Annual Research Report 2020

38 Postgraduate Committee Report Chairperson All our students are part-time students, doing the BEd Honours over two years. This is mainly because they are practising teach- ers occupying full-time jobs and teaching under difficult Covid-19 conditions. Despite this, our students remain motivated and are working hard to complete their studies. In addition, these students are very concerned about their teaching realities, and their research interests reflect that. For example, all students research topics that are directly related to their experiences as teachers, and with their research they aim to improve the teaching practice. The students research a variety of education and, more specifically, Curriculum Studies related topics. These topics include home schooling, factors influencing the teaching of Mathematics, the use of vocabulary grids in Mathematics, the creation of opportunities to learn in Science classes, the use of practical teaching approaches, and the responsiveness of the curriculum to the requirements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution among others. These projects articulate well with the goals of the University they produce as as well as new knowledge that responds to challenges that are contextual and locally relevant. In addition, the research embarked on by students in the SoE is relevant to and informed by the teaching experiences of our students. One of the challenges we face in delivering effective and quality research is a lack of seniority and supervisory experience in the School. In addition, currently, the BEd Honours focuses only on Curriculum Studies. This limits the scope of research that could be done by students and also has a negative impact on the effective- ness of supervision, as not all supervisors are curriculum special- ists. The Postgraduate Committee is furthermore concerned that these factors contribute to the slow pace of student progress and completion. Despite this, the supervisors’ commitment should be commended and appreciated. In 2020, we launched the Supervisors Forum, and have a pro- gramme that runs from June 2021 up to the end of the year. We hope that this Forum will serve as a platform where we can learn from each other. We have also started with the conceptualisation of a research identity for the School. This identity is closely relat- ed to the niche areas we have established in the School; these will inform our postgraduate research projects and cluster them under common themes. We are working closely with local and international universities to empower staff and strengthen collaborations. We hope to see sev- eral of our BEd Honours students graduating at the end of this year. Dr Kevin Teise Chairperson