Bachelor of Education Honours in Childhood Education

Purpose

The purpose of the Bachelor of Education (BEd) Honours in Childhood Education is to develop expertise and research capacity in the field of Childhood Education. The specific emphasis is on children's learning and development and on ways to assess this in the birth to 12 years age-group, based on current theories of the developing child. This also entails the study and the use of applied methods of research with which to capture individual children's learning and development, specifically also their learning in the different subject areas of the primary school. The overall purpose is thus to educate a new generation of subject matter experts in the field of childhood education.

The Qualification is developed in a way that will enable learners to engage with critical issues in the learning of Mathematics and Science, Language and Literacy, the Social Sciences and Culture, and Human Movement and Physical Education. Towards this end, the design logic of the programme is that learners will apply their knowledge of the literature and of the world of practice to construct custom-designed instruments for assessment, while also learning to use standardised instruments that are available to practising teachers.

The proposed qualification consists of five modules that share the central design logic and the completion of a minor research project. A compulsory module on learning and development in childhood will form a foundational module in which learners will learn the cornerstone theories of cognitive, physical, social and emotional development of children.

Learners will be introduced to a comprehensive curriculum on learning and development in childhood, with particular attention being paid to how a child learns new concepts in the various content domains and how the child develops physically, emotionally and socially. In addition, learners will also conduct research involving children on a small scale and on larger scales, where feasible, and where collaborative research is possible.

The learners who graduate with a BEd Honours in Childhood Education will be able to

• Apply the theories of learning in the various content domains with a view to assessing and evaluating childhood learning and development.
• Assess or evaluate learning and development in the field of Childhood Education as a social science practitioner.
• Produce a research project on learning and development in Childhood Education that is relevant and informed by current theory.
• Design and conduct evaluations of learning and development in the various content domains.

Rationale

Research in childhood education is an underdeveloped field of scholarship in South Africa. Recently, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) with the support of the European Union (EU) initiated a nationwide programme that aims to strengthen the Childhood Education sector through research and strengthening Foundation Phase Teacher Education. With this initiative has come a renewed interest in research, culminating in the founding of the South African Research Association for Early Childhood Education (SARAECE), which was launched in February 2014. In addition, the South African Journal of Childhood Education was launched in 2011 with a view to publishing research from what is a new and yet burgeoning area in education.

Stated simply, the domain of childhood education has recently been prioritised as an area of education that is in need of specialist knowledge and capacity and also of new theorising. The domain has changed significantly over the past two decades. The Bachelor of Education (BEd) Honours in Childhood Education is designed to bolster the capacity for research into childhood education and to produce specialists with up-to-date knowledge of the field, who are able to produce new, usable knowledge.

The Bachelor of Education Honours in Childhood Education is developed to contribute to the national objective of producing knowledge of learning and development in the field of childhood education. The qualification will serve to sustain society by producing specialists in an area of education that has long been neglected. Childhood education research specialists are in short supply and this Qualification has been developed and designed to address this. What is more, the Qualification is designed to motivate learners to be instrumental in transforming their communities through usable knowledge about children's learning and to thereby serve South African society through innovative and collaborative pursuits of applied research.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

The Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is an integral part of education and academic practice. It is acknowledged that all learning has value and the University y accepts the challenge to assess prior learning that is aligned to Faculty Qualifications and award credit to promote lifelong learning. The purpose of the University of Johannesburg's RPL policy, which directs the Faculty's RPL procedure, is to recognise prior learning in order to provide for admission to Qualifications, grant advanced placement in Qualifications and grant credits for modules using the principles and processes that serve as basis for Faculty-specific RPL practices.

Learners may provide evidence of prior learning for which they may receive credits towards the qualification by means of portfolios or other appropriate forms of evidence, which may include verified accounts of previous relevant work done and performance records. This may also be used to grant them access to the qualification.

Entry Requirements

The minimum requirement for this qualification is

• Bachelor of Education Degree, at NQF Level 7.

Or

• General NQF Level 7 Degree plus a 120 Credit Teaching Qualification at NQF Level 7.

This qualification consists of four compulsory and two elective modules at NQF Level 8 totalling 120 Credits.

Compulsory Modules

• Learning and development in childhood education, 20 Credits.
• Assessment and evaluation in childhood education, 20 Credits.
• Research methodology in childhood education, 30 Credits.
• Research project, 30 Credits.

Choose two elective Modules

• Mathematics and Science, 10 Credits.
• Language and Literacy, 10 Credits.
• The Social Sciences and Culture, 10 Credits.
• Human Movement and Physical Education, 10 Credits.

1. Apply the theories of learning in the various content domains with a view to assessing and evaluating childhood learning and development.
2. Assess or evaluate learning and development in the field of childhood education as a social science practitioner.
3. Produce a research project on learning and development in childhood education that is relevant and informed by current theory.
4. Design and conduct evaluations of learning and development in various content domains.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Understand contemporary educational conditions and policies against the backdrop of the socio-historical development in Southern Africa.
• Demonstrate a familiarity with major lines of debate in the broad field of education.
• Provide well-founded interpretations of literature in the area of study, and succinct and accurate syntheses of written material.
• Locate particular studies in a relevant and coherent theoretical framework.
• Use specialist and applied knowledge appropriately in an area of educational study or practice.
• Show sensitivity for and understanding of the relative and contextual nature of thought and knowledge.
• Interpret knowledge as a source of meaning and as a guide to reflection, choice and action.
• Grasp the dialectical relationship between theoretical and practical knowledge.
• Demonstrate an awareness of the variety of educational contexts in which knowledge might apply.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• Understand the principles and concepts underpinning the field of study and its boundaries and limitations.
• Analyse educational situations with a view to identifying problems.
• Assess the weight of various kinds of evidence for claims and theories in the field of education.
• Justify conclusions with appropriate argument or evidence in theorising about education.
• Identify and solve educational problems by using critical and creative thinking to arrive at responsible decisions.
• Display intellectual independence and analytical skill in the development of systematic arguments.
• Make sound theoretical judgements and evaluations based on evidence.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Complete papers, major assignments and/or project reports in a way that shows knowledge of different research approaches and methodology.
• Collect, analyse, organise and critically evaluate educational and related information from primary and secondary sources.
• Use appropriate resources for academic work, including information and communications technology.
• Plan and conduct an elementary piece of research using basic research techniques.
• Communicate research results accurately and reliably by way of written reports and oral presentation.
• Demonstrate basic knowledge of different research approaches in the field of education.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Interpret educational principles and concepts flexibly in a range of institutional contexts.
• Participate effectively in debates in the relevant area of education, and interact productively within a learning or professional community.
• Stimulate and encourage others to become engaged in disciplined thinking about education.
• Communicate effectively with academic and professional colleagues, and collaborate with others in addressing educational problems.
• Demonstrate an openness towards the views of others and show a desire to initiate or facilitate discussion in a perceptive, sensitive and thought-provoking manner.
• Balance rights and responsibilities, as well as constructive criticism and commitment to service, in the wider interests of all those represented in the school or wider educational environment.
• Demonstrate contextualised educational leadership skills.
• Communicate effectively from a position of leadership within the education profession.
• Foster recognition of educational rights and priorities in the context of educational leadership.

Integrated Assessment is conducted in an integrated manner and consists of both summative and formative assessment tasks which assess competence in module outcomes and in the Exit Level outcomes of the qualification. The research dissertation is assessed to assess the student's ability to carry out research.