Elza Venter

THE NOTION OF UBUNTU AND COMMUNALISM IN AFRICAN EDUCATIONAL DISCOURSE

The notion of ubuntu and communalism is of great importance in anAfrican educational discourse, as well as inAfrican Philosophy of Education and in Africanphilosophical discourse. Ubuntu is aphilosophy that promotes the common good ofsociety and includes humanness as an essentialelement of human growth.In African culture the community always comesfirst. The individual is born out of and intothe community, therefore will always be part ofthe community. Interdependence, communalism, sensitivity towards others and caring for others are all aspects of ubuntu as a philosophy of life (Le Roux, 2000, p. 43). The community and belonging to acommunity is part of the essence of traditionalAfrican life. Philosophy of life and Philosophyof Education, thus, go together, because aphilosophy of life helps to identify the goalsand purposes that a particular society holdsdear.Humanness is very important in Africanphilosophy in the sense of seeing human needs,interests and dignity as fundamental to humanexistence and therefore it will also beimportant in African Philosophy of Education(Letseka, 2000, p. 182). According to Letseka(2000, p. 186) nobody is born with botho orubuntu– these are communally acceptedand desirable ethical standards that a personacquires throughout his/her life and thereforeeducation also plays a very important role intransferring the African philosophy of life.

The effect of a latchkey situation on a child's educational success

Self care is one of the options for parents in need of after school care for their children. In certain studies self care is seen as detrimental to development and academic performance, but in other studies children do fairly well notwithstanding their latchkey situation — self care could teach young people a sense of personal responsibility and self reliance. In this article we emphasise the negative influence of self care, especially for primary school children. The after-school hours alone at home can be very risky for children living in low income, dangerous, or disadvantaged environments. Children being left alone for more than three hours often present with low self esteem, low academic efficacy and high levels of depression. They are often not well adjusted and sometimes present with behavioural problems. Educators have expressed concern about the academic adjustment and achievement of self-care children. In this study we looked at the influence of a latchkey situation on children’s relationships with parents and educators in connection with educational success. A qualitative research design was used with three cases of latchkey children, where parents, children, and their educators were interviewed.

Bridging the communication gap between Generation Y and the Baby Boomer generation

Abstract Interpersonal communication has changed since the inception of the internet. Face-to-face communication moved to computer-mediated communication (CMC). CMC users are mostly younger people such as Generation Y. They are comfortable with using digital interactive technologies for communication. The Baby Boomer generation, on the other hand, values face-to-face communication. The different ways of communication causes conflict between these two generations. The research question is: ‘How can the generational communication gap between the Baby Boomer generation and Generation Y be closed in order to allow them to have meaningful interpersonal communication?’ The research was done through a literature review within the cues-filtered-out approach, using the social presence theory. The conclusion is that the meaning of messages is often compromised in CMC because of the lack of nonverbal cues and social presence, however rather than not communicating, people should communicate via digital media to meet some of their relational needs.

Group therapy for early adolescent relationship problems between girls

ABSTRACT Adolescence is a process rather than a specific period in an individual’s life. The focus in this study, however, was on early adolescence (11–14 years of age) and not on adolescence as a whole process. This study focused in particular on early adolescent girls, their psychosocial development and possible relationship problems. Early adolescent girls often display imbalances due to hormonal changes that in turn cause emotional reactions in especially relationships within the peer group. The researchers used semi-structured interviews in a qualitative study to deduce what kind of relationship problems seven early adolescents experienced within their peer group and how they handled the problems. Group therapy was used as therapeutic intervention, because it is often successful for interpersonal and intrapersonal psychological problems. The findings of the empirical study concurred with the above notion, as well as with findings from the literature review.

Evidence-Based Assessment - The Answer to Challenges of Assessment in Educational Psychology Practice in Diverse Societies?

Abstract In this paper the researchers concentrated on the possible application of Evidence Based Assessment as part of Evidence Based Practice within educational psychology practice in a diverse society such as South Africa. Evidence Based Practice is a means of ensuring a scientific foundation for professional practice. Reliable, valid, culturally sensitive assessment instruments and therapeutic interventions are important in EBP. A qualitative research approach was used with semi-structured interviews as method to deduce what challenges South African educational psychologists experience specifically with assessment. There were eight conversational partners purposefully selected for diversity in culture, language and era of training. The interviews were transcribed and themes were identified using Colaizzi’s steps. Most of the research participants (conversational partners) experienced challenges in assessing their clients. Recommendations are made for the training of novice and veteran educational psychologists, to instill the philosophy of EBP with EBA in the South African educational psychology fraternity.

Philosophy for Children in a Democratic Classroom

Abstract In this paperthe researchers examine the educational possibilities that Philosophy for Children can offer to the development of children’s thinking and social skills in a democratic classroom. In the first part the researchers provide commentary on Mathew Lipmann’s three modes of thinking namely: critical, creative and caring thinking. The second part of the paper focuses on his pedagogy which he calls a Community of Inquiry and how it is seen as a democracy in action. In conclusion the researchers state that Philosophy for Children can transform people and how they can relate to the world. “There is no such a thing as a neutral educational process. Education either functions as an instrument which is used to facilitate the integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity to it, or it becomes “practice of freedom”, the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world.” (Paulo Freire)

Bullying: A Whole School Approach

Abstract Bullying is a serious problem in South African schools. The present study proposes a whole school approach where parents, teachers and educational psychologists are involved in creating a healthy positive environment for child development. This research was a phenomenological, descriptive, qualitative study. It started with a literature review of the most important aspects of the study. The empirical study consisted of an open question about how the different participants in the study, namely teachers, parents and an edu cational psychologist, deal with the issue of bullying in schools to see whether a whole school approach was appropriate to deal with the problem. The participants were purposively selected from three schools. Interviews were conducted with one open ended question using an interview schedule with probes. The responses were transcribed and categories and sub themes were identified through open coding. The research findings indicate that teachers and parents needed more information and training in dealing with bullying. Workshops, training and guidance from educational psychologists could be options. Educational psychologists could contribute to school policy and the code of conduct of the school. It is suggested that stakeholders in the school context should work together in curbing the problem of bullying. By supporting each other stakeholders could make a difference in the lives of bullies and victims of bullying, not just in the present, but also in their lives as adults.

Teaching social skills in the language classroom

Bullying has become a major problem in schools worldwide. It might escalate to serious forms of anti-social behaviour, therefore the teaching of social skills are important in the school as a whole. The language classroom is the ideal place to teach social and communication skills. In the whole language approach, combined with content-based teaching, the teacher can choose a theme, like ‘bullying’ and include specific language skills in the lesson. The class could for instance discuss the theme, debate the contentious issue, write a dialogue about the theme and dramatise it. By engaging with an issue in this way, learners not only learn social and communication skills, but also various language skills. Learners learn best when they are engaged in their own learning; when the learning material is part of their life world and they are interested in the topic. Keywords: Bullying, social skills, communication skills, whole language approach, integrated language teaching, theme-based approach

Lay Perceptions of Psychotherapists in South Africa

The study investigated South African layperson perceptions of psychotherapists. Participants were 10 males and 25 females (Whites = 23, Blacks = 10, Coloreds = 2; age range 20 to 59). Semi structured interviews were used to study expectations, attitudes and stereotypical beliefs and behavior towards psychotherapists. Laypersons perceived psychotherapists negatively, and would personally not want any assistance from psychotherapists.