DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF RESULTS Phase One 3
5.5 Participation in CPD programmes by teachers of Life Sciences in three districts of KZN
119
5.5 Participation in CPD programmes by teachers of Life Sciences in
120 As seen from Figure 5.5.1, the participation in formal qualification CPD programmes by teachers of Life Sciences in this research study only showed significant improvement from around 2006. By 2011 almost half of the teachers in the three districts studied were enrolled in some form of higher education studies. Whilst enrolment trends for CPTD programmes are essential, it is the retention and completion rates in these qualification-based programmes that determine their realisation of teachers’ goals.
The rate of completion was determined by exploring the relationship between teachers’ last year of registration and their current registration status, i.e. whether they were still registered or had completed an upgrade qualification programme. Despite Table 5.4.1 showing that 16%
of teachers did not complete their studies, the overall correlation analysis between registration and completion was significant (p<0.001), suggesting that the retention/completion rate of 84% was adequate.
Table 5.5.1. Relationship between registration and retention/completion rates for CPD qualification programmes by teachers of Life Sciences in three participating districts of KwaZulu-Natal
Currently registered OR completed an upgrade
programme
Total
No Yes
Last year of registration Prior to 1995 Count 3 2 5
% of Total 2.1% 1.4% 3.5%
1995-2000 Count 4 8 12
% of Total 2.8% 5.6% 8.4%
2001-2005 Count 6 9 15
% of Total 4.2% 6.3% 10.5%
2006-2010 Count 7 44 51
% of Total 4.9% 30.8% 35.7%
2011 onwards Count 3 57 60
% of Total 2.1% 39.9% 42.0%
Total Count 23 120 143
% of Total 16.1% 83.9% 100.0%
121 b. Life Sciences teachers’ preferred methods of qualification CPD programmes
The following figure shows the percentage participation in the different CPD programmes by Life Sciences teachers that participated in the study. This data includes both programmes that teachers were still engaged in and those that they had already completed.
Figure 5.5.2: Percentage enrolment in qualification CPD programmes by Life Sciences teachers (n = 152)
The Advanced Certificate in Education (ACE) was the most popular programme among the teachers sampled (54% enrolment). In retrospect, an item on ACE specialisation should have been included in the questionnaire to give more specific results. These results only indicate that majority of teachers of Life Sciences had either completed or were enrolled for an ACE programme. The second most popular programme was the B Ed Hons with 23% either enrolled or having completed the programme. The Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) was pursued by 15% of the Life Sciences teachers. Consistent with the small number of unqualified teachers in this study, only 7% of the teachers were registered for a National Professional Diploma in Education (NPDE). These results were consistent with the latest national statistical records, which indicated considerable increase in enrolment for ACE programmes, increasing by 20% from year 2008 to 2009. Whilst substantial growth was shown by other provinces from 2008-2009, KZN experienced the lowest growth. Similar trends were observed with enrolments for NPDE. Whilst first-time enrolments in NPDE programmes had declined by 31.1% nationally during 2008-2009, consistent with the decrease in the number of unqualified teachers, KZN had the smallest enrolment even when the qualification was still growing in other regions (DBE & DHET, 2011). Cognisant of the high number of un-and under-qualified teachers, the KZN DoE has been providing bursaries
122 for qualification programmes such as the PGCE, ACE and the NPDE (now terminated). The provision of these bursaries will clearly continue until all teachers are adequately qualified for the subjects they are teaching.
The supply of teachers of science and mathematics in the rural schools has not met the demand. The employment of under-qualified or even unqualified teachers has thus persisted, more so in rural than in urban schools (SACE, 2010). Darling-Hammond and Sykes (2003:3) earlier explained using the United States context that the appointment of unqualified teachers is mainly due to distributional inequities, rather than overall shortages of qualified individuals. This is also partly true in the South African context, where the majority of qualified maths and science teachers opt to teach in urban schools, creating systemic shortages in rural schools (SACE, 2010).
In addition to the bursaries for ACE, PGCE and NPDE it was established that the KZN DoE was also subsidising unqualified temporary employed teachers who meet the B Ed degree requirements. For example, one unqualified teacher in this research study was enrolled for a B Ed degree and indicated that she had received a bursary from the department. This data was however not included in the analysis since a B Ed degree is considered to be an initial qualification. It is not clear how long the provision of this learnership had been continuing and whether it would still continue in future. The data collected for this study could also not clearly discriminate between the teachers who completed the B Ed full-time, as initial teacher education, from those that had been offered on-the-job learnerships to enrol for a B Ed degree.
c. Life Sciences teachers’ participation in qualification-based CPD programmes by age
Data presented in table 5.5.2 shows that not only did participation differ by age, but that choices of upgrade programmes also varied across different age groups.
123 Table 5.5.2: Life Sciences teachers’ participation in CPD programmes by age
Age ACE
PGCE
NPDE Hons
No upgrade
Total
20-29
Count 3 9 3 1 1 18
% of Total 2.1% 6.4% 2.1% 0.7% 0.7% 17.0%
30-39 Count 26 2 3 9 6 45
% of Total 18.4% 1.4% 1.4% 5.7% 4.3% 35.5%
40-49 Count 20 3 1 10 12 46
% of Total 14.2% 2.1% 0.7% 7.1% 8.5% 34.8%
50-59 Count 7 1 0 1 5 14
% of Total 5.0% 0.7% 0.0% 0.7% 3.5% 11.3%
Total Count 56 15 7 21 24 123
% of Total 39.7% 10.6% 4.3% 14.2% 17.7% 100.0%
Participation in qualification-driven CPD programmes was highest in the 30-39 and 40-49 age categories, with ACE being the most popular programme, followed by the Honours programme. The rate of non-participation was also higher for these age categories, more so for the 40-49 than the 30-39 age groups. PGCE was the favourite programme for the 20-29 age category, accommodating young unemployed graduates who had entered the teaching profession. The NPDE enrolments were spread across the first three age categories, indicating possible persistence of unqualified teachers throughout these ages. The highest number of teachers that had not taken up any upgrade programme was in the 40-49 age band, followed by those in the 30-39 and 50-59 categories respectively.
The difference in participation in upgrade programmes by age was significant (p = 0.037).
The results also indicated a significant difference between teachers’ age and the choice of CPD programmes (p<0.001), also determined using Fisher’s exact test. Thus early career teachers prefer the PGCE, mid-career teachers the ACE and B Ed Hons, and late career teachers the ACE. The retirement age in the teaching profession is 65 years.
124 Teachers between 30-49 years of age who have not participated in any upgrade programmes ought to be encouraged to do so to improve their knowledge and skills, particularly in light of the ongoing changes in the school curriculum, including that of Life Sciences which many teachers find challenging.
d. Life Sciences teachers’ participation in CPD programmes by qualification As shown in table 5.5.3, almost all the teachers with no initial teacher education were enrolled for a qualification programme. A total of 17% of the teachers eligible to enrol for upgrade programmes such as the ACE and B Ed Honours had not taken up any qualification programme beyond their initial training. Teachers with a diploma as their initial teaching qualification were the least likely to participate in an upgrading qualification. All the teachers in the graduate categories were currently upgrading or had already upgraded through the PGCE, ACE or Honours. The association between teachers’ participation rate in CPD programmes by initial qualification was investigated using Fisher’s exact test. The disparity in participation was found to be significant at p<0.001, showing that initial qualification had a strong impact on participation in formal CPD qualifications. The results suggested that it was precisely the teachers with only a diploma that ought to be targeted for further development.
Table 5.5.3 Participation in CPD programmes by qualification levels (n = 149)
Currently registered OR completed a programme
Total
No Yes
Initial qualification
Grade 12 Count 1 7 8
% within formal qualification 12.5% 87.5% 100%
Diploma/Cert Count 25 61 86
% within formal qualification 29.1% 70.9% 100%
Bachelors degree
Count 0 34 34
% within formal qualification 0% 100% 100%
Postgrad degree Count 0 21 21
% within formal qualification 0% 100% 100%
Total Count 26 123 149
% within formal qualification 17.4% 82.6% 100%
125 5.6