Department Of Basic Education Research Articles

Determining the Factors Effective on the Instructor Profile of Teacher Candidates through Conjoint Analysis

The aim of this study is to determine the factors that affect the profile of the instructor in the minds of teacher candidates. For this purpose, the cross-sectional survey model was used, as the research aimed to reveal the existing situation as it is, and in which data were collected from a predetermined sample at a certain time. The study group of the research consists of a total of 271 students studying at the Basic Education Department of the Faculty of Education of a state university located in the Eastern Anatolia Region. In the research, a conjoint questionnaire and a questionnaire for determining the qualification of the instructor, consisting of open-ended questions, were used in order to reveal the ideal instructor profile in the minds of teacher candidates. In order to determine the factors that affect the teacher candidates' academic staff profile, the data obtained were analyzed using percentage, frequency and conjoint analysis methods. Conjoint analysis was performed by writing the appropriate program in the "Syntax" editor of the SPSS 23 package program. According to the results obtained from the teacher candidates in the research, middle-aged, titled Dr. Instructor member or Assoc. Dr. can be defined as "ideal", a good scientist, objective, understanding, female, and a faculty member who communicates with all of the students.

The impact of mental health promotion on coping mechanism among Grade 11 physical sciences learners in Nkandla Circuit

This study examined the impact of mental health promotion on coping mechanisms among grade 11 Physical sciences learners. A poor coping mechanism is associated with poor mental health and poor academic performance due to inadequate mental health resources and services. Participants selected using a purposive sampling technique from the accessible population, 08 physical sciences educators and 109 Grade 11 learners from eight targeted schools in the Nkandla Circuit of the Empangeni district made up the sample. The study used a mixed approach and a triangulation research design. The questionnaires and interviews were used to collect data. Quantitative data collected were analyzed using SPSS version 27 and thematic analysis was used for interviews. The findings revealed that Physical sciences learners with mental health issues underperform because their coping mechanisms are compromised by inadequate mental health resources and services. The findings of this study are diagnostic, and they assist the Department of Education in improving learner support provided by school social workers in schools. Most participants indicated that school social workers visit the school less frequently, making it difficult to monitor the coping mechanisms of learners with mental health issues. Since most schools lack school social workers, the Department of Basic Education should assign more school social workers to assist learners with mental health issues. Further study is required to determine more academic coping mechanisms used by learners who have mental health issues under the supervision of school social workers. This suggests that if the inadequate supply of mental health support services and medical care were addressed seriously, the high proportion of poor coping mechanisms among grade 11 physical sciences learners with mental health would decrease.

Learner experiences of safety at public high schools in three South African townships: Baseline findings from the National School Safety Framework learner surveys.

Despite progressive policies and frameworks on school safety by the Department of Basic Education, safety remains a concern in South African schools. A cross-sectional descriptive design was employed using the National School Safety Framework (NSSF) 152-question learner survey, exploring perceptions and experiences pertaining to eight safety domains: dangerous objects, drugs and alcohol, bullying, verbal abuse, physical violence, discrimination, sexual violence, and journey to and from school. Grade 9-11 learners from 15 government-funded high schools in the Girls Achieve Power trial in Khayelitsha, Soweto, and Thembisa townships were surveyed (March 2018 - April 2019), sampling 10% of the school population. Data analysis included Principal Component Analysis (PCA), reducing correlated variables into fewer questions, then analysis on a scree plot by calculating eigenvalues; repeated PCA with those that had a minimum eigenvalue of 1 and Cronbach Alpha test for internal reliability. Eleven composite variables were included in the final analysis. In total, 1034 learners completed the NSSF learner survey; 52.9% were female and the mean age was 16 years (SD=1.36). Results show statistically significant associations between four of the 11 composite variables in relation to sex. Over half (55%) of males have experienced peer provocation and relational aggression (p<0.001). Fifty-eight percent of females reported feeling unsafe on their way to and from school (p<0.003). Over half of males reported that their school was not effective in enforcing discipline (p=0.002) while 58% of females noted they could comfortably report any form of experienced or witnessed violence at school, to their educators (p<0.000). Violence continues to be a concern in South African schools. Interventions should work across the ecological model to effectively prevent and reduce violence at school and community levels. Strengthened NSSF implementation is critical to achieving this. We recommend NSSF learner survey adaptations to increase utility and implementation.

ANALYSIS OF ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS EDUCATION LEARNING MANAGEMENT AND ITS IMPACT ON TEACHING METHODS IN BAN BANGPU YARING PATTANI ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, THAILAND

The objective of this study is to analyze Islamic religious education learning management at Ban Bangpu Yaring Pattani Public Elementary School in Thailand. Utilizing a qualitative descriptive study and a case study approach, this research focuses on the perspectives of the school principal, teachers, and students. Data were procured via interviews, observations, and document analyses, which were subsequently interpreted qualitatively using the Huberman and Miles model. Our findings show that the Islamic religious education curriculum management at Ban Bangpu Yaring Pattani Public Elementary School undergoes several stages: (1) The planning of the curriculum begins with an emphasis on the Islamic curriculum at the basic education unit level, a SWOT analysis, the establishment of a curriculum development team for Islamic religious education, curriculum development, revision based on feedback, approval by the local Department or Office of Basic Education, followed by implementation. (2) The implementation of the Islamic religious education learning lacks innovation due to a majority of the teachers being senior staff. Their limited skills in utilizing new technology result in a reliance on traditional learning management models. As a consequence, the learning process fails to fully engage students and teachers struggle to keep pace with modern teaching styles. Notwithstanding, the teachers excel in dedicating ample attention to the students. (3) The evaluation of student learning outcomes has been conducted by teachers to determine the students' mastery of basic competencies in elementary school. The assessment of student learning occurs at the end of each basic competency using predefined indicators based on the minimum competency criteria value, conducted in four stages: classroom, school, regional, and national levels. This study underscores the need for more innovative approaches in Islamic religious education and training in new teaching methods for senior teachers to better engage students and match up with the dynamics of the modern world.

Innovations in technology education toward technological literacy – A study of two high schools in South Africa

Over the past two decades, South Africa has emphasised the need for school learners to be technologically literate by the end of high school. Specifically, South Africa’s Department of Education (2007) and the Department of Basic Education (2019) stated that it was critical for high school learners to be technologically literate by the end of their schooling. The inclusion of Technology as a subject within the South African education policy framework was considered an important innovation, an attempt at making the curriculum compatible with the skills needed of a globalised economy (Ankiewicz, 2020). Given this context, the goal for teaching Technology as a school subject should enable both learners and teachers to acquire skills, values, knowledge, and attitudes to become critical and creative thinkers and developers. There is a need to continuously explore ways to promote the effective teaching and learning of Technology at high school level. This study explores the teachers’ adoption of ICT into the teaching of the school subject Technology in two Cape Town high schools. The theoretical framework drawn on in this study is the RAT model (Hughes et al., 2006), which helps in the understanding of an individual learners’ and teachers’ personal experiences of teaching, and understanding technology’s role in teaching, learning, and curricular practices. The study explores the presence or absence of ICT adoption and utilisation in the teaching of Technology, as well as techniques that were applied within pedagogical practices. The research design was a multiple case study at the two schools in the Province of the Western Cape. A qualitative approach was used to collect and analyse the data. Semi-structured interviews with both the Grade 9 learners and teachers were conducted. Focus group discussions were conducted with the learners at the selected high schools, herein referred to as School A and School B. Based on the findings, recommendations will be disseminated to the Department of Basic Education in raising the learners’ levels of technological literacy through innovative teaching and learning strategies.

Intermediate Phase learner performance in English: A quantitative analysis

Background: According to the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS, 2006 with 87%, 2011 with 82%, 2016 with 78%, 2021 with 81%), an international reading comprehension assessment conducted at the Grade 4 level, South African learners perform very poorly in reading comprehension, even when reading in their African home languages.Objectives: To analyse learner performance in the Intermediate Phase (IP) focusing on English First Additional Language (EFAL) before and after the implementation of the Primary School Reading Improvement Programme (PSRIP) in Johannesburg West (JW) district. The study aims to analyse EFAL learning gains obtained during the pilot phase of the PSRIP in JW district.Method: Quantitative data (learner performance in EFAL) was collected from South Africa-School Administration and Management System (SA-SAMS) in six schools in JW. Learner performance marks from Term 1 before PSRIP was implemented and from Term 4 after PSRIP implementation were analysed quantitatively using System Analysis Program Development (SAP) data and analytics solutions.Results: Learner performance analysis based on the DBE pass rates indicates positive outcomes, learner performance increased in 3 out of 6 schools; however, based on the PSRIP pass rates, only 2 out of 6 schools managed to get 90% of their learners obtaining at least 50% in EFAL after PSRIP was introduced.Conclusion: Implementation of PSRIP affected learner performance positively; however, more support is needed to meet the PSRIP targets.Contribution: Based on these findings, there is a need to further investigate how (if at all) the PSRIP strategies can be used in other languages that are taught at IP level. Study results will inform language in education policies. Furthermore, the Department of Basic Education’s reading campaigns may adopt the benefits of the PSRIP in improving literacy development in other South African languages including the indigenous languages.

Evaluating the Practices of Inclusive Education in the Secondary Schools: A Social Realist Perspective

The purpose of the study was to evaluate inclusive education practices at secondary schools in rural settings in the Lebopo Circuit of South Africa. The qualitative research approach was used to evaluate inclusive education practices using the social realist perspective. The study used the case study research design together with an interpretive paradigm to evaluate the daily practices of inclusive education. The study consists of a population of 10 teachers, 5 School-Based Support Team (SBST) members and 5 principals from the selected schools. The participants were selected following purposive sampling and some participants have experience in implementing inclusive education. Data was collected through individual semi-structured interviews, observation and document review. The data was analysed thematically. Archer’s social realist perspective and Bernstein’s pedagogic discourse were used as theoretical lenses to evaluate the practices of inclusive education in the circuit under study. The study results revealed that teachers misinterpret the policy of inclusive education because they view it as a policy supporting only learners with disabilities. The study further showed that the majority of schools do not have functional school-based support teams, and they are not aware of and do not perform their duties as expected. The study concluded that there is a knowledge gap in School-Based Support Teams in fulfilling their roles in inclusive education practices, no sufficient support from the parents and monitoring by the Department of Basic Education in the implementation of inclusive education practices. The study recommended that the School-Based Support Teams be provided with continuous sufficient training with the engagement of the district-based support teams and that a parent-teacher collaborative approach be used to accomplish positive outcomes. Keywords: Inclusive education practices, School-Based Support Teams, Screening, Identification, Assessment and Support.

Effect of COVID-19 on inclusive mathematics education

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed education all over the world. As part of emergency remote teaching (ERT), the switch to online instruction had several technological, pedagogical and social challenges. Oral hearing impaired (HI) learners experienced difficulties during synchronous online lessons with hearing devices not picking up sounds, disruption to comprehend the lesson, not familiar with the online devices and emotional side-effects (Krishnan et al., 2020). The research question that guided this study is what is the influence of COVID-19 on mathematics teachers’ inclusive practices for oral HI learners? This study followed a case study design and collected data from two high school inclusive mathematics teachers before the pandemic and during ERT. The South African Department of Basic Education’s (DBE, 2011) Guidelines for responding to learner diversity in the classroom through curriculum and assessment policy statements and Whittle, Tiwari, Yan and Williams’ (2020) ERT environment framework’s design step guided the data collection and analysis processes. Data was collected in the form of interviews, observations and document analysis. It was found that teachers should receive adequate training when teaching in an inclusive school focusing on hearing impairments. During ERT the teachers felt teaching became a 24-hour job, the school’s expectations were high and they had strict requirements on the appearances of the videos. They had to produce between 12 and 16 videos per week for asynchronous teaching. Hardly any inclusive practices were implemented during ERT. The HI learners were neglected during the lockdown of schools during the COVID-19 pandemic as the teachers only focussed on making videos and tried to cope with the demands. More research needs to be done to determine how the COVID-19 pandemic, and possible future pandemics, and lack of inclusive practices influence the HI learners’ understanding and progression in mathematics. From that a framework can then be constructed to guide inclusive teachers in possible future pandemics and ERT scenarios.

Instructional Leadership in Literacy in the Foundation Phase of Primary Schools During COVID-19 Pandemic, Capricorn District, South Africa

The study focused on the needs of principals as instructional leaders in the foundation phase in South Africa. This was done because unless instructional leaders are appropriately empowered by addressing their needs, they may not be able to play their role as agents that are a fulcrum to educational reforms especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The qualitative research approach was used. Methods used are interviews and field notes. The findings revealed that there is a need to include clarification of instructional leadership roles, mobile digital technological resources, adequate support from the Department of Basic Education, and parental involvement in education.

Teachers’ Readiness towards the Integration of Information and Communications Technology in Teaching and Learning of Engineering Graphics and Design in KwaZulu-Natal

The integration of information and communications technology (ICT) into the education system has led to changes in the way teaching and learning are conducted. These changes have necessitated the need for teachers to have ICT skills that would help them integrate ICT into teaching and learning (T&amp;L). Hence, this qualitative study was conducted to investigate the state of readiness of Engineering Graphics and Design (EGD) teachers in the integration of ICT in T&amp;L in uMgungundlovu secondary schools. Convenience sampling was employed to select nine EGD teachers to partake in this study. Semi-structured interviews and classroom observations were used to collect data. Data gathered from interviews was subjected to thematic analysis, and data gathered from observations was reported descriptively. The findings of this study revealed that EGD teachers in uMgungundlovu District are ready to integrate ICT into the T&amp;L of EGD, as they indicated that ICT integration in EGD lessons is essential. The study further revealed a shortage of ICT resources and a lack of ICT skills among teachers, which hinder the successful integration of ICT. The study recommends that the Department of Basic Education (DBE) provide teachers with ICT training so that those who are technically disadvantaged can be equipped with relevant ICT skills. The study further recommends that DBE give the schools an AutoCAD license, as it has been proven to be a useful ICT tool.

Lack of support within the South African education system augments challenges principals experience

Principals as crucial change agents are required to ensure that education changes are successfully implemented and that school improvement takes place. This paper focuses on the challenges that principals experience regarding aspects within the education system. The qualitative approach and phenomenological design were utilized, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with purposely selected participants (13 principals). As a national department, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) in South Africa is strategically structured to service and support all the entities within the education system. The DBE places enormous pressure on principals to ensure that academic standards are met, quality teaching and learning takes place, and that continuous education changes are implemented successfully. The importance of the education districts and Circuit Managers within the DBE to give continuous and relevant support is accentuated. This paper emphasizes that the challenges mentioned by the participants are ironically associated with aspects within the education system – the system that is supposed to support principals. Recommendations are made to the DBE to implement relevant strategies and planning through education districts and Circuit Managers to improve the indispensable support to principals.

Barriers and Challenges Related to Cultural Diversity Management Within Schools in South Africa

Globalization, internationalization and technology have increased the movement of people from different cultural backgrounds around the world. The coexistence has created rapid cultural diversity challenges, forcing many democratic countries to review their labour laws, compelling organisations to adopt sound diversity management policies. Pre 1994 in South Africa, the workforce did not represent the diversity of the country. The end of apartheid created opportunities for culturally diverse workforces in most sectors of the economy. Schools are no exception to this change due to the diverse teacher and learner population as women and people from previously disadvantaged backgrounds are sharing the workspace. The School Management Team (SMT) led by the Principal, need to be properly equipped in terms of knowledge, skills and capacity to deal with increased cultural diversity for the achievement of organizational goals. This paper aims to identify barriers and challenges related to cultural diversity management within the schools in uMzinyathi District, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province, South Africa. The research seeks to determine if schools in uMzinyathi district are utilizing cultural diversity management for the achievement of organisational goals. The paper was exploratory and descriptive in nature and adopted a qualitative approach. The focus was on the SMT of ten schools in the uMzinyathi District comprising the principal, vice-principal(s), and heads of departments, and senior teachers. Using purposive sampling, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted face-to-face involving 36 SMT members. Content analysis was used to analyse the data. Data were presented in tabular form. The study revealed that there are no work-related barriers due to the availability of teachers from diverse backgrounds under the uMzinyathi District in KZN. However, having no barriers and challenges does not mean that there is no conflict. Hence, the study recommends that the Department of Basic Education (DBE) introduces cultural exchange programmes and partnerships with other schools to share educational resources, sports development and leadership development.

Mapping Design Principles to Instructional Realities in Early Grade Mathematics in South Africa: A Framework for Designing and Evaluating Learning and Teaching Support Materials

The majority of children in mainstream (no fee, poorly resourced, African language dominant) public schools in South Africa fall significantly behind curricular norms in mathematics by Grade 3; the early learning gap grows across time. The provision of quality instructional materials is a well-recognised component of effective strategies to improve early grade mathematics in low- and middle-income contexts. However, there has been little explication of what constitutes quality instructional materials, nor long-term design work to contribute theory to this instructional design challenge. Across 15 years, the author has been working in an education design hub with teacher educators and teachers in the rural Eastern Cape, with the goal of improving early grade mathematics. The gains in mathematics performance have been among the most significant reported in research literature. This paper presents the design principles emerging from the work. Engaging the theoretical layers discussed by diSessa and Cobb, the paper contributes to design theory by emphasising the relationship between explicit instructional assumptions and design principles, integrating four ontological categories (motive, pedagogy, language use and mathematical meaning-making). Since 2011, the Department of Basic Education has provided learner workbooks to support teaching and learning in foundation phase mathematics at system scale. It is hoped that this paper will contribute to the ongoing development of this vital national resource. The paper makes explicit instructional assumptions and design principles (available for critique, adaptation, and refinement), and provides a more nuanced framework through which to assess and improve materials across time.

Exploring the challenges of curriculum advisors in schools in the Vhembe-West district, Limpopo province, South Africa

Monitoring and supporting teachers in the classroom, as well as the implementation of curriculum changes, pose problems in South Africa. This is due to an array of challenges such as a lack of resources, communication barriers within the Department of Basic Education (DBE) as well as a lack of proper infrastructure. In the research reported on here we investigated the challenges that curriculum advisors in the Vhembe-West district face and provides insight into some of their daily challenges. This could assist the international platform, especially as developing countries and other Third World Countries can benefit from the outcomes of this research. A qualitative research approach was used where 12 interviews were conducted with curriculum advisors in the Vhembe-West district. The interview questions were e-mailed to them beforehand so that they could familiarise themselves with the questions to be answered. Within a period of 2 weeks thereafter, interviews were conducted and recorded for analysis on Zoom or Microsoft Teams. The data were grouped and are presented in 5 different themes with the aim of highlighting the challenges as well as providing recommendations to deal with the challenges that curriculum advisors experience. The data reveal that curriculum advisors experience that they receive minimal support from their superiors and that the resources at their disposal also prove to be minimal. This study highlights the lack of resources, insufficient infrastructure, and lack of effective communication from management needed for proper curriculum implementation at schools.

Promoting and hindering factors in mathematics teaching in South African high schools

"This study explores what factors enable or prevent South African educators from carrying out effective mathematics teaching. The objectives are to explore the qualifications and experience of those involved, which skills, tools, and resources they use and what barriers they encounter. A qualitative approach using an interpretivist paradigm with multiple case studies was used. Eighteen participants were interviewed, and the data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Findings showed that the barriers impeding effective mathematics teaching included lack of resources, teachers leaving the profession and many principals not attending workshops or professional development programmes. From the findings, we recommend the Department of Basic Education encourage more teachers to specialise in mathematics and that more funding is directed toward allocating the necessary resources to schools where resources are lacking. The department can provide incentives to encourage more student teachers to pursue mathematics teaching. "

Teaching Experiences with Overcrowded Classrooms in Primary Schools in the Or Tambo Coastal District of South Africa

The focus of this paper was to explore teaching experiences with overcrowded classrooms in primary schools in OR Tambo Coastal District of South Africa. The paper took on a subjective exploration approach in which a contextual investigation configuration was embraced. Unstructured interviews were used to gather data. The paper’s overall findings indicate that teachers’ experiences with overcrowding in their classrooms are “stressful.” The overcrowding of a classroom has been identified as a stressful environment by teachers themselves. Inadequate classroom space, health and safety concerns, a lack of learner-teacher interaction, and disruptive behaviour were some of these conditions. Inadequate teaching time, an increase in workload, and emotional and psychological issues were also experienced by teachers. The research also reveals the factors that contribute to stressful experiences namely, Discipline, limited space, and insufficient resources. Additionally, the findings demonstrated that teachers use individual resources and collaborate with one another to manage classroom overcrowding. The paper recommends that the Department of Basic Education (DBE) builds more classrooms and puts in measures to ensure that the ratio of teachers is always below 1:30 in order for teachers to teach students without the stress of facing overload. This article adds to the existing literature on employee welfare in the South African educational system. Keywords: Overcrowded Classroom, Primary Teachers’ Experience, Classroom Discipline, Classroom Management Techniques.

Professionalising ECCE in South Africa is not child’s play! Determining skills gaps and implications for future sector development

ABSTRACT In line with international trends in early childhood care and education (ECCE) recognising the importance of early learning, the Department of Basic Education in South Africa has pledged to professionalise the sector, increase access and improve quality. From a systemic point of view, professionalisation of the sector will require collaboration on multiple levels between various stakeholders working in different systems to bring about simultaneous improvement in conditions of employment, resource provision, and infrastructure development. To aid the government in supporting skills development in this sector, particularly for those servicing the most indigent populations, we employed a multi-method design to determine critical skills gaps and how they could best be addressed. Data were gathered through online questionnaires, a desktop review and focus group and individual interviews. Thematic analysis revealed the need for managerial training, practical learning opportunities for practitioners, the necessity for more home-based ECCE services and systemic improvement. Based on the findings, we make suggestions of how key stakeholders could partner to best address these needs.

The implementation of English across the curriculum: An exploratory study of how South African educators teach writing in History lessons

AbstractIn 2013, as a strategy to enhance academic performance, the South African Department of Basic Education (DBE) published several English Across the Curriculum (EAC) manuals to guide in‐service teachers who did not have prior knowledge of how to integrate the teaching of content subjects with language learning. The DBE introduced the EAC strategy as a mandatory tool for strengthening the use of English as a Language of Learning and Teaching (LoLT) to address language as a barrier factor to academic success both in primary and high schools. However, in 2017, the DBE published a report showing that most content teachers were not using the EAC strategy. In view of the alarmingly poor academic performance in mostly public schools, the question in many people's minds has always been whether content teachers are using the EAC strategy. To understand this phenomenon, I conducted a qualitative study focused on four purposively selected Grade 8 Social Science educators teaching History (Grade 8 is an entry level to South African secondary schools). I collected data using non‐participant classroom observations and semi‐structured interviews, while inductive thematic analysis was used as an approach to analyse the data. The findings indicate that to teach writing in History, the participants used strategy‐focused instruction which includes vocabulary development and clustering activities as well as writing frames that encompass sentences and paragraphs. Importantly, the research adds to our knowledge of teaching of English to speakers of other languages in multilingual contexts when mandated by governments to change without appropriate support. The study highlights how this situation leads to deeper reflection where educators must encounter professional conflict and dilemmas to bring coherence to their teaching knowledge and experience.

Integration of Environmental Ethics Education in the Classroom: A of Related Literature

Due to the catastrophic impact of global warming and various environmental challenges, ecological issues are a topic of discussion in every country in the globe. Researchers believed that solutions to environmental problems lie in the integration of environmental ethics education in schools to create awareness of moral values and attitudes of humans toward the environment. However, there seem to be inadequate efforts to integrate environmental ethics education into the school curriculum. This study, therefore, argues for the examined literature to find out how school teachers integrate environmental ethics education in lessons. The study adopted the qualitative systematic literature review method, and twenty-six peer-review articles were selected from the EBSCO, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases. The twenty-six selected peer-review articles were analyzed to determine the level of integration of environmental ethics education in South African classrooms. The study revealed that the internalization of environmental ethics education as a moral foundation may make humans aware of their interaction with the environment. According to literature, awareness of improved environmental ethics education assist human to behave and act ethically towards nature thereby contributing to the reduction in environmental damage and improving environmental conservation and management. The study, therefore, suggests the organization of environmental ethical awareness in-service training programs by the Department of Basic Education for teachers which will expose them and their learners to environmental ethics, disciplined behavior, and positive attitude towards their environment.

Geographic Information Systems Assessment Implementation in the Further Education and Training Phase in Schools

National Senior Certificate (NSC) diagnostic reports for matric results indicate that learners perform poorly in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). While GIS education has made significant strides in recent years, there is a need for research that explores Geography teachers’ perceptions of GIS assessment. This paper explored the perceptions of Geography teachers in implementing GIS assessment in the Further Education and Training (FET) phase in South African schools. This research is underpinned by the constructivism theory by Piaget, which argues that learners actively construct knowledge and understanding of the world through their interactions with their environment. This paper focused on the classroom environment because that is where Geography learners are taught GIS. Learners must be exposed to different teaching and learning methods that assist them in utilising their existing knowledge to construct an understanding of the world around them. Particularly, Geography learners must be taught GIS thoroughly to apply the knowledge and skills they have learnt in real situations and be better prepared for assessment. The qualitative research design and a case study methodology were used to frame this research. Six teachers from three schools were chosen to participate in this study. Semi-structured interviews were used to generate data. The findings of this study indicated that Geography teachers teach GIS for assessment. The teachers stated that teaching learners using past year papers is ineffective because the Department of Basic Education (DBE) often changes the GIS content and skills they test. Hence, it is difficult to predict what they will assess; the DBE does not provide proper guidelines on how GIS content and skills would be tested. It is recommended that there must be a collaboration between the DBE and higher education institutions to offer Geography teachers guidance and training on GIS content, skills, and assessment. Keywords: Geography, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Assessment, Secondary school education.