Teachers’ understandings and experiences of policies on learner pregnancy in their schools in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Authors: Tshozi, Nomawethu Caroline
- Date: 2025-04
- Subjects: Sex instruction , Family life education , Education, Secondary -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/71893 , vital:79149
- Description: Learner pregnancy has increased over the past few years, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa and particularly in the province of the Eastern Cape where this research study is conducted. There have been policies formulated and promulgated in the past to prevent and manage learner pregnancies, however, they have not been successful in lowering numbers of learners getting pregnant. Government has responded to this by revising these policies and introducing comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) in the curriculum from primary school. This has been met with resistance from school governing bodies and religious groups in the country, thereby delaying implementation. Teachers are having to deal at the coalface with this problem of learners getting pregnant at an early age in their schools. This research study explores teachers’ understandings and experiences of policies on learner pregnancy in their schools in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. It takes on qualitative research and an interpretive paradigm following a participatory visual methodology using photovoice and document analysis as data generation methods which culminated in policy briefs. Three township secondary schools from quintile 3 were purposively selected for this study from which eight were Life Orientation teachers and one a learner support agent (LSA) participated. The findings revealed that teachers feel incapacitated in handling sexuality matters and are not adequately enabled to effectively implement the formulated learner pregnancy policies in their schools. In addition, monitoring of the implementation of the learner pregnancy policies and support from the DBE were lacking. Moreover, collaboration with key stakeholders, such as parents, healthcare professionals (including nurses and social workers), and the community, was missing. This study recommends that the Department of Basic Education, through schools, should strengthen prevention strategies and rigorously push for the integration of CSE into the curriculum emphasising responsible decision-making, pregnancy prevention and reproductive health. Additionally, the DBE should provide ongoing training for teachers through in-service development workshops to enhance their understanding of learner pregnancy policies while also monitoring their effective implementation. This has implications for policymakers and curriculum developers to advocate for and design appropriate strategies and resources. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, School of Education, Research and Engagement, 2025
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2025-04
- Authors: Tshozi, Nomawethu Caroline
- Date: 2025-04
- Subjects: Sex instruction , Family life education , Education, Secondary -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/71893 , vital:79149
- Description: Learner pregnancy has increased over the past few years, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa and particularly in the province of the Eastern Cape where this research study is conducted. There have been policies formulated and promulgated in the past to prevent and manage learner pregnancies, however, they have not been successful in lowering numbers of learners getting pregnant. Government has responded to this by revising these policies and introducing comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) in the curriculum from primary school. This has been met with resistance from school governing bodies and religious groups in the country, thereby delaying implementation. Teachers are having to deal at the coalface with this problem of learners getting pregnant at an early age in their schools. This research study explores teachers’ understandings and experiences of policies on learner pregnancy in their schools in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. It takes on qualitative research and an interpretive paradigm following a participatory visual methodology using photovoice and document analysis as data generation methods which culminated in policy briefs. Three township secondary schools from quintile 3 were purposively selected for this study from which eight were Life Orientation teachers and one a learner support agent (LSA) participated. The findings revealed that teachers feel incapacitated in handling sexuality matters and are not adequately enabled to effectively implement the formulated learner pregnancy policies in their schools. In addition, monitoring of the implementation of the learner pregnancy policies and support from the DBE were lacking. Moreover, collaboration with key stakeholders, such as parents, healthcare professionals (including nurses and social workers), and the community, was missing. This study recommends that the Department of Basic Education, through schools, should strengthen prevention strategies and rigorously push for the integration of CSE into the curriculum emphasising responsible decision-making, pregnancy prevention and reproductive health. Additionally, the DBE should provide ongoing training for teachers through in-service development workshops to enhance their understanding of learner pregnancy policies while also monitoring their effective implementation. This has implications for policymakers and curriculum developers to advocate for and design appropriate strategies and resources. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, School of Education, Research and Engagement, 2025
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2025-04
A sociological analysis of the sex education of young adult white womxn and their understandings and practices of ‘Safe Sex’
- Authors: Guerra, Cassandra Gadelha
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Sex instruction , Sex instruction for girls , Women, White -- Psychology , Women, White -- Sexual behavior
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSocSci
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/147267 , vital:38610
- Description: This research sets out to examine the experiences and perspectives of young adult white womxn regarding their respective sex education. This is in terms of how sex education may shape and influence sexual practices. The relevance of exploring the sex education of this group is to gain an understanding of how constructions of sex education may facilitate the negotiation of sexual practices, particularly as these practices relate to the negotiation of ‘safe sex’. This involves an exploration of definitions of ‘safe sex’ as well as an examination of the various sources of sex education. This research argues that sex education has been socially constructed within a ‘heterosexual matrix’ where both gender identities and sexuality are constructed in heterosexual terms in accordance with compulsory heterosexuality. Furthermore, that sex education as well as understandings and practices of ‘safe sex’ intersect with other social categories such as race, gender and sexuality. Much of the sex-related research conducted in South Africa focuses on people of colour, as a result very little is known about the sexual behaviours and practices of the white demographic. This research accounts for the absence of analysis of sexual practices and behaviour among white people by examining the sex education and sexual practices of young adult white womxn between the ages of 19 and 24. The research observed key sources of sex education which included parents, schools, religious institutions and the internet. Findings indicate that the sex education of participants reflected ideals of heteronormativity and misogyny which were found to directly influence their understandings and practices of both sex and ‘safe sex’. Furthermore, that the sex education participants received has ultimately failed to promote ‘safe’ sexual practices.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Guerra, Cassandra Gadelha
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Sex instruction , Sex instruction for girls , Women, White -- Psychology , Women, White -- Sexual behavior
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSocSci
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/147267 , vital:38610
- Description: This research sets out to examine the experiences and perspectives of young adult white womxn regarding their respective sex education. This is in terms of how sex education may shape and influence sexual practices. The relevance of exploring the sex education of this group is to gain an understanding of how constructions of sex education may facilitate the negotiation of sexual practices, particularly as these practices relate to the negotiation of ‘safe sex’. This involves an exploration of definitions of ‘safe sex’ as well as an examination of the various sources of sex education. This research argues that sex education has been socially constructed within a ‘heterosexual matrix’ where both gender identities and sexuality are constructed in heterosexual terms in accordance with compulsory heterosexuality. Furthermore, that sex education as well as understandings and practices of ‘safe sex’ intersect with other social categories such as race, gender and sexuality. Much of the sex-related research conducted in South Africa focuses on people of colour, as a result very little is known about the sexual behaviours and practices of the white demographic. This research accounts for the absence of analysis of sexual practices and behaviour among white people by examining the sex education and sexual practices of young adult white womxn between the ages of 19 and 24. The research observed key sources of sex education which included parents, schools, religious institutions and the internet. Findings indicate that the sex education of participants reflected ideals of heteronormativity and misogyny which were found to directly influence their understandings and practices of both sex and ‘safe sex’. Furthermore, that the sex education participants received has ultimately failed to promote ‘safe’ sexual practices.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
A situation analysis of sex education and communication and the implications thereof for HIV/AIDS prevention work
- Authors: Mankayi, Andiswa
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Sex instruction , Safe sex in AIDS prevention , AIDS (Disease) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , AIDS (Disease) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Prevention
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3147 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007447 , Sex instruction , Safe sex in AIDS prevention , AIDS (Disease) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , AIDS (Disease) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Prevention
- Description: This study explores the history of sex communication and education over a period of fifty years (1950 to the present), in a deep rural area of the Eastern Cape. It describes patterns of sex communication between peers, between siblings, between children and parents and between young people and other non-familial agencies within communities. Communication trends are traced from the period before contraception was introduced, through to the introduction of female birth control methods into the HIV/AIDS era where the focus has been on attempting to introduce condoms. Twelve semi-structured interviews and two four-person focus groups were conducted to gather information on how the participants acquired information about sexuality and their responses to the same. The findings of the present study suggest that the widespread use of injectable contraceptives has had a marked effect on the sexual culture of the community under investigation. It has led to the collapse of the regulatory practices which were previously in place. This in turn has significantly affected the sexual communication and negotiation context. Furthermore, it has had a determining influence on male involvement in sexual reproductive health matters and has created a poor context for the adoption of condoms as a prophylactic. There were no major changes in the sexual communication context within families and within communities in that education has always been limited to instructions to avoid pregnancy. Of note was a culture of collusion between adults and children surrounding sexuality, which absolved the parties involved in addressing sexuality. These factors are understood have mediated response to HIV/AIDS prevention efforts, and need to be taken into consideration in the development of sex communication and education programmes.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
- Authors: Mankayi, Andiswa
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Sex instruction , Safe sex in AIDS prevention , AIDS (Disease) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , AIDS (Disease) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Prevention
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3147 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007447 , Sex instruction , Safe sex in AIDS prevention , AIDS (Disease) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , AIDS (Disease) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Prevention
- Description: This study explores the history of sex communication and education over a period of fifty years (1950 to the present), in a deep rural area of the Eastern Cape. It describes patterns of sex communication between peers, between siblings, between children and parents and between young people and other non-familial agencies within communities. Communication trends are traced from the period before contraception was introduced, through to the introduction of female birth control methods into the HIV/AIDS era where the focus has been on attempting to introduce condoms. Twelve semi-structured interviews and two four-person focus groups were conducted to gather information on how the participants acquired information about sexuality and their responses to the same. The findings of the present study suggest that the widespread use of injectable contraceptives has had a marked effect on the sexual culture of the community under investigation. It has led to the collapse of the regulatory practices which were previously in place. This in turn has significantly affected the sexual communication and negotiation context. Furthermore, it has had a determining influence on male involvement in sexual reproductive health matters and has created a poor context for the adoption of condoms as a prophylactic. There were no major changes in the sexual communication context within families and within communities in that education has always been limited to instructions to avoid pregnancy. Of note was a culture of collusion between adults and children surrounding sexuality, which absolved the parties involved in addressing sexuality. These factors are understood have mediated response to HIV/AIDS prevention efforts, and need to be taken into consideration in the development of sex communication and education programmes.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
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