Margaret Omidire | University of Pretoria (original) (raw)

Papers by Margaret Omidire

IntechOpen eBooks, Nov 19, 2023

Cultural and linguistic diversity is a common feature across sub-Saharan Africa and South Africa ... more Cultural and linguistic diversity is a common feature across sub-Saharan Africa and South Africa is not an exception. With high levels of linguistic diversity in this context and language constituting a barrier to learning, it important to understand the instructional communicative strategies used by teachers to support students with specific learning disabilities in mainstream classrooms. The study was conducted using a survey design and semi-structured interviews to collect data on the teachers' awareness, preparation and strategies used with diverse students. The participants were 47 primary school teachers in Pretoria, South Africa. The data was analysed to identify the effective strategies used by the teachers. The findings revealed that the teachers employed cooperative learning, grouping and explicit vocabulary instruction as strategies with the students. Although the majority of the teachers indicated that they felt competent to support the students' needs in terms of curriculum and standards, cultural differences and socio-emotional development, they still believe that more focused teacher professional development programmes, support from other professional and additional resources were required for better student achievement.

Routledge eBooks, Feb 16, 2023

Most education settings in South Africa and other post-colonial emerging economies are multilingu... more Most education settings in South Africa and other post-colonial emerging economies are multilingual and diverse. Indeed, this is true of classrooms in developed countries as well. Yet English continues to be the language of instruction from the early grades. The authors of this book draw attention to the negative effects of this practice on achievement, retention and dropout rates, psychosocial wellbeing and community development. And they support the need to view indigenous languages as assets and resources within classrooms. Societal emancipation and transformation begin in the education setting, and no transformation discourse can be successful if the issues surrounding multilingualism are not properly addressed. Teaching and learning pedagogies that ignore the complexities and dynamics of multilingual classrooms are simply reinforcing past worldviews and improved learner-achievement results cannot be expected unless things are approached differently. This book, written by author...

South African Journal of Education, 2020

The nature of discourse within classrooms strongly predicts students’ ability to think about, aro... more The nature of discourse within classrooms strongly predicts students’ ability to think about, around, and with text and content (i.e. comprehension and critical-analytic thinking). However, little is known about the nature of classroom discourse in remote, rural South African schools, a context in which students face well-documented language challenges. The central aim of the present study was to explore the structure and content of discourse in South African classrooms using the 4 components of the Quality Talk model as a frame for our exploration (i.e. instructional frame, discourse elements, teacher moves and pedagogical principles). Grade 8 student participants from 3 classes and their teacher were sampled. Data sources included individual student language assessments, digital video recordings of classroom literacy practices and field notes. Findings revealed that discourse was predominantly characterised by an efferent stance toward text, and the discussions were primarily teac...

Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, 2018

Assessment results from rural schools have shown little improvement in over a decade, mainly beca... more Assessment results from rural schools have shown little improvement in over a decade, mainly because many of the barriers to learning, such as poverty and limited resources, still prevail. Without the necessary English language skills, language can become another barrier to learning. The assessment results of Progress in International Reading Literacy Studies (PIRLS) in 2011 and 2016 reinforce the need for instructional practices to address the difficulties learners' experience with English in primary school. The aim of our study was to provide a detailed analysis of how English as a second language is taught, to guide policy makers in developing the instructional skills of teachers in rural settings, and consequently to improve the educational outcomes of the learners. A comparative case study was used to provide evidence-based descriptions of the teachers' instructional practices from three Grade 3 classes. Findings indicated that language instruction appeared to focus on the structural components of language, compromising the development of the independent academic language skills needed to make the transition in Grade 4 to English as the language of learning and teaching. The results of this research can inform the planning and monitoring of future literacy development initiatives, and thereby, improve assessment results of learners.

My sincere appreciation goes to the following people for their support, guidance and contribution... more My sincere appreciation goes to the following people for their support, guidance and contributions during my research journey:  My heavenly father, for wisdom, guidance of the Holy Spirit and for giving me strength and courage to complete this special journey.  Dr. Kamlesh Mohangi, for her positive attitude and exceptional enthusiasm at the beginning of my research endeavours and for believing in my abilities as a researcher.  Dr Funke Omidire, for her inspirational guidance, encouragement, understanding and for her invaluable assistance as well as long hours of reading.  Dr. Ruth Mampane, for her support, patience and valuable input into my study.  My treasured friends, family and classmates, for their love, support and encouragement.  Participants of my study and the management of the children's home, for their willingness to participate in the study and for their honesty in sharing their personal experiences.  Prof. David Levey, for his outstanding language editing of this dissertation.  Mrs. Adrie Van Dyk, for her exceptional technical editing.-oOo-catering to the children's emotional and health related requirements. It was interesting to note that in addition to their perceived roles and responsibilities, caregivers viewed their work environment as a child-focused environment and expressed the need to be acknowledged as professionals, be empowered with more caregiving skills, and be paid in accordance with their contribution. The study recommends that the unique needs and pressures of institutional caregivers be adequately studied and addressed in ways that will in turn facilitate quality caregiving.

Sustainability Science, 2015

Questions related to how we practice sustainability science remain salient in the face of the fai... more Questions related to how we practice sustainability science remain salient in the face of the failure to achieve broad-scale sustainability objectives. Transdisciplinarity is an essential part of sustainability science. Transdisciplinary conceptual scholarship has been more prevalent than empirical scholarship or applications, especially in developing world contexts. In a single case study of a multiyear project addressing water security issues in HaMakuya, South Africa, we used a framework for assessing transdisciplinary objectives to facilitate more systematic learning for those who practice sustainability science. We found that defining the problem and assembling our team were easier than the co-creation of solutionoriented knowledge and the reintegration and application of this new knowledge. Our singular case study speaks to the potential challenges related to building relationships and co-creating knowledge in an epistemologically diverse setting. Other case studies appear to have negotiated these issues in developing country contexts, and this leaves room further investigation for how to practice transdisciplinarity under these conditions.

Journal of Community Psychology, 2017

High-need contexts, such as those in postcolonial Southern Africa, require interventions that pro... more High-need contexts, such as those in postcolonial Southern Africa, require interventions that provide psychosocial and socioeconomic care and support. This comparative case study uses the lens of indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) to supplement predominantly Western knowledge of care and support interventions. Participatory reflection and action (PRA) were used in 7 conveniently selected Southern African regions reflective of bounded systems with high adversity and likely to portray indigenous belief systems on a regional basis (n = 430; elders = 240; youth = 190; men = 150 and women = 280). Interactive PRA sessions, focusing on generating narratives about traditional care and support strategies, were recorded and analyzed. It emerged that the IKS care and support interventions still being practised are fundamentally relational and pragmatic pathways of resource management, and include reciprocal donations, shared savings in societies, and partnerships and borrowing/lending. Rather than being outdated vestiges of previous times, these age-old structures continue to function as robust and sophisticated social technologies of care and support.

Distance Education and Teachers’ Training in Africa (DETA), 2011

Routledge eBooks, Feb 16, 2023

Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft

In this article we apply an Afrocentric Resilience Theory (relationshipresourced resilience) to t... more In this article we apply an Afrocentric Resilience Theory (relationshipresourced resilience) to the domain of education research partnerships. We posit academic flocking as an equitable research partnership approach aimed at developing education knowledge that responds to collective distress and supports collective quality education. We provide support for our supposition regarding academic flocking by overviewing the mutually beneficial development of an online, home-based learning resource with relevance in two transnational contexts and cultures, South Africa and the United States of America. Whereas the context of the argument is a COVID-19 related global need for evidence-based education resources, conceptually we draw on lenses of resilience and emancipatory, democratising methodology to make sense of academic flocking as a fundamental structure for research partnership equity and relevant education innovation. As such, academic flocking holds value as a transformative alternative for South-North researcher partnerships in generating useful, quality educational innovations to address critical needs.

Reimagining African Teacher Education through Distance for a Post-Pandemic Future

Prior to the onset of the global lockdown, some educators used strategies such as a flipped class... more Prior to the onset of the global lockdown, some educators used strategies such as a flipped classroom, blended learning and hybrid learning to integrate the use of technology into the delivery of their modules. This all changed in 2020 when contact sessions were no longer an option to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The result was that educators who partially used e-learning avenues and those who were fully into contact teaching had to make the shift to full online teaching. The pandemic thus brought about an awareness of how much progress we have made and the realisation of how far we still need to go in equitably addressing access and inclusion among students in higher education institutions. The purpose of the study was to explore the extent to which the relationship and partnership between specialists and educators could foster student support for inclusion, access and equity in higher education, thereby informing teacher education. This was a qualitative study with an ac...

South African Journal of Communication Disorders, 2022

Background: Teachers play a significant role as early identifiers of learners with developmental ... more Background: Teachers play a significant role as early identifiers of learners with developmental language disorder (DLD). They provide important information to other professionals for further specialist support of such learners. Professionals, such as educational psychologists, speech–language therapists (SLTs) and learning support therapists are involved in assisting learners with DLD; hence, inter-professional collaboration (IPC) amongst these professionals is of paramount importance in meeting the needs of learners.Objectives: This study aimed to examine systemic support strategies available to learners with DLD.Method: This was a multiple case study of Zimbabwe and South Africa. Purposive sampling was used to select participants. The study consisted of 56 participants: 5 teachers, 2 SLTs, a learning support therapist, an educational psychologist and 47 learners. A qualitative research approach was employed and data were collected using interviews, focus group discussions and cla...

Perspectives in Education, 2022

Prior to the occurrence of the global COVID-19 pandemic, some African higher education institutio... more Prior to the occurrence of the global COVID-19 pandemic, some African higher education institutions had already adopted a hybridmode for all their programmes, including distance education. Policies and strategies were put in place to improve the practices, skills and competencies of staff and students. However, the closure of education institutions globally due to the pandemic resulted in the rethinking of current education practices and highlighted the inherent inequalities in the system. This baseline qualitative study, underpinned by the Affordance theory, explores the appropriateness of education responses that were utilised and interrogates the readiness of educators for e-Learning during the pandemic. The participants were purposively selected educators (n=11) from distance and contact African institutions. The study sought to contribute to the reconceptualisation of policies and strategies for distance education provision using e-Learning approaches, which have now become a mainstream reality for the post-school education and training (PSET) sector. Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was applied to the rich data. The findings identified the successes and shortcomings of facilitating e-Learning at a distance during the pandemic. Some participants felt ill-prepared for the extent of work required to be well equipped to use this approach. In many cases, it was felt that support strategies could have been better structured. Further analysis highlighted possible restructuring that should occur to meet the needs of educators in the twenty-first century and to survive any future pandemics through greater use of e-Learning. Evidence-based recommendations for policies are discussed.

Early Child Development and Care, 2021

This article reports on the utilization of group discussion by teachers to improve the comprehens... more This article reports on the utilization of group discussion by teachers to improve the comprehension skills of learners in their multilingual classes. The study aimed to examine solutions to low co...

IntechOpen eBooks, Nov 19, 2023

Cultural and linguistic diversity is a common feature across sub-Saharan Africa and South Africa ... more Cultural and linguistic diversity is a common feature across sub-Saharan Africa and South Africa is not an exception. With high levels of linguistic diversity in this context and language constituting a barrier to learning, it important to understand the instructional communicative strategies used by teachers to support students with specific learning disabilities in mainstream classrooms. The study was conducted using a survey design and semi-structured interviews to collect data on the teachers' awareness, preparation and strategies used with diverse students. The participants were 47 primary school teachers in Pretoria, South Africa. The data was analysed to identify the effective strategies used by the teachers. The findings revealed that the teachers employed cooperative learning, grouping and explicit vocabulary instruction as strategies with the students. Although the majority of the teachers indicated that they felt competent to support the students' needs in terms of curriculum and standards, cultural differences and socio-emotional development, they still believe that more focused teacher professional development programmes, support from other professional and additional resources were required for better student achievement.

Routledge eBooks, Feb 16, 2023

Most education settings in South Africa and other post-colonial emerging economies are multilingu... more Most education settings in South Africa and other post-colonial emerging economies are multilingual and diverse. Indeed, this is true of classrooms in developed countries as well. Yet English continues to be the language of instruction from the early grades. The authors of this book draw attention to the negative effects of this practice on achievement, retention and dropout rates, psychosocial wellbeing and community development. And they support the need to view indigenous languages as assets and resources within classrooms. Societal emancipation and transformation begin in the education setting, and no transformation discourse can be successful if the issues surrounding multilingualism are not properly addressed. Teaching and learning pedagogies that ignore the complexities and dynamics of multilingual classrooms are simply reinforcing past worldviews and improved learner-achievement results cannot be expected unless things are approached differently. This book, written by author...

South African Journal of Education, 2020

The nature of discourse within classrooms strongly predicts students’ ability to think about, aro... more The nature of discourse within classrooms strongly predicts students’ ability to think about, around, and with text and content (i.e. comprehension and critical-analytic thinking). However, little is known about the nature of classroom discourse in remote, rural South African schools, a context in which students face well-documented language challenges. The central aim of the present study was to explore the structure and content of discourse in South African classrooms using the 4 components of the Quality Talk model as a frame for our exploration (i.e. instructional frame, discourse elements, teacher moves and pedagogical principles). Grade 8 student participants from 3 classes and their teacher were sampled. Data sources included individual student language assessments, digital video recordings of classroom literacy practices and field notes. Findings revealed that discourse was predominantly characterised by an efferent stance toward text, and the discussions were primarily teac...

Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, 2018

Assessment results from rural schools have shown little improvement in over a decade, mainly beca... more Assessment results from rural schools have shown little improvement in over a decade, mainly because many of the barriers to learning, such as poverty and limited resources, still prevail. Without the necessary English language skills, language can become another barrier to learning. The assessment results of Progress in International Reading Literacy Studies (PIRLS) in 2011 and 2016 reinforce the need for instructional practices to address the difficulties learners' experience with English in primary school. The aim of our study was to provide a detailed analysis of how English as a second language is taught, to guide policy makers in developing the instructional skills of teachers in rural settings, and consequently to improve the educational outcomes of the learners. A comparative case study was used to provide evidence-based descriptions of the teachers' instructional practices from three Grade 3 classes. Findings indicated that language instruction appeared to focus on the structural components of language, compromising the development of the independent academic language skills needed to make the transition in Grade 4 to English as the language of learning and teaching. The results of this research can inform the planning and monitoring of future literacy development initiatives, and thereby, improve assessment results of learners.

My sincere appreciation goes to the following people for their support, guidance and contribution... more My sincere appreciation goes to the following people for their support, guidance and contributions during my research journey:  My heavenly father, for wisdom, guidance of the Holy Spirit and for giving me strength and courage to complete this special journey.  Dr. Kamlesh Mohangi, for her positive attitude and exceptional enthusiasm at the beginning of my research endeavours and for believing in my abilities as a researcher.  Dr Funke Omidire, for her inspirational guidance, encouragement, understanding and for her invaluable assistance as well as long hours of reading.  Dr. Ruth Mampane, for her support, patience and valuable input into my study.  My treasured friends, family and classmates, for their love, support and encouragement.  Participants of my study and the management of the children's home, for their willingness to participate in the study and for their honesty in sharing their personal experiences.  Prof. David Levey, for his outstanding language editing of this dissertation.  Mrs. Adrie Van Dyk, for her exceptional technical editing.-oOo-catering to the children's emotional and health related requirements. It was interesting to note that in addition to their perceived roles and responsibilities, caregivers viewed their work environment as a child-focused environment and expressed the need to be acknowledged as professionals, be empowered with more caregiving skills, and be paid in accordance with their contribution. The study recommends that the unique needs and pressures of institutional caregivers be adequately studied and addressed in ways that will in turn facilitate quality caregiving.

Sustainability Science, 2015

Questions related to how we practice sustainability science remain salient in the face of the fai... more Questions related to how we practice sustainability science remain salient in the face of the failure to achieve broad-scale sustainability objectives. Transdisciplinarity is an essential part of sustainability science. Transdisciplinary conceptual scholarship has been more prevalent than empirical scholarship or applications, especially in developing world contexts. In a single case study of a multiyear project addressing water security issues in HaMakuya, South Africa, we used a framework for assessing transdisciplinary objectives to facilitate more systematic learning for those who practice sustainability science. We found that defining the problem and assembling our team were easier than the co-creation of solutionoriented knowledge and the reintegration and application of this new knowledge. Our singular case study speaks to the potential challenges related to building relationships and co-creating knowledge in an epistemologically diverse setting. Other case studies appear to have negotiated these issues in developing country contexts, and this leaves room further investigation for how to practice transdisciplinarity under these conditions.

Journal of Community Psychology, 2017

High-need contexts, such as those in postcolonial Southern Africa, require interventions that pro... more High-need contexts, such as those in postcolonial Southern Africa, require interventions that provide psychosocial and socioeconomic care and support. This comparative case study uses the lens of indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) to supplement predominantly Western knowledge of care and support interventions. Participatory reflection and action (PRA) were used in 7 conveniently selected Southern African regions reflective of bounded systems with high adversity and likely to portray indigenous belief systems on a regional basis (n = 430; elders = 240; youth = 190; men = 150 and women = 280). Interactive PRA sessions, focusing on generating narratives about traditional care and support strategies, were recorded and analyzed. It emerged that the IKS care and support interventions still being practised are fundamentally relational and pragmatic pathways of resource management, and include reciprocal donations, shared savings in societies, and partnerships and borrowing/lending. Rather than being outdated vestiges of previous times, these age-old structures continue to function as robust and sophisticated social technologies of care and support.

Distance Education and Teachers’ Training in Africa (DETA), 2011

Routledge eBooks, Feb 16, 2023

Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft

In this article we apply an Afrocentric Resilience Theory (relationshipresourced resilience) to t... more In this article we apply an Afrocentric Resilience Theory (relationshipresourced resilience) to the domain of education research partnerships. We posit academic flocking as an equitable research partnership approach aimed at developing education knowledge that responds to collective distress and supports collective quality education. We provide support for our supposition regarding academic flocking by overviewing the mutually beneficial development of an online, home-based learning resource with relevance in two transnational contexts and cultures, South Africa and the United States of America. Whereas the context of the argument is a COVID-19 related global need for evidence-based education resources, conceptually we draw on lenses of resilience and emancipatory, democratising methodology to make sense of academic flocking as a fundamental structure for research partnership equity and relevant education innovation. As such, academic flocking holds value as a transformative alternative for South-North researcher partnerships in generating useful, quality educational innovations to address critical needs.

Reimagining African Teacher Education through Distance for a Post-Pandemic Future

Prior to the onset of the global lockdown, some educators used strategies such as a flipped class... more Prior to the onset of the global lockdown, some educators used strategies such as a flipped classroom, blended learning and hybrid learning to integrate the use of technology into the delivery of their modules. This all changed in 2020 when contact sessions were no longer an option to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The result was that educators who partially used e-learning avenues and those who were fully into contact teaching had to make the shift to full online teaching. The pandemic thus brought about an awareness of how much progress we have made and the realisation of how far we still need to go in equitably addressing access and inclusion among students in higher education institutions. The purpose of the study was to explore the extent to which the relationship and partnership between specialists and educators could foster student support for inclusion, access and equity in higher education, thereby informing teacher education. This was a qualitative study with an ac...

South African Journal of Communication Disorders, 2022

Background: Teachers play a significant role as early identifiers of learners with developmental ... more Background: Teachers play a significant role as early identifiers of learners with developmental language disorder (DLD). They provide important information to other professionals for further specialist support of such learners. Professionals, such as educational psychologists, speech–language therapists (SLTs) and learning support therapists are involved in assisting learners with DLD; hence, inter-professional collaboration (IPC) amongst these professionals is of paramount importance in meeting the needs of learners.Objectives: This study aimed to examine systemic support strategies available to learners with DLD.Method: This was a multiple case study of Zimbabwe and South Africa. Purposive sampling was used to select participants. The study consisted of 56 participants: 5 teachers, 2 SLTs, a learning support therapist, an educational psychologist and 47 learners. A qualitative research approach was employed and data were collected using interviews, focus group discussions and cla...

Perspectives in Education, 2022

Prior to the occurrence of the global COVID-19 pandemic, some African higher education institutio... more Prior to the occurrence of the global COVID-19 pandemic, some African higher education institutions had already adopted a hybridmode for all their programmes, including distance education. Policies and strategies were put in place to improve the practices, skills and competencies of staff and students. However, the closure of education institutions globally due to the pandemic resulted in the rethinking of current education practices and highlighted the inherent inequalities in the system. This baseline qualitative study, underpinned by the Affordance theory, explores the appropriateness of education responses that were utilised and interrogates the readiness of educators for e-Learning during the pandemic. The participants were purposively selected educators (n=11) from distance and contact African institutions. The study sought to contribute to the reconceptualisation of policies and strategies for distance education provision using e-Learning approaches, which have now become a mainstream reality for the post-school education and training (PSET) sector. Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was applied to the rich data. The findings identified the successes and shortcomings of facilitating e-Learning at a distance during the pandemic. Some participants felt ill-prepared for the extent of work required to be well equipped to use this approach. In many cases, it was felt that support strategies could have been better structured. Further analysis highlighted possible restructuring that should occur to meet the needs of educators in the twenty-first century and to survive any future pandemics through greater use of e-Learning. Evidence-based recommendations for policies are discussed.

Early Child Development and Care, 2021

This article reports on the utilization of group discussion by teachers to improve the comprehens... more This article reports on the utilization of group discussion by teachers to improve the comprehension skills of learners in their multilingual classes. The study aimed to examine solutions to low co...