Grade 1 Teachers' Involvement in School-Based Curriculum Development in the Northern Province
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GRADE 1 TEACHERS' INVOLVEMENT IN SCHOOL-BASED CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT IN THE NORTHERN PROVINCE MWLUMADI GRADE 1 TEACHERS' INVOLVE~MENT IN SCHOOL-BASED CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT IN THE NORTHERN PROVINCE By MUTENDWAHOTHE WALTER LUMADI A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR EDUCATIONIS in Didactics and Curriculum Studies in the Faculty of Education at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA Promoter: Dr HvR Van der Horst Joint Promoter : Prof MEW McDonald June 2000 Curriculum documents are generally written in broad terms, and therefore they do not cater directly for the specific needs of individual schools. Consequently, teachers need to translate curriculum guidelines into specific teaching programmes of sufficient detail to guide their day-to-day activities (Vander Horst and McDonald 1997:144). TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION I DECLARATION II ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS III ABSTRACT v UITTREKSEL VII LIST OF ACRONYMS XI CHAPTER! INTRODUCTORY ORIENTATION 1.1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 5 1.2.1 Background to the problem 5 1.2.2 Formulation of the problem 9 1.3 OUTCOME OF THE RESEARCH 10 1.3.1 Background to the outcome 10 1.3 .2 Formulation of the outcome 11 1.4 RESEARCH METHOD AND DESIGN 12 1.4.1 Literature study 12 1.4.2 Qualitative research 12 1.4.2.1 Literacy 13 1.4.2.2 Numeracy 14 1.4.2.3 Life skills 14 1.5 RESEARCH MOTIVATION 18 1.6 CLARIFICATION OF OPERATIONAL CONCEPTS 20 1.6.1 Grade 1 teacher 20 1.6.2 Involvement 24 1.6.3 Curriculum and its dimensions 27 1.6.3 .1 Overt curriculum 28 1.6.3 .2 Covert curriculum 30 1.6.3 .3 Null curriculum 31 1.6.4 Curriculum development, decision-making and meta-orientations 33 1.6.4.1 Transmission orientation 34 1.6.4.2 Transaction orientation 36 1.6.4.3 Transformation orientation 37 1.6.5 School-Based Curriculum Development 40 1.6.6 The Northern Province 42 1.6 SYNTHESIS 45 ii 1.7 FURTHER PROGRAMME AND CHAPTER DIVISION 45 CHAPTER2 THEORIES OF SCHOOL-BASED CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT (SBCD) AND OUTCOMES-BASED EDUCATION (OBE) 2.1 SCHOOL-BASED CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT AND ITS NATURE 48 2.1.1 Features of SBCD 52 2.1.2 Characteristics of SBCD 53 2.1.2.1 School mission 55 2.1.2.2 School-based activities 56 2.1.2.3 Management strategies 57 2.1.2.4 Assumptions about human nature 57 2.1.2.5 School organisation 58 2.1.2.6 Decision-making style 59 2.1.3 Categories of SBCD 61 2.1.3.1 External factors 61 2.1.3.2 Internal factors 61 2.1.4 Approaches to SBCD 62 2.1.4.1 The simplistic SBCD approach 62 2.1.4.2 The teachers competence approach 62 iii 2.1.4.3 The dynamic curriculum change approach 63 2.1.5 The significance of SBCD 65 2.1.5.1 A three-level organisation context 72 2.1.5.2 Mutual development 72 2.1.5.3 Hierarchy of influence 72 2.1.5.4 Effectiveness and interaction 72 2.1.5.5 Congruence 74 2.1.6 SBCD in school community situations 74 2.1.7 Merits of SBCD 75 2.1.8 Demerits of SBCD 75 2.2 LIMITATIONS OF SCHOOL-BASED CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT AND GRADE 1 TEACHERS 76 2.2.1 Centre-periphery module 78 2.2.2 Teachers' lack of motivation 81 2.2.3 Localism and parochialism 82 2-.2.4 Curriculum and democratic ownership 84 2.2.5 Political syndrome 86 2.2.6 Implications in administration 87 iv 2.2.7 Financial shortcomings 87 2.2.7.1 Differences in assumptions about education 90 2.2.7.2 Equifinality versus standard structure 90 2.2.7.3 Decentralisation versus centralisation 90 2.2.7.4 Self managing system versus implementing system 91 2.2.7.5 Principle of human initiative versus principle of structural control 91 2.2.7.6 Managerial skills 92 2.2.7.7 The utilisation of resources 92 2.2.7.8 The role of the school 93 2.2.7.9 Importance of the education department 93 2.2.7.10 Significance of administration 93 2.2.7.11 Task of grade 1 teachers 94 2.3 MONITORING AND EVALUATING SCHOOL-BASED CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT 95 2.3.1 Leadership and participation 96 2.3.2 The potential advantages of strategic management in school 96 2.4 THE ROOTS OF CURRICULUM 2005/ CURRICULUM 21 97 2.5 THE CONCEPT OF OUTCOMES-BASED EDUCATION 100 2.6 KEY PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE OUTCOMES-BASED EDUCATION TEACHING 108 2.6.1 Types ofOBE 111 2.6.1.1. Traditional OBE 111 v 2.6.1.2 Transitional OBE 112 2.6.1.3 Transformational OBE 113 2.6.2. The key values of curriculum 2005/ Curriculum 21 116 2.6.2.1 Different outcomes 120 2.6.2.2 The rationale behind OBE 124 2.6.2.3 The cascade model 125 2.6.2.4 The cluster model 126 2.6.2.5 OBE constraints 126 2.6.3 Outcomes-Based Education critique 127 2.6.3.1 Ongoing assessment 127 2.6.3.2 Financial constraints 128 2.6.3.3 Time factor 128 2.6.3.4 Political ploy 129 2.6.3.5 Backlog and infrastructure 129 2.6.3.7 Technical jargon 130 2.6.3.7 The hidden curriculum 130 2.7 THE IMPORTANCE OF SCHOOL-BASED CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT IN AN OUTCOMES-BASED EDUCATION FRAMEWORK 131 2.7.1 Components of curriculum design 132 2.7.1.1 Situation analysis 132 2.7.1.2 Curriculum intent 139 2.7.1.3 Curriculum content 144 2.7.1.4 Learning opportunities 146 vi 2.7.1.5 Learning experience 148 2.7.1.6 Evaluation and assessment 149 2.8 SYNTHESIS 152 CHAPTER3 QUALITATIVE RESEARCH AS A STRATEGY TO ADDRESS PROBLEMS IN SCHOOL-BASED CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT (SBCD) 3.1 THE CONCEPT OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH 153 3.2 AN INTRODUCTION TO QUALITATIVE METHODS 155 3 .2.1 Types of qualitative methods 159 3 .2.1.1 Participant observation 159 3.2.1.2 Case studies 161 3.2.1.3 Focussed interviews 163 3.2.2 Research methodology in qualitative research 164 3.2.3 Themes in qualitative methods 166 3.2.3.1 Making decisions about methods 166 3.2.3.2 Naturalistic inquiry 167 3.2.3.3 Skills required in conducting qualitative research 176 3.2.3.4 The rationale for conducting qualitative research 177 3.2.3.5 Who qualifies for conducting qualitative research 178 3.2.3.6 Essential elements of qualitative research 178 3.2.3.7 Inductive analysis 179 vii 3.2.3.8 A holistic perspective 179 3.3 CHARACTERISTICS AND OUTCOMES OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH 180 3.4 QUALITIES OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH 184 3.4.1 Layered truth 184 3.4.2 Sensitisation 184 3.4.3 Flexibility 185 3.4.4 The total process 186 3.5 ESSENTIAL ASPECTS IN QUALITATIVE RESEARCH 186 3.5.1 The literature in qualitative research 186 3.5.2 Problems of qualitative research 187 3.5.2.1 Misperception of difficulty level 187 3.5.2.2 Organisational and administrative consideration 187 3.5.3 Strengths and weaknesses of qualitative research 189 3.5.4 Data recording procedure 189 3.5.5 Guidelines for coding qualitative data 190 3.5.6 Steps in coding qualitative research 192 viii 3.6 SAMPLING PROCEDURE 193 3.6.1 Purposeful sampling 193 3.6.1.1 Types of purposeful sampling 194 3.6.2 Random versus fixed sampling 197 3.7 DOING QUALITATIVE RESEARCH 199 3.7.1 Choosing research sites and sample population 200 3.7.2 Cultivating informants 201 3.7.3 Obtaining and encoding qualitative data 201 3.7.4 Categorising observation 202 3.7.5 Taking field notes 203 3.7.6 The value and logic of qualitative research 205 3.8 PHASES OF DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS STRATEGIES 207 3.8.1 Phase 1: Planning 207 3.8.2 Phase 2: Beginning data collection 208 3.8.3 Phase 3: Basic data collection 208 ix 3.8.4 Phase 4: Choosing data collection 208 3.8.5 Phase 5: Completion 209 3.8.6 The primacy of data 209 3.8.7 The 'ernie' perceptive 209 3.9 DATA ANALYSIS PROCEDURE 210 3.9.1 Content analysis 212 3.9.1.1 Merits and demerits of content analysis 213 3.9.1.2 The illustrative method and variations 214 3.9.1.3 Analytic comparison 214 3.9.2 Methods of agreement versus difference 215 3.9.3 Steps for qualitative data analysis 215 3.9.3.1 Pure standards 216 3.9.3.2 The context contrast approach 216 3.10 RELIABILITY 216 3.10.1 Types of reliability 217 3.10.1.1 Quixotic reliability 217 3.10.1.2 Diachronic reliability 217 3.10.1.3 Synchronic reliability 218 X 3.11 VALIDITY 218 3.11.1 Types of validity in qualitative design 219 3.12 QUALITATIVE RESEARCH AS PANACEA IN SCHOOL-BASED CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH 224 3.12.1 Process evaluation in SBCD 226 3.12.2 External evaluation in SBCD 229 3.12.3 Participation in SBCD 230 3.12.3.1 The design implementation gap 233 3.12.3.2 Shortcomings of SBCD 236 3.13 WAYS OF PRESENTING QUALITATIVE WORK 238 3.13.1 Synopsis of resulting theory 238 3.13.2 The use of participants' quotes 238 3.13.3 Guidelines of qualitative research 239 3.13.3.1 A critique for a reasoned alternative 239 3.13.3.2 Actors' point of view as an explanation 239 3.13.3.3 Recognising the phenomenon 240 3.13.3.4 A single element as an explanation 240 3.14 SYNTHESIS 241 xi CHAPTER4 RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS, FINDINGS AND DATA ANALYSIS 4.1 RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS 242 4.1.1 The interview 246 4.1.1.1 Interviewing skills in the study 248 4.1.2 The questionnaire 252 4.1.2.1 Types of questionnaires 252 4.1.3 Classroom observation 271 4.1.3 .1 Report on classroom observation 284 4.1.4 Trialling 289 4.1.5 Diaries 290 4.1.6 Cassette recorder 291 4.1.7 An independent decoder 292 4.2 OUTCOMES OF THE INVESTIGATION 293 4.2.1 Piloting the study 293 4.2.2 Correspondence 293 Xll 4.2.3 Research ethics 294 4.2.3.1 Protecting the subjects 294 4.2.3.2 The right to non-participation 294 4.2.3.3 The right to confidentiality 294 4.2.3.4 Researcher's responsibility 294 4.2.3.5 Personal integrity 295 4.3 RESEARCH FINDINGS OF THE STUDY AND DATA ANALYSIS 295 4.3 .1 The state of buildings in primary schools 296 4.3.2 Lack of resources 298 4.3.2.1 Libraries 299 4.3.2.2 Resource materials 300 4.3.2.3 Teaching and learning media 300 4.3.3 Unequal access to ownership in SBCD 302 4.3.4 Timing for curriculum implementation and knowledge explosion 303 4.3.5 Grade 1 teachers' attitude towards SBCD 305 4.3.6 Culture of teaching and learning 310 4.3.6.1 Aspects oftime 310 4.3.6.2 Quality and control ofwork 311 4.3.6.3 Academic support programmes 313 xiii 4.3.7 Professional growth and experience in SBCD 314 4.3.8 Inadequate discipline and curriculum management 316 4.3.9 Politics and teachers' unions 318 4.3 .1 0 Multi-cultural education and SBCD 320 4.3.10.1 Cultural diversity 321 4.3.10.2 Multi-lingualism 323 4.3.10.3 Gender inequalities 328 4.3.10.4 Multi-religion 330 4.4 SYNTHESIS 331 CHAPTERS GUIDELINES FOR GRADE 1 TEACHERS' INVOLVEMENT IN SBCD 5.1.