Abstract
M.Ed.
This report provides the results of a social scientific research on the assessment of the management of school environments and its implications for the Whole School Evaluation (WSE). Through a qualitative research design that used photos and field notes, the researcher personally collected data from 21 Qwaqwa schools. Maximum variation- and theoretical purposive sampling techniques were used for data collection. With maximum validity and reliability, the research results showed that Qwaqwa schoolyards are big and that the school land is not effectively utilised. Although there is currently no policy that perfectly assesses the management of school environments (except the WSE), the results showed that Qwaqwa schools freely use their own individual creative strategies for the management of their environments. The results revealed that schools consist of two kinds of environments, namely, natural and other manmade physical environments. The research results provided evidence that the schools can manage their natural environments through grass, trees, gardens and school parks. The results also revealed that manmade aspects of school environments can be best managed through rockeries, sport fields, paving, parking areas, general maintenance of buildings and symbols such as the school flag, the national flag of South Africa and plaques. The results further revealed that there are various forms of waste and refuse in schools and that littering was still a problem. However, the findings revealed that certain schools used rubbish bins to address the problem. The researcher thus recommends that these creative strategies be recognised and added to WSE criteria for effective school environment management.
Prof. K.C. Moloi