SIGS
What is a SIG?
A Special Interest Group (SIG) is a group of individuals who are interested in a specialised focus/ topic/problem/area in education.
Guidelines for SIGs
- The purpose of SAERA SIGs is to advance research specializations on topics of shared interest. These may include problematics, theory and practice of education.
- SIGs are free to organize themselves as they see fit. The minimum requirement is that SIGs need 5 members to constitute themselves; they need to represent more than one institution; they need to be SAERA members; and SIG members and/or a representative of the SIG must attend the SAERA conference.
- SIGs need to mobilize interest across institutions and domains and may be multidisciplinary.
- An annual report on SIG activities and membership needs to be submitted to the SAERA Executive. Such reports need to be sent to the President at least 14 days before the SAERA conference so that they may be included in the President’s report to the conference.
- SIGs can only raise funds in the name of SAERA and not in the name of the SIG. All such fundraising initiatives need to be in line with SAERA policies and communicated to the Treasurer and President of SAERA.
- SIGs are advised to meet at a SAERA conference as a SIG to discuss the constitution of its membership and future activities of the SIG.
- SIGs may organize their own conferences, with the prior knowledge and support of the SAERA Executive. The financial and organizational aspects of such a conference will be carried by the SIG and reported to the President of SAERA.
- SIGs may arrange a Special Edition of the SAERA Journal of Education. Such special editions will be approved by the Editor of the Journal of Education and reported to the SAERA Executive.
- One member of the SAERA executive committee will have SIGS as a portfolio.
- SIGS should be allocated a specific space within the conference structure to accommodate their meeting and sharing of research.
- A list of SIGS will be included on SAERA membership application and renewal forms.
Procedure For Setting Up a SIG
A minimum requirement to establish a SIG is five SAERA members, who represent more than one institution. One member of the proposed SIG needs to email the following information to the SIG coordinator, Prof. Petro du Preez
Provide a motivation for the new SIG, explaining its purpose and why the SIG is important and offers something different to existing SIGs.
Provide a list of members, their email, institutions and their roles within the SIG.
The names and contact details of the existing SIGs can be found on the website. If you wish to join any of the existing SIGs, please contact the relevant coordinator.
Current SIGs
Action Research
The purpose of the action research SIG is to provide a platform to advance the theory and practice of action research for the improvement of educational practice. Action research brings about positive change at individual, institutional and community level. For personal purposes, action research aims to foster development of self-knowledge, fulfilment, and professional awareness. Action research can be applied for staff development, for academics who seek to legitimise their role as knowledge contributors to the literature of educational research and theory.
The Action Research SIG aims to build and grow a Community of Practice for likeminded scholars to connect, network and share best practices and challenges in the field and therefore encourages action researchers to join this SIG.
To join the SIG or for more information, please email the coordinator:
Dr Karen Venter
University of the Free State
Assessment & Testing
The effective use of assessment for addressing the learning needs of all students and learners, especially those from poor and marginalised backgrounds, has been an ongoing challenge that has yet to be adequately addressed. Within this context, the primary purpose of the SIG is to enhance the expertise and experience of educators, teacher educators, policy makers, researchers and scholars in the use of assessment evidence for addressing the challenge of quality and equity in schools and universities.
To achieve this, the SIG serves as a forum to:
- Enhance collaboration among all key actors for conducting quality research in the area of assessment and testing;
- Support the sharing and improvement of capacity and skills among interested actors; and
- Contribute to the development of the next generation of researchers and and scholars.
We welcome all members of SAERA to participate in the development of the Assessment and Testing SIG and support our efforts for improving learning for all in our schools and universities.
To join the SIG or for more information, please email the coordinator:
Prof. Anil Kanjee
Tshwane University of Technology
Curriculum Studies
Curriculum as one of the central components of the education system, both of school education and higher education, has often been integrated into the general discourse of Education in South Africa, while globally, the advancement of Curriculum as a field of inquiry has grown exponentially. The discourses on Curriculum in South Africa have largely been related to the context of educational transformation, responsive and progressive education and policy terrain, yet globally Curriculum Inquiry has transcended the instrumentality of curriculum. The opportunity to go beyond this instrumentality of curriculum in South Africa will open up spaces to imagine possibilities for our context. Hence, the Curriculum Studies SIG of SAERA is a home to advance curriculum thinking. The intention, therefore, is to advance Curriculum Inquiry in South Africa, taking on an African philosophical approach, to advance the philosophy, theory and praxis associated with the field of Curriculum Inquiry.
Pursuant to this intention, the Curriculum Studies SIG of SAERA endeavours to harness scholarship in Curriculum Studies, to recognise and promote advancement in inquiry, thinking and theorising in the discipline through research, collaborative engagements, seminars, conferences and publications, and to build a formidable group of Curriculum scholars within South Africa. The Curriculum Studies SIG, therefore, encourages Curriculum scholars to become members of this SIG and to develop a critical mass to build Curriculum Studies as a discipline within South Africa and indeed, globally.
To join the SIG or for more information, please email the coordinator:
Prof. Petro Du Preez
North-West University
Knowledge-Building in Education
Our SIG welcomes research that explores how knowledge works in academic and professional practices across education. Generic approaches to teaching ignore the importance of knowledge for developing expertise. Ultimately, knowledge-blind approaches disempower students, especially those with historical and educational disadvantage. Our goal is to understand how cumulative knowledge-building works across educational practices so we can support student achievement in more intentional ways.
To join the SIG or for more information, please email the coordinator:
Dr Mlamuli Hlatshwayo
University of Kwazulu Natal
Self-Reflexive Methodologies
Self-reflexivity in research brings to the fore a focus on examining, questioning, and theorising researchers’ lived experiences and selves. The Self-Reflexive Methodologies special interest group (SIG) of the South African Education Research Association (SAERA) has been active since 2014. Each year a collaborative SIG symposium is held at the annual SAERA conference. The symposia have focused on narratives (2015), poetic inquiry (2016), object inquiry (2017), memory-work (2018), methodological inventiveness in self-reflexive research (2019), and integrating research, teaching, and learning through self-reflexive scholarship (2021). More than 100 academics from 19 higher education institutions have participated in SIG activities since 2014. SIG participants are located within a range of academic and professional disciplines. All share an interest in research methodologies that require self-reflexivity – including, but not limited to, self-study of practice, autoethnography, and narrative inquiry. The SIG works to facilitate the growth of our research learning community through a range of virtual and face-to-face activities that open new spaces for innovative, self-reflexive educational research within and beyond South Africa.
To join the SIG or for more information, please email the coordinator:
Dr Makie Kortjass and Dr Ntokozo Mkhize-Mthembu
University of KwaZulu-Natal
Teacher Education
The SAERA Special Interest Group in Teacher Education provides a research-based network for teacher educators and scholars interested in research about the provision, quality and effectiveness of teacher education within the South African context. The SIG in TE aims to facilitate the formulation and execution of collaborative research projects. Of particular interest to the SIG is research around the conceptualisation, teaching and evaluation of different components of initial teacher education programmes and the inter-relationships that exist between them. This includes (but is not limited to) university-based coursework; work-integrated learning and the building of research-informed partnerships between Higher Education Institutions and schools; and preparing students to teach within diverse South African contexts. The SIG in Teacher Education provides a platform for the dissemination of research findings amongst its members and ultimately hopes to support to members as they contribute to the scholarship of teacher education. This SIG is well positioned to make recommendations to policy makers on issues relating to the provision of ITE in South Africa.
To join the SIG or for more information, please email the coordinator:
Prof. Lee Rusznyak
University of the Witwatersrand
TVET, HE and Work
This SIG covers a wide range of issues in the post-school domains of technical and vocational education and training, higher education, continuing education, and workplace/work-based learning. Participants share research and development in these domains which have a number of cross-cutting concerns and areas of interest.
To join the SIG or for more information, please email the coordinator:
Prof. Joy Papier
Institute for Post-School Studies, University of the Western Cape
SARCHi Chair: TVET studies
Inclusive Education
Despite the existence of robust policies and guidelines on Inclusive Education, quality education for diverse learners remains a key national and international challenge. The primary purpose of this SIG is to promote curriculum, pedagogy, and advocacy discussions on inclusive education within the schooling and higher education sector in South Africa. To achieve this purpose, the SIG will provide a forum for:
- promoting discussions among researchers, policy makers, practitioners, donors and other interested stakeholders,
- enhancing collaboration between different stakeholders for conducting quality research in the area of inclusive education,
- supporting the development and improvement of capacity and skills of key stakeholders through initial teacher education (ITE) programmes and continuing professional teacher development (CPTD) programmes.
All members of SAERA are welcome to join this cross-cutting SIG to enhance and support initiatives towards promoting inclusive education and communities
To join the SIG or for more information, please email the coordinator:
Prof Cina Mosito
Nelson Mandela University
Educational Technologies
The Educational Technologies SIG is dedicated to exploring and understanding the role of technology in education. This SIG will serve as a platform for researchers and educators, to share knowledge, best practices and research findings related to Educational Technology. We aim to foster collaboration and innovation and bridge the digital divide and ensure equitable access to quality education through technology.
To join the SIG or for more information, please email the coordinator: