Thesis (PhD)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This research focuses on teacher-learning for religious and cultural diversity. The background to the
study is associated with curriculum reforms in South Africa since democratization in 1994 and the
growing interest globally in the integration of Citizenship education and Religion education. In South
Africa, the new national curricula after 1994 introduced Life Orientation as a learning area / subject
which includes Citizenship education with Religion education as key focus areas. The outcomes
associated with these focus areas require school-based learners to demonstrate knowledge of
diversity, co-operative and communicative forms of democracy and commitment to the values
espoused in The Constitution. The question that arises in relation to the professional development of
teachers in this regard, concerns whether teachers have the professional knowledge base to ensure
that their learners acquire the knowledge and skills to enable them to participate as competent
citizens in a pluralist democracy. Consequently the large-scale transmissionist approaches to teacher
development that have dominated INSET programmes have been critiqued in this study for being
inadequate for learning the complexities associated with diversity, citizenship and democracy. This
study has hence advocated for teacher-learning through participation in communities of practice
which arguably provide appropriate learning conditions in which dialogue and critical reflection
characterise the interaction between teachers. On the grounds that South Africa’s social-political
history enforced the segregation of racial groups and privileged Christianity above other religions or
beliefs, a further argument is related to how this history has influenced teachers’ frames of reference
and whether teachers’ frames of reference continue to influence how Citizenship education is
approached in the classroom. Hence, the theoretical framework for this study has been formulated to
address the issue of teacher-learning for Citizenship education and Religion education (Citizenship
education/Religion education) and the extent to which the frames of reference of teachers influence
their approaches to democracy, values, citizenship and diversity. To this end two learning theory
perspectives have been explored, viz. Mezirow’s transformative learning theory (1991, 2000) and
communities of practice, as conceptualised by Wenger (1998, 2006b). The efficacy of the
communities of practice concept for teacher-learning for diversity was investigated against a
transformative learning theory background, using a mixed methods approach. A cross-sectional
survey was conducted amongst 60 secondary schools in the Gauteng province, followed by a phase
of participatory action research (PAR) with three teachers over a period of approximately eight
months. The survey questionnaire was designed to determine the perspectives of a sample of Life
Orientation teachers towards learning and teaching religious and cultural diversity in Life Orientation.
The findings were used to inform the action research process which in turn drew attention to the
significance of the community of practice concept for assisting teachers to generate content
knowledge for Citizenship education/Religion education from an inclusive and constructivist
perspective. The findings of the survey questionnaire indicated that the majority of the teachers in the
sample were not opposed to including religious diversity in their Life Orientation classes despite not
having backgrounds in Religious Studies or meaningful in-service training. The PAR findings indicate
the value of engagement by teachers in a community of practice for creating and acquiring
appropriate content knowledge and for critical reflection on the meaning and application of democratic
and personal values for Citizenship education/Religion education. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie navorsingsprojek fokus op onderwyser-leer ter bevordering van religieuse en kulturele
diversiteit. Die agtergrond van hierdie studie is enersyds kurrikulumhervorming in Suid-Afrika sedert
demokratisering in 1994 en andersyds die groeiende, wêreldwye belangstelling in die integrasie van
Burgerskapopvoeding (Citizenship Education) en Religieuse-onderrig (Religion Education).
Lewensoriëntering as ‘n leerarea/vak wat Burgerskapopvoeding en Religieuse-onderrig as primêre
fokus insluit, is na 1994 as deel van die nuwe nasionale kurrikulum in Suid-Afrika bekendgestel. Die
leeruitkomste van hierdie fokus vereis dat leerders kennis moet demonstreer rakende: diversiteit,
samewerkende- en kommunikatiewe vorms van demokrasie en die verbintenis tot die waardes soos in
die Grondwet vervat. Die vraag word gestel of die professionele ontwikkeling van onderwysers die
nodige professionele kennisbasis bied wat kan verseker dat leerders wel kennis en vaardighede
verwerf wat hulle in staat sal stel om bevoegde burgers te wees om aan ‘n pluralistiese demokrasie
deel te neem. In hierdie studie word die transmissionistiese benaderings (transmissionist approaches)
wat die indiensonderwysersopleiding (INSET) gedomineer het, krities ondersoek en bevraagteken ook
hierdie benadering vir die onderrig-leer van kompleksiteite soos diversiteit, burgerskap en demokrasie.
In hierdie studie word onderwyser-leer by wyse van deelname aan “gemeenskappe van praktyk”
(communities of practice) onderskryf hoofsaaklik weens die moontlikhede wat hierdie benadering bied
om gepaste leeromstandighede te skep waar onderwysers se interaksie deur dialoog en kritiese
refleksie en terugskouing gekenmerk word. In die lig van Suid-Afrika se sosio-politiese geskiedenis
waartydens die segregasie van rassegroepe afgedwing is en Christendom bo ander religieë of
geloofsoortuigings bevoorreg was, word kritiese argumente gevoer rondom die invloed van hierdie
geskiedenis op onderwysers se verwysingsraamwerke en hoe hierdie betrokke verwysingsraamwerke
onderwysers se benadering tot Burgerskapopvoeding beïnvloed het. In die teoretiese raamwerk van
hierdie studie word die grondliggende kwessies en diskoerse van onderwyser-leer vir
Burgerskapopvoeding en Religieuse-onderrig (Burgerskapopvoeding/ Religieuse-onderrig) ondersoek
asook die mate waarop die verwysingsraamwerke van onderwysers hulle onderrigbenaderinge tot
demokrasie, waardes, burgerskap en diversiteit beïnvloed het. Die twee leerteorieë en perspektiewe
van Mezirow se Transformatiewe Leerteorie (1991, 2000) en “gemeenskappe van praktyk”, soos deur
Wenger (1998, 2006b) gekonseptualiseer is, word as vertrekpunte geneem. Die effektiwiteit van die
konsep “gemeenskappe van praktyk” vir onderwys-leer in belang van diversiteit, word ondersoek teen
die agtergrond van ‘n transformatiewe leerteorie deur gebruik te maak van ‘n gemengde-metodesbenadering
(mixed methods approach). ‘n Deursnee-opname is aan 60 sekondêre skole in die
Gauteng provinsie gedoen, gevolg deur ‘n fase van Deelnemende-Aksienavorsing met drie
onderwysers oor ‘n tydperk van ongeveer agt maande. Die vraelys vir die opname is sodanig ontwerp
dat ‘n steekproef Lewensoriënteringonderwysers se perspektiewe van onderrig-leer van religieuse en
kulturele diversiteit in Lewensoriëntering bepaal kon word. Hierdie bevindinge is vir die
aksienavorsingsfase gebruik wat die aandag gefokus het op die belangrikheid van “gemeenskappe
van praktyk” as ‘n konsep wat onderwysers kan help om inhoudskennis vir
Burgerskapopvoeding/Religieuse-onderrig vanuit ‘n inklusiewe en konstruktiewe benadering te
genereer. Die bevindinge van die vraelysopname toon dat die meerderheid van die onderwysers, wat
deel was van die steekproef, nie gekant is teen die insluiting van religieuse diversiteit in
Lewensoriënteringsklasse nie ten spyte van die feit dat hulle geen agtergrond in Religieuse-onderrig
of enige ander betekenisvolle indiensopleiding ontvang het nie. Die bevindings van die Deelnemende–
Aksienavorsingsproses bewys die waarde van onderwyserbetrokkenheid in “gemeenskappe van
praktyk” om inhoudskennis te verwerf en krities na te dink oor die betekenis en toepassings van
demokratiese en persoonlike waardes vir Burgerskapopvoeding/Religieuse-onderrig.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/6770 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Ferguson, Rene |
| Contributors | Roux, Cornelia D., University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Curriculum Studies. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | xi, 75 p. : ill. some col. |
| Rights | University of Stellenbosch |
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