Papers by Ncamisile P. Mthiyane
Journal of education (Durban), Oct 27, 2022
Xenophobia poses a threat to social cohesion in South Africa. It is vital that pre-service teache... more Xenophobia poses a threat to social cohesion in South Africa. It is vital that pre-service teachers engage with their beliefs and attitudes about this phenomenon, so that they can promote socially inclusive education in a way that is sustainable. In support of the March 2019 National Action Plan in South Africa to address racism, including xenophobia, we recently undertook a small-scale research project, underpinned by the notions of diversity and inclusivity, at a Higher Education Institution, in the School of Education. In this article, we offer a methodological contribution in arguing for the efficacy of empathetic-reflective-dialogical re-storying as a teaching-learning strategy that contributes to transformed teaching praxis. This could provide a pathway to social inclusivity for education. This teaching-learning strategy serves a decolonial agenda in changing the way in which teaching-learning takes place. We explored various perspectives and positions with regard to the other in the interests of building a sustainable foundation for future generations to live with dignity, regardless of ethnicity.
Comprehensive Sexuality Education in Rural Ecologies: An Asset-Based Approach
American Journal of Sexuality Education
Alternation: Interdisciplinary Journal for the Study of the Arts and Humanities in Southern Africa, 2018
This article argues that it is essential to explore conversations at the intersection between per... more This article argues that it is essential to explore conversations at the intersection between personal religious identity and Human Rights issues in an attempt to bridge the gap between policy and practice. To facilitate this exploration an empathetic-reflective-dialogical approach was adopted to engage with pre-service teachers in a South African Higher Education Institution. Selected pre-service Religion Education teachers were encouraged to engage in self-dialogue and to write their self-narratives. Participating in Communities in Conversation, Communities in Dialogue and Communities for Transformation provided the opportunity for empathetic-reflectivedialogical restorying to take place. This restorying has the potential to address the possible disconnect between the individual's personal and professional identities when considering Human Rights issues, and in this case, gender equality in particular. Conversing at this intersection has the potential to increase the individual's identity capital and to transform classroom practice to classroom praxis and this can possibly impact the wider society.
Journal for new generation sciences, 2012
This paper explores comparatively the voices of the orphaned adolescents living in an orphanage a... more This paper explores comparatively the voices of the orphaned adolescents living in an orphanage and foster homes. Currently the emphasis is on children's rights; it is believed that children have rights to have their opinions heard, to refuse a demand, to voice their dissatisfaction and, in the case of orphans, to question the reasons for their status. This study is qualitative in nature and utilises the discourse analysis approach (analogue and dialogical method). A sample of ten orphaned adolescents (OAs) was randomly selected in an informal settlement in Inanda. Semi-structured interviews and diaries were used to collect data. Critical consciousness is explored in addressing silences using the adolescents' lenses as a platform for meaning-making. Through in-depth interpretation of their problems, self-awareness of the OAs was also attained, which is best for a person to develop and thrive (or not) despite challenges.
Promoting the Well-Being of Supervisors for Sustainable Early Childhood Development in an Informal Settlement
Educational Research for Social Change
Early childhood development (ECD) centres are strategically positioned to create quality early le... more Early childhood development (ECD) centres are strategically positioned to create quality early learning opportunities that prepare children for adulthood, providing the necessary holistic sustainable learning. However, many ECD facilities in the informal settlements in South Africa function under a variety of psychosocial and contextual challenges that impact directly on the well-being of supervisors and practitioners. This study explored the need to enable, and the ways to relationally promote, the well-being of supervisors. Underpinned by posthumanism, and consistent with participatory action learning and action research cycles, we recognised that the challenges facing humanity today require new understandings and responsive solutions, which include engagements and contributions with and by nonhuman relationalities for sustainable early childhood learning. In this paper, we argue that focus on the promotion of the well-being of ECD supervisors in informal settlements is crucial. D...
(UN)trapped? Transformative Voices of Four Black Female “Novice” Academics in a South African Higher Education Institution
Transformation of Higher Education Institutions in Post-Apartheid South Africa, 2019
SHORT BIO Janet Jarvis lectures both undergraduate and postgraduate students in Life Orientation ... more SHORT BIO Janet Jarvis lectures both undergraduate and postgraduate students in Life Orientation Education in the School of Education at the University of Kwa-Zulu-Natal. She supervises Honours, Masters, and PhD students. She is also the Cluster Leader for Social Sciences Education. She graduated cum laude with a MEd from Stellenbosch University. In 2013 she graduated with her PhD from the North West University (Potchefstroom). Her research interests lie particularly in teacher identity, Religion Education, and Human Rights Education. Ncamisile P. Mthiyane lectures both undergraduate and postgraduate students in Life Orientation Education, in the School of Education at the Univer-sity of KwaZuluNatal. She supervises Honours, Masters, and PhD students in the Psychology of Education Department. She graduated with her Masters in Psychology of Education at the former University of Durban Westville and her PhD in Educational Psychology at the University of the Free State in 2015. Her res...
Orphans in an orphanage and in foster care in the Inanda Informal Settlement : a comparative study exploring the ways the children cope with loss and create purpose in their lives
Alternation: Interdisciplinary Journal for the Study of the Arts and Humanities in Southern Africa
This article argues that it is essential to explore conversations at the intersection between per... more This article argues that it is essential to explore conversations at the intersection between personal religious identity and Human Rights issues in an attempt to bridge the gap between policy and practice. To facilitate this exploration an empathetic-reflective-dialogical approach was adopted to engage with pre-service teachers in a South African Higher Education Institution. Selected pre-service Religion Education teachers were encouraged to engage in self-dialogue and to write their self-narratives. Participating in Communities in Conversation, Communities in Dialogue and Communities for Transformation provided the opportunity for empathetic-reflectivedialogical restorying to take place. This restorying has the potential to address the possible disconnect between the individual's personal and professional identities when considering Human Rights issues, and in this case, gender equality in particular. Conversing at this intersection has the potential to increase the individual's identity capital and to transform classroom practice to classroom praxis and this can possibly impact the wider society.
This article argues that the intersection between personal religious identity and human rights is... more This article argues that the intersection between personal religious identity and human rights issues needs to be explored. There is a need to bridge the gap between policy (the constitutions of countries such as South Africa and Norway espouse gender equality) and practice. Using gender equality as an example of a human rights issue, an intervention strategy is employed using an empathetic-reflective-dialogical approach to engage with pre-service teachers in both South Africa and Norway. Selected pre-service teachers are encouraged to engage in selfdialogue and to write their self-narratives. Participating in Communities in Conversation, Communities in Dialogue, and Communities for Transformation provides the platform for empathetic-reflective-dialogical restorying to take place. This restorying has the potential to address possible dissonance between the individual's personal and professional identities when dealing with human rights issues. Classroom practice could become classroom praxis! There is also the potential for transformative practice in the wider society.
(UN)trapped? Transformative Voices of Four Black Female “Novice” Academics in a South African Higher Education Institution
This article explores cooperative learning as an innovative teaching strategy to prepare Post Gra... more This article explores cooperative learning as an innovative teaching strategy to prepare Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) pre-service students in terms of their teaching skills and content knowledge in Life Orientation (LO) Education. The LO Education curriculum is challenging as it focuses on the holistic development (physical, social, personal, intellectual, emotional and spiritual) of a learner. Working within a qualitative approach, this paper presents a case-study design involving ten purposively selected LO final year PGCE pre-service students as respondents. Data was generated using recorded semi-structured focus group discussions and reflective journals. Data analysis using a phenomenological model revealed problems in relation to ineffective promotion of positive interdependence, lack of effective and creative strategies for group activities, lack of knowledge of reflective practice and lack of confidence in teaching sensitive topics in the LO curriculum.
School and the community: Managing disruptive learner behaviour in rural learning ecologies
Perspectives in Education
CHAPTER TWO THEORETICAL AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORKS 2.1 INTRODUCTION 2.2 OPERATIONALISING THEORETIC... more CHAPTER TWO THEORETICAL AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORKS 2.1 INTRODUCTION 2.2 OPERATIONALISING THEORETICAL AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORKS 2.3 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF CRITICAL EMANCIPATORY RESEARCH 2.4 OBJECTIVES OF CRITICAL EMANCIPATORY RESEARCH 2.5 TRANSFORMATIVE AND EMANCIPATORY PRINCIPLES 2.5.1 Principle of critical capabilities 2.5.1.1 The need for critical consciousness development 2.5.1.2 The need for a principle of reflective practice 2.5.1.3 Critical thinking as an individual and collective endeavour 2.5.2 Communicative action practice in CER 2.5.2.1 Communicative social relations 2.5.2.2 The role of socio-cultural influence 2.5.2.3 Engaging in role modelling and mentorship practices 2.5.3 The principles of Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory 2.5.3.1 Microsystem as a resource 2.5.3.2 Mesosystem as a resource 2.5.3.3 Exosystem as a resource 2.5.3.4 Macrosystem as a resource 2.5.3.5 Chronosystem as a resource (xiii) 2.6 OBJECTIVES OF THEORETICAL AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORKS 2.6.1 The transforming principles of CER and BEST 2.6.2 Transforming interrelationships between CER, BEST and PAR principles 2.7 DEFINITION OF OPERATIONAL CONCEPTS 2.7.1 An orphan 2.7.2 Higher Education Student 2.7.3 Higher Education Institution (HEI) 2.8 CHAPTER SUMMARY CHAPTER 3 RELATED LITERATURE REVIEW 3.1 INTRODUCTION 3.2 PREVALENCE OF ORPHANHOOD AND ITS IMPACT ON HEIs 3.2.1 Consequences of orphanhood 3.3 LACK OF PARTICIPATION AND STUDENT ENGAGEMENT 3.4 UNATTENDED GRIEF, BEREAVEMENT AND COPING RESOURCES 3.5 INFLUENCE OF SHIFT OF FAMILY LIFE 3.5.1 Reconceptualisation of a home or family unit 3.5.1.1 Child and youth-headed households 3.5.1.2 Foster care 3.6 PSYCHO-SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL EMPOWERMENT 3.6.1 The perception of "self" in a HEI 3.7 ORPHANHOOD AND SOCIOECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS 3.7.1 Implications of poverty 3.8 SOCIO-CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING AND FRAMING OF ORPHANHOOD IN HEI 101 3.9 THE ROLE OF EDUCATION AND SOCIAL CHANGE 103 (xiv) 3.9.1 Implications of policies on access and participation in an HEI 3.10 CHAPTER SUMMARY
This article argues that the intersection between personal religious identity and human rights is... more This article argues that the intersection between personal religious identity and human rights issues needs to be explored. There is a need to bridge the gap between policy (the constitutions of countries such as South Africa and Norway espouse gender equality) and practice. Using gender equality as an example of a human rights issue, an intervention strategy is employed using an empathetic-reflective-dialogical approach to engage with pre-service teachers in both South Africa and Norway. Selected pre-service teachers are encouraged to engage in selfdialogue and to write their self-narratives. Participating in Communities in Conversation, Communities in Dialogue, and Communities for Transformation provides the platform for empathetic-reflective-dialogical restorying to take place. This restorying has the potential to address possible dissonance between the individual’s personal and professional identities when dealing with human rights issues. Classroom practice could become classro...
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Papers by Ncamisile P. Mthiyane