Inability to interpret the flexibility of the life skills curriculum

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INTRODUCTION

Malaria is endemic in South Africa, in the northeastern areas of three provinces namely KwaZuluNatal (KZN), Limpopo and Mpumalanga. The possibility of infection is high during the summer rainy season between the months of September and May (Morris et al., 2013). An important case to consider is the impact of malaria on the health of young school children within these endemic areas. This study identified the Limpopo province as an area of research interest. The aim was to the possibility of promoting malaria education awareness through the Life Skills curriculum in the Foundation Phase.

This strategy was informed by the decision taken by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in addressing dilemmas pertaining to health issues. The WHO strongly promotes the implementation of a health programme aimed at assisting issues related to health in schools. However, the achievement of such health benefits is difficult to evaluate among children in the primary school setting (Leger, 1999). One of the reasons for this, as identified by Leger (1999) is the absence of a well designed health programme, linked to the curriculum. Effective Life Skills programmes are suggested by Gachuhi (1999) to be capable of putting an end to dreaded diseases such as HIV/AIDS among children between the ages of 5 and 14. Leger (1999) consolidates the drive to explore the possibility of using the Life Skills curriculum in the Foundation Phase as a tool that addresses this concern. The Department of Education recommends the Life Skills subject area as one of the learning programmes in the Foundation Phase. The Life Skills subject area is a programme, aimed at developing children into responsible and disciplined adults who would be able to take control of their lives in a speedily transforming world (DBE, 2011). This study seeks to promote malaria awareness through the Life Skills subject area in the Foundation Phase.

BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

The drive to embark on this study was initiated by a call made by the University of Pretoria Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control (UPISMC) and findings in the literature. The goal of the UPISMC was to harmonise and encourage shared research on secure and viable malaria control and management strategies in an attempt to generate new knowledge to inform practice. The UPISMC was exploring a multidisciplinary approach capable of tackling the continuously emerging challenges associated with the ongoing malaria scourge in the Limpopo province of South Africa. An example of literature-based motivation to conduct this research study is the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, in which the school is seen as a medium of achieving better health among school children (cited in Baric, 1994; Kickbusch, 1989).

Similarly, empirical studies (such as Brooker, et al., 2000; Atkinson, Fitzgerald, Toaliu, Taleo, Tynan, Whittaker, Riley, & Vallely, 2010) have revealed a direct influence of the school on malaria education and surveillance programmes. Schools have been the focus in key interventions, in particular, health-related issues such as HIV/AIDS and nutrition (e.g. Ansell, 2009). In addition, classroom health instruction was one of the main areas around which school health in the United States was shaped (National Professional School Health Organizations, 1984). The report of the WHO Expert Committee on School Health Services (WHO, 1951) argues for the development of more comprehensive programmes in the curriculum to address health issues. Equipped with the reports of these findings, this study explored the role of the curriculum in promoting health development, with particular attention to malaria. The study was conducted among children in the Foundation Phase in the Vhembe district, Limpopo province in South Africa. This study explored the prospects of improving children’s health through the medium of classroom instructional activities in the Life Skills subject area with particular reference to malaria fever. Apart from the learners in the Foundation Phase, teachers and parents became sources of data collection.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Malaria is a major health dilemma with over 90% deaths occurring in Africa, South of the Sahara (WHO, 2016). The Limpopo province of South Africa is one of such areas ravaged by malaria (Morris et al., 2013). Children’s stage of development makes them particularly more vulnerable to attacks than adults. Our responsibility is to allow children grow up with a good understanding of their environment and the world they live in. Sanders and Stewart (2004:205) reiterate this, in asserting that it is our duty to ensure that children understand the world around them. This declaration presents prospects for stakeholders (school, teachers, learners, and parents) who are concerned about children to help them accomplish optimum health status as they grow up in their environment. In this study, the school is considered as one of such stakeholders capable of assisting children to achieve this aim.

The idea of incorporating malaria education into the Life Skills curriculum thus becomes an attempt to yield to the dictates in the extant literature because it is the right of learners to understand what they would be contending against as they grow up to become adults. Children in the Foundation Phase are still at an early stage of development. Attention should be given to sensitise and safeguard them against deadly diseases such as malaria, which poses a threat to their survival. This corresponds with the aims of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), which asserts that the Life Skills subject area is designed to channel and get learners in the Foundation Phase ready for life and equipped to live a worthy and flourishing life (DBE, 2011). The school thus becomes an ideal place for valuable partnership in programmes, aimed at controlling diseases (WHO, 1951).

It has been observed that health issues strive to be located within the curriculum alongside other traditional subjects such as mathematics, sciences and languages (O’Neill, Clark, & Jones, 2011). This calls for an intentional move in the course of implementing malaria health education in the South African primary school curriculum, particularly in areas where the incidence of malaria infection is predominant. It is also imperative to develop various interventions and examine the effectiveness of these interventions among children in the Foundation Phase. Furthermore, due to the propensity of parents and children to move from one region of South Africa to another, it becomes a dilemma to furnish learners in South Africa and their parents with an understanding of the risks they are prone to, when they migrate from a non malaria endemic region to an endemic region.

TABLE OF CONTENTS :

• DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY
• DEDICATION
• ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
• ABSTRACT
• ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF LANGUAGE EDITING
• LIST OF ACRONYMS
• LIST OF TABLES
• LIST OF FIGURES
• LIST OF APPENDICES
• CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH
  • 1.1 INTRODUCTION
  • 1.2 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
  • 1.3 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
  • 1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
  • 1.5 RESEARCH SUBQUESTIONS
  • 1.6 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
  • 1.7 RATIONALE AND THEORETICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
  • 1.8 CLARITY OF KEY CONCEPTS
    • 1.8.1 MALARIA
    • 1.8.2 MALARIA EDUCATION
    • 1.8.3 LIFE SKILLS
    • 1.8.4 CURRICULUM
    • 1.8.5 FOUNDATION PHASE
    • 1.8.6 SELF-EFFICACY
  • 1.9 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS
  • 1.9.1 SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY (SCT)
  • 1.9.2 SITUATED COGNITION
  • 1.10 OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH STRATEGY
  • 1.10.1META THEORETICAL PARADIGM
  • 1.11 METHODOLOGICAL PARADIGM
  • 1.11.1RESEARCH DESIGN
  • 1.12 PARTICIPANTS AND SITE SELECTION
  • 1.13 DATA COLLECTION METHODS
  • 1.14 DATA ANALYSIS
    • 1.14.1 CONTENT ANALYSIS
    • 1.14.2 THEMATIC ANALYSIS
  • 1.15 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
  • 1.15.1 INFORMED CONSENT AND VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION
    • 1.15.2 BENEFICENCE- THE PROMISE NOT TO HURT THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE STUDY
    • 1.15.3 RESPECT FOR ANONYMITY AND CONFIDENTIALITY
    • 1.15.4 VULNERABLE GROUPS OF PEOPLE
  • 1.16 QUALITY MEASURES
    • 1.16.1 CREDIBILITY
    • 1.16.2 TRANSFERABILITY
    • 1.16.3 DEPENDABILITY
    • 1.16.4 CONFIRMABILITY
  • 1.17 RESEARCH LIMITATIONS
  • 1.18 OUTLINE OF CHAPTERS
  • 1.19 CHAPTER SUMMARY
• CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
  • 2.1 INTRODUCTION
  • 2.2 INFLUENCE OF THE CURRICULUM ON CHILDREN’S HEALTH
    • 2.2.1 THE CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT POLICY STATEMENT (CAPS)
    • 2.2.2 THE LIFE SKILLS CURRICULUM AND CHILD HEALTH
  • 2.3 THE RELEVANCE OF SCHOOLS IN PROPAGATING HEALTH EDUCATION
  • 2.4 THE IMPORTANCE OF TEXTS IN FOSTERING KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE ABOUT MALARIA
  • 2.5 ASSOCIATION BETWEEN MALARIA AND HIV/AIDS
  • 2.6 THE ROLE OF CHILDREN AS CHANGE AGENTS IN HEALTH MATTERS
  • 2.7 PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN HEALTH EDUCATION
  • 2.8 IMPACT OF MALARIA ON THE CHILD’S DEVELOPMENT
  • 2.9 PECULIAR FACTORS IMPACTING MALARIA
    • 2.9.1 ADULTERATED DRUGS
    • 2.9.2 RESISTANCE TO TREATMENT DRUGS
    • 2.9.3 RESISTANCE TO INSECTICIDES
    • 2.9.4 UNSTABLE CLIMATIC CONDITION
    • 2.9.5 HUMAN CONDUCT
  • 2.10 CULTURAL BELIEFS AND PRACTICES IMPACTING ON MALARIA
  • 2.11 POLICY RESPONSES IN SOUTH AFRICA WITH REGARDS TO MALARIA
  • 2.12 THE MALARIA SITUATION IN THE LIMPOPO PROVINCE
  • 2.13 SUGGESTED TEACHING STRATEGIES SUITED TO MALARIA HEALTH EDUCATION
  • 2.14 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS FROM LITERATURE
  • 2.15. CONCLUSION
• CHAPTER THREE: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
  • 3.1 INTRODUCTION
  • 3.2 THEORIES OF ACTION
    • 3.2.1 SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY (SCT)
    • 3.2.2 SITUATED COGNITION
  • 3.3 THE THEORIES OF ACTION IN CONTEXT
  • 3.4 CONCLUSION
• CHAPTER FOUR: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
  • 4.1 INTRODUCTION
  • 4.2 PARADIGMATIC ASSUMPTIONS
    • 4.2.1 META-THEORETICAL PARADIGM
  • 4.3 METHODOLOGICAL PARADIGM
    • 4.3.1 QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
    • 4.3.2 STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
  • 4.4 THE RESEARCHER’S STRATEGY OF INQUIRY
    • 4.4.1 NARRATIVE INQUIRY
    • 4.4.2 CASE STUDY
  • 4.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
    • 4.5.1 PRIMARY RESEARCH QUESTION
    • 4.5.2 RESEARCH SUBQUESTIONS
  • 4.6 ACCOUNT OF RESEARCH SAMPLE AND SAMPLING PLAN
    • 4.6.1 RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS AND SITES
    • 4.6.2 DESCRIPTION OF THE RESEARCH SITES
    • 4.6.3 PROFILE OF THE LIMPOPO PROVINCE
    • 4.6.4 CRITERIA FOR PARTICIPATION
  • 4.7 DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURE
    • 4.7.1 SEMISTRUCTURED INTERVIEW
    • 4.7.2 OBSERVATION
    • 4.7.3 DOCUMENT ANALYSIS
  • 4.8 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
    • 4.8.1 INFORMED CONSENT AND CHILDREN’S VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION
    • 4.8.2 ANONYMITY AND CONFIDENTIALITY
    • 4.8.3 PROTECTING PARTICIPANTS FROM HARM
  • 4.9 DATA ANALYSIS
  • 4.10 QUALITY CRITERIA
    • 4.10.1 CREDIBILITY
    • 4.10.2 TRANSFERABILITY
    • 4.10.3 DEPENDABILITY
    • 4.10.4 CONFIRMABILITY
  • 4.11 TRIANGULATION OF DATA
  • 4.12 SUMMARY
• CHAPTER FIVE: PRESENTATION AND DATA ANALYSIS
  • 5.1 INTRODUCTION
  • 5.2 QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS
  • 5.3 DISCUSSION OF THEMES
    • 5.3.1 THEME 1: LIMITED KNOWLEDGE
    • 5.3.2 THEME 2: TEACHERS’ INFORMATION LEVEL AND RESOURCES TO IMPLEMENT TEACHING
    • MALARIA EDUCATION TO LEARNERS
    • 5.3.3 THEME 3: PARENTS’ LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT MALARIA
  • 5.4 CONCLUSION
• CHAPTER SIX: DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
  • 6.1 INTRODUCTION
  • 6.2 SYNTHESIS OF THE RESEARCH FINDINGS IN RELATION TO THE FORMULATED RESEARCH QUESTIONS
    • 6.2.1 PRIMARY RESEARCH QUESTION
    • 6.2.2 RESEARCH SUBQUESTIONS
    • 6.2.3 WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE CURRICULUM IN IMPROVING MALARIA AWARENESS AMONG CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION PHASE?
    • 6.2.4 HOW IS MALARIA HEALTH EDUCATION ADDRESSED IN THE LIFE SKILLS SUBJECT AREA IN THE FOUNDATION PHASE CURRICULUM?
    • 6.2.5 HOW DO TEACHERS IN THE FOUNDATION PHASE SENSITISE CHILDREN IN GRASPING AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE RELEVANCE OF MALARIA TO THEIR HEALTH ISSUES?
    • 6.2.6 TO WHAT EXTENT DO LEARNERS IN THE FOUNDATION PHASE EDUCATE THEIR PARENTS TO ACHIEVE MAXIMUM HEALTH CONDITION WITH REGARDS TO MALARIA?
  • 6.2.7 WHAT ARE THE CULTURAL PRACTICES IMPACTING THE KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE OF CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION PHASE WITH REGARDS TO MALARIA?
  • 6.2.8 WHAT IS THE LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE OF MALARIA HEALTH ISSUES AMONG CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION PHASE?
  • 6. 3 CONCLUSIONS
• CHAPTER SEVEN: SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, GENERATION OF NEW KNOWLEDGE, RECOMMENDATIONS
  • 7.1 INTRODUCTION
  • 7.2 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
  • 7.3 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
  • 7.4 GENERATION OF NEW KNOWLEDGE
    • 7.4.1 INABILITY TO INTERPRET THE FLEXIBILITY OF THE LIFE SKILLS CURRICULUM
    • 7.4.2 IMPLEMENTATION OF THE TENETS OF THE CURRICULUM IS A DECIDING FACTOR BEFOR CHILDREN CAN BECOME CHANGE AGENTS
    • 7.4.3 THE AGENTIC ROLE IS NOT LIMITED TO TEACHERS AND LEARNERS
  • 7.5 RECOMMENDATIONS FIT FOR PRACTICE
  • 7.6 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
  • 7.7 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH
  • 7.8 CONCLUSIONS
  • REFERENCES

PHILOSOPHIAE DOCTOR Faculty Of Education

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