6.2 Students' perceptions of how the course improves management in schools

In this section we focus on how the course attempts to improve the management knowledge, skills, and competencies of the students.

Table 15: Perceptions of the usefulness of subject content related to the improvement of school and classroom management

The information in Table 15 indicates the respective perceptions of two groups and does not serve as a direct comparison between them. The majority of the respondents agree that all the subjects are very useful to improve their ability to be better managers in the classroom as well as in the school. These positive responses are the same as the responses in the discussion groups, where the respondents indicated that they are even able to use the new skills and knowledge in areas outside the school like in community activities or even in their family situation.

The Hammanskraal group is a little more positive about the usefulness of the subject in improving their ability to be better managers. This may be because the students at Hammanskraal have more contact with the lecturers and therefore there is more opportunity to do more practical work in groups and they have more interaction with their colleagues. Also they learn more practical skills during the contact sessions.

It is clear that the vast majority of students consider the areas of the course relating to classroom management very useful, which reflects well on the curriculum designers. However, there remain questions about the content of the study material, specifically that it is lacking an African focus and being too westernised in its approach, which are discussed further in the analysis section.

While residential students on the university campus are lectured in Afrikaans and English, distance students are taught only in English. Offering distance education in English broadens the potential audience for the course, to include black Africans and non Afrikaans-speaking white South Africans (Vergnani, 2000: p.46). The medium for the FDE is English and Afrikaans. English is used predominantly because of the composition of the student population but the study material, assignments and examination papers are all available in both languages.

Table 16: Factors in the course that may improve management in schools and classrooms (ranked in order of importance)

The factors that can improve the management in schools and classrooms as listed in Table 16 are organised in priority order according to the first column (very important). The first four factors are all related to the improvement of the examination results and not to improve the management skills and knowledge for improved management in schools and classrooms. Although the question was not about improving examination results, the students indicated it as the most important factor. It may indicate also that the students are thinking more about the examination than about improving their management skills and knowledge to improve the practical situation in schools as questioned.

Factors that may improve the management situation in schools, like more practical examples in the study guide and during lectures are fifth and sixth in the priority order. Factors like group work (eighth) and smaller group teaching (thirteenth) can really improve the practical skills and knowledge of teachers but the respondents place it low in priority order. This is a further indication that the respondents are more concerned about their examination results.

The most important issue for both groups is directly related to the examination, although they highlight different items in the list in Table 16. The distance group needs more assistance with the preparation for the examination. This relates to the need for more tutors and assistance as indicated earlier. Both the groups need contact with the lecturers, which is understandable because they are both part of distance education where the contact is less than for full time students.

The issue where the two groups differ significantly relates to their need of more notes from the lecturers. This factor figures eighth for the distance group and thirteenth for Hammanskraal.

The only other two factors where they differ with three places on the priority list are:

· More examples and practical exercises in the study guide. This is fifth for the distance group and eighth for Hammanskraal.

· More time to study on my own. This factor is ninth for Hammanskraal and twelfth for the distance group.

In a direct comparison between the Hammanskraal and distance education group, these are the only factors where the Hammanskraal and distance education group differ with a high percentage margin if the first column “very important” is taken as the criteria (Table 17). At the rest of the factors the differences vary between 15% to 3%. The smaller differences cannot be considered to be educationally significant.

Table 17: Comparisons between Hammanskraal and distance education group: Factors in the course that may improve management in schools and classrooms

Table 17 shows that the Distance Education group are more likely to rate all the factors as important. However, there were some striking differences: the distance group needs more contact and assistance with the preparation for the examination, more notes from lecturers, and they feel it would be very important to translate the study guides into their mother tongue.

Although the two factors where the two groups differ the most, are last and third from last in the priority order it is important to take notice of the difference between the opinions of the two groups. It can be expected that the student in the distance education mode will need more detailed notes because they have less contact during lectures where the lecturers can explain the content in detail. The notes can be linked to the examination focus of the students because the students are more interested in examination questions and information during the contact sessions than in information that can enhance their management skills and knowledge. The academic staff must ensure that the study guides and handbooks are sufficient for the distance education students to enable them to prepare for the examination but also to gain enough knowledge and skills to improve their management activities in class and school.

The translation of the study guides into the mother tongue may be more important for the distance education students because they are not using English as frequently as the students at Hammanskraal, because in Hammanskraal the lectures are through the medium of English. The translation may be an important step to develop other African languages as academic languages. A possible problem may be that it will have cost implications and then the course may become even more expensive for the students.