A conceptual analysis of teacher education in South Africa in relation to the norms and standards for educators

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Educators at schools are expected to implement education policy changespromulgated through policy frameworks by the Department of Education in SouthAfrica. However, whether these teachers are equipped to implement education policyor whether they have interacted sufficiently with policy issues remains a contentiousissue. My contention is that pre-service and in-service teachers are expected toperform certain roles and demonstrate certain competences, as required or implied bychanging education policy frameworks, like the Norms and Standards for Educators(Department of Education, 2000), but might not necessarily be equipped to do so.This dissertation utilised conceptual analysis and a literature review, as researchmethods, to explore constitutive meanings of the concept 'education policy' inrelation to teacher education transformation in post-apartheid South Africa, withreference to the Norms and Standards for Educators (Department of Education,2000). Constitutive meanings (Fay, 1975) of post-apartheid teacher education refer toall those shared assumptions, definitions, and conceptions, which structure teachereducation transformation and post-apartheid teacher education in certain definiteways. Without these constitutive meanings, according to Fay (1975: 76), socialpractices, like teacher education, could not exist. By revealing these constitutivemeanings, in terms of the interpretive paradigm (Fay, 1975: 78), I have given apossible explanation of post-apartheid teacher education, by articulating theconceptual scheme that frames post-apartheid teacher education. These constitutivemeanings, which were extracted from a literature review, were explored in relation tothe main question of this dissertation: Can the new teacher education policyframework, as set out in the Norms and Standards for Educators of 2000, improveteaching and learning in South African schools?I argue that the latter process will not materialise because of question marks over thetransformative potential of the Norms and Standards for Educators (Department ofEducation, 2000). The mentioned policy framework may be an inappropriateframework to structure and guide the transformation of existing teacher educationpractices because of certain conceptual gaps. These conceptual gaps are stumblingblocks to transform existing teacher education practice and improve teaching andlearning in our schools in the post-apartheid era. I argue that these gaps could bebridged if the Norms and Standards for Educators are reconceptualised along the linesof Benhabib's (1994) deliberative democratic model. Deliberation is necessarybecause policy alone cannot lead to the transformation of post-apartheid teachereducation. Deliberation is also necessary because of the limitations on the state'spower to enforce its will through promulgated policy. More engagement, viadeliberation, is needed between the government, educational leaders, policy-makersand the other policy actors, like teachers, bureaucrats and teacher educationinstitutions. The arguments of Burbules (1997) and Biesta (2004) seem to substantiatemy claim that education policy, alone, cannot lead to the improvement of teachingand learning in our schools. Burbules (1997) posits that teaching is a complex humanendeavour that is characterised by predicaments or dilemmas, which cannot bepermanently solved. I argue against the integration of the seven roles, as advocated bythe Norms and Standards for Educators, because of certain dilemmas. We need thetragic perspective on teaching, of Burbules (1997), to approach teaching differently.Biesta (2004) also urges us to approach teaching differently, by advocating a newlanguage for education.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University