Understanding the role of teachers in providing welfare care for learners: a teacher's self-study.
Abstract
This self-study research focused on the role of the teacher in relation to providing welfare
care. I considered welfare care from a theoretical perspective of Ubuntu, which allowed me
to see that, in enacting welfare care, it is imperative that teachers acknowledge and bring
out the human element in themselves and others. I was the central participant in this self-study,
together with three professional colleagues at my school. My critical friends, my
fellow students, participated by sparking new ideas and helping me to gain other
perspective. I used the memory-work self-study method to recall my lived experiences and
explore my motivation for providing welfare care. Multiple data sources, such as letters,
cards, photographs and my reflective journal, provided evidence to assist me in
understanding my passion for welfare care. Three main themes arose from my memory
stories: a) attentiveness; b) empathy; c) encouragement; and d) nurturing. I went on to
explore how my fellow teachers and I were enacting welfare care at my school.
Conversations with my teacher participants demonstrated that teachers were enacting
welfare care at my school by: a) connecting nutrition with learning; b) making provision
for school uniforms and stationery for learners; c) bringing on board sponsors, NGOs,
religious organisations and businesses as a support base; d) providing sports, games and
excursions; and e) attending to the medical, emotional and social development needs of
learners. Using collage as an arts-based self-study technique, I found that teachers can be
better supported in enacting welfare care for learners through: a) community support and
engagement; b) continuing professional teacher development for psychosocial and
emotional support; and c) teacher leadership for welfare care. Overall, this study has
highlighted how teachers are spending a great deal of time and energy in making provision
for meeting learners’ basic needs such as nutrition, school uniforms and stationery, and
medical care. This study has enabled me to acknowledge that learners and teachers are
likely to perform better if these basic needs could be met for all learners through more
extensive programmes involving all relevant stakeholders. Through this self-study, I have
also realised that teachers, school management and other stakeholders need adequate
knowledge and skills for enacting welfare care. Most significantly, this study has
confirmed for me that enacting welfare care requires teachers to be compassionate and
understanding and to show empathy towards learners.