Browsing by Author "Pendlebury, Shirley"
Now showing 1 - 9 of 9
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- ItemOpen AccessChildren's right to basic education(Children's Institute, 2009) Lake, Lori; Pendlebury, Shirley
- ItemOpen AccessConclusion: children as citizens(Children's Institute, 2011) Jamieson, Lucy; Pendlebury, Shirley; Bray, Rachel
- ItemOpen AccessCorporal punishment: cultural-historical and socio-cultural practices of teachers in a South African primary school(2017) Mayisela, Simangele Gladys; Muthivhi, Azwihangwisi E; Pendlebury, ShirleyIn this study, corporal punishment refers to the administration of physical pain to children by teachers with the purpose of disciplining them. It is a phenomenon that occurs in South African primary schooling despite its legal abolition two decades ago. Anecdotal evidence suggests that teachers, particularly those who have been culturally exposed to corporal punishment and other forms of violence, believe that corporal punishment is still an effective mode of disciplining children. Drawing on Vygotsky's cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT), this study seeks to investigate how the notion of historical and cultural genesis of higher psychological functions can explain the continuing use of corporal punishment in schools. A qualitative methodology, employing observations and interviews as data collection methods in a case of a rural public school in Mpumalanga was adopted, where teachers, parents and children were participants in the study. Data was analysed thematically within the CHAT framework to address the main research question: What cultural-historical and socio-cultural processes account for the teachers' continuing use of corporal punishment in a South African rural primary school? Findings suggest that corporal punishment manifests as a socially mediated tool used within an object-oriented cultural activity and a historically-bound activity systems. Through the analysis of the contradictions embedded within and between the activity system(s), possibilities for transformation were revealed. The intrapsychological processes and nuances of the internalisation of corporal punishment by individuals and the collective show that corporal punishment is likely to compromise the development some higher psychological functions related to discipline like problem-solving, self-regulation, sequencing and agency.
- ItemOpen AccessAn exploration of the parents' experiences of the inclusion and retention of their disabled children in public schools in the Eastern Cape Province(2014) Tshabalala, Ntombekhaya; Lorenzo, Theresa; Pendlebury, ShirleySouth African national policy on Inclusive Education, as expressed in White Paper 6 of 2001, regards the role of parents as key to making schools inclusive sites for learning. For parents who have been historically discouraged from participating in the education of their children, this is a challenging role. The aim of this study was to assemble data which would shed light on what parents of disabled children in public schools view as relevant support for them to actively participate in the process that ensures inclusion and retention of disabled children in schools. In line with the social model of disability, this qualitative study follows a participatory action research design using critical theory as the lens through which the world of parents with disabled children was examined. Purposive sampling was used to select five parent participants in the study within a District Municipality (South Africa). They were all members of a support group of parents with disabled children. Parents were given a detailed outline of the study aims which were explained to them by the researcher at the outset and were informed that they could resign at any time without any implications thereof to their children and themselves. Individual interviews with parents, school meetings involving parents, children and teachers, researcher personal journal, narrative and focus group sessions were used for data collection. A transformative paradigm informed the data collection procedures and interactions with parents. Data was analysed through content analysis of the full data set, including the researcher’s reflective journal. Recurring patterns were identified, coded and then categorised according to similarities and meanings. Data management and analysis took place through an iterative process of selecting, simplifying and transforming raw data during and after meetings held with the assistant researcher after each meeting with the parents and in discussion with a research mentor.
- ItemOpen AccessMeaningful access to basic education(Children's Institute, 2009) Pendlebury, Shirley
- ItemOpen AccessPersona dolls and anti-bias curriculum practice with young children : a case study of early childhood development teachers(2009) Smith, Carol; Pendlebury, ShirleyAnti-discrimination, one of the central principles of South Africa's Constitution and Bill of Rights, is central to the Early Childhood Development curriculum. The anti-bias, or anti-discrimination, approach challenges prejudice and oppression of all kinds and aims to develop self-esteem, respect for diversity, awareness of human rights, and a sense of fairness in all children. This study examines the use of the Persona Doll Approach as a component of anti-bias practice in order to learn more about the approach, and about how it is used to engage with the realities of bias in the ECD phase of education in the South African context of poverty, and past and present discrimination. The study was conducted under the auspices of Persona Doll Training, South Africa (2003 - ). Four hundred and twenty Early Childhood Development, foundation phase and preschool teachers from different socio economic, rural and urban contexts in the Western Cape Province of South Africa, participated in the study. All of the teachers received Persona Doll Approach training, which they then applied in their classrooms. The study adopted a qualitative approach that included teacher questionnaires, observations, interviews and trainer reports, to gain an understanding of how the teachers used the Approach and what anti-bias understandings were reflected in their practice. Vignettes based on observations were constructed to illustrate the application of the Approach. They provide a vivid picture of the classroom situation and atmosphere. Four Anti-bias Goals: Identity and self-esteem, empathy, unlearning negative attitudes, and problem-posing/ activist approach provided the conceptual framework for the study. The findings indicate that the PDA training and subsequent classroom implementation led, to a greater or lesser extent, to improved self-esteem, empathy and the ability to challenge and unlearn discrimination among both the teachers and the children. Thus, the Anti-bias Goals were achieved, at least in the short term. There were also other, unexpected, outcomes. These included proactive activist work by some teachers, positive behaviour changes in children, the emergence of children's voices, and greater appreciation of children's voices by teachers. The study also highlighted teacher's and children's prejudices, and lack of support for teachers as challenges. Based on the findings, recommendations are made for the development of the PDA, and related training and teacher support, and for further research. The study confirms the value of the PDA approach and provides the motivation for continuing, and expanding, Persona Doll Training - South Africa.
- ItemOpen AccessSouth African Child Gauge 2008/2009: children and education(Children's Institute, 2009) Berry, Lizette; Hall, Katharine; Lake, Lori; Marera, Double-Hugh; Pendlebury, Shirley; Smith, CharmainePoster-map [pdf 1.13 MB, print size A1] accompanying South African Child Gauge 2008/2009.
- ItemOpen AccessSouth African Child Gauge 2009/2010(2010) Kibel, Maurice; Lake, Lori; Pendlebury, Shirley; Smith, CharmaineThe South African Child Gauge is produced annually by the Children's Institute, University of Cape Town to monitor government and civil society's progress towards realising the rights of children.This issue focuses on child health and is divided into three parts. Part 1 focuses on legislature affecting children's health; Part 2 consists of twelve essays looking at different aspects of child health in SA from infectious diseases to strengthening health care systems for children; and Part 3 consists of key numeric indicators on children's health in South Africa. This collection of papers focuses on 'the meaning of children’s right to social services,' and can be used for independent study/research or for integration into child development curriculum.
- ItemOpen AccessSouth African Child Gauge 2009/2010: children & health(Children's Institute, 2010) Lake, Lori; Berry, Lizette; Hall, Katharine; Rohde, Jon; Kibel, Maurice; Gantcheva, Roumiana; Pendlebury, Shirley; Smith, CharmainePoster-map [pdf 713 kb, print size A1] accompanying South African Child Gauge 2009/2010.