http://hdl.handle.net/10500/4671 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:12:21 GMT 2013-06-19T13:12:21Z http://hdl.handle.net/10500/9755 Factors influencing the migration of teachers from Zimbabwe to South Africa Weda, Zenzele Lungile Zimbabwe is suffering from an acute shortage of teachers mainly as a result of teacher emigration to South Africa and abroad. The southern migration of Zimbabwean teachers has received little research attention which has mainly focused on the migration of medical personnel. The purpose of this study is to uncover the factors that drive the migration of teachers from Zimbabwe to South Africa and to explain how these factors function within a grounded theory approach to teacher migration. To achieve this, a review of literature and an empirical study of a small sample of migrant Zimbabwean teachers resident in South Africa were undertaken. A constructivist grounded theory design was used. A theoretical sampling method generated a sample group of thirteen participants who were all qualified Zimbabwean teachers who had migrated to South Africa and been in the country for between one and five years. Data generation and collection consisted of two phases: in the first phase the participants were asked to write a life history narrative or provide a verbal narrative of their life history focussing on their migration. In the second phase they participated in individual interviews to clarify or expand on issues raised in the first phase. Three stages of coding were used in the analysis of the data, namely initial, intermediate and advanced coding. This led to the generation of a grounded theory on teacher migration. The grounded theory indicated that Zimbabwean teachers see migration as the best way to attain an ideal status. An ideal status is conceived to be the ideal interplay between the work conditions, standard of living and social esteem which teachers believe befits members of their profession. Depending on various criteria, teachers fall into one of the following status categories: further diminished status, diminished status, ideal status or ideal status surpassed. Migration is a drastic and demanding way to improve one’s status and it is adopted by teachers only after other strategies to this end have been exhausted. Weighed against existing theories of migration, the grounded theory contributes to understanding teacher migration and retention through the innovative use of the core category status. Sat, 01 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10500/9755 2012-12-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10500/9749 Problems in word recognition for grade 4 learners in an inclusive classroom in Ekurhuleni South, Gauteng Phala, Thembi Anastacia Lucky Reading is currently a great concern in South Africa with most learners reading below their grade level. In order to remedy this problemthe Department of Education (DoE) has launched a number of campaigns to ensure learners are continuously monitored and evaluated. The purpose of this study is to explore how Grade 4 teachers support learners with word recognition problems in an inclusive classroom. Grade 4 is a transitional grade from mother tongue to English as the medium of instruction in most of Gauteng schools. This shift creates a challenging factor when teaching reading. Although the teachers’ in this investigation were professionally trained not all were trained on how to teach reading and such components as word recognition and lack of strategies raised a major concern. The DoE (2005:67) also stressed that in applying teaching methods teachers should bear in mind that there is no single classroom in which all learners will be exactly the same or learn in the same way and same pace. Hence, teachers need to be creative when dealing with word recognition problems in order to be able to accommodate different learners in an inclusive classroom. In addressing the challenges faced this study uses Bronfenbrenners ecological system theory and qualitative research design to examine how teachers support learners with word recognition problem. The interview questions were firstly piloted with one of the neighbouring Grade 4 teacher. After the pilot study six Grade 4 teachers from four different primary schools were interviewed and observed and their documents were also analysed. The analysis used Creswell’s method and the finding highlighted factors which affect Grade 4 teachers when supporting learners with word recognition. The factors include the following: understanding the Grade 4 learner, curriculum changes in Grade 4, teacher training in the teaching of reading, teaching reading in Grade 4, addressing word recognition in Grade 4, insufficient district support, lack of parental involvement, lack of enough resources and time allocation and lesson plans. Based on the findings, recommendations were made on how to support Grade 4 learners with word recognition problems. Sat, 01 Jun 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10500/9749 2013-06-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10500/9743 The challenges experienced by teachers in identifying learners who experience barriers to learning in a rural full-service school in KwaZulu-Natal Mkhuma, Israel Lindokuhle Full-service/inclusive schools are new institutions in South Africa which have been established in terms of the Education White Paper 6 (Department of Education, 2001:22-23) as pilot schools for the rolling out of the Inclusion policy in South Africa. The purpose of this study was to explore the teachers‟ challenges in identifying learners who experience barriers to learning in a rural Full-Service School in KwaZulu-Natal. Teachers in such schools are expected to have skills and knowledge to identify learners and provide support. Most teachers in Full-Service Schools possess qualifications to teach in mainstream schools and depend on the Departmental workshops for the skills needed to identify learners and provide support. The identification of such learners was selected because it is the first step in the process of providing support to learners. Teachers should therefore have skills and knowledge of identifying learners in order to minimise bias, non-identification, over-identification as well as mis-identification. This qualitative study employed a case study design to examine teachers‟ challenges in identifying learners. Six teachers were selected for interviews and the SIAS documents were studied to confirm the findings from interviews. Inductive methods were used to analyse the data. Recommendations for future research studies were made. Sat, 01 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10500/9743 2012-12-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10500/9742 Job satisfaction of secondary school teachers in Ethiopia Gedefaw Kassie Mengistu Much research has been done on the job satisfaction of secondary school teachers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The aim of this research was to investigate factors that influence the job satisfaction of these teachers. A literature review of theories on job satisfaction was undertaken. In the empirical investigation, a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design was used. In the quantitative phase, the data collection was done by means of a self-constructed structured questionnaire that focused on four work factors that were identified during the literature review, namely salary and benefits, management, work characteristics, and interpersonal relationships. The stratified, random sample consisted of 300 secondary school teachers in Addis Ababa. The data were statistically analysed using the Statistical package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) computer software programme, and the results were appropriately interpreted. In the second, namely the qualitative phase, interviews were conducted with a sample of 10 teachers who were purposefully selected from a larger sample. The data were analysed by using the constant comparative method. The results make a significant contribution to new knowledge and understanding of current issues relating to the job satisfaction of teachers in selected secondary schools in Addis Ababa. The results indicated that the teachers were significantly dissatisfied with most aspects of their work. Salary and benefits emerged as the primary dissatisfying aspect of all the work factors. Other areas of dissatisfaction related to poor fringe benefits and opportunities for promotion, the management style of the principals, the lack of decision-making opportunities for the teachers, as well as the opportunity to develop personally, and the poor relationships teachers have with the principals and the parents. The data also indicated that teachers who were 50 years and older, were significantly more satisfied with their work than the younger teachers. Accordingly, teachers with 21 years and more experience were also significantly more satisfied with their work than the less experienced teachers. In addition, all four of the identified factors were found to have statistically significant correlations with job satisfaction. Qualitative data confirmed the quantitative results. Finally, recommendations were made in order to enhance the job satisfaction of secondary school teachers in Addis Ababa, and for further research. Thu, 01 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10500/9742 2012-11-01T00:00:00Z