{"title":"Exploring teachers’ experiences in implementing the Screening, identification, assessment and support policy in South Africa","authors":"Carien Maree, Janet Condy, Lawrence Meda","doi":"10.15700/saje.v43n3a2228","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v43n3a2228","url":null,"abstract":"Inclusion and equitable education, as articulated by the fourth sustainable development goal and anticipated by 2030 seems hard to attain in a context where teachers’ practices are inconsistent with inclusive national policies. In the study reported on here we investigated South African teachers’ experiences in implementing the screening, identification, assessment, and support (SIAS) policy in their classrooms. The intersectionality of colliding worldviews and the pedagogy of discomfort were used as conceptual framework. We adopted a qualitative case study within an interpretive paradigm. Twelve teachers were purposively selected from 3 focus group discussions. The results reveal that a disconnect between the inclusive policy and classroom practices occurs because teachers have negative attitudes towards using the document and feel inadequately trained to implement it. We conclude with 3 essential lessons about teachers’ disengagement with the policy: (i) teachers are reluctant to complete the SIAS documents because of the added administrative burden and a lack of knowledge about inclusive education; (ii) more experienced teachers influence the worldviews of newly qualified teachers (NQTs); and (iii) inclusive education training conducted by the district-based support team (DBST) is inadequate resulting in a disconnect between practice and pedagogical practices.","PeriodicalId":47261,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Education","volume":"33 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136035420","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Experiences of parental involvement in privileged and underprivileged schools","authors":"R Manilal, V Jairam","doi":"10.15700/saje.v43n3a2201","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v43n3a2201","url":null,"abstract":"In the study reported on here we looked at experiences of parental involvement in schools in Phoenix, KwaZulu-Natal. The objectives of the study were to determine how parents were involved in schools and what their experiences were. The study was guided by Epstein’s Theory of Overlapping Spheres. A qualitative research approach within an interpretivist paradigm was followed. A multiple case design was used and the schools were drawn from privileged and underprivileged contexts in Phoenix. The methodology employed to generate data was the semi-structured interview, followed by an open-ended questionnaire completed by the participants. The sample of participants comprised 3 parents and 3 teachers from each of the 2 schools. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings show that parents from both privileged and underprivileged communities were concerned about and employed a variety of strategies to get involved in their children’s education, both academically and socially. Although parents from both schools participated in school events, the level of their participation differed, with the parents from the privileged schools being more involved than parents from the underprivileged school.","PeriodicalId":47261,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Education","volume":"36 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136036504","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Carmen Muller, Maricia Margrit van Deventer, Beulah Pretorius, Hettie Carina Schönfeldt
{"title":"Improving soya mince recipes in the National School Nutrition Programme in South Africa","authors":"Carmen Muller, Maricia Margrit van Deventer, Beulah Pretorius, Hettie Carina Schönfeldt","doi":"10.15700/saje.v43n3a2210","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v43n3a2210","url":null,"abstract":"The National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) in South Africa provides thousands of needy children with school meals on school days. One, and in some cases 2, of these meals per week are soya based. A review of the NSNP revealed that many children do not eat on those days because they find the soya mince meal unappetising. As the meal served within the NSNP may be the only meal these learners receive during a day, it is essential to ensure learners’ willingness to consume the meal, and, therefore, that the meal is made appetising and nutritious. During visits to 3 schools in the Tshwane district, interviews were conducted with school meal handlers. Information gathered from these sessions was used to develop 4 new recipes that fall within the guidelines and budget of the NSNP. The final recipes were beef bolognaise soya mince, chicken curry soya mince, chilli con carne soya mince and one-pot soya mince biryani. To evaluate the acceptability of these newly developed recipes, a sensory panel of 100 university students that formed part of the NSNP during their schooling years was assembled. The sensory evaluation was done by comparing the existing soya mince meal with the 4 new soya mince recipes. One of the new soya mince meals was found to be the preferred dish and was rated significantly higher in acceptability than the original soya mince meal.","PeriodicalId":47261,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Education","volume":"11 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136036484","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The moderating role of supervisor support in the effect of perceived overqualification on workplace loneliness","authors":"Ferda Üstün, Emre Üstün","doi":"10.15700/saje.v43n3a2110","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v43n3a2110","url":null,"abstract":"The purpose of this research was to determine whether supervisor support (SS) plays a moderating role in the perception of overqualification (POQ) on workplace loneliness (WL) among music teachers in Turkey. The research was based on the assumption that loneliness, which is a negative emotional state and expresses employees’ inability to establish a healthy relationship within the organisation, may arise from music teachers’ perceived overqualification and can be shaped with the support of this relationship. With this study we discovered that perceived overqualification has a definite and significant impact on WL. It was also discovered that supervisor support moderated the relationship between perceived overqualification and WL. Consequently, although music teachers felt overqualified, they did not feel lonely at work if their supervisor provided strong support.","PeriodicalId":47261,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Education","volume":"2 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136036630","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"More than a principal: Ubuntu at the heart of successful school leadership in the Western Cape","authors":"Michael Kramer","doi":"10.15700/saje.v43n3a2168","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v43n3a2168","url":null,"abstract":"School leadership matters. After teachers and teaching, school leadership is the most important determinant of learner achievement in school. Despite this, there is still uncertainty regarding what successful school leadership is and what successful school leaders do in non-Western contexts. In this mixed methods study I explored successful high school leadership in South Africa. Specifically, a questionnaire was administered to 38 principals from academically high-achieving schools from a range of socioeconomic contexts throughout the Western Cape, and 14 principals were interviewed. An integrated analysis reveals the paradox of uniqueness and universality of successful school leadership in South Africa, outlining that while there is no single best approach, various similarities exist between successful school leaders and established international literature. I found that successful principals adapt to their context, amalgamate transformational, instructional and distributed leadership styles, set direction, develop people, constantly realign the school with teaching and learning, and, importantly, strive to make a difference in the lives of others. It is about leading with Ubuntu. By highlighting these characteristics and practices, I offer theoretical, practical and personal advice to current and aspiring school leaders, academics and policy makers.","PeriodicalId":47261,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Education","volume":"41 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136036627","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Promoting formative assessment practices in senior phase mathematics classrooms using meaning equivalence reusable learning objects","authors":"Lydia Omowunmi Adesanya, Marien Alet Graham","doi":"10.15700/saje.v43n3a2245","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v43n3a2245","url":null,"abstract":"South African mathematics teachers in the Senior Phase (Grades 8 and 9) were introduced to the pedagogical tool, meaning equivalence reusable learning objects (MERLO), as a formative assessment (FA) strategy to promote and support teachers’ professional growth in using FA practices in the classroom. The cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) and meta-didactical transposition (MDT) were used to frame the evolution process of teachers’ praxeologies. In this study we used qualitative participatory action research that encompassed 3 phases: pre-MERLO phase, MERLO workshop and post-MERLO phase. The study was conducted in the northeast of Pretoria in the Tshwane district in the Gauteng province, South Africa. Twelve Senior Phase mathematics teachers were purposively sampled in 6 public schools before the workshop training. During the workshop training, only 5 teachers participated due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The data collection techniques included pre- and post-interviews, workshop training sessions, classroom observations, field notes, teachers’ reflective journals, teachers’ lesson plans, learners’ workbooks and learners’ worksheets, and data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal that the teachers acquired adequate knowledge and skills to effectively structure and integrate the lesson plan of teachers’ didactical praxeologies as FA activities into their mathematics classrooms. The findings also reveal that the learners showed more interest and motivation, were actively involved, developed a deeper understanding of mathematics content, and showed increased autonomy in learning. Future research could involve implementing MERLO in all South African provinces and introducing MERLO to other emerging countries. However, the findings of this study are based on a limited sample of teachers and schools, and the recommendation is that, for future studies, more teachers should be involved in the MERLO professional development.","PeriodicalId":47261,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Education","volume":"10 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136036083","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aamer Aldbyani, Mohammed Alabyadh, Bingqing Ma, Yiqing Lv, Jie Leng, Qingke Guo
{"title":"Dispositional mindfulness associated with less academic burnout among Muslim students during the COVID-19 pandemic","authors":"Aamer Aldbyani, Mohammed Alabyadh, Bingqing Ma, Yiqing Lv, Jie Leng, Qingke Guo","doi":"10.15700/saje.v43n3a2231","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v43n3a2231","url":null,"abstract":"In the study reported on here we examined the potential mediating role of perceived stress in the association between dispositional mindfulness and academic burnout among Muslim students. Seven hundred and seventy-five Yemeni university students were enlisted to complete the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey (MBI-SS), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS). The results show that dispositional mindfulness was negatively correlated with perceived stress, emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced academic efficacy. Moreover, perceived stress was positively related to emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced academic efficacy. Structural equation modeling revealed that the mediation model fit the data well. That is, perceived stress partly mediated the dispositional mindfulness-burnout association. We found that dispositional mindfulness could predict academic burnout among Muslim students, and perceived stress may be one of the underlying factors of this association.","PeriodicalId":47261,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Education","volume":"4 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135990684","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exploring the challenges of curriculum advisors in schools in the Vhembe-West district, Limpopo province, South Africa","authors":"Nelda Mouton, Phamela Malumbete","doi":"10.15700/saje.v43n3a2233","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v43n3a2233","url":null,"abstract":"Monitoring and supporting teachers in the classroom, as well as the implementation of curriculum changes, pose problems in South Africa. This is due to an array of challenges such as a lack of resources, communication barriers within the Department of Basic Education (DBE) as well as a lack of proper infrastructure. In the research reported on here we investigated the challenges that curriculum advisors in the Vhembe-West district face and provides insight into some of their daily challenges. This could assist the international platform, especially as developing countries and other Third World Countries can benefit from the outcomes of this research. A qualitative research approach was used where 12 interviews were conducted with curriculum advisors in the Vhembe-West district. The interview questions were e-mailed to them beforehand so that they could familiarise themselves with the questions to be answered. Within a period of 2 weeks thereafter, interviews were conducted and recorded for analysis on Zoom or Microsoft Teams. The data were grouped and are presented in 5 different themes with the aim of highlighting the challenges as well as providing recommendations to deal with the challenges that curriculum advisors experience. The data reveal that curriculum advisors experience that they receive minimal support from their superiors and that the resources at their disposal also prove to be minimal. This study highlights the lack of resources, insufficient infrastructure, and lack of effective communication from management needed for proper curriculum implementation at schools.","PeriodicalId":47261,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Education","volume":"26 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136036803","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"An investigation of sociomathematical norms perceived by students regarding the legitimacy of solutions","authors":"Mehmet Gülburnu, Ramazan Gürbüz","doi":"10.15700/saje.v43n3a2215","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v43n3a2215","url":null,"abstract":"With the study reported on here we aimed to determine what learners perceived as normative in the mathematics classroom. For this reason, we focused on negotiation of the problem solutions and we attempted to determine the sociomathematical norms perceived by learners (SNPS). Audio recordings of dialogues among learners, individual reports, and interviews were used as data collection instruments. The research participants were learners in the seventh grade. The study was conducted over a period of 10 weeks covering the second semester of the academic year. Three SNPS (functionality, inclusiveness, connectivity) regarding the legitimacy of the solutions were determined. The determined norms contributed to the understanding of learners’ mathematical preferences, thus bringing more inclusive and complementary understanding about the norms perceived by the learners to the literature. It has been observed that learning opportunities emerging through the negotiation of norms contribute to collective mathematics learning by shaping the interaction among class members. In this context, it was deemed necessary to continue research on norms perceived by learners to create general ideas of mathematics learning and teaching.","PeriodicalId":47261,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Education","volume":"37 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136037009","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Renzo Felipe Carranza Esteban, Oscar Mamani-Benito, Josué Edison Turpo Chaparro, Abel Apaza Romero, Ronald W. Castillo-Blanco
{"title":"Social support at work and workload as predictors of satisfaction with life of Peruvian teachers","authors":"Renzo Felipe Carranza Esteban, Oscar Mamani-Benito, Josué Edison Turpo Chaparro, Abel Apaza Romero, Ronald W. Castillo-Blanco","doi":"10.15700/saje.v43n3a2197","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v43n3a2197","url":null,"abstract":"The repercussions of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have generated effects on the working modality of teachers, in whom it is convenient to study variables associated with well-being. The objective with this research was to determine whether social support at work and workload predict satisfaction with life in a sample of Peruvian teachers. The methodology was a predictive and cross-sectional study, carried out on 584 Peruvian teachers of both genders selected in a non-probabilistic way; to whom the social support scale at work, the workload scale and the life satisfaction scale were applied. The survey was carried out virtually, and descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation coefficient and structural equation modelling (SEM) were conducted to examine the hypothetical model. In the analysis of the proposed model, an adequate fit was obtained, 2 (116) = 435.5, p < .001, CFI = .963, RMSEA = .069, SRMR = .059. Thus, H1 and H2 were confirmed on the positive effect of social support at work, = .27, p < .001, and the negative effect of workload, = .28, p < .001 in satisfaction with life. Likewise, the t values of the beta regression coefficients of the predictor variables were highly significant (p < 0.01). It was concluded that social support at work and an adequate workload predict a better level of satisfaction with life in a sample of Peruvian teachers.","PeriodicalId":47261,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Education","volume":"84 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136036648","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}