1. Reflexive democratic discourse and critical pedagogy

2. What prohibits the successful implementation of the HIV/AIDS, sexuality and life skills education programme in schools? (In Afrikaans)

3. Racism in South African education as reflected in the printed media (In Afrikaans)

4. Focussing on guiding principles of quality to redesign educational institutions

5. Development of cognitive skills cards for Grade 6-7 disadvantaged learners to identify main ideas in reading

6. African renaissance: a quest for the transformation and africanisation of South African education

7. Towards distance learning for successful practice: the role of reflective self-assessment in education management training

8. Anti-democratic tendencies in the reconstruction of South African education

9. The Marine Theme: a contribution to learning in second language Biology students

10. A diagnostic instrument for determining the academic self-concept of Tsonga-speaking learners in Grade 7


1. Reflexive democratic discourse and critical pedagogy

Y Waghid
yw@maties.sun.ac.za 

Informed analysis, debate, research and education policy in relation to classroom pedagogy in post-apartheid South Africa are challenged by changes in education developments and the way these changes would shape higher education. One such challenge is to ensure that classroom pedagogy becomes more democratic, reflexive and critical. Classroom pedagogy can be critical if guided by a reflexive democratic discourse. In turn, democratic discourse is constituted by rules of reflexivity: self-direction and self-determination through reason, dialogism and sense of solidarity. 

2. What prohibits the successful implementation of the HIV/AIDS, sexuality and life skills education programme in schools? (In Afrikaans)

A Coetzee & JC Kok
jckok@edcur.rau.ac.za 

Reports indicate that despite the fact that implementation of sexuality and life skills education programmes is required by national education policy, actual implementation often does not take place, notwithstanding teacher training in this regard. In this study, implementation problems are investigated, and guidelines provided to overcome them. 

3. Racism in South African education as reflected in the printed media (In Afrikaans)

NC de Wet et al
dewetnc@hum.uovs.ac.za 

Against the background of relevant legislation and research, this article portrays racism in South African schools as reported in the printed media, as well as solutions offered in the media for eradicating racism in schools. This exploratory study indicates that racism in fairly common in South African schools. 


4. Focussing on guiding principles of quality to redesign educational institutions

GM Steyn
steyngm@unisa.ac.za 

The need for quality education is the single most important issue in education today. Many educators maintain that quality management (QM) can fulfil the need for improvement by providing a structured, systematic strategy to address quality in the education sector. This strategy is based on QM principles that have already been used successfully to improve products and services in business and industry. The way in which the guiding principles of leadership, focus on the customer, total involvement, a measurement system, and continuous improvement can be applied to education are explained in this article. 


5. Development of cognitive skills cards for Grade 6-7 disadvantaged learners to identify main ideas in reading

S Human, AC Bouwer & IR Ribbens
bouweac@postino.up.ac.za 

Designed by the Human Sciences Research Council of South Africa as part of the Wordwise Reading Programme, cognitive skill cards are aimed at developing the reading strategies of disadvantaged learners. The factors that were expected to play a role in learners= successful independent performance on Main Idea Skill Cards (MISC=s) were investigated. Factors pertaining to the design, format and content of the MISC exercises, the cognitive and language development of learners, and the amount and kind of mediation that learners received were all found to affect learners= outcomes on the MISC=s. 


6. African renaissance: a quest for the transformation and africanisation of South African education

A le Roux
lerouxad@hum.uovs.ac.za 

In this article it is argued that while transformation involves the reform of an institution in line with the (universal) structural principle by which it is constituted, africanisation relates to the implementation of such a principle in order for the institution to be relevant to the South African situation within which it has to function. Challenges accompanying these processes are indicated. 


7. Towards distance learning for successful practice: the role of reflective self-assessment in education management training

GM Steyn & GD Kamper
steyngm@unisa.ac.za 

This article deals with the use of the reflective practice approach in distance education. This approach relies heavily on constructivist learning theory. The study indicated conclusively that distance education can be used effectively to assist professionally advanced learners (e.g. education managers) to thoroughly analyse their own work environments and actions, to improve their professional practice. 


8. Anti-democratic tendencies in the reconstruction of South African education

A le Roux & D Coetzee
lerouxad@hum.uovs.ac.za 

Current management and policy difficulties in the process of education reconstruction in South Africa necessitate a closer look at the way in which transformation is conducted. The question arises whether the elimination of the totalitarian tendencies of the previous dispensation automatically facilitates a true democracy or not. By subjecting current education policy initiatives to Karl Popper=s six critical questions, the presence of anti-democratic tendencies that could hamper the process of transformation, is affirmed. 


9. The Marine Theme: a contribution to learning in second language Biology students

CT Downs, AE Drummond, EGJ Akhurst & M Inglis
downs@nu.ac.za 


Background biological knowledge of pre-university and first year university Life Science students was assessed using a marine theme questionnaire. Results of this pre-test revealed poor background knowledge among predominantly English second language Life Science students. Selected students were exposed to a thirteen week enrichment programme using a marine theme. The nature and components of the enrichment programme are presented. A repeat of the questionnaire following this enrichment period showed significant improvement in general, as well as specific biological knowledge.


10. A diagnostic instrument for determining the academic self-concept of Tsonga-speaking learners in Grade 7

A-B du Plessis, AC Bouwer & RJ Grimbeek
bouweac@postino.up.ac.za 

The relation between academic achievement and academic self-concept is reciprocal. The aim of this study was to develop a diagnostic instrument to assess the academic self-concept of Grade 7 learners in a historically under-resourced school. The assessment focussed on general academic and Mathematical self-concept, as well as self-concept relating to Tsonga (language) as a subject. The diagnostic instrument was evaluated by means of triangulation, and the valid and reliable components were selected to form the final diagnostic instrument.