I. Introduction -
The task of the school under the Children's Act is more comprehensive than
that of the normal school. Apart from giving academic instruction, the school
under the Children's Act provides physical care and attends to the socialization
of the child. In many cases it is necessary to resocialise because the socialization
process at home takes place inadequately and unsatisfactorily. The school
must prepare the child in his totality so that after his school career, he may
fit into society in the broadest sense. In other words, the school under the
Children's Act has, apart from providing academic instruction, an important
socio-pedagogic task with regard to the deprived child placed in its care for
further education.
2. Definition of Problem -
The problem examined in this investigation can be, formulated by means of
two questions, namely:
* Does the school under the Children's Act make a positive contribution to
the socio-pedagogic development of the committed child?
* Is the child, who leaves the said school after a comparatively long stay,
better equipped for society than the child who under the same circumstances,
was not committed?
3. Aims -
This research aims:
* to investigate and explain on an international scale the task of the school
under the Children's Act, on the basis of existing literature;
* to determine scientifically by means of objective testing, and retesting after
one year, whether the school under the Children's Ad in South Africa, is
contributing positively to the socialization of the committed child in its care.
4. Method of Investigation -
Firstly, use was made of the method of a study of literature pertaining to this
subject. A study was made of international as well as South African sources
dealing with schools under the Children's Act and other associated subjects,
such as the growth and development of these schools in South Africa, problems
with regard to the socialization of the child under the Children's Act; the needs
of the pedagogically neglected adolescent in the schools under the Act, and
the socio-pedagogical aspect of education in these schools. Relevant factual
material has been collected, arranged and annotated.
Secondly, an empirical investigation limited to white, deprived children in
seventeen of the eighteen schools under the Department of National Education
has been undertaken. As test subjects, all pupils who were admitted between
15 November 1981 and 15 February 1982 to these schools, have been used.
A battery of tests consisting of the Picture Motivation Test, the Interpersonal
Relations Questionnaire and the IPAT Anxiety Scale, which are all standardised
tests of the Human Sciences Research Council, have been used. Furthermore, a
questionnaire (see Appendage B) has been used to acquire first hand factual
material from the schools involved.
Using the above-mentioned tests, pupils were tested on IS February 1982 and
again 15 November of the same year in order to obtain comparative details.
After the conclusion of the empirical investigation, the data was analysed and
reviewed on the basis of facts from existing literature and personal criteria.
The empirical details were statistically revised by the Statistic Consultation
Service of the Potchefstroom University with the aid of a standard computer.
With regard to the Picture Motivation Test and the Interpersonal Relations
Questionnaire, the raw marks of each factor of the tests were converted to
stanines, and of the IPAT Anxiety Scale into stens as the norm tables of the
said tests provides respectively for stanines and stens. The same procedure was
followed with the retesting so as to obtain comparative details. A difference of
one on the stanine and sten scales was, for the aim of this study, considered
significant when drawing conclusions.
Differences on the stanine scale with regard to testing and retesting was, with
the aid of the computer, obtained for each subtest of the Picture Motivation
Test and the Interpersonal Relations Questionnaire. Similarly, differences on
the sten scale for the !PAT Anxiety Scale were obtained.
5. Program of Investigation -
The details obtained from existing literature as well as the results of the empirical
investigation have been presented in chapter form. An explanation of the
method of investigation followed during the research, is given in chapter one.
In chapter six the method of research into the empirical investigation is given
in detail. Chapter two contains an historical survey of the growth and development
of schools under the Children's Act in South Africa since 1909. An
explanation of problems concerning the socio-pedagogical development of the
child before and after committal receives attention in chapter three, while the
unique needs of the adolescent are discussed in chapter four. Chapter five deals
with the school under the Children's Act as a socio-pedagogical maintenance
institution. The academic as well as the extra-curricular program receives
attention, and aspects which can contribute positively to the socialization of
the child in need of care are suggested. In chapter seven the results of the
empirical investigation arc given in table form with concise explanations of
each table.
6. Growth and development of schools under the Children's Act since 1909 -
The first school under the Children's Act (formerly called the industrial school)
was established seventy-five years ago in Standerton. Originally it was little
more than a haven for neglected and delinquent youths. The school was started
in 1909 in an old military barracks used during the Anglo-Boer War and had
an enrolment of six boys and one girl. Until 1917, schools under the Children's
Act were administered by the Prisons Department. Discipline was very strict
and there was little or no education as such.
The Child Protection Act of 1937 contributed immensely towards improving
the educational aspect of these schools. By 1917, when the administration of
the schools was transferred to the Union Education Department, altogether
four schools had been established. With an education department in control,
the emphasis on education increased and decreased on discipline.
The Children's Act of 1937 which was an outcome of the Inter-departmental
Committee ( 1934-1937) introduced an entirely new approach to the education
of the child in need of care. In 1946 psychological services were introduced
into schools under the Children's Act. This was the beginning of psychological
therapeutic services.
After 1917 another fourteen schools, distributed throughout the four provinces,
were built so that altogether there are to date eighteen schools under the
Children's Act. Development with regard to improved syllabi, differentiated
education, psychological services, special courses and specialised directions
which, during the last decade, followed quickly on each other, have to-day
made the school under the Children's Act an adequate and modern educational
institution which aims at educating in total the child in need of care.
7. Problems in connection with socialization before and after committal -
Socialization is the process whereby individuals learn to become viable members
of the social group in which they move. It commences at birth and continues
throughout a lifetime.
The significance of the christian family as the unit of society cannot be overemphasized.
The functions of the family with regard to socializing the child is
essential in all socialization activities and educational functions of the school,
the church and society in general. If these functions of the family are neglected,
long-term damage will emerge later in the child's life. Values and norms acquired
within the family relationship, later serve as guidelines for the child's behaviour
and as a foundation for forming his own attitude to life which, as a young
adult, will affect his adaption to society.
There are various shortcomings in the family life and behaviour tendencies
of the parents of children in need of care, which manifest themselves before
committal and which later adversely influence the child's socialization in the
school under the Children's Act. These are factors like the disintegration of
the Family bonds, church estrangement, misuse of alcohol by the parents,
broken homes, child neglect and an increasingly permissive society. The latter
is strongly influenced by communism and liberalism.
After admission to the school under the Children's Act, factors such as absconding,
the smoking habit, separate schools for boys and girls, homosexual
tendencies and early marriages among girls hinder both the process of resocialization
of the pupil as well as the therapeutic program of the school in
general.
8. The adolescent and his needs -
Most pupils in schools under the Children's Act are adolescent as pupils under
the age of twelve and over the age of eighteen are seldom admitted to the
school. Adolescence is a period of important psychological changes in the life
of a young person. It is often referred to as the period of emotional upheaval,
as a result of unusual emotional instability so characteristic of this phase.
Basically, the adolescent experiences the same needs as the young child, but
because of his advanced intellectual capabilities, his physical maturity and his
erratic behaviour he experiences these needs problematically. Social needs such
as affiliation, acceptance, recognition, independence, a sense of responsibility
and identification are of special importance to the adolescent, because it is
during this period that he must find his niche among his equals as well as in
society in general.
Emotionally, the adolescent experiences intense needs which go hand in hand
with emotional tension and anxiety while at the same time frustration, conflict
and aggression further affect his adjustment.
At a moral level, the adolescent must learn to adjust to the values and norms
of society; his conscience asserts itself and guilt feelings serve as punishment
when he reacts contrarily to the accepted norms. During adolescence, the
young person strives to establish a self-identity and to develop a self-image
while at the same time experiencing mental conflict and confusion.
In conclusion, it is during this phase of his life that the adolescent begins to
view critically the religious principles and faith which he as a child accepted
without question. Especially when he communicates with friends who hold
other religious values does he experience serious doubts and starts to search
assiduously for truth and spiritual security.
9. The school under the Children's Act as socio-pedagogic institution
As all pupils who are being educated in schools under the Children's Act are
institution-bound, and arc physically cared for by the school (State), the
school can be regarded as a complete community in miniature. It is the task
of the school as a fully responsible maintenance institution to build a socializing
bridge for the child between the parental home with a poor educational background,
and the general community after school.
The headmaster with his comprehensive task, teaching staff, administrative
and hostel staff, form a heterogeneous team with a common aim, namely
taking care of and educating the deprived child, and administering the school
adequately.
The ultimate aim of the school is to restore a deprived child in need of care
to the community as a well-cared for, socially-adapted and morally-equipped
youth. What the school offers, both intra-murally and extra-murally, is focussed
on the socio-pedagogically deprived child's social independence after school.
Great emphasis is placed on organised after-hour programs in sport, cultural
activity and invigorating recreation as part of socio-pedagogical education.
It is of extreme significance that this child should not only become involved
in the affairs of the community, but also render service to it - this forms an
integrate part of the eventual goal the school wishes to achieve.
10. Results of the Empirical Research
Calculated by the Picture Motivation Test, the school under the Children's
Act shows a success figure of 49,2% in the case of boys, and 51,8% for girls
(compare table 7.12). According to the synopsis (table 7.35) the success figure
of the school calculated by means of the Interpersonal Relations Questionnaire,
is 53,5% for boys and 55% for girls.
The IPAT Anxiety Level Scale shows that the school was well able to lower
the general level of anxiety within one year in 74,8% boys and 73,7% girls.
The negative percentage with regard to the IPAT Anxiety Level Scale was
noticeably low, namely 8,1% in boys and 4,2% in girls.
The over-all result of the test exercise shows that schools under the Children's
Act have a success figure of 59,7% for boys and 60,1% for girls (see table 7.44).
The significant similarity in all the readings of boys and girls is quite noteworthy.
There is a difference of 2,7% in the negative, 1.8% in the neutral and
0,9% in the positive score of boys and girls.
If the average score for the test group can be calculated in its entirety, the
negative count is 20,4%, the neutral count 20% and the positive count 59,7%.
The last figure percentage can therefore be regarded as the success figure of
the school under the Children's Act, as determined by this research. This is
in agreement with the general expectation of the heads of schools under the
Children's Act and officials of the Department of National Education, as
was established in interviews with those persons mentioned. (Sec end of list
of sources). / Proefskrif (DEd)--PU vir CHO, 1984
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:NWUBOLOKA1/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/9572 |
| Date | January 1984 |
| Creators | Van Rooyen, Elias Albertus |
| Publisher | Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education |
| Source Sets | North-West University |
| Language | other |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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