Faculty of Education

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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14155/169

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Daily hassle stress and coping strategies
(University of Botswana, 2008-05-05) Mokenela, Paballo Josephine; Bhusumane, Tlhabiwe
A study of the experiences that exposed part-time adult learners in higher education to daily hassle stress and the coping mechanisms that the learners adopted was carried out at the Institute of Extra-Mural Studies (IEMS) of the National University of Lesotho (NUL). The goal of this applied qualitative study was to contribute knowledge on stress-related experiences of part-time adult learners in higher education so that the necessary interventions could be put in place. In-depth interviews of six part-time adult learners aged between 30 and over 50 years were conducted. The sample comprised three males and three females of different marital statuses, residing at different geographical locations of Lesotho. The experience of the participants in part-time learning ranged between five-and-a-half to seven-and-a-half years. Data was collected through semi-structured interview guide and the interviews were tape recorded. The data showed that the part-time adult learners at IEMS were constantly under time pressure to meet the social, economic, and academic demands. The learners were also burdened with financial responsibilities and obligations in meeting these demands. Furthermore, differences in personalities and negative attitudes of other students and some of the members of IEMS staff were stressful to the part-time adult learners. The part-time adult learners applied various coping strategies that rendered them resilient to the daily hassle stress. Social support, particularly from significant others, was identified as the most effective method of managing stress. Other coping strategies included emotion-focused coping, problem-focused coping, and relaxation techniques. Medical help was viewed as the least effective coping strategy. The study suggested other measures to reduce stress could be explored by IEMS to help the part-time adult learners. The measures include minimization of the identified stressors within the learning environment, and the empowerment of the adult learners through the Western counseling approaches to supplement and complement the coping strategies that are already being used by the part-time adult learners.
A linguistic analysis of Sesotho personal sentence names
(2009) Rants'o, Liketso; Prof. Machobane, M.
This thesis provides a linguistic analysis of Sesotho personal names that have the structure of sentences. It examines the internal structure of these names, their linguistic status and their meanings. The internal structure of the names is discussed in the second chapter of the thesis. In this chapter the names are categorized into the declarative names, the interrogative names and the imperative names. Each category of names is assigned a word structure rule (WSR) that describes its structure. The component parts of sentence names are nouns, concords, verbs, tense markers, question words, imperative markers and negation morphemes. Concords function in the names to indicate unison and individualism, gender and definiteness. Nouns in sentence names make the names specific. Tense markers are used in the names to indicate tense and verbs carry the semantic content of the names meaning. Question words, imperative markers and negation morphemes are used to classify the names into different categories. The third chapter addresses the question of how sentence names should be classified. It is argued that these names should be classified as words. This is because they display properties of words such as internal stability, positional mobility and uninterruptability. These names are nouns because they can be replaced with pronouns, they can be inflected for number, they are written as single words and their tone is different from that of their corresponding sentences. The sentence names are also regarded as words because they are derived by word formation processes namely conversion and clipping. The fourth chapter relates to the question of the meanings behind personal sentence names. It is noted that the meanings of sentence names may be derived from the individual words that make up the names, especially the verbs as they carry the semantic content of the names. The names have the connotations of joy, pride, gratitude, frustrations, disappointment, surprise, series of deaths, condolences, calamity, need for care, illegitimacy and conflicts. The syntactic meaning of the names is discussed in relation to the argument structure of the predicates that make up sentence names. Besides the lexical meanings and the syntactic meanings, it is noted that there are pragmatic factors that help in interpreting the names. These pragmatic meanings of the names are studied in relation to the communication that is attained through the names
NASAL influence in Sesotho phonology
(National University of Lesotho, 2009) Mohoanyane, 'Mapapali Angelina
Constructions of gender in the context of free primaty education: A mult-site case study of three schoools in Lesotho
(University of Kwazulu-Natal, 2009) Morojele, P. J.; ; Prof. Bhana, Deevia; Prof. Moletsane, Relebohile
This thesis reports on a qualitative study of stakeholders’ constructions of gender in the context of the Free Primary Education policy in three primary schools in Lesotho. Through the lens of the social constructionist paradigm, the thesis examines how parents, teachers and children living in and around these primary schools think, act, and feel in relation to gender in their academic and social worlds. It looks at the ways in which these stakeholders engage with issues of gender in Lesotho communities ravaged by gender inequality. Based on parents’, teachers’ and children’s constructions of gender, the thesis suggests strategies that might help address inequitable gender relations in and around the primary schools. The thesis grounded my personal life experiences, as the researcher, as crucial in the development of methodological strategies and processes of this study. In a flexible and responsive manner, the study utilised informal conversations, semistructured interviews, observations, questionnaires and document analysis, as methods of data collection. It found that, influenced by ‘discursive constructs’ of providence and God’s will, child-adult relations, naturalness of gender differences and attributes as well as the Basotho culture, parents and teachers constructed gender in ways that reinforced existing gender inequality in and around the primary schools. The structural and social organisation of the schools that tended to allocate girls and boys into rigid social categories, and parents’ and teachers’ constructions of gender which reinforced inequitable gender relations, were found to have significant impact on the regulation of children’s experiences and meanings of gender. The study found that children’s experiences of gender informed how they actively engaged with issues of gender and the meanings they attached to being girls and boys. The study traces how Basotho culture and religion have been fundamental to gender inequality and violence in Lesotho. These factors encouraged the schools to use structural/physical identities (such as having biological sex as a boy/girl), as the bases for allocation of girls and boys into rigid and inequitable social categories. The dominant discourses of gender that emanated from these factors, ascribed stereotypic attributes to males (boys and men) and females (girls and women) as means to ground inequitable gendered human aptitudes, which were used to justify gender inequality. The study also identifies ways in which girls defy the insistence on their subordination, and sees fault lines where gender inequality can be confronted without abandoning Basotho culture.
The place of N.M.Khaketla's selected plays in the development of Sesotho drama
(National University of Lesotho, 2009-05) Lesaoana, Mpho Blandina; Dr. Rapeane, M.; Mr. Phafoli, Lehlohonolo
This study is on, the place of N.M. Khaketla’s selected plays in the development of Sesotho drama. It aims at showing how Khaketla as the first female dramatist distinguishes herself from her counterparts as regards, the choice of themes, stylistic devices and portrayal of male and female characters. Chapter one is introduction; guiding the readers as to how the study will be conducted. Chapter two compares and contrasts Khaketla’s choice of themes with those of her counterparts. Chapter three examines stylistic devices in Khaketla’s works and how she differs from her counterparts. Chapter four engages on the comparative analysis of male and female characters in the works of Khaketla with her counterparts. The last chapter is conclusion, covering the findings and recommendations for further study. The information needed for the success of this work has been obtained from Khaketla’s four books: Mosali eo ’neileng eena (1954), Ka u lotha (1976), Pelo ea monna (1977) and Ho isa lefung (1977) as well as the plays of her counterparts dating from 1928-1979. The study discovered that Khaketla’s plays occupy a special place in the development of Sesotho drama.
Assessment of male and female gender abuse reports in Maseru district
(National University of Lesotho, 2011-06) Molefe, Clifford Fonono; Preece, Julia
This study explores the experiences of male and female victims when they report gender-based abuse to the police or other authorities. This was done in order to compare how reports by men are addressed as compared to those by women in Maseru District. The motivation for the study was that men in particular do not appear to report abuse cases and when they do they experience unsympathetic responses from the authorities. However, in order to see if men are treated differently it was necessary to also see how women are treated when they report abuse cases. The study sought to see what kind of training is offered regarding gender abuse for men and women in order to make recommendations for improving future training and support for victims of abuse. This was a qualitative study. A total of 22 purposively sampled respondents from two police stations included ten victims of abuse and two officers from the Police headquarters, namely human resource and the Coordinator of CGPU. Ten victims from Maseru and Mabote stations (Five victims from each station), formed the subjects who adequately responded to the interview guide questions. The
Disciplinary measures adopted by school management teams in dealing with teacher misconduct
(National University of Lesotho, 2011-07) Lesaoana, Nthati
The study set out to investigate the disciplinary measures adopted by school management teams in dealing with teacher misconduct in Maseru Post Primary Schools. The specific objectives of this study were to identify school disciplinary measures against teacher misconduct in post primary schools; determine the challenges faced by school authorities in enforcing disciplinary measures in post primary schools; examine the role played by school management teams in addressing the issues of teacher misconduct in post primary schools and finally to suggest strategies that can be adopted by management teams to deal with teacher misconduct in post primary schools. The study was undertaken within which five schools in the Maseru City which were purposively selected. A qualitative survey was undertaken whereby principals, HOD’s and school governing board members were interviewed. There were three participants from each school and this resulted in a total sample of fifteen participants who were chosen purposively for the study. The study found that on the issue of disciplinary measure against teacher misconduct, the SMT’s use both preventive measures (formal and informal) and lawfully permitted measures in their schools against teacher misconduct. Those include sending teachers for rehabilitation, demotion, encouragement to resign and others such as issue of warnings (Verbal and written). With regard to the challenges, it was found that enforcement of discipline of teachers include their educational background, lack of fairness on the part of management, lack of remuneration for SGBs, legal framework and lack of training for both teachers and school authorities on issues related to teacher discipline.
The role of traditional knowledge in acquisition of proficiency in academic English by students in a higher education institution
(2012-11-20) Matsoso, Lifelile; Mapesela, 'Mabokang
The study focused on the role of Sesotho traditional knowledge in the academic English of university students from a Sesotho-speaking background. To this end, the spotlight of the investigation was how knowledge from beliefs, values, attitudes, behaviours/practices and other conditions and scenarios of the livelihoods of the Basotho can benefit acquisition of academic English proficiency among Sesotho-speaking background students (SSBS) at the English-medium National University of Lesotho (NUL). Personal, social and academic reasons formed the background/rationale for the study.
Secondary School Teachers� Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Some Common Student Errors and Misconceptions in Sets
(Southern African Association for Research in Mathematics,Science and Technology Education (SAARMSTE), 2013) Moru, E. K.; Qhobela, M.
The study investigated teachers� pedagogical content knowledge of common students� errors and misconceptions in sets. Five mathematics teachers from one Lesotho secondary school were the sample of the study. Questionnaires and interviews were used for data collection. The results show that teachers were able to identify the following students� errors: (i) writing an empty set as {0} instead of { }; (ii) treating the repeating elements of the union of two sets as distinct and (iii) treating an infinite set as a finite set. Teachers were not able to identify the errors where students (i) treated infinity as a number; (ii) said that the members of countable infinite sets cannot be compared and (iii) that curly brackets are used only when listing the members of a set. The identified errors were associated with some misconceptions. Depending on the nature of the students� tasks teachers� strategies and explanations of dealing with the errors and misconceptions were inclined towards calling on procedural knowledge. Only a few cases of conceptual knowledge were noted. Implications for teaching are proposed.
Narratives of differently abled persons: informing career guidance policy
(University of Pretoria, 2013) Sefotho, Maximus Monaheng; Prof. Ebersohn, L.
Secondary school teachers' pedagogical content knowledge of some common students' errors and misconceptions in sets
(African Journal of Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 2013) Moru, E. K.; Qhobela, M.
The study investigated teachers' pedagogical content knowledge of common students' errors and misconceptions in sets. Five mathematics teachers from one Lesotho secondary school were the sample of the study. Questionnaires and interviews were used for data collection. The results show that teachers were able to identify the following students' errors: (i) writing an empty set as {0} instead of { }; (ii) treating the repeating elements of the union of two sets as distinct and (iii) treating an infinite set as a finite set. Teachers were not able to identify the errors where students (i) treated infinity as a number; (ii) said that the members of countable infinite sets cannot be compared and (iii) that curly brackets are used only when listing the members of a set. The identified errors were associated with some misconceptions. Depending on the nature of the students' tasks teachers' strategies and explanations of dealing with the errors and misconceptions were inclined towards calling on procedural knowledge. Only a few cases of conceptual knowledge were noted. Implications for teaching are proposed.
Re-examining the conceptualisation of mistreatments and abuses in the workplace: A psychological violence story
(Psychology Research, 2013) Mats'ela, M. A.
Examining Secondary School Physics Teachers' Beliefs About Teaching and Classroom Practices in Lesotho as a Foundation for Professional Development
(International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education (2014), 2013) Qhobela, M.; Moru, E. K.
The classroom practices of science teachers are indicative of their beliefs and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). PCK is an amalgam of knowledge about subject matter, pedagogy, and contextual issues. This article identifies areas where physics teachers in Lesotho may need professional development support by addressing the research question: How do secondary school physics teachers in Lesotho describe the teaching of science and their actual practice? A mixed-methods approach involving a survey and follow-up interviews of secondary school physics teachers was used to collect information about this research question. The results show that there is a disjuncture between the teachers� pedagogic knowledge and the teachers� contextual knowledge, indicating that their PCK was not well formed and could serve as a central focus for their professional development.
Examining secondary school Physics teachers� belief about teaching and classroom practices in Lesotho as foundation for professional development
(International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 2014) Qhobela, M.; Moru, E. K.
The classroom practices of science teachers are indicative of their beliefs and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). PCK is an amalgam of knowledge about subject matter, pedagogy, and contextual issues. This article identifies areas where physics teachers in Lesotho may need professional development support by addressing the research question: How do secondary school physics teachers in Lesotho describe the teaching of science and their actual practice? A mixed-methods approach involving a survey and follow-up interviews of secondary school physics teachers was used to collect information about this research question. The results show that there is a disjuncture between the teachers� pedagogic knowledge and the teachers� contextual knowledge, indicating that their PCK was not well formed and could serve as a central focus for their professional development.
Traditional assessment as a subjective tool in schools in Lesotho
(International Educational Research and Review Journal, 2014) Khalanyane, T.; Halahala, A. M.
The aim of the study on which this paper is based was to develop guidelines for the support of newly qualified nurses to ease their transition from student to professional practitioners in Lesotho; and to get their first-hand experience of their transition from student to professional practitioners in a public hospital in Lesotho. An explorative, descriptive, contextual, qualitative research design was chosen. The sample included all newly qualified professional nurses who worked in a public hospital in Lesotho for a period of one year or less. Data was collected by means of semi-structured individual interviews with ten (10) participants and a focus group interview with eight (8) of the original participants. Content analysis of the data in the qualitative tradition was independently done by two coders who identified four (4) themes and ten (10) sub-themes. The first theme was described as reality shock, including the sub-themes emotional reactions and limited resources. The second theme, competence, includes the sub-themes of knowledge, skills and attitude. A third theme describes the participants experience of the support from management, colleagues, the Ministry of Health and Social welfare, nursing educational institutions and the community. The fourth theme describes the participants? vision for the future. Each of the themes was discussed together with relevant data obtained from literature and reduced to a conclusive statement which served as basis for the formulation of guidelines to ease the transition from student to professional practitioner in Lesotho. The paper concluded with the researcher?s evaluation of the study and recommendations for nursing education, nursing management and further research.
Teachers� experiences and impact of workplace.
(David Publishing, 2014) Kirsten, A. M.; Mats'ela, M. A.
This article focuses on teachers� experiences and sources of workplace bullying as well as its impact on the health of teachers in Lesotho. Data from the interviews indicated that workplace bullying against teachers is highly prevalent. It further emerged that the workplace bullying they experienced had a serious impact on their health in all contexts of their existence namely biological, psychological, spiritual, ecological and metaphysical contexts that can be regarded as worktrauma. The sources of workplace bullying experienced by teachers are the management of schools to a large extent, followed by colleagues of equal status and parents, community and the students to a lesser extent. In the light of the findings the study recommends that, teacher support programmes should be put in place in order to address issues of workplace bullying and its impact on teachers� health.
Perceived pedagogical challanges plaguing business education teachers in Lesotho post-primary schools
(US-China Review, 2014) Mats'ela, M. A.; Thetsane, R. M.
Quality control of judges� rating behaviors is directly related to the validity of examinees� scores in a performance assessment. The purpose of the present study was twofold: (a) to compare two different estimation techniques under Rasch and nonlinear mixed modeling perspectives; and (b) to compare judge severity estimates under two different scoring designs. SAS NLMIXED and FACETS software packages were used to evaluate the accuracy of the two estimation techniques. The judge scoring design of a live English proficiency test was one of the designs under investigation in this study. Results indicated that the two analytical methods performed comparably in estimating the true values of judge severity. On the other hand, the spiral design of the two judge scoring strategies performed with an acceptable degree of accuracy whereas the true values of the model effects including judge severity were substantially compromised in the nested design. The present study illustrated an example of effective ways to strategize a judge scoring design and to estimate the true values of judge severity in performance testing.
Threats to inclusive education in Lesotho: An overview of policy and implementation challenges
(Africa Education Review, 2014) Mosia, P. A.
This study looks at how the education of Learners with Special Education Needs (LSEN) has developed in Lesotho as a result of international policies on human rights and education. In particular, it explores various challenges to inclusive education such as proper understanding of inclusive education, the development of a policy on special and inclusive education, and the availability of resources to support inclusive education. The study used a qualitative approach to collect and analyse data. Thirty-nine participants were interviewed for the study. It was found that, though efforts are made to support LSEN in both special and mainstream schools, the support may not result in successful academic and social development for LSEN. There is also a lack of understanding by teachers and educationalists about what constitutes inclusive education. The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) is slow in developing a policy on special needs and there are inadequate resources for inclusive education to succeed.
Inservice Teacher Training in Lesotho: Prospects and Challenges
(HM Studies and Publishing, 2014) Matheolane, R.; Seotsanyana, M.
Investigating the factors that attribute to the teachers‟ failure to integrate Mokhibo and Ndlamo with business in the three Butha Buthe high schools.
(2014-07) Libokoana, Tankiso; Dr Thamae, C.G.
This thesis investigated the factors that attribute to teachers‟ failure to integrate Mokhibo and Ndlamo with business in the three Butha Buthe high schools. In order to get the answer to this problem, the researcher investigated teachers‟ understanding of the concept of integrated curriculum, the learners‟ and the teachers‟ attitudes to the integration of Mokhibo and Ndlamo with business and the ways of integrating Mokhibo and Ndlamo with business in the teaching and learning situation. The research is based on integrated curriculum which focuses more on education with production; which is teaching and learning the integration of Mokhibo and Ndlamo with business for the future of the students not for passing examinations. The results of the study will help teachers improve their teaching so that learners use the knowledge of the integration of Mokhibo and Ndlamo with business to make their own living. Observation and interview methods were used to collect data from the three schools using purposive sampling of six teachers and nine students from different schools. There were six interviewed and observed teachers while nine learners were only interviewed to check reliability of data collected from the teachers. In the reviewed literature teachers exhibited limited knowledge on integrated curriculum and only defined it without giving reasons for its practice in schools. Their reasons focused on the passing of the subject while focus should be on the future of the learner. The teachers also tried to vary methods of teaching but they could not apply all methods stated in the reviewed literature. The place where the learners come from was partly one of the factors that contributed to the teachers‟ failure to integrate Mokhibo and Ndlamo with business when teaching.

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