’n Skoolhoof se persepsies van die verwesenliking van Christelike waardes in ’n Suid-Afrikaanse laerskool: ’n Gevallestudie

A principal’s perceptions of the realisation of Christian values at a South African Primary School: A case study.Many South African schools are facing the challenge of establishing a school culture that is conducive to teaching and learning. The school culture has a far greater impact on living and learning than any other factor in the life of a school. The research question in this study is: How did a primary school principal view the actualisation of Christian values in the school culture? An investigative, qualitative research design, and more particularly a case study, was considered to be the most appropriate approach to the research question. In a number of previous investigations in the school, the author has shown that the school principal treasured the inculcation of Christian values in the school. Data in this study were collected by means of various semi-structured interviews with the principal; paragraphs written by the principal; documents about school activities; a DVD of the school; and field notes taken during the interviews. The findings show the role of the principal in inculcating values in a school and the effect of a vision and mission to realise these values. Inculcating values in a school is best actualised in a positive, inviting school culture that focuses on continuing growth conducive to human development

Principal succession: The socialisation of a primary school principal in South Africa

This study focussed on the socialisation of a new principal in a South African primary school with a strong Christian culture. He was appointed when the predecessor retired after more than two decades. The conceptual framework focuses on the three phases of socialisation: professional socialisation, organisational socialisation and occupational identity, which are used to interpret the study. A qualitative study, which occurred during two phases, investigated the phenomenon, principal succession, in the particular school. The data collection methods included a number of interviews with the principal, a focus group interview with staff members who experienced the previous principal’s leadership practice, and individual interviews with staff members. The following categories emerged from the data analysis: Recalling the previous principal: ‘One sees Mr X [the predecessor] everywhere’; Entry and orientation: ‘I found it intimidating initially’; and Immersion and reshaping: ‘Reins that previously were a bit slack, he is now pulling tight’.Die sosialisering van ’n primêre skoolhoof in Suid-Afrika. Hierdie studie het gefokus op die sosialisering van ’n nuwe skoolhoof in ’n Suid-Afrikaanse primêre skool met ’n sterk Christelike kultuur. Hy is aangestel toe sy voorganger ná meer as twee dekades afgetree het. Die konseptuele raamwerk, wat gebruik is om die bevindinge te interpreteer, het op die drie fases van sosialisering gefokus, naamlik professionele sosialisering, organisatoriese sosialisering en beroepsidentiteit. ’n Kwalitatiewe ondersoek na die skoolhoofopvolgingverskynsel in die bepaalde skool is in twee fases gedoen. Die data-insamelingsmetodes het ’n aantal onderhoude met die skoolhoof, ’n fokusgroeponderhoud met personeellede wat ook onder leierskap van die vorige skoolhoof gewerk het en individuele onderhoude met personeellede ingesluit. Tydens die data-analise het die volgende kategorieë na vore gekom: Herinnering aan die vorige skoolhoof: ‘’n Mens sien Mnr X [die voorganger] oral’; Aanvaarding en oriëntasie: ‘Ek het dit aanvanklik intimiderend gevind’; en Immersie en hervorming: ‘Leisels wat voorheen ’n bietjie slap was, het hy nou styfgetrek’

Transformational Learning Through Teacher Collaboration: a Case Study

This article, which developed from previous studies at the school, reports on a qualitative study aimed at investigating the professional learning experiences of staff members at a South African primary school. Transformational learning and the adult learning theory underpinned the study. Data were collected by means of an open-ended questionnaire administered to teachers of the mathematics department, a focus group interview with these teachers and individual interviews with the principal. Participants indicated that teacher collaboration enhanced their professional learning in the various horizontal and vertical structured teams at the school. They emphasised the importance of effective communication, trust and respect in their interpersonal relationships. Although participants acknowledged differences in their personalities and professional approaches, they regarded them as beneficial and complementary for their learning. The study showed that transformational learning was contextualised and therefore suggested that more research should be carried out to explore the contextual factors that promote sharing of knowledge and skills among teachers at other schools.https://doi.org/10.19108/KOERS.82.1.222

Strategies to address learner aggression in rural South African secondary schools

Managing learner aggression in the school system is central to learners’ academic performance and holistic development. In order to manage learner aggression, it is important to understand the contributory factors and the forms of learner aggression. This article reports on an investigation of factors contributing to learner aggression in rural secondary schools in the Empangeni district of KwaZulu-Natal in order to identify the forms of learner aggression and to establish strategies to manage such aggression in these secondary schools. A qualitative research design was adopted to investigate the phenomenon through an interview process with participants from five rural secondary schools. The findings showed that the factors contributing to learner aggression include family factors, environmental factors and school-related factors whilst the most common forms of learner aggression in schools are verbal aggression, physical aggression and bullying. The article concludes with the role that the school, parents and the Department of Education can play in addressing learner aggression in schools