Developing a model for improving secondary schools effectiveness in the Northern Free State district.
- Authors: Ratshilumela, Takalani Geoff
- Date: 2009-02-05T07:14:09Z
- Subjects: school improvement programs , school management and organization , secondary education , total quality management in education , effective teaching , Free State ( South Africa )
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:8093 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/2021
- Description: M.Ed. , The researcher’s initial observations and discussions with educators revealed that secondary schools in the Northern Free State district perform below the required standard. The problem of this research lies in the lack of effectiveness in secondary schools which is due to factors such as historical political development, the collapse of the culture of teaching and learning at schools, under qualified teachers and poor infrastructure. These factors made worse by lack of clearly defined models for improving school effectiveness. The purpose of this research is to suggest and develop a model for improving schools effectiveness in the Northern Free State district and to determine the extent to which secondary schools in the Northern Free State district are using the Total Quality Management approaches or the Integrated Quality Management Systems (IQMS) approaches as well as characterizing those secondary schools that are viewed as effective or ineffective. The research method is qualitative in nature. The researcher collected data through observations, interviews and analysis of school records. The findings of this research support the purpose of the study which is to develop a model for improving secondary schools effectiveness. This research is regarded as a direction pointer in the development of the model that can be effectively applicable to improve effectiveness of the secondary schools in the Northern Free State district and the country as a whole hence it is recommended that the suggested model which is a combination of the known powerful models for improving school effectiveness be expanded to other schools.
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The role of the school district in the implementation of whole school evaluation.
- Authors: Ramaisa, Nyapo Mputle
- Date: 2009-02-05T07:13:58Z
- Subjects: Gauteng ( South Africa) , evaluation of schools , school improvement programs , school districts
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:8092 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/2020
- Description: M.Ed. , In Chapter One, light was shed on the description of the problem, the outline of the problem, the methodology used and clarification of some of the concepts that were used in this research. The problem that the Department of Education faced after 1994 was that there had been no system of evaluating the performance of schools or comprehensive data on the quality of teaching and learning or standards achieved in South African schools. These problems led to the introduction of the policy on Whole School Evaluation, which aims at analyzing the performance of schools, and also to help schools improve. This study therefore investigated the way in which this policy is implemented and the role-played by school districts. A focused literature review was conducted and a structured questionnaire was used. Chapter Two focused on the review of literature based on THE ROLE OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF WHOLE SCHOOL EVALUATION. The main aim of the research project was to see how school district teams provide support to schools in the implementation of WSE, which would lead to improvements at schools, and the enhancement of education. Against this background, the question is: How will schools benefit from the implementation of WSE? The study supports the view that schools, educators and school districts need to be accountable to their clients, and the department must ensure that all learners receive quality education. To achieve this, schools need to be evaluated and supported so that suitable strategies are put in place and a suitable range of management information is made available to enhance performance. From the literature review, it became clear that, in countries where WSE has been implemented, the accountability of stakeholders has increased and the performance of schools has improved with the help of recommendations that translate into School Improvement Plans (SIP). The design of the research was explained in Chapter Three. A description of the empirical investigation was provided. The questionnaire was discussed and the course of the research was briefly outlined. The items (questions) were arranged into three factors and ranked according to their mean scores. One of the questions that ranked high was the question that aimed at finding out if respondents thought that WSE should be conducted at all schools. This question had a mean score of 5,08, which means the majority of respondents (81,5%) agreed or strongly agreed that WSE should be conducted in all schools, probably because it is mandated. The analysis and interpretation of the empirical data were discussed in Chapter Four. The construction validity of the research instrument was investigated by means of two successive factor analytical procedures that reduce the 50 items to just three factors namely: • The extent to which educators feel positive about WSE (FB) 25 items with a Gronbach-alpha-reliability coefficient of 0,9202. • The general support (indirect) provided by school districts to schools (FC 1): 17 items with a Gronbach-alpha-reliability coefficient of 0,9202. • The specific (direct) support provided by school districts to school (FC 2): 7 items with a Gronbach-alpha-reliability coefficient of 0,8802. The three factors could thus serve as a basis for evaluating the role of school districts in the implementation of WSE. The detailed statistical analysis of the research was confined to a comparison of one example of two independent groups and one example of three or more independent groups. Hypotheses were set and multivariate statistics were used to analyse and interpret the data. The Hotelling T² test was used to examine the difference in the vector means if the two factors were taken together. Where significant differences were found at multivariate level, they were further investigated by means of the Student t-test. For three or more groups, the multivariate hypothesis on, for example, age was investigated, using the MANOVA. Where there was a statistically significant differences, the researcher investigated further by means of Scheffe and Dunnett T3 tests. After this summary of the aspects discussed during the research, findings emanating from the research are made. These findings are now briefly examined and recommendations for the role of the school district in the implementation of WSE are made.
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Appraisal as an instrument to facilitate the development and school improvement in Daveyton schools.
- Authors: Mkasi, Jones Freddy
- Date: 2008-10-14T11:21:25Z
- Subjects: school improvement programs , school evaluation , total quality management in education , in-service training of teachers , Daveyton (South Africa)
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:12000 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/1174
- Description: M.Ed. , Appraisal seems to be a relevant instrument to facilitate the professional growth of educators and school improvement. However, if the process of appraisal is to be part of the development of educators and of schools, it needs to be part of the pattern of school life and linked to the school’s developmental activities. It needs to be context-based within the legal framework provided by the Department of Education (DoE). Appraisal should be a natural progression from the staff development and school development planning. Staff and professional strategies should enable schools and educators to gain skills and understanding, necessary to participate in appraisal. Appraisal should be set in the context of the objectives of the schools which will generally be expressed in a school development plan. The school’s objectives in a particular year, should be linked with appraisal, so that for example, professional development targets arising from appraisal, may be related to agreed targets and tasks in the development plan. This will help to speed up the process of facilitation of the professional growth of educators. A school which is self-developing and self-evaluating, is likely to be one in which all educators exchange ideas, share concerns, contribute to discussion, take part in the process of decision-making and have individual areas of strength and weaknesses identified and supported (Jones, 1993:10). In basic terms, the facilitation of appraisal will assist with the setting of whole school targets and identification of professional needs. , Dr. P.J. du Plessis
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Managing the quality management system in schools.
- Authors: Kganyago, Sebolaishi Lilly
- Date: 2008-08-25T10:25:18Z
- Subjects: total quality management in education , school improvement programs
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:3807 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/917
- Description: The problem in this research lies in the lack of appropriate guidelines for managing the Quality Management System (QMS) in schools. The research endeavours to reveal the most effective and efficient guidelines for managing the QMS. The main purpose of the study was to investigate and reveal the most appropriate and effective ways of managing the QMS as a strategy and as an ongoing process of evaluating and managing both the performance and outcomes in schools. This research adopted a qualitative research approach. Phenomenological and ethnographic research methods were employed. The purpose of adopting the qualitative research for this study was to gather non-numerical data to help explain and develop a theory about managing the QMS. The researcher collected data using multiple means of data collection, namely, interviews, survey and observation. Interpretations of data led to the research recommendations and the conclusion. The sample comprised of three District officials, the school Principal from each sample school, two Departmental Heads, two teachers and their classes, two School Governing Body (SGB) members, one member of the Staff Development Team (SDT) and four former members of the Quality Management (QM) team. The findings of the study described the informants’ perceptions and experiences of the QMS as a process for school improvement. The perceptions and the experiences of the teachers and the principals suggest that the participants had a limited understanding, knowledge and skills in managing the QMS. Thus guidelines managing the QMS were provided. In addition, guidelines for the educational psychologist that would facilitate the successful management of the QMS were developed. , Prof. J.R. Debeila
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Effective school budgeting for the optimum utilization of physical resources.
- Authors: Choonara, Mohamed Afzel
- Date: 2008-06-24T07:50:16Z
- Subjects: school budgets , school boards , educational finance , school management and organization , school improvement programs
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:9653 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/706
- Description: The Schools Act 84 of 1996 has given governing bodies (SGBs) the responsibility of managing school finances. The Act prescribes that the SGB must prepare a budget annually. A school’s budget is an important financial management tool, which ensures that adequate resources are procured in a cost-effective manner in order to enhance teaching and learning. However, schools are grappling with diminishing financial resources and this factor reduces the school’s capacity to respond to the changing needs of learners. Furthermore, SGBs lack the necessary skills and competence to manage funds. The general aim of this research was to determine whether schools prepare budgets effectively, resulting in the optimum utilization of physical resources which will improve the quality of teaching and learning. A literature study was undertaken relating to effective budgeting for the optimum utilisation of physical resources for effective teaching and learning to take place. It outlined school finances in other countries and the impact that budgets have on effective school management. It also gave a detailed account of the process of budgeting and more importantly it outlined in detail the effect of physical resources on school improvement. A quantitative study was made through a structured questionnaire developed from a literature survey. A discussion of the respondents sampled, their biographical details in the form of graphs and the return-rate of questionnaires were also discussed. The questionnaire was discussed as well as the mean scores of various items. Some pertinent questions relating to effective budgeting was also discussed. Educators regard financial management as an important component of school management. They also regard the optimum utilization of resources as key to effective teaching and learning in the classroom. The data was analysed. The Pearson’s Chi Square value as well as Cramer’s V value was discussed using cross-tabulations. Pertinent questions were analysed using these techniques and possible explanations were given to empirical findings. Taking it from school to school or using cross-tabulation on whether educators are SGB members or not, reveals a similar trend that budgets are being drawn up through very little input from all stakeholders. This is a cause for concern. Few educators agree that the DoE provides schools with the necessary physical resources for teaching. This implies that schools have to provide the necessary resources for effective teaching to take place, which further impacts on the budgetary process. Schools have to levy fees on its learners or embark on fundraising projects to supplement the monies from the state. Finally findings from the literature as well important empirical findings were discussed, together with recommendations. Although some SGB training was provided, it has not been focused and thorough, or it has been done by incompetent trainers. Workshops should be conducted by accountants and financial experts with careful monitoring at each stage. There should be regular feedback and evaluation. SGBs should co-opt financial experts from their communities to assist in this delicate task. The SGB should ensure that they involve all stakeholders when initiating the budget process. In this regard, schools could make use of programme budgeting so that all learning areas are catered for and all educators, parents and the community at large are involved. Effective budgeting will go a long way towards achieving the educational goals of schools by ensuring that all physical resources are utilized optimally. , Prof. R. Mestry
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