The provision of quality basic education is essential as it can ensure that all learners have an equal opportunity to succeed in life. This paper discusses district officials' perspectives regarding some factors that impede the achievement of quality basic education in schools under their jurisdiction. Data were collected through semi-structured…

The purpose of the research reported in this article was to place the known facts of the topic of teacher participation in stress management in the context of management and leadership in education. The emphasis in the conceptual and theoretical framework was on showing points of connection between leadership and management on the one hand and…

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…

In South Africa's reception classes (Grade R), the harsh reality is that the sector is beset by serious challenges. As part of a broader professional development study, this article focuses on the actual operations of Grade R educators as they conduct mathematics lessons using video technology to record their teaching. An observation tool adapted…

Learner-to-teacher bullying is a focus area that has not been widely researched. The current research, underpinned by the ecosystemic paradigm, examined the proportion of teachers who reported exposure to bullying by learners. The study was carried out by using the Learner-to-teacher Bullying Questionnaire developed for this research.…

Poverty is rife in many African countries and this has serious implications for the provision of quality education. Rural schools face severe challenges that are unique to their environment. A lack of parental interest in children's education, insufficient funding from the state, a lack of resources, underqualified teachers, and multi-grade…

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…

This is an empirical qualitative interpretative multiple case study, which was guided by the question; what are the teacher's perspectives of the types and nature of practical work? Document analysis and interviews were used for data collection. The results show firstly, that teachers held faulty perceptions of the nature of practical work.…

We explored types and qualities of microaggressions or subtle forms of discrimination towards lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people among teachers in South Africa. For data collection, we used in-depth interviews. Twenty-five Life Orientation teachers, nine men and 16 women, from both rural and urban schools throughout the Free…

Introduction: Studies of school effect usually evolve around two major issues; understanding of the factors within schools that explain variation in students achievement levels, and how differences among schools account for the variation in their students' achievement levels. Given the limited studies of school effect research in South Africa,…

Education is seen to play a crucial role in the reconstruction of post-conflict countries, particularly in transforming people's mindsets and rebuilding social relations. In this regard, teachers are often perceived as key agents to bring about this transformative change through their role as agents of peace. This paper seeks to understand how…

In order to expand the body of knowledge on workplace bullying in South Africa the aim of this article is to report on findings from a narrative analysis. In this article the professional life stories of two teachers, who have been exposed to bullying by their principals over an extended period of time, are retold. The narratives describe how and…

Developments in South African labour legislation since the inception of the new democracy indicate serious attempts by the legislators to protect the interests of employees. The Bill of Rights has, concurrently, enshrined a variety of fundamental rights that, in principle, offer protection in the workplace. Despite this established, protective…

Digital technology for teaching practice students means the ability of student teachers to use digital artefacts as integral part of their pedagogical content knowledge. Student teachers need to be also aware of what implications this has for teaching and learning strategies plus the building aspects in the lesson presentation. A new approach to…