and five findings emerged: Teachers expressed lack of a clear understanding of what inclusive education is; teachers were not confident enough to practice what they learnt at the workshops; teachers expressed dissatisfaction with the amount of content covered at workshops; teachers were not satisfied with the kind of venues where the workshops were held, and lastly teachers experienced shortage of resources necessary for inclusive education. These findings have at least two implications: One, the workshops as currently conducted, are inadequate to equip teachers with the requisite skills and knowledge to practise inclusive education. Two, the current models of professional teacher development such as workshops are ineffective, and inadequate, and that new strategies are needed to prepare teachers to be inclusive in schools.
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Mathematics remediation of undergraduate engineering students at a university in South Africa : a pilot study
This study was initiated by the poor state of mathematics in South Africa. In the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, which consists mainly of rural areas and where most of the engineering students at a university in this area come from, the percentage of Grade 12 learners who achieved 40% and above in mathematics dropped from 26, 3% in 2013 to 21,8% in 2015. The unacceptable state of prospective students' mathematics knowledge emphasised the need for remediation. Civil and electrical engineering students in the extended diploma programme participated in this study. A mixed research design was used to investigate the impact of a computer based mathematics intervention to fill the gaps in participants' mathematics background. Examination results indicated that this intervention had a positive effect on the pass rate in mathematics of civil engineering participants. Interviews and an online survey at the end of the intervention revealed that the students were overwhelmingly in favour of this intervention. This study recommended that appropriate mathematics software can successfully be used as an intervention to fill the gaps in the mathematics knowledge of students entering courses that require a mathematics background. Further study is recommended on specific aspects of the findings. Follow up work should be done to confirm these findings.
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Assessing the skill of critical reflection in student teachers at a South African university
Newly qualified teachers in South Africa will soon be required to prove themselves in the classroom before they get a license to teach. This is one of a number of initiatives to be spearheaded by the South African Council of Educators (SACE) in order to improve and ensure the quality of new teachers entering the profession and to guarantee their readiness to meet the requirements of 21st century teaching. Several studies emphasise the importance of nurturing reflective teaching during teaching practice. Education faculties find it difficult to facilitate appropriate reflection and debriefing on teaching practice. As a result, much of the professional development for innovative teaching has little effect on classroom teaching and learning. The aim of this research was to explore the extent to which student teachers apply the art of critical reflective thinking during their teacher training programme and the implications for promoting reflective teaching in their learners. A qualitative and contextual study was undertaken to address the aim. The approach was mainly inductive with a view to understanding the participants’ reflective practices through capturing their written narratives. Data were collected by means of document analysis (forty lesson plans and forty reflective essays in student portfolios). The findings were varied but they highlighted overwhelmingly the necessity of improving student teachers’ critical and reflective thinking skills. There is a need for salient learning that occurs as a result of the art of reflection which will enable student teachers to implement reflective practices when they enter the profession. This study offers possibilities for transferable learning that practising teachers may also find useful.
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