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Reflections on Multicultural Educational Developments and Research in South Africa

Reflections on Multicultural Educational Developments and Research in South Africa CHAING MAI UNIVERSITY, THAILAND Gregg Alexander Department Psychology of Education, Faculty of Education, University of the Free State, South Africa alexanderg@ufs.ac.za. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND.

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Reflections on Multicultural Educational Developments and Research in South Africa

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  1. Reflections on Multicultural Educational Developments and Research in South Africa CHAING MAI UNIVERSITY, THAILAND Gregg Alexander Department Psychology of Education, Faculty of Education, University of the Free State, South Africa alexanderg@ufs.ac.za

  2. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND • . The official and formal segregation of schools along racial and ethnic lines started in 1948 when the Nationalist Party came to power. The racial, ethnic and geographical separations in the education system led to the birth of 17 separate education departments until before 1994. In this regard, Mda (2000:44) states that these divisions is education were supported and sustained by apartheid laws like the 1950 Group Areas Act, the 1953 Bantu Education Act, the 1954 Native Resettlement Act, the Reservation of Separate Amenities Act, the Population Registration Act, the Homeland Act, and so forth. He further postulates that, before 1994 education departments were set up strictly according to race and culture: • The Department of Education and Culture: House of Assembly for whites. • The Department of Education and Culture: House of Delegates for Indians • The Department of Education and Culture: House of Representatives for coloureds and the Department of Education and Training for African, and in addition the various education departments under homeland governments.

  3. Ruling party’s objectives Southern African Development Co-ordination Conference (SADCC) Objectives • ANC is a national liberation movement. It was formed in 1912 to unite the African people and spearhead the struggle for fundamental political, social and economic change. • The ANC's key objective is the creation of a united, non-racial, non-sexist and democratic society. • This means the liberation of Africans in particular and black people in general from political and economic bondage. • It means uplifting the quality of life of all South Africans, especially the poor. • the achievement of development and economic growth and the alleviation of poverty to enhance the standard and quality of life of the people of Southern Africa; Ø the evolution of common political values, systems and institutions; Ø the strengthening and consolidating of the historical, social and cultural affinities amongst the people of the region; and Ø the achievement of collective self-reliance with a high degree of harmonisation and rationalisation between member states.

  4. The majority of South Africa’s 350 000 educators and almost 12 million learners are concentrated in provinces (Eastern Cape, Kwazulu-Natal and Limpopo) that are predominantly rural and which include former ‘homelands’ (Chisholm, 2004). The sample province (Northern Cape) for this study, is characterized as a rural province with 96 primary schools and 45 high schools. Between 1994 and 1999, the democratic government of South Africa introduced a range of initiatives to improve access, equity and quality. The integration of schools can be viewed within the context of the latter said

  5. TOWARDS RACIALY INTEGRATED SCHOOL SETTINGS

  6. EXISTING REALITIES IN SA SCHOOLING

  7. SCHOOLS IN RURAL AREAS

  8. IMPERATIVES DRIVING INTEGRATED SCHOOL SETTINGS Constitution, National Education Policy Act South African School’s Act Aspects not considered Redress, Access, equity , quality Facilitation process by education authorities Optimal resource utilization Management of cultural Diverse school settings Desegregated schooling Challenges Deracilization of schools

  9. CONCEPT CLARIFICATION • INTEGRATION: According to Khosa (2000: 2), after the 1994 South African elections, all schools were open to all children. This led to a process of black flight from black township schools to those within white, Coloured & Indian residential areas . This flight was, however only unidirectional. The influx of black learners to previously exclusively white schools led to the emergence of diverse races, cultures and religions in schools – a phenomenon for which educators had not been trained or prepared.

  10. Soudien (2001) records the availability of very little research work done in post- apartheid South Africa on how learners are coping within their new settings, and in particular how they are dealing with integration at former white schools. There seems to be a limited understanding of the complex relationship between school and identity and that this complexity applies both to the apartheid and post-apartheid period. In other words, Soudien’s (2001) position on this situation states: In the apartheid era, young people emerged from schools clearly marked by the experience of racial separateness. They were the whites, the Coloureds, the Africans and the Indians that the system wished them to be, but they were also more than that. The official ideology of the post-apartheid government is to promote non-racialism and a new inclusive, integrated South Africanism. The identity construction tensions in the new system, however, have not disappeared.

  11. MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION- CONCEPT CLARIFICATION National Association for Multicultural Education (Oakland, California) defines multicultural education: • Philosophical concept built on the ideals of freedom, justice, equality, equity, and human dignity as acknowledged in various documents, such as the U.S. Declaration of Independence, Constitutions of South Africa and the United States, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations.  • Affirms the need to preparestudents(Public schools/Higher Education) for their responsibilities in an interdependent world. • Recognizes the role schools can play in developing the attitudes and values necessary for a democratic society.   • Values cultural differences and affirms the pluralism that students, their communities, and teachers reflect.  • Challenges all forms of discrimination in schools and society through the promotion of democratic principles . 

  12. MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION- CONCEPT CLARIFICATION • Permeates all aspects of school practices, policies and organization as a means to ensure the highest levels of scholastic achievement for all students.  • Develop a positive self-concept by providing knowledge about the histories, cultures, and contributions of diverse groups.  •   Prepares students to work actively toward structural equality in organizations and institutions by providing the knowledge, values, skills & attitudes for the redistribution of power and income among diverse groups. • Therefor, the school curriculum must directly address issues of racism, sexism, classism, linguicism, ageism, heterosexism, religious intolerance, and xenophobia. • Students and their life histories and experiences should be placed at the center of the teaching and learning process and that pedagogy should occur in a context that is familiar to students and that addresses multiple ways of thinking. • Teachers and students to critically analyze oppression and power relations in their communities, society and the world.

  13. ME therefor demands a school/HE staff that is culturally competent, and to the greatest extent possible racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse.  • Staff must be multiculturally literate and capable of including and embracing families and communities to create an environment that is supportive of multiple perspectives, experiences, and democracy.  • M E requires comprehensive school reform • ME attempts to offer all students an equitable educational opportunity, while at the same time, encouraging students to critique society in the interest of social justice

  14. Caution !!!! MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION Initial purpose ?? It was only in the 1970s and the 1980s that scholars of multicultural education such as James Banks, Carl Grant, Christine Sleeter, Geneva Gay and Sonia Nieto began not only to address a system that was ill-equipped and plagued with unequal treatment of oppressed groups, but also to transform the system in order to provide equal opportunities for all learners. • North (2008:182) & Schulz (2007 29) caution us against interpretations to multicultural education and state that it should not be seen as a process focused on desegregating schools for the sake of having mix cultures or viewed as synonymous with integrated education nor should in be perceived as a set of optional extras that are embedded on the school programme and in curricula. Issues of school integration is closely linked to social justice education (North 2008: 182; Schulz 2007: 29).

  15. RESEARCH QUESTIONS • What are the main issues and challenges pertaining to multicultural education in Northern Cape schools? • How do educators and learners engage in learning opportunities in bringing about meaning to their everyday life- and world experiences- (engaging/constructing quality education and equal opportunities for all learners) ? • What can be done to assist the staff, learners and wider school community in dealing with issues relating multicultural learning environments?

  16. PURPOSE OF STUDY • Investigate pertinent issues and challenges relating to multicultural education in Northern Cape schools • Ascertain how educators and learners engage in learning opportunities in bringing about meaning to their everyday life- and world experiences- (engaging/constructing quality education and equal opportunities for all learners) • Assist staff complement, learners and school community in understanding and executing their roles & responsibilities in multicultural learning environments

  17. RESEARCH PROFILE • Northern Cape schools - diverse composite settings (amalgamated/integrated/ ex- model C/ • National Institution of Higher Education(NC) • Mix research methods • Afro-centric research paradigm with relevant, underlying theoretical models • STUDY 1: 10 AMALGAMATED SCHOOLS, REPRESENTATIVE OF THE 4 DISTRICTS OF THE NCED / A SAMPLE OF 260 RESPONDENTS DRAWN FROM A POPULATION OF 320 EDUCATORS • STUDY 2: 10 EX-MODEL C SCHOOLS WITH DIVERSE RACE POPULATIONS-REPRESENTED OF THE 4 DISTRICTS OF THE NCED/ A SAMPLE OF 22O RESPONDENTS DRAWN FROM A POPULATION 0F 29O EDUCATORS • Ongoing smaller projects + involvement – Dikgathlong , Rietvale & Warrenvale high schools- best paper award (Michael in Dublin)

  18. POSSIBLE RESEARCH OUTCOMES • Make substantial contribution to ME in geopraphical area+ action in practice. • Aid the evaluation of the extent in which ME has been a success in area-provide ways+ means to improve multicultural practices within schools • Clear research activities to be aligned to main objectives of study

  19. *Learning + knowledge construction process (social constructivism) assisting role players in understanding learning as cultural + social practice. The issues pertaining to knowledge construction MY CONCEPTUAL THINKING APPROACH * An empowering school culture + social structure Examining group +labelling practices/sport participation/ staff+ learner interaction across ethic + racial lines Enhancement of Equity/critical pedagogies/Content integration matching teaching styles to students learning styles-facilitate educative quality from diverse racial, cultural +social practices Critical Pedagogy: negotiating transformed relations between teaching, production of knowledge, structure of school and the social + material relationship between wider community & state as it relates to issues of diversity, equality , human rights & social justice Content integration: Using examples + content from variety of cultures to illustrate key concepts, principles, generalizations + theories in subject area + modules • Anti-racist teaching approaches, stereotyping + prejudice reduction Social contact theory –producing reciprocal knowledge +understanding between groups / sharing of equal status/ intergroup co-operation to a common goal/ institutional support- an authority + social climate encourages intergroup contact.

  20. AIMS OF STUDY • To suggest a framework for enhancing school integration in historically white schools (PHASE ONE)

  21. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY • Selection of respondents With regard to the sample size of the population of this research, the researchers identified a total sample of n = 260 white educators from 10 former high schools, representative of the 4 educational districts (Francis Baardt, Siyanda, PixleyKéSeme and Namaqua) of the Northern Cape province. A total of 100 learners selected from these 10 former white schools were interviewed as to siege an understanding of their experience in integrated school settings. • The research instruments  • A structured questionnaire was employed to investigate the perceptions of educators in former white schools with regard to integration. A total of 241 educators (128 male and 113 females) completed and returned the questionnaires, thus ensuring a 92.3% response rate. In this case, a very high degree of validity was ensured. In this questionnaire, Section A dealt with the biographical information of the educators, whilst a 4-point Likert scale dealt with Section B (perceptions of educators regarding integration). Educators were asked to indicate the preference for each item dealing with a specific issue/aspect related to integration as: 1- strongly agree (SA); 2- agree (A); 3- disagree and 4- strongly disagree (SD).

  22. DESTRIBUTION OF TEACHERS ACCORDING AGE • 64.4% of teachers are 39 years and younger • Most of the educators were trained in racially segregated training institutions, during the apartheid period and are therefore not fully trained for a cultural diverse education system. • Additionally, these educators may find it extremely difficult to change their fixed and ingrained ways(McCray&Gracia, 2002; Johnson, 200).

  23. DISTRIBUTION OF EDUCATORS ACCORDING QUALIFICATION • With reference to academic and professional qualifications, most educators (59,3%) and ( 96, 7%) indicated that they were in possession of a B-degree and a teaching diploma respectively. • Teacher training and re-skilling for cultural diverse school settings are crucial

  24. PREFERRED LANGUAGE OF TEACHING • Afrikaans one of South Africa’s official language- use to be the mother tongue + language of instruction for white Afrikaans speaking educators in white schools, prior to democracy (1994) • In relation to language in which it is most comfortable to teach, the majority (79 %) of respondents choose Afrikaans (one of South Africa’s official languages) and only 15% teach in English. This situation is of concern, as black learners constitute the majority at former white high schools and receive their lessons in English.

  25. Table 1: Perceptions of educators regarding issues/aspects relating to cultural diverse school settings(n=241)

  26. Table 2: Experiences of learners regarding issues/aspects relating to cultural diverse school settings (n=100)- Qualitative interpretation of results

  27. SUGGESTED FRAMEWORK FOR A STAFF DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMME FOR SCHOOLS

  28. FRAMEWORK FOR A STAFF DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMME FOR SCHOOLS

  29. SURVEY WITH QUALITATIVE RESPONSES (n=100) • With reference to table 2, questions in which the majority of learners were in agreement (yes responses) were: expectations of school where attending (82%); occurrence of racial incidents(56%); withdrawn from group work and class activities (57%) and more committed educators (66%). The occurrence of racial incidents in cultural diverse school settings raises concern as one would think that South Africa’s first democratic elections were held in 1994- surely education authorities should make a concerted effort in delimiting racial incidents in rural integrated school settings. Another issue, reflecting a majority response (57%) is that of black learners being more withdrawn than white learners during group work and class activities. • Questions in which the majority of learners were in disagreement (no responses) were: learners from diverse cultural backgrounds treated the same (60%); enrollment of non-white learners led to a drop in standards (52%); educators use experiences of learners during lesson presentation (63%); need for belonging met by your school (77%); living in a non-white area / township having a direct effect on your academic performance (54%) and preference to attend a historically non-white school (68%).

  30. RECOMMENDATIONS • Erasmus and Ferreira (2002) - change of attitude , rather than only the acquisition of knowledge about other cultures. • Integration of learners into cultural diverse school settings should not only be treated as a series of isolated experiences –process to be facilitated by education authorities ( curriculum development, multicultural education, school management , educator orientation). • Educator training should incorporate cultural awareness, knowledge and skills as part of the educator’s course • Modules and courses on cultural diversity should be made compulsory in teacher-training programmes at institutions of higher learning • Initial focus should be on persuading student teachers to actively assess their perceptions of learners from diverse socio-cultural backgrounds • All educators be provided with adequate, appropriate and effective training and guidance in all the aspects relating to school integration • Madison-Colmore and Collins (2005) advise that learners should become acclimatised to content on diversity through the early exploration of issues of diversity and self-reflective activities. Equipping the school management teams integrated rural school settings with the necessary strategies to celebrate this diversity • Educators, especially in former white schools, need to understand how the ascribed characteristics of culture, race and class may influence their understanding + teaching of black learners during the learning process

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