Browsing by Author "de Villiers, Tania"

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    Experiences perceptions and understanding of mothers of children living with albinism in Malawi: a qualitative descriptive study
    (2019) Likumbo, Naomi; Kyriacos, Una; de Villiers, Tania
    Background: Albinism affects approximately 1 in 17,000 individuals globally with the highest prevalence in SubSaharan Africa with an estimation of 1 in 2000 - 5000 live births and 1 in 2000 live births in Malawi. The total number of people living with albinism in Malawi is estimated to be 7000 - 10,000 of the total population. Albinism is a stigmatised condition particularly in Africa and children are particularly vulnerable. Purpose of the study: to explore and describe the experiences, perceptions and understanding of mothers who have children living with albinism in Malawi. Study design: Qualitative descriptive study. Data collection Methods: The study, conducted between June and July 2018 in Malawi, included voluntary participation of ten mothers 18 years and older who had children with albinism. Purposive sampling was used to select participants who met the inclusion criteria to answer the research question and achieve the purpose of the study. Semi structured interviews were conducted in the participants’ preferred language Chichewa. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. Data translation of the questionnaire from English to Chichewa was done by three different translators from Malawi using forward and backward translation. The same process was followed for translation of the data from the interviews. Data analysis: Thematic analysis guided the process of data analysis. Trustworthiness of the data analysis process was maintained. To ensure transparency in reporting the study and to allow replication, reporting guidelines from the equator Network were used to evaluate the quality of the study. The quality of semistructured interviews was evaluated by using the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Studies (COREQ), a 32-item checklist. The Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) were used to evaluate the quality of the completed study. Findings: Four themes emerged from the data: 1) stigmatisation, discrimination and harm, 2) Mothers’ impression of a child with albinism, 3) Mothers’ awareness of albinism and 4) Psychosocial effects of albinism. Conclusion: A description of the experiences and perceptions of mothers of children living with albinism in Malawi and their understanding of the condition has revealed that these children are stigmatised and unsafe in their communities and that these mothers experienced this acutely even though they were overwhelmingly positive about accepting and loving their children and attempted to protect them from harm whatever the cost. Being the first such reported Malawian study it has filled a gap in the existing knowledge in this field and provides a foundation for further research specific to people living with albinism in Malawi
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    Understanding father involvement in the education of learners with intellectual disabilities in a special school in Kenya: a case study
    (2020) Karisa, Amani; Mckenzie, Judith; de Villiers, Tania
    There are known benefits of father involvement in a child's life, such as positively affecting the child's life prospects, academic achievement, physical and emotional health as well as linguistic, literary and cognitive development. In African settings, fathers are traditionally the heads of families and the main decision makers in matters like the education of their children. However, a limited body of scientific knowledge exists on fathers' roles and involvement in the education of their disabled children in the African context. To address this knowledge gap, a qualitative case study to understand the nature of father involvement in the education of learners with intellectual disabilities in a special school in Kenya was conducted. The research question was: what is the nature of father involvement in the education of disabled learners at Sir Ali Special School, Kenya? The study was guided by theoretical perspectives from disability studies in education, masculinity and postcolonial theory. The field of disability studies in education focuses on the application of the social model of disability in an education context. The theories of masculinity look at the social construction of the male identity, and the postcolonial theory explores the colonial legacy of the study context. The data were collected from eight fathers, six mothers, nine teachers and six disabled learners using individual interviews, key informant interviews, draw-and-tell interviews, focus group discussions, document review and field notes. The data were analysed thematically. Three themes emerged from the data analysis: influence of cultural norms and values on father involvement, fathers' concerns in educating disabled children, and impact of understanding disability on father involvement. It was established that the intersection between patriarchy and masculinity affects normative gender roles that influence father involvement in the education of disabled children in a dynamic context. It was also evident that the cost of disability is greater than that of nondisability and this influences how fathers are involved in the education of their disabled children. Additionally, fathers wanted the best for their disabled children but different views about the purpose of the special school affected their involvement in the education of their disabled children. Furthermore, the meaning of disability influenced father involvement in the education of disabled children. It was concluded that father involvement in the education of disabled children in this African setting was complex and presented itself in ways that were different from what formal western education expected. This study provides critical new knowledge on how father involvement in the formal education of disabled children is constructed within the context of a specific school in an African setting. The new knowledge not only adds to the current limited evidence in the literature on father involvement, but also might assist education stakeholders like ministries of education and development workers in advancing best practice regarding implementation of family support structures for disabled children's education in Africa.