Suchergebnisse

The possibility of Christian education in South Africa after 1994Conditions in South Africa have become decidedly unfavourable for the continued practice of Christian education in schools. A culture of fundamental human rights has become firmly established, which, among others, has resulted in the arrival of a secular-humanist educational dispensation. The issue facing the Christian community is how to exploit the prevailing conditions for the survival of Christian education in the system. The research reported in this article has revealed that the new system hinges on four principles, and that an understanding of these principles can afford scope and latitude for Christian education. The four principles are analysed in some detail with reference to a Constitutional Court decision and recent legislation.

Although worker co-operatives form an integral part of the South African government's social and economic development efforts, these entities have so far not lived up to expectations. Based on the findings in previous studies, this research represents an endeavour to indicate that worker co-operatives have to achieve business success before they can achieve any social impact. For this reason, criteria for worker co-operatives to be classified as successful have been established and business success factors determined. The general conditions within South African worker co-operatives and the way in which these entities are managed and operated were investigated. The 111 respondent worker co-operatives were evaluated against the specified business success factors in order to establish the challenges they experience and management and operational shortcomings were investigated. Furthermore, a comparison was drawn between the management and operations of the more successful and those of unsuccessful co-operatives to establish differentiating factors. The article also contains a comment on the impact which these worker co-operatives would have on their communities, given their current circumstances. The results of the research clearly indicate the need for a different approach to worker co-operative development in South Africa. The article also aims to serve as indication of what possible future research is needed in respect of the management and operations of worker co-operatives.

The dilemma in vocational guidance in the new democratic South Africa is clear. The rapidly changing social, demographic and economic features of life in South Africa require the immediate provision of culturally relevant vocational services to historically disadvantaged individuals and groups - services which have been as yet non-existent because of the previous systematic and structural exclusion of persons of colour from the development of relevant vocational guidance tests and procedures. In this article the authors suggest the implementation of self-help vocational guidance instruments (SHI's) as a possible solution to the dilemma. An example of a self-constructed SHI is given as an illustration of how teachers can construct self-help instruments for their schools.

This article defends the claim that two conditions facilitate sustainable development, namely, a democratic citizenry, and social justice, and that in establishing these, the university is indispensable and ideally placed. With the use of an experiential, interpretive approach the article examines the social critique function of the university, as well as the role of the university in reinforcing a culture of democratic citizenry and thereby of promoting social justice. The last part of the article delineates the current global higher education revolution, and identifies the opportunities and threats posed by that revolution regarding the university's discharge of these two functions. The article concludes with a warning to scholars to be aware of both the opportunities for consolidating their scholarship and the concomitant threats to their academic autonomy. ; http://www.sajhe.org.za/

As a result of the era of civil disobedience associated with the struggle for freedom and democracy discipline in many schools has deteriorated. The persistent lack of discipline in all South African schools can only be countered by means of a wise application of discipline. Application of "discipline" according to the standard dictionary meanings of the word will, however, not be appropriate since it implies a clamp-down on disruptive behaviour, including punishment, chastisement and retribution. Discipline associated with the paideia ideal of well-educatedness and of the educator as the servant of his learners (paidagogos), though within the context of a reformational perspective of discipline on the other hand, will be more suitable.

Teacher security as a pre-condition for adding pedagogical value to teaching in schools Since 1994 the new political dispensation in South Africa has led to several disruptions in the education system. Teachers have not escaped the effects of this disruption, and many teachers manifest symptoms of insecure behaviour. Because of their insecurity, many teachers are unable to add pedagogical value to their teaching efforts. The disruption they are currently experiencing is, however, by no means more radical or acute than in other periods in South African history. A number of guidelines are offered by means of which (teachers' perceptions of) teacher security can be improved. This is done on the premise that strengthening teacher security and safety will not only enable teachers to understand their divine calling as well as the nature of pedagogical involvement with learners, but will indeed motivate them to also apply pedagogical principles and insight in actual classroom practice.

This article defends the claim that two conditions facilitate sustainable development, namely a democratic citizenry and social justice, and that in establishing these, the university is indispensible and ideally placed. With the use of an experiential, interpretive approach the social critique function of the university is examined, as well as the role of the university in reinforcing a culture of democratic citizenry and thereby of promoting social justice. The last part of the article delineates the current global higher education revolution, and identifies the opportunities and threats posed by that revolution regarding the universitys discharge of these two functions. The article concludes with a warning to scholars to be aware of both the opportunities for consolidating their scholarship and the concomitant threats to their academic autonomy. Key words: higher education, university, social responsibility, social justice, democratic citizenry, global higher education revolution

The provision of higher education in South Africa and in many parts of the world is challenged by the enrolment of large numbers of students, many of whom cannot attend classes or afford conventional face-to-face tuition. This has forced institutions of higher education to resort to various forms of non-traditional teaching and learning, among others, open distance learning and blended learning. In South Africa, as elsewhere, official government policy provides for approaches that make extensive use of teaching technologies. This article highlights two problems in connection with blended learning as such and attempts to address both. The first is the fact that, in view of the dynamic and fluid nature of the field, 'blended learning' cannot be defined conclusively, and the other is that 'best practice' has not been examined in connection with blended learning. After offering a working definition of blended learning, the authors unpack what they think has to be discovered in an effort to describe best practice in blended learning. The discussion forms the background for the findings regarding best practice in open distance learning and blended learning proffered in the ten research articles in this journal. In the process, authors outline certain implications of distance learning and blended learning for the practice of higher education.

The provision of higher education in South Africa and in many parts of the world is challenged by the enrolment of large numbers of students, many of whom cannot attend classes or afford conventional face-to-face tuition. This has forced institutions of higher education to resort to various forms of non-traditional teaching and learning, among others, open distance learning and blended learning. In South Africa, as elsewhere, official government policy provides for approaches that make extensive use of teaching technologies. This article highlights two problems in connection with blended learning as such and attempts to address both. The first is the fact that, in view of the dynamic and fluid nature of the field, 'blended learning' cannot be defined conclusively, and the other is that 'best practice' has not been examined in connection with blended learning. After offering a working definition of blended learning, the authors unpack what they think has to be discovered in an effort to describe best practice in blended learning. The discussion forms the background for the findings regarding best practice in open distance learning and blended learning proffered in the ten research articles in this journal. In the process, authors outline certain implications of distance learning and blended learning for the practice of higher education.

The provision of higher education in South Africa and in many parts of the world is challenged by the enrolment of large numbers of students, many of whom cannot attend classes or afford conventional face-to-face tuition. This has forced institutions of higher education to resort to various forms of non-traditional teaching and learning, among others, open distance learning and blended learning. In South Africa, as elsewhere, official government policy provides for approaches that make extensive use of teaching technologies. This article highlights two problems in connection with blended learning as such and attempts to address both. The first is the fact that, in view of the dynamic and fluid nature of the field, 'blended learning' cannot be defined conclusively, and the other is that 'best practice' has not been examined in connection with blended learning. After offering a working definition of blended learning, the authors unpack what they think has to be discovered in an effort to describe best practice in blended learning. The discussion forms the background for the findings regarding best practice in open distance learning and blended learning proffered in the ten research articles in this journal. In the process, authors outline certain implications of distance learning and blended learning for the practice of higher education.