Browsing by Author "Hoosen, Lynette Denyse."

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The dynamics of child vulnerability in a selected South African primary school: focus on leadership and management.
(2021) Hoosen, Lynette Denyse.; Chikoko, Vitallis.
Educators and school managers provide key insights on child vulnerability which are derived from their experiences in the school setting. A more robust understanding of the phenomenon of child vulnerability is necessary to direct school-based intervention and to achieve quality education. Bronfenbrenner’s Bio-ecological Systems’ Theory (1979), Abraham Maslow’s Theory of Human Motivation which outlines The Hierarchy of Human Needs (Maslow, 1943), and the Transformational Leadership Model (Burns, 1978) provided a lens to understand the nature and extent of child vulnerability, how it manifested in the school, why it is understood and experienced in the way that it is and what can be learnt from this. The study employed a qualitative, interpretive approach, adopting a single case-study in its methodology. Ethical principles were observed throughout the data-generation process. Trustworthiness of findings was ensured since data was generated through semi-structured, individual face-to-face interviews and two focus-group discussions. Seventeen participants comprising Level one educators, School Based Support Team and School Management Team members were included. Research was conducted in one public primary school in KwaZulu- Natal. Data was analysed and arranged thematically. Insights gained from this study reflect the complexity of the phenomenon of child vulnerability. The South African education system is undergirded by a strong legislative framework, yet fraught with systemic challenges reflecting deficiencies at multiple levels and a lack of collaboration between schools and communities. The quality of education remains poor despite improved access. Challenges that emerged were primarily attributed by educators to unfavourable circumstances within the home. Overwhelmed educators expressed frustration at the lack of support and the circumstances they face. School-based contributors to vulnerability are often overlooked yet are significant. A transformational leadership approach to achieve quality education is required to improve educator role perception and facilitate capacitation of educators to address vulnerability in the school context. Universal staff capacitation for screening, identification, assessment and support of vulnerable learners is necessary to achieve inclusive education. Close school community collaboration to confront harrowing realities inflicted by poverty and deprivation facing children is needed. Finally, this study suggested that school-community collaboration at multiple levels is imperative to address child vulnerability for any intervention to be effective, transformative and sustainable.
The role of teachers in managing vulnerable children in school : evidence from one school.
(2015) Hoosen, Lynette Denyse.; Chikoko, Vitallis.
This study sought to investigate the role of teachers in managing vulnerable children in school. The dawn of democracy in 1994 in South Africa meant that schools became multi- cultural and political, social and economic factors affected schools became. My experiences as a teacher for thirty- three years, together with observations made of challenges experienced by teachers in managing children with physical, emotional, psycho- social problems as well as forms of child- abuse and neglect inspired me to undertake this study. A further challenge for teachers were big class- sizes, lack of resources, lack of parental involvement and discipline in schools. In their quest to provide quality teaching and learning as stipulated by the South African School’s Act and Education White Paper 6, together with stipulations in the National Education Policy Act (76 of 1996) the role of teachers became more complex. It appears that in schools often the management team is “held responsible” for maintaining discipline and attending to children who present challenges as a result of various forms of vulnerability. It also emerged that Institution Level Support Teams were not as effective as they ought to be. In addition, managing vulnerable children was seen to be the role of the Life- Orientation teacher, in the absence of guidance counsellors, rather than the joint task of all teachers and stake- holders; this is the gap this study sought to make a contribution to. In this study, the experiences of teachers and the role of teachers in managing vulnerable children were explored. A Qualitative approach was adopted and the study was located in the interpretive paradigm. Individual and focus- group interviews were conducted. Findings suggest that teachers need to engage all stake-holders in a collegial way to assist in managing vulnerable children. Department of Education Guidelines in terms of screening, identification, assessment and support must be adhered to. Catering for needs of vulnerable children will improve quality of teaching and learning.