2011-NMMU-Research-Report - Research Management - Nelson ...

Research Activities
relating to the Faculty
Research Themes
The “Wall of Hands” created by conference delegates at the SAHARA
Conference hosted by NMMU. Adults and youth were prompted to use
their hands in creating a message to show how to “turn the tide on
HIV and AIDS”.
The Faculty reviewed their research themes during 2011 to reflect
the changing focus of their work. The changing foci are wellestablished
in some cases, while others are still emerging. These
varying statuses are reflected in the nature of the activities and
outputs of each research theme, as are briefly indicated below.
HIV and AIDS in Education: The driver of this theme is Prof Naydene
de Lange. It focuses on research that addresses issues in HIV and AIDS
education in primary, secondary and higher educational settings
in general, and engages communities in research by drawing on
participatory research methodologies. This is a well-established
research theme that has gathered together a number of active
researchers and therefore outputs around this theme were significant:
24 conference papers were read, five articles were published in
accredited journals, nine book chapters and one book were published
and one MEd student and one PhD student graduated during 2011.
A workshop was conducted on Communities of Practice and the two
conferences on HIV/AIDS referred to earlier, also happened under the
auspices of this research theme. During 2011, four MEd and six PhD
students were registered with topics in this theme.
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Prof Denise Zinn is the driver of the theme on Humanising Pedagogy.
The theme focuses on what it is that makes us human and how
teaching and learning can extend and support that humanness.
Humanising pedagogy has been adopted as the prevailing pedagogy
in the Faculty and as such the work done in this research theme has
strongly focused on the Faculty’s curriculum renewal project.
Potential groundbreaking work in the area of scholarship of teaching
and learning is emerging from the work of scholars working in
this research theme, which is also supported by a research hub
with participants from in- and outside the Faculty. The outputs
associated with this theme are therefore connected to curriculum
renewal and will eventually also include publications. During 2011,
seven MEd students and one PhD student were registered with
topics in this theme.
The emerging research theme on Schools and Community Partnerships
has Dr Allistair Witten as its driver. Much of the work of this theme takes
place under the auspices of the Centre for the Community School (CCS)
with Dr Witten as the Director of the Centre, which was launched during
2011. Current work is therefore of a preparatory nature, but this will
eventually culminate in research outputs that focus on ways in which
schools address some of the social challenges to schooling, the use of
social capital to build school and community partnerships to support
learners as well as the development of theoretical and practice-based
models of school improvement that are relevant and responsive to the
contextual realities of schools. At least some of the envisaged research
will emerge from the school-improvement activities that CCS has
implemented in the Manyano Network of Community Schools. During
2011, one MEd and three PhD students were registered with topics in
this theme.
Education for Change and Social Justice: This theme has Prof
Aletta Delport as driver. It aims its research at addressing the role
of education in contributing to a transformed and socially just
South African society, including a focus on barriers to learning,
special education needs and inclusive education. It is an emerging
theme in the Faculty and outputs associated with it are four papers
at international conferences and two at national conferences, and
one article in an accredited journal. During 2011, 28 MEd and 16
PhD students were registered with topics in this theme.
Teacher Professional Development: The driver for this theme was
Dr Noluthando Toni, who has since left the NMMU. The Faculty is in
the process of identifying an appropriate person to take over from
her as driver. Work in this theme encompasses integrated and crosssectional
research on the nature and improvement of pre- and inservice
teacher education. This is grounded in the Integrated Strategic
Planning Framework for Teacher Education and Development in
South Africa (2011 - 2025), which advocates for the development and
improvement of quality of teachers and teaching. During 2011, 16
MEd and 16 PhD students were registered with topics in this theme.