Education Research and Development Division

Directed by this commitment, the ERD has aspired to:

• Grow and pursue leadership in the evaluation and research industry in South Africa.
• Contribute to a body of knowledge in the area of schooling, both in terms of teaching and learning at all levels of the education sector.

ERD initiates, coordinates and manages education research and evaluation projects using both in-house expertise and a network of research associates throughout the country and promotes the dissemination of research to facilitate information-sharing and public debate.

Research and Evaluation activities

ERD’s work revolves around the distinct activities of evaluation and research. Research is conducted with the intent to generalise the findings from a sample to a larger population. Evaluation focuses on assessing the worth of particular projects. However, evaluation has its greatest value when designed to answer important research questions, in addition to providing both formative and summative feedback to project participants. JET’s project evaluations are therefore designed to answer the questions:

• ‘Did the project have its intended impact?’
• ‘Is this an appropriate model for improving schools under similar conditions?’

ERD’s research designs are based on the collection of empirical evidence that demonstrates and supports sustainable impact. The knowledge derived from this work ultimately shapes JET’s own programmes, and at the same time, directs funders and donors in the design of their education development projects. The division’s activities are planned to maximise lessons for future work and to have a positive impact on the education system.

Published Research

Among the outstanding successes of the ERD was the authorship of two flagship research-based books, namely

• Getting Learning Right and
• Getting Schools Working.

These books, particularly Getting Schools Working, are recognised as important contributions to the school development research landscape.

Learner Testing

ERD has developed a strong competitive advantage, and has achieved substantial success in the field of learner testing.

JET’s first tests were developed in 1999 in collaboration with the Stichting voor Leerpanontwikkeling (SLO) and the Centraal Instituut voor Toetsontwikkeling (CITO) of the Netherlands. Initially used for evaluating JET’s own programmes, JET tests are increasingly requested by other agents for use in their projects. JET’s first venture into test development as a stand-alone activity was a commission from the Western Cape Education Department to design literacy and numeracy tests at Grade 3 and 6 levels. Since then, JET has received other commissions to develop tests which can be used in systemic evaluations.

Features of JET tests are that they are aligned with the National Department’s Systemic Evaluation instruments, and also incorporate diagnostic elements.

ERD is increasingly involved in longitudinal research and evaluation designs; is engaged in the development of item banks and norm tables, as well as tests in grades other than grades 3, 6 and 9. Consequently, we are currently busy developing a full suite of literacy and maths tests for primary schools.

Click here for the list of projects.

For more information contact Carla Pereira at carla@jet.org.za