Doctoral projects:
Jaime Alipo (Mozamique)
Thesis: The Role of Assessment in the Instructional Process -
A contribution to an Effective Assessment of Students' Achievement in
Basic Education in Mathematics and in Portuguese
Abstract: The main objective of this research is to contribute to
a better understanding of education and instructional process in Mozambican
schools. This will be done by assessing the process of instruction which
include teachers' strategy and students' performanance, and to encourage
teachers, administrators and educational planners to engage more in a
comprehensive assessment of students' performance.
John Mushaandja (Namibia)
Thesis: Professional development for school leadership in Namibia:
A case of four principals in school facing challenging contexts
Abstract: The thesis will focus on how the scholarship review
contributes to the development of research problems, and shows how the
research problems constitute a gap in the knowledge of training/development
for school principals.
Furthermore, the accepted authoritative and recent empirical findings
from the relevant literature are reviewed and used to form the basis for
the development of the study.
Dumisani Mkhize (Zululand)
Thesis: Perceptions and practices of learner rights in South
Africa
Abstract: Education in South Africa is faced with major challenges
and forces as a result of many influences, some of which could be traced
back, from the transitional stage and transformation, which took place
after the year 1994. Transformation after 1994 influenced challenges in
economy, politics, culture, and education was no exception. The changes
that effected the entire situation in South Africa and with particular
reference to education was pronounced through different education policies.
Such policies brought with them, learner rights. The socalled "Learner-rights"
are contained in the policies that are designed and interpreted by the
South African legislation
Lovemore L. Nyaumwe (Zimbabwe)
Thesis: Professional development of secondary mathematics teachers
through collaborative reflection in preservice and in-service contexts.
This study in teacher professional development looks at the problem of
preparing teachers who enter into the field with adequately developed
life-long pedagogical skills. In particular, it investigates the extent
to which the strategy of collaborative reflection
could be used with mathematics teachers within the Zimbabwean
pre-service and in-service contexts to develop their capacity to influence
their cognition and decision making through critical and objective analysis
of their actions during instruction. The investigation is guided by a
4-phase structural model of reflective action that is adapted and modified
from Kolb's (1984) theory of experiential learning. Case studies using
observational, documentary, and interview strategies is used to generate
appropriate data. A study of this nature should provide important insights
into the problem of the curricular gap often experienced between pre-service
and in-service phases of education.
Perci Monyatsi (Botswana)
Finished spring 2003
Thesis: Teachers appraisal: An evaluation of the current practice
in Botswana secondary schools
Abstract: This study is an evaluation of the effectiveness of
the current teacher appraisal system as practised in Botswana secondary
schools. The study sought to establish inter alia the relationship between
the current teacher appraisal and the day to day duties of teachers, the
extent to which it leads to improvements in the teaching and students'
learning process, how it addresses the staff development needs of the
teachers, and whether the mechanisms and procedures for the management
and implementation of the appraisal system in the schools is adequate.
Teacher appraisal was defined as a process of staff development aimed
at the professional development of the teacher through collegial interaction
in order to enhance the quality of teaching and students' learning. Other
strategies to achieve the effectiveness were also discussed in the thesis.
From both the literature reviews and the empirical research findings,
it became clear that:
- Teacher appraisal is a process and not an event;
- The clarity of the purpose of the appraisal process is fundamental
to its effectiveness;
- The training of both the appraisees and appraisers on the appraisal
process is crucial to its effectiveness;
- Feedback is a sine qua non for the appraisal process to be effective.
Mosimanegape Mokobane (Botswana)
Thesis: A curriculum with accent? A dialogic study of a centralised
curriculum and the experiences of the ethnic minority pupils in Botswana
schools.
Abstract:
Gunn Elisabeth Søreide
(Bergen)
Thesis: Construction of teacher identity
Abstract: The aim of the study is to show how teacher identity
is constructed and/or reproduced within teacher discourse(s) and relevant
institution(s). The theoretical framework is based on poststructuralism,
discourse-theory and theories about narrative identity, and the research
design is qualitative and closely connected to the theoretical framework.
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