KovsieJournals - University of the Free State (UFS)
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Sustainable parental involvement in schools within the context of rurality: A story of success from South Africa
Full text linkThis paper presents a success story of parental involvement (PI) during COVID-19. It delves into how teachers successfully involve parents in their children’s education. The data were drawn from evaluative qualitative research to understand the effectiveness of a foundation phase supplementary teaching and learning programme (FPSTLP), which involved three rural primary schools from KwaZulu-Natal. For this paper, the data came from grade two and three teachers from each school, and two teachers from a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that sponsored the programme. This study’s findings indicate that PI’s understanding and practice need re-evaluation to dispel myths that pathologise rural parents’ involvement in education. Moreover, they suggest that a successful PI is characterised by a collaborative approach that includes multiple stakeholders and takes a ‘village approach’ that considers the communal features of rural communities, particularly in South Africa. The study also illustrates how adopting modern communication tools could transform PI. Ultimately, this paper offers a positive perspective on PI in rural settings, which have been characterised by a lack of parental involvement emanating from multiple socio-economic complexities. The findings push educational practitioners, researchers, and policymakers to reimagine rural parents’ identities and involvement in children’s education
Challenges faced by basic school teachers in implementing learner-centred pedagogies in Hohoe, Ghana
Full text linkThis study examined basic school teachers’ challenges in Hohoe, Ghana, when implementing learner-centred pedagogies.It investigated three pedagogical approaches: constructivism, collaborative, and inquiry-based. The study employed a concurrent triangulation research design. It involved 392 respondents, comprising 364 teachers and 28 headteachers. A census method was used to engage all 364 teachers, while a purposive sampling technique was employed to select the 28 headteachers. Data were gathered through questionnaires for the quantitative phase and focus group discussions for the qualitative phase. Quantitative data were analysed using mean and standard deviation, while qualitative data were subjected to content-thematic analysis. The findings revealed that basic school teachers in Hohoe encountered severalchallenges when using learner-centred pedagogical approaches. Specifically, the constructivist approach was difficult to implement due to resource constraints. The collaborative approach faced issues related to students’ unwillingness to work in groups and difficulties in teacher assessment. The inquiry-based approach was hindered by teacher unfamiliarity and lack of necessary resources
Establishing a structured mentoring programme for early-career staff at a South African research-intensive university
Full text linkIn this paper, I share my experience establishing a structured mentoring programme to benefit early-career academics and support staff at a research-intensive university in South Africa. In justifying the adopted process, the paper first clarifies what mentoring is and is not in higher education. It further justifies the benefits and importance of a structured mentoring programme in this chosen context. While the institution provides many support programmes, especially for academic staff, equal participation for all staff is yet to be realised. This autoethnographic qualitative analysis employs Nancy Fraser’s normative framework on social justice to explain how the programme was established to foster a socially just workplace and encourage participatory parity. The programme participants included three groups of permanent employees: those employed through the nGAP, other early-career academic staff, and early-career academic support staff. These groups had unequal access to career development resources. Mentors for the programme were recruited from lecturers who had completed the nGAP, while mentees were chosen based on recommendations from heads of departments (HODs). An 18-month stakeholder engagement process occurred in two phases to prepare for the programme’s implementation
The selves of South African expatriate teachers influencing teacher leadership practices in Gulf schools
Full text linkThe scholarship on teacher leadership has witnessed significant growth over the past two decades, yielding a plethora of research highlighting this phenomenon’s complexities. However, a notable gap persists in the extant literature, namely, the nexus between teacher identity, the multifaceted selves of educators, and teacher leadership praxis. This study seeks to address this knowledge gap by exploring how the personal and professional lived experiences of South African expatriate teachers inform their teacher leadership practices in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) country schools. This study used a qualitative research design to use narrative inquiry as its methodological framework. A purposive sampling strategy was employed to select six South African expatriate teachers from GCC countries. Narrative vignettes, constructed from field texts generated through narrative interviews and photo-elicitation, were used to illustrate how personal and professional identities shape teacher leadership praxis. The findings of this study reveal that particular personal identities, such as being a compassionate mother, contribute to the development of nurturing teacher leadership practices. Conversely, professional identities, such as being a self-directed teacher-learner, influence teacher leadership practices about teacher development. This research underscores the significance of acknowledging and mobilising expatriate teacher leaders’ personal and professional experiences as assets to enhance teaching and learning
Decolonizing theological education in Ghana: Embracing peer teaching and Paulo Freire’s critical pedagogy
Full text linkTheological education in Ghana has faced several challenges in achieving contextually relevant goals, due to the lingering influences of colonial educational paradigms. This article examines the potential of peer teaching, informed by Paulo Freire’s critical pedagogy, as a strategy to decolonise theological education in Ghana. By modifying the didactic triangle to include peer tutoring, the article explores how this approach can enhance student engagement, intercultural dialogue, and co-creation of knowledge. Through a literature-basedanalysis of participatory pedagogy and its application in theological education, the article proposes practical strategies for implementing peer tutoring programmes that enhance collaborative learning and challenge traditional hierarchies within theological institutions in Ghana
Reimagining outreach as inreach: A study of white DRC students at Stellenbosch University
Full text linkThis article explores how a reimagined social imagination of Inreach can impact whiteness as a cultural imagination among White Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) students at Stellenbosch University. Racialised identity formation within the DRC has historically reinforced a missional imagination shaped by whiteness. Inreach is a programme designed to address White fragility and White fatigue, and sought to cultivate transformative, cross-cultural engagement among students born post-1994. Findings show a significant shift in participants’ imagination of outreach to inreach – from individualistic and monocultural to more collective and inclusive. In particular, the collective external dimension of identity expanded, suggesting a redefinition of “us” that includes Black South Africans. The study contributes to reconciliation discourse and theological education by offering Inreach as a meaningful alternative to traditional outreach, promoting mutual, transformative engagement
Towards the sustainable well-being of communities
Full text linkA book review of: Towards the sustainable well-being of communities. Africa, the modern empire, and ChristianityVan Niekerk, A., (Aosis Publishing, Cape Town, 2024), pp. 392, ISBN 978-1-77634-242-6 (print);ISBN 978-1-77634-243-3 (ebook)
The art of narrative analogy
Full text linkA book review of: The art of narrative analogy Postell, S.D. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2025), pp. 209, ISBN: 9781493451975
Why mentorship matters to the South African architecture profession
Full text linkThis article investigates mentorship within South Africa\u27s architecture profession, a field grappling with retention and demographic transformation amidst historical socio-political complexities. While mentorship has evolved from discretionary to a near-mandatory practice prescribed by the South African Council for the Architectural Profession (SACAP), its actual impact on the architecture profession remains understudied. Employing a pragmatic mixed-methods approach, this study integrates document reviews and survey results from 430 participants, and 46 key informant interviews to explore perceptions surrounding mentorship. The study reveals that positive, neutral, and negative mechanics and sentiments on mentorship co-exist, highlighting the contingent and variable effects of mentorship on career trajectories. These findings challenge the conventional ‘mentorship-is-good’ paradigm, suggesting that traditional mentorship models may inadvertently perpetuate hierarchical relationships, thereby hindering transformation efforts. The implications point to a need for intensified scholarship to underpin mentorship approaches that are relevant, effective and informed, address power dynamics, and promote equitable professional development in post-apartheid South Africa. The identified lack of research on the nuances of mentorship dynamics on professions fields - especially from a global south perspective - shows a need for the profession to engage more critically with the topic. This could pave the way for mentorship to be less a symbolic or outdated practice and serve as a tool for more meaningful progress
The environmental crisis. Who is responsible?
No full textThe environmental crisis is a substantiated reality, prompting discourse regarding potential solutions. This study undertakes an analysis of literature dating back to the mid-20th century. Technology is frequently cited as a major contributing factor. The fundamental cause however lies in the escalating human demand for opulent lifestyles. Industrial and commercial sectors are generally disinclined to curtail production due to the associated risks to profitability. Similarly, governments exhibit reluctance to promote policies advocating for degrowth or simpler modes of living, primarily out of concern for negative political repercussions. A viable solution requires a lifestyle change that emphasize well-being and sustainability over material accumulation. As substantive and enduring change is unlikely to emerge solely from technological innovation, economic theories, educational programmes or political reform, it necessitates a profound transformation in human values that may require a spiritual rather than a purely scientific approach