Here is an introduction text above publications. To be revised …
Volume 1: Issue 5 TIMSS SA Newsletter – The role of assessments for educational improvement
November 2015
Tia Linda Zuze explores the increasing popularity of Asian afterschool learning programmes in South Africa. These programmes
incorporate useful resources from some of the educational
powerhouses of the world, but how applicable are they to the South
African context?
Published in: 2015
Keywords: Annual National Assessments / Education in South Africa
Volume 1: Issue 4 TIMSS SA Newsletter – How do we interpret our observations of education?
October 2015
The newest member of our team, Catherine Namome, provides an account of her
experiences doing quality assurance for TIMSS 2015 at a rural school in Gauteng.
Through her description, she highlights the importance of the relationship between
schools and their surrounding communities.
Published in: 2015
Keywords: Annual National Assessment / Rural education in South Africa / Schools serving poor communities / Science and the public
Volume 1: Issue 3 TIMSS SA Newsletter – Why are schools desperate to be digital?
September 2015
This month’s blog explores the increasing use of technology in
South African schools. Tia Linda Zuze examines the merits of
using technology, as schools are becoming “desperate to be
digital”; and considers whether this is an appropriate intervention
for improving the quality of education in the country.
Published in: 2015
Keywords: General Education and Training Certificate (GETC) / Inequality in South African education / School safety / Technology
Volume 1: Issue 2 TIMSS SA Newsletter – Are your children safe at school?
August 2015
In the second blog in our series, Sylvia Hannan addresses the question “Are your children safe at
school?”, through exploring the issue of school safety in South Africa, with a focus on the
prevalence of bullying.
Published in: 2015
Keywords: Bullying in school / School safety
Volume 1: Issue 1 TIMSS SA Newsletter – Beyond Benchmarks: 20 years of TIMSS
July 2015
Our national publication based on TIMSS data provides a measured assessment
of what has been achieved over the last 20 years based on the evidence
provided by TIMSS. It also redefines what ‘good’ progress means in light of
South Africa’s developmental pathway and recommends what evidence based
interventions can be considered as the next r ...
Published in: 2015
Keywords: Beyond benchmarks / Gender equality / Mathematics Education
Improving learner achievement in South Africa: A policy proposition for a growth mindset approach to enhance learner support at basic education level
The motivational model and the growth mindset
This motivational model is not a panacea for addressing the complexities of the challenges facing the South African education landscape. Aspirations, expectations and motivation will have to go hand in hand with tangible factors, such as teacher quality, to make any concrete difference. However, the recorded strength of these factors, as well as th ...
Published in: 2015
Keywords: Education in South Africa / Grade 5 and Grade 9 learners / Learner achievement
Home and school resources as predictors of mathematics performance in South Africa
Published in: 2015
Keywords: Home context / School resources
Beyond Benchmarks
What twenty years of TIMSS data tell us about South African education
South Africa has participated in a number of local and international achievement studies in the field of education over the last 20 years and responses to the results have been somewhat mixed. Critics argue that participation in international assessments is a pointless exercise because of the slow pace of improvement in South African education. Sup ...
Published in: 2015
Authors: Vijay Reddy / Tia Linda Zuze / Mariette Visser / Andrea Juan / Cas Prinsloo / Fabian Arends / Shawn Rogers
Keywords: Education and skills development
Quality school mathematics: an elusive aspiration?
Chapter in "State of the Nation 2014: South Africa 1994-2014: a twenty-year review"
This chapter reviews the educational investments, policies and programmes introduced since 1994 and, using the outcome measure of mathematics achievement, evaluates the distance we have travelled in the quest for quality educational outcomes and a better life for all.
Published in: 2014
Authors: Vijay Reddy / Andrea Juan
Keywords: Assessment standards / Education / Mathematics Education
Attitudes to science: part of the puzzle to improve educational achievement?
Published in: 2014
Keywords: Enjoyment / Learner achievement / Learner Attitudes / self-confidence / Valuing