Browsing by Author "Smuts, Hortense"

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    ’n Ondersoek na die gereedheid van onderwysers vir die demokratiese aard van onderwys in die Wes-Kaap, Suid-Afrika
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2019-04) Smuts, Hortense; Waghid, Yusef; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Curriculum Studies.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT : South Africa became a democracy in 1994, but without democrats, a democracy will be null and void. In order to become a country with proficient democrats, we need to understand what it means to be citizens, informed about our rights and capable to participate in decision-making processes. Democratic citizenship education is the key instrument to realise this ideal. Therefore, a statement is made that education in South Africa cannot move forward without incorporating democratic principles. Since 1994, education in South Africa has undergone many changes in the quest for a more democratic country. However, the question is whether teachers have also made the necessary changes, or have been given the necessary guidance to implement such changes. Are teachers ready to facilitate the democratic nature of education? It is a known problem that teachers tend to leave the profession after a few years of teaching. Although there may be many possible reasons for the cause of this problem, in this study, I looked at the readiness of teachers for teaching, specifically for the democratic nature of teaching. To approach this study, I made use of a critical paradigm, in order to expose problems and find possible solutions. Data was constructed through the lived experience of teachers from three different schools and education students at final-year level. An empirical research approach was used to set up questions, which included both close-ended and open-ended questions. Through this research, it was shown that, although teachers tend to feel ready for the profession before they enter schools, after they start teaching, reality creates the opposite feeling. According to the teachers, democracy and diversity are not necessarily two of the core reasons why teachers leave the profession. It was also found that democratic citizenship education is absent in most teachers’ understanding of the concept and therefore the implementation thereof. Thus, teachers may be experiencing barriers that are linked to the challenges of democracy and diversity without even knowing it. These findings gave rise to possible new topics for research to explore. In order to improve teachers' readiness for the democratic nature of education, greater emphasis must be placed on the importance and responsibility of democratic education through (e.g) support programs in education. Teachers should gain a better understanding of what democracy in education entails and how learners should be prepared as democratic citizens. Further studies can therefore involve the issue of democratic citizenship education in the study material of education students, where more in-depth consideration is given to the preparation of teachers. It is also possible to look at the learners' perspective regarding their preparation as democratic citizens.