Schools In Cape Town Research Articles

A study of the Bookery’s Library Assistants programme in Cape Town


 
 
 The paper reports on a qualitative case study of one high school library. It forms part of a broader study of the Bookery’s School Library Project which has established 40 libraries in disadvantaged schools in Cape Town. The paper examines what difference the library is making to the school. The overarching aim is to find what might be learned from the Bookery’s Library Assistant (LA) programme about the staffing of school libraries in the South African context, where fewer than 20% of schools have functional libraries. The case study over two weeks comprised observations, interviews, and a questionnaire survey of the teachers. The working relations between the Bookery library assistant and the “teacher-librarian”, a full- time class teacher and the library’s driving force, are found to be crucial to the library’s sustainability. The library is clearly playing an important role in the students’ school experience and in meeting the information needs of teachers in their classroom teaching. But, despite general beliefs that the library is “a good thing”, only a minority of teachers integrate it into their teaching. It seems that teachers lack insight into the role of a library and information literacy in 21st century learning. Other key restrictions on the fulfilment of the library’s potential are its limited collections and the lack of ICTs. In the words of one participant, the overall conclusion is that “ It is helping but there are limitations”.
 
 

Pilot evaluation of a partner-supported online reading intervention for Grade 3–6 children

Information and communication technology (ICT)-based reading interventions have potential to help children with reading difficulties, especially those in resource-constrained environments who otherwise might not have access to support. This pilot study aimed to describe the impact of an online, partner-supported reading intervention designed for South African children with reading difficulties. Objectives were to qualitatively describe participants’ experience of the intervention, and quantitatively evaluate changes in reading accuracy, rate, comprehension and receptive vocabulary after intervention. Two studies were conducted: (1) A retrospective analysis using data from intervention in mainstream Cape Town schools with peers as reading partners; (2) A prospective study in a Cape Town school with special needs educational provision where speech-language therapists served as reading partners. Both studies used matched participant, pre/post intervention designs. A total of 40 children in grades 3 to 6 participated. In each study the intervention group ( n = 20) received intervention 3 times per week (30 minutes per session) for 10 weeks, while the control group ( n = 20) continued with regular school activities. Participants enjoyed the ICT-based intervention, valued the role of the reading partners, believed they had made literacy gains, and reported positive attitudinal and behavioural changes related to reading. Retrospective analysis revealed no statistically significant differences between intervention and control groups. The prospective study found a statistically significant difference between the intervention and control groups’ gains on one measure of reading rate, but no significant difference in reading accuracy, vocabulary or reading comprehension gains. The study provides a preliminary description of one ICT-based reading intervention. Although an intervention effect could not be demonstrated, the changes noted in reading rate together with qualitative findings suggest a need for further research.

Saving water at Cape Town schools by using smart metering and behavioral change

The city of Cape Town suffered a severe water crisis in 2018. At the peak of the drought in South Africa's Western Cape, a randomized control trial at 105 schools investigated the impact of two behavioral interventions to encourage responsible water usage: detailed water usage data feedback from smart meters, and an interschool competition. Interventions reduced water usage in these schools by 15–26%. There was no significant difference between the information feedback and the combination of information feedback and competition. This example from Cape Town demonstrates the effectiveness of combining smart technologies with nudges. It provides a model of water conservation interventions for sustainable cities.

Substance use and depressive and anxiety symptoms among out-of-school adolescent girls and young women in Cape Town, South Africa.

There is a high prevalence of substance use among youth in South Africa (SA), and adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) experience high rates of depression and anxiety. Substance use behaviours and mental health are associated with other public health problems among AGYW such as HIV and unintended pregnancy. Therefore, understanding the relationship between substance use and mental health is imperative to improve AGYW's health. To examine the association between heavy drinking, marijuana, methamphetamine and methaqualone (Mandrax) use and depressive and anxiety symptoms among AGYW aged 16 - 19 years who have dropped out of school in Cape Town, SA. Data for this report come from the baseline data of 500 participants of an ongoing cluster-randomised trial assessing the efficacy of a young woman-focused intervention to reduce substance use and HIV risk. After AGYW consented/assented to participate, they completed a urine drug screen and a baseline questionnaire. Logistic and negative binomial regressions, controlling for clustering at the neighbourhood level, revealed that frequency of depressive symptoms was significantly and positively related to a positive drug screen for Mandrax (β=0.07; p=0.03). All other associations between the frequency of depressive symptoms and substance use were not statistically significant (ps>0.05). The associations between frequency of anxiety symptoms and substance use were not statistically significant (ps>0.05). Our findings highlight the need to address substance use, especially Mandrax use and its associated risk, and depression in an integrated, youth-friendly setting.

Exploring agency in marginalised occupations: School administrative clerks’ deployment of “participatory capital” in establishing practice-based agency

Popular conceptions of school administrative clerks and school secretaries imply that they have little agency because they are deemed as subordinate support staff. However, the literature across a range of fields suggests that these subordinates exercise agency. We set out in this article to explore the workings of subordinate agency. The article suggests that it is through their involvement and interaction in the socio-cultural context of the school that school administrative clerks, are able to expand the range of their agency and thereby reposition themselves at school. We employ the analytical construct ‘participatory capital’ to analyse how these clerks establish their agency and renegotiate their roles and places in the school. Based on a qualitative research study, we interviewed and observed three purposively selected administrative clerks in three primary schools in Cape Town. This article argues that, while the occupational identity of administrative clerks remains one of subordination within the bureaucratic discourse and their places of work, the selected school administrative clerks were able to extend the scope of their agency through their participatory capital.

Measuring the outcomes of a literacy programme in no-fee schools in Cape Town

Background: Most funders require non-governmental organisations to evaluate the effectiveness of their programmes. However, in our experience, funders seldom fund evaluation endeavours and organisational staff often lack evaluation skills.Aim: In this outcome evaluation of Living through Learning’s (LTL) class-based English-medium Coronation Reading Adventure Room programme, we addressed two evaluation questions: whether Grade 1 learners who participated in the programme attained LTL’s and the Department of Basic Education’s (DBE) literacy standards at the end of the programme and whether teacher attributes contributed to this improvement.Setting: The evaluation was conducted in 18 different no-fee schools in Cape Town. Participants comprised 1090 Grade 1 learners and 54 teachers.Methods: We used Level 2 (programme design and theory) and part of Level 4 (outcome) of an evaluation hierarchy to assess the effectiveness of the programme.Results: Evaluation results showed that most schools, except three, attained the 60% performance standard set by the LTL on all quarterly assessments. Most schools, except two, attained the 50% performance standard of the DBE for English first language on all quarterly assessments. We also found that in terms of teacher attributes, only teacher experience in literacy teaching was significant in predicting learner performance in literacy in the first term of school.Conclusion: We explain why our results should be interpreted with caution and make recommendations for future evaluations in terms of design, data collection and levels of evaluation.

Results from a water-saving maintenance campaign at Cape Town schools in the run-up to Day Zero

Many South African schools struggle to maintain their water systems, particularly in the water-constrained Western Cape province, where the so-called “Day Zero” drought had intensified the urgency of saving water and increased the cost of supply. The problem is compounded by insufficient governmental funding, the lack of well-structured government policies, and a shortage of skilled maintenance staff at the schools. We evaluate the impact of a plumbing maintenance drive at 196 schools at the apex of the drought. Hypothesising that even the most basic maintenance could be a huge financial help to these schools, we gave plumbers a list of typical easy-gain repairs and restricted the budget to R5000 per school, with some ad hoc exceptions. We then analysed the cost and benefit of these repairs, using data on the minimum night flow as recorded by smart water meters. We found an average of 28% reduction in MNF within five days of the reported maintenance date. The once-off R1.22 million spent on the 196 schools resulted in a monthly saving of R1.90 million – a saving that the schools could put to academic purposes.

The effect of an individualised functional retraining intervention on pain, function and biomechanics in participants with patellofemoral pain: a series of n of 1 trial.

[Purpose] To determine the effect of an individualised functional retraining intervention on pain, function, kinematics and self-reported recovery in participants with PFP. [Participants and Methods] Thirty-one participants with unilateral PFP between the ages of 14–40 were included. Data collection and treatment sessions were conducted at the Tygerberg 3D Motion Analysis Laboratory and Physiotherapy Clinic at the University of Stellenbosch Medical School in Cape Town, South Africa. Participants underwent motion analysis testing pre- and post-intervention and attended physiotherapy weekly for a 6-week individualised intervention. [Results] Thirty of the thirty-one participants (96.8%) demonstrated improved pain levels (NPRS) post intervention. Participants demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in function (AKPS) immediately post intervention and continued to improve with greater functional scores at 6-month follow up. Fifteen participants (48.4%) rated themselves as fully recovered on a 7-point Likert scale at 6-month follow up. Nineteen of the 31 participants (61.3%) demonstrated a clinically significant improvement in their priority kinematic outcome post intervention. [Conclusion] Individualised functional retraining may improve pain, function, kinematics and long-term recovery in participants with PFP presenting with kinematic contributing factors. Clinicians need to be educated on common biomechanical contributing factors and how to tailor treatment accordingly.

“Narratives of Social Cohesion”: Bridging the Link between School Culture, Linguistic Identity and the English Language

This paper argues that processes of self-creation are significantly influenced by experiences of schooling, of which language forms a critical aspect. The school is a central site in which identities are contested, negotiated and affirmed, but it is also imbibed with a particular identity that, in the South African context, often remains expressly raced and classed. Existing research has pointed to the salience of language for questions of identity in education, and moreover the relationship between school cultures and the inculcation of particular norms and values. However, in the South African context research should also be focusing on the relationship between the major medium of instruction in schools, English, the values and behaviour encouraged at the school level, and how these influence learners’ linguistic and social identities. This paper engages with research conducted in three Cape Town schools and develops the idea of “narratives of social cohesion” to articulate the ways in which different school cultures influence learner-identity formation. It posits that the assumed neutrality of the primary medium of instruction, and its historic association with whiteness, represents a continued undervaluation of black learners’ linguistic and social experiences.

The Power and Perils of Participant Observation in Library and Information Science Research: Reflections on Three South African Studies

This article reports on three participant observation studies conducted in schools and libraries in South Africa, between 1999 and 2015. The study findings have been reported on elsewhere, thus the focus is on the methodologies used, with the common thread being the author's preoccupation with the information literacy education of South African pupils. The author's purpose was to provide evidence of the impact of the dire lack of resources and libraries at South African schools. The first study in 1999 explored how teachers at an underresourced primary school in Cape Town, Western Cape, were coping with the demands of the new curriculum. The second study in 2006 examined two public libraries in a rural town in Mpumalanga, with seven local schools, but no school libraries. The third study in 2015 involved the library at a high school in Kayelitsha township outside Cape Town, which is part of a non-governmental organisation (NGO) project to employ school leavers to manage school libraries. Participant observation is rare in the Library and Information Science (LIS) research literature and the author's aim is to demonstrate its power to dig beneath the surface. The article uncovers the complex relations and tacit beliefs that existed at the three research sites, which are probably at play in other contexts and which have to be taken into account in planning effective programmes in South African schools and libraries. The article also acknowledges the ethical challenges, arguably inherent in participant observation, which relate to the often sensitive relations among participants, and to the researcher's positioning.

‘Ndifuna imeaning yakhe’: translingual morphology in English teaching in a South African township classroom

ABSTRACTA Grade 4 English language teacher in a township school in Cape Town, South Africa, in her quest to equip learners with new target language resources, is not held back by the perceived boundaries dividing named languages. Instead she employs language in creative and goal-directed ways that we believe have not received enough focused linguistic attention in scholarship. While recognising the importance of research into code-switching, code-mixing and lexical borrowing among South Africa's indigenous languages, we draw on the work of functional linguists with an emphasis on the communicative function of linguistic signals and a de-emphasis on labelling languages. Central to this paper is the inchoative concept of translanguaging that is gaining ground in socio- and applied linguistics and aims at describing fluidity rather than reproducing established notions of separate languages. In township environments access to high-currency language resources (standard English) is often said to be absent due to teachers’ lack of linguistic and pedagogic capacity and schools’ lack of resources. Our main aim here is to focus on the presence of powerful language resources, rather than their absence, in such a highly scrutinised, purportedly deficient educational setting.

Grandparent support and mental and behavioural health in middle childhood

AbstractThis study explored the significance of grandparents in middle childhood and assessed the level of grandparental support provided to children in relation to other social network members. The association between grandparental support and grandchildren's mental and behavioural health was also examined. We conducted structured interviews with 120 grade 4 and 5 learners (mean age = 10.41 years) from four schools in Cape Town, South Africa. Results indicated that subsequent to parents, children perceived grandparents as the most important and close relationship category. Furthermore, grandparents provided the highest levels of support to grandchildren after parents. Grandmothers provided more support than grandfathers. No associations between grandparental support and children's internalizing and externalizing behaviours were found. However, results revealed that grandparental support was positively associated with children's prosocial behaviour, independent of child gender, and the amount of support provided by other relationship categories (p = .04). Findings underscore a need for research to move beyond the nuclear family when considering potential influences on children's well‐being.

Exploring the Learning of Mathematics Word Problems by African Immigrant Early Learners

The aim of this study was to explore the learning of mathematics word problems by African immigrant early learners in the Western Cape Province of South Africa (SA). Phenomenology was used as the philosophical underpinning for this study and also informed the research method. Purposive sampling methods were used to select 10 African immigrant early learners and their 5 South African teachers as participants from a target population of 1453 learners and their 52 teachers in township schools in Cape Town. Participants were interviewed individually and observed during mathematics classes that dealt with the teaching and learning of mathematics word problems. Data were analysed using Colaizzi's phenomenological data analysis method. The findings revealed that African immigrant learners were challenged with teachers’ teaching skills; limited relevant prior knowledge of working with word problems; stigmatisation; the nature of learner–learner and teacher–learner interactions; and teachers’ use of code switching in the learning and teaching of mathematics word problems. In order to promote learning of mathematics problems by African immigrant learners it is recommended that teachers should use mixed language groupings and explicit definitions of mathematical terminology, use immigrant early learners’ learning experiences as a resource and minimise code switching and stigmatisation.

Photovoice and Photodocumentary for Enhancing Community Partner Engagement and Student Learning in a Public Health Field School in Cape Town

Background: Field school research, which begins by considering community partners as pedagogues and thus exploring their perspectives on student learning, is uncommon. Photovoice is a method for self-expression of such marginalized voices. Purpose: Describe the photovoice to photodocumentary process and present results of its evaluation. Methodology/Approach: We employed photovoice with the local guides who accompany community health research field school students in Cape Town. Guides were prompted to take photographs of what students may not see or understand about their community. These were discussed at three workshops and developed into a photodocumentary for inclusion in the curriculum. Twenty-one students completed an open-ended questionnaire. These, and student/staff discussions, were thematically analyzed. Findings/Conclusion: Students reported learning about cultural practices which otherwise would not be visible to them. They felt greater connection to their guides who they saw in a new light, and became aware of how topic-specificity drew attention away from overarching characteristics of community life. Questions raised might be better explored through facilitated discussion rather than question-and-answer sessions alone. Implications: Field schools depend on academic–community partnerships. Photovoice can create space for community partner reflection on student learning and the co-creation of effective pedagogical tools valued by students.

Exposure to violence and mental health of adolescents: South African Health and Well-being Study.

BackgroundMaterial and social environmental stressors affect mental health in adolescence. Protective factors such as social support from family and friends may help to buffer the effects of adversity.AimsThe association of violence exposure and emotional disorders was examined in Cape Town adolescents.MethodA total of 1034 Grade 8 high school students participated from seven government co-educational schools in Cape Town, South Africa. Exposure to violence in the past 12 months and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms were measured by the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire, depressive and anxiety symptoms by the Short Moods and Feelings Questionnaire and the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale.ResultsExposure to violence was associated with high scores on depressive (odds ratio (OR)=6.23, 95% CI 4.2–9.2), anxiety (OR=5.40, 95% CI 2.4–12.4) and PTSD symptoms (OR=8.93, 95% CI 2.9–27.2) and increased risk of self-harm (OR=5.72, 95% CI 1.2–25.9) adjusting for gender and social support.ConclusionsWe found that high exposure to violence was associated with high levels of emotional disorders in adolescents that was not buffered by social support. There is an urgent need for interventions to reduce exposure to violence in young people in this setting.Declaration of interestNone.Copyright and usage© The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2017. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Non-Commercial, No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) license.

Examining the Extent to Which Learners with Special Educational Needs are Included in Regular Schools: The Case of Four Primary Schools in Cape Town, South Africa

This paper examined the nature and limit to which regular schools contain learners requiring special support in education. The study used the mixed methods approach and the post-positivist research...

Enhancing reading abilities of learners with intellectual impairments through computer technology.

BackgroundDevelopments in the teaching of children with disabilities support pedagogy that emphasises learners’ strengths as opposed to their assumed deficiencies. Educators and mediators who advocate this view continually strive for tools and methodologies that enhance learner participation in academic environments. Computer technology is one of the tools recognised for its potential to enrich learning experiences of learners with an intellectual impairment.ObjectivesWe sought to assess the influence of text-to-speech stories on the reading ability of intellectually challenged learners.MethodA qualitative action research study that involves learners at a special school in Cape Town, South Africa. Pre- and post-test data of the reading performance of learners are analysed with a focus on how they demonstrate change.ResultsAlthough no claims can be made about the explicit influence on reading performance, computer-assisted learning has the potential in isolating reading processes that classroom-based interventions can address. In addition, computers enhance motivation and enthusiasm to learn.ConclusionA need for education based on inclusion and positive differentiation remains the key driver in any educational interventions.

Translanguaging and English-African language mother tongues as linguistic dispensation in teaching and learning in a black township school in Cape Town

ABSTRACTDrawing on the notion of translanguaging, I show how learners in a Black township secondary school in Cape Town use their multilingual repertoire to achieve power, agency and voice. I use the conceptualisation of the prototypical pedagogical macrogenre from systemic functional linguistics to show how translanguaging can be used strategically to actualise regulative and instructional registers to engender teaching and learning in multilingual contexts, and to illustrate that the often-assumed “chaos” in translanguaged discourse can be harnessed to engender pedagogic discourse. I demonstrate that by using the extended linguistic repertoire, learners do not need to be competent in monoglot English to be involved in classroom interactions and learning, as the Xhosa-English translanguaged discourses provide the co(n)texts on which the “standard” English texts are consumed and produced. The article concludes with a thesis for language education policy that puts translanguaging at the centre of classroom practice in multilingual South Africa: it provides a new avenue for postcolonial learning/teaching, as it frames the learners’ cognition of content and ability to construct meaningful texts in familiar cultural and sociolinguistic contexts.

Writing and mathematical problem solving in Grade 3

This article looks at writing tasks as a methodology to support learners’ mathematical problemsolving strategies in the South African Foundation Phase context. It is a qualitative case study and explores the relation between the use of writing in mathematics and development of learners’ problem-solving strategies and conceptual understanding. The research was conducted in a suburban Foundation Phase school in Cape Town with a class of Grade 3 learners involved in a writing and mathematics intervention. Writing tasks were modelled to learners and implemented by them while they were engaged in mathematical problem solving. Data were gathered from a sample of eight learners of different abilities and included written work, interviews, field notes and audio recordings of ability group discussions. The results revealed an improvement in the strategies and explanations learners used when solving mathematical problems compared to before the writing tasks were implemented. Learners were able to reflect critically on their thinking through their written strategies and explanations. The writing tasks appeared to support learners in providing opportunities to construct and apply mathematical knowledge and skills in their development of problem-solving strategies.

When students become patients: TB disease among medical undergraduates in Cape Town, South Africa.

Medical students acquire latent tuberculosis (TB) infection at a rate of 23 cases/100 person-years. The frequency and impact of occupational TB disease in this population are unknown. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed via email and social media to current medical students and recently graduated doctors (2010 - 2015) at two medical schools in Cape Town. Individuals who had developed TB disease as undergraduate students were eligible to participate. Quantitative and qualitative data collected from the questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were analysed with descriptive statistics and a framework approach to identify emerging themes. Twelve individuals (10 female) reported a diagnosis of TB: pulmonary TB (n=6), pleural TB (n=3), TB lymphadenitis (n=2) and TB spine (n=1); 2/12 (17%) had drug-resistant disease (DR-TB). Mean diagnostic delay post consultation was 8.1 weeks, with only 42% of initial diagnoses being correct. Most consulted private healthcare providers (general practitioners (n=7); pulmonologists (n=4)), and nine underwent invasive procedures (bronchoscopy, pleural fluid aspiration and tissue biopsy). Substantial healthcare costs were incurred (mean ZAR25 000 for drug-sensitive TB, up to ZAR104000 for DR-TB). Students struggled to obtain treatment, incurred high transport costs and missed academic time. Students with DR-TB interrupted their studies and experienced severe side-effects (hepatotoxicity, depression and permanent ototoxicity). Most participants cited poor TB infection-control practices at their training hospitals as a major risk factor for occupational TB. Undergraduate medical students in Cape Town are at high risk of occupationally acquired TB, with an unmet need for comprehensive occupational health services and support.