Experiences of grade 9 educators regarding the implementation of the curriculum and assessment policy statement : a case study in the Sarah Baartman District

Abstract

This study investigated the experiences of 10 Grade 9 Post Level 1 (PL1) educators regarding the implementation of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) in a specific school in the Sarah Baartman District since it was introduced in 2014 for Grade 7-9 and Grade 12. South African schools have gone through several curriculum transformations over the past 23 years. The Curriculum 2005 (C2005) was introduced in 1997 and educators had to implement the C2005 in their classrooms without the required training. Educators experienced several challenges during the implementation processes of the C2005, which included the complexity of the terminology, and complicated design features. Moreover, they were overburdened with administrative duties. The Department of Education (DoE) reviewed and streamlined the C2005, and in May 2002, the Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS) was presented to schools. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of the implementation of the RNCS was plagued by many problems experienced by educators. Main factors that impeded the implementation of the RNCS were educator training and development, educator consultation and participation, additional educator workload and lack of resources. These issues urged the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to review the RNCS, after which the CAPS was introduced to improve teaching and learning. This research utilises the Concerns Based Adoption Model (CBAM) in its theoretical analytical framework. I used the interpretivist paradigm and applied a qualitative approach. A case study research design was also employed. The participants for this study were 10 Grade 9 PL1 educators teaching in the Senior Phase (SP) at the same school in the Sarah Baartman District. The data collection instruments used to collect data were semi-structured interviews and document analysis. The data collection processes were hindered by the global COVID-19 pandemic that we were facing at the time of writing. Due to challenges in the form of COVID-19 surges faced by schools, the initial classrooms observations could not take place. The data gathered and generated were analysed through three different content analysis procedures, namely the six-step guide, the qualitative analysis procedures, and word cloud analysis to ensure the trustworthiness of the collected data. This study concludes and draws attention to the experiences of educators and challenges faced regarding the implementation of the CAPS in Grade 9. This study envisions that Care and Support for Teaching and Learning (CSTL), Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) and South African Schools Administration and Management System (SASAMS) are some of the existing programmes that can be incorporated to assist the Schools Management Teams (SMTs) and educators with the implementation processes of the CAPS. Based on the findings of this study recommendations are made for the improvement of the implementation processes of the CAPS. Consequently, this study recommends that the DBE, educators and SMTs from neighbouring schools and Subject Advisors (SAs) should work closely together to assist with the implementation of the CAPS. Schools should integrate the implementation of the CAPS in their annual planning. Existing supporting structures (CSTL, IQMS and SASAMS) should be utilised optimally by schools to assist with the implementation of the CAPS, especially in the SP.

Hierdie studie het die ervaringe van 10 graad 9-opvoeders op posvlak 1 (PL1) ondersoek met betrekking tot die implementering van die Kurrikulum- en Assesseringbeleidsverklaring (KABV) in 'n spesifieke skool in die Sarah Baartman-distrik sedert KABV in 2014 vir grade 7 tot 9 en 12 geïmplementeer is. Suid-Afrikaanse skole is die afgelope 23 jaar deur verskeie kurrikulumtransformasies. Kurrikulum 2005 (K2005) is in 1997 bekendgestel en opvoeders moes dit sonder die nodige opleiding in hul klasse implementeer. Opvoeders het verskeie uitdagings beleef tydens die implementeringsprosesse vir K2005, behalwe vir die kompleksiteit van die terminologie en die ingewikkelde ontwerp, en was opvoeders ook oorweldig deur administratiewe pligte. Gevolglik het die Departement van Onderwys K2005 hersien en gewysig en in Mei 2002 die Hersiene Nasionale Kurrikulumverklaring (HNKV) aan skole voorgelê. Ongelukkig het opvoeders baie probleme ervaar met die doeltreffendheid van die implementering van HNKV. Die belangrikste faktore wat die implementering van die HNKV vertraag het, was opleiding en ontwikkeling van opvoeders, opvoederkonsultasie en -deelname, addisionele opvoederwerklas en tekort aan hulpbronne. Hierdie kwessies het die Departement van Basiese Onderwys (DBO) aangespoor om die HNKV te hersien, wat tot die bekendstelling van KABV gelei het om onderrig en leer te bevorder. Hierdie navorsing gebruik die belanggebaseerde aanpassingsmodel vir die teoretiese ontledingsraamwerk. Die vertolkingsparadigma en 'n kwantitatiewe benadering is toegepas en 'n gevallestudienavorsingsontwerp is gebruik. Tien graad 9-opvoerders (PL1) wat in die senior fase by dieselfde skool in die Sarah Baartman-distrik skoolhou, het aan die studie deelgeneem. Semigestruktureerde onderhoude is gebruik om data te versamel, gevolg deur dokumentontleding. Die dataversamelingsprosesse is die deur globale Covid-19-pandemie vertraag. Skole se uitdagings as gevolg van die Covid-19-virus het veroorsaak dat die aanvanklike klaskamerwaarneming nie kon plaasvind nie. Nietemin is die versamelde en gegenereerde data deur drie verskillende inhoudontledingsprosedures ontleed, naamlik die ses-stap-riglyne, die ontledingsprosedures wat Menter, Elliot, Hulme en Lowden aanbeveel en woordwolkontleding om die betroubaarheid daarvan te verseker. Hierdie studie sluit af deur aandag te vestig op die ervaringe van opvoeders en die uitdagings om KABV in graad 9 te implementeer. Hierdie studie voorsien ook dat hulp en ondersteuning vir onderrig en leer, die geïntegreerde gehaltebestuurstelsels en die Suid-Afrikaanse skole-administrasie en bestuurstelsel – 'n paar van die bestaande programme – geïnkorporeer kan word om skoolbestuurspanne (SBS'e) en opvoeders te help met die implementeringprosesse van KABV. Op grond van hierdie studie se bevindings, word aanbevelings gemaak vir die verbetering van die KABV-implementeringsproses. Gevolglik beveel hierdie studie aan dat die DBO, opvoeders en SBS'e van naburige skole, en vakadviseurs nou moet saamwerk om te help met die KABV-implementering. Skole moet KABV-implementering by hul jaarbeplanning integreer. Verder moet hulpstrukture optimaal by skole gebruik word om KABV te implementeer, veral in die senior fase.

Olu phando luphengulule amava ootitshala abali-10 abakwiNqanaba loku-1(PL 1) beBanga le- 9 ngokubhekisele ekuphunyezweni kweNkcazelo yoMgaqo-nkqubo weKharityhulam noHlolo (CAPS) kwisikolo esithile saseSarah Baartman oko kwaqaliswa iCAPS kumaBanga 7- 9 no-12 ngowama-2014. Izikolo zaseMzantsi Afrika zidlule kwiinguqulelo ezininzi zekharityhulam kule minyaka ingama-23 idlulileyo. Ikharityhulam 2005 (C2005) yaqaliswa ngowe-1997 kwaye kwafuneka ukuba ootitshala bayisebenzise kumagumbi okufundela ngaphandle kokuba bafumane uqeqesho olufunekayo. Ootitshala bafumana imingeni eliqela ngexesha lokumiselwa kweenkqubo zika-C2005, kubandakanywa ukuntsonkotha kwesigama kunye nemiba yoyilo enzima, kwaye nootitshala babesindwa ngumsebenzi wolawulo lwezifundo. ISebe lezeMfundo (DoE) emva koko laye layiqwalasela ngokutsha, layihlaziya i-C2005. NgekaCanzibe wama-2002, iNkcazo yeKharityhulam yeSizwe eHlaziyiweyo (RNCS) yaziswa ezikolweni. Ngelishwa ukusebenza kakuhle kwe-RNCS kwathwaxwa ziingxaki ezininzi ezafunyanwa ngootitshala. Ezona ngxaki zaziphambili ekuphumezeni iRNCS yayikukungaqeqeshwa nokungaphuhliswa kwezakhono zootitshala, ukungabonisani notitshala kunye nokungabaniki thuba lokuthatha inxaxheba ekuyiqulunqeni, ukongezwa komthwalo wootitshala kunye nokunqongophala kwemithombo yolwazi. Ngokuqhutywa yile miba ingentla, iSebe leMfundo esiSiseko (i-DBE) layihlaziya i-RNCS, nto leyo eyakhokela ekungenisweni kweCAPS ngenjongo yokuphucula ukufunda nokufundisa. Olu phando lusebenzisa indlela yokuphanda eyaziwa ngokuba yiConcerns-Based Adoption Model (i-CBAM) kwisakhelo sohlalutyo lweethiyori. Lukwasebenzisa indlela yophando esekelwe ekutolikeni okwahlukeneyo nendlela yophando ngokuzathuza, kwanesifundo esingumzekelo. Abathathi nxaxheba kolu phando ngootitshala abali-10 beBanga le-9 abafundisa kwiSigaba esiPhezulu (i-SP) kwisikolo esinye kwisithili iSarah Baartman. Kwasetyenziswa udliwano ndlebe nabaninzi njengezixhobo zokuqokelela idatha, kwalandeliswa ngohlalutyo lwamaxwebhu. Iinkqubo zokuqokelelwa kwedatha zithintelwe sisibetho se-COVID-19 sehlabathi esijamelene noMzantsi Afrika ngoku. Ngenxa yemiceli mngeni ebangelwe yiCOVID-19 esajongene nezikolo nangoku, ukuqwalaselwa kwasekuqaleni kwamagumbi okufundela akukwazanga ukwenzeka. Noxa kunjalo ulwazi oluqokelelweyo luye lwahlalutywa, kusetyenziswa iinkqubo zohlalutyo ezintathu, ezisisikhokelo samanyathelo amathandathu (Six Step Guide) njengoko kucetyisiwe nguMenter, uElliot, uHulme kunye noLowden. Kwasetyenziswa nohlalutyo lwamagama ngamagama ukuqinisekisa ukuthembeka kwezi ndlela zohlalutyo. Esi sifundo siqukumbela ngokutsalela ingqalelo kumava ootitshala nakwimingeni abajongene nayo malunga nokuphunyezwa kweCAPS kwiBanga le-9. Olu phando lukwajonga ukuba iinkqubo ezifana noKhathalelo neNkxaso yokuFunda (i-Care and Support for Teaching and Learning -CSTL), iNkqubo Ehlanganisiweyo Yolawulo Lomgangatho Onguwo, (i-Integrated Quality Management System - IQMS), iNkqubo yoLawulo lweZikolo zaseMzantsi Afrika (SASAMS) – njengezinye zeenkqubo esele zikho – zinokubandakanywa ukunceda amaqela aLawula iZikolo (SMTs) nootitshala ekusebenziseni iinkqubo ze-CAPS. Ngokusekwe kwiziphumo zolu phononongo, iingcebiso zenziwe ukuphucula iinkqubo zokuphunyezwa kweCAPS. Ngenxa yoko, olu phononongo lucebisa ukuba i-DBE, ootitshala nee-SMTs ezivela kwizikolo ezikufutshane, kunye naBacebisi ngeziFundo (ii-Subject Avdisors) kufuneka basebenze ngokusondeleleneyo ukunceda ukuphumeza iCAPS. Izikolo kufuneka zingenise ukuphunyezwa kweCAPS kwisicwangciso sonyaka. Ngaphezulu, iinkqubo zokuxhasa, (i-STL, i-IQMS kunye ne-SASAMS) kufuneka zisetyenziswe ngokuzeleyo zizikolo ekuncediseni ukuphunyezwa kwe-CAPS, ngakumbi kwiSigaba Esiphezulu (i-SP).