Discourses of Friendship and School

Interpretation of Data

4.1 Reflective Writing tasks supported by relevant Questionnaire analysis

4.1.2 Discourses of Friendship and School

Despite the fact that 95% recogmse and acknowledge the benefits of doing homework, most do not put these sentiments into action, spending less than 1 hour per day on it .because visiting friends is a priority ( see graph 1.3). This is corroborated by the week-end diaries where a head count reveals that 11% mention homework on Friday evening, 14% during the course of Saturday and 39% try to spend time on homework on Sunday evening.

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Graph 1.3: Time spent on homework per day

An analysis of their attitudes to their suburb reveals that it is characterised by crime, violence and gangs (see appendix 3.6). The existence of gangs was mentioned by many participants, "where I am staying is ... a place of Thugs, merchance, gangsters and all that stuff' (Reflections S 7). While some were afraid of the gangs, others joined them or befriended them. The content analysis further revealed that for some of the participants, the cliques of friends at school are different to those at home. At school, friends are quiet, but at home the friends are "ruffians and thugs" who stand by you and are loyal. This disparity was quite common with children who had

"gangster" friends outside of school. They appeared to be either very staunchly loyal to these friends or indicated their awareness of the negative impact of gangsters in their lives, but were helpless to change the situation. Yet despite being friendly with these gangsters, some of whom are heavily addicted to drugs, subjects participated in the discourse of gangs in an attempt to gain affirmation and a sense of belonging. in a surprising turn, many revealed a genuine sense of admiration for the good things that they experienced at the hands of these friends. Contrary to popular opinion that these gangs were violent and destructive, some participants are encouraged by them to remain at school. In some cases, the gangsters are substitutes for parents

I love the thugs because they teach me and preach to me ... they help me with my education even though they smoke drugs they help me more than my family

(Reflections S 14).

Another incident worth mentioning is the selflessness of the gangster friends who are prepared to take the rap for the scholars in the gang:

One day I was caught with dagga and my home friend said that it is his dagga and he was locked up for 3 weeks and when he came out he did not even ask for a payment .... he was still my friend ..when I asked him why did he take the rap he said that I would not be able to stand the consequences of being caught with dagga

(Reflections S16)

The participants also reveal a startling lack of reading, sport and hobbies. In their diary activities, 5.5% mentioned reading on a Friday evening; the same 2, plus one other mention it on a Saturday (8%), and only 3% refer to it on a Sunday. I explored this issue in more detail in the questionnaires, realising that it could reveal important

pedagogical information to educators who wished to tap into their learners' reading habits at home. In term of literacy practices, it is clear that this habit is either one that is not common to parents or that the subjects have rejected what is seen as part of the Discourse of the school.

Graph lA. 1 through to lA. 4 illustrate the reading practices that were gleaned from the questionnaires. Most of the findings were predictable, but I was surprised at the percentage of learners who read non- fiction. The qualifying questions revealed that the genre that was most common in this category, was that of the autobiography and biography. Further exploration revealed that these were enjoyed because they motivated learners continue to strive for success in the face of adversity.

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Graph 1.4.1: Reading Practices

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Graph 1.4.2: Reading Practices

Graph 1.4.3: Reading Practices

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Graph 1.4.4: Reading Practices

Another discursive practice that was revealed in the reflections related to the abuse of drugs. A reason for the proliferation of drug abuse in the area is the lack of an alternative:

There are not many things to keep us buzy so we invage in drugs. But at the moment I have a Bodybuilding set and a pear of boxing gloves which keep me very buzy. I'm trying to get my friends to trane with me and keep them off the streets.

(Reflections S6)

8% of the subjects who participated in the reflections exercise revealed that they use drugs. This information was not solicited directly by me, but was generated from their own reflections on home life. These subjects recognise the impact on their relationships with parents and their attitudes to school. According to the responses, increased drug activity results in a lack of respect towards parents and teachers and a disinterest in school, yet they continue with the abuse. They do not give reasons for this, and I resolved to explore this in more detail in the interviews.

On a Saturday evening, 28% of the participants in the diary exercise (see Appendix 2), visit the local pubs or taverns, where drinking and smoking is mentioned as part of the club scene. They are not concerned about arriving home in the early hours of the next day, or simply not going home at all if they are too drunk. This impacts on the school performance of these children in the sense that most have no inclination to do any homework , or prepare for school the next day. Some spend most of Sunday trying to recover from the excesses of the night before. The inability of parents to punish such behaviour simply entrenches the inter-discursive conflicts that the subjects experience.