4.8. Method of data collection
4.8.1. Unit of analysis: The Context / Site
The bounded system of a suburban former Model C primary school in Pietermaritzburg and its attempts at understanding curriculum reform through a learning styles approach to teaching provide the locale and context for this intensive case study research (Silverman, 2010, p.139; McMillan & Schumacher, 2001). Former Model C schools originated in the early 1990s under the then minister of education Piet Clasé. A choice of three models was offered to white or House of Assembly schools. This shaped the character and nature of these schools during the former South African dispensation. ‗Model A‘ made schools fully private. ‗Model B‘
saw them remain state schools, and ‗Model C‘ turned schools into semi-private institutions. ‗Model C‘ schools received a state subsidy of about 50%, the balance being raised through fees and donations. Learners of colour were permitted to comprise 50% of the student body (Cronje, 2010).
The former Model C School in this study is an English medium, co-educational, primary school of 99 years. It has a school population of about 840 learners from Grade 000 to Grade 7 ranging from 3 to 13 year olds.
Learners are generally geographically drawn from around and about the city. This includes its immediate sub- urban locale, the surrounding townships and immediately outlying environs of semi and sub-rural farming communities. Learners hail mainly from upper middle to low income families with a few indigent learners drawn from the Salvation Army. A diverse population of Kwa-Zulu Natal‘s main ethnic, cultural, language and racial groupings including several African and other nationalities are representative of the learners. The majority are of Zulu and Christian backgrounds. Teacher to learner ratios range between 1: 26 in the junior phases to 1: 34 in the intermediate and senior phases. There are about 80 professional and assistant teaching, sport, secretarial and grounds members of staff. Of these, half the professional teaching staff is
123 financed by the state. As part of the less than 20% of fee-paying schools in the country, this school is in the highest quintile though there are a fast growing number of parents partially or fully exempt from paying school fees. A small annual grant is received into the school funds from the state.
According to school data, the school governing body, a supportive, intellectual and empowered juristic component of the school, lends full fiscal assistance for what is believed to be best for the school and its learners. The parent community of the school finances most of the school‘s functioning and all of the remaining staff. Furthermore, mainly supportive and encouraging of the school and its activities, the general view of the parent community is one of demand. Parents are alert to and fairly involved in what counts best for their children‘s education. However, according to verbal data a growing number of learners have no or neglectful, absent, apathetic parents. School records reveal that a number of learners live within single, divorced or deceased parent homes. Many live with older siblings having parents living or working abroad.
Over the recent years the school has invested its fiscal resources in employing a full-time school counselor/psychologist, occupational therapist and remedial teacher to help deal with the many personal, familial, behavioural and educational challenges faced by learners.
4.8.1.2. SCHOOL STRUCTURE, CULTURE AND WORK ETHIC
Historically, part of the school still occupies original buildings which have been declared monument status.
Many of the classrooms are in prefabricated buildings and those not, are generally smaller than the average.
There are about 30 classrooms with specialist rooms for music, art and computer studies. The school has a well-equipped library and a school hall. There is a fenced playing field also used for sport (Hockey, Soccer, Rugby, Netball and Athletics), two swimming pools, tennis and basketball courts and a cricket pitch. There are two playpens for the juniors. Three quad areas between classrooms provide outdoor spaces for gathering, sport and individual / small group learning. The school has a monitored security system. An aftercare facility is available at a cost for those parents requiring it.
Importantly, the school‘s mission and vision statements, historic practices, teacher expertise/experience, access to a wide range of resources and a culture of collegiality and creativity, commitment and willingness among others play a founding role in much of what counts for this school‘s culture and work ethos.
Academically, the school follows the current South African national curriculum policies that have been adapted to the context of the school. The NCS/CAPS (2012), FfL and the National Assessment Protocol continue to inform curriculum planning and assessment. Selectively, learner support materials are sourced from a wide
124 range of publishers and over and above set textbooks, parents fund the purchases of additional workbooks and textbooks needed in Mathematics and the Languages. Prescribed departmental workbooks are used in recent years. A comprehensive list of stationery for the year is a prerequisite of daily requirements provided for by the parents.
Furthermore, the school offers learners the opportunity to participate in several external academic programmes. Participation in the International Conquesta Olympiads, Schools‘ Science Research Projects, Inter-schools‘ Maths Challenges, Spelling Bee, among several other out of school academic events allow for vertical and lateral academic deep learning experiences. The school is a leading international school in English first language and Mathematics higher grade through the results attained through participation in the international Olympiad. Statistically, Former Model C schools have and continue to achieve pass rates of 96%
and above in external assessments. The sound learning environment provided and efficient management of resources are credited for much of this success (Cronje, 2010).
Significantly, the school has an active environmental programme and is a leading school in recycling and waste management education. Outings and school camps are an integral part of the holistic learning approach intrinsic to the school‘s ethos. Team-building, personal and social development linked to curricular activities sees each grade experience a day or over-night excursion throughout the year. The school has a comprehensive afterschool extra-mural programme of about 23 programmes for learners to choose from according to the sport season. Several learners individually and in teams are selected to represent the school, district, regional and national teams annually. Every member of staff is involved in one of the many outdoor, indoor sport, game, cultural and aesthetic activities as coach at least twice a week and some on most Saturdays.
Critically, the school‘s discipline policy is firmly upheld against the School Code of Conduct and departmental policy guidelines. The school places much emphasis on the overall tone, work ethic, culture of learning and ethos in the interest of learner development, safety and productivity. In inculcating, affirming and enforcing an active, conducive learning environment, negative behaviour is curbed through several levels of consequences including detentions, tribunals and expulsions. School and classroom rules are imperative to providing parameters for learner conduct and behaviour.
Nonetheless, given its many successes, school organisation and classroom practices have in the main been informed by traditional practices of this school. One such practice is the tracking of learners into the Express
125 or A classes, those with academic achievement levels of 80% and over, and Mixed Ability classes, those below. This practice seeks to allow faster-paced self-motivated more responsible learners the opportunity to work together toward high achievement often competitive levels. Mixed ability classes, though provided with the same curriculum, are afforded the opportunity to work at their pace often remaining in their track throughout their years at the school.
4.8.1.3. CONFRONTING CHANGE
Crucially and relevantly, however, this school though steeped in its deep rooted colonial history and tradition has had to starkly succumb to recent bureaucratic pressure and compliance in the face of transformation. It is somewhat reluctant release of its past has been spurred through its confronting ongoing demands of local and global educational reform and change around demographic, socio-politic, curricular and technologic advancement, progress and emancipation. In confronting and dealing with challenges of change, such opportunities for professional and administrative development as encountering of the Dunn and Dunn (1978) learning styles approach, as part of professional development, is not a foreign undertaking at this school.
Given the prevalent institutional and financial support, teachers at this site are constantly exposed to current and creative solutions to everyday issues faced.
Thus the school‘s management team, placing much value on individual and collective teacher development for the benefit of the school and its learners as an entrenched part of the school culture and expectation, thus introduced the staff to the Dunn and Dunn (1978) learning styles approach to teaching in July 2005 for the 2006 implementation. As a means towards meaningfully addressing diversity and disparity, the school opted to incrementally employ a learning styles approach to classroom delivery beginning at the intermediate phase level. It is within this paradoxically traditional / innovative school culture that this case is located.
Thus in grappling with curriculum implementation issues around the NCS/CAPS (2012) policy regarding how best to meet the needs of the school, the learners and the curriculum, concerns around school organisation and activity, administrative requirements, parental and community demands and departmental compliance expectations among others are often relevantly related. However, this study focuses in the main ‗on the aim of gaining a better understanding of the individual case… not to understand a broad social issue, but merely to describe the case being studied‘ (Yin, 2003). The above thus sets the context for this study of the experiences of professionally qualified practicing intermediate phase school-based teachers, who were fully trained in the
126 use of the Dunn and Dunn (1978) learning styles approach to implementing the intermediate phase curriculum.
Hence, the choice of researching this suburban former Model C School in Pietermaritzburg‘s experiences of learning styles is firstly based on this school‘s unique use of the Dunn and Dunn (1978) learning styles approach in implementing the intermediate phase NCS/CAPS (2012) curriculum. Secondly, convenience and proximity for the researcher provides for relevant accessibility and immersion. Using this school provides an appropriate vehicle for identifying the study‘s sample as these teachers are currently still employed and practicing the Dunn and Dunn (1978) learning styles approach to teaching at this school. Data are therefore generated from interactions with purposively selected participants from this school, reviews of relevant school documents, historic and archival visual data and artifacts of praxis.
Befitting and advantageous to this study thus is the employ of a purposive sampling design. In explaining the sample design, techniques and criteria used in the choice of sample size for this case study (Mouton, 2009), Maree (2010) and Gibson and Brown‘s (2009) definitions in broad terms of the process used to select a portion of the population for study, that of sampling, serve. They state that it is about the ‗points of data collection‘ to be included within a research. These may be a person, a document, an institution or a setting.
This study uses a purposive sampling design in selecting of the sample for this case. As such the selection of this school for its unique attempt at implementing classroom practice through leaning styles obtains.