EDUCATION

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EDUCATION

• EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

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Education Research in HSRC

• Is linked to the challenges faced in South
  African education, in Africa and the developing
  world.
• Challenges in education access, equity, quality
  and efficiency leading to unequal educational
  outcomes especially in key areas of language and
  mathematics.
• Despite significant efforts in the past decade,
  we have not succeeded in ensuring that the
  majority of the population, who are still living
  in poverty, are equipped with the capabilities
  promised by democracy and development.
• Research in HSRC is aimed at understanding the
  dimensions, causes, outcomes and interventions
  necessary to ensure that the capabilities of all
  are developed through the education system.

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Areas of our ResearchLinks to DoE Strat Plan

• Languages and Literacy Education
• Science, Math and Technology Education
• Teachers, Teaching and Teacher Education
• Educational Assessment, Analysis and Evaluation
• Technical and Vocational Education
• Higher Education
• Transitions from and through education and to the
  world of work.

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Context of Education Research

• We recognise the inter-relationship between
  education and development we are in a education
  and development trap.
• Each research project related to an aspect of
  the system, and the information contributes to
  slowly changing the very big system.
• It will be some time before we see the results we
  want there is no magic bullet solution.
• We would like to undertake big research project
  which provides more comprehensive analyses.
• OECD Review.

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Leverage points to improve the education system

• Investing in Early Years of Learning
• Literacy Development
• Teachers and Teacher Education

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INVESTING IN EARLY YEARS OF LEARNING
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South African Education

• 1. South African educational performance is
  low.
• 2. National average math achievement score at
  different grade levels is almost the same and
  stable (around 30).
• 3. High differentiation in the performance of
  students. We have two systems of education.

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Performance across the school system is stable
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South Africa Two Education Systems
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SES and Cognitive Development
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Enrollments in Grade R and Grade 1
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Key findings from our research

• 1. State has improved access in early years, but
  there is still concern with quality.
• 2. Cognitive performance at an early age (6
  years) can predict later performance.
• 3. Schooling is not/ cannot compensate for SES
  disadvantage.
• 4. School based interventions at higher grades is
  not changing performance.
• 5. If we want to change the predictable course of
  educational development for an individual we have
  to intervene and invest in the early years.

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• 6. We need optimal conditions in schools to
  ensure a quality education suitable buildings
  good school climate, qualified teachers good
  pedagogical practices, reasonable class size.
• 7. We need to strengthen the home to support
  education. In low income countries and households
  there is low level of parent education, long
  hours of working, very little times for
  interactions.
• 8. One strategy to intervene at home is increased
  quality ABET programmes which emphasises how
  adults can facilitate childrens cognitive
  development.

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LITERACY DEVELOPMENT
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Evaluation of Literacy Teaching in Primary
Schools in Limpopo

• Aims
• To improve literacy teaching quality hence,
  also overall academic performance.
• Objectives
• Provided inputs to Provincial Literacy Strategy
  by interrogation of successful unsuccessful
  literacy practices in schools identification of
  gaps in educational provision and support of
  literacy in schools.

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Methodology

• In-depth case studies in grade 1- 4 classes in 20
  schools (purposive sampling) in Limpopo visits
  to District Offices and visits to education units
  at UNIVEN and U. Limpopo.
• Literature review, classroom observation,
  document review, facility survey, questionnaires
  and interviews, textbook analysis, observing
  teacher training practice.

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Key Findings

• Strong quality mother tongue literacy development
  is essential for literacy, academic language
  numeracy skills.
• Good additive multi-lingualism curriculum
  policy exists but uneven implementation which
  hurts both mother-tongue and second-language
  instruction.
• Learners do not read and write enough.
• The use of textbooks, readers other materials
  neglects progression and connection across the
  curriculum (other learning areas).
• Low parent literacy levels is not conducive to
  home support and development of a culture of
  reading.

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Recommendations

• Raise the bar no compromise on teaching time,
  maintain every opportunity to read, do extended
  writing 4 times a week.
• Enhance literacy instruction (mother-tongue and
  second language) to ensure that both thrive.
• Every learner must be provided with opportunities
  to engage with grade appropriate and cognitively
  demanding reading and writing activities.
• Foster strong reading culture and support at
  home (adult literacy, poverty relief, community
  upliftment)

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TEACHER EDUCATION

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TEACHER EDUCATION

1. F. Arends, Understanding Teacher Demand in South
   Africa. Cape Town HSRC Press
2. M. Breier (2008) The RPL Conundrum The
   Recognition of Prior Learning in a Teacher
   Upgrading Programme. Cape Town HSRC Press
3. L. Chisholm. A Conceptual Framework for Teacher
   Supply and Demand. Mimeo
4. M. Cosser, Studying Ambitions pathways from
   grade 12 and the Factors that Shape Them. Cape
   Town HSRC Press
5. G. Kruss, Teacher Education and Institutional
   Change in South Africa. Cape Town HSRC Press
6. U. Hoadley, Managing Curriculum and Instruction
   in South African Secondary Schools. Cape Town
   HSRC Press.
7. G. Kruss, Academic Coherence or Bureaucratic
   Compliance Opportunities and Challenges for the
   Development of Teacher Education Curriculum. Cape
   Town HSRC Press
8. A. Paterson and F. Arends, Who Are we Missing?
   Teacher Graduate Production in South Africa,
   1995-2006. Cape Town HSRC Press
9. N. Diko, S. Akoojee Teacher Recruitment,
   Retention and Attrition in South African
   Education. Cape Town HSRC Press.
10. Makola Phurutse and Fabian Arends Beginner
    Teachers in South Africa. Cape Town HSRC Press.

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A Few Findings

• On Recognition of Prior Learning
• Teachers demonstrated poor content and
  conceptual knowledge, limited English literacy,
  and had difficulties with critical reflection
  tasks. However, in their interviews and
  observations, researchers were struck by the
  teachers practical wisdom or phronesis, a
  form of knowledge and reasoning acquired with
  experience and associated with ethical conduct
  and sense of community. It could be related to
  the pastoral role.

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• Supply and Demand
• At the macro level there is no absolute numerical
  shortage of teachers. At the disaggregated level
  there are shortages of mathematics and science
  teachers of language teachers of teachers in
  certain rural areas, etc. There is a need to
  shift investigation from an analysis of absolute
  systemic numbers of teachers to an analysis of
  shortages of teachers at school and classroom
  level.
• There is a need to shift the entire debate about
  teacher shortages from a numbers game to an
  investigation of teacher quality. Thus there is
  a shortage of teaching knowledge and skills in
  South Africa. The quality of teacher education
  in-service, pre-service and distance education
  becomes significant.

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• Importance of pedagogical content knowledge
• Teacher training institutions need to focus on
  both content knowledge and pedagogical content
  knowledge (PCK). PCK is related to learner
  outcomes.
• In mathematics pedagogical context knowledge
  refers to the mathematical knowledge for teaching
  others, especially young children. Examples
  include the explanations that teachers use to
  develop understanding of concepts, the ways
  teachers draw linkages with other elements of
  mathematics and the questions they pose to
  students. This is developed with practice or
  very specialized training activities.

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In conclusion.

• DoE has developed policies and improved access.
• Policy documents has created confusions with
  teachers. Also needs the system to settle not
  constantly change.
• Quality education remains a challenge.
• Do not have good information systems to monitor
  the system and hence this affects accurate
  understanding of the system.