Master of Education in Life Orientation

Purpose

The purpose of the qualification is to equip teachers with advanced knowledge and appropriate educational skills to function optimally as professionals and researchers in the field of Life Orientation with its respective and different foci. Furthermore, this qualification aims to equip teachers with the appropriate research skills in order to enhance the scholarship of teaching in this specific discipline.

Qualified teachers will be able to function with advanced intellectual, practical and research competencies in complex and challenging situations in diverse areas in education. Candidates registered for this qualification will be encouraged to participate in national and international conferences and to publish their research results in accredited journals.

Rationale

The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (Act No. 108 of 1996) provides the basis for curriculum transformation and development in our post-apartheid South African society (DoE, 2012). Consequently, all subjects, including Life Orientation, should contribute to the social transformation and holistic development of learners by focusing on healing the divisions of the past and establishing a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights to improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of each person. The National Curriculum Statement lays a foundation for the achievement of these goals by being sensitive to issues that promote inequality such as poverty, race, gender, language, age, and disability. It also highlights the importance of incorporating indigenous knowledge into the curriculum.

Life Orientation as part of the national curriculum is considered a unique subject, in that, it applies a holistic approach to the personal, social, intellectual, emotional, spiritual, motor and physical growth and development of learners, as a way to encourage the development of a balanced and confident learner who can contribute to a just and democratic society, a productive economy and an improved quality of life for all. The focus of the curriculum suggests that Life Orientation should contribute to holistic well-being of learners within a context of social justice.

The complex, integrated nature of the Life Orientation curriculum mirrors the complexity of human society and therefore poses specific challenges to teachers who mediate it. Furthermore, the Life Orientation curriculum intersects with real life challenges in such a way that it has to be mediated in a contextually relevant manner. Teachers who present Life Orientation can therefore play a significant role in changing the social contexts of schooling in South Africa and facilitate social change in these contexts if they understand how to take up their role as agents of social transformation. In view of these complex challenges, the Master of Education in Life Orientation is designed to meet the needs of teachers who can act as transformative leaders; who can provide guidance to make optimal use of the opportunities provided by the Life Orientation curriculum; to facilitate social transformation by enabling learners to optimally develop their potential and understand their role and responsibility in society.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

The institution subscribes to the principles underlying outcomes-based, sourced-based, and self-directed learning emphasising life-long learning. In this context, considerations of articulation and mobility play an important role. The institution endorses the view that RPL constitutes an essential element of the transformation of access and admission policies at education institutions in South Africa. The transformation of access and admission policies is intended to increase participation and to broaden access to higher education in order to produce graduates with the skills and competencies necessary to meet the human resource needs of the country.

The learner initially has to meet the admission requirements to be admitted to the qualification. Thereafter Recognition of Prior Learning, gained either through formal qualifications of this or other institutions, or informally (through experience), may be considered when deciding on granting of credits for modules in this particular qualification. The learner will be informed about the mechanism to be used. If the learner is able to demonstrate competence in the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes implicit in this qualification, the appropriate credits will be assigned to the student.

At all times the level of skills and competence, reviewed in the context of the Exit Level Outcomes required for this qualification, or the outcomes of modules within it, will be the determining factor. RPL will thus be done on the grounds of applied competence which the applicant has demonstrated with regard to the Exit Level Outcomes to be reached with this qualification.

The institution determines the number of learners admitted to any of its qualifications, taking into consideration the availability of staff and facilities needed to manage such qualifications.

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirements for access to this qualification are

• Bachelor of Education Honours Degree in Life Orientation, or Learner Support, Educational Psychology, Level 8.

Or

• Postgraduate Diploma in Education in a cognate field of specialisation, Level 8.

This qualification comprises compulsory modules at Level 9 totalling 180 Credits.

Compulsory Modules

• Holistic Well-being Approach to Social Transformation in Schools, 12 Credits.
• Service Learning Project, 10 Credits.
• Human Rights and Inclusivity in Education, 12 Credits.
• Pedagogical Challenges in Life Orientation, 12 Credits.
• Optimal Development through Life Orientation, 24 Credits.
• Advanced Research in Life Orientation, 20 Credits.
• Research Mini-Dissertation 90 Credits.

1. Demonstrate advanced and integrated knowledge of theories and practices in the field of Life Orientation to specifically enable engagement with and critique of the contribution of Life Orientation to social transformation and current issues and practices relating to the field of Life Orientation.
2. Evaluate current practices in the field of Life Orientation and to adapt these practices to ensure that holistic well-being are enhanced and human rights are respected within educational practice in order to contribute to social transformation in South African schools and for learners to flourish despite the challenges they have to face, as well as prepare them for responsible citizenship.
3. Implement methods, strategies and interventions at appropriate levels in the school system, based on the understanding of power relations within these systems and their insight into the possible consequences of the implementation thereof on these power relations.
4. Apply advanced knowledge and skills to communicate with a wide range of audiences with different levels of knowledge and expertise to develop sustainable support networks that will contribute to the enhancement of holistic well-being and social transformation in South African school communities.
5. Develop own learning strategies which sustain independent learning and academic or professional development and interact effectively within the learning or professional group as a meaning of enhancing learning within the context of Life Orientation in the school context by means of facilitation of well-being.
6. Communicate results of the research in Life Orientation context in an academically acceptable and ethical manner in the form of a coherent mini dissertation.
7. Undertake a critical and relevant literature survey, to apply theories and specialised tools and techniques in identifying and analysing complex real-world problems in a Life Orientation context and to draw valid, reliable and relevant conclusions from different sources.
8. Make autonomous ethical decisions in research which creates knowledge production, advanced, systematic and specialist knowledge, understanding and skill to undertake research by applying appropriate research methods and techniques to identify, analyse and formulate complex real-world research problems in the domain of Life Orientation.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Carefully select and study appropriate literary sources.
• Analyse, evaluate and critically discuss the contribution of Life Orientation to social transformation, as well as current issues and practices in Life Orientation.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• Evaluate and adapt current practices in the field of Life Orientation with the enhancement of holistic well-being and respect for human rights to contribute to the social transformation and responsible citizenship in South African schools.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Implement appropriate methods, strategies and interventions with the understanding of, and insight into the power relations in the school systems and the consequences of implementing them.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Effectively integrate and discuss or debate a variety of different academic sources in order to analyse the existing challenges pertaining to holistic well-being and transformation in practice.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5

• Develop own strategies to sustain independent academic and professional development within the context of Life Orientation by facilitating well-being.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 6

• Gather, analyse and evaluate current research on a topic of choice and present the information in an academically acceptable literature review.
• Effectively integrate a variety of different academic sources in order to analyse the existing problems in Life Orientation practice.
• Interrogate themes such as, title and topicality, purpose and intentions, problem statement and scope, selecting and presenting a focus and clarity.
• Cover the interrogation of issues such as, causes of problem, actuality, importance and relevance of problem and rationale behind research undertaken.
• Indicating lacunae in the literature, explaining why lacunae exist.
• Identify critical questions to cover the interrogation of issues such as, review of the body of scholarship, locate and present an epistemological paradigm, locate and present a conceptual and theoretical framework, present a research design, present research methodology, present a data collection plan, plan for and present a data analysis strategy.
• Deal with reliability and validity concerns.
• Cover the interrogation of issues such as, presentation of results, discussion of findings, relevance of findings.
• Show evidence of acceptable academic style of writing and referencing.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 7

• Select an appropriate research topic with the guidance of a supervisor.
• Identify relevant research questions; develop an appropriate research design to do the intended research.
• Draw, discuss and debate relevant conclusions and successfully complete the intended research project in Life Orientation context, under careful supervision, and present findings and conclusions in a coherent manner.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 8

• Develop and complete a body of research work, compiled as a mini dissertation within the framework of the university's requirements.

Integrated Assessment

Assessment of this qualification occurs through formative and summative assessment methods and will fit the needs and experience level of the learners as well as that of the prescribed Level 9 Descriptor. An inclusive and integrated approach to assessment will be incorporated into the qualification, while assessment practices will be open, transparent, fair, valid, and reliable to ensure that students are not disadvantaged during the assessment process.

Formative Assessment

Assignments will take the form of a portfolio, a research project, and/or a case study. Various assignments will be used in order to compile a portfolio for final assessment in respective modules.

Summative Assessment

Learners will give proof that they can identify, assess, formulate and solve problems innovatively using applicable information and techniques in assignments, portfolios or projects at the end of the modules.

The mini-dissertation

Integrated summative assessment in the form of the mini-dissertation will furnish proof of the candidate's ability to interpret, integrate, and critically use the literature to a limited extent, do research in the relevant field of study and report such research results satisfactorily.