The focus of this paper is to examine teachers' beliefs about child participation in Grade R. Five Grade R teachers working with children between the ages of five and six participated in this study. Participants were interviewed about their epistemological beliefs on teaching and learning in Grade R and specifically the role of child participation…

Background: There is a general outcry that too many South African Foundation Phase (Grades 1-3) teachers do not know how to teach reading and are currently teaching reading in an "ad hoc", unsystematic way. Objectives: In response to this, this study explored the Foundation Phase teachers' perceptions of their role in teaching reading.…

This qualitative research reports the results of a short learning intervention programme conducted by South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) Chair in Science and Mathematics Education to enhance the mathematical knowledge of teachers in some South African schools. The short learning programme comprised the fostering of teachers'…

In the study reported on here the problem of inadequacies in educational provisioning among public schools that has a negative influence on teachers' productivity and learners' academic outcomes was examined. The primary objective of this study was to examine teachers' and principals' perceptions on the influence of educational provision on…

The purpose of this study was to develop a deeper understanding of a group of South African English Second Language (ESL) Foundation Phase teachers' understanding of, skills in, and training needs to teach phonological awareness (PA) effectively. A qualitative research approach placed within an interpretative paradigm was utilised in two phases.…

This study explored the effect of visual feedback on classroom noise levels, using a SoundEar II device that monitors noise levels in real time with feedback on intensity levels using a lighting system. During phase one, noise levels from three classrooms in the same school were measured over 36 h of classroom activities. For phase two, six…

This article contributes to the discussion on mathematics teacher reflection. Reflection was included in a study of the didactisation practices of primary school mathematics teachers as one of nine didactisation practices. The study involved five volunteer primary school mathematics teachers. A qualitative design-research approach was designed…

Background: Research on teacher professional learning which supports teaching of reading and writing at the foundation phase (FP) is limited in developing countries, including South Africa. Aim: This article examines the ways in which three Foundation Phase teachers changed their practice during 18 months of learning from a formal university…

This paper explores novice foundation phase teachers' descriptions of their experiences in the liminal stage between being a student teacher and entering the professional world of the early grade classroom. The term "liminality" was popularised by anthropologist Turner (1969), building on the early work of Van Gennep (1960), in his work…

In this article we deliberate upon our way of facilitating focus group sessions with teachers concerning their views on inclusive education, by referring also to feedback that we received from the participants when they commented upon their experiences of the sessions. (The teacher participants were from three separate primary schools in South…

What teachers teach, how they teach it and when they teach it should be guided by the curriculum. This paper focuses on teachers' reports about how they integrate the curriculum documentation in teaching mathematics and statistics concepts. Questionnaires containing both Likert scale and closed and open-ended questions were administered to 75…

Teaching and learning processes have been developed through different methods and materials; nowadays the introduction of computers and other ICT tools in different forms and levels of education have been found to be highly influential in education system of different countries. The main objective of this study was to correlate Information…

Assigning teachers to a position for which they are not suitably qualified influences effective educational leadership. The paper reveals assumptions and misconceptions about the lived experiences of teachers in out-of-field positions and what it means for effective educational leadership. The multilayered meaning of out-of-field teaching for…

Scientific literacy should be promoted through the teaching of science from Grade R and for this to happen, teachers need to understand what science should be taught and how it should be taught. This interpretive, qualitative study explores the degree to which four foundation phase teachers interpret the life skills programme with regard to the…

Mathematics learning and teaching continues to be a challenge in the South African education system. This challenge is observed in the poor performance of students in national and international assessments. Research suggests that teachers' content knowledge and knowledge of teaching mathematics contribute significantly to students' performance. In…