An exploration of teacher engagement with HIV/AIDS education : a case study.
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Date
2004
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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine teacher engagement with HIV/AIDS education in primary school. Since the emergence and acknowledgement of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa, the national education department's policy has advanced HIV/AIDS education as a priority. The new curriculum has opened up
opportunities for HIV/AIDS education to be inserted in the curriculum especially in
the learning area Life Orientation in the primary school, which previously did not exist.
There is a paucity of research documenting teachers' experiences on the
implementation of the HIV/AIDS curriculum. The manner in which teachers engage
with the HIV/AIDS curriculum is not known. This study focused on 9 teachers in the
intermediate and senior phases in a particular primary school in KwaZulu Natal who have had experience in the implementation of the HIV/AIDS curriculum over the past four years in their school. A survey questionnaire was administered to all educators in the study. The three intermediate educators participated in face-to-face interviews as
well as a focus group discussion. An interview was conducted with the member of the
management team who was part of the sample.
The results from the survey, interviews and focus group discussion suggest that teachers were strongly implementing the HIV/AIDS curriculum in their classrooms
while experiencing some practical challenges. This study also suggests that the educators found the Department Of Education's implementation plan suppressive. All
three intermediate phase teachers used creative methods to assist in the
implementation of the curriculum. The respondents claimed that the workshops and meetings that they had attended were invaluable to them. They however preferred seeing the community more closely involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS, as this
was not an issue confined to the school exclusively. Teachers would also liked to have had HIV/AIDS education implemented across the curriculum, as the task to empower
learners in this regard was a mammoth one. The unique and challenging experiences of teachers implementing the HIV/AIDS
curriculum must be documented before any theoretical positions can be articulated about the implementation of HIV/AIDS education in primary schools in South Africa.
This study has contributed to research on the implementation of HIV/AIDS education
in primary school by providing some insight into a group of educators' experiences.
Description
Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.
Keywords
Theses--Education., AIDS (Disease)--Study and teaching (Primary)--South Africa., HIV infections--Study and teaching (Primary)--South Africa.