CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.2 Answers To Research Questions
The answers to the main research questions posed by this research in chapter one are outlined below.
5.2.1 What are the different ways that HIV/AIDS education is incorporated into academic curricula?
When asked how the lecturers incorporated HIV/AIDS education into curricula the responses to the question tended to fall into one or more of the categories listed below. A number of the cases did not use one method exclusively but a number of methods combined.
• Through Community Based learning
• Through Research/Project Work
• Through integrating into existing/other modules
• Through a stand alone module
In three of the cases studied HIV/AIDS issues were not being fonnally integrated into curricula at present. In these cases the HIV/AIDS education was being undertaken infonnally and incidentally within the classroom.
5.2.2 What do lecturers consider to be the specific links between their subject matter and HIV/AIDS?
When asked what the specific links between their particular subject matter and HIV/AIDS were the responses tended to fall into different catagories of learning i.e.
learning specific information, understanding the infonnation, using the infonnation to learn specific skills, and finally to examine behaviour and attitudes. All of the cases linked with both theoretical understanding and practical understanding of the disease.
• Theoretical Understanding - society, culture, economics, gender, environments
• Practical Understanding - counselling, coping with grief, legal issues, planning issues, management, medical treatInent, employment
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,/, 5.2.3 What is the purpose of such education? Why are lecturers choosing to incorporate HIV/AIDS education into their programmes?
When asked what the purpose of the HIVIAIDS education was, each case came up with a number of purposes; many of these were similar and are listed below.
• To make the subject matter seem more real e.g. Using a real world problem
ca~help learners to see the relevance of statistics in everyqay life
• To look at the economic impact - also what, if anything, can be done about it?
• Look at effects on society - social questions of crisis, citizenship issues, able people acting responsibly and issues around making informed opinions
• Think about future employment - In many of the cases one of the purposes was to get the learners to think about their future employment or to equip them for employment in an HIVIAIDS world. This is particularly evident in the School of Education where the stated aim of the modules is "to train students to be the resources person for their future school for all HIVIAIDS matters".
• To equip senior planners of the future with knowledge - the students could potentially reach quite high positions in future employment - they could be the planners of the future
• To develop informed attitudes and opinions - For instance in the Medical School the purpose was stated as "to diffuse fear, as learners will have to deal directly with AIDS patients in their jobs. Also to break down judgmental attitudes and challenge attitudes"
• To get students to own HIV/AIDS issues - students see the problem as 'out there' and happening to other people.
• To attempt to influence behaviour - what lecturers hope is that through the education they can have an influence on the students awareness, attitudes and behaviour
5.2.4 What aspects ofHIV/AIDS are being covered within the programmes?
When asked what different aspects of HIVIAIDS were covered in their education the lecturers responded with the following:
• The basics - what is it and how is it transmitted,
• Effects on future society - in particular the effects on future employment prospects.
• The statistics - to highlight to the students the relevance of the topic.
• Attitudes - learners attitudes towards HIV/AIDS issues
• Behaviour - taking risks, having multiple partners, safe sex
• Economic impacts - education, housing etc
• Interventions that could be made by government - providing drugs,
changing migrant labour, care of orphans and national policies on health care
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• South African context - CulturalIhistorical factors - migrant labour, sex workers
• Myths - how it is transmitted, how to treat it, and how to rid oneself of it!
• Gender issues - masculinity
• Prevention - sexual behaviour and needle stick injuries
• Treatment - treatment options for HIVIAIDS were also covered in a small number of the cases
• Policies - national, workplace - A number of the cases are including
national, provincial, local, workplace and educational policies on HIVIAIDS as an important educational aspect
• Management of HIVIAIDS in the workplace
• Counselling Skills
5.2.5 What teaching methods are used to get students to relate HIVIAIDS to disciplinary knowledge in order to inform decision-making?
The two main teaching lnethods used were those of presenting information - didactic teaching, using fonnallectures and written assignments, and that of participative learning. The participative learning took on a number of forms as shown below.
• Involvement of the learners - for example in investigative project work or research regarding HIVIAIDS and their chosen subject
• Critical Reflection - e.g. of project experiences, of own life and experiences
• Role-play plus reflection - using role play to teach counselling skills or to get students to think critically about their attitudes
• Through group activities -Group activities such as community interventions and group presentations were used to get students to consider HIVIAIDS issues and their discipline
• Discussion - involving the students in group discussion about HIV/AIDS Issues
• Using real life case studies - In the Department of Economics they are running a number of statistical courses and quantitative research courses. In these courses they are using HIV/AIDS statistics to make the course seem more real to the students.
5.2.6 What are the main positive features of the current HIV/AIDS programmes being undertaken?
When asked what they would consider to be the main positive features of the
HIVIAIDS education that they were involved in at present, lecturers came up with a number of ideas. These are listed below.
• Itis supported from the top
• Ituses a systematic, planned process
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• Itis based on a situation analysis within their discipline - carrying out an analysis of how HIVIAIDS was affecting their particular school, speciality, field, industry and ensuring that the HIVIAIDS education was relevant to students in their discipline.
• Itinvolved the learners in the learning and the process - many of the lecturers stated that involving the learners is important. This included not only involving the learners in the learning e.g. with role-play and reflections, but also in the process of developing the HIVIAIDS education. This was happening in a number of departments where they were using more senior students as facilitators, or groups of students were developing educational interventions
• Itwas challenging the learners -challenged the learners knowledge, attitudes and beliefs regarding HIV/AIDS.
• Ithas been a dynamic, evolving process - Many of the lecturers felt that HIVIAIDS education is a dynamic evolving process and that this should be seen in a positive light. In particular those who were fairly new to the subject were keen to let the education evolve with time and with further evaluations.
• Itwas monitored and evaluated in some way - The vast majority of the cases agreed that the constant monitoring and evaluation of their work was necessary in order to continually develop and improve the quality of the HIVIAIDS education on offer.
• Itcovered life skills - A number of the cases felt it was important to cover 'life-skills' education as part of the ongoing HIV/AIDS education. This included such things as assertiveness, communication, responsiveness, being able to say no, being critically aware, and dealing with gender issues.
• Ita number of cases the overall purpose was that it attempted to empower individuals to live responsive and healthy lives -Itwas stated in the majority of the case studies that the HIV/AIDS education should work towards
empowering individuals to live responsive and healthy lives.
• Itwas rooted in the interests and lives of the students - it was felt that unless the HIV/AIDS education was rooted in the interests and lives of the students, through the engagement with their chosen discipline, it would not be
successful.
5.2.7 What are the main difficulties/concerns encounteredby the different schools in incorporating HIV/AIDS education into the curricula?
Below I have listed the main difficulties and concerns the lecturers had in carrying out HIVIAIDS education.
• Unclear guidelinesIno guidelines - many of the cases that were new to this type of education felt that there were no clear guidelines for teaching about HIVIAIDS within their discipline. In contrast, one case mentioned that having guidelines that are too controlling might limit some of the creative initiatives that are happening.
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• Difficulty in examining - It was also expressed that there was difficulty in examining the HIV/AIDS education. What exactly is to be examined? Is it knowledge and understanding, attitudes, ethical issues?
• Difficulty in ensuring continuity of HIVIAIDS educationlknowledge - It was expressed as a concern that if the HIVIAIDS education is not continued throughout the students life i.e. in the workplace, then it may all have been
In Vain.
• Student reactions - silence, racial, attitudes, boredom, helplessness - All of the cases felt that they were concerned about the students reactions towards the education. The racial dynamics of HIVIAIDS was also mentioned as a concern. Many of the students see HIVIAIDS as focused on African people, the lecturers were concerned with making the issues about everyone. A further difficulty in confronting HIVIAIDS education is that the lecturers are aware that many students are HIV positive and know it. The feelings of these people must be taken into account and respected.
• Ethical issues of research i.e. control groups, community work - There was concern about the ethical issues around some of the students projects. A number of the lecturers felt that we are still learning at the expense of the community, with the community not seeing the benefits, just the
inconvenience. Also when working with the community mistakes are made 'in the community'.
• Practical issues - i.e. finding facilitators, costs, time
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