Examining the instructional approach of the National Certificate Vocational Finance, Economics and Accounting curriculum in promoting employability skills.
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Date
2015
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Abstract
This study set out to examine the promotion of employability skills within one of the national
curriculum programs. The examination intended to understand the instructional approach of
the official curriculum design by examining the recommended instructional methods. The
intention behind the examination was to identify areas in which the curriculum could be
strengthened and improved. This study was underpinned conceptually by Instructional Theory,
as the focus was to examine the instructional aspect of the curriculum. The key research
questions intended to examine which employability skills and instructional methods were
potentially dominant within the curriculum, and the nature of instruction reflected by the
recommended methods. This approach assisted the study in being able to identify what
government envisages in terms of policy and what the implementation of the official curriculum
would potentially entail. The study examined the curriculum’s subject and assessment
guidelines, particularly focusing on the curriculum outcomes and recommended methods to be
utilized in achieving the curriculum outcomes. The study investigated the potential embedding
of employability skills within the various correlations: between the curriculum outcomes and
the recommended instructional methods. Hence the study utilized document and text analysis
as its method of collecting and analysing data. The findings do show commonality of
employability skills within the various curriculum outcomes and in some parts matching of skills
promoted by the instructional methods and those that would be potentially fostered by
outcomes. It was discovered that Self-management and Communication were the most
identified employability skills both within the curriculum outcomes and instructional methods.
The significance of this is that the curriculum is primarily student centered and relies
increasingly upon the student to manage their own work, if implemented accordingly. The
curriculum allows for more interactive learning and an instructor who has a clear understanding
of curriculum outcomes. It was discovered that this does have potential repercussions if the
factors within an instructional context are not accommodative enough and if there is
inadequate understanding of the implementation of outcomes. However, it did emerge that the
curriculum has a strong recommendation of the utilization of Tests and it has no definite
instructional nature.
Description
M. Ed. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg 2015.
Keywords
Vocational qualifications., Employability., Life skills., Economics--Curricula., Accounting--Curricula., Theses--Education.