Leadership, Stakeholders and Learner Performance in Four Western Cape Schools

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ursula Hoadley ◽  
Brian Levy ◽  
Lawule Shumane ◽  
Shelly Wilburn
Keyword(s):  
Western Cape ◽  
Learner Performance

scholarly journals Learner performance in the 2009 to 2014 final Grade 12 mathematics examination: A quantile regression approach

Pythagoras ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nombuso Zondo ◽  
Temesgen Zewotir ◽  
Delia North
Keyword(s):  
Quantile Regression ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Final Grade ◽  
Learner Performance ◽  
Performance Differences ◽  
Regression Approach ◽  
Mathematics Examination ◽  
Ordinary Regression ◽  
Significant Performance ◽  
The Government

The South African education system bears evidence of fluctuations in the final Grade 12 mathematics marks occurring across different learner profiles. This study reflected on the National Senior Certificate (NSC) mathematics results from the Western Cape Education Department for the years 2009 to 2014, the period just after the introduction of the NSC in 2008 and including the updated NSC introduced in 2014. Accordingly, this study aimed to examine the learners’ performance by socio-economic school quintile and education district for the period of 2009 to 2014, for learners in the Western Cape. Instead of the ordinary regression model, we adopted the quantile regression approach to examine the effect of school (national) quintile (NQ) type and education district at different quantiles of learner performance in the mathematics examination. The results showed that there is a significant school quintile type and education district effect on learner performance in NSC mathematics examinations for learners in the Western Cape. In some years, there were no significant performance differences between learners from NQ2 and NQ4 schools in the different quantiles. Similarly, learner performance differences for NQ3 and NQ4 schools were not significant. As we moved from 2009 to 2014, the performance difference between the lower school quintiles and the upper school quintiles narrowed, although the performance differences remained significant. These differences were smallest in 2013. This is a good sign, as it indicates that government efforts and policies, designed to narrow the historical social disparities manifested in the schools, have been somewhat successful. The identification and scrutinising of school quintile type and education district where the gap is wider will assist the government to review policies and interventions to accelerate the transformation.

Fit for Purpose: Using a Distance Education Approach to Support Underperforming Schools in South Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronica Irene McKay
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
Curriculum Reform ◽  
Mixed Methods Research ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Educational Design ◽  
Learner Performance ◽  
Poor Learner ◽  
Fit For Purpose ◽  
Additional Support ◽  
Content Support

This article explores the South African government’s national school workbook intervention aimed at addressing poor learner performance in the context of teacher under-preparedness and curriculum reform. It shows how the workbooks use a distance education approach to provide pedagogical and content support for teachers, albeit in the context of classroom teaching, to compensate for teachers’ pedagogical challenges. This article uses a mixed methods research approach to explore how teachers, learners and parents used the workbooks and shows that while the distance educational design scaffolded teaching, additional support is necessary to enable the intervention to be more impactful. 

ADOLESCENTS' PERCEPTIONS OF STRESSORS CONTRIBUTING TO SUICIDAL BEHAVIOUR

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 192-213
Author(s):  
Henriëtte Van den Berg ◽  
Hester Tancred ◽  
Dap Louw
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Family Environment ◽  
Family Relationships ◽  
Suicidal Behaviour ◽  
Stressful Life Events ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Peer Group ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
The Impact

South African adolescents show increased levels of suicidal behaviour. This article explores the perceptions of adolescents at risk of suicide regarding the psychosocial stressors they believe contribute to suicidal behaviour among South African adolescents. This study was conducted on 214 adolescents from the Western Cape Province with a high suicide risk. The group was selected on the basis of their high scores on the Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire. A qualitative content analysis was performed with their responses on a question about the reasons for adolescent suicide. The analysis highlighted risk factors relating to substance abuse, negative emotional experiences, lack of self-esteem, problem-solving ability and hope for the future; negative family environment and conflict in family relationships; peer group and romantic relationships; stressful life events; and socioeconomic factors. Guided by the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory suggestions were made for adolescent resource development to counter-act the impact of the various stressors they experience.

Gasteria langebergensis, a new status for a Gasteria from the Western Cape, South Africa

Bradleya ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 (37) ◽  
pp. 167
Author(s):  
E.J. Van Jaarsveld ◽  
B.J.M. Zonneveld ◽  
D.V. Tribble
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Western Cape
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