C.C. Wolhuter

The Relationship Between an Effective Organizational Culture and Student Discipline in a Boarding School

This article investigates the relationship between effective organizational culture and student discipline in a boys boarding house at an urban South African school. Ethnographical methods (observation and interviews) were employed. The study reports on the results pertaining to organizational culture, namely, tangible manifestations of the organizational culture, that is, traditions, ceremonies, symbols, and the external and internal appearance of the boarding house. It also reports on the intangible manifestations, that is, students and teachers beliefs and the mission, vision, values, and norms of the boarding house itself. In conclusion, an explanation is tendered for the positive relationship that can be shown to exist between the organizational culture and learner discipline.

Weaknesses of South African education in the mirror image of international educational development

The aim of this article is to present a systematic, holistic evaluation of the South African education system, using international benchmarks as the yardstick. A theoretical model for the evaluation of a national education project is constructed. This consists of three dimensions, namely: a quantitative dimension, a qualitative dimension, and an equalityxa0xa0xa0 dimension. International databases and the existing internationalxa0 taxonomies of national education systems are then used to evaluate the South African education system, along the three dimensions of the model. It is found that the weakest links are the facts that primary and secondary education enrolment ratios are not followed through to the higherxa0 education level; that input, particularly financial input, does not render a commensurate return in terms of the quality of teaching and learning, and learning outcomes; that the administrative component of the system and teacher input appear to be the two weak links in the system in this regard; and that stark inequalities exist in the education system. In conclusion, some recommendations for the improvement of practice and for further research are made. Keywords : educational quality; equal educational opportunities; International Association of Educational Achievement (IEA) studies; international classifications of national education systems; Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) studies; Second Information Technology in Education Study (SITES) study; South African education system; Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) studies

Research on Higher Education in South Africa: Stocktaking and Assessment from International Comparative Perspectives

The aim of this article is to compare Higher Education research in South Africa with developments in the field of Higher Education research internationally. This will be done by means of a content analysis of Higher Education published locally compared with that published internationally during the decade 2001-2010. While local Higher Education scholarship now seems to be more aligned with international Higher Education scholarship than was the case some two decades ago, there are indications that Higher Education scholarship in South Africa allows itself be dictated to by the current societal status quo, and that critical scholarship is not as thriving as was the case two decades ago. This is a dangerous development. In the light of this, the article concludes with three suggestions for further research regarding the integration of local Higher Education scholarship with international Higher Education research.

The Research Output of Female Academics at a South African University: Progress with Gender Equity?

Abstract Two pressing demands directed to the South African academy in the post 1994 environment, have been those of gender equity and of increasing research output. The progression of women to the higher academic ranks is a problem, not only in South Africa, but worldwide. In view of the importance attached to research output for purposes of academic promotion, raising the research output of female academics is therefore important beyond the reason of being an end in itself. This paper is a case study at one university of the intersection between these two issues. The aim is to assess the improvement of the research output of female academic members of staff relative to their male counterparts, in the post 1994 period. The data used in the study indicate a steady increase in the research output of female academics relative to their male counterparts. However, a significant gender discrepancy in this regards still remains. In conclusion some suggestions are made with regard to how to an increase in the research output of female academics may be facilitated.

Representation of National Leaders in History Books and Textbooks in South Africa: A Transitiological Study

South African history books and textbooks have undergone a radical change, in step with the socio-political change and restructuring of education that occurred in 1994. On the basis of a transitiological perspective, this chapter contrasts the depiction of national leaders in pre- 1994 school history textbooks with that of post-1994 school history textbooks. The pre-1994 depiction was informed by an ideology of White supremacy, a paradigm of Euro-centrism and an Afrikaner ethnocentric perspective on history. In contrast, the post-1994 depiction is informed by an Africanist ethnocentric perspective. This shift is illustrated with a discussion of how former State President F. W. de Klerk and his successor President Nelson Mandela have been portrayed in history textbooks after 1994. The portrayals of national leaders in the pre- and post-1994 textbooks are then assessed in terms of the criterion that while history should be used for the development of the critical faculties of students, history textbooks should also nurture a respect for the history and the contributions of all segments of the diverse population of a country such as South Africa.

The case for an adapted community college model for South Africa to address the problem of NEETS

A serious problem in South Africa is the existence of 2.8 million people we can refer to as NEETs. This term refers to youths between the ages of 18 and 24 years who are neither in employment nor in education or training in South Africa (Cloete and Butler-Adams 2012). This article argues for the institution of community colleges to fill the niche between colleges for further education and training and universities. This niche represents a model of higher education that has already internationally proven its value for steering NEETs into worthwhile careers. After a conceptual clarification of the term ‘Community College’ and an overview of its track record, it is argued that the South African context dictates for the model to be adapted in two ways. Firstly: a South African community college should fully utilise ICT (Information and Communication Technology) and offer education of a blended type. Secondly, as a result of this, the concept of ‘community’ needs to be redefined more broadly than has traditionally been the case with community colleges abroad.