Thesis (MPhil (Centre for Higher Education))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / Bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Learning in young adulthood, especially in communities where there may be substantial barriers to
learning and exclusion from formal education, needs further investigation. This study provides an
in-depth investigation of six youths’ predispositions to learning while awaiting trial in a place of
safety. This study focused on an in-depth investigation of youths’ predispositions to learning in the
particular context of the place of safety (Western Cape, South Africa).
I have been working with awaiting trial male youths for over four years as principal at the place of
safety. The place of safety is a residential facility for boys and youths between the ages of 10 and
16 years who broke the law and who were at risk. The court placed these youths at the place of
safety for the duration of their pending court cases, which may take up to two years in extreme
cases like rape and murder. They typically come from communities where they had been exposes
to violence, substance abuse and crime, both at home and at school. All of the youths at the place
of safety broke the law and were awaiting trial; and they had all dropped out of school or had never
attended school. The six respondents used in my study either were abusing drugs themselves or
witnessed drug abuse. During their stay al the place of safety, the learners undergo various
therapeutic programmes. They also attend school, where the curriculum is adapted to the
individual needs of the learners.
While working with these youths at the school, I became deeply concerned about the limited
prospects they seemed to have. I was curious why most of them demonstrated little or no ambition
or eagerness to learn, given that they all had literacy levels below the average for their age group
and that most of them had dropped out of school or had never attended school. Popular media
reports as well as official documents indicate that youths in South Africa – and the Western Cape
in particular – are exposed to drug abuse, violence and crime, which may influence the escalating
number of school dropouts. An understanding of the predispositions to learning among awaiting
trial youths may contribute to a better understanding of the sense of disempowerment within these
communities.
This research project focused on qualitative case studies where I tried to discover and understand
youths’ predispositions to learning. I followed an interpretive approach to provide insights into the
life stories of the six respondents between the ages of 14 and 16 years and how they interpret and
make meaning of their personal realities. This marginalised group of people had the opportunity to
narrate their individual life stories with relation to their experienced learning processes. I
conducted this study, collected, and interpreted data over a period of approximately two-and-a-half
v
years. I collected data from their official files and by conducting in-depth individual interviews. I
video-recorded the six personal interviews and used the footage to assist me in the process of data
analysis.
The thesis presents the life stories of the six respondents as a foundation for a discussion on how
we as educators define and practice adult education in the context of marginalised youth. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die leerprosesse van jeugdiges in gemeenskappe waar akute leerstoornisse en gebreke ten
opsigte van formele onderrig heers, behoort nagevors en ondersoek te word. Hierdie studie het
gepoog om ondersoek in te stel na die ontvanklikheid of predisposisie van ses jeugdiges teenoor
leer terwyl hulle verhoorafwagtend is en in plek van veiligheid aangehou word. Die studie het op
grondige ondersoek na die ontvanklikheid of predisposisies vir leer by jeugdiges teen die
agtergrond van die plek van veiligheid (Wes-Kaap, Suid-Afrika) gefokus.
Ek werk reeds langer as vier jaar by die plek van veiligheid as skoolhoof. Seuns en jeugdiges van
10 tot 16 jaar oud wat die wet oortree het en sorg nodig het, gaan daar tuis nadat die hof hulle daar
geplaas het vir die duur van hulle hofsake. In sommige ernstige sake, soos moord en verkragting,
kan dit selfs twee jaar neem vir die sake om afgehandel te word. Hulle kom gewoonlik van
gemeenskappe waar hulle tuis en by die skool blootgestel was aan geweld, dwelmmisbruik en
misdaad. Die ses respondente in my studie het self dwelms misbruik of was blootgestel aan
dwelmmisbruik. Alle leerders by die plek van veiligheid het die wet oortree en is verhoorafwagtend.
Hulle het die skool op voortydige ouderdom verlaat of het nooit voorheen skoolgegaan nie.
Terwyl hulle by die plek van veiligheid bly, ondergaan hulle verskillende terapeutiese programme.
Hulle woon ook skool by. Die leerplan is aangepas na aanleiding van die individuele behoeftes van
die leerders.
Terwyl ek met hierdie seuns en jeugdiges by die skool gewerk het, het ek besorg geraak oor die
beperkte verwagtinge wat hulle klaarblyklik gehad het. Ek het gewonder waarom die meeste van
hulle min of geen ambisie toon en klaarblyklik min of geen gretigheid het om te leer nie, veral as in
ag geneem word dat hulle vlakke van geletterdheid benede die gemiddelde vlakke van hul
ouderdomgroepe is en dat die meeste van hulle die skool voortydig verlaat het of selfs nooit skool
bygewoon het nie. Algemene beriggewing en amptelike dokumente dui aan dat jeugdiges in Suid-
Afrika – en veral in die Wes-Kaap – toenemend aan dwelmmisbruik, geweld en misdaad
blootgestel word. Dit kan invloed hê op die groeiende aantal skoolverlaters. Beter begrip van
verhoorafwagtende jeugdiges se ontvanklikheid of predisposisies vir leer kan lei tot beter begrip
van die graad van ontmagtiging wat in hierdie gemeenskappe ervaar word.
Hierdie navorsingstudie het op kwalitatiewe gevallestudies gefokus waartydens ek gepoog het om
jeugdiges se ontvanklikheid of predisposisies vir leer te ondersoek en te verstaan. Vertolkende of
interpretatiewe benadering is gevolg om insigte te bekom ten opsigte van die lewensverhale van
vii
die ses respondente en die wyse waarop hulle hul persoonlike werklikhede interpreteer en
verstaan. Hierdie gemarginaliseerde groep mense het die geleentheid gekry om hul persoonlike
lewensverhale met betrekking tot hul beleefde leerervaringe te verbaliseer. Ek het hierdie studie
oor tydperk van ongeveer twee-en-‘n-halwe jaar uitgevoer, met in agneming van
dataversameling en –verwerking. Ek het data versamel deur middel van inligting in amptelike
dokumente, asook deur die voer van persoonlike onderhoude. Die indringende onderhoude wat ek
met ses respondente gevoer het, is op video vasgelê. Ek het hierdie data gebruik in die proses van
dataverwerking.
Die tesis bied blik op die lewensverhale van die ses respondente. Dit kan dien as grondslag vir
diskoers oor hoe die beoefening van volwasse onderrig en leer teen die agtergrond van
gemarginaliseerde jeugdiges gedefinieer en toegepas word.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/5409 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | De Waal, Hester Jacoba |
| Contributors | Frick, L., University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Education. Centre for Higher Education. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | x, 171 p. : ill. |
| Rights | University of Stellenbosch |
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