Browsing by Author "Du Plooy, Lucinda"

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    A case study of an existing mentoring programme for beginner teachers in a public school in the Western Cape
    (University of the Western Cape, 2019) Daniels, Ruben Abraham Stephen; Du Plooy, Lucinda
    This study aimed to explore the nature and consequences of an existing mentoring programme aimed at assisting beginner teachers make the transition from university graduates to school practitioners. It addressed the broader problem of teacher retention, working from the premise that beginner teachers leave the teaching profession within the first five years of formal teaching. The main research question the thesis addressed is: What is the nature and consequences of an existing mentoring programme aimed at assisting beginner teachers make the transition from university graduates to school practitioners? The theory used to frame this study both theoretically and methodologically is Vygotsky’s constructs of the Zone of Proximal Development, his notions of mediation and scaffolding, and Lave and Wenger’s notion of communities of practice and their notion of legitimate peripheral participation. Noting that the conceptual tools of Lave and Wenger, are grounded in a broader theoretical framework, of Bandura’s concept of “situated learning”, which shares historical links with Vygotsky’s socio-cultural views of how people learn. Methodologically, this qualitative interpretive single case study made use of semi-structured individual interviews, focus group interviews and document sources to explore this fairly under-researched area. The unit of analysis is a mentoring programme at a secondary school in the Western Cape, which comprised of three embedded cases, namely, the school principal, two mentors and two mentees. The main findings suggest that a disjuncture exists between initial teacher education and the real school context, creating a need for a formalised mentoring programme. It also outlines the multiple Communities of Practice’s (CoPs) in action within a mentoring programme revealing ways in which communities and boundaries could impact learning within a mentoring programme. Furthermore, the findings show the conversational dimensions of mentoring interactions; how talk and learning brings about a shift in the dyadic relationship between a mentor (old-timer/ the knowledgeable other) and beginner teacher (mentee/newcomer). In addition, this study illuminates the importance of mentor-mentee pairing in terms of willingness to participate and compatibility between the mentor and beginner teacher. The thesis therefore contributes towards a growing body of knowledge on beginner teachers by focusing on how a formal mentoring programme can facilitate the smooth transitioning of beginner teachers into the teaching profession thus addressing the global problem of teacher retention.
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    Novice teachers’ perceptions and experiences of the practical learning module and their preparedness to teach in the foundation phase of schooling
    (University of the Western Cape, 2024) Williams, Zureenah; Du Plooy, Lucinda
    This study explored novice teachers’ perceptions and experiences of a Practical Learning Module. It addresses the problem of novice teacher efficacy, working from the premise that teacher quality affects education quality. Theoretically, it is underpinned by Bandura’s Selfefficacy theory. The study delved into the experiences and perspectives of the unit of analysis, which are novice teachers, by recognising the importance of self-efficacy, as a crucial component of effective teaching and learning. This qualitative interpretive study adopted a single case study methodology, employing document analysis, semi-structured individual interviews, and focus group interviews for data collection. Through the analysis of the data, several key themes emerged, including a misalignment between the official/intended curriculum and its actual implementation, the theory-practice divide, the transformative experience of navigating two distinct pedagogical environments (termed “reality shock”), the cultivation of self-efficacy through the agency of student teachers, and the influence of triadic relationships on novice teacher readiness to teach. This study attempts to offer valuable insights for the implementation of a more practical module, which would enhance student-teacher engagement and foster deeper learning experiences.