Browsing by Author "Hlela, Augustine Zamokwakho Nhlanhla."

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An exploration of learning in a women's church group: a case study of a Catholic womens group in Pietermaritzburg region.
(2019) Ndlela, Ntombenhle Caritus.; Hlela, Augustine Zamokwakho Nhlanhla.
The St Anne’s Catholic Women’s Group (SACWG) is an association of Catholic married women. The SACWG anticipates that its members bring together the principles of the SACWG (as taught within the group) and the realities of women in the world in which they live. However, I have seen a disjuncture and schism between the principles of what SACWG seeks to achieve and how the women live in the real world. The study interrogated and scrutinized the types of learning that take place in the SACWG. My purpose was to explore the relationship between what was learnt within the group and the impact of that learning on women’s daily lives, with a view to contributing to the theorization of adult learning, including formal, non-formal and informal learning. The study was also intended to look at how women were engaging in the wider community as Christians. The study utilized a qualitative approach and was located within the interpretative paradigm. The Case Study approach applied multiple methods of data collection, namely: observation, Focus Group and semi-structured interviews. The study was grounded in one Parish within the Pietermaritzburg region. Seven SACWG members were interviewed. Observation of a meeting session was done twice. The study was framed using the concept of Communities of Practice as its theoretical framework. The findings reveal that there are four types of learning that take place in the SACWG, namely: the annual retreats and conventions, Tuesday and Thursday gatherings, monthly meetings and the Heritage Day celebration. Active participation of the SACWG members in these different types of learning is fundamental for knowledge creation and sharing. SACWG members are commissioned to serve in community outreach projects according to its motto, ‘Serve the Family, Serve the Church, Serve the Community’. Members seem to turn a blind eye to the principle of ‘…her obligations towards God, family as well as the neighbour’, including ‘…serve the community at large.’ Non-formal learning and informal learning stimulate SACWG learning. None of the SACWG members resides in Wozanawe Informal Settlement (WIS), the neighbour of the St Kuhle Parish (SKP), thus a distance between the SACWG, the church and the WIS is evident. The findings confirm my initial view of a disjuncture between the principles of what the SACWG seeks to achieve and the real world in which members live in.
An exploration of savings group learning in SaveAct Financial Education Programme : a case study of Sizanani Savings Group.
(2016) Dlamini, Nqe Jacob.; Hlela, Augustine Zamokwakho Nhlanhla.
Community-based financial institutions like the stokvels, savings groups and burial societies have been active in South Africa for many years and provide important financial services to communities. This study explored the nature of learning that resulted from participation in a specific savings group. The research question was informed by the phenomenon that unsupervised savings groups grew their membership and supported the establishment of new savings groups without the support of an external organisation, and in this case, SaveAct. Savings groups would be trained, mentored and supervised by SaveAct in their first saving cycle for them to operate independently from SaveAct in the second cycle and beyond. SaveAct and other organisations that have interest in the programme, underestimate the knowledge and skills gained by participants in these groups. There is a need to identify and understand knowledge and skills gained by members of these groups which are responsible for growth. Exploratory research using documentary analysis, observations, focus group discussion and interviews had been conducted with nine members of a specific savings group in the rural community located west of the Bergville town in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The participants of the study were asked as to how members adhere and/or divert from the SaveAct programme post the SaveAct intervention to understand the nature of learning that occurred in their group. The study was concerned with non-formal and informal learning. Non-formal learning was provided by SaveAct through training and monthly supervision sessions. Informal learning that happened among the members of the group elevated the influence of lived experiences of the participants in the savings group. Learning was identified from the key moments of the savings group which are the establishment phase, support and supervision phase by SaveAct and the post-graduation phase. The larger part of non-formal learning was found to have happened during the establishment phase as well as the supervision phase of the group. The post-supervision phase provided evidence of informal learning. It must be noted that the post-graduation phase is when SaveAct was no longer supporting the group. Based on learning that happened in the group four main recommendations were made, namely: strengthening self-selection processes to enhance participation; embracing life skills; dedicating continuous skilling development for record keepers; and broadening financial offerings to savings groups.
Exploring learning in community leadership: case of Umhlabuyalingana.
(2019) Mthembu, Mxolisi Edwin.; Hlela, Augustine Zamokwakho Nhlanhla.
Learning, the acquisition of knowledge and skills via study, experience or general instruction is an essential part of leadership. While leadership in our modern societies are exposed to many forms of learning, the same cannot be said of their rural counterparts, even though they face similar challenges. It is therefore important to explore and understand how, what and where rural leaders access learning. Focusing on democratically and constitutionally elected leadership, including traditional leadership, this study seeks to investigate learning (how, what and where) among community leaders, using Ward 16 of the Umhlabuyalingana Local Municipality as a case study. Ward 16 of the Umhlabuyalingana Local Municipality, is one of the five local municipalities under the Umkhanyakude District Municipality (in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa), and is a deeply rural area, with predominantly people of African descent. The study which was located within an interpretivist paradigm, employed the qualitative approach, using a case study. Data was collected through face-to-face, semi-structured interviews in addition to transect walks and focus group sessions. The study, through the exploration of three key learning contexts for local leadership in rural setting are: municipal (democratically and constitutionally elected), traditional (mostly not elected) and community activism. It is the belief of the study that once there is an understanding of what, where and how they access learning, communities would be better served by different role-players like non-governmental organisations, municipalities, development agencies and government entities. It was found that community leaders are exposed to various types and forms of learning which are formal, informal and non-formal. However, tertiary learning was conspicuously absent. The study recommended that there must be efforts to seek, investigate and maximise understanding of the rural dynamics – leadership, learning and community structures. This would mean to review the role and status of traditional leadership. An establishment of satellite tertiary institutions as a form of formal learning and educational entities for the development and benefit of community.
Graduates' view on the effectiveness of training delivery environments for skills acquisition in adult non-formal education centres in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
(2018) Mayombe, Celestin Busare.; Hlela, Augustine Zamokwakho Nhlanhla.
The South African government legislated non-formal adult education through the Adult Education and Training (AET) Act 25 of 2010 in order to provide employability skills and marketable skills to non-educated and unskilled adults. The scope of this study was demarcated to mainly examine graduates’ views on the effectiveness of training delivery environments for skills acquisition in adult NFE centres in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). The study utilised mixed research methods or a combination of both qualitative and quantitative methods. The sample was drawn from the educational district of uMgungundlovu of KZN. The sample size of the study consisted of six NFE centres and their 200 graduates. In the quantitative method, the research instruments for the data collection was questionnaires administered to 200 graduates, while one-on-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with five self-employed graduates. Concerning the inputs, the study found that in the private centres and few from public, the existence of adequate tools and equipment for learning in the workshops for practicum fostered training delivery for skills acquisition. With regard to the transformation process, the majority of graduates, mostly from private centres, viewed that the approach of training delivery fostering skills acquisition was practice-oriented in the real situation similar to the future workplaces. Regarding the outputs of the training delivery, the majority of the graduates acquired technical skills and competence to work without supervision. As main recommendation, the centre managers should make the technical training delivery be 25% theory and 75% practical by means of workshops, on-the-job training and project-based training.
An investigation into the nature of parental involvement at a rural primary school.
(2013) Rajin, Krishna Sivalingam.; Hlela, Augustine Zamokwakho Nhlanhla.
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An investigation of factors that lead to student retention at Siyazama Community Learning Centre.
(2019) Nala, Glenrose Lindiwe. ; Hlela, Augustine Zamokwakho Nhlanhla.
The study explores factors that lead to the retention of students at Siyazama Community Learning Centre (CLC) in UMgungundlovu District in Pietermaritzburg. The study focused on retention at this centre because it is one of the centres that have a high rate of retention in the district. This study is guided by a qualitative case study approach located within the interpretive paradigm. The purpose is to explore factors that motivate adult students to register at Siyazama CLC, what drives them to continue to participate and to find out what factors lead to their retention at this centre. Qualitative data collection allowed the study to gather a wide range of data through observations, semistructured interviews, and focus group interviews. In-depth data collection methods were deemed appropriate as the study sought to unravel a phenomenon in its real-life context. Purposive sampling assisted in ensuring that relevant and appropriate participants participated. Inductive and deductive approaches were used to analyse data. The notes and transcripts from interviews, observations and focus group discussions were simplified and organised so as to identify patterns and themes. The study was guided by Tinto's (1993) Model of Student Integration which argues that if an adult student is comfortable and able to integrate socially and academically, this will reinforce his or her goals and commitments which will, in turn, strengthen his or her desire to stay and complete the programme. The main findings revealed that pre-entry characteristics namely family background, skills and abilities as well as prior schooling that the student possesses when coming to register played a vital role in making him or her persist and complete the programme. Inside the CLC, the support they received from the peers, as well as the educators, promoted resilience. Furthermore, the curiculum offered at the CLC, and the balance between the academic and social environment contributed to their decision to stay. The availability of resources, e.g. administrative resources, human resources, as well as learning materials, played an important role in motivating participation in adult education. Financial support was also mentioned as having an influence in increasing the rate of retention as most of the students were unemployed and sometimes absent from classes due to the shortage of taxi fares.The recommendation generated from the study is that the centre should be creative and introduce skills which will be incorporated into AET curiculum. It was also observed that adult learners are no different from other learners and should be financially supported in the same way as other students.
Participatory community learning for community empowerment : a case study in Maputaland.
(2017) Hlela, Augustine Zamokwakho Nhlanhla.; Rule, Peter Neville.
Studies of adult learning in Africa, where they exist, often draw uncritically on Western theoretical and methodological frameworks such as andragogy, experiential learning and transformative learning. These are informed by individualistic conceptions of learners and learning, shaped by industrial and post-industrial political economy, liberal democratic politics and consumerist culture. Such theories and frameworks are then imposed on African ‘territories’ of learning, much like a colonial template for carving up the continent, for and under Western eyes. This research project challenges the appropriateness of these theories and frameworks. Informed by the wisdom of the isiZulu saying, yakhela ngamaqubu enye (birds build their nests from other birds’ feathers), this PHD thesis by publication drew from existing theories and frameworks in defining adult learning in the continent. The research site, Ebunzimeni village (not the real name), is located in Maputaland, KwaZulu- Natal (KZN). The village is geographically at the margins at all levels: nationally, provincially as well as at traditional level and consequently it is ravaged by poverty, disease, unemployment, illiteracy and underdevelopment. The research project adopted Afrocentrism as a theoretical framework, which guided and informed the study. Afrocentrism argues that Africans have for a long time come to understand themselves through a borrowed lens. This approach is fine if Africans can at the same time use their own lens to look at themselves. Afrocentric research is a collective and collaborative humanising project; it is a contextually sensitive and culturally informed inquiry. An Afrocentric Participatory Research design was adopted, using participatory learning action and photo voice as data collection techniques. This process took place over a period of six months. The community-negotiated purpose of this project was to understand the kinds of community learning that take place in this community and to investigate whether, how and to what extent these learnings assist or influence authentic community empowerment and development. This was necessitated by years of conservation encroachment on their ancestral land. Most recently, their land was proclaimed as a community conservation area, resulting in forced removals and major implications for their livelihoods. Data collection and community-based data analysis came to be called triangulation through progressive expansion of photo discussions. The second level data analysis adopted an inductive approach, informed by categorisation and thematization. The study found learning to be complex, embedded in informal and non-formal learning places, such as participation in traditional cultural ceremonies, home activities and community projects. Learning is an embodied, embedded, co-emergent and spiritual process of meaning making. It is a process of becoming umuntu (human person), and identifying with shared ubuntu values means that one belongs to the community through the practice of these shared values. These values are upheld through participation in village life. Participation in the village is participation in the process of learning, which is often cyclical and therefore often repetitive in nature; it is a lifelong, life-wide and life-deep activity for the collective or individual. It is a continuous movement from socialisation (incidental learning), self-directed learning, and back to socialisation. It is characterised by a shift from unconscious to conscious learning, unintended to intended, lack of intentionality to intentionality. It is a continuous process of role interchange with implications for learning through participation. It is embedded in the social context and belief systems. It is place-based learning based on people’s full participation in the activities in the village. These learning processes, values and knowledge are under major threat from within and outside of the villages. There is a desperate need to recognise these threats and to consciously intervene in the protection and revival of these knowledge systems. This is a call to action to African scholars.
"Towards improved praxis" : a case study of the certificate in education (participatory development)
(2006) Hlela, Augustine Zamokwakho Nhlanhla.; John, Vaughn Mitchell.
This study set out to provide an understanding of the Certificate in Education programme, CE (PD), in terms of various stakeholder perspectives and its historical development. Through the use of case study method the study investigates the relationship between the first three semesters of the Certificate in Education (Participatory Development) CE (PD) offered largely on-campus at the University of KwaZulu-Natal with the final semester module of the programme offered as a service-learning off-campus called Development in Practice (DIP). The objective of DIP is to produce reflective learners in an authentic development context. Within the CE (PD) programme this is understood as praxis. The purpose of the study therefore is to investigate processes within the programme that facilitated or hindered the attainment of praxis. The case study method served this research goal well as it allowed for the social, ideological and historical reality of the CE (PD) to be viewed within a context of its development and the broader contexts of the university and South Africa. As such, this study looked at how one could ensure that theory, abstract knowledge and practice are combined for the purpose of improving community development practice. The study focussed on the aspect of praxis within the CE (PD) with the intention of contribution to the improvement of praxis in training for community development practitioners. Based on Freire's understanding of praxis, the situated cognition and transformative learning theories this study found that certain processes impacted positively or negatively to the CE (PD) programme in facilitating praxis. These processes were varied and included amongst others curriculum conceptualisation and planning, and the most important one being ideology and power related issues. The detailed description of the CE (PD) process would be useful to future curriculum development initiatives. This study argued that community development training is a contested area and cannot only focus skills training but must include consciousness raising located within an emancipatory tradition. Based on this argument an interactive programme development model located within praxis is offered as a contribution towards community development practitioner training in the South African context.