SAQA All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source.
SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY 
REGISTERED QUALIFICATION: 

Bachelor of Education Honours in Childhood Education 
SAQA QUAL ID QUALIFICATION TITLE
98846  Bachelor of Education Honours in Childhood Education 
ORIGINATOR
University of Johannesburg 
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY NQF SUB-FRAMEWORK
CHE - Council on Higher Education  HEQSF - Higher Education Qualifications Sub-framework 
QUALIFICATION TYPE FIELD SUBFIELD
Honours Degree  Field 05 - Education, Training and Development  Early Childhood Development 
ABET BAND MINIMUM CREDITS PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL NQF LEVEL QUAL CLASS
Undefined  120  Not Applicable  NQF Level 08  Regular-Provider-ELOAC 
REGISTRATION STATUS SAQA DECISION NUMBER REGISTRATION START DATE REGISTRATION END DATE
Registered-data under construction  EXCO 0324/24  2024-07-01  2027-06-30 
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2028-06-30   2031-06-30  

Registered-data under construction

The qualification content is currently being updated for the qualifications with the status “Registered-data under construction” or showing “DETAILS UNDER CONSTRUCTION” to ensure compliance with SAQA’S Policy and Criteria for the registration of qualifications and part-qualifications on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) (As amended, 2022). These qualifications are re-registered until 30 June 2027 and can legitimately be offered by the institutions to which they are registered.

 

In all of the tables in this document, both the pre-2009 NQF Level and the NQF Level is shown. In the text (purpose statements, qualification rules, etc), any references to NQF Levels are to the pre-2009 levels unless specifically stated otherwise.  

PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION 
Purpose:
The purpose of the Bachelor of Education (BEd) Honours in Childhood Education is to develop expertise and research capacity in the field of Childhood Education. The specific emphasis is on children's learning and development and on ways to assess this in the birth to 12 years age-group, based on current theories of the developing child. This also entails the study and the use of applied methods of research with which to capture individual children's learning and development, specifically also their learning in the different subject areas of the primary school. The overall purpose is thus to educate a new generation of subject matter experts in the field of childhood education.

The Qualification is developed in a way that will enable learners to engage with critical issues in the learning of Mathematics and Science, Language and Literacy, the Social Sciences and Culture, and Human Movement and Physical Education. Towards this end, the design logic of the programme is that learners will apply their knowledge of the literature and of the world of practice to construct custom-designed instruments for assessment, while also learning to use standardised instruments that are available to practising teachers.

The proposed qualification consists of five modules that share the central design logic and the completion of a minor research project. A compulsory module on learning and development in childhood will form a foundational module in which learners will learn the cornerstone theories of cognitive, physical, social and emotional development of children.

Learners will be introduced to a comprehensive curriculum on learning and development in childhood, with particular attention being paid to how a child learns new concepts in the various content domains and how the child develops physically, emotionally and socially. In addition, learners will also conduct research involving children on a small scale and on larger scales, where feasible, and where collaborative research is possible.

The learners who graduate with a BEd Honours in Childhood Education will be able to:
  • Apply the theories of learning in the various content domains with a view to assessing and evaluating childhood learning and development.
  • Assess or evaluate learning and development in the field of Childhood Education as a social science practitioner.
  • Produce a research project on learning and development in Childhood Education that is relevant and informed by current theory.
  • Design and conduct evaluations of learning and development in the various content domains.

    Rationale:
    Research in childhood education is an underdeveloped field of scholarship in South Africa. Recently, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) with the support of the European Union (EU) initiated a nationwide programme that aims to strengthen the Childhood Education sector through research and strengthening Foundation Phase Teacher Education. With this initiative has come a renewed interest in research, culminating in the founding of the South African Research Association for Early Childhood Education (SARAECE), which was launched in February 2014. In addition, the South African Journal of Childhood Education was launched in 2011 with a view to publishing research from what is a new and yet burgeoning area in education.

    Stated simply, the domain of childhood education has recently been prioritised as an area of education that is in need of specialist knowledge and capacity and also of new theorising. The domain has changed significantly over the past two decades. The Bachelor of Education (BEd) Honours in Childhood Education is designed to bolster the capacity for research into childhood education and to produce specialists with up-to-date knowledge of the field, who are able to produce new, usable knowledge.

    The Bachelor of Education Honours in Childhood Education is developed to contribute to the national objective of producing knowledge of learning and development in the field of childhood education. The qualification will serve to sustain society by producing specialists in an area of education that has long been neglected. Childhood education research specialists are in short supply and this Qualification has been developed and designed to address this. What is more, the Qualification is designed to motivate learners to be instrumental in transforming their communities through usable knowledge about children's learning and to thereby serve South African society through innovative and collaborative pursuits of applied research. 
    		•

    LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING 
    Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL):
    The Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is an integral part of education and academic practice. It is acknowledged that all learning has value and the University y accepts the challenge to assess prior learning that is aligned to Faculty Qualifications and award credit to promote lifelong learning. The purpose of the University of Johannesburg's RPL policy, which directs the Faculty's RPL procedure, is to recognise prior learning in order to provide for admission to Qualifications, grant advanced placement in Qualifications and grant credits for modules using the principles and processes that serve as basis for Faculty-specific RPL practices.

    Learners may provide evidence of prior learning for which they may receive credits towards the qualification by means of portfolios or other appropriate forms of evidence, which may include verified accounts of previous relevant work done and performance records. This may also be used to grant them access to the qualification.

    Entry Requirements:
    The minimum requirement for this qualification is:
  • Bachelor of Education Degree, at NQF Level 7.
    Or
  • General NQF Level 7 Degree plus a 120 Credit Teaching Qualification at NQF Level 7. 
    		•

    RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING? 
    Y 

    QUALIFICATION RULES 
    This qualification consists of four compulsory and two elective modules at NQF Level 8 totalling 120 Credits.

    Compulsory Modules:
  • Learning and development in childhood education, 20 Credits.
  • Assessment and evaluation in childhood education, 20 Credits.
  • Research methodology in childhood education, 30 Credits.
  • Research project, 30 Credits.

    Choose two elective Modules:
  • Mathematics and Science, 10 Credits.
  • Language and Literacy, 10 Credits.
  • The Social Sciences and Culture, 10 Credits.
  • Human Movement and Physical Education, 10 Credits. 
    		•

    EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES 
    1. Apply the theories of learning in the various content domains with a view to assessing and evaluating childhood learning and development.
    2. Assess or evaluate learning and development in the field of childhood education as a social science practitioner.
    3. Produce a research project on learning and development in childhood education that is relevant and informed by current theory.
    4. Design and conduct evaluations of learning and development in various content domains. 

    ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA 
    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1:
  • Understand contemporary educational conditions and policies against the backdrop of the socio-historical development in Southern Africa.
  • Demonstrate a familiarity with major lines of debate in the broad field of education.
  • Provide well-founded interpretations of literature in the area of study, and succinct and accurate syntheses of written material.
  • Locate particular studies in a relevant and coherent theoretical framework.
  • Use specialist and applied knowledge appropriately in an area of educational study or practice.
  • Show sensitivity for and understanding of the relative and contextual nature of thought and knowledge.
  • Interpret knowledge as a source of meaning and as a guide to reflection, choice and action.
  • Grasp the dialectical relationship between theoretical and practical knowledge.
  • Demonstrate an awareness of the variety of educational contexts in which knowledge might apply.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2:
  • Understand the principles and concepts underpinning the field of study and its boundaries and limitations.
  • Analyse educational situations with a view to identifying problems.
  • Assess the weight of various kinds of evidence for claims and theories in the field of education.
  • Justify conclusions with appropriate argument or evidence in theorising about education.
  • Identify and solve educational problems by using critical and creative thinking to arrive at responsible decisions.
  • Display intellectual independence and analytical skill in the development of systematic arguments.
  • Make sound theoretical judgements and evaluations based on evidence.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3:
  • Complete papers, major assignments and/or project reports in a way that shows knowledge of different research approaches and methodology.
  • Collect, analyse, organise and critically evaluate educational and related information from primary and secondary sources.
  • Use appropriate resources for academic work, including information and communications technology.
  • Plan and conduct an elementary piece of research using basic research techniques.
  • Communicate research results accurately and reliably by way of written reports and oral presentation.
  • Demonstrate basic knowledge of different research approaches in the field of education.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4:
  • Interpret educational principles and concepts flexibly in a range of institutional contexts.
  • Participate effectively in debates in the relevant area of education, and interact productively within a learning or professional community.
  • Stimulate and encourage others to become engaged in disciplined thinking about education.
  • Communicate effectively with academic and professional colleagues, and collaborate with others in addressing educational problems.
  • Demonstrate an openness towards the views of others and show a desire to initiate or facilitate discussion in a perceptive, sensitive and thought-provoking manner.
  • Balance rights and responsibilities, as well as constructive criticism and commitment to service, in the wider interests of all those represented in the school or wider educational environment.
  • Demonstrate contextualised educational leadership skills.
  • Communicate effectively from a position of leadership within the education profession.
  • Foster recognition of educational rights and priorities in the context of educational leadership.

    Integrated Assessment is conducted in an integrated manner and consists of both summative and formative assessment tasks which assess competence in module outcomes and in the Exit Level outcomes of the qualification. The research dissertation is assessed to assess the student's ability to carry out research. 
    		•

    INTERNATIONAL COMPARABILITY 
    In the absence of Honours level Degree Qualifications internationally this qualification has been compared with:
  • The Postgraduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education from the New Zealand College of Education.
  • The Master of Education in Early Childhood Education (ECD) at the University of Austin Texas.
  • The Finnish Post Graduate Early Childhood Teacher Education Qualification.
  • The Queensland University of Technology Post Graduate Master's Degree In Early Childhood Education.

    The courses in this Honours Degree qualification, particularly:
    1) Learning and development in childhood.
    2) Learning in the primary school).

    Are comparable with the content of the following courses in the New Zealand qualification:
  • The young child: Childhood in the early years.
  • Hearing children's voices.
  • Children and families in early childhood education.
  • Communities of learning.

    Both this qualification and the New Zealand qualification have two modules of between 20 and 30 Credits focusing on research methodology in Childhood Education and on a directed research project in an area of Childhood Education culminating in a short research report.

    The courses in this honours Degree qualification also compare favourably with the curriculum content of the Master of Education in Early Childhood Education at the College of Education at the University of Texas, Austin. The courses at the University of Texas include child development, elementary education and research methods. The curriculum covers social development, childhood theories, multicultural instruction, partnering with parents, literacy, educational research and effective instruction in elementary subject areas, trends/issues in childhood education, current research in Early Childhood Development, knowing and learning in math and science and a short thesis/research report.

    The courses in this Honours Degree qualification, compare with the first year of the Masters' Degree Qualification in early childhood education at the University of Helsinki which includes courses in children's development and associated challenges, research-based evaluations, and exploring the role of the home, school and society on the development and schooling of young children.

    The courses in this Honours Degree qualification, compare with the first year of the Masters' Degree qualification in Early Childhood Education at the Queensland University of Technology which includes courses in developing skills in critically analysing, designing and implementing approaches to curriculum and pedagogy in the early years of a child's education.

    It can be concluded that this qualification compares favourably with post graduate qualifications in early childhood education offered internationally in terms of focus, module content and research requirements. 
    		•

    ARTICULATION OPTIONS 
    This qualification allows for both horizontal and vertical articulation with qualifications offered by the University of Johannesburg. They are:

    Horizontal Articulation:
  • Bachelor of Education Honours, at NQF Level 8, (ID 80361)
  • Bachelor of Education Honours in Curriculum and Classroom Practice, at NQF Level 8,( ID 8036)
  • Bachelor of Education Honours in Education Management, at NQF Level 8, (ID 80365).

    Vertical Articulation:
  • Master of Education, at NQF Level 9, (ID N 97182).
  • Master of Education in Educational and Learning Support, at NQF Level 9, (ID 80386).
  • Master of Education in Teaching Studies, at NQF Level 9, (ID 80401).

    Systemic articulation is possible horizontally and vertically with qualifications offered by other institutions, provided students meet the minimum admission requirements. The possibilities are:

    Horizontal Articulation:
  • Bachelor of Education Honours, Level 8.
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Education, Level 8.

    Vertical Articulation:
  • Master of Education, Level 9. 
    		•

    MODERATION OPTIONS 
    N/A 

    CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS 
    N/A 

    NOTES 
    N/A 

    LEARNING PROGRAMMES RECORDED AGAINST THIS QUALIFICATION: 
     
    NONE 


    PROVIDERS CURRENTLY ACCREDITED TO OFFER THIS QUALIFICATION: 
    This information shows the current accreditations (i.e. those not past their accreditation end dates), and is the most complete record available to SAQA as of today. Some Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionaries have a lag in their recording systems for provider accreditation, in turn leading to a lag in notifying SAQA of all the providers that they have accredited to offer qualifications and unit standards, as well as any extensions to accreditation end dates. The relevant Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionary should be notified if a record appears to be missing from here.
     
    1. University of Johannesburg 


    All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source.