A mini-thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of
Education in the Faculty of Education, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2010 / Education and knowledge are regarded as imperative tools to changing human attitudes, perceptions
and behaviour. The researcher embarked on the study to explore possibilities in the teaching and
learning process to substantiate the importance and implications of integrating HIV/AIDS education
and awareness into the Grade 8 curriculum.
The ultimate purpose of this study is to see how teaching and learning can take place in a collaborative
setting, with the possibilities of exploring how effectively an integrated programme can be implemented
into the curriculum. The secondary purpose of this study is to use this information to make a
contribution to integrate HIV/AIDS education and awareness into the Grade 8 curriculum. The pivotal
question with regard to the integration of life-skills into the school curriculum is: How do educators and
learners perceive a teaching-learning scenario that can efficiently promote genuine learning of
HIV/AIDS within the Life-skills curriculum?
In this study, semi-structured interviews and a tool for teaching styles was used to assess 16 educators’
perceptions towards integration and how it can lend itself to integrate HIV/AIDS education and
awareness. Furthermore, a questionnaire and a learning styles inventory were used to assess 70
learners’ perceptions of integration.
The study found that learners could be assisted with information and be guided to make their own
responsible choices. The ideal could therefore be to provide learners with the skills, knowledge,
attitudes and values that might enable them to make informed choices among conflicting and competing
moral codes. The study found that learners should be given more ownership and responsibility in the
teaching and learning process. In doing so, educators should relinquish more control. Educators should
also work in collaboration with their colleagues in order for integration to be successful.
It will be essential to develop curricula that prepare learners for a new reality which might threaten their
future with the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Outcomes-based education allows learners to learn at their own
pace and the content selected can be age appropriate that suits learners and their community best to
prepare them to be responsible citizens in a democratic country.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:cput/oai:localhost:20.500.11838/1885 |
| Date | January 2010 |
| Creators | Smith, Desmond Christopher |
| Publisher | Cape Peninsula University of Technology |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/za/ |
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