Presentation at the NRF Regional Workshops: Setting a framework for education research in South Africa? October 14-Nove

1. Summary of main research issues arising from submitted Concept Papers, Audit and Status Quo Studies and the OECD Report: Future Research Directions? Presentation at the NRF Regional Workshops: Setting a framework for education research in South Africa? October 14-November 26, 2009

2. Background • Stakeholder consultations: setting a framework for education research in South Africa; • Questions: • Should we develop a research agenda for education research in South Africa? • For whom is this research agenda? • What form should this agenda take and what issues/elements should be considered in the development of such an agenda?

3. Presentation Outline • To provide a summary of the main research issues emerging from the consultative process and the research reports identified above; • To identify possible gaps in the issues identified by the above processes; and • To identify some of the possible research priorities for education in South Africa (for discussion and debate in this workshop)

4. Consultative Process • A “Status Quo” Study of Education Research in South Africa (Analysis of NRF funded projects 2003 – 2006) • An “Audit and Interpretative Analysis of Education Research in South Africa-What has been learnt?” study:What are the current gaps and strengths (based on research undertaken over the last 10 years)? and what will the research needs and priorities be for the next ten years? • Concept papers: Important and relevant issues in developing a way forward for education research in South Africa (A position paper summarizing research issues/directions proposed through the submission of concept papers by the research community).

5. Process… • PPER: a descriptive analysis of the entire corpus of MEd and PhD research undertaken at South African higher education institutions during the period of between 1994 and 2005. • OECD Report: • analysis of educational sector within political, social and economic contexts of South Africa;

6. Emerging Themes • Sectors: • ECD emerging as key issue needing focus (vis-à-vis primary and secondary schooling traditionally focused on in educational research) • FET, particularly TVET • Adult Basic Education • Higher education, particularly scholarship of teaching and learning and student outcome

7. Issues… • Institutional and Classroom practice: Scholarship of Teaching and learning strategies: • across all levels of education, particularly in higher education; • Diversity in education and inclusive education strategies • place-/context-sensitive pedagogy • Effective management of institutions and curricula

8. Issues… • Role of education in development and transforming contexts? • Literacy and numeracy • Development Issues: • health, poverty, violence; • Gender, race, social class and sexuality (etc) in education; • Rurality and rural education; • Inclusive education; • Environmental education • Integration of workplace knowledge with formal knowledge’; • Education partnerships in diverse contexts; and • Support across the education community.

9. Issues… • The role of teachers: • Teacher education, socialisation, induction and professional development • Teacher quality and impact • Skills shortage and skills development • Educational Policy: • Democracy, discipline and educational effectiveness and relevance; • Curriculum policy and how it is experienced at institutional level

10. Some Gaps • Issues: • Sector/level of education: • ECD and adult education (teacher education; management; and finance) • Teacher education and development: Teacher identity, self-efficacy and experiences • Teacher socialisation and professionalism • Policy: • Evidence based policy research? • MDGs: Appropriate measures for SA’s progress towards achieving equality and quality in education?

11. Gaps… School level issues • multi-grade teaching; • WSD, • health promoting schools, • HR in schools

12. Gaps… • Skills shortage and skills development in the context of development and globalisation • Development and transformation: • Gender inequality and gender-based violence in schools • Education-Poverty-GBV-HIV/Health interaction • Race, racism and the transformation agenda? • Democracy, national identity and cohesion? • Globalisation and internationalisation of education

13. Gaps… • Methodological: • mostly small-scale qualitative research conducted; case studies tend to dominate • Quantitative research • Large-scale research– for example: “larger-scale or meta-analytical studies that synthesize, draw on and connect insights from the many small scale studies in ways that suggest more effective answers to the most powerful and enduring problems in education” (Audit Report). • More institutional level research needed: policy to practice, how micro-events inform policy, comparative studies (e.g. teacher education, FET sector)

14. Methodological gaps… • action-oriented research currently limited • Practitioner/reflective research • Ethics in educational research (e.g., How can ethical issues surrounding “least harm” also contribute to doing “most good” --- (too often the principle of least harm is not balanced with ‘most good especially within Ethical Review Committees in universities and research units,’) --- important in unequal society and in the context of poverty, HIV/Aids and violence

15. Other?