My study is nested within the Centre for the Study of Resilience (CSR), University of Pretoria intervention study, “Isithebe6 intervention study” (funded by the Samuel Family Foundation via the Synergos Institute7). The study was designed in conjunction with a teacher group,
“Imbumba Yabafundiso Ntsapho”8. Section 3.3 in Chapter 3 outlines the development and implementation of the Isithebe intervention. The intervention was piloted and refined and is now available as an evidence-based resource (the “Isithebe SC Intervention Manual” [see Appendix A]) along with the published Synergos report on the outline and results of the
“Isithebe” study on the CSR website9.
Isithebe aspires to (i) consciously structure teacher SC inside and across schools, (ii)
“establish a routine of deliberate social connection amongst teachers in their varied circles”
(Ebersöhn et al., 2020, p. 13), and (iii) promote teacher relationships outside of school-group sessions. The Isithebe intervention leveraged the benefits of art therapy principles10 to promote SC between teachers intentionally. Fellowship, relaxation and creativity when people engage in art activities enable SC and buffer against social isolation (Maujean et al., 2014;
Stepney, 2017).
The ability to express oneself artistically is an ingrained part of the human experience (Liebmann, 2004). Instead of aiming for aesthetically acceptable end results to be judged by external criteria, the importance of art as a tool is to express oneself. This kind of expression is accessible to everyone, not just those with artistic abilities (Liebmann, 2004). Many proponents of art therapy would agree that it creates favourable outcomes for those who participate in the creative therapeutic process (Dye, 2018; Liebmann, 2004; Malchiodi, 2012;
Slayton et al., 2010). The documented benefits of art therapy include: facilitating resilience, healthy expression of emotion, providing a safe space for emotional experience, promoting a positive self-image, focusing on positive behaviours, and increasing self-awareness (Dye, 2018; Maujean et al., 2014; Stepney, 2017).
6 Isithebe is a symbol of reuniting families, bringing people together, and eliminating solitude. Isithebe demonstrates “nurturing, trust, comfort, care and support, and a strong interest in one other”
(Ebersöhn, 2020, p. 3).
7 Synergos is a global non-profit organisation dedicated to assisting in the resolution of complicated challenges around the world by promoting bridge leadership that fosters trust and collective action.
(https://www.synergos.org/about).
8 An isiXhosa phrase signifying “strong teacher relationships”. All participating schools and teachers named the group and formed part of the group.
9https://www.up.ac.za/centre-of-the-study-of-resilience/article/2931931/isithebe-social-connectedness- intervention-study-prof-liesel-ebershn-and-the-synergos-institute
10 The focus on nonverbal communication and creative processes, and the provision of a trustworthy, safe atmosphere in which individuals can create trusting connections, are the common ground for all art activities (Malchiodi, 2012).
The arts activities used as part of the intervention were not art therapy per se but rather used art activities to facilitate relaxation, creativity and SC. Each school received an “Isithebe Kit” containing carefully packaged art and craft materials and activities for each meeting (see Photographs 1 to 3). Instructions on using the arts and crafts were included in each activity kit. Each activity was created to strengthen bonds between co-workers and people outside the school. Photographs 4 to 11 show photos of participating teachers during Isithebe intervention sessions from September 2018 to September 2019. Visual documentation assisted me in presenting visual illustrations of the Isithebe SC intervention process and constructing an illustration of the specific contexts where my research took place (Ebersöhn & Eloff, 2007).
Throughout Chapter 1 and Chapter 3, Photographs 1 to 62 display the activities and participants involved throughout the intervention.
Figure 1.2
Photographs 1-3: “Isithebe Kit” containing arts and crafts for each session’s art activity
Note: Photographs taken by the researcher with consent from the participants
Figure 1.3
Photographs 6-7: Teachers who took part in Isithebe intervention sessions
Note: Photographs taken by the researcher between September 2018 and September 2019 with consent from the participants
Mixed-method teacher data was generated in September 2018 with 36 teachers from all six participating schools. In March 2019, the researchers conducted a six-hour intervention training session with thirty teachers from all six schools (see Appendix A). There were six intervention sessions over the next six months (one per month). The Isithebe intervention sessions alternated between the school-specific Isithebe-meetings and three joint-school Isithebe-meetings – the latter in which researchers participated.
Qualitative data generation was informed by PRA principles. All teachers per school organised the school-specific Isithebe gatherings (April 2019, June 2019, and August 2019).
The focus of the different workshops was on teacher bonding within a specific school (Synergos, 2017). Three joint-school Isithebe sessions, each lasting about two hours (27 May 2019 and 29 July 2019), were held in a central location (usually the Department of Basic Education (DBE)’s appropriate district office). Qualitative data were collected before the intervention (18 September 2018), after the intervention (21 September 2019), and twice during the intervention process (collected at joint teacher-researcher meetings that took place 27 May 2019 and 29 July 2019). Teachers were given the same pre-intervention TR (ENTRÉE) and SC (REPSSI) questionnaires at the end of the intervention. On 21 September 2019, 15 teachers attended a post-intervention session, and an additional seven questionnaires were gathered via email. Pre- and post-intervention data and joint teacher-researcher Isithebe gatherings consisted of (i) oral school-group poster presentations that were audio-recorded and verbatim transcribed, and (ii) “observation and field notes- documented as both visual and textual data” (Ebersöhn et al., 2020, p. 7). WhatsApp was
used as a platform for teachers to capture and document teacher gatherings when researchers were not present. Figure 1.4 shows an overview of the Isithebe timeline.
Figure 1.4
Timeline of Isithebe SC Intervention
I favour the lens of implementation science for intervention research in my study.
Implementation science provides a framework for effectively managing the implementation of new programs or practices and provides a valuable model emphasising the implementation of evidence-based research in professional practice (Nilsen, 2015). Implementation science explores how to create change at the personal, organisational and more general levels.
Furthermore, implementation science aims to achieve an enhanced understanding of what enables change within systems. A strained educational context requires considering the available pathways (resources, opportunities, structures and assets) to allow TR and support teacher well-being and job satisfaction (Ebersöhn, 2014; Gu & Day, 2013). Implementation
interventions (Albers & Pattuwage, 2017). Section 3.3 details using the implementation science and PRA principles in developing the intervention.