Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za Prepared for the Education Labour Relations Council by the Child, Youth and Family Development Research Programme of the Human Sciences Research Council Published by HSRC Press Private Bag X9182, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa www.hsrcpress.ac.za © 2005 Education Labour Relations Council First published 2005 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. ISBN 0-7969-2151-2 Cover design by Jenny Young Print management by Compress Distributed in Africa by Blue Weaver PO Box 30370, Tokai, Cape Town, 7966, South Africa Tel: +27 (0) 21 701 4477 Fax: +27 (0) 21 701 7302 email: orders@blueweaver.co.za www.oneworldbooks.com Distributed in Europe and the United Kingdom by Eurospan Distribution Services (EDS) 3 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 8LU, United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) 20 7240 0856 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7379 0609 email: orders@edspubs.co.uk www.eurospanonline.com Distributed in North America by Independent Publishers Group (IPG) Order Department, 814 North Franklin Street, Chicago, IL 60610, USA Call toll-free: (800) 888 4741 All other enquiries: +1 (312) 337 0747 Fax: +1 (312) 337 5985 email: frontdesk@ipgbook.com www.ipgbook.com Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za EDUCATOR WORKLOAD REPORT i Table of Contents List of Tables iv List of Figures vii Acknowledgements viii Executive Summary ix List of Abbreviations xv 1. INTRODUCTION 1 Introduction 1 The brief 1 Workload Policy 3 Policy contradiction 6 Defining teaching and instructional time 7 International and Local Literature 7 Methodology 9 The Context of the Research 9 The Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) 10 The Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS) 14 Impact of OBE and CASS 18 Other Policies and Factors 19 Class size 19 Norms and Standards for Educators & White Paper 6 20 Hours that Educators Spend on their Different Activities 21 Conclusion 24 References 26 2. THE LITERATURE ON EDUCATOR WORKLOAD 28 Introduction 28 International Literature 29 Comparison with international workload norms and averages 29 Reasons for increased workload 30 Impact of workload 36 Solutions 40 South African Literature 42 Conclusion 45 Selected Bibliography 46 3. METHODOLOGY 50 Introduction 50 Pilot Study 51 Survey 53 Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za EDUCATOR WORKLOAD REPORT ii Introduction 53 Sampling 53 Questionnaire and time-diary 54 Statistical analysis techniques 56 Case Studies 56 Reliability and Validity Issues and Limitations of the Study 58 Conclusion 59 4. EDUCATORS’ TIME ON TASK 60 Introduction 60 Methodological Considerations 61 Average Total Time Spent by Educators on their Work 62 Distribution of Average Time over Different School-related Activities 75 Analysis of Workload by Days of the Week 79 Monday to Friday 79 Weekends 89 Time spent on Core, Administration-related and Non-administration-related Activities 91 Time spent in core activities (Teaching, Prep and Planning) 92 Time spent in admin-related activities (assessment and evaluation, management and supervision and reports and record-keeping) 100 Time spent in non-admin-related activities (extra-curricular activities, professional development, pastoral care, guidance and counselling and breaks) 111 Conclusion 127 5. IMPACT OF NEW POLICIES ON EDUCATOR WORKLOAD 128 Introduction 128 Pilot Findings 129 OBE a source of strain 129 Results from Closed Survey Questions 130 Increased workload 130 IQMS, OBE and CASS: Sources of increased workload 132 Results from Open-Ended Questions 136 Class size: Overcrowding, shortages of staff and classrooms increases administration 137 Recommendations 140 Departmental accountability requirements 141 Curriculum and assessment demands: ‘RNCS same as OBE’ 143 Too much change 143 Too many Learning Areas 144 Preparation and planning: Learning programmes, work schedules and lesson plans 145 Marking, recording and reporting of learners’ work 146 Learning Areas without teachers and resources 148 Recommendations 148 Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za EDUCATOR WORKLOAD REPORT iii Conclusion 149 6. EDUCATOR WORKLOAD IN POLICY AND PRACTICE: THE EROSION OF INSTRUCTIONAL TIME 151 Introduction 151 Official Policy 153 Educator Workload 153 Administrative, Reporting and Assessment Requirements 154 Workload and Time Use in the School 155 Official organisation of time in the schools 155 The length of the school day and week 155 Timetable allocations of workload 156 Actual organisation of time in schools 161 The length of the school day and week 162 Timetable allocations and actual organisation 162 Influence of class size and related features 163 Class size 163 Number of learning areas per grade 164 Conclusion 165 Workload and Time Use in the Classroom 166 Time on teaching 168 Disruptions 171 Preparation and planning 172 Curriculum-related assessment and evaluation 173 Breaks 174 Lesson transitions 178 Extra and co-curricular activities 179 Professional development 180 Guidance and Counselling 180 Pastoral care and duties 181 Fundraising 181 Management and supervisory functions 181 Conclusion 182 7. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 184 Policy 185 Instructional time 185 Class size 185 Administrative support 186 Curriculum 186 IQMS 186 Further Research 187 APPENDIX A 188 Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za EDUCATOR WORKLOAD REPORT iv List of Tables Table 1 Minimum percentage teaching time per post level 4 Table 2 Pilot schools and educators 51 Table 3 Sample of educators from each school surveyed 54 Table 4 Sample of educators from case study schools 57 Table 5 Distribution of schools by school type, former department and Province 61 Table 6 Descriptive statistics of average total time by Province 63 Table 7 Descriptive statistics of average total time by school location 64 Table 8 Descriptive statistics of average total time by school type 64 Table 9 Descriptive statistics of average total time by former department 65 Table 10 Descriptive statistics of average total time by Gender 66 Table 11 Descriptive statistics of average total time by Age Group 66 Table 12 Descriptive statistics of average total time by Teaching experience 67 Table 13 Descriptive statistics of average total time by Education Phase 68 Table 14 Descriptive statistics of average total time by School Size 69 Table 15 Descriptive statistics of average total time by largest class size 70 Table 16 Descriptive statistics of average total time by smallest class size 71 Table 17 Descriptive statistics of average total time by learning area 72 Table 18 Descriptive statistics of average total time by post title 73 Table 19 Descriptive statistics of average total time by highest qualifications 74 Table 20 Average time in hours during the week by school location 80 Table 21 Average time in hours during the week by school type 80 Table 22 Average time in hours during the week by former department 81 Table 23 Average time in hours during the week by Gender 83 Table 24 Average time in hours during the week by education phase 83 Table 25 Average time in hours during the week by school size 84 Table 26 Average time in hours during the week by class size 86 Table 27 Average time in hours during the week by learning area 87 Table 28 Average time in hours during the week by Post Title 90 Table 29 Average time in hours in core school activities by Province 93 Table 30 Average time in hours in core school activities by school location 93 Table 31 Average time in hours in core school activities by school type 94 Table 32 Average time in hours in core school activities by former department 94 Table 33 Average time in hours in core school activities by gender 95 Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za EDUCATOR WORKLOAD REPORT v Table 34 Average time in hours in core school activities by age group 95 Table 35 Average time in hours in core school activities by teaching experience 96 Table 36 Average time in hours in core school activities by education phase 96 Table 37 Average time in hours in core school activities by school size 97 Table 38 Average time in hours in core school activities by class size 98 Table 39 Average time in hours in core school activities by learning areas 99 Table 40 Average time in hours in core school activities by post title 100 Table 41 Average time in hours in school activities by province 101 Table 42 Average time in hours in school activities by school location 101 Table 43 Average time in hours in school activities by school type 103 Table 44 Average time in hours in school activities by gender 103 Table 45 Average time in hours in school activities by former department 104 Table 46 Average time in hours in school activities by age group 106 Table 47 Average time in hours in school activities by teaching experience 106 Table 48 Average time in hours in school activities by education phase 107 Table 49 Average time in hours in school activities by school size 107 Table 50 Average time in hours in school activities by class size 109 Table 51 Average time in hours in school activities by learning area 110 Table 52 Average time in hours in school activities by post title 110 Table 53a Average time in hours in non-administration school activities by province 112 Table 53b Average time in hours in non-administration school activities by province 112 Table 54a Average time in hours in non-administration school activities by school location 114 Table 54b Average time in hours in non-administration school Activities by school location 114 Table 55a Average time in hours in non-administration school activities by school type 115 Table 55b Average time in hours in non-administration school activities by school type 115 Table 56a Average time in hours in non-administration school activities by gender 117 Table 56b Average time in hours in non-administration school activities by gender 117 Table 57a Average time in hours in non-administration school activities by former department 118 Table 57b Average time in hours in non-administration school activities by former department 118 Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za EDUCATOR WORKLOAD REPORT vi Table 58a Average time in hours in non-administration school activities by education phase 119 Table 58b Average time in hours in non-administration school activities by education phase 120 Table 59a Average time in hours in non-administration school activities by class size 121 Table 59b Average time in hours in non-administration school activities by class size 122 Table 60a Average time in hours in non-administration school activities by learning area 123 Table 60b Average time in hours in non-administration school activities by learning area 124 Table 61a Average time in hours in non-administration school activities by post title 125 Table 61b Average time in hours in non-administration school activities by post title 126 Table 62 Perceptions of time spent on school activities during the diary-week 131 Table 63 Perceptions of teachers about the time spent on various school activities during the week that they recorded the diary compared to five years ago 132 Table 64 Has your workload increased/decreased since 2000? 132 Table 65 Perceptions of role of policy in increasing workload 133 Table 66 What kind of administrative support do you receive from your school? 133 Table 67 To what extent does your principal support you in your work with regard to the various aspects listed? 134 Table 68 Extent to which the support given by the two sources makes your teaching easier 134 Table 69 How much of your previous school holiday did you spend on the activities listed? 135 Table 70 Sample of educators from case study schools 152 Table 71 Formal allocation of teachers’ time (minutes and percentage of total) according to timetables 160 Table 72 Average class sizes of observed teachers’ classes in ten schools 164 Table 73 Distribution of teachers’ time across three observation days 167 Table 74 Schools according to amount of allocated teaching time lost to other activities 170 Table 75 Percentage of allocated and actual time spent on breaks across the three days 178 Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za EDUCATOR WORKLOAD REPORT vii List of figures Figure 1 Average total time in hours spent on school activities per week 76 Figure 2 Average time spent (in hours) per week on school activities 77 Figure 3 Percentage of average time in hours spent in each school activity 78 Figure 4 Percentage of formal, outside formal and weekend time spent on various activities 89 Figure 5 Comparison of (timetable) allocated and actual time spent teaching (in minutes) 168 Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za EDUCATOR WORKLOAD REPORT viii Acknowledgements Constituents of the ELRC provided helpful and valuable comment. The report also benefitted from a critical reading by Professor Harry Smaller of York University, Canada. Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za [...]... (training and orientation in 2003) Intermediate Phase January 2005 (training and orientation in 2004) Grade 7 January 2006 (training and orientation in 2005) Grade 8 January 2007 (training and orientation in 2006) Grade 9 January 2008 (training and orientation in 2007) A similar process of revision had occurred for the secondary school curriculum, and was intended for introduction into schools in 2006... teaching time is to be done in such a manner that it maximises the individual abilities of all educators and optimises teaching and learning at the institutional level In general terms, the following guidelines determine the minimum scheduled teaching time Table 1: Minimum percentage teaching time per post level of the 35 hour week Post level Primary school Secondary school Principal 10% 5% Deputy principal... broader definitions of what teaching is In a broad definition, teaching is all the teacher’s school-related activities, including assessment and evaluation, extra-mural studies, and so on This report distinguishes between these activities It uses a definition of teaching or instruction as time spent when the teacher is engaged in teaching and learning activities in interaction with learners In this narrower... white, Indian, coloured, African and new schools established since 1994 in terms of time spent on teaching and other activities Generally, educators in former white schools spend more time on teaching (19.11 hours) and other activities than educators in former African (15.18 hours) and new schools established since 1994; former Indian schools spend more time in preparation and planning and record keeping... class instruction or individual tuition Crucially teaching involves the mediation of knowledge, in various forms, and may include direct instruction by the teacher in explaining concepts, or learners working through a test with the teacher present, or working in groups through an activity devised and managed by the teacher Time spent in the classroom, however, is not taken to necessarily indicate teaching... other schools; educators in former African schools reported spending more time in professional development than educators in other schools; and educators in former Indian schools spent more time than others in pastoral care; educators in former white schools spent more time in extra-curricular activities School size matters – the larger the school, the less teaching, and the more administration demands... timetabling considerations lack clarity In relation to the research, nonetheless, the report shows 6 EDUCATOR WORKLOAD REPORT that with regard to either of the above instructional allocations, the amount of time spent by educators on teaching falls short of these allocations Defining teaching and instructional time In this report the terms ‘scheduled teaching time’, ‘actual teaching time’ and ‘instructional... time’ are used interchangeably ‘Scheduled teaching time’ will, however, generally refer to policy or timetable allocations, and ‘actual teaching time’ will mostly Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za refer to the research findings ‘Teaching’ in the report is defined as time during which the teacher is engaged in teaching and learning activities, in interaction with learners This could be in the form... methodology and findings THE BRIEF The Education Labour Relations Council is a statutory council whose primary objective is to: • Promote and maintain labour peace in education; • Prevent and resolve disputes in education; • Promote collective bargaining in relation to matters of mutual interest In January 2004 it requested quotations for an investigation to establish the number of working hours that educators... due for completion in 2005 In 2005, then, when the research was being conducted on overload, the Revised National Curriculum Statement had been introduced into schools in the Foundation Phase, was in process of being introduced in the Intermediate Phase and Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za had not yet been introduced in the Senior Phase Here the old Curriculum 2005 was still in force Secondary . Has your workload increased/decreased since 2000? 132 Table 65 Perceptions of role of policy in increasing workload 133 Table 66 What kind of administrative. FINDINGS Increased workload Closed and open-ended survey questions indicate that about three in four educators feel that their workload has increased