Higher education institutions (HEIs) are largely built on the assumption that learning is an individual process best encouraged by explicit teaching that is, on the whole, separated from social engagement with those outside the university community. This perspective has been theoretically challenged by those who argue for a social constructivist…

The ineffectiveness of community-based interventions can often be traced to problems that occur during implementation. In this study, we outline the implementation of a human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) prevention program in an educational setting in South Africa. An action research approach was used in the…

In South Africa, dominant discourses on research development are characterised by a technical-rational approach combined with a focus on the individual. Working from the notion that research is best characterised by the notion of communities of practice, it is claimed that more attention must be given to the building of intellectually engaging…

Much of the international research on Community Service-Learning has investigated the benefits, outcomes, and learning experiences of students already engaged in service-learning projects and programmes. As there is scant research on students' attitudes to and perceptions of Service-Learning, before this learning became integrated into an academic…

This interpretive study explored the qualities of six high-performing schools that served low-income South African students. The theoretical framework and methodology derived from research on effective schools conducted, for the most part, in the United States. Data consisted of interviews and classroom observations over the course of two…

Since most black communities in South Africa have been made powerless because of race and poverty, there is a pressing need to empower the individuals of such communities to take charge of their own destinies, especially in the area of early childhood education and care (educare). Current educare projects are often completely or partially…

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)

Examines the discourses of educational decentralization in present educational policy development (1994-1997) in South Africa with reference to the South African Schools Act (SASA). Explores the different understandings of educational decentralization; the notions of educational decentralization embedded in the SASA; and a manifestation of…

Focuses on the community disintegration caused by violence and conflict in South Africa. Examines the need for social reconstruction and development and the challenges facing community workers in the changing social and political context. (SK)

In a global society and economy, education and training is essential to a nation's competitiveness and to the standard of living of its people. The need to open the doors of higher or further education beyond the relatively limited enrollments in elite and selective universities has spawned a movement to develop or expand institutions that are…

The Department of Community Nursing and the Open Learning Centre of Technikon Natal (South Africa) and the community-owned Community Development Programme are collaborating to provide online learning to rural and urban community nurses. The project involves the development of a multimedia pharmacology course, a virtual Internet class, and the…

The main aim of this study is to provide an overview of the research that has explored aspects of access that surround formal state schooling. The specific focus of this review concerns research on the relations within and between schools, communities and local governance institutions and their combined influence on access within local contexts.…

It is common practice for universities across the globe to engage in some form of benevolent interaction with communities beyond the borders of their campuses. Current legislative transformation in higher education in South Africa, for example, urges higher education institutions to become more responsive to civil society through projects that are…

A study in the Vaal Triangle (South Africa) investigated the extent of Vaal Triangle Technikon students' participation in economic and social development activities on campus and within the surrounding community, identified community projects and development activities in which students might participate, and assessed student attitudes about…

Points out some of the mutually illuminating relationships that offer an astringent challenge to communication/community research. Argues that community mass media campaigns can be very successful when they are part of an integrated program that uses local celebrities, live meetings, and easily measured finite goals. (RAE)