The Faculty of Education is proud to announce that Dr Estelle Gaigher from the Department of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education and Dr Miems Steyn from the Department of Early Childhood Education have been promoted to the position of Associate Professor as from 1 January 2017.

In addition to undergraduate teaching, Dr Estelle Gaigher also supervises postgraduate research and has successfully supervised several master’s and PhD studies to completion.  She has presented papers at conferences worldwide and articles written by her have been published in various local and international accredited journals.

Dr Gaigher has collaborated with international scholars during research visits to the University of Madison Wisconsin and the Illinois Institute of Technology. Her research interests include physics and science education and she participated in a three-year developmental project initiated by the French La Main a la Pate Foundation to introduce inquiry-based science education in South African schools. She is currently involved in an international comparative study undertaken to investigating learners’ understanding of the concept scientific inquiry.

Dr Miemsie Steyn is responsible for the coordination of research activities and her main tasks involve the supervision of postgraduate students and the publication of articles. Her research focus is embedded in the field of the sociology of education, where the interplay between society and education is foregrounded. She has done extensive research on the future expectations of adolescents from the perspectives of the various ethnic groups in South Africa. She is also interested in how black students experience their tertiary studies at formerly white institutions, and the challenges they face in order achieve academic success.

Dr Steyn is currently involved in the African-Asian Dialogue (AAD) project, which undertakes research to identify the factors that contribute to the development of the professional identities of teachers and student teachers. 

Dr Estelle Gaigher

Dr Estelle Gaigher from the Department of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education has been promoted to the position of Associate Professor as from 1 January 2017.

In addition to undergraduate teaching, she also supervises postgraduate research and has successfully supervised several master’s and PhD studies to completion.  She has presented papers at conferences worldwide and articles written by her have been published in various local and international accredited journals.

Dr Gaigher has collaborated with international scholars during research visits to the University of Madison Wisconsin and the Illinois Institute of Technology. Her research interests include physics and science education and she participated in a three-year developmental project initiated by the French La Main a la Pate Foundation to introduce inquiry-based science education in South African schools. She is currently involved in an international comparative study undertaken to investigating learners’ understanding of the concept scientific inquiry.

Dr Miemsie Steyn

Dr Miemsie Steyn from the Department of Early Childhood Education has been promoted to the position of Associate Professor as from 1 January 2017.

She is responsible for the coordination of research activities and her main tasks involve the supervision of postgraduate students and the publication of articles. Her research focus is embedded in the field of the sociology of education, where the interplay between society and education is foregrounded. She has done extensive research on the future expectations of adolescents from the perspectives of the various ethnic groups in South Africa. She is also interested in how black students experience their tertiary studies at formerly white institutions, and the challenges they face in order achieve academic success.

Dr Steyn is currently involved in the African-Asian Dialogue (AAD) project, which undertakes research to identify the factors that contribute to the development of the professional identities of teachers and student teachers.

Dr Estelle Gaigher and Dr Miemsie Steyn below.