A study of capacity building strategies of heads of department, curriculum co-ordinators and level 1 educators in the economic and management sciences learning area in 5 primary schools in the eThekwini region of KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education.

Abstract

Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2005.

The dire need for capacitating Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) educators in subject-specific knowledge occurred to me whilst conducting workshops for EMS educators within the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education. Educators often complained that they neglected EMS as a Learning Area as they lacked the requisite subject~specific knowledge. This, they claimed was exacerbated by the paucity of EMS educator and learner support materials. This prompted me to undertake a case study of the current capacity building strategies of heads of department, curriculum co-ordinators and level 1 educators in (EMS) Learning Area. The case study was restricted to a cluster of 5 pnmary schools in the Ethekwini Region of the Kwa-Zulu Natal Department of Education. Schools were chosen on the basis of convenience, cost, proximity to each other and previous professional involvement with the schools. Data were collected through questionnaires, interviews and observation at workshops. Findings suggest that there existed a lack of fundamental knowledge in the EMS learning area and further that current development strategies did not necessarily meet the needs of educators. Stemming from the research findings, the study recommends that continuous professional development of educators must be seen as an evolving set of activities that should respond to the specific contextual needs of educators at different stages in their lifelong development as professionals.