Evaluation of the life orientation programme in Eastern Cape schools with a focus on sexuality education
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Date
2017
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Zululand
Abstract
This research was envisioned to understand the evaluation of the Life Orientation (LO) Programme in Eastern Cape schools.
The main motivation for the study was to evaluate the Life Orientation Programme in Eastern Cape schools through an Appreciative Inquiry (AI) into the experiences and perceptions of learners, educators, and departmental officials regarding the effectiveness of the LO Programme. This was because subject advisors are responsible for giving the required support and as well evaluate the subject teachers in schools. According to Sanders and Sullins (2006); Visser (2007) and Serrat (2008), school programmes have to undergo a review from time to time to ensure that they are still relevant, justifying the evaluation of this study.
The reader is informed that, Life Orientation, was introduced as a compulsory subject offered to all learners from grade R to grade 12 and as an inter-disciplinary subject that draws on and integrates knowledge, values, skills, and processes embedded in various disciplines such as sociology, psychology, political science, human movement science, with the objective of making informed decisions and choices (Department of Education, 2003). Thus, Life Orientation Programme was to provide the necessary guidance for skills development, (Department of Education, 2005)
This research observed the understanding that LO Programme has a focus on social development, health promotion, personal development, orientation to the world of work and the general physical advancement. Embedded in this study, was the need to understand whether personal biological inputs either individually or collectively, had any influence on the perception of learners, teachers and subject advisors towards the Life Orientation Programme or not. Thus, this study contributed towards moderating and remoulding the perception of learners towards LO Programmes by providing a clear understanding of the concepts of Life Orientation content, role of educators and the skills offered.
The Literature review considered the following areas; Health Promotion, Social Development and Personal Development, Physical Development and Movement, Orientation to the world of work, showing to educators the existing differences of the educational needs and expectations of different learners (Engelbrecht & Green, 2009). These expectations may not be met if teachers pay too much attention to their own lives and values (Beyers & Hay, 2011). Some teachers experience a large measure of ambiguity regarding HIV/AIDS, they realize cognitively that they must support and nurture the HIV positive learner, but emotionally they remain cold (Bhana, Morrell, Epstein & Moletsane, 2006; Wood & Webb, 2008).
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This research has endeavoured to discuss in detail the issue of HIV, and the status disclosure of participants. One issue of necessity is the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS, the use of the subject of the HIV/AIDS epidemic to professionally create some relevant awareness within the communities.
The data used for evaluation of the research objectives were obtained from randomly selected participants by use of a closed-ended questionnaire instrument. The collected data were captured and analyzed by use of SPSS (Statistical Package for Service Solutions, Version 20). Among variables included were; the participant’s gender, age, educational category, residence and years of formal education and research questions. The analysis comprised of tables and charts whose parameters of analysis were percentages and frequencies. The interpretation for both quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed in line with the research objectives.
The analysis produced outputs in the form of tables and charts, which comprised of frequencies, percentages, cumulative frequencies and cumulative percentages for descriptive analysis, whereas, test-statistics and p-values were used for significance level analysis for inferential scrutiny for existence of any association for selected pairs of variables while charts for association consisted of percentages and the variables under assessment. The analysis, for instance, found that more females (62.20%) participated in this study than did their male counterparts. Some of the reasons advanced were trifold; One, that the general population in the target areas constituted more women than men, and two, that men participation, were prone to unnecessary time-consuming arguments leading to a meagre male-participation.
The researcher, an education professional, who deals with the learning curriculum on daily basis, and a practical university student counsellor knows that Physical Education is a compulsory component of the LO Curriculum. Each term, a learner has to complete physical activity assessments that count towards their overall LO mark. Though no record shows currently that grades eight and nine do not have formal physical education lessons, it was an exercise to be implemented in 2014.
The results, however, were in line with Ombaba et al. (2014), who found that support from teachers in schools on the career guidance programme needed enhancement in order to make sure that the guidance services rendered are practical to students.
The importance of Life Orientation Programme has been underscored, which requires the following recommendations for a sustainable improvement; adding to the course content, teachers to avoid name-calling in class, accommodation of everyone in career exhibitions without discrimination, improvement on presentation tasks, and others not stated here.
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It has come to be revealed, through this research, that the South African public educational system does not have adequate provision for vocational guidance or assessment of individual learners. This weakness results in high unnecessary costs for the country, the South African Businesses as well as social discontent and hardship. On the other hand, statement 4.3.1.16 showed that the average majority (51.8%) of the respondents claimed that Life Orientation motivates and guides them about basic life styles and careers. The researcher lauded this as a welcome discovery.
According to the analysis of the data on statement 4.3.1.6, the majority of the respondents (65.3%) strongly agreed with the statement. This indicated that Life Orientation promotes healthy behaviour as expressed by the majority of the respondents.
On the inferential analysis base, the researcher determined the existence of any relationship between independent variables and research statements in the questionnaire. As to whether Life Orientation promotes healthy behaviour based on one’s gender, this research revealed that the two variables were quite independent based on the obtained p-value of 0.765 as compared to any level of significance chosen from (0.05, 0.025, or 0.010). The null hypothesis could not be rejected.
The conclusion was that gender had no influence on the promotion of healthy behaviour and so, practising healthy behaviour does not depend on gender but rather is an individual decision.
Complementarily, results of another similar assessment between gender of respondent and respect for human rights as a prerequisite for moral development in a society indicated that there was no significant association between gender and the given dependent statement.
This research further showed that age group of respondent and respecting human rights being a prerequisite for moral development in society were not significantly associated, since the observed p-value was greater than the level of significance.
The researcher did not have sufficient evidence to reject the null hypothesis under this setup.
On the other side of the analysis, age group of respondent and drugs giving one a true sense of security revealed a different observation. The observed p-value of 0.001 was far smaller than any selected level of significance.
This resulted in a highly significant association demonstrating the fact that age group promoted the belief that drugs could give one a true sense of security.
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A similar result showing a p-value of 0.022 for testing the association between educational category and Life Orientation promoting healthy behavior was highly significant.
Key words: Apartheid government era, formative subjects, Life Orientation, Life Orientation Programme, level of significance, degree of association, general education and training (GET) band, further education and training (FET) band.
Description
A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Art in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree, Doctor of Philosophy in Community Psychology in the Department of Psychology University of Zululand, 2017.
Keywords
Life Orientation, sexuality education