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Background: Within the multilingual context of KwaZulu Natal (KZN), learners in Grades 1-3 are taught in their native language which is isiZulu. From Grade 4, English or Afrikaans becomes the medium of instruction. Yet, many parents prefer that their children be taught in English. It is the assumption that young learners' self-concept and identity affect English language learning and academic achievement. Aim: The study analysed the interplay between self-concept, and identity in Grade 1's literacy practices. Setting: The study was conducted in a Grade 1 class in KZN, South Africa. Methods: The study drew on Critical Multimodal Discourse Analysis (CMDA) to collect, analyse and interpret data. Four participants were purposefully chosen to participate in the study. Data were generated from children's drawings and online interviews. Results: The findings showed how learners' self-concept and identity were influenced by their family contexts, and feelings experienced in homes. This study suggests that primary caregivers and teachers create spaces for literacy practice to increase learners' self-concept and identity as speakers and writers of English. Using alternative communication strategies allow learners to (1) think more deeply about what they value, (2) gain an understanding of who they are in relation to their family members and (3) reveal what their cultural preferences are. Conclusion: The study argues that besides peripheral factors, including family, teachers, and the community, children's self-concept and identity are influenced by their experiences within their social sphere, including school. The study recommends further research to explore teachers influence on young children's self-concept as English Second Language speakers. Contribution: The study's contribution towards knowledge is captured through CMDA to discover and understand learners' self-concept and identity as English language speakers and writers.

Background: Quality early childhood development (ECD) is crucial for protecting children against a multitude of socio-economic challenges such as poor living standards, lack of education, and substandard healthcare. Furthermore, research has revealed that educational resources used at ECD centres enrich the all-round well-being of young children. Despite these findings, the provision of educational resources in the ECD learning environment has received little or no attention at national and local levels. Aim: This study aimed to explore registered ECD centres to understand the available infrastructure resources and how they are used to promote quality early childhood care and education (ECCE). Setting: A sample of eight participants (four ECD centre principals and four practitioners) from four registered ECD centres were purposively selected in suburban and township areas of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. Methods: An interpretative, qualitative multiple case study was used and the Woodhead quality framework for ECD centres was used as a guide for this study. Data were collected through face-to-face semi-structured interviews, non-participant observation and field notes. Results: The findings revealed that practitioners know how the use of learning resources improve young children's growth and development. However, the township centres have fewer infrastructure resources that promote quality ECCE because of the dire socioeconomic conditions of the parents. Conclusion: The lack of modern and age-appropriate play equipment at township registered centres indicated that the (township) practitioners are not able to use such equipment, even though they are aware of their benefits in promoting quality ECCE. Hence, quality ECCE is not equally available. The great equaliser, called ECCE, is merely a smokescreen.

Leadership plays a central role in improving and sustaining quality in Early Childhood Development (ECD) settings in the South African context. This article explored the leadership of the Inclusive Education Policy (IEP) and the challenges experienced by ECD centre managers and teachers. Children with disabilities are most vulnerable, marginalised, and denied access to early education, especially in rural communities. Grounded in Bronfenbrenner's ecosystems theory, the study adopted a qualitative approach. The participants included three centre managers and three teachers from Early Childhood Development centres in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The findings revealed that most participants had minimal knowledge and understanding of the policy and its implementation. There was also a lack of leadership from the policymakers to ensure that the IEP was monitored, supported, and implemented. Our recommendations are that all ECD practitioners receive appropriate training and development on the policy, ongoing support and guidance in implementing the policy, and proper resources for their centres and playrooms (financial, physical, and human resources).

To realise the ideal of quality inclusive education, proper financial management is vital. Existing literature indicates that the mismanagement of school funds is largely due to principals and the school governing bodies (SGB) in many schools not having good working relationships with stakeholders and lacking the necessary financial skills, more specifically in schools in townships and rural areas. The study we report on in this article investigated the financial management of public primary schools situated in urban areas by adopting a qualitative research approach and employing a multiple case study research design. Five schools participated and data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews with the principal, school accountant and chairperson of the SGB of the selected schools. Findings revealed that, despite the fact that all South African schools are governed and controlled by the South African Schools Act, the financial management of fee-paying schools differs from no-fee schools situated in townships and rural areas. In many schools, the unavailability of the parent members of SGBs and their limited financial skills were barriers to effective financial decisions. Based on these findings, we recommend that the relevant stakeholders involved in school financial management obtain continuous training from the Department of Basic Education, in order to empower and support school governors to effectively carry out their financial functions.

Background: This article is based on a study that aimed at finding out how pre-primary teachers integrate directed play into literacy teaching and learning. Play is a platform through which young children acquire language. Aim: This study uses an action research approach to understand how guided play benefits incidental reading and expands vocabulary growth in a Chinese Grade K classroom. Method: Data collection involved classroom observations, document analysis, informal and focus group discussions. Results: The results revealed the key benefits of play-based learning for sight word or incidental reading and vocabulary development. These are: (1) teacher oral and written language learning; (2) learners' classroom engagement is promoted; (3) learners were actively engaged in learning of orthographic features of words; (4) learners practised recognising the visual or grapho-phonemic structure of words; (5) teacher paced teaching; (6) teacher assesses miscues; and (7) keep record of word recognition skills. Conclusion: In the light of the evidence, it is recommended that the English Second Language (ESL) curriculum for pre-service teachers integrate curricular objectives that promote practising playful learning strategies to prepare teachers for practice.

Teacher absenteeism is of concern in today's developing educational climate. In South Africa, where education itself is a contested terrain, and decades of disadvantage still impact resources and skills, despite democracy, it is a compelling challenge. This paper, based on a study of how independent primary schools in Gauteng, South Africa, manage teacher absenteeism, offers an analysis of the management practices employed so that some lessons can be extrapolated. The paper draws from real teaching experience in South African primary schools, noting the huge impact of teacher absenteeism and its implications for teaching and learning. Five co-educational (with both genders), independent primary schools were selected for this qualitative study, using Christopher Hood's Cultural-Theory Framework, document analysis, interviews and observation. Findings homed in on processes used to track teacher attendance policies; directives and instruments that regulate teacher absenteeism; factors that influence teacher absenteeism; leadership styles; rewards for good attendance; penalties for abusing leave, and strategies and measures to manage teacher absenteeism. We conclude with recommendations in response to this challenge and emphasise the need for further research.

Research has indicated that educational resources used at early childhood development (ECD) centres advance and enrich the developmental domains, health and wellbeing of young children. However, most ECD centres in South Africa seem to lack many educational resources that enhance quality early childhood care and education (ECCE). This study aimed to explore the experience of the ECD principals in accessing learning resources for their centre. A qualitative research approach that employed a multiple case study research design was utilised. Data were gathered through individual semi-structured interviews with four principals and four practitioners from the four selected ECD centres. The collected data were analysed thematically. This study was guided by Britto, Yoshikawa and Boller's (2011) framework as a theoretical base. The findings revealed that ECD centres only access resources from the users' fees charged and a stipend from the government, which seems insufficient to promote quality ECCE. This study recommends that ECD principals become proactive regarding effective management and leadership skills by engaging with internal and external environment opportunities to access learning resources effectively. This study further recommends that ECD principals be exposed to various seminars, workshops, symposiums and training where they can network with influencers and develop their leadership and relational abilities that will assist them in being creative when accessing learning resources.

Parents of young children are often unaware of the general importance of play in children's development and their own roles in children's play. Lack of leisure, lack of space, the COVID-19 pandemic, Early Childhood Centre teacher communication and use of media and digital toys for children, have affected and reduced children's free play. Drawing on Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development as an underpinning theoretical framework, this paper explores the contestations of play and learning using parents' voices. The study used open-ended qualitative questionnaires to extract parents' feedback on their understanding and practices of play with 3-4-year-old children. The researchers used convenient purposive sampling and selected 6 parents of young children from middle-income families in Pretoria, South Africa. In a time of schoolification of the early childhood years, the findings highlight that although parents believed that play was essential, they set up structured learning environments for their 3-4-year-old children at home. The study accentuated the importance of parent intervention programmes so that parents are aware of how to engage in play with their children appropriately, and what the appropriate adult roles for extending and enhancing play are.

One of the more frequently cited cultural dimensions within the field of cultural research is that of cultural strength (Cameron & Ettington, 1998). Early published works on organisational culture argue that there is an absolute need for a "strong" culture for organisations to be effective. This study has examined the contradiction between the strong school culture and academic performance in Mpumalanga Province under the Bantu Education (DET) school system. The aim of the research was to examine the dynamics of school culture strength (measured as values and norms); leadership; and the organisational performance of schools. A quantitative research approach was used. A total of 1130 questionnaires were completed by principals, School Management Team (SMT) members and educators. The findings show that the schools in Mpumalanga had a strong organisational culture, yet their performance was the lowest of all the provinces in South Africa. The paper argues: Mpumalanga schools should deconstruct their original organisational culture paradigms which evolved out of the DET system of education and that they should reconstruct their organisational cultures with renewed energy and enthusiasm for a better educated generation in the future.

Internationally, the focus on parents in their variety of forms and how to enable their resourcefulness continues to invite debate in early childhood development (ECD). In South Africa, the change in the function shift in ministries, the development of curriculum and teacher education policies for ECD has necessitated a key focus on parents as knowledge holders with agency. This article aims to rethink the constraining model of parental involvement to enable greater parent agency in ECD. A qualitative case study utilising purposeful sampling of eleven parent participants in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District of the North West Province was undertaken to accomplish this. The sociological perspective of parent agency and the continuum from parental involvement to parental engagement theory, as posited by Goodall and Montgomery (2014), is used to make sense of parents' positionalities. The findings show that the centres were strongly positioned as the agents who cast parents as helpers in the activities of the centre as well as providers and consumers of information. This made the parental involvement conceptualisation dominant. The lack of focus on parent agency has created a need for urgent intervention to support parents as primary caregivers and to enhance the theme of "no parent left behind". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Similar to Dickens's "Tale of Two Cities", this research study is about a tale of two schools. The first type of school is a dysfunctional school. Dysfunctional schools are schools in a state of chaos (Shipengrower & Conway, 1998). The second school is that of order. The researchers refer to this school as a functional school. In 2003, the functional school in this research project scored a 100% pass rate in the Senior Certificate Examination (SCE), whereas the dysfunctional school scored 57.35%. Dysfunctional schools, known as "failing schools" are usually found in the poorest neighborhood, where children are mostly Black or immigrants who are not proficient in English. One of the casualties of the apartheid era has been the diminishing authority of the school principal. The aim of this research is to investigate the role of the leader in managing a functional school situated in a dysfunctional environment in the Gauteng province of South Africa. The research study is also directed at predicting the characteristics of dysfunctional/functional schools in the Gauteng province of South Africa.

The purpose of this article is to explore the correlation between Namibian preprimary and Grade 1 parents' demographic characteristics and print and digital reading practices in home environments. A quasi-experimental descriptive research design was selected to launch this investigation in the Khomas region. Survey data documented the relationship between parents' demographic variables and print and digital reading behaviours. The study tested the null-hypothesis (H0: u1 = u2) and non-directional hypothesis (H0: X1 ≠X2). The underlying assumption is that parents home reading practices positively impact children's early language and literacy development. The findings reveal that there is no significant relationship between age, gender, education, family size, and employment status, with print and digital reading behaviours that influence children's emergent language and literacy development in home environments. In a Chi-Square test, the null hypothesis was rejected for age, gender, education, family size, and employment status, but retained and positively correlated to marital status, child reading behaviour, and parents' book, magazine and newspaper reading behaviour. The implication is that when parents buy print materials for home reading purposes and engage their children in pleasurable reading experiences, their children are more likely to be supported at home to influence favourable language and literacy outcomes in school. The study contributes to family literacy literature and highlights the relationship between parents' reading behaviours and children's emergent language and literacy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teacher absenteeism is of concern in today's developing educational climate. In South Africa, where education itself is a contested terrain, and decades of disadvantage still impact resources and skills, despite democracy, it is a compelling challenge. This paper, based on a study of how independent primary schools in Gauteng, South Africa, manage teacher absenteeism, offers an analysis of the management practices employed so that some lessons can be extrapolated. The paper draws from real teaching experience in South African primary schools, noting the huge impact of teacher absenteeism and its implications for teaching and learning. Five co-educational (with both genders), independent primary schools were selected for this qualitative study, using Christopher Hood's Cultural-Theory Framework, document analysis, interviews and observation. Findings homed in on processes used to track teacher attendance policies; directives and instruments that regulate teacher absenteeism; factors that influence teacher absenteeism; leadership styles; rewards for good attendance; penalties for abusing leave, and strategies and measures to manage teacher absenteeism. We conclude with recommendations in response to this challenge and emphasise the need for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Similar to Dickens’s Tale of Two Cities, this research study is about a tale of two schools. The first type of school is a dysfunctional school. Dysfunctional schools are schools in a state of chaos (Shipengrower & Conway, 1998). The second school is that of order. The researchers refer to this school as a functional school. In 2003, the functional school in this research project scored a 100% pass rate in the Senior Certificate Examination (SCE), whereas the dysfunctional school scored 57.35%. Dysfunctional schools, known as “failing schools” are usually found in the poorest neighborhood, where children are mostly Black or immigrants who are not proficient in English. One of the casualties of the apartheid era has been the diminishing authority of the school principal. The aim of this research is to investigate the role of the leader in managing a functional school situated in a dysfunctional environment in the Gauteng province of South Africa. The research study is also directed at predicting the characteristics of dysfunctional/functional schools in the Gauteng province of South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Two neighboring schools, consisting of the same external and internal environment, the same political, environmental, social and technological environments and educators who are similarly qualified and experienced - yet perform as if they are in two different worlds. One schools rates as functional (80% - 100% in the SCE) while the other school is rated as dysfunctional (0%-40% in the SCE). The SCE is the common examination written by all learners in public schools after a 12 year schooling experience (Grade R -12). The principals of both schools possess teaching diplomas and have the similar number of years of experience. It is clear that the principals in these two schools possess totally different personalities. The functional school principal is highly emotionally intelligent whilst the dysfunctional school principal hardly possesses any of the competencies in emotional intelligence. The purpose of this paper is to explore whether the emotional intelligence of the principals impact on the performance of these two schools? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]