The role of the educator in addressing the needs of orphans and vulnerable children
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Date
2010
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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore an intervention programme that could be used by class teachers to address the needs of orphans and vulnerable children. The goals of the study were: (i), to explore the educator’s perceptions regarding the role that the class teacher could play in addressing the needs of orphans and vulnerable children and (ii) to stress the impact of the proposed intervention.
The sample in the first phase of the research consisted of 120 rural primary school educators from the Dududu Circuit in Southern KwaZulu-Natal. These educators completed a survey in the form of a structured questionnaire. The descriptive method of research was used to collect data, and inferential statistics were used to test the null hypotheses using the Chi-squared test.
The results of the study indicated, among other things, that educators had generally agreed that the form teacher was best positioned to address the needs of orphans and vulnerable children. Educators were in agreement that the form teacher should facilitate life-skills training and organise peer-support programmes for orphans and vulnerable children. Gender and age group did not influence the views of educators. Educators also expressed a strong desire to be trained in programmes relating to the care and support of orphans and vulnerable children.
The quasi-experimental-comparison group pretest-posttest design was used in the second phase of the research to determine the success of the intervention strategy. This phase of the research entailed the following: distribution of questionnaires to 20 educators in the comparison school and 20 educators in the experimental school; presenting the intervention strategy via a workshop to educators in the experimental school; and conducting a posttest survey using the same set of questionnaires to educators in both the schools.
The intervention entailed the presentation of the following: a life-skills model, a peer-support programme, and the asset-based approach.
The outcome of the intervention was then gauged through the use of self-constructed questionnaires.
The posttest survey showed that 60% of educators in the experimental school had implemented all three models and had accordingly noted the direct benefits to orphans and vulnerable children. This implied that the intervention was successful. Being successful, the intervention creates a gateway for much desired relief for orphans and vulnerable children. The intervention holds the key for similar applications in areas such as substance abuse, physically challenged children and children who display various psychological problems.
Description
Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION in the Department of Educational Psychology at the UNIVERSITY OF ZULULAND, South Africa, 2010.
Keywords
Orphans and vulnerable children -- educator role, Intervention programme -- orphans