In South Africa little research has been conducted into bullying and particularly into South African educators' experiences of school bullying. In an attempt to address this hiatus in the literature on bullying, I report on an investigation into Free State educators' experiences and recognition of school bullying. The research instrument was an…

Estimates suggest that approximately 12% of South Africans are HIV positive. As a result of the rapid increase of infections in the mid-1990s and the concomitant increase in HIV/AIDS-related deaths, it is estimated that 13% of children have lost one or both parents due to AIDS. In this study data were obtained by open-ended written accounts by…

A two year study investigating the state of pre-service teachers' (PTs') (n=224), teachers' (n=18) and students' knowledge (n=123) of Grade 7 geometry (using the van Hiele theory (1986) and acquisition scales of Gutierrez, Jaime & Fortuny (1991)) is reported. Results indicate that both teachers and PTs fail to reach the expected level of…

Parental involvement was surveyed in 20 Soweto (South Africa) elementary and secondary schools. Responses of head teachers indicate that parental involvement is related to compensating for deficiencies of the system and not to school management or the content of education. Obstacles to parent participation, including low literacy, are identified.…

This report on the training of both primary and secondary school mathematics teachers in the Republic of South Africa (RSA) describes the position as it was in July 1974. Chapters include: (1) introductory remarks; (2) the training of primary school mathematics teachers at universities in the RSA; (3) the training courses of primary school…

Roles of women teachers and community control of teachers were studied in 1989-90 for 30 urban and 30 rural teachers in Lebowa, a unit of the Transvaal (South Africa). Under apartheid, female teachers were controlled by often-hostile committees and committee members who were frequently illiterate themselves. (SLD)

We identify current stressors in the professional lives of South African secondary school educators. The study was exploratory, using a questionnaire, which listed 19 possible causes of stress and was completed by 987 educators from all racial groups and provinces in the country. South African educators in general currently experience the…

Discusses a project that investigated the dynamics of multilingualism and mathematics teaching and learning in secondary level South African schools. Interviews with six teachers in three classrooms in three different types of schools indicated that teachers had developed strategies to handle multilingual learners, though they produced certain…

The following essay explores aspects of my professional identity as a teacher of English, presenting a focus on "the reflexive project of the self" (Goodson, 1998). I argue for the way rich professional learning can occur by keying into a discourse that values penetrating reflection on classroom practice, teacher identity, self and…

This study examined secondary school teachers' perceptions of their school-level environment and its influence on implementation of outcomes-based education (OBE). Participating schools were in South Africa's Limpopo Province (one of its poorest rural provinces) and were implementing Curriculum 2005, a new outcomes-based approach to teaching and…

This article arises from a broader study that investigates the benefits and forms of mathematical writing and written texts produced by twelve- to thirteen-year-old students in grade seven classes in six junior high schools in KwaZulu-Natal, particularly in the context of major curriculum changes within South Africa, These recent changes in…

Highlights the recent history of South African education using life histories of two black teachers (one beginning and one experienced) whose careers as students and then teachers evolved against a backdrop of social and political conflict. The article considers ways that selected theories of oppression and resistance explain or fail to explain…

A study examined disparity and resulting conflict in learning and teaching styles of high school teachers (n=29) and students (n=299) in South African province. The majority of teachers were intuitive and introverted, preferring abstract ideas and independent work, while students tended to be concrete-sequential and extroverted, needing direct…

An analysis of the quality of South Africa's distance education for inservice teachers examines curricula dealing with educational theory, noting the narrow view of education theory generally presented. Interviews, course analysis, and data from the South African Institute for Distance Education indicate that the programs do not consider the…

The re-birth of South Africa in 1994 has brought the implementation of effective educational policies. Simultaneously, the Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) approach has been introduced to advance the teaching and learning of the Learning areas in schools in South Africa. This article focuses on the learning of English as a Second Language (ESL) in…