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The study explored how young children’s identities emerged from their drawings and accounts of their favourite stories as we argue the importance of understanding children in the context of school and language education. Sixty-six (n=66) children of two urban schools in Pretoria, South Africa were asked to write about and draw their favourite story. The participants were between the ages of six and seven years. Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory and Chen’s theory of the construction of identity in a social context were used as conceptual framework. This conceptual framework could be linked to the findings which suggested that the children related their drawings and versions of their favourite stories to their interpretations of their life worlds. The prominent themes from the data could be associated with the self, the family, familiar objects and known animals. Their literacy experiences and the socio-cultural influences on the children’s construction of their identities were apparent in their work. We argue that teachers need to better understand how children understand themselves in relation to the world around them when making decisions about effective language education.

Grade 1 learners in South Africa are not receiving the quality education they deserve. Early Childhood Education forms the basis of all education; however, numerous challenges in the South African education system impede the teaching and learning of young children. In this article we investigate Grade 1 teachers' responsibilities in the class and the teachers' management of the complex teaching environments. Qualitative data using semi-structured interviews with 9 Grade 1 teachers and teaching assistants (TAs) at 6 schools were used to gain insight into and explore various perspectives on the need for the services of teaching assistants in Grade 1 classrooms. The participants were selected from public, private and rural schools, using purposeful sampling, to allow for a broad spectrum of inputs. Findings indicate that participants regard the presence of teaching assistants as a necessity in Grade 1 classrooms as it allows the teacher to focus on quality teaching. The support provided by teaching assistants contributes to the quality of the learning facilitated by the teacher and allows learners access to the individualised attention that they need.

Discipline is essential to learning, but in culturally diverse groups it could become a challenge for teachers. Positive discipline, respect for human rights and the creation of a sense of belonging promotes culturally responsive and disciplined learners. This study investigated the social and cultural contexts of discipline in early grade South African classrooms from the perspective of the teachers. Nine teachers were interviewed through semi-structured interviews regarding their disciplinary strategies and cultural responsiveness. To ensure the trustworthiness and credibility of the findings, teacher participants provided photographs of the classroom layouts, observation checklists, and field notes of the disciplinary practices implemented in the classrooms. Data was thematically analysed. The findings confirm that diversity is a challenge due to external factors such as parent expectations, as well as internal factors such as the management of differences between the teachers' beliefs and those of the learners. Another finding relates to the importance of creating a disciplined classroom environment and finding a positive alliance between policy and implementation. New insights emerged regarding the way cultural responsiveness affirms the unique culture of a classroom and thereby supports its management and discipline.

The aim of the study was to determine from teachers' unique perspectives, the types of adversities young South African children are exposed to. The sample consisted of 135 primary school, foundation phase teachers from six different provinces. The data were collected by using an adversity checklist which also included an open-ended question. An overwhelming number of teachers (71%) identified divorce as the most prevalent adversity in the school context. The results suggest that the negative effects of divorce on the well-being of the child, conflict between separated/divorced parents, children left with relatives and long working hours are some of the unfavourable effects of divorce and separation that foundation phase teachers notice in school settings. The pastoral role of the teacher in identifying and supporting children exposed to adversity was also highlighted.

Violent crimes and domestic violence are notoriously high in South Africa, which leaves many children defenceless to struggle with emotions such as loneliness and sadness. The healthy development and socialisation of children can be difficult in a society characterised by domestic tribulations, poverty, crime, single-parent homes, and absent parents. In South Africa, children often do not co-reside with their biological parents, mainly due to labour migration and low marital rates. Divorce and long working hours for parents also contribute to limited family interaction. Many children are raised by grandparents or older siblings and relatives, especially in rural areas. Due to these and other factors, children experience poor parental attachment, loss, sadness and loneliness, which impact their general well-being. These correlator factors often contribute to weak outer and inner containment, which are essential for a young person to develop sustained lawabiding behaviour. Being sad and lonely often prompts issues such as delinquency, violence, insecurity, insufficient self-control, and bullying. Reckless' containment theory shows that these behaviours often stem from the absence of the inner and outer controls that are necessary for the development of normative behaviour. Healthy bonding with and attachment to significant others are also important to the development of normative behaviour. In this contribution, the findings from a study conducted in Limpopo, South Africa, are discussed. The qualitative research study involved asking 373 children, between the ages of eight and nine years, to draw and narrate what made them sad. The researchers wanted to determine the specific challenges that young South African children face. In line with the interpretivist paradigm, it was also important to determine what these children regarded as sad and challenging situations, to understand their unique perspectives and life worlds. The study was therefore guided by the research question: What challenges do young South African children face in their daily lives? Findings revealed that exposure to bullying, loss, inadequate attachment, and crime can cause the development of weak inner and outer containment, which might lead to future misbehaviour, poor self-control, incorrigible actions, and bullying behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the study was to explore the transitions of two individuals within a twinship from Grade R through to Grade 2, and to offer an in-depth description of their transition experiences and perspectives. The transitions were investigated with a focus on variables such as stress, stressors, emotions, coping and life skills. The inquiry was conducted as an interpretive case study. The participants were two monozygotic boys within a twinship, their mother and their Grade R, Grade 1 and Grade 2 teachers. The findings suggest that the transition was predominantly uncomplicated from Grade R through to Grade 2, and that the transition to Grade 2 was more stressful than that to Grade 1. The findings also indicate that although the life skills taught by the researchers helped the boys to cope with negative stressors, their personal support structures were probably the most important factors in easing their transitions from Grade R through to Grade 2. The life skills learned mostly helped the two children to deal effectively with bullies, to contract and maintain satisfying friendships, and to control their personal emotions.

Introduction: Maternal filicide, the murder of a child by a mother, is a complex phenomenon. Relatively little is known of filicide on the African continent, especially in eSwatini. This study highlights the complex dynamics at play when these crimes are committed. Methods: This retrospective study explored offense characteristics of maternal filicide cases in eSwatini from 2005 to January 2024. Thirty-one cases were identified through court documents and news reports. Content analysis was conducted on these cases. Results: The study revealed that socio-cultural factors such as the role of a woman in society and traditional beliefs contributed to these crimes. Poverty and contextual challenges also contributed to the systemic reasons for these murders. Relationship challenges featured prominently. A unique finding in this study was the use of poison by biological mothers in all the filicide-suicide attempts. Discussion: We argue for the inclusion of an additional socio-cultural category to Resnick's classification model. Ultimately, there is a need for further exploration of filicide in eSwatini and other contexts. This would aid in identifying risk factors in pregnant mothers, in young mothers, among couples, and within socio-cultural practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on the emotional factors that contribute to children's sadness. As teachers are the most appropriate caregivers to detect problems and to address the impact of these challenges, 30 teachers asked 224 children (N=224) to draw and describe their experiences of sadness. From these drawings, two distinctive themes emerged, namely violence mostly relating to bullying, and experiences of loss. This article provides empirically derived insights which are important in the understanding of young children's emotional and social needs within the broader society and have implications for teacher training curricula at higher education institutions. Student teachers need to be made aware of the factors that impact on the child's emotional well-being. Teachers should also be equipped to support and deal with these adversities in a school situation. Future research studies relating to children's experiences of violence and loss should be conducted in more diverse contexts where ethnicity and socio-economic backgrounds should be considered.

This study investigated the perceptions and experiences of rural school principals in South Africa of the role that parents in the school governing bodies (SGBs) play in improving school management and governance. The study reports on a literature review as well as on the empirical investigation, which was based on a qualitative research paradigm. Semi-structured interviews with the principals of three different rural schools were employed to collect data. The literature findings revealed that including parents as part of the SGB is seen as an essential component for the successful functioning of the school. The empirical study also emphasised the importance of including parents. However, the principals were concerned about the fact that many members of the SGB are illiterate and uncertain of the role they play in school governance. The principals emphasised the need for training of the members of SGBs as regards their working knowledge of school governance activities.

Numerous Grade R learners in South Africa are not ready for formal education. Teachers' low qualifications are linked to learners' inadequate development of executive functions in Grade R. As a result, preschool children commence formal schooling without the necessary executive functions, which causes unsuccessful adaptation in the formal school. This lack of executive functioning skills has a negative and everlasting impact on children's schooling. The study included eight Grade R teachers from four private schools, who had experience in teaching executive functions. In doing so, it examined preschool teachers' experiences of executive function skills in Grade R lessons. Vygotsky's sociocultural theory served as a mediating framework that fosters the development of executive functions in learners. In the end, the results indicated that cultivating executive functions can be challenging when pre-schoolers lack essential cognitive and behavioural skills in the classroom. The paper holds potential benefits for the preschool learning environment, promoting school readiness, as well as contributing to improved academic achievement in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inclusive education has become a practice that has been adopted by many schools across the globe and most usually in first-world countries. As a whole-school system, it occurs less frequently in developing countries including South Africa which unlike many developing countries has a sound infrastructure and many excellent schools in both the state and the independent sectors. "Education White Paper 6: Special education: Building an inclusive education and training system" was published in 2001 with the express intention of developing an inclusive education system in South Africa. Some South African independent schools have successfully implemented valuable forms of inclusion in their schools and this is the phenomenon that was studied. This study reveals various aspects of the inclusive process including the pivotal role that principals play in the transformation process of which inclusive education is the harbinger. It also analyses why principals choose to embrace a paradigm that on the surface is uncomfortable and not an easy option. We used narrative research as methodology for this qualitative research. The basic tenet was that inclusion leads to belonging and excellence in education. The major findings were that inclusion to most principals was about taking action, humanity and emotion. The principals also described inclusion as personal and pragmatic. The implications for action are of interest not only to principals, but to anyone who is seriously interested in innovative and more humane forms of anti-oppressive education.

The aim of the study was to investigate the offence characteristics and motivations for revenge filicides. Revenge filicide is an act where one parent kills their own offspring for retribution to hurt and upset the other parent. The cases of 20 revenge filicide murderers (14 male and six female) were analysed to determine the motivations and offence characteristics of revenge filicide offenders. It is the first South African study to highlight the motivations and associated characteristics in revenge filicides. Themes such as a loss of social identity due to rejection; extreme rage type anger; external locus of control; sadism; a desire to cause pain and a need to inflict harm are highlighted in this article. The initial emotional response may escalate from mild anger to a level of narcissistic rage which eventually culminates in the murdering of the child to punish and hurt the other parent and to restore control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies of parricide have been carried out predominantly in a Western context, in North America, Australia, and Western Europe. To date, only a handful of studies in parricide have been conducted in continental Africa. Previous studies in Ghana and Zimbabwe note that there may be culture-specific ways in which parricides may be shaped by the norms and cultural beliefs systems within those respective countries. Missing from the literature is an examination of parricides in South Africa. Using newspapers and court records, this article examines the offense and offender characteristics of parricides in South Africa. Our findings suggest that residential patterns of families may shape the offense characteristics found in South African parricides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learners with moderate intellectual disabilities (MID) are a cohort of learners whose high levels of aggressive behaviour make teaching in schools a challenging task. These learners have an average intelligence quotient (IQ) of between 55 and 70 and their intellectual development is almost two to eight years behind their peers without MID. Learners with MID have difficulty in applying their knowledge and have poor verbal, language, reading and mathematical skills. Learners such as these also present with short memory and attention span, are hyperactive and impulsive, misinterpret non-verbal messages, and get easily frustrated and irritated. These learners are four times more likely to develop aggressive behaviour, which leads to certain challenges for teachers and other persons concerned. The primary goal of this article was to determine whether the parental practices of the parents of these learners were causative to their aggressive behaviour. Underlying the primary goal, the following secondary research objectives were set: (1) To determine which accumulative systemic factors contribute to the aggressive behaviour of learners with MID; (2) To determine the specific triggers that lead to the aggressive behaviour of such learners; and (3) To determine the specific parental practices that can be identified that lead to the aggressive behaviour of these learners. For the purpose of the empirical part of this article, a phenomenology approach and a qualitative research design were used. Fifteen learners with MID and aggressive behaviour were studied in-depth through semi-structured interviews, document analysis and observation. The main findings of the study show that all the participants in this study came from problematic families and that their aggressive behaviour was only a symptom of underlying problems. These underlying problems were an unfortunate combination of negative parental practices, emotional neglect and a lack of skills to deal with challenges. Negative parental practices included: aggressive, uninvolved, authoritarian and/or permissive parents who did not communicate with their children and who showed little or no support, sympathy, understanding and empathy towards their offspring. All the participants experienced their parents as uninvolved, emotionally, and sometimes physically absent, from their lives. Due to the parents' lack of involvement, there was little or no communication between the participants and their parents. The parents did not respond to their needs and there was no support or assistance for these participants to overcome difficult or traumatic experiences in their lives. The learners were left with the perception that their parents were emotionally and physically absent, which led to a feeling of emotional neglect, rejection, loss and inadequate support. The example set for these participants in their parents' homes was that aggressive behaviour was the norm in dealing with disputes and problems in interpersonal relationships. Their parents showed little or no self-control and poor confl ict handling. Accumulative negative factors such as disintegrated families, problematic attachment and rejection were causative contributors to their aggressive behaviour. The majority of the participants' families had disintegrated due to divorce, death of a parent or they were removed and placed in a place of safety. The participants lacked a stable home where they could feel safe and loved. The majority of the participants also had poor attachment with their mothers. There was no trust, empathy, support and they felt that they could not rely on their mothers for help, advice, accompaniment and protection. These learners were not supported adequately to deal with these challenges. They had to overcome challenges by themselves and they were left with unresolved emotions. The accumulation of these various negative factors in the participants' lives was the primary trigger for their aggressive behaviour at school. Put differently, the primary trigger may therefore be described as problematic conditions within the family, which the participants were unable to process due to their limitations -- a state of affairs that ultimately manifested as aggressive behaviour at school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children who commit family murder have been increasingly reported on in the South African media. Violence of this type has far-reaching consequences for families and communities. In this qualitative study, nine documented cases of children who committed family murder were analyzed to gain an in-depth understanding of the factors that contribute to children murdering family members. The personal and systemic reasons for these types of murders guided the research. The Interpersonal Parental Acceptance-Rejection Theory (IPARTheory) was used as theoretical framework. The researcher argues that the quality of the interaction between the parent and the child, as well as individual differences within a specific environment, is central to committing family member murder. A narrative summary of the general characteristics of children who kill a family member was compiled. In this study, the children were predominantly exposed to dysfunctional family environments characterized by problematic attachment to the caregiver/s, rejection, abuse, and extreme parenting styles. The parenting styles were often extremely authoritarian or in some cases permissive. The caregivers often expected the child to conform to their idea of the ideal child, and nonconformance resulted in punishment and rejection. These children presented with interpersonal relationship problems, anxiety, and aggression, and fantasized about escaping their challenging home environments. In some of the cases, the children abused alcohol and drugs. In only a few of the cases, signs of antisocial personality disorder were present. The family murders committed by children were predominantly committed by males. The weapons used in the murders were often everyday objects available in the environment. In this study, it was important to note that children who commit family murder have unique backgrounds and circumstances. Therefore, the characteristics discussed in this article only serve as a guideline to understanding these children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global solutions for aggression are urgently needed. Young children are exposed to adversities on a daily basis, especially in South Africa, where violent crime figures are extremely high. In this study, South African children (8-9 years; n = 260) from four schools in vulnerable areas were asked to draw and narrate what made them angry. The main themes found related to acts of violence at home and school. Homes were generally described by the participants as lacking nurturing and protection; domestic issues mentioned were related to physical punishment or abuse and unjust behavior of parents and siblings. At school, these children were either violent themselves or experienced physical and verbal abuse. A significant theme related to self-centeredness. It is argued that if children are not nurtured and morally and psychologically guided on their journey to adulthood, their egoism and aggressive behavior might become their lived actualities, which could be devastating to society in general if the consequences of early chronic exposure to adversity and violence spill over into the broader community culture. This could in turn result in a narcissistic subculture characterized by violence, egoism and a general disregard for humanity. Preventative measures should focus on breaking the culture of violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South African teachers leave teaching due to factors such as lack of support and adverse working conditions. This study investigated rural teachers’ resilience experiences of teaching in a resource-constrained school. A life history design was used to generate data. The research site was visited six times over 20 months. Fifteen interview–conversations were collected and transcribed. The results indicate that the teachers faced chronic poverty as life-span risks. The teachers listed the unstable education system, resource-constrained teaching environment and chronic adversity as risk factors in their environment. They were also concerned with the illiteracy of parents and demotivated students. Significantly, this study shows how rural teachers fostered hope despite chronic adversity in order to be resilient in their chosen profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study contextualises the position of child citizens in the South African democracy and highlights how education for democratic citizenship is employed through a literacy-based approach. The qualitative study was exploratory and based on a lesson presented to nine-year-old township children by giving them language-related tasks. Through the children's voices we present the life experiences that expressed their need for basic services, education, extra facilities and security. We argue that children need to experience the benefits of democracy and education for democratic citizenship to build and sustain a resilient democratic society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explain how adolescents in a rural high school conceptualise school violence. Qualitative data were collected over two two-day periods (24 hours) through child-centred tasks like drawing and the completion of open-ended sentences, informal conversations regarding the given activities, observations documented as visual data (photographs), a research journal, and focus group discussions. In total, four boys and five girls participated in the study. Results of the study indicate that the adolescents (aged 15–17 years) view school violence both as negative, in that it causes harm, and positive, in that it serves as a strategy to ensure order and protection. The adolescents conceptualise violence as interweaving constructs of power, discipline and aggression. Future adolescent-focused interventions regarding violence must include conversations about these nuanced understandings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the nature of a reading culture in a rural secondary school in South Africa before and after a literacy intervention. The systems theory with interpretivism as the epistemological paradigm was employed. A rural secondary school was selected as part of an on-going Flourishing Learning Youth and Supportive Teachers Assets and Resilience studies on resilience and rural schools. Language teachers (n = 6, male = 1, female = 5) were purposively selected to participate. The literacy intervention was developed with phonetic acquisition as the basis to develop reading skills. It became evident that implementing English (additional language) as teaching and learning language in the school may have contributed to barriers to learning. Limited resources and reading instruction training exacerbated the problems. However, once the teachers acquired new skills and the children received the needed support, the improvement in overall academic achievement was significant. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]