The study sought to identify all barriers that principals experience in managing and developing skills in rural multi-grade schools classrooms. Principals of rural schools appear to differ in how they manage effective instruction.
Introduction
Background to the study
According to Taole (2014), this requirement puts teachers in a multigrade teaching context under severe pressure. Principals of multi-grade schools seem to have less skills and technique to manage mixed-age classrooms.
Statement of the problem
According to the Post Norm (PPN), the number of students in rural schools does not qualify the school for more than the specified number of teachers. The number of teachers and students in rural schools creates a distribution of age-mixed classes. 6 are the concepts underlying the management of effective teaching and learning in the context of rural multigrade primary schools.
Purpose of the study
Day (2000), cited in Harris (2005), alludes that school leaders face complex reform paradoxes and tensions, such as the new imposed curriculum that reduces teachers' ability to determine and act on students' needs. I think that school principals with multiple primary schools are faced with the worst case scenarios when it comes to curriculum adjustments and reforms.
Rationale for the study
A few countries around the world are giving multi-primary schools the attention they deserve, such as India and Tanzania. There appears to be a lack of knowledge and understanding of what teaching and learning in such schools entails and the type of support they require. The experiences I have had as a principal and teacher of a multi-elementary school is that there is extremely little time to achieve all the learning outcomes and assessment standards for all learning areas for four grades in one class, in one year.
Significance of the study
7 Du Plessis (2014) emphasizes that student teachers at universities never choose such schools to provide practical education due to their isolation.
Research questions
Key concepts
- Multi-grade school
- Rural
- Multi-level teaching and learning
- Curriculum
The standards of assessment to be achieved through teaching and learning are not the same for every class in the same class. Brown (2008) points out that implementing the national curriculum of teaching with one class in the multi-class situation creates challenges.
The structure of the study
The isolating working conditions and poverty of the communities served by multi-grade schools reinforce teachers' negative attitudes toward the school (Ames, 2004). This chapter reviews the scholarly literature on the management of teaching and learning in rural multigrade primary schools.
Chapter summary
This chapter provides a detailed discussion of the research design and methodology used to gather information that could answer the research questions. This chapter provides a detailed discussion of the data as it emerged from the analysis of the semi-structured interviews with the three clients.
Introduction
Multi-grade teaching
Little (2006) specifies that understanding of the term multigrade education varies in meaning from country to country, communities and contexts. Hargreaves (2001) argues that the term multilevel fails to capture the real meaning of the multigrade class with the integrated curriculum.
Global practices of Multi-grade Education
I think the variation in the use of the term has meaning for the different contextual issues of schools. In one classroom there are different combinations, depending on level, age and skill. Scholars seem to have a similar meaning of the term multi-grade education.
Multi-grade Education in South Africa
I think that the combination of multi-grade farm schools with boarding schools can be the option to provide better education for students in rural municipalities. Davids (2014) points out that multi-grade farm schools are characterized by extreme disadvantages of inadequate facilities, lack of infrastructure and untrained teachers.
Effective Teaching and Learning
Joubert (2010) states that the South African Ministry of Education's policy document does not mention multi-grade schools. It seems to be a challenge to receive Equal Education for All (EFA) in multi-grade schools.
The principal and the management role
The impact of instruction on student achievement and the quality of teaching and learning is the fundamental concern of this study. Principals face a major challenge in creating the teaching and learning culture (Kruger, 2003). The teaching and learning culture is a way of delivering quality in the classroom.
The educator
Educator Qualification
Lingram (2007) and Burns (1997) argue that for multigrade teachers to be effective in their teaching tasks, they need to be better trained. He further confirms that multi-grade teachers should be trained to create a conducive environment for teaching and learning.
Educator support
Boonzaader (2009) further alludes to the fact that substantive workshops combine monograde and multi-grade schools. Curriculum advisors must understand the background and circumstances of the multi-grade schools.
The Curriculum
School principals have the responsibility and accountability to the Ministry of Education in terms of multi-grade education and promoting the standard of education in general. Miller (1991) confirms that one of the major problems in promoting multi-grade education is the inflexibility of the grade-based curriculum.
Learner and material–centred strategy
Rowley (1992) argues that the curriculum must be flexible given the nature of multi-grade teaching. This scholar further states that the key concept of an ideal model of a multi-grade classroom is flexibility.
Instructional resources
Self-study materials should be of the highest quality and relevance and should be used by educators in the integrated strategy. Self-study resource material should not be seen as a substitute for an educator. The educator plays a vital role in the use of all methods and material resources (Little, 2004). Textbooks should be directed by the educator.
Challenges of Multi-grade schools
It still presents a challenge for the overburdened multi-grade teacher. Effective coordination of all class activities in a multigrade classroom is another challenge.
Parental involvement
Theoretical framework
Eisner (2002) alludes to the importance of instructional time that the principal must spend in the classroom.Leithwoodet.al. Hallinger's third component of instructional leadership is that the principal must foster a positive culture.
Chapter Summary
Introduction
Research paradigm
Research design
Methods of sampling
Data generation methods
- Semi-structured interviews
- Documents Review
- Principals’ and school profile
- Observation
I think the needs of the educators and learners in the school underlie and determine the quality of teaching and learning. The principals were requested to fill in the principal's profile form in tabular form (Appendix C) which would elicit more details and understanding of the research website.
Data analysis
The researcher will formulate field notes while observing the research site, educators, learners and teaching and learning.
Ensuring Trustworthiness of the findings
- Credibility
- Dependability
- Transferability
- Confirmability
To ensure the reliability of the findings, I used the framework that was developed by Lincoln and Guba (1985). Reliability is another criterion that was advanced by Lincoln and Guba (1985) that can be used to ensure that the reliability of the findings can be increased.
Ethical issues
Chapter summary
Introduction
School Profile
Mrs Xulu, Principal of School A
It is surrounded by valleys and hills overlooking plow fields and nearby is the farm owner's cattle pasture. Grade R and Grade 1 are housed in the first classroom, Grades 2 and 3 in the second classroom and Grades 4,5,6 and 7 in the third classroom.
Mrs Yellow, Principal of School B
There is also a warehouse which was once a cottage for educators and a small office with two rooms; one used to store books and learning materials.
Mr Zulu, Principal of School C
Student enrollment reached a maximum of 63 students in each year and then fluctuated towards lower numbers. The school's environment is more conducive to teaching and learning compared to the other two schools in the study.
Principals’ understanding of effective teaching and learning management in multi-grade schools 42
- Monitoring learners’ written work
- Complexity of the assessment activities
- Focus on departmental policies
- Management of instructional time
I think effective teaching and learning is the engagement or exercise of the teacher and the learner that will have learning outcomes specified by the department of education. It is evident from the three participants that the amount of written work in the exercise books can be the indicator of the level of teaching and learning in the classroom and the topics in the work schedule that have been covered.
Management of Resources
- Procurement of material resources
- Learner Workbooks
- Multi-media resources
- Wall charts, posters and pictures
- Organisation of resources
For example, Ms. Xulu, the principal of school A, indicated that the material resources in the schools were minimal. Some of the content knowledge and illustrations were abstract concepts for students living on farms.
Classroom management
Clustering and groupings
These books were in the office, in school A; I saw some of the books stacked on the shelves and some in boxes. It seemed that the educator found it more of a challenge to meet the needs of the student when the different grades were in a single classroom.
Classroom discipline
Curriculum Adaptation
Participants claimed that they could not complete all the required assessment tasks and learning outcomes. Sir. Zulu's statement suggested that in a multigrade classroom, the student focuses on all the learning content that is not prescribed for his or her grade by the NCS.
Educator training and support
Continuous professional development
For example, Ms. Xulu, the principal of School A, mentioned that she always needed constant support from subject advisors and that the workshops offered had to focus on the contextual issues of the multigrade class. Workshops do call, but they mostly relate to the needs of multigrade classes.
Lack of support from Department Official
Joubert (2010) alludes to the view that multigrade schools face unique challenges and specific developmental needs. Participants in this study indicated that workshops and training were needed to manage the multigrade classroom.
Barriers to implementing effective teaching and learning
Post Provisioning Norm
He too saw the number of educators in the school as a negative factor that undermined the provision of effective teaching. For example, the principal of school B and the teacher stayed in the staff cottage which was located within the school premises.
Norms and standards
The situation described in the above excerpts is based on the fact that the total number of students in a school determines the number of educators the school can have. However, with the continuous decline in student enrollment, the number of educators in the school had to be reduced.
Learner socio-economic background
The data show that there was a lack of involvement of parents in the education of their children. Most are illiterate and are not involved in their children's education." (Ms. Yellow, principal of school B).
Chapter summary
Introduction
Summary of the study
Presentation of findings
What do school principals understand about effective teaching and learning?
The research findings also showed that principals used their understanding of the teaching and learning phenomenon to define the schools' strategic goals. It is clear from their responses that students in rural areas needed special management skills to achieve the goals of the school and what the department of education envisions for all students in South Africa.
What strategies do school principals utilise to monitor teaching and learning?
As principals and managers, what challenges do they encounter in teaching and managing multi-
Parental involvement was found to be poor and, as the literature suggests, a lack of parental support for schools had a negative impact on the quality of teaching and learning. These schools appear to be characterized by high student dropout rates based on data gathered from documents kept at the schools.
Recommendations
The number of teachers in the school resulted in the combination of grades in one classroom. Most of the parents were agricultural laborers who were themselves illiterate and because they worked on the farms, they did not have the capacity to make any contribution that could help improve the quality of education for their children.
Chapter summary
Multigrade schools in context: Literacy in the community, the home and the school in the Peruvian Amazon. The subject of the study is: Managing effective teaching and learning in three multi-grade primary schools: Principals' experiences.
