Browsing by Author "Mtshali, Muntuwenkosi Abraham."

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An exploration of grade 10 teachers' experiences of the new further education and training (FET) economics curriculum.
(2008) Mtshali, Muntuwenkosi Abraham.; Suriamurthee, Moonsamy Maistry.
Political changes of the post 1994 general elections witnessed significant innovations within the education sector of the Republic of South Africa. Most significant of these was the rapid transformation of the existing school curriculum into the new curriculum 2005 (C2005). This confirmed the removal of the unnecessary variations in the curricula used by the different departments, created alongside racial groups. This brought about new challenges for teachers as it was to influence their experiences of how teaching was to be conducted in the context of these changes. As a teacher of Economics, I developed an interest in seeking ways in which teachers could be professionally developed to teach Economics in the new curriculum currently implemented in the FET band, acknowledging that the Department of Education supported the new curriculum by a training programme in the form of a cascading model.
Exploring business studies teachers experiences of learning through professional learning communities in the context of curriculum changes : a case of five schools in the Pinetown district.
(2019) Khoza, Duduzile Siphelele.; Ngwenya, Jabulisile Cynthia.; Mtshali, Muntuwenkosi Abraham.
The purpose of this study was to explore Business Studies teachers‟ experiences of learning through Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) in the context of curriculum changes. In addition it sought to explore the experiences of teachers‟ professional learning in a PLC. Literature on PLCs has proliferated in the last decade, signifying the importance of collaborative learning practices. This study investigated the level of development given to teachers during the time of transition, the purpose was to find how professional learning communities can help in developing teachers. This was a qualitative study, located within the interpretive paradigm. A case of five schools in the Pinetown district about teacher learning in PLCs. Data generation methods included semi-structured interviews with five teachers. The findings of the research revealed that learning occurred predominantly in a collaborative capacity both formally and informally. Various modes of teacher learning were expressed: individual learning, collaborative learning, networking and mentoring. In terms of teachers‟ experiences of learning in a PLC, occurrences were mostly positive. One of the most challenging factors of teacher learning in a PLC was the lack of support that was afforded to teachers. In addition the lack of time, and work intensification, hindered successful teacher learning in a PLC. These findings prompted the need for more involvement from leaders to support teacher learning in PLCs which was expressed as one of the recommendations. Furthermore, it was recommended that leaders play an integral role in establishing virtual PLCs for teachers to collaborate with members within and outside their organisation, allowing for networking and learning from external social agents.
The representations of contemporary legislation in South African Grade 12 Business Studies textbooks.
(2022) Magwanyana, Thandokuhle Prince.; Ramdhani, Jugathambal.; Mtshali, Muntuwenkosi Abraham.
The purpose of the study was to analyse the representations of contemporary legislation in South African Grade 12 Business Studies textbooks. Critical discourse analysis (CDA) was used as a contemporary theoretical approach to qualitative research with a view to examining the use of words and sentences. Employing a qualitative approach allowed for the extraction of rich data from the diverse meanings that different textbooks assign to current legislation, as portrayed in Grade 12 Business Studies textbooks. Qualitative research is unrestricted and adaptable. The study employs Critical Theory (CT) to demonstrate how bureaucratic, cultural, and social power in society influence the representations of legislation, such that what may be known about legislation is subjectively shaped by the values and social positioning of the dominant group. The main focus of this study is CDA, a social analysis programme that examines discourse critically; in other words, how language is used to address social change. The analytical tools used in the study were ―Omission‖, ―Insinuation‖, ―Presupposition‖, ―Modality‖, ―Topicalisation‖, ―Foregrounding‖, ―Register‖ and ―Connotation‖, as employed by (Huckin, 1997, 91, 93; McGregor, 2003, 4-6). Findings from the analysis of six South African Grade 12 Business and Studies textbooks indicate that the use of power is still embedded in the written words, to maintain control of society by those in the elite. The findings also indicated that school textbooks lack neutrality. The implications of the findings suggest that the South African Grade 12 Business Studies textbooks are overwhelmed with issues of power and control and hidden messages, even though no explicit linguistic features are articulated at the surface level. Awareness must be raised among policymakers, textbook creators, textbook users, facilitators, teachers, and schools, to make power relationships and social group illustrations in textbooks more reasonable. Grade 12 Business Studies teachers treat school textbooks used in the classroom as if they are neutral. However, there is a need for teachers to critically engage with school textbooks and to examine how and why specific texts are written or presented in particular ways. Grade 12 Business Studies teachers, in collaboration with subject specialists, scholars, and policymakers, must examine school textbooks.
Students' experiences of online support in business management education.
(2015) Mtshali, Muntuwenkosi Abraham.; Suriamurthee, Moonsamy Maistry.; Govender, Desmond Wesley.
Learning using online technology has become a popular strategy for addressing diverse learning needs of students in higher education institutions. This strategy is often used to enable students in overcrowded classrooms to gain extended access to their lecturers as not all students are able to consult with their lecturers during normal consultation times. This study was also conducted in the context of a course offering with a large class size where students encountered problems with consultation times that clashed with other lectures they had to attend. The use of online support to complement face-to-face lectures in this course was inspired by the adoption of the Modular-object-oriented and dynamic learning environment (Moodle) learning management system (LMS) by the university as its official LMS. LMS was initially used as an online consultative-forum but was then used as a mechanism to support teaching and learning.by using its various functional properties. Case studies as learning activities were analysed and discussed through online chats and online discussion forums while assignments were accomplished and submitted electronically via Turnitin. Learning resources such as lecture notes and work schedules were also conveyed to students through the LMS. The purpose of this study therefore was to explore students’ experiences of online support in Business Management Education by pursuing the following critical research questions: 1. What are student’s experiences of online-support in Business Management Education? 2. How do these experiences relate to students learning in Business Management Education? 3. Why do these experiences relate to students’ learning in Business Management Education the way they did? Fifteen students in a BME second-year level of study were selected using phenomenographic sampling for purposive variation. This sample was varied according to age, gender, race, background and the regularity with which students engaged with the LMS during the semester. A Mixed-method research was used where a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods of collecting data were deployed. Phenomenography was used as an approach to qualitative research. This approach guided the methods according to which qualitative sampling was conducted, data was collected and also analyzed. A questionnaire was used as a means to confirm the validity of qualitative findings. The research process led to the emergence of the following categories of description as findings in phenomenographic research: repository of resources, support for learning, complexities of epistemological access, conduit for communication, the social effect on learning, and the cognitive effect on learning. The study proposes insights for pedagogy in BME. It goes on to suggest the design of a method of socializing students into online-supported learning, and also to augment the basic computer-literacy course offered to new students at entry level to include elements of online learning. It also proposes a shift from traditional ways of transacting teaching and learning in BME that heavily rely on face-to-face lectures, to include online learning. Importantly, the study deepens insights into the epistemological access challenges that contemporary South African students are likely to encounter. Finally, this study proposes a model for LMS mediated case-based pedagogy for Business Management Education.