Education Studies

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An investigation into the effects of coaching on non-verbal intelligence tests on European, Indian and African children.
(1958) Lloyd, Frances.
No abstract available.
The importance of primary social groups for health education.
(1959) Steuart, Guy Walter.
No abstract available.
A study of the philosophy and practice in the education of the South African Hindu.
(1959) Rambiritch, Birbal.; Beresford, Harold Beaumont.
Abstract not supplied.
An analysis of the home conditions in relationship to poor academic achievement of Indian students in a Natal high school.
(1960) Gopaulsingh, Rughbur Raj.; Lloyd, Frances.; Schmidt, Wilfred H. O.
Abstract not available.
A study of three current problems of Indian education.
(1961) Ramphal, Chanderpaul.; Schmidt, Wilfred H. O.
PROJECT I – Questionnaires answered by a number of suitably experienced Indian teachers revealed that there was a wide-spread conviction that pupils in Indian afternoon schools did not and could not work at their full mental potential because they had lost their morning freshness and were tired and unfit for school work in the afternoon. To check this, 144 pupils of an afternoon school were tested on intellectual tasks in the morning and in the afternoon in order to ascertain whether there were any significant differences in performance between the two sessions. Tests of vocabulary, intelligence, mechanical arithmetic, and paragraph comprehension were used. Performance during the two sessions was compared in respect of actual scores, accuracy, gross output, and variability on the four tests, The data was broken down in several ways on the bases of age, intelligence, and educational level of the pupils for the purpose of making detailed comparisons. In all, 168 tests of statistical significance were carried out. It was found that on none of the measures did morning work show superiority over afternoon work at the .01 level of significance. On the contrary, six of the differences significantly favoured the afternoon. It was concluded that neither the morning nor the afternoon possesses any inherent advantage over the other for work of an intellectual nature in school. The apparent superiority of the afternoon on six of the differences (eleven, if the .05 level of significance was used) was attributed to the fact that the pupils used in the study were conditioned to schooling in the afternoon. It was stressed that motivation was of crucial importance in studies of this kind. It was suggested also that the drawing of a clear-cut distinction between fatigue and impairment would do much to clear the confusion that has characterised work in this field previously. PROJECT II – The purpose of this project was to investigate the relationship between bilingualism in Indian standard six students and their efficiency in English, on the one hand, and their performance in intelligence and scholastic tests, on the other. The following three working hypotheses were formulated:- (1) Indian pupils would score relatively lower than English-speaking Europeans in intelligence and scholastic tests that demanded a greater degree of familiarity with English than in intelligence and scholastic tests that did not require such a high standard of English. (2) Since Indian pupils varied in the amount of English they used in the home vis a vis the mother tongue (i.e., in bilinguality), those children who had a richer background of English would tend to score relatively higher in tests that demanded a high degree of acquaintance with English than those children with a poorer background. (3) Apart from the influence of the home, the varying levels of actual individual achievement of Indian children in scholastic tests of English (i.e., their "achieved" English) would, to some extent, be related to their performance in intelligence and scholastic tests which required knowledge of English. The sample consisted of 697 boys and 355 girls from 20 Government and Government-Aided Indian schools in Durban. A bilingualism scale revealed that degree of bilinguality was associated basically with the religious - mother tongue affiliation of the pupils, with the level of western education of their parents (negatively), and with the level of mother-tongue education of their parents (positively). Hypothesis (1) was consistently borne out. The Indian subjects scored significantly lower in the verbal section of the New South African Group Test than in its non-verbal section, by English-speaking European norms. The gap increased consistently as one went down to standards below six but closed at levels above standard six. In the scholastic tests also the Indian students scored lower in vocabulary and reading comprehension by English-speaking European standards than in problem and mechanical arithmetic, subjects which involved English less directly. Hypothesis (2) was consistently negatived. With age and socio-economic status neutralised, there appeared no significant correlation between either non-verbal, verbal or combined intelligence test scores and degree of bilingualism in both sexes. Similarly, with age, socio-economic status and sex neutralised, no significant correlation was discovered between scores in all the four scholastic tests used and degree of bilinguality. The conclusion was that though the Indian standard six pupils were retarded in English by English-speaking European standards (as indicated in the testing of Hypothesis (1)), their degree of bilingualism had little or nothing to do with such retardation. Hypothesis (3) was confirmed. Ability in vocabulary and in reading comprehension was found to be significantly associated with goodness of performance in intelligence and scholastic tests, suggesting that schools would do well to pay special attention to the development of a good vocabulary and skill in reading comprehension. It was suggested that the reason for the grossly inferior showing of the Indian pupils by European standards in both the intelligence and scholastic tests must be sought in directions other than bilinguality.Figures were quoted to suggest that the key to the problem probably lay in the school-entrance age of the pupils. A full-scale investigation of this possibility forms the subject of the next project. A noteworthy feature of this project was that many items of incidental information of a social, cultural, educational and psychological nature came to light, that were as thought-provoking as the original problem undertaken, if not more so. Some of these certainly merit detailed study in the future. Examples of such findings are:-(1) The girls of the sample appeared to be a more highly selected group than the boys. They were younger in age, higher in socio-economic status, and their parents were more advanced in education both by western and eastern standards than the parents of the boys. (2) Matched for age and socio-economic status, significant sex differences appeared in the non-verbal, verbal and combined intelligence test scores, in favour of the boys. In the scholastic tests also, the sex differences that proved to be significant favoured the boys. (3) The most conservative Indian groups in respect of the adoption of English as the home language and in the provision of western education for their females were the Hindu-Gujurati, the Moslem-Gujurati and the Moslem-Urdu. These three were also the highest in socio-economic status. The most "progressive" were the Christian groups. (4) In spite of the restricted occupational range among Durban Indians, socio-economic status differences were reflected in both intelligence and scholastic test scores. (5) Performance in all the four scholastic tests was more highly correlated with scores in the verbal section of the New South African Group Test than in its non-verbal section, indicating that the former is a superior instrument of educational prognosis in the Indian situation than the latter. PROJECT III – A study of the relationship between the performance level of Indian pupils in intelligence and scholastic tests and their age of school entrance was the subject of Project III. The sample consisted of 1,693 boys from 12 schools in the alluvial flats area of Durban. In socio-economic status, this is one of the poorer Indian localities of Durban. The pupils ranged in age from 8.0 to 20.5 years and were spread out from standard two to six. None of them had ever failed a class before, so that any overageness-for-grade was due solely to the fact that schooling had been delayed because of failure to find accommodation in the congested schools of the area. Besides its immediate, practical relevance for Indian education, the study had a theoretical aspect as well. It was concerned with the nature - nurture problem and sought to show the extent to which a single environmental factor, namely, schooling, could influence performance in intelligence and attainment tests within the same ethnic group. The investigation was undertaken from three angles, each with its own working hypothesis. They were labelled (a) the study of relative retardation, (b) the study of relative educability, and (c) the study of relative progress. The hypotheses, respectively, were as follows:- (a) Of a group of pupils of the same age but varying in school standard, those in the upper grades will achieve higher raw scores in mental and scholastic tests than those in the lower grades, other things equal. (b) Of a group of pupils in the same school standard but varying in age, the older, presumably more advanced in mental age and experience, will achieve higher raw scores in mental and scholastic tests than the younger other things equal. (c) Given a group of late-(older children) and a group of early-starters (younger children) in standard two, the older, by virtue of their advantage in chronological and, presumably, mental age, will show greater progress from grade to grade and finish at standard six at a significantly higher level of mental and scholastic attainment than the younger, other things equal. Hypothesis (a) was tested by the technique of partial correlation and Hypothesis (b) by means of chi-square tests and one-way analyses of variance. It was not found necessary to apply any test of statistical significance in the study of Hypothesis (c). The instruments used were a questionnaire, the Progressive Matrices Test of intelligence, the New South African Group Test of intelligence (non-verbal and verbal), and scholastic tests of vocabulary, problem arithmetic and mechanical arithmetic. A scale for the measurement of socio-economic status was also designed to match pupils for home background (and, indirectly therefore, for parental intellectual level). Hypothesis (a) was confirmed consistently at three age levels. Pupils in the upper grades scored progressively higher in terms of I.Q.'s, raw intelligence-test scores and raw attainment-test scores than those in the lower grades but of the same age. The powerful effect of schooling as a factor in determining performance level in both intelligence and attainment tests was brought out in clear-cut terms. Hypothesis (b) was disproved almost consistently through all the four grades studied, the solitary exception occurring at the standard two level where the older pupils surpassed the younger in problem arithmetic. In many cases, the results were the reverse of what was hypothesized, the younger surpassing the older at significant levels of confidence. In the Matrices Test, no significant differences between the younger and older students appeared throughout all four grades. In non-verbal, verbal and combined I.Q.’S on the South African Group Test, the early-school-starters were consistently and significantly ahead of the late-starters in all the standards. With educational level fixed for all, chronological age became a handicap to the older. What was unexpected, however, was the fact that the younger students proved to be significantly superior to the older even in raw scores in the Group Test at the standard six and five levels from a position of more or less equality at standards four and two. In the scholastic tests also, the younger children in standard six scored significantly better than the older in vocabulary and problem arithmetic, and, in standard five, in vocabulary. There were no notable differences in performance in the other subjects at any grade level except that in standard two, the older boys headed the younger in problem arithmetic, as mentioned above. This evidence, in terms of raw scores, was interpreted as indicating not only that the older pupils were not superior to the younger in educability but that they were actually inferior in this respect in the upper grades of the primary school; that, in fact, the older, because of their delay in schooling, were stunted in mental growth and that this impairment became more and more evident with the growing challenge to the intellect of the higher grades; and that, therefore, the damage must be regarded as permanent. The results of Hypothesis (c) confirmed the conclusions of the first two hypotheses. The early-school-starters, after being somewhat behind the older in standards two and three went on to surpass the older boys by the time standard six was reached. There is some evidence that, below the standard two level, the older pupils are superior in intelligence and scholastic tests to the younger (in raw scores, not quotients) and that this superiority increases as one goes further down the grade scale. The crucial point seems to be standard four. It is at about this stage that the younger children seem to achieve stable parity with the older after which they draw ahead. In the sample of Project III, it was found that although parents higher in socio-economic status secured school places for their children at earlier ages than those of lower status, this factor was not significant in the determination of test scores when matched against the factor of age at school entrance. The investigation revealed that weakness in English was a significant factor, though not as important as believed in the past, in depressing Indian scores relative to Europeans in the upper grades. As one goes down the grades from standard six to standard two, the discrepancy between scores in non-verbal and verbal tests of intelligence becomes greater as command of English decreases. Nevertheless, even at the standard two level where mastery of English is weakest, grossly delayed schooling plays a more important role in lowering intelligence-test scores than does handicap in the language medium of Indian schools. The research confirmed two outstanding generalisations that have appeared in the past as a result of investigations among less-privileged groups, namely, an intelligence level below the national norm and a decline in intelligence quotients with increasing chronological age. It was pointed out that failure of the Natal educational authorities to provide sufficient school buildings to accommodate all Indian children of 5 plus years and above was causing serious and permanent damage to the intellectual growth of those affected and that, in the light of this finding, nothing less than an immediate regularising of the situation would be satisfactory. The study also brought to light how misleading results of interracial comparisons of intelligence levels could be if the factor of schooling, particularly of age of school entrance, is not taken into careful account. It was predicted that if Indian and European school children were matched for age of school entry, quality of educational facilities, language and socio-economic status, all alleged innate, racial differences in intelligence-test scores would disappear.
Some problems in the selection and preliminary training of non-European medical students.
(1961) Branford, William Richard Grenville.; Schmidt, Wilfred H. O.
Abstract not available.
A critical analysis of methods of selecting and streaming secondary school pupils and some suggestions towards solving the problem in Natal schools.
(1963) Shiels, Florence Helen.; Schmidt, Wilfred H. O.
No abstract available.
A consideration of some aspects of general education in the universities of the United States of America.
(1963) Williams, Aston Rowland.
The three major fields of human knowledge are the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences. An undergraduate, whose special interests lie in one of these fields, should be able to understand his own field in the context of the whole of human knowledge. This necessitates some knowledge of the other two fields. This practice is followed in American colleges, and is called in these pages ' general education '. Formal study is required of undergraduates in each of these fields? and the passing of examinations in them is a condition of graduation . The purposes of general education are discussed in the first chapter for the student as undergraduate , and for the man as scholar, for the man in his profession, for the man in the community, and for the man, and the woman, during leisure hours. This analysis raises the question as to what should be the aims of university education? and this is considered briefly in the first chapter, and more fully in the last. The first chapter concludes with an outline, which also is elaborated in the last chapter, of the widest purposes of general studies. These are, in the words of the authors of the Harvard report, to enable students 'to think effectively, to communicate thought, to make relevant judgments, and to discriminate among values ' . A ' liberal education' is defined in the last chapter as one which provides both the values of depth, which arise from specialist studies, and the values of breadth, which are to be found in general 'studies. Specialist studies liberate a man from ignorance and prejudice in his own field. General studies put a man on the road to freedom from ignorance and prejudice in all other fields . In point of fact, in the earlier chapters, the terms ' liberal education ' , 'liberal studies', 'general education', and 'general studies' are used almost as synonyms . This is inevitable, as the many writers quoted on this subject use these terms to mean much the same thing. The content of general education. programs is traced in chapter 2 . The major headings are: 2. 2, Harvard College; 2. 3, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; 2.4, Yale College; and 2.5, Columbia College . In each casethe contributions to curricula of the humanities, the social sciences, the natural sciences, and 'communication' are given. In chapter 3, however, the major headings are: 3.1, the humanities; 3.2, the social sciences; 3.3, the natural sciences; and 3.4, communication. Here, in each case, the uses made of these fields of knowledge in undergraduate curricula are compared with respect to two very different university colleges -- the College of the University of Chicago, and University College in Michigan State University. Communication in general education is such an important subject that a separate chapter (5) is devoted to it; this forms the one component of general studies which is invariably present. Chapter 6 deals with similarities and differences in general education programs in the United States of America. In the General College of the University of Minnesota, the emphasis is as much on social objectives as on academic aims. Next, the curricula of four new colleges are sketched -- and all have strong general studies programs: Michigan State University, Oakland; Monteith College in Wayne State University, Detroit; the University of South Florida; and Harvey Mudd College in California. This leads on to a consideration of the State prescriptions in California, with three examples: the State College of San Francisco, Stanford University, and the California Institute of Technology. A description of two well-known, but atypical liberal arts colleges follows: Amherst and Antioch. Berea College, like Antioch College, has a work-study plan, but of a different kind. Finally the programs of St. John's College, and Sarah Lawrence College are given, and they illustrate the concluding section of this dissertation in chapter 9 on the philosophical foundations of general education. One stands to one side of the Harvard pattern, and the second to the other side. The division of the fields of human knowledge into the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences is obviously an over-simplification. An analysis by Cassidy of Yale at the start of chapter 7 shows the relationship of the liberal arts and sciences to their professional applications on the one hand, and to their philosophical bases on the other. This leads on to details of the requirements of the professions in America in respect of general education in undergraduate studies: engineering, architecture, law, medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, business administration, journalism, music, and teaching. The opportunity is taken of tracing various methods of arrangement of general studies in section 7.23 on engineering education. Chapter 8 raises the problem of finding time for all the studies which should be included in undergraduate curricula. Should an extra year be provided? Indeed, is one year less a possibility? Opponents of the practice of general education usually avoid its challenge by stressing the time problem, or by saying that its values can be attained at the secondary school level, or after graduation through adult education. A study of examination papers from M.I.T. (page 111), Columbia (page 114), and Keele in England (page 232) will show that work at this level demands a maturity beyond that of the school- boy or school-girl, and requires far more time than the adult, burdened with employment and domestic responsibilities, could find. Other ways of escaping the challenge of general education are to look to possible alternatives~ living in residence, student activities, lecture series, the cultural background of a good home. It is contended in these pages that although these are valuable supplements, they are nevertheless inadequate alternatives. Chapter 4 separates the first three and the last five chapters through comparisons of Great Britain, Canada, and the United States of America. There is much incisive writing in Britain on the value of liberal education, of which, with certain exceptions, there occurs relatively little in practice. The Colleges of Advanced Technology have good programs of liberal studies. The University of North Staffordshire at Keele has a foundation year of general education, and what would be called in America 'distribution requirements', in the following three years. Beyond this, univerSity undergraduate curricula and British sixth form courses are highly specialized, but less so in Scotland than in England. Chapter 4 contains a full portrayal of British practice with respect to special and general studies. This has been given because a statement of British reactions to the challenge of general education, it is hoped, will serve to sharpen thinking on the subject. For the Same purpose Canadian views and practice are described; Canadian universities . in this respect are closer to those of Britain and France than to those of the United States of America. Reference is made also to Germany, Holland, Australia, and India, to show the geographic spread of discussion on these matters. It is hoped that this dissertation may be of value to South African university authorities, who are considering at the moment (1963) the possibility of an extra year at the beginning of the university Bachelor's course, and this point is mentioned in section 8.24 . The extent to which a country can reject the challenge of general education i s outlined in section 4.81; the South African prescripti on for subjects outside the field of specialization is usually framed in terms of not more than rather than not less than . The difficulties of implementing a general education program can be understood best with respe ct to universities where general studies are largely absent; here too South African practice providesin section 8.52 a useful basis for discussion. Finally, South Africa is referred to again in section 9.22 in an attempt to define general education, and to show what, at the very least, a program of general education must include to be worthy of the name. This study was made possible by a Leader Program award of the State Department of the United States of America in 1955, and by a Carnegie Corporation of New York travel grant in 1960. Two stimulating and memorable visits resulted. This analysis of general education has been undertaken in the conviction that 'thinking on this subject, and fundamental thinking, was never more necessary than it is today ' , to use the words of the University Grants Committee of Great Britain. It is hoped that these pages will indicate that the world has a great deal to learn about this matter from the United States of America.
A history of Michaelhouse, 1896-1952.
(1968) Barrett, Anthony McNaghten.;
The purpose of this thesis is straightforward: to survey the development of a 'private' school over a period of a little more than half a century. In the survey, I hoped to indicate the way in which the school developed as an institution: the main elements in its government and the way it was affected by changing conditions; to describe the main features of its educational programme: curricular and extra-curricular activities; and to attempt an assessnent of its achievement and an analysis of its distinguishing characteristics. The period covered is from the foundation of the school in 1896 to the resignation of F.R. Snell in 1952, the latter date being chosen chiefly because the distance proper to a thesis did not seen possible in a survey of this kind for the succeeding period. I have, however, also included a chapter on the precursor of Michaelhouse as relevant background infomation; and I have taken the story of the Old Boys up to the present, since most of them had been at school before 1952. Athough I have included an assessment of the school's achievements in the list of purposes, it soon became apparent that my aim should be more modest. The interaction of home, school and society is so complex that a proper study of the school's role, even in so obvious a matter as academic achievement and particularly in relation to such aims as leadership or religious development, would require a careful sociological analysis which would have made the thesis extremely unwieldy and for which sufficient information, especially on the earlier stages, was in any case not available. My more modest aim was therefore to place the development of the school and the education it provided in perspective.
'n Sosiaal-pedagogiese analise van die vryetydsbesteding van st. 8, 9 en leerlinge in Afrikaansmediumskole in Durban.
(1972) Landman, W. J. J.; Niven, John McGregor.
No abstract available.
An investigation into the suitability of the National Bureau Group Test for five-and-six year-olds as an instrument for measuring school readiness among a group of Indian children in Durban.
(1972) Ramphal, Anandpaul.; Behr, Abraham Leslie.
This study was primarily intended to ascertain whether there was any test already in existence in South Africa which was entirely suitable as a test of school readiness for Indian children. If there were no such test, could an existing test not be modified to make it suitable for use with Indian children? Or would an entirely new test be indicated? As a secondary, though intimately related matter, it was decided to discover to what extent factors such as schooling, socio-economic status and sex affect an Indian child's readiness for school. An examination of the existing group tests of school readiness in this country, showed that the National Bureau Group Test for Five-and-Six-Year-Olds (N.B.G.T. 5/6) was the one which was most likely to be suitable for use with Indian children. This test was therefore chosen for a more detailed study. In pursuit of the secondary aim it was decided to use two additional tests - the Raven Coloured Progressive Matrices (1947) and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test - so as to provide a broader basis for the conclusions than the N.B.G.T. 5/6 by itself would have provided. The total sample of 156 six-year-old children, chosen from the Western Area of Durban, comprised three groups: (a) Schoolers (N = 60) : At the time of testing this group had had about six months of formal schooling. (b) Preschoolers (N = 48) : At the time of testing these children were attending a play-centre. (c) Nonschoolers (N = 48) : At the time of testing these children had had no schooling, either formal or of the play-centre type. Each of these three groups consisted of an equal number of boys and girls. In each of these sub-groups there was an equal number of children of each sex from the high and the low socio-economic groups. A random selection procedure was used through- The study of the primary aim involved quantitative and qualitative analyses of the data. Spearman's rank-order correlation coefficients and z-tests were computed. In the case of the secondary aim the statistical procedures included the use of 2 x 2 and 3 x 2 x 2 analyses of variance in addition to t-tests and product-moment correlations. The results of the study were as follows: General Aim (a) : The N.B.G.T. 5/6, unmodified, is unsuitable as a test of school readiness for use with Indian children. General Aim (b) : (i) Experiences related to the classroom learning situation, formal or otherwise, exert an influence on a child's readiness for school. (ii) Socio-economic factors have a marked influence on a child's readiness for school. (iii) A child's sex does not have any influence on a his readiness (or unreadiness for school). It was recommended that every opportunity for the advancement of preschool education among Indian children should be seized. This would compensate to some extent for the missing stimulation of a good home, an important factor for the promotion of school readiness.
The developing trend towards short-cycle tertiary education.
(1973) Shippey, Theodore Clive.; Niven, John McGregor.
No abstract available.
A critical and comparative study of the preparation of science teachers at institutions for the education of Indian teachers in Natal.
(1975) Peters, Leslie Ernest.; Behr, Abraham Leslie.
The Problem: The problem investigated is the preparation of science teachers at institutions for the education of Indians in Natal. In this study a brief comparison of the preparation of science teachers is also made with some institutions in Great Britain and parts of the United States of America. Motivation: In 1968 the writer participated in a Summer Institute in Pennsylvania in the United States. It was there that he was exposed to modern science curriculum projects and new trends in the teaching of science. Being a lecturer in science at a college of education, he was motivated to examine current trends in science education and more particularly the preparation of science teachers amongst Indians. Methods and materials used in the investigation: The following methods were used: 1. For background information books, journals, periodicals, reports etc. were consulted. 2. To examine the position of science teaching at high schools and to find out some of the problems with which science teachers are confronted, questionnaires were used. Questionnaires were also administered to first year students at a college of education in order to get some idea of the teaching of science and its problems from the students' point of view. 3. Visits were made to various institutions in Britain and America to examine science education programmes. 4. Personal interviews were held with the lecturing staff at institutions overseas and at the Springfield College of Education and University of Durban Westville.
A report on juvenile delinquency in the Northdale area of Pietermaritzburg.
(1975) Ramdhani, M.;
Abstract not available.
A study of forecasting procedures and the use of methods of future research in determining the demand for and supply of teachers in Indian schools in South Africa from 1975 to 2000.
(1975) Nair, Ganesh Kitoony.; Behr, Abraham Leslie.
No abstract available.
A study of some recent developments in primary education in England.
(1976) Pretorius, Johannes Jurgens.; Hayward, F. J. D.
It has become a fairly common practice in Natal to borrow ideas from the English educational scene. No doubt this is to our advantage but perhaps not necessarily always so. It is possible that an idea is copied and pursued diligently here yet meanwhile, back at its source of development in England, the idea is fast loosing favour. It is necessary to sift the good from the bad before we borrow, and that can only be done by surveying the field thoroughly. The author of this thesis after spending a number of years in primary education was fortunate enough to receive a study grant from the Natal Education Department which enabled him to visit England and other countries, and study at first hand the primary schools there. The primary aim of this thesis. is, therefore, to examine some of the recent developments in primary education in England, to evaluate them and to consider the feasibility of adapting and utilising them in the primary schools of Natal. These developments offer an alternative approach to education and one that is closer to what we now know about children and the nature of the learning process. The English primary school offers hope to those who believe that because change is difficult, it is either an impossibility or it takes generations to bring about. This study should supply the answer to the question: "What is happening in British primary schools?", which Brian Young poses in Children At School - Primary Education in Britain Today (1). It may in addition minimise the chances of the merely faddish aspects being slavishly copied and avoid change for the sake of change. It may also be of assistance to those concerned with policy making in primary education, particularly in Natal, especially if they are seriously interested in exploring alternatives to existing patterns of instructions. The basic assumption underlying the whole study is that each child is an unique individual who is characterised by an unmatched set of gifts and limitations. While the approach adopted is a child-centred one, a confrontation with exclusive choices is avoided. It is not a question of the child or the teacher, children or subjects, subjects or an integrated programme, the individual or society, or freedom or discipline. The question: "How far do we need a concept of the educated man as well as the notion of the educated child?" (2), is very relevant to this study. Part One of this thesis is a discussion of. the various factors from which present-day practices have evolved. No historical account of the developments is undertaken, but a brief survey of the old elementary school is followed by a resume of the changing educational demands of a society which has undergone extensive changes in the last 75 years. Immense scientific and technological developments and the concomitant social and economic upheavals have called for new curricula, subject content and teaching methods. The role played by the progressives, a small group of avant-garde educationists whose views were considered eccentric in their time, is discussed in detail. The direct and indirect influence of educationists, philosophers and psychologists is more difficult to establish. This and the impact of official educational reports and Acts are also studied. Part Two concerns the purpose of English primary education. It is no theoretical dissertation on the aims of education. It rather attempts to establish what the primary school seeks to achieve for its pupils. The concept of 'being educated' is analysed and is followed by a discussion of what are termed immediate aims. Here attention is focused on the belief that primary education is to serve solely as a preparation for the education that is to follow and on the acquisition of skills such as reading, writing and arithmetic, and the ability to speak properly and listen attentively. Next follows a discussion of so-called long-term aims. Particular attention is given to the preparation of children for the society in which they will one day be adults; prerequisites such as adaptability and a critical mind are highlighted. The freedom of the individual and his place in society is examined. Finally, the opinions of teachers as reflected in a Schools Council exploratory study of aims, influences and attitudes, are briefly analysed. A comprehensive survey of every primary school in England by Her Majesty's Inspectorate revealed certain trend-setting schools. Part Three is a study of some of the recent developments that reflect the ethos prevalent in these schools. the blend of freedom and support where teachers and headteachers are relatively free to decide what to teach, how to teach it and the support they receive from a variety of sources, is discussed in detail. The move to what has become known as open or informal schooling and other features of these schools, such as the integrated day, team teaching and open plan schools are described. Part Four of this study concerns those aspects of English primary education that could with success be adapted and introduced into the primary schools of Natal. The features that are considered are the introduction of a more child-centred approach, the appointment of experts in primary education to decision- and policy-making positions, the in-service education of teachers, the fuller utilization of teachers' centres and the building design of primary schools.
An investigation into the extent to which certain psychological and sociological factors influence academic achievement among first-year students in the Faculty of Education at the University of Durban- Westville.
(1977) Gounden, Perumal Kistna.; Behr, Abraham Leslie.
No abstract available.
A comparative study on the impact of three academic development programmes at the University of Durban-Westville.
(1977) Naicker, Tholsiavellie Socklingum.; Suransky-Dekker, A. Caroline
No abstract available.
Planning and provision of school accomodation viewed against the background of the function of the contemporary school with special reference to the future needs of the Indian community in South Africa.
(1978) Nair, Ganesh Kitoony.; Bekker, J. H.
No abstract available.
A study of failure in school with special reference to Indian secondary education in Natal.
(1978) Naguran, Chinnapen Amatchi.; Behr, Abraham Leslie.
This is a study of the incidence of failure in Indian secondary education in Natal, in which academic performance was considered against the background of a number of variables such as socio-economic factors, family size, birth order, IQ, health, absenteeism, study and reading habits, parents' level of Western education, family income, participation in extra-curricular activities and certain behaviour and personality traits. A random sample of 1 787 pupils (1 092 boys and 695 girls) who wrote the Standard VII Academic Course examination in 1974 was selected from 16 Indian secondary schools in Natal. Data were obtained by administering a set of questionnaires to the pupils and the form-teachers. Data processing was done by the lCL computer service. The Chi-square statistical techniques was used to test for significance. The findings suggest that: (i) there are significant relationships between academic performance and the following variables: parents' level of Western education, religion, birth-order (especially among first-born boys) IQ and absenteeism; (ii) certain of the variables tested influenced the academic performance of the boys differently from those of the girls. These variables are family income, physical handicaps, reading habits and participation in extra-curricular activities. The trend was that these variables influenced the boys' performance more than the girls' performance. (iii) there were certain variables which were not significantly related to academic performance. These were: health of pupils, use of the library for borrowing books, fathers' occupation, having one's own room, family size, language commonly spoken at home and the number of times the pupils were transferred from one school to another Finally certain recommendations are suggested with a view to reducing failure at school.

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