Systematic Reviews of Research in Basic Education in South Africa


Book Description

Maringe ought to be commended for putting together an invaluable contribution to our understanding of research into a complex education system in South Africa. This volume provides a useful foundation to the current state of education quality in South Africa including the impact of interventions. It also brings to the fore challenges still facing education transformation. The evidence presented which, taken together, lays out a coherent view of how improvements could be made. Albert Chanee Head of Planning, Gauteng Department of Education For too long the weight of educational scholarship produced in South Africa has been limited to that simple and standard form called the literature review. Now, for the first time, education researchers are provided with an African-based text on the concepts and methods of conducting systematic reviews. In this exceptional work of editorship, Felix Maringe brings together some of the leading researchers on South African education to model and demonstrate how to review a significant body of research on a chosen topic which is adjudicated strictly on the basis of the quality and efficacy of the evidence in hand. I have no doubt that this remarkable book will become a standard reference for educational researchers in and beyond the African continent. It will also lift the quality of educational inquiry by equipping a new generation of scholars with the capacity for doing evidence-based research that compels the attention of policymakers, planners and practitioners alike. Prof Jonathan Jansen Stellenbosch University




Schools Effectiveness and Schools Improvement in South Africa


Book Description

This book provides a comprehensive account how school leaders conceptualize the notion of school improvement and school effectiveness in a South African school context. The various authors have critically examined crucial themes, accentuating school improvement and school effectiveness and encapsulating the pertinent perspectives of curriculum leadership, resource management, professional development, school administration, school development planning, inclusion and equity, student management and the role of school management teams. This book is targeted at aspiring and practicing school leaders, school administrators, policy-makers and scholars of school leadership and management across different levels who intend positively changing the education landscape of not only South Africa, but also other developing and underdeveloped countries.




Systematic Reviews of Research in Basic Education in South Africa


Book Description

Maringe ought to be commended for putting together an invaluable contribution to our understanding of research into a complex education system in South Africa. This volume provides a useful foundation to the current state of education quality in South Africa including the impact of interventions. It also brings to the fore challenges still facing education transformation. The evidence presented which, taken together, lays out a coherent view of how improvements could be made. Albert Chanee Head of Planning, Gauteng Department of Education For too long the weight of educational scholarship produced in South Africa has been limited to that simple and standard form called the literature review. Now, for the first time, education researchers are provided with an African-based text on the concepts and methods of conducting systematic reviews. In this exceptional work of editorship, Felix Maringe brings together some of the leading researchers on South African education to model and demonstrate how to review a significant body of research on a chosen topic which is adjudicated strictly on the basis of the quality and efficacy of the evidence in hand. I have no doubt that this remarkable book will become a standard reference for educational researchers in and beyond the African continent. It will also lift the quality of educational inquiry by equipping a new generation of scholars with the capacity for doing evidence-based research that compels the attention of policymakers, planners and practitioners alike. Prof Jonathan Jansen Stellenbosch University




Struggling to Make the Grade: A Review of the Causes and Consequences of the Weak Outcomes of South Africa’s Education System


Book Description

While South Africa has made significant improvements in basic and tertiary education enrollment, the country still suffers from significant challenges in the quality of educational achievement by almost any international metric. The paper finds that money is clearly not the main issue since the South Africa’s education budget is comparable to OECD countries as a percent of GDP and exceeds that of most peer sub-Saharan African countries in per capita terms. The main explanatory factors are complex and multifaceted, and are associated with insufficient subject knowledge of some teachers, history, race, language, geographic location, and socio-economic status. Low educational achievement contributes to low productivity growth, and high levels of poverty, unemployment, and inequality. Drawing on the literature, the paper sketches some policy considerations to guide the debate on what works and what does not.




Fending for Ourselves


Book Description

Zimbabwe celebrated its independence just over 40 years ago. While the nation is no longer young, its population certainly is: over 60% are under the age of 35. Understanding youth perspectives and experiences is therefore vitally important. Fending for Ourselves reviews the recent histories and realities of youths in Zimbabwe, offering a distinguished range of authors exploring issues of education, employment and work, the urban experience, involvement in the informal economy, mental health, and political activity. Importantly, the collection examines successive generations of youth in Zimbabwe to show how ideas, experiences and reactions to the social, political, and economic context have shifted over time. Many of the issues affecting youth over the past 40 years have been traumatic and distressing physical and mental abuse, declining employment and educational opportunities, poverty, ill-health and loss of hope but this collection underlines the agency and resilience of Zimbabwes young people, and how they have found ways to navigate the political, social, and economic terrains they occupy.




Multimodal Learning Environments in Southern Africa


Book Description

This book offers an important overview of technology-enhanced education in Southern Africa. With original research from Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, this book provides in-depth scientific scholarship focused on the dynamic multimodal learning environments in the region. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has largely had to adjust to remotelearning. Hence, the editors and contributors pull together important research on digital pedagogies and assessment to demonstrate how technology can be effectively employed for multimodal learning environments within the Southern African context. This book will be of interest and value to scholars of digital education, multimodal learning and education within Southern Africa and beyond.




Centering Whole-Child Development in Global Education Reform


Book Description

This volume offers critical analysis of national school reform policies intended to align with global agendas to promote educational quality and equity. By uniquely foregrounding the need for education reform to nurture child well-being alongside traditional measures of academic achievement, the book identifies common challenges across the Global North and South and extends insights provided by international student assessment data. Chapters offer a close analysis of reform practices in countries in Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas to consider cultural, social, political, and functional aspects which drive or inhibit the success of reform initiatives. Providing excellent insights into holistic education for children and youth, this book highlights lessons to support global efforts in providing high-quality, equitable education for the whole child. Developing international knowledge and supplementing international data, this volume will be of interest to students, scholars, and researchers with an interest in education policy, as well as comparative and international education.




KaziKidz Pre-Primary Teaching Material for Physical Education


Book Description

Being physically active has the potential to contribute to the development of physical competence and fitness, as well as to the cognitive, social and emotional development of the child. Therefore, our schools are key in making a meaningful contribution to the recommended daily physical activity guidelines of the World Health Organization. Physical Education (PE) lessons play a critical role in holistic childhood education and development. To make a meaningful contribution to health at schools, it is important for PE classes to be conducted on a regular basis. Quality Physical Education (QPE) across all of the phases in school develops the skills, knowledge and values necessary for life-time physical activity participation.




The Education Triple Cocktail


Book Description

The Education Triple Cocktail brings together rigorous quantitative and qualitative research on a new approach to improving foundational teaching and learning for schoolchildren living in working-class, poor and remote rural communities in resource-constrained systems like South Africa. At the core of this book is the theory and evidence for a powerful, new, interlocking and mutually reinforcing change model. Inspired by the AIDS treatment story, the three-pronged approach of structured daily lesson plans, appropriate and high-quality educational materials, and one-on-one instructional coaching to help teachers transform their instructional practices in early grade classrooms, shows that it will improve learning outcomes. For education systems defined by low levels of early grade learning and profoundly unequal outcomes, The Education Triple Cocktail offers a theoretically informed, evidence-based way forward. This book will be of immense use to teachers, students of Education, policymakers and parents.




Tracking Changes in South African Reading Literacy Achievement


Book Description

Reading has been touted as the most crucial and lacking skill for young South African children. This book delves into the issues and measurement considerations surrounding reading literacy using the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) data. The contributors to this volume explore the complexities of measuring reading literacy with an international survey, curricula misalignment, and how the PIRLS framework can inform teaching and learning. Contributors are: Caroline Böning, Celeste Combrinck, Peter Courtney, Martin Gustafsson, Nompumelelo L. Mohohlwane, Nangamso Mtsatse, Elizabeth Pretorius, Karen Roux, Claudia Schreiner, Tobias Schroedler, Nick Taylor, Stephen Taylor, Surette van Staden and Hans Wagemaker.