Browsing by Author "Buthelezi, Zanele Gladness."

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At the policy-practice interface : exploring technical vocational education and training lecturers' educational reform experiences.
(2016) Buthelezi, Zanele Gladness.; Wedekind, Volker Ralf.; Mthiyane, Cynthia Carol Nonhlanhla.
This study investigated lived personal and professional educational reform experiences of Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) College lecturers at the policy-practice interface in the post-apartheid era. A literature search revealed that TVET lecturers’ voices in the South African context were a terra incognita, as they have been missing and neglected for decades. The study is a contribution towards filling that void. The study used a qualitative research approach from an interpretive paradigm. Open-ended life history interviews of 12 TVET college lecturers from two different colleges were conducted. The participants have worked in the sector for more than 10 years. Questionnaires were used to elicit lecturer biographical data. The main analysis technique used was narrative analysis. The study draws on a social theory by Norbert Elias, who emphasizes interconnectedness of relations amongst people, rejecting the homo clausus image of man. Findings suggest that educational change was complex and daunting for TVET lecturers. The experiences of TVET lecturers suggest that they were not adequately engaged during the conceptualization stages of the reform. Implementation had to start before they had familiarized themselves with the innovations, hence the lament that they were not ready. The reform was perceived as rapid and ephemeral. Rapidity led to the development of unrealistic timeframes, ambitious scope and inequitable practices in the distribution of resources. Educational reforms fell short of continuity and conformity to system norms and yielded a myriad of unintended and unanticipated consequences. Because of the prevalence of feelings of inadequacy precipitated by curricular changes, this study recommends that TVET lecturers be adequately capacitated. TVET lecturer development strategies need to fortify different kinds of knowledge such as disciplinary, tacit, pedagogical, work-place and knowledge of the heart, such as values, attitudes, intuition and situated learning. The study recommends that strategies to alleviate onerous administrative duties for lecturers be devised. The study recommends that solutions to NCV challenges, such as mixed ability classrooms, compounded student workloads, complex courses that are pitched higher than the level of the targeted student and lack of technical background, be found. The study highlighted adverse effects of prescriptive, top-down reforms which have been cited as silencing professional input. This study concludes that challenges could have been minimized if the lecturer was considered to be one of the key factors for educational reform to succeed. The study recommends that policymakers and college management utilize prudent participative and consultative strategies that include lecturers for enhancement of future policy conceptualization, implementation and evaluation.
Classroom experiences of lecturers in implementing the new national certificate-marketing : life histories of three FET college lecturers in KwaZulu-Natal.
(2012) Towani, Josephine Yandwa.; Buthelezi, Zanele Gladness.
The merging of 150 technical colleges into 50 multi-site Further Education and Training Colleges brought with it a lot of change; one of which was curriculum innovation. The latest curriculum to be introduced was the National Certificate (Vocational); a three year qualification aimed at providing a vocational qualification to those exiting at level 4 on the NQF. One of the programmes on offer is the National Certificate-Marketing. Several subjects make up this programme but this study focuses on marketing. The choice to focus on this subject was motivated by my years of lecturing on the subject, my involvement as an assessor and Head of the Marketing Subject Committee. The rationale of this study was to describe the classroom experiences of lecturers involved in the implementation of the National Certificate-Marketing programme. Data on the classroom experiences of FET college lecturers in implementing this new curriculum reform is absent. Out of four FET colleges that offer the National Certificate-Marketing programme, three colleges were chosen purposively. The sample comprised of two urban area campus sites and one rural area campus site. The theoretical poles underpinning the study are Phenomenology and Globalisation. Being qualitative in nature, the study sought to find the meanings that these lecturers have attached to their classroom experiences. To this end, Limited topical life history accounts of three FET college lecturers in KwaZulu-Natal were undertaken. The use of in-depth semi-structured interviews and photovoice as data collection methods were well suited to achieve this. The degree of flexibility that these methods offered enabled me to collect rich data that unveiled the classroom experiences obtained when implementing the new curriculum. The narrative approach was used to analyse the data. Main themes were drawn from these narratives and these were discussed in the last chapter. Both the findings and the discussion may have implications for management of classrooms, training of lecturers, and support for new lecturers and the enrolment of learners. In summary, the findings of the study suggest that lecturers have had a lot of challenges in implementing this curriculum including lack of proper initial training, inadequate resources, learner diversity, lack of commitment and enthusiasm from learners, increase in workloads, overly bearing recording and reporting processes and insufficient support structures. It was noted that these findings are similar to those of other education sectors both at home and abroad. In spite of these challenges, this study noted the enthusiasm, dedication, commitment and robustness with which the participants in this study have thus far implemented the curriculum. The ingenuity in their work and passion for their learners was also clearly demonstrated throughout the interviews and photovoice sessions.
An investigation into the use of pages of Learn with Echo newspaper supplement as an educational/pedagogical tool in classrooms of adults in the greater Pietermaritzburg area.
(2006) Buthelezi, Zanele Gladness.; Thomson, Carol Irene.
This study investigates the use of the Learn with Echo newspaper supplement as an educational/pedagogical tool in classrooms of adults in the Greater Pietermaritzburg area. The Learn with Echo newspaper supplement is supplied to many adult education centres in Pietermaritzburg and other areas once a week, but there is little empirical evidence of how it is used. Learn with Echo is a four page weekly adult literacy and basic education newspaper supplement. It is produced by the Centre of Adult Education at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Pietermaritzburg. This newspaper supplement was founded partly as a response to one of the deeply rooted social problems that we have in South Africa, illiteracy. This problem is prevalent particularly among older persons who were marginalised from educational opportunities during the apartheid era. Current national statistics reveal that about half the country's adults have less than nine years of schooling, and three million no education at all (Baatjes et al, 2002). This study worked within a qualitative, as opposed to a quantitative research approach and used interviews and classroom observations as tools to elicit data. The variety of techniques used enhanced the validity, reliability and authenticity of this research.
Is the curriculum used at two Ladysmith NGO sites relevant to the lives of their adult learners.
(2012) Ndlela, Monicah Thandiwe.; Buthelezi, Zanele Gladness.
In this study the researcher investigated the relevance of the curriculum used at the two Ladysmith NGO sites to the everyday life experiences of their adult learners. This study falls under a qualitative interpretive research paradigm where semi-structured interviews with the ABET Level 1 learners were used as tools to elicit data. The techniques and participants used in this investigation enhanced the validity, reliability, objectivity and authenticity of this study. The key research question that was used to elicit data is: • How is the ABET Level 1 curriculum used at two Ladysmith non-governmental organisation sites relevant to the lives of their adult learner? The research sub questions are: ~ What constitutes the ABET Level 1 curriculum at two Ladysmith non-governmental organisation sites? ~ What are the adult learners’ personal experiences and perceptions regarding the relevance of what they learn, to their everyday life experiences? ~ In what ways do adult learners think they have been able to apply and transfer what they have learned to their everyday life situations? The reasons to undertake this study are that the black people, particularly those in the deep rural areas, in the past were denied equal access to educational experiences and the accumulation of skills and certain qualifications. The black people’s illiteracy affected their everyday life experiences, since they could not be on par with other racial groups. Moreover, many black people have not had opportunities for choice of work, personal development and political decisions. The national statistics reveal that about half of the South African adults have less than nine years of schooling and about two to three million have no schooling at all (Baatjes, 2006 and UNESCO, 2007). From this study emerged that the curriculum used at the two Ladysmith NGOs is relevant to some of the ABET Level 1 learners’ everyday life needs. The findings also indicated that some ABET Level 1 learners were satisfied and happy about the additional subjects such as crop growing and vegetable gardening, income generation life skills and many more others that were introduced to expand their curriculum. Almost all the ABET Level 1 learners stated that they have gained a lot of knowledge, skills and self-confidence after being part of the ABET Level 1 classes. These findings are supported by Openjuru, (2008).
The role of the learning family in developing a reading culture among adults and children.
(2012) Mkhize, Jeffrey Siphiwe.; Buthelezi, Zanele Gladness.
The study was conducted in the rural area of Mthwalo, just outside Pietermaritzburg. This area consists of a learning community which is made up of a Public Primary School where the same premises are used as a Public Adult Learning Centre for the community after school hours. This study focused on two children who were registered learners in the Public Primary School and their parents who were also registered learners in the Public Adult Learning Centre. These participants form the central context of this study which is the learning family. This study was conducted in order to examine the role of the learning family in promoting the culture of reading as well as to explore how a learning family can enhance this reading culture to the benefit of the child, parent, school, home and the community. This study focused on family reading practices, assessing the reciprocity and the interrelationship between the parents and children as learners and as readers. The study investigated how children and parents as learners influence each other in developing the culture of reading. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather the first set of data from both the parents and the children who were the participants in this study. Interviews then sought to elicit the views of the participants on the reciprocal value of the learning family and how the family literacy practices enhance and develop the reading practices. The second set of data was gathered through observation. Homes of the participants were visited to observe family literacy practices in the home environment focusing on how both the environment and the practices contribute to the development of the reading culture. The findings of this study indicated that the learning family has huge educational benefits to all members of the family. Children are encouraged in their own learning by the parents’ direct involvement in education as learners. The study proved that the learning family has educational reciprocal value to the benefit of both parents and children. The study concluded that mothers have a significant role to play in promoting the culture of reading and developing habitual readers.