Perspectives in Education

Editorial

Jan Nieuwenhuis — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0200

Perspectives in Education (PIE) seeks to stimulate important dialogue and intellectual exchange on education and democratic transitions with respect to schools, colleges, non-governmental organisations, universities and universities of technology in South Africa and globally. In this issue, we foreground discourses on topical issues in the provisioning of schooling in South Africa and in Sub-Saharan Africa.

In the opening article by Doniwen Pietersen on Pedagogy of care in online teaching and learning environments at tertiary institutions, the author argues that whereas several of the technological platforms adopted during the Covid-19 lockdown had the potential to reach more students, they had also overloaded educators and pupils. It is argued that the role of university teachers should be reflected not only by the number of students engaged in class content, but also by the embodied cultural capital that students bring to online, face-to-face and hybrid learning spaces.

In the same vein, Desiree Moodley in her capacity as a writing consultant, critically reflects on the dialogue around the adopting Universal Design for Learning framework at higher education institutions in South Africa, and its implications for writing centres and for meeting individual students’ learning needs.

In the third article on students’ experiences with stories as lenses for sense-making, Deborah Lees discusses the experiences of first-year university students using storytelling as a lens to reveal identity, and to better understand their transition from school to university. Staying with the theme of student experiences at university, Róan Slabbert analysed peer-assisted learning (PAL), which over the years have been subjected to ongoing development and ultimately implementation into many so-called 'high-risk' programmes. Slabbert concluded that a statistically significant difference was found in the overall comparison between the pre- and post-intervention results after the dependent t-test was performed. Staying with education and the Covid19 pandemic, Ramgovind, Valashiya and Pramjeeth discuss Educational resources leveraged by students at a Private Higher Education Institution during the Covid-19 pandemic. They found that by understanding the educational resources (i.e. human, material and financial) that were leveraged by students during Covid-19, PHEIs can streamline decision-making regarding operations, assistance provided to students, and manage online learning in a manner that mitigates pitfalls should events similar to the pandemic occur.

Transitioning from university to the world of work is an often-neglected research area. In this section of PIE, we start by looking at beginner teachers transitioning from university graduates to fully legitimate participants in the teaching profession. Ruben Abraham, Stephen Daniels and Lucinda Du Plooy offer an insightful view on how a formal mentoring programme can assist students in the transitioning from university graduates into school practitioners. Keeping with the topic of transitioning, Dale Langsford asks the important question on how pedagogically focused conversations enable pre-service teachers to make sense of observed teaching. Moving into the classroom situation, Jacqueline Goldin, and Carolina Suransky report on their research where through there engagement with citizen science, they experienced the transformative power of affect and the relevance of emotions in education as a social and political project. In the next article, we explore the relationship between the philosophy of ubuntu and the principles of inclusive education. In their analyses, Jabulani Mpofu and Maximus Sefotho found that there is a very strong relationship between the philosophy of ubuntu and the principles of inclusive education.

In the next cluster of articles, we move into the classroom situation. In the first of this series, Ottilia Goto and Jameson Goto look at Secondary school students' perceptions of the 21st-century teaching of critical thinking, collaboration, communication, creativity and innovation (4Cs) in Zimbabwe. Their findings highlight the need for teachers to embed critical thinking and creativity activities within collaborative and communication learning activities. In the next article, Fungirai Mudhefi, Koena Mabotja and Dimakatjo Muthelo analysed the use of Van Hiele’s geometric thinking model to interpret Grade 12 learners’ learning difficulties in Euclidean Geometry. They recommend that educators should use constructivist teaching approaches that encourage learners’ conceptual understanding instead of traditional methods that promote rote memorisation of geometric facts. The third in this cluster is an article by Bongumusa Gubevu and it examines geography teachers’, parents’ and learners’ understanding and experiences of the integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the teaching of that subject.

A number of articles explore different management-related topics. First, Jama, Buka, Naidoo, and Moloi report on research into school support stakeholders’ perceptions in identifying learning barriers and reported that findings revealed insufficient knowledge about the identification of learning barriers. Next, we look at middle leaders pursuing teacher safety against learner victimization. In their research, Darrell de Klerk and June Monica Palmer explore teacher safety against learner victimization, which is a growing concern worldwide, and this problem is exacerbated by a lack of understanding and readiness to implement policies to address this matter. Selaelo Maifala analyses the school management team’s role of defining the school vision and mission at a South African rural school. He concluded that SMT members do not understand that the vision and mission could serve more than a visual purpose and that it must be designed to guide principles to direct smaller objectives within the organisation. Concluding the management section, Jardine, Shaik, and Adendorff reported in their research on the mentoring and to be mentored in Grade R.

The last cluster of articles offers very stimulating and thought-provoking reading on three important topics. First, Obakeng Kagola discusses Foundation Phase male teachers’ experiences of teaching comprehensive sexuality education in the Eastern Cape. Next, we look at the right to education for children with autism in Lesotho as discussed by Mahlape Tseeke and Kelello Alicia Rakolobe. Beausetha Bruwer and Annalene van Staden explore the psychology of teaching deaf learners using the Bilingual-Bicultural approach's theory and application to accommodate the familial and social contexts, language use, and overall development differences among deaf learners and their hearing peers, and among themselves. The last contribution in this section deals with Foundation Phase learners with visual impairments. Jossie Steyn, Mariette Koen, and Hantie Theron look at a collaborative approach among teachers to support the teaching such learners. The authors describe the research in which teachers were actively involved in the research process, and how teachers contributed to changes that promoted the inclusion and success of Foundation Phase learners with visual impairments.

We close this edition of Perspectives in Education with a thought-provoking article by Nomsa Mnisi and Thokozani Mathebula critically analysing the World Bank’s agenda to reframe inclusive education through its investment projects and inclusive policies. According to the authors this neoliberal approach results in unevenness and social inequalities. and the exclusion of learners in schools. They put forward recommendations to prevent the exclusion of its intended recipients, namely the poor, unprivileged and excluded learners in post-apartheid South African schools and instead to support universal and free public education.

We trust that you will find this edition stimulating and thought-provoking and that the views presented will stimulate discourse and research that will further grow and develop the boundaries of education.

Jan Nieuwenhuis

Editor

Pedagogy of care in online teaching and learning environments at tertiary institutions through the eyes of Freire

Doniwen Pietersen — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0200

Making the most of online or hybrid teaching platforms is essential to making sure that, in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), higher education settings in developing universities and places are not left behind. While a number of the technological platforms adopted during the Covid-19 lockdown have the potential to reach more kids, they have also overloaded educators and pupils. Therefore, it seems ironic that the same technology that makes it possible for higher education to offer online courses also frequently impedes student progress and places restrictions on the pedagogy of teachers. Regardless of format, the teaching and learning encounter should not come at the expense of caring for the actual student in the ever-changing hybrid teaching model that most tertiary institutions have since adopted. Therefore, the interest of this article is on how ‘care pedagogies’ might improve online teaching and learning at developing universities. In this sense, the role of university teachers should be reflected not only by the number of students engaged in class content, but also by the embodied cultural capital that students bring to online, face-to-face and hybrid learning spaces.

Universal Design for Learning and writing centres in South African higher education

Desiree Moodley — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0200

Could a transformative, inclusive and emancipatory educational framework like the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) advance academic success for all? Could racism and dis/ableism be dismantled through such an emerging educational trend that offers a redefinition of dis/ability abolishing oppressive pedagogical practices that perpetuate constructed views of special needs, often negatively correlated with racial and intellectual superiority? Could such a framework that foregrounds physical, cognitive and linguistic injustices advance achievement beyond merely meeting academic literacy standards within higher education settings like writing centres in a post-Covid 21st-century South Africa? These critical questions are some of the tensions raised in this paper proposing a compelling, yet controversial attempt at advancing student learning and achievement within an expanded definition of disability offered by the UDL framework developed by Rose and Meyer at the Center for Applied Special Technology at Harvard University. While Covid-19 centred around a pandemic, this global catastrophe accelerated the technological thrust into virtual and blended learning mediums of learning and engagement. Yet, given the technological explosion of the mid- and late 20th century, in many ways education have headed towards this direction. Now more than ever, the awareness of the Universal Design for Learning within the role of the writing centre and academic literacy is especially critical, given the drive for technologically driven approaches to address issues of social justice. This paper seeks to understand the obstacles and opportunities of the UDL framework within the role of writing centres in post-Covid 21st-century South African higher education. Through professional insights as a qualified practising writing consultant both locally in South Africa and in the United States, this reflective critique on the emerging vociferous dialogue around the adoption of the Universal Design for Learning framework at higher education institutions in South Africa, and its implications for the role of the writing centre, are based on this author’s pragmatic, commonplace experiences as well as research studies conducted on UDL and the Harvard Review. It is hoped that this reflective paper may make visible some of the inherent juxtapositions Universal Design for Learning may hold for meeting individual students’ learning needs principled on its universal approach to learning success for all, affording opportunities for further research and critique.

Students experience stories as lenses for sense-making of the transition to higher education

Deborah Lees, Andre van Zyl — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0200

This study explored the experiences of seven first-year university students in Johannesburg, South Africa. Recognising storytelling as a lens to reveal identity, this study focused on student experience narratives as a tool to better understand their transition from school to university. It examined the narrated experiences of these students as a means to reveal their student identities. The qualitative study utilised a case study design type to address the research question: “What do first-year students’ transition narratives reveal about their emerging student identities?” This paper focuses on a
thematic analysis that was used as a tool to analyse participants’ narrated experiences. The analysis resulted in five broad themes, namely that student identities in their first-year journeys were formed and influenced by interpersonal experiences, intrapersonal experiences, pre-commencement institutional experiences, experiences of formal learning, and learning experiences beyond the classroom. Despite encountering multiple challenges in their new environment, the students derived benefit through capitalising on their personal strengths as tools to adjust to the demands of their new institution. These tools were crucial resources used by participants to adjust to and ultimately flourish in their first year.

Effects of same-year/level peer-assisted learning on academic performance of students in health sciences extended curriculum programmes at a University of Technology in South Africa

Róan Slabbert — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0200

Peer-assisted learning (PAL) is a long-standing educational concept in higher education (HE) and has been subjected to ongoing development and ultimate implementation into so-called 'high-risk' programmes. Substantial literature and evidence are available to confirm that PAL is an effective tool for unlocking active learning in medical education. This paper focusses on the effects of same-year/level PAL implementation on the academic performance of tutors and tutees in a health sciences' extended curriculum programme (ECP) at a University of Technology (UoT) in South Africa (SA). A retrospective, longitudinal and quantitative analysis of pre- and post-intervention results of three consecutive ECP student cohorts (2017–209) was conducted to determine whether same-year/level PAL implementation enhanced academic performance. A total of 138 ECP students participated in this study and a statistically significant difference (p-value <0.05) was found with the overall comparison between the pre- and post-intervention results. Although not all ECP students benefited from this same-year/level PAL intervention, the findings of the study suggest that for the majority of ECP students, same-year/level PAL can be considered as an innovative educational intervention to improve academic success and preparedness for future studies.

Educational resources leveraged by students at a private higher education institution during COVID-19 pandemic

Priya Ramgovind, Mbali Cynthia Valashiya, Shamola Pramjeeth — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0200

Introduction: The initial response of higher education institutions (HEIs) to the Covid-19 pandemic was to shift to online learning as a contingency. However, not all students were equipped with the appropriate resources to make this shift.

Research problem: There is scant contemporary research outlining the types of educational resources leveraged by students at a private HEI (PHEI) in South Africa during the Covid-19 pandemic. This limits the ability of PHEIs to develop targeted approaches for student success during similar disturbances.

Methodology: Using a quantitative research design, an online survey was administered to second-year to postgraduate students at a PHEI in South Africa. Of the 44 715 total student population at the PHEI, a sample size of 387 was targeted, with a total of 239 students responding to the survey.

Key findings: The study found that most students had access to resources during emergency remote learning (ERT), with family playing a key role in providing human and financial resources to the student, while the PHEI provided key material resources. Textbooks, data/Wi-Fi, laptop/computer, and mobile phones/smartphones were considered critical, with administrative and academic support staff, online lecturers, videos, and textbooks/eBooks playing a key role in the students’ academic performance.

Conclusion: By understanding the educational resources (i.e. human, material and financial) that were leveraged by students during Covid-19, PHEIs can streamline decision-making regarding operations, assistance provided to students, and manage online learning in a manner that mitigates pitfalls should events similar to the pandemic occur.

Crossing boundaries: Beginner teachers transitioning from university graduates to full legitimate participants in the teaching profession

Ruben Daniels, Lucinda Du Plooy — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0200

This paper stems from a broader study that foregrounded an existing mentoring programme against the backdrop of low teacher retention in the South African schooling system. It works from the premise that beginner teachers are exiting the teaching profession within the first three to five years of teaching. This research suggests that one way of addressing low teacher retention is through a formal mentoring programme that will assist in the transition from university graduates into school practitioners. Data was produced through semi-structured individual and group interviews with a principal, two mentors, and two mentees. Theoretically, we drew on the work of Lave & Wenger (1991) whose constructs of Community of Practice (CoP) and Legitimate Peripheral Participation (LPP) were used as analytical tools to frame this study conceptually. The data revealed that beginner teachers come into the profession with marked inadequacies stemming from their initial training at universities which meant that they were insufficiently prepared for the realities of schooling. Furthermore, the data reveals multiple and overlapping CoPs in operation, pointing to viewing mentoring as multidimensional and not only in dyadic terms as a relationship between a mentor and mentee as it has traditionally been viewed.

How pre-service teachers talk about observed lessons: Implications for teacher education

Dale Langsford — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0200

The analyses of observed lessons are an important part of learning to teach. Pedagogically focused conversations are one way for pre-service teachers to do so. But how do pedagogically focused conversations enable pre-service teachers to make sense of observed teaching? Using a collective case-study approach, the study qualitatively explored the complexity of pedagogically focused conversations among differently qualified pre-service teachers during a focus-group interview. Complexity in participants’ conversations was operationalised using constellations from Legitimation Code Theory. I found that when participants had access to a shared conceptual language of practice, their pedagogically focused conversation could take observed practice apart and analyse its parts in terms of their suitability, what was lacking, and how it could be improved. A more complex conversation means that the pre-service teachers have a conceptual toolkit from which to draw to make sense of observed practice.

Pedagogy with a heartbeat: The transformative potential of citizen science in education

Jacqueline Goldin, Carolina Suransky — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0200

Over the past few years, we have worked together in a citizen science project called Diamonds on the Soles of our Feet (see also Goldin et al. 2021, Goldin et al., 2023). In this project we engaged with 420 young learners in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. We came to see participating schools as collaborative ecosystems where young citizens become entangled with water through experiential encounters that make science alive and relevant. Through our engagement with citizen science, we experienced the transformative power of affect and the relevance of emotions in education as a social and political project. In our pedagogy we depart from the idea that human beings are separate from the biosphere, thus recognising the interdependency of all life forms on earth. We believe that keeping science education in laboratories and libraries affirms what Bozalek and Zemblyas (2023) call “privileged irresponsibility”. We propose that citizen science and its transformative potential can be one way to redress such irresponsibility. Through impactful encounters with human – nonhuman entanglement and the emotions which are evoked in this process, citizen science can create opportunities for responseability (Bozalek & Zemblyas, 2023), through teaching and learning with the heart. Such entanglement also resonates with relationality as the currency of care theorists. In the context of our citizen science work, caring for unfamiliar others is a form of non-humancentred care with unfamiliar water bodies in which the binary of inside-outside learning becomes porous as the geographies of water penetrate the classroom walls. In Diamonds on the Soles of our Feet, we noted how watery spaces and images move back and forth caring-with and through human bodies – waterbodies to school, school to waterbodies. The entanglement with the nonhuman resonates with Massumi’s (2015) notion of becoming where there is an unrolling of an event that is a becoming of two together.

The relationship between the philosophy of Ubuntu and the principles of inclusive education

Jabulani Mpofu, Maximus Sefotho — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0200

This PRISMA scoping review identifies the emerging evidence on the relationship between the philosophy of ubuntu and the principles of inclusive education. The searches in this scoping review were conducted in AERD, Scopus, BASE EBSCO Host and Google Scholar to find the relationship between the philosophy of ubuntu as an African traditional knowledge system and the principles of inclusive education. Seven of the studies were included from a total of 134 articles published in Africa from January 2021 to December 2022 in English. Articles were excluded from review if they were published outside Africa, not in English, and from the period before January 2021. Data were thematically analysed following the thematic approach by Braun and Clarke (2021). Results organised by themes indicate that there is a very strong relationship between the philosophy of ubuntu and the principles of inclusive education. The thematic data analysis in this study indicated that both the philosophy of ubuntu and the principles of inclusive education are based on 1) equality, 2) unconditional acceptance, 3) enabling learning environment, and 4) respect for human diversity. The implication of this study is the recognition and adoption of the philosophy of ubuntu at inclusive education systems in Africa.

Secondary school students' perceptions of the 21st -Century 4Cs in Zimbabwe

Ottilia Goto, Jameson Goto — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0200

The volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous future world has highlighted the importance of critical thinking, collaboration, communication, creativity and innovation (4Cs) in today’s classrooms. Framed by the Partnership for 21st-Century Learning (P21) Learning and Innovation theme, the study investigates the perceptions of the 4Cs by secondary school students from four schools in Zimbabwe. Two hundred and thirty-six (236) students participated in this quantitative study. Data were collected using online and paper questionnaires. Exploratory and first-order confirmatory analysis revealed a four-factor model with excellent fit indices. The second-order confirmatory factor analysis confirmed that the individual 4Cs were sub-constructs of a higher latent factor, Learning and Innovation (4Cs), where the students strongly endorsed collaboration, followed by communication, critical thinking, creativity, and innovation in decreasing magnitude. Age has a significant influence on critical thinking. The findings highlight the need for teachers to embed critical thinking and creativity acivities within collaborative and communication learning activities.

The use of Van Hiele’s geometric thinking model to interpret Grade 12 learners’ learning difficulties in Euclidean Geometry

Fungirai Mudhefi, Koena Mabotja, Dimakatjo Muthelo — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0200

The 21st-century mathematics classrooms should equip learners with well-grounded knowledge and thinking skills pertaining to geometry. However, Euclidean geometry remains one of the challenging, if not the most difficult topic for many learners. As a result, the purpose of this article is to interpret Grade 12 learners’ learning difficulties in Euclidean geometry. We use Van Hiele’s geometric thinking model and Hoffer’s skills to argue an interpretation of learning difficulties in Euclidean geometry as a focal point towards creating effective teaching and learning of this important topic. This explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach involved 60 Grade 12 learners who wrote a geometry test and completed a questionnaire based on Van Hiele’s geometric thinking levels. In addition, semistructured interviews were conducted with a sample of 12 learners and four educators to investigate their views about geometry learning difficulties. The findings of the study revealed that learners had poor conceptualisation of properties of shapes, visualisation skills, circle theorems and geometry terminology, resulting in them experiencing learning difficulties. The recommendations are that, during instruction learners should be given the opportunity to manipulate real geometric objects to enhance their visualisation and visual thinking skills. In addition, we recommend that educators should teach level-specific geometry vocabulary to enable learners to understand concepts at different Van Hiele’s levels. Furthermore, we recommend that educators should use constructivist teaching approaches that encourage learners’ conceptual understanding instead of traditional methods that promote rote memorisation of geometric facts. Educators should develop learners’ broad knowledge of geometry to overcome geometry-related errors and misconceptions.

Exploring school support stakeholders’ perceptions in identifying learning barriers: the case study of selected rural schools in the Eastern Cape

Pateka Jama, Andrea Mqondiso Buka, Shantha Naidoo, Tshepang Jacob Moloi — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0200

Identification of learning barriers is a critical issue for support provision in inclusive classes, as it informs individualised support plans for each learner who experiences barriers to learning. However, the school support stakeholders in Quintile 1 rural schools in South Africa face challenges in identifying learning barriers experienced by learners in their classes. Quintile 1 is a socially based ranking given to schools in poverty-stricken communities where most people are unemployed. This study focuses on identifying the perceptions of school support stakeholders in the identification of learning barriers in Quintile 1 rural schools. In this qualitative research study, a multiple case study design was used and 15 participants from three categories (teachers, principals, and school-based support team coordinators) were purposively sampled from three secondary and two primary rural schools due to the different roles expected from each category in the identification of learning barriers. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis. The findings revealed insufficient knowledge about the identification of learning barriers; lack of support in identifying learning barriers; lack of continuous in-service training on inclusive practices and education policies as barriers to the identification of learning barriers, which led teachers to perceive their roles in identifying learning barriers in a negative way. In general, this article contributes to understanding the complexities surrounding the identification of learning barriers for support provision in rural settings. It highlights areas for improvement in inclusive practices and supports structures to enhance the inclusivity and effectiveness of rural education systems.

Chronicling participants’ understanding and experiences of integrating ICT into the teaching of geography in South African schools

Bongumusa Gubevu, Vusi Mncube — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0200

This article examines geography teachers’, parents’ and learners’ understanding and experiences of the integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the teaching of that subject. The study was guided by the TPACK-SAMR model, which proved to be a reliable tool for measuring the extent of ICT integration. The purposive sampling technique that was employed enabled the researchers to identify participants for the research study related to the importance of integrating ICTs into the teaching and learning of geography. The article draws its purpose from the integration of technologies into the teaching of geography as a means of preparing and equipping learners who take this subject with the type of skills required in the 21st-century job market. Surprisingly, the research findings revealed that some teachers still do not feel comfortable to integrate diverse technologies into their teaching of geography, perceiving it as time consuming. Their unwillingness to become digital citizens and conform to the demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is a drawback, as are learners’ inappropriate use of ICTs (visiting irrelevant, unwanted sites instead of downloading subject-related content). To empower learners to adopt and use ICTs as valuable tools and solutions on their learning journey drastic changes are required, particularly on the part of curriculum planners in geography.

Middle leaders pursuing teacher safety against learner victimization: A policy document analysis

Edwin Darrell de Klerk, June Monica Palmer — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0200

Various scholars have confirmed that teacher safety against learner victimization is a growing concern worldwide, and this problem is exacerbated by a lack of understanding and readiness to implement policies to address this matter. In this regard, policy implementation by middle leaders (MLs) in creating safe school environments has attracted much less interest as a possible way of addressing issues of teacher safety and the prevention of learner victimization. MLs are regarded as individuals who have the potential to lead, plan, inspire and persuade, and in so doing, they are in an ideal position to translate policy into practice. As such, this paper provides a qualitative policy document analysis of The National School Safety Framework (NSSF) premised on the theory that every individual in the school experiences safety in dissimilar ways and has unique safety needs. The NSSF is endorsed by the Department of Basic Education to guide in addressing issues of violence and safety in South African schools. Underpinned by the rational choice theory and utilizing policy document analysis, texts in the NSSF were analysed and interpreted to propose transformative policy strategies that can assist MLs in managing teachers’ safety at schools more effectively. The findings suggest that administrative duties and a lack of time make it difficult for MLs to create a safe and supportive learning environment in schools. Another finding was that there is no clear plan outlined in the NSSF to guide MLs to pursue teacher safety against learner victimization in schools. To assist MLs, this paper proposes transformative policy strategies that can assist them in promoting teacher safety and preventing learner victimization in schools. The paper recommends that more explicit interpretation and implementation strategies be communicated with schools to assist them in fighting the war against violence in schools.

The school management team’s role of defining the school vision and mission at a South African rural school

Selaelo Maifala — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0200

Schools in the rural context of Limpopo Province, South Africa have a plethora of challenges, which have a negative impact on learner achievement. This paper argues that for schools to triumph over the obstacles, effective school leaders are necessary Such leaders must define and communicate a clear vision and mission and work with stakeholders to achieve them. With these assumptions, this paper explores how members of the school management team (SMT) of a rural school in the Limpopo Province define and communicate their school’s vision and mission. Through the qualitative research method underpinned by the interpretive paradigm, a case research design was adopted and a single high school sampled to participate. Data were generated from semistructured interviews with seven SMT members, a focus-group discussion with six teachers, and an observation of the research site. The findings revealed that most participants could not articulate the school’s vision and mission. In addition, stakeholders were not involved in the processes of defining the vision and mission and communication methods in this regard were also ineffective. Lastly, the SMT viewed the vision and mission as fixed and did not review them. Based on these findings, I conclude that SMT members must understand that the vision and mission could serve more than a visual purpose when designed as guiding principles to direct smaller objectives within the organisation.

To mentor and be mentored in Grade R

Mastura Jamodien-Jardine, Naseema Shaik, Stanley Anthony Adendorff — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0200

Research suggests that beginner teachers face challenges when transitioning from pre-service to in-service teaching. Both nternational and local research found that transitioning from preservice to newly qualified teachers can be problematic. This study explores the learning experiences of beginner foundation phase Grade R teachers. The study utilises a qualitative research design embedded in the interpretivist paradigm. Data were collected from six foundation phase Grade R teachers using semi-structured interviews and reflective journals. The findings show that beginner teachers face enormous challenges early in their careers, and their sustainability in the classroom depends on how well they address these challenges. The findings have significant implications for the implementation of formal mentoring in practice.

Foundation phase male teachers’ reflections in teaching of comprehensive sexuality education in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa

Obakeng Kagola — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0200

Children in their childhood and teenage years can acquire either healthy or unhealthy lifestyles. Without proper guidance, unhealthy lifestyles (e.g. risk-taking, substance abuse, poor family planning) may negatively affect their psychosexual development (i.e. ability to make healthier sexual choices). Male and female teachers can be role models for learners to acquire healthy sexual lifestyles. Historically, the Foundation Phase (FP) has been a highly feminine teaching space. Lately, however, the space has seen an increasing presence and participation of FP male teachers. This paper shares FP male teachers’ reflections in teaching comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) content within the Life Skills curriculum in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Five FP male teachers were engaged in a focus group conversation; data were thematically analysed, underpinned by a feminist post-structural lens. Although the teachers reported a restriction of FP male teachers in teaching CSE-related content, they also indicated that learners showed increased self-exposure to CSE-related content. To counter the censorship of FP male teachers in teaching CSE-related content, the study recommends explicit incorporation of feminist pedagogies to enable FP male teachers to be part of the delivery of SE content as equal stakeholders.

A bilingual-bicultural literacy programme for deaf learners in Namibia

Beausetha Bruwer, Annalene van Staden, Lodewyk du Plessis — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0200

The poor academic performance and literacy level of deaf learners in Namibia are a major concern, and it is necessary to understand the center of the situation. Even though deaf learners can become proficient readers and writers, the challenge remains in finding an appropriate instructional approach to attain these results. This presents an even greater challenge, as deaf learners not only differ from their hearing peers, but also significantly differ from one another in terms of their various familial and social contexts, language use, and overall holistic development. The Bilingual-Bicultural approach is considered a good approach for teaching deaf learners, and it offers them the chance to become biliterate; therefore this study explored the impact of a Bilingual-Bicultural literacy program on 41 d/hh learners (age = 7-13 yrs). Through a one-group pre-test post-test design, a group of participants were pre-evaluated, followed by an intervention and post-evaluation. The intervention's main goal was to implement practical teaching strategies using a Bilingual-Bicultural teaching approach that can reduce the delay and gap in language learning and literacy for deaf learners. Results from t-tests calculated to determine the statistical significance of the pre and post-test with regard to the total scores and all the sub-tests for NSL as well as Written English skills indicated significant results (p< 0.05). The study offers insight into the psychology of teaching deaf learners while also advancing the theory and application of the Bilingual-Bicultural approach. Additionally, it promotes debate of the best practices for ensuring that deaf learners receive a quality education and full participation in society.

The right to education for children with autism in Lesotho: A review of the legal and policy frameworks

Mahlape Tseeke, Kelello Alicia Rakolobe — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0200

A child’s access to equal educational opportunities is considered a basic human right, which extends even to children with disabilities. However, the realisation of international agreements protecting this right lies in individual countries’ interpretation and implementation of such rights. This study examined how the right to education for children with autism is provided for, protected and promoted in Lesotho’s existing legislation and policy frameworks. A critical policy analysis was employed to explore how explicit or implicit the language used in the legal and policy frameworks is to generate opportunities and/or social inequalities in realising this right for autistic children. Reviewed legislation and policies were purposively selected to address the phenomenon of the study. The documents selected were four legislations; the Constitution of Lesotho (Lesotho, 1993), Education Act, No.3 of 2010 (Lesotho, 2010), Children’s Protection and Welfare Act 2011 (Lesotho, 2016b), Persons with Disability Equity Act of 2011 (Lesotho, 2021), and two policy documents; National Disability and Rehabilitation Policy of 2011 (Lesotho, 2011a), and Lesotho Inclusive Education Policy of 2018 (Lesotho, 2018). The findings revealed that while there are laws, including the Constitution of Lesotho (Lesotho, 1993), and policies that recognise the right of children with disabilities to education in Lesotho, there seemed to be no legal obligation to warrant the provision of this right for children with autism. Thus, this may have a negative impact on the provision and access to equitable education for these children and, in turn, the right to education for children with autism. Therefore, a legislation and policy review is recommended if this right is to be realised for children with autism.

A collaborative approach among teachers to support the teaching of learners with visual impairment in the Foundation Phase

Jossie Steyn, Mariette Koen, Hantie Theron — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0200

In this article, we explore how collaboration between Foundation Phase teachers could address and support the teaching of Foundation Phase learners with visual impairments (VI). By actively involving teachers in the research process, teachers contributed to changes that promoted the inclusion and success of FP learners with VI. This qualitative study implemented participatory action learning and action research (PALAR) as the research design of choice. Participants were recruited using purposive sampling, and the action learning set (ALS) comprised seven Foundation Phase teachers. Data generation entailed three cycles. Cycle One was relationship building, i.e. forming a shared vision for our study, negotiating an ethical agreement, and then determining the specific challenges Foundation Phase teachers have to face. During Cycle Two, we determined how we could address and support the educational needs of Foundation Phase learners with VI. During Cycle Three, we determined the strategies and guidelines that Foundation Phase teachers may use to enhance the teaching of learners with VI. Data generation encompassed ALS discussions, photovoice and reflective journal entries conducted throughout the three cycles. However, this article exclusively focuses on the ALS discussions. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis to design action plans collaboratively by means of which to assist Foundation Phase teachers working with learners with VI. The North-West University (NWU) and the Department of Education of the Western Cape (RSA) granted ethical clearance. The two themes derived from the findings highlighted the crucial importance of collaboration among parents, caregivers, teachers, and stakeholders in addressing the educational needs of FP learners affected by VI effectively, while also highlighting the importance of working together in designing strategies and guidelines for teaching FP learners with VI.

The World Bank’s neoliberal agenda and inclusive education in post-apartheid South African schools

Nomsa Mnisi, Thokozani Mathebula — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0200

Globally, the World Bank’s neoliberal agenda has reframed inclusive education through its investment projects and inclusive policies, thus begetting unevenness and social inequalities. Accordingly, in South Africa, the World Bank’s neoliberal investment projects and inclusive policies exacerbate the exclusion of learners in schools. The critical theory framework is adopted as a lens to explore the extent to which the World Bank’s neoliberal education agenda meets the end goals of democracy and social justice in post-apartheid South Africa. A critical analysis of the World Bank’s inclusive education policies points to a neoliberal agenda that fosters liberalisation instead of human rights; a policy that propagates privatisation instead of universal education; learners’ emancipation barricaded by investment projects that favour deregulation instead of regulation; and illusive social change due to neoliberal public policies in post-apartheid South African schools. Ultimately, the authors argue that the World Bank’s incoherent, inconsistent and ambiguous neoliberal education agenda does not speak to its intended recipients, namely the poor, unprivileged and excluded learners in post-apartheid South African schools. A recommendation thus put forward is that the World Bank should redirect its investment projects and revise its inclusive policies in the quest to spearhead universal and free public education.