Browsing by Author "Sookrajh, Reshma."

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Access to schooling spaces for my child with Down Syndrome : an autoethnography.
(2014) Gramanie, Pushpagandhi.; Sookrajh, Reshma.
As part of the Indian diaspora whose ancestors were indentured labourers brought to South Africa to work in the sugar plantation (Mishra, 1996) with little scope for education, I repeatedly heard the expression ‘the only way to escape poverty is through education’ from my grandparents and parents. The access I had to schooling, and the opportunity to complete, provided me with a passport to tertiary education, a privilege only a few of my siblings had. The importance of education was instilled in me from my childhood and it was a natural expectation when I became a parent, to want access to good quality education for my own children. My pursuit of access to schools for my daughter with Down syndrome was an immense challenge with no guarantees in the South African context. I have undertaken this study to reflect on nearly fifteen years of formal and informal schooling for my daughter, Tiara. In an effort to purposefully engage the reader on the subject of schooling spaces and access to it, I considered autoethnography most suitable for the task. It offers me the scope of using personal experiences as principal data and the latitude to express those experiences in a mosaic format by intersecting and sometimes collapsing it with those of others. These ‘others’ consisting of four women, are part of a community of practice, and predominantly parents of children with Down syndrome who interact within my social space. This allowed a wider interpretation of my experiences in relation to others. Their cameos which emerged from semi structured interviews conducted at a time and place at their convenience are captured alongside mine as episodic nodal moments. In choosing autoethnography as the methodology, greater consideration was given to the issue of ethics to ensure confidentiality and respect of all informants. Three of the informants each have a child with Down syndrome. The fourth informant is an academic who is a prolific researcher in the field of Inclusive Education. Her input is from a dual perspective of having a sibling with disability and being a key role-player in the crafting of policies pertaining to inclusive education in South Africa. These reflective accounts were excavated predominantly through qualitative method of memory work. While memory-work is broadly recognized as a profoundly felt emotional experience, it is first and foremost a research tool (Cadman, Friend, Gammon, Ingleton, Koutroulis, McCormack, Mitchell, Onyx, O’Regan, Rocco & Small., 2001). Memory work entailed chronicling past events in as much detail as possible with occasional stimuli to trigger recall. A coalescing of all chronicles and cameo accounts pertaining to access to schooling spaces for children with Down syndrome is followed by thematic analysis. This is discussed in a mosaic format with all chronicles and cameos interwoven. A created multidimensional model of access, influenced by Nind and Seale (2010) helped unpack the enabling and disenabling aspects of experiences of accessing schooling spaces for children with Down syndrome. This is done to shed insight on the state of South African segregated schooling in public education, in both mainstream and special needs and the challenging experiences of access to inclusive schooling spaces for children with Down syndrome. The data suggests that despite enabling legislation, implementation of inclusive policies reflects gaps, primarily in lack of political will and sustained effort. Physical access into a school did not necessarily mean that Tiara had enabling access to and meaningful participation in the spectrum of schooling experiences: systemic, curricular, social, pedagogical, spaces and practices. Parental advocacy has historically contributed to the evolution from medical deficit model to social justice but the need for endurance to continue the fight for accessible inclusive spaces continues to be unyielding.
An analysis of the physical science results in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in the 2008 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinination.
(2009) Gareeb, Ramesh.; Sookrajh, Reshma.
This study examined the performance of the first cohort of learners writing Physical Science in the National Senior Certificate examinations. The critical question that the researcher addressed was: How can the results produced in Physical Science in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in the 2008 NSC examination be used to give an understanding of the academic performance of learners? Using the mixed method approach, two data cohorts, namely the results produced by learners in Physical Science and the interview data, were subjected to analysis through the lens of phenomenology and semiotics. Findings of the study reveal that the education system still carries with it the inequalities of the past, with quality Physical Science to a few learners who were fortunate enough to attend privileged schools, identified by their high quintile ranking (5), in the predominately urban areas. The results of learners in poor, predominately rural schools, ranked quintile 1 and quintile 2, reveal that the “cycle of mediocrity” (Khan, 1995, p.128) still prevails.
The Bhagavad Gita for values education in life orientation: perceptions and possibilities.
(2011) Maharajh, Lokesh Ramnath.; Sookrajh, Reshma.; Lutchman, Veena.
Abstract available in PDF.
Contesting spaces in curriculum policy change : exploring the dual-mode religious education for secondary schools in Malawi.
(2009) Salanjira, Macloud Frank.; Sookrajh, Reshma.
This thesis reports on a phenomenological study, exploring contesting spaces in the
Critical incidents in teachers' lives: understanding teacher be-ing.
(2014) Naicker, Rubandhree.; Sookrajh, Reshma.; Ramrathan, Prevanand.
Teachers’ lives are complex and dynamic. They find themselves in an era of new challenges and new demands. Recent literature reveals that teachers are experiencing insecurities, confusion and despair. In South Africa there has been a spate of curriculum reforms and a wave of policy changes. Added to this are the severe contextual restraints, such as large classes, lack of resources, poor school leadership, poor parental support, school violence and other social problems, such as HIV/AIDS and poverty. As teachers face these realities on a daily basis, they experience incidents that become turning points in their teaching lives and are deemed by them as ‘critical’. These are termed ‘critical incidents’. This study seeks to explore how teachers respond to these critical incidents and why they respond the way they do. The use of life history methodology allowed them to tell their stories but more than that it illuminateded how they were influenced by the contexts in which they live and work. The use of in depth interviews provided the opportunity to access their personal, professional, social and moral landscapes to reveal their lived experiences while they experienced the critical incidents. By delving deeper through the different layers of their lived realities and exploring how they interacted with and appraised the different events, their feelings and emotions were revealed. The social-psychological framework on emotions provided a frame to explore how teachers responded to the different influences, that is, the workplace influences, socio-cultural/policy influences and personal influences that came to bear on their teaching lives as they engaged with the socio-cultural milieu in which they were immersed. The study used narrative analysis, content analysis and discourse analysis to make meaning of the data. The use of multiple analysis approaches provided different lenses to interpret and understand the critical incidents. The complexities of teachers’ lives were revealed when critical incidents that were triggered by one influence provoked other influences impacting on teachers in multifarious ways. It revealed how teachers interacted with the different contexts, through their ego-identities that comprised their self-and social esteem, values, beliefs, meanings/ideas and life-goals (broader goals). The critical incidents were experienced as teachers appraised the different encounters, which resulted in either congruence or incongruence to their broader goals. An appraisal of goal incongruence led to negative emotions and an appraisal of goal congruence led to positive emotions. The thesis that emerged from the study was that critical incidents in teachers’ lives affected the teacher’s spirit. Teachers felt either inspirited or dispirited as the critical incident unfolded.
Curriculum intellectualization: an engagement with decision-makers.
(2015) Mahabeer, Pryah.; Ramrathan, Prevanand.; Sookrajh, Reshma.
Over two decades into democracy, stakeholders are still voicing disappointment with the quality of graduates and the advancing of the curriculum; both in education and teacher education that are strongly inter-linked. The curriculum and the developing of the curriculum, mainly at national level has often been criticised for being politically reactive, pokerfaced, incoherent and not relevant within higher education in South Africa. Those involved in developing the curriculum have often been accused of being ignorant of meeting the socio-economic needs of society, both locally and internationally. The demand for change has resulted in the introduction of various teacher education policies but in spite of the numerous transformations that have taken and which are taking place; much still remains the same. This interpretive study explores the identities, perspectives, experiences and imaginings of curriculum decision-makers from various constituencies engaged in the construction processes of the numerous teacher education curriculum frameworks, post the 1994 democratic dispensation. The study explores the identities, perspectives, experiences and imaginings of curriculum decision-makers as they engage and deliberate on the practice of curriculum development processes through the method of ‘currere’, as an approach of study that provides the curriculum decision-makers to inwardly reflect on their past experiences, the present and future possibilities (Pinar, 1975, 2004, 2012). It is by delving consciously into the first-hand lived experiences of the curriculum decision-makers that the over-arching purpose of this study is found: in the pursuance of a deep conceptualization of ‘who’ the decision-makers are; ‘what’ their reflections, experiences and perceptions being engaged in the curriculum development processes are; and ‘how’ these influences have come to drive the way they deliberate on curriculum matters that are reflected in the construction of the national teacher education curriculum frameworks. Primary data were derived from conducting phenomenological, in-depth interviews with seven curriculum decision-makers. The elicited data richly described the identities and the lived experiences of the curriculum decision-makers with the purpose of developing a profound understanding of the research objectives. Despite the move towards decentralization and a shift to an egalitarian, all-inclusive approach to curriculum decision-making and development processes, this study recognised that the curriculum process is very complicated and requires creating a co-operative community of practice of utmost professionalism through vigorous conversation and debate. The findings of this study suggest that decision-makers are caught at the intersection of countless webs of influence. These webs are described as: the web as a confluence of ideas and biographies that lies at the core and drives their thinking; the web of transformational agendas; the web of institutional allegiance; the web of agency; the web of dialogical engagement, and lastly, the visionary web. Thus, the way decision-makers conceptualize and intellectualize curriculum issues has the potential to transform the way curriculum decision-makers deliberate, reason and act. Evident through the discourses that unfolded, was the manner in which decision-makers intellectualize the curriculum; manifested as an ecological web of curriculum intellectualization that defined the kinds of thinking acknowledging curricula within the dialogical process.
Curriculum responses to community-based air pollution : an ethnographic study.
(2007) Naidoo, Parvathy.; Sookrajh, Reshma.
The study aimed at exploring curriculum responses to community-based air pollution. This was done through an analysis of educator and learner perceptions of community-based air pollution and an examination of how the curriculum (teaching and learning content) responds to local air pollution. The key forms of the study - (what are the perceptions of educators and learners to community-based air pollution and how do educators and learners respond to community-based air pollution within the formal curriculum). Ethnography as a qualitative methodology was adopted in the study. This methodological tool created spaces to understand curriculum responsiveness in the context of wider social and political power relations in the South Durban Basin. Ethnography suited the study since it was a unique example of educators and learners in real situations and lived experiences, and enabled a clearer understanding of the theory and praxis of curriculum. The primary research methodology used in order to gather data to answer the research questions was observation, participant observation and interviewing of educators and learners. This study was conducted with educators and learners in the Further Education and Training phase (Grade 10), within the Human and Social Sciences in the year 2006 . Curriculum responses to community-based air pollution in Geography and Life Orientation were investigated. Learners were traced from previous primary schools in the area and who were in Grade 10. It was found that all participants in the study were knowledgeable and well informed about air pollution through consistent exposure to local air pollution. Collectively, they presented a sense of enduring struggle against community-based air pollution. They have been part of the struggle for clean air for many years and reside in the South Durban Basin. Participants display perspicuity in respect of how air pollution infects and affects them . Attempts at including community-based air pollution into the curriculum have been sporadic and at times incidental from learners' point of view . On the other hand, educators' responses were very constructive and established . Furthermore with reference to curriculum response to the subjects Geography and Life Orientation, both educators and learners responses were similar in that they displayed sophisticated accounts of knowledge of community-based air pollution. There was a deep sense of understanding of content and related to lived experiences. It was also found that educators and learners choose to live optimistically amidst the air pollution at Valley Secondary. Issues of class, poverty and powerlessness emerge from the data - these govern the lives of educators and learners. Participants in the study provided several motivations for Environmental Education to be included as a separate subject for future curriculum initiatives by the Department of Education. The recommendations included a strong need for responsive teaching to community-based air pollution. Learners should also be guided on how they should handle air pollution incidents. Recommendations in respect of re-organising the existent Environmental Club at Valley Secondary School also emerged. There is a clear sense that schools in the area should mobilise against the cooperate giants. Recommendations were provided for Curriculum Planners , Policy, and Policy Makers at the level of the Department of Education for the inclusion of Environmental Education as a separate subject rather than a devolved input.
Describing the learning experiences of second language (isiZulu) learners at a selected English medium secondary school.
(2002) Rabbikissoon, Chandini.; Sookrajh, Reshma.
Abstract available in the PDF.
Educator response to across the curriculum teaching in the senior phase.
(2002) Naicker, Arunthuthi.; Sookrajh, Reshma.
Since 1994 and the democratic elections in South Africa, education has undergone change and renewal. One change for education was seen in the form of Curriculum 2005. This new curriculum sought to remove the imbalances that existed under apartheid education. It was seen as an education system that would benefit all citizens in South Africa. The new curriculum was cal led C2005 because it was hoped that the final date for its implementation in its totality would be in 2005. C2005 required Learning Area integration and the Outcomes Based Education (OBE) mode of teaching. These new changes, were in many instances, too soon for educators to accept immediately and implement successfully. It was therefore felt that the introduction of OBE would be fraught with problems in 1ts implementation. C2005 received the full backing of the government and the Education Department but the response from educators at grassroots level indicated some dissatisfaction. This then called for an investigation by the Government appointed Review Committee; headed by Linda Chisholm. Several recommendations were made by the Committee. lt is hoped that the changes in the Revised Curriculum would be accepted by the end of 2001 when a National Curriculum Statement is scheduled to be announced. This case study therefore investigated the integration aspect of C2005 and the response of educators to across the curriculum teaching. The structured interview technique was used to obtain educator response to across the curriculum teaching. This sought to provide an insight into difficulties educators were encountering and what they saw as viable solutions. The first finding that emerged from the study was that of inadequate training to implement across the curriculum teaching. The notion that content was not really important in OBE created a problem with acquiring suitable resource material. There were also concerns about assessment expressed by the educators. The recommendations in this study focused on the importance of well structured and relevant workshops and in-service training for educators. This would enable school based educators to have the confidence to implement change in the curriculum successfully. It is also recommended that suitable resources that focus on the content for each Learning Area is developed. This would assist with integration of content, concepts, attitudes and skills. It is also vital that assessments are made grade wise so that standards are maintained and educators become familiar with competencies that are required in each grade. Education is at the forefront of any nation. It is therefore incumbent on educators to ensure that the curriculum is optimally implemented. This can be accomplished if the Education Department has the relevant support structures and mechanisms in place
Emerging professional teacher identity of early childhood development / foundation phase pre-service teachers : an interplay of dispositions.
(2015) Chikoko, Rita.; Sookrajh, Reshma.
Professional teacher identity features prominently in current debates on teacher education and teacher development. Arguments for the construction of a professional teacher identity emphasize its importance in bringing about a commitment to teaching and the culture of teaching in teachers (Hammerness, Darling-Hammond & Bransford, 2005). Development of a positive professional teacher identity is therefore useful in making teachers commit to their work. To cultivate a commitment to teaching and a culture of teaching and learning, supporting pre-service teachers in developing a positive professional teacher identity can be an option. In this regard, those responsible for educating teachers should understand how pre-service teacher construct professional teacher identity in order to provide the necessary support for developing a positive professional teacher identity. This study explored the emerging professional teacher identity of Early Childhood Development/ Foundation phase pre-service teachers to understand how they construct this identity. Six pre-service teachers drawn from an ECD/FP teacher education programme from a selected university in South Africa participated in the study. The study explored the pre-service teachers’ personal and professional identities and examined how they connect in the process of constructing professional teacher identity. The study made use of the narrative case study research within the qualitative interpretive approach. Data for this study were in form of narratives which were obtained from poster narratives, semi-structured interviews, reflective writings and teaching practice journals. Narrative analysis was used as a method of analyzing the data for emerging personal identities and professional teacher identities. To understand how their professional teacher identities emerge, two theories from a socio-cultural perspective; Habitus (Bourdieu, 1977) and Community of Practice (Wenger, 1998) were used as analytic frameworks. Through habitus, influences from the person that impacted on the emerging identity were identified, while modes of belonging provided lenses to examine how person (habitus) interacted with the context in the process of identity construction. The findings indicate that the contexts and contents of the pre-service teachers’ lives shaped dispositions of love, care, compassion, service and knowledge which they transformed into professional teacher identity. These dispositions interplayed in the process of becoming teachers resulting in the emerging self. The findings confirm that the personal is a crucial element in the construction of professional teacher identity. These findings have implications for Teacher Education programmes in preparing quality teachers. The influences of personal identities on their professional identities should be examined to find the kind of support needed by pre-service teachers for the development of a positive professional teacher identity.
Empowering secondary school learners to explore risk perceptions and the role of gender among young people in the context of HIV/AIDS.
(2006) Mudaly, Ronicka.; Sookrajh, Reshma.
The challenge that confronts South Africa 's emerging democracy is that an increasing percentage of its population is being infected with HIV/AIDS daily . The socio-political impact of the disease has resulted in the development of a variety of macro-level interventions. Despite these initiatives, there has been no decline in the spread of the epidemic. The increasing prevalence of HIV infection among young South Africans in particular, has necessitated an exploration into their risky sexual behaviour. A closer study of the social fields of practice, where knowledge is not only produced, but is constantly contested, negotiated, reproduced and embedded, is suggested. This study uses the principles of feminist theory to focus on gender roles and the related issues of power and risky behaviour. The central argument of this work is that the traditional construction of sexuality, which encourages sexual aggression and promiscuity among young men, alongside female sexual passivity and ignorance, are gendered factors which fuel the spread of HIV/AIDS . In order to examine young peoples' perceptions of the role of gender and risky behaviour, I engaged young people, who were already in the field, to conduct the research. An exploration into the processes of enabling young people to conduct research, while linking the production of meaning to the possibility of human agency and transformative social action, formed an evolving methodology in this work. The research was designed to provide young people with a space for active engagement, participation, immersion and reflection, en route to becoming researchers. Young researchers who conducted research in their youth communities served as deep insider researchers, who possessed an awareness of the slogan systems and semiotics which operated within the cultural norms of the community. The young researchers conducted the inquiry by using a multiplicity of methods, which included visual methodologies, individual interviews and questionnaires. They solicited most of the data from a wider group of 15 to 19 year old African and Indian learners . These learners, who were mainly from a lower socio-economic background, attended the co-educational school, in the province ofKwaZulu Natal in South Africa. The findings of this study reveal how young researchers become empowered by acquiring increased competence in doing research and achieving a greater understanding of the influences of gender and power on risky behaviour. The research report offers methodological insights into the training and enablement of young people as researchers. It reveals how catalytic validity enables a transformation in the young researchers, who, having achieved a heightened understanding of the purpose of the research , actively participated in the research process. The study is significant because it reveals the gradual effacement of the main researcher from the research process, as a natural consequence of engaging young researchers to solicit, generate and interpret data. These new insights evolved as a result of taking the risk of allowing oneself, as a main researcher, to "get off track" and to enter uneven social spaces by doing research differently.
The enduring self : exploring the identity of the Hare Krishna devotees beyond race, language and culture.
(2006) Ramson, S. M.; Kumar, P. Pratap.; Sookrajh, Reshma.
In this study I indicate that the variety of psychological and social research perspectives that continue to interrogate the question "Who am I" has generated profuse and ambiguous definitions of identity, and that particular global trends are producing a corresponding flux in identity construction. In this thesis I argue that although such trends are emerging, for those with a spiritual proclivity there is an experience of the self as "enduring", an essence that may not be able to be immediately concretized by the individual, but a sense of continuity of self regardless of the external binaries of race, culture and language, that gives impetus for such individuals to enter into common dialogue as Hare Krishna devotees. The enquiry, which is located within the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Temple of Understanding, Durban, South Africa, as a context, examines the influence of institutional, physical and cultural dynamics, and self-reflexivity in identity formation of the Hare Krishna devotees. In relation to the "enduring" sense of self the following critical questions are asked in the study, viz. what is the institutional identity of ISKCON and how is it derived; what are the physical, religious, social and educational features of the context within which these identities are formed; how and why are the resident devotees of the who are variegated in term of race, culture and language, able to create their identities as devotees; what are the possible changes in the lifestyle and value-systems of these resident devotees since they first joined; and how do the devotees understand and experience notions of self and Truth? To place the devotee identity in perspective, a brief description of the historical background of ISKCON is undertaken, its position in relation to Hinduism, and various research issues about ISKCON and within ISKCON is discussed. Through the use of prevalent identity construction theories and perspectives, I review the academic trends challenging sets of value that are exclusionary, and trends of globalization, easternization, and multiculturalism and new religious movements, detraditionalization, and de-institutionalization with a view to understanding identity construction. To understand the ISKCON devotee identity, I examine its theological perspective that derives from its Gaudiya Vaisnava heritage, consisting of several scriptures that describe the nature and characteristics of the self. Arguing for the use of descriptive and interpretive validity through the lens of an ethnographic scientist, I position myself as a deep-insider, discussing the benefits and difficulties of this stance. In arguing for understanding as a major component of validity, I address the issues of what constitutes Truth in social science research and introduce a contemporary use ofphronesis as a methodological technique to extend the argument that expert evaluation based judgements, intuition and practical wisdom play a highly significant role in research, and should not be surpassed in favour of only analytical, scientific and technical knowledge. It is suggested that the institutional identity of ISKCON is a disseminated process occurring at many sites, framed by various activities, and manifest particularly in its organizational structures, and the physical context and cultural contexts. Using current theorizing about how Truth is generated in the academic arena, the spiritual Truths as understood by the devotees are juxtaposed, as well as intersections between Truth and the notions of identity are examined. Several insights emerge from the data that confirm the existence of a more internal, "enduring" sense of self, beyond external binaries of race, language and culture. For the devotees this sense of self emerges as a spiritual identity, a distinction being made between the conditioned self, i.e. that "self as socially constructed, or reflexively determined, on one hand, and the individual or possessor of the self, called atma, a premise that frames his identity as a "servant" of Krishna.
Examining curriculum change in English language teaching from O-level to the IGCSE curriculum in four selected high schools in Swaziland.
(2010) Mvubu, Esther Siphiwe.; Mbatha, Thabile Austaline.; Sookrajh, Reshma.
This study was undertaken to explore curriculum change from the General Certificate in Education (GCE) Ordinary Level (O-Level) to the International General Certificate in Secondary Education (lGCSE) with regard to English language teaching in four high schools in the Manzini region of Swaziland. The study investigated teachers' perceptions of the curriculum change and how they implemented it. The impact of the training teachers received in preparation for the introduction of the IGCSE English curriculum was also explored. An interpretive research paradigm using qualitative methodology was chosen for the study and was driven by the following critical research questions: 1. How do teachers experience curriculum change from GCE O-Level to IGCSE with regard to English language teaching? 2. How was this change implemented in the Form 4 English language classrooms? Qualitative methods comprising semi-structured interviews and non-participant classroom observations were used for collecting data. Data from interviews with teachers were analysed thematically through the use of the constant comparison method, while classroom observations data were qualitatively analysed by using themes that emerged from the observation schedule designed for the study. The data from classroom observations were triangulated with data from interviews with teachers to ensure validity of the study. The study used the body of literature that relates to second language acquisition (SLA) and learning, with specific reference to social constructivism, bilingualism, communicative language teaching and task-based language teaching approaches, literacy and the genre approach as the theoretical framework. The theoretical framework facilitated an understanding that knowledge or meaningful learning is constructed by the learners as they interact using the target language. The results revealed that the teachers used a constructivist approach towards teaching which comprised the communicative language teaching and task-based language teaching and learning approaches. The IGCSE curriculum emphasizes the use of these approaches. The findings also indicated that teachers were inadequately prepared for teaching the IGCSE English curriculum as some of the workshop facilitators were less informed than some of the participants; and that they were only given guidance for conducting assessment in the oral skill without training them how to teach it. Also, the language aspects such as grammar, writing and reading were left out when the curriculum was reviewed, as a result teachers reverted to using the structural approach when teaching grammar, as opposed to the constructivist approach. Findings showed that as much as the IGCSE English curriculum was said to be good, the reading skill was inefficiently taught. IGCSE does not give learners quality education since the tasks learners did were cognitively unchallenging. In view of the theoretical framework of the study, the IGCSE English curriculum produces skills-based, vocationally inclined learners who are not geared towards pursuing academic university education. Listening comprehension was found to be the most problematic language aspect since the learners could not understand the English native speakers' accent when they listened to passages from tapes and CD's during examinations. Using the genre approach to essay writing findings showed that teaching essay writing was not well grounded. The study recommended that the curriculum be reviewed and teachers be taught more effective approaches to teaching essay writing as well as reading comprehension. It was also recommended that the Ministry of Education should assist teachers with additional resources and multimedia for teaching listening skills including CDs and listening to talk shows and in teaching essay writing. The study further recommended that localisation of the curriculum to SIGCSE should be postponed until a suitable curriculum is identified and that further research be conducted which would include a larger study that would be a true representation of all high schools in the four regions of the country.
Experiences of teachers on teaching HIV and AIDS : a case study of selected schools in Lesotho.
(2014) Malibeng, Lydia Qenehelo.; Sookrajh, Reshma.
This case study constitutes three high schools in Lesotho that were selected by the Ministry of Education as pilot schools for Life Skills Education. The aim of the study was to identify factors contributing to teachers’ experiences in teaching HIV and AIDS. Research questions were: what are the experiences of teachers’ in teaching HIV and AIDS? and Why do teachers experience the teaching of HIV and AIDS in this way? A qualitative approach was used to gather in depth information about the experiences of teachers on teaching HIV and AIDS in the classroom. Data was done through lesson observations and interviews with four teachers who took part in the study. Themes that emerged from data were analysed using qualitative thematic approach. Themes: curriculum, sexual behaviour, teacher knowledge about HIV and AIDS, and communication. The results revealed a number of problems which teachers experience in teaching of Life Skills/HIV and AIDS. Among the problems teachers noted two main hindrances in teaching of Life Skills/HIV and AIDS emerged. The teachers indicated that they were not supplied with the syllabus and books. Teachers tried to improvise and looked for teaching resources for themselves. However, they reported that due to lack of time, efficient internet services, their efforts were not successful. In addition in the absence of the syllabus the teachers found it difficult to identify the relevant material. This seems to be compounded by the fact that schools were not prepared to fund such activities, such that the expenses for these activities were borne by the teachers. Embarrassment caused by sex terminology, condoms demonstrations, presented another problem as the teachers indicated that they felt uncomfortable to teach about HIV and AIDS in addition to which some of the students in the class were infected. Teachers also indicated that limited knowledge of the community about HIV and AIDS and claims by traditional healers that they can cure HIV and AIDS create misconceptions which are difficult to address in class. Therefore, the findings showed that teachers rarely teach about HIV and AIDS due to different problems they encounter on teaching Life Skills/HIV and AIDS. The study recommends that the Ministry of Education and training should implement and organize ongoing training for the teaching of Life Skills/HIV and AIDS, targeting all teachers in the schools. Training must equip teachers with the clear knowledge of HIV and AIDS. Trainers must be experienced specialists in the subject. Proper follow-up must be conducted in order to find out teachers’ understanding from the training.
An exploration of how grade one IsiZulu teachers teach reading.
(2010) Maphumulo, Thabisile C.; Sookrajh, Reshma.
This study aims to investigate how Grade One isiZulu teachers teach reading in the Foundation Phase of Schooling. History of teaching can be traced back as far as the 1800s up until the introduction of the Outcome Based Education (OBE) that came into being after the first South African democratic elections in 1994. Data for this study was collected from the three Grade One isiZulu teachers of my school. This was a qualitative study and data was collected through semi-structured interviews, observation and document analysis. Interviews were taped, transcribed and analysed, and data was categorized into themes. The study revealed that there were some social conditions that did hinder the progress of reading in the school. There was a lack of motivation from parents. It was found out from the study that, in spite of all the Department of Education’s attempts to provide teachers with handbooks with strategies on how to tackle reading lessons, some teachers still have problems in putting these into practice. It also became clear that reading involves role players which are learners, teachers, parents and the community as well as the Department of Education. The study has also revealed that the best way to teach reading is through a variety of methods. It is recommended that Grade One classes should not consist of more than fifty learners. Policies implemented by both the Department of Education and various schools should be reinforced.
An exploration of teacher beliefs and practices within a context of effective pedagogy in grade r/reception year classes in the greater Durban area of KwaZulu-Natal.
(2011) Essack, Ayesha B. O.; Sookrajh, Reshma.
This research presents an understanding of Grade R teachers' beliefs and practices, and elucidates factors that constrain the belief practice domain. In asking the question, "What are the beliefs and practices of Grade R teachers within a context of effective pedagogy in Grade R/Reception Year classes in the greater Durban area of KwaZulu-Natal?" I produced data from Grade R teachers' perspectives. I reported on their beliefs on pedagogy, and the nuances of their practice, in order to develop an understanding of the different dimensions of pedagogy in Grade R. Using a qualitative, exploratory case study design I produced data on three Grade R teachers from different ethnic backgrounds, in three public schools, in the greater Durban area. The schools chosen varied from low, to middle class socio-economic background, catering for learners from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. A multi-method approach of data-collection was followed. This study used the social constructivist theory of Vygotsky, as a theoretical lens through which teacher beliefs and practices were examined. Drawing largely on data from observations and interviews, the findings of this study concluded that although teachers were observed to generally follow their pedagogic beliefs, several points of difference between their beliefs and practices existed. This study found that the belief practice domain was affected by a number of contingent factors such as teachers' understanding of the curriculum, teacher training and qualifications, and support from the Education Department, school and parents. In addition, contextual factors such as working conditions, learner-teacher ratios, provision of resources and facilities also affected teacher practice. There was evidence of a high value placed upon learning through play. However, the findings of this study illuminate the need for training Grade R teachers in: creating the conditions for learning through play, the use of collaborative play approaches, and guidance on scaffolding children's learning. This study concludes that the absence of an educational programme geared towards multiculturalism and diversity is of great concern.
An exploration of teacher engagement with HIV/AIDS education : a case study.
(2004) Pillay, Rajashpree.; Sookrajh, Reshma.
The purpose of this study was to determine teacher engagement with HIV/AIDS education in primary school. Since the emergence and acknowledgement of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa, the national education department's policy has advanced HIV/AIDS education as a priority. The new curriculum has opened up opportunities for HIV/AIDS education to be inserted in the curriculum especially in the learning area Life Orientation in the primary school, which previously did not exist. There is a paucity of research documenting teachers' experiences on the implementation of the HIV/AIDS curriculum. The manner in which teachers engage with the HIV/AIDS curriculum is not known. This study focused on 9 teachers in the intermediate and senior phases in a particular primary school in KwaZulu Natal who have had experience in the implementation of the HIV/AIDS curriculum over the past four years in their school. A survey questionnaire was administered to all educators in the study. The three intermediate educators participated in face-to-face interviews as well as a focus group discussion. An interview was conducted with the member of the management team who was part of the sample. The results from the survey, interviews and focus group discussion suggest that teachers were strongly implementing the HIV/AIDS curriculum in their classrooms while experiencing some practical challenges. This study also suggests that the educators found the Department Of Education's implementation plan suppressive. All three intermediate phase teachers used creative methods to assist in the implementation of the curriculum. The respondents claimed that the workshops and meetings that they had attended were invaluable to them. They however preferred seeing the community more closely involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS, as this was not an issue confined to the school exclusively. Teachers would also liked to have had HIV/AIDS education implemented across the curriculum, as the task to empower learners in this regard was a mammoth one. The unique and challenging experiences of teachers implementing the HIV/AIDS curriculum must be documented before any theoretical positions can be articulated about the implementation of HIV/AIDS education in primary schools in South Africa. This study has contributed to research on the implementation of HIV/AIDS education in primary school by providing some insight into a group of educators' experiences.
An exploration of teachers' experiences in teaching standard four mathematics and science curriculum in second language : a case study in three selected Lesotho primary schools in rural areas.
(2011) Thuzini, Mamzwandile Alinah.; Sookrajh, Reshma.
This study sought to explore teachers' experiences in teaching Mathematics and Science through second language in Standard 4 at rural primary schools in Lesotho. In addressing this purpose, a qualitative case study method of data production was used. The participants were four Standard 4 Mathematics and Science teachers from three selected schools. Qualitative data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews and lesson observations in the classroom. These were analyzed using a qualitative thematic approach. The study is informed by Vygotsky‟s social constructivist theory and Shulman‟s pedagogical content knowledge theory. The findings revealed that teachers experienced several challenges in teaching Mathematics and Science through second language in a transitional class. The greatest challenge that the participants experienced was the language that is used for instruction in Standard 4. According to the Educational Policy of the Government of Lesotho, English has been approved as the medium of instruction (MOI) from Standard 4 upwards. In Standards 1-3 pupils are taught in their mother tongue (Sesotho); thereafter the MOI changes to English. The participants reported that the shift from Sesotho to English posed a serious problem in the teaching and learning of Mathematics and Science in Standard 4. They further claimed that most pupils in Standard 4 do not proceed to the next class, since these two subjects are core subjects and the MOI makes passing them problematic. Teachers regularly employed code-switching as a strategy to make meaning for their pupils in their classrooms. It is recommended that the Government of Lesotho should consider changing the medium of instruction to English from Standard 1. It is also recommended that the inspectorate service should be decentralised and that one teacher at primary level should not teach all the subjects but teach according to specialisation. There should also be more regular in-service training of Mathematics and Science teachers.
An exploration of the reading choices of grade 4 learners in a public primary school in KwaZulu-Natal.
(2009) Govender, Kistensamy.; Sookrajh, Reshma.
The advent of technology, especially the electronic media, heralded a new era of communication. Together with this boom came a host of reading challenges that has affected the learner and learner performance in the classroom. In the PIRLS report (2006) an emergence of a “non-reading” culture was noted as a result of poor performance by learners in South Africa. This research aims to explore the reading choices of grade 4 learners and why they choose to read what they read. The research was conducted at a public primary school in the Chatsworth region in KwaZulu Natal. This research used the qualitative case study approach which is set within the interpretivist paradigm. The main source of data generation was the semi-structured interviews of five learners and their respective parents. In addition to this method, two structured observations were conducted: observations of the reading- for- pleasure lessons and the LRE lessons. To conclude the data collection, a case scenario, where the learners created their own reading room, was used. This multi-pronged approach was adopted to fill in the information gaps and omissions that arose from the interviews. The analysis of the data indicates the following: girls read more frequently than boys, newspapers form the bulk of the reading at home, billboards are an interesting addition to their reading list, girls are intrinsically motivated. Findings show that the electronic media require higher levels of literacy skills to access the highly- textual society of the workplace. It becomes imperative that reading be motivated, taught and encouraged. The definition of literacy by the school and the home should be revisited and reviewed so that learners are not disadvantaged. Furthermore, the teachers and the librarians will thus have a greater degree of flexibility in selecting reading materials for the classroom and the library respectively. It becomes vitally important that we heed the warning of Alvermann (2001, p. 680) who argues that “the possibility that as a culture we are making struggling readers out of some adolescents who for any number of reasons have turned their backs on a version of literacy called school literacy is a sobering thought”
Exploring curriculum experiences of haircare and cosmetology students at Cato Manor Technical College.
(2001) Harriram, Manee Devi.; Sookrajh, Reshma.
There has always been a division between technical educators and technical students and the "so called" academic educators and academic students. In the apartheid days those who pursued a technical college education were shunned as those who could not cope with the rigors of academia. Technical college education was perceived as less desirable and for slow learners. Fundamental social changes have placed new demands on the Further Education and Training sector ( FET). It has become imperative to move away from the traditional divides between academic and applied learning, theory and practice and knowledge and skills. Through the National Curriculum Framework, South African Education has been given a historic opportunity to strategically shape and transform the current disparate education and training system into an integrated system that addresses the needs of the learners, the economy and the community. The new FET policy structure within which Technical Colleges operate will stimulate and empower learners to acquire knowledge and skills for employability and relevant values to respond to challenges confidently. The new curriculum moves towards a flexible access to further education, lifelong learning, higher education and facilitates the transition from school to work while ensuring that education and training is a quality provision aimed at equipping learners with competencies to find jobs. This study explored the curriculum experiences of haircare and cosmetology students at the Cato Manor Technical college. The study focused on the following critical question:- How do haircare and cosmetology students at Cato Manor Technical College, experience the theoretical and practical component of the curriculum? A case study technique was employed to explore the curriculum experiences of the haircare and cosmetology students at the Cato Manor Technical College. Data was collected by administering questionnaires to all second year and second semester students enrolled at the college during 2001. The findings of the study revealed both positive and negative aspects of student experiences of the curriculum. In the study the student profile revealed that the students enrolled at the college were matriculants and there was a wastage of time and duplication of efforts as the program was a Further Education and Training and not a Higher Education programme. The study of the curriculum issues showed that the students thoroughly enjoyed the programmes and were competent. They indicated, a preference for the practical component of the curriculum, and that the theory component should remain unaltered as it was necessary to have a knowledge of the theory to be applied in the practical component. Also evident was the personal experiences of the students that revealed excellent racial relationship and collegiality that existed amongst staff, students and management. The study revealed job opportunities and self-employment as some of the reasons for pursuing the programme. The negative aspects were the lack of counseling and student support services at the college and duplication and a wastage of time. Also evident was the lack of adequate resources that was impacting negatively on their work. The study concludes with recommendations some of which were:- The College in collaboration with the Department of Education must invest in career guidance and counseling, and student support services. The Haircare and Cosmetology department must devise and implement new strategies to assess the practical component of the programme. The college must invest in provision and up-grading of resources. Provide marketing strategies so that the student population will represent all race groups and not only Indian and African students. Despite the negative contributing factors, this department can maintain its growth pattern by addressing its weaknesses and maintaining its strengths and opportunities that exist.