Perceptions of Teachers on Psychosocial Life Skills in the Secondary School SiSwati Curriculum

Abstract

The study investigated the perceptions of teachers on psycho - social life skills in the secondary school siSwati curriculum. The study set out to achieve three objectives and answer three research questions which were meant to establish the teachers' level of perception of life skills. A mixed method design which combined qualitative and quantitative research was used. Questionnaire and semi structured discursively oriented interviews were used to collect data. A simple random sampling procedure was employed to get twenty siSwati teachers from four schools in the Shiselweni region in Swaziland to respond to questionnaires. The follow up semi structured discursively oriented interviews were used to collect data from twelve teachers. The study established that most teachers were aware of life skills found in the siSwati curriculum but the level of perception was low. The research findings indicated that siSwati teachers were less involved in the promotion of life skills mostly because of lack of knowledge on how to integrate life skills in the siSwati lessons. Conclusions drawn from findings were that lack of time, life skills materials, and teacher training on life skills teaching were the challenges that hinders life skills teaching. Based on the findings it was recommended that in-service workshops for the siSwati teachers on the teaching of life skills be organised, teaching materials especially teacher's guide be provided, and time should be allocated on the schools time table for life skills.