•  Addressing primary school science problems through materials developed by science educators and drama in education specialists

•  Portfolios as a tool for course work assessment within the context of pre-service teacher education

•  Teacher efficacy in the Free State province of South Africa

•  Outcomes-based education: implications for school management (In Afrikaans)

•  The influence of politico-historical and economic realities on choice of medium of instruction in South Africa - a comparative analysis (In Afrikaans)

•  Assessment in Curriculum 2005: Do primary school teachers assess formatively?

•  The influence of interest group organizational structures on educational management/governance in Kathorus

•  Ecological sustainability: a metaphor for curriculum and research in the new millennium

•  A quantitative analysis of the poor performance of Grade 12 students in 1997

•  Learning to teach: a framework for teacher induction

•  The changing role of the principal of a public primary school: a financial school management perspective

•  Attitudes of a group of deaf adolescents towards educational inclusion

•  The nature and essence of the Africa university (In Afrikaans)

•  Self-assessment: can it contribute to quality learning?

•  Out of the crisis: transforming schools through total quality management

•  Training teachers to facilitate classroom interaction with autistic children using digital voice output devices

•  The role of mathematics in developing rural and tribal communities in South Africa

•  The protection of minority rights in South African education

•  Faculties of Education in South Africa: do they have a future? (In Afrikaans)

1. Addressing primary school science problems through materials developed by science educators and drama in education specialists

NA Ogude & M Rollnick

This article describes the script development process used by the Handspring Science Education Project in the development of a video script aimed at encouraging children's interest and pleasure in science. The process is a multistage one involving a science education researcher and a reference group composed of other science educators, a drama in education specialist, the script writers and the puppeteers. The stages in this collaborative multi?disciplinary approach in addressing primary school science problems are described in the article. The complexities which arise when such a multi?disciplinary approach is employed are also highlighted. Finally the potential of this approach in contributing to some of the objectives of Outcomes Based Education (0BE,) and the responses of teachers to the videos produced, are outlined.

2. Portfolios as a tool for course work assessment within the context of pre-service teacher education

D Wilmot

South African education is in the process of transformation. Preparing teachers for the new Outcomes Based Education curriculum has methodological and assessment implications. This article focuses on how portfolios were introduced and modelled within pre?service Geography teacher education. The strengths and weaknesses of portfolios assessment are evaluated.

3. Teacher efficacy in the Free State province of South Africa

DK Selaledi

This study operationalised the self?efficacy construct and applied it to the assessment of teachers' self?efficacious behaviours. Data sources included 1128 sampled primary and secondary urban school teachers from 93 schools. The variables studied were School Category, Gender, and Teaching Experience as independent variables. The dependent variable was Self?efficacy. The findings revealed a significant effect for the School Category with respect to Teacher Administrative Responsibilities (TAR), Teacher Classroom Organisation (TCO), and Teacher in Relationship with Others (TRO) as dependent variables. This pattern was inconsistent with Gender and Teaching Experience.

4. Outcomes-based education: implications for school management (In Afrikaans)

SG Pretorius

Implementation of Curriculum 2005, a transformational approach to outcomes?based education, involves radical changes to schooling, not only to curriculating processes but also to classroom practice, as well as to the assessment, advancement and grouping of learners. This article investigates the various facets of school management and organisation that need to be transformed. A flexible time system is essential, learners should be grouped differently and a management information system is necessary to inform management processes. Necessary changes in leadership style, the role of the principal and communication processes are evident. As the functioning of the school will be based on teachers working in instructional delivery and management teams, a culture of teamwork should exist among the members of staff. Strategic planning and quality assurance are new practices for which school personnel will have to be trained.

5. The influence of politico-historical and economic realities on choice of medium of instruction in South Africa - a comparative analysis (In Afrikaans)

C de Wet & S Niemann

In this article the language diversity in Africa is dealt with against the background of different points of departure with regard to language in multilingual countries, namely, language as a right, language as a problem, and language as an asset. The language policy and language preferences of the former colonial powers, as well as political and economic factors have an influence on political leaders' choice of policy with regard to national language and medium of instruction. From politico?historical and qualitative research it appears that factors determining language preferences in South Africa in fact represent those of the rest of Africa. According to respondents participating in a research project, a colonial language (English) is the obvious medium of instruction and lingua franca in South Africa.

6. Assessment in Curriculum 2005: Do primary school teachers assess formatively?

MG Nakabugo & R Siebörger

As part of the transition to Curriculum 2005 in South African schools, teachers are being encouraged to use continuous assessment, in order to improve learning by providing regular feedback. Continuous assessment is not new, but using it formatively to aid better learning is. Formative assessment demands far greater skill than simply assessing continuously, as it changes the purpose for which the assessment is intended. This article contains the results of a small study of the practices of primary school teachers in assessing reading. The analysis of the results enabled a classification of the teachers into three groups: frequent formative assessors, occasional formative assessors and infrequent formative assessors. The conclusion of the study is that full implementation of a policy of encouraging formative assessment requires fundamental changes in teachers' understanding of the teaching and learning process.

7. The influence of interest group organizational structures on educational management/governance in Kathorus

AE Mashele & BR Grobler

Interest group organizational structures are social units with a legitimate interest in education, with the primary goal of enhancing the culture of teaching and learning in schools. The literature indicates that the South African Schools Act of 1996 provides for extensive participation of interest group organizational structures in school management and governance. Learner representation is, however, characterized by divergent views. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain the opinions of the various interest group structures in Katlehong, Thokosa and Vosloorus (Kathorus). All the groups tested were in agreement with the democratic management and governance of schools as represented by 22 items. The findings of the research gave rise to pertinent recommendations to enable more effective management and governance of the interest group organizational structures.

8. Ecological sustainability: a metaphor for curriculum and research in the new millennium

L le Grange

On the threshold of a new millennium crises abound in all spheres of life ? political, educational, ecological, socio-economic and personal. The author argues that reductionistic, dualistic and mechanistic modes of thought are no longer appropriate for understanding and meeting the challenges we face in a rapidly changing and globally interconnected world. The author proposes that we need to source new metaphors cognate to an ecological (holistic) world view which characterises a new emerging post-modern era. In this article the author argues that interdependence, recycling, partnership, flexibility, diversity, and sustainability may serve as useful metaphors for explaining current global and South African curriculum and research trends, as well as to provide insights for curriculum and research practice in the new millennium.

9. A quantitative analysis of the poor performance of Grade 12 students in 1997

PC van der Westhuizen, PJ Mentz, MJ Mosoge, HD Nieuwoudt, HJ Steyn, MW Legotlo. MP Maaga & GM Sebego

In order to pinpoint reasons for the poor Grade 12 results in 1997, it was important to move away from the tendency to over-generalise what the causes may have been. Therefore there was a need for empirical evidence to be gathered in a scientific way in order to identify the key probable causes of this poor performance. The results of this investigation indicated that a lack of a culture of teaching and support services lay at the root of the high failure rate in the Grade 12 examinations.

10. Learning to teach: a framework for teacher induction

J Büchner & D Hay

Training programmes are often at a loss to adequately prepare and equip the student for the realities of the teaching profession. The existence of practice shock underscores this statement. Although various factors can influence premature resignation, the quality or negativity of the initial teaching experience correlates with the duration of the teachers' stay in the profession. It is therefore necessary to support inexperienced teachers in a personal and professional capacity in their first year(s) of teaching. In this article an overview of induction programmes and a framework for teacher induction are provided.

11. The changing role of the principal of a public primary school: a financial school management perspective

T Bisschoff & M-K Sayed

This article endeavours to study the changing role of the principal with regard to effective and efficient school financial management functions; the necessary skills required for the performance of such functions; and the benefits of such functions. Reference is made to similar functions of principals of schools in the United States of America, England and Wales. Findings from interview data obtained from interviewing principals from six South African schools were then compared to findings from the regions mentioned above. In most of the findings similarities existed. The article concludes with an attempt to develop a theoretical framework for this new role of the primary school principal in South Africa.

12. Attitudes of a group of deaf adolescents towards educational inclusion

V de Andrade & E Ross

The inclusion of learners with special educational needs into regular classrooms is a particularly relevant issue in both the current global and South African contexts. This study investigated the attitudes towards educational inclusion of a group of high-school learners attending a School for the Deaf. Learners were asked to complete a questionnaire which not only targeted general attitudes towards inclusion, but also issues related to communication, social integration, self-concept, family support and classroom support services. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for the management of deaf learners in educational inclusion programmes; counselling of deaf learners and their parents in relation to educational inclusion; and further research.

13. The nature and essence of the Africa university (In Afrikaans)

K le Roux

Each generation must ask and answer clearly, in terms of its own problems and its concept of social development, the question: What is the nature and essence, the purpose and role of the university? This article attempts to assess the role and function of the university in the light of some basic ideas that can be traced back to the earliest university foundations in the 11th and 12th centuries BC. As a unique societal institution the task and mission of the university is closely connected to its identity as an academic institution where knowledge is advanced through teaching and research. The primary function of the university is the provision of high level teaching and research, within the context of national development, of nation building, of leadership, of disciplined thinking, creativity and service to the community.

14. Self-assessment: can it contribute to quality learning?

GM Steyn

In pursuit of quality, the learning process should be improved continuously by changing inter alia the learning material and the way learning is facilitated. A concern of the lecturer's teaching experience in Personnel Management, a module in the BEd course with Specialisation in Education Management, is to ensure that students progress beyond the mere completion of assignments to where they commit themselves to internalising the learning material and to developing management and leaderships skills. A means of achieving this is to use reflective activities and self-assessment in assignments. Both quantitative and qualitative methods of data gathering were employed to explore students' responses to the new assignment and assessment system. The analysis of the data dealt with the following categories: quality of learning; examination admission; sense of control; immediate availability of the memorandum; influence on work life and other areas of the life world; and problems with self?assessment. The article concludes with strategies for further improvement of the assessment system.

15. Out of the crisis: transforming schools through total quality management

GM Steyn

Total Quality Management, an approach that has assisted business organisations to compete globally, embodies principles that could be applied to improve public schools and the provision of education in South Africa. This approach comprises a people?focussed management system that aims at a continuous increase of customer satisfaction at continually lower real cost. The criteria for a Total Quality School include a customer focus, total involvement, measurement systems, commitment of management and other stakeholders, as well as continuous improvement. However, TQM requires a rigorous effort and an openness to rethink problems and issues. The article concludes with some reasons why the application of TQM may often fail in schools.

16. Training teachers to facilitate classroom interaction with autistic children using digital voice output devices

J Bornman & E Alant

The study aimed at training teachers in facilitating interaction with autistic children, using digital voice output devices. The nature and transition of different activities before and after teacher training were analysed according to the ACE analysis (Analysing the Communication Environment). Results indicated that teachers benefited from the training, and that they were able to adapt their training methods. Both individual and group training proved to be necessary, as teachers gained differently from these training sessions. Furthermore, the impact of using a digital speaker in a school context is highlighted.

17. The role of mathematics in developing rural and tribal communities in South Africa

JG Maree & JM Molepo

In this article, it is shown that rural communities regard mathematics as an important subject that can play a role in developing their socio-economic status. The project has revealed that the parents and teachers in the rural areas, together with former mathematics students, concur on the value of mathematics as a subject. Various factors that are regarded by the rural communities as significant for the role of mathematics in developing rural and tribal communities in South Africa are discussed. The research has found significant interest of the involved members of the community in mathematics activities and policy formation in rural mathematics curriculum development.

18. The protection of minority rights in South African education

IJ Oosthuizen & HJ Steyn

Not only is the protection of minority rights a constitutional right, but it is also implied in the National Education Policy Act of 1996, as well as the South African Schools Act of 1996. In recent South African court cases the question of equality (as well as minority rights) was acknowledged as a constitutional matter. The implementation of minority rights is hindered by factors such as a lack of clarity regarding the meaning of the concept and financial and administrative considerations. It is evident that the most likely way of guaranteeing the exclusive character of a minority group in education is to establish private schools. Where numbers warrant it, and given that there is no unfair discrimination, there should be no legal basis for prohibiting a minority group from exercising its cultural and religious rights within the South African public education system.

19. Faculties of Education in South Africa: do they have a future? (In Afrikaans)

JL van der Walt

The circumstances prevailing in the RSA since the beginning of the 1990s have made the restructuring and reorganisation of Faculties of Education at universities unavoidable. Many faculties have already restructured or are in the process of doing so. Some have even lost their relative independence as university structures. Despite the demise of some Faculties of Education, it is argued that the remaining faculties can prolong their existence by meeting a number of fundamental conditions. The most important of these are discussed with reference to relevant statistics.

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