The focus of this dissertation was a critical exploration of the language used by educators in the context of HIV/AIDS education at the elementary school level. Meaning, understanding and knowledge production Definitional discourse as used in this study 33-35 2.6 The question of context in meaning making.
Chapter: 3 - Methodology
Chapter: 4 - Data Analysis
The accessibility of material resources and their role in creating meaning and understanding Define and represent HIV/AIDS. Western Culture to define African sexual behavior 143- 147 The use of non-verbal communication to create.
CHAPTER: 5 - CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
CHAPTER: 1 - AN OVERVIE'V
An Introduction to the Study
A rich and in-depth description of the research site and study participants is given attention. In the following sections of the chapter, the objectives of the study and the statement of purpose are presented.
Objectives of the Study
Statement of Purpose
Critical Questions
Rationale for the Study
It also states that age-appropriate HIV/AIDS education should be included in the life skills program, with the aim of Pre-observation interviews were conducted with all three study participants prior to observing HIVAIDS lessons.
Ethical Considerations
- Responsiveness to the Other
- Informed Consent
- Signature and Its Influence on This Study
Being part of the institution myself, I was able to identify the concerns and challenges faced by the participants in the study. This involved me briefing them on the tools and instruments to be used in data collection.
The Issue of Context and Contextual Factors in This Study
Concluding Remarks
In addition, literature looking at the role of language in facilitating meaning and creating understanding receives attention. The literature that highlights the framework within which this study was conceived (Critical Discourse Analysis) closes the discussion.
CHAPTER: 2- LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
The Purpose of the Literature Review
Leedy (1989) believes that the function of a literature review is to look again at the literature in a field, not necessarily identical but collateral to your field of study. The purpose of writing a review is to demonstrate a professional grasp of the background theory for the research to be undertaken.
An Exploration of the Literature Reviewed in this Study
Current lines of thought regarding HIV/AIDS intervention initiatives are presented throughout this section of the literature review in order to highlight the gaps that may be present in current initiatives. The central role that education must play in promoting HIV/AIDS awareness is emphasized, together with a presentation of the important principles of the various policies and material resources relating to HIV/AIDS education in the school context.
Defming Language and its Role in Facilitating Meaning, Understanding and Knowledge Production
According to Schostak (1993), language is more than a total set of all words, but also consists of the rules, conventions and codes by which those words can be combined to form meaningful units, such as phrases and sentences. Language is learned socially and it is through language that objects are distinguished from each other.
Defining Discourse as it is Used in this Study
Discourse in this study refers to discussion and dialogue about HIV/AIDS in a classroom context. The impact these discourses have on how educators communicate about HIV in the classroom will also be explored.
The Issue of Context in the Meaning-making Process
In this regard, Gibbons (1998) argues that knowledge is produced and disseminated in the context of application. In the case of the latter, Baker claims in Walsh (1996) that there are few cues to convey meaning.
The Possibilitv of Creating a "Shared Understanding" within a Multicultural Context
Due consideration will also be given to the influence the teachers' assumptions have on the way they use the language. A consideration of the role of culture in the meaning-making process, as discussed above, raises the question of whether a “shared understanding” of terms and concepts associated with HIV/AIDS is possible in a multicultural context.
Defining and Representing HIV/AIDS AIDS can be defined as
It follows that factors such as cultural influences and values must be examined in this regard. In this regard, discourse analysis plays a key role in revealing the complexities associated with the utterance of AIDS, about what meaning is developed.
The Role of Culture and the :Media in Derming Sexual Behaviour
To some extent, this serves the purpose of expanding on the multiplicity of meanings generated and used in the discourses surrounding MIVIAids, which give the impression of a. If this instrumental role of the media is recognized, it becomes essential that its influence on the way in which attitudes are formed is not ignored.
The Usage of Metaphors in Communication about HIV/AIDS
This study found that of the 2,500 participants aged 5-24, half did not answer questions about unsafe sexual practices. Of the half who responded, 3.4% indicated that they had engaged in unsafe sexual practices.
The Translation of Knowledge into Action
This has enormous implications for education, particularly in terms of determining whether there is a link between knowledge and behavior. A study conducted and supported by the Gauteng Departments of Health, Social Welfare and Education in 1999, as documented in Chilosm, et al (2003), where twenty-six low-income communities participated in reflective exercises and where one of the.
The Role ofthe Education in Promoting HIV/AIDS Awareness
The National Policy on HIV/AIDS (1999) stipulates that a continuous HIV/AIDS education program should be implemented in all schools for all students, teachers and other staff. In addition, age-appropriate education about HIV/AIDS should be part of the mandatory curriculum for all students and integrated into the life skills curriculum for preschool, primary, and secondary school students.
A Review of Studies on HIV/AIDS Education Conducted at Schools in Kwa- Zulu Natal
The presentation of the research findings above alludes to the inadequacy of current HIV/AIDS education initiatives to effect effective changes in attitude and. The existence of various myths within local communities regarding HIV/AIDS was duly noted, as well as the effects of these in contributing to the misconceptions and ambiguities that pervade much of the discussion about HIV/AIDS.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
- Framework within which the Stud" can be Located
- A Brief History of CDA
- Derming Critical Discourse Analvsis
- Features of Critical Discourse Analysis
- The Political Agenda of CDA and the Production of Texts
- The Role of Ideology in CDA
- The Structural Analvsis of Texts and the Role of Culture in Creating Meaning
- Semiotics
- What is Semiotics and How Does it Relate to this Study?
- Dominant Views on Semiotics
- The Role of Context in the Meaning Making Process
- Criticisms of the Structuralist View
- Post-structuralism: The Emergence of an Alternate View
- Response
- Member-check Response
- Imaginary Response
- Interrogated Response and How It Is Used to Create Meaning and Understanding within this Research Project
The questioning of responses to the signifier can be applied both to this interpretation of differences in meaning, as well as to differences in the understanding of these meanings. In her ethnography of a group of older white Southern American women in her hometown, Pierre (1999) found that "member checking response" data is produced when she returns to research participants her (St Pierre's) idea of the data produced.
Conclusion
CHAPTER:3-METHODOLOGY
Distinguishing between .Methodology and Method
According to Cohen and Manion (1994), methods refer to the range of approaches used in educational research to collect data to be used as a basis for inference, interpretation, explanation and prediction. In addition, methodology serves the purpose of describing and analyzing methods, as well as highlighting their strengths and limitations, thereby maximizing their application to the research field.
A Qualitative Study
- A Brief Description of the Qualitative Mode of Inquirv
- The Issue of Generalization in Qualitative Research
- The Benefits of Qualitative Research
- Suitability of the QualitatiYe Mode of Inquiry for this Study
In my research, I provide a detailed description of the contextual factors of the research site in the data analysis section. Understanding is gained by analyzing the many contexts of the participants and by telling specific meanings.
A Case Study Design
- The Purpose of a Case-Study
- Defming a Case-Study
- The Uses of a Case-Study
According to Walker, case studies in Bassey (1995) are valuable because they provide insight into specific cases, events or situations. According to Cohen and Manion (1994), case studies are advantageous because they tend to be in harmony with the reader's own experience.
Issues Pertaining to Validity and Reliabilitv and How These "'ere Dealt with in the Study
According to Cohen and Manion (1994), external validity refers to the extent to which the results can be generalized to the broader population, cases or situations. Bogdan and Biklen, in Cohen and Manion (1994), believe that reliability in qualitative research is related to a 'match of fit' between what researchers record as data and what actually happens in the natural environment under investigation.
Triangulation
The Sample
These samples are chosen because they are likely to be knowledgeable and informative about the phenomena the researcher is investigating. This was the only learning area in which any form of HIV/AIDS prevention education received attention.
Site Selection
As my study involves exploring the language employed by primary school educators in HIV/AIDS prevention education, I specifically dealt with three educators who were involved in the execution of such programs at the institution under study. A description of the instruments that were used to obtain the data collected and analyzed in the study will now be given.
Document Analysis
- Defining Document Analysis
- Documents Used in this Study
- Conducting Document Analysis
- The Benefits of Using Observation in Research
- Classroom Observation in this Studv
- Shortcomings of Classroom Observation and Attempts to deal with these in this Study
These formed the basis of the interviews, as these were issues that were explored in the study. The fact that the participants in the study were other colleagues allowed some comfort for the participants.
Interviews
- Defining Interviews
- The Purpose of Interviews
- How were Interviews used in this Study?
- Semi-Structured Interviews
The limitations of using interviews as a research tool and attempts to remedy these during the course of this study. One must remember some of the limitations of using interviews as an instrument in the data collection process.
Conclusion
This helped in eliciting certain non-verbal behaviors that further improved the quality of the data obtained. These nonverbal behaviors were noted and followed up by asking questions that explored the meaning of those answers.
CHAPTER: 4 - DATA ANALYSIS
Introduction
Through the "interrogated response" research method, discrepancies between the answers given by the participants in the pre-observation interviews and what was actually evident in the observed lessons were addressed and elaborated on in the post-observation interviews.
A Description of the Research Site 1 Source of information
- School Location and Composition
- The Medium of Instruction
- HIV I AIDS Preventative Education Initiatives at School Level
- Training Received by Teaching Staff Members
- Concluding Remarks on the Research Site
- Profile: 2 - Teacher Y
- Themes that Emerged from the Document Analysis and that were explored in the Study
- The Role of Training and Development in the Shaping of Understanding and in Informing Practice
- The Accessibility of Material Resources and their Role in Creating Meaning and Understanding
- Defining and Representing HIV/AIDS
- The Problematic Nature of Assumptions in the Process of Creating Meaning and Understanding
- The Role of the Media in Defining Sexual Behaviour
- The Implications of Multicultural Classrooms for the Creation of a
- Teaching Styles, Learning Activities and Assessment Procedures and the Manner in which these influence Meaning and Understanding
The governing body's role in initiatives to promote HIV/AIDS education was somewhat limited. In addition to this, he has received instruction in HIV/AIDS education in his capacity as part of the school's.
A Reflection on the Key Issues Presented in the Chapter
The teachers' dominant ideologies were reflected in the top-down hierarchical approach used in delivering their lessons. How can educators create a learning culture that promotes students' active involvement in the meaning-making process within the context of HIVAIDS education.
Conclusion
The ambiguities that frequently occur within the HIV/AIDS discourse must be adequately countered. The dangers associated with the various assumptions surrounding the HIV/AIDS discourse have also been reproduced in this research report.
Limitations of the Study
The role of the media in defining sexual behavior and in creating meaning and understanding has also received attention in this study. The aim was to explore students' perceptions of the ways in which teachers use language to create meaning and understanding of HIV/AIDS.
Recommendations in Light of the Conclusions Drawn from this Study Since teachers' own understanding of key concepts and ideas relating to HIVIAIDS
This will help mitigate the effects of power relations evident in the classroom. It is also necessary to investigate the relevance of the HIV education that is presented to students in relation to their real life situations and circumstances.
Conclusion
The influence of the language of instruction on the creation of meaning and understanding within the HIVAIDS discourse will also be an interesting study. Accepting these views, it becomes inevitable that the implications of this study for re-examining the ways in which teachers use language to create meaning and understanding in HIVAIDS discourse should not be overlooked.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Feminist history after linguistic turn: historicizing discourse and experience, in Journal of Women in Culture and Society. 1996) Critical ethnography in educational research: a theoretical and practical guide. ed.) (2003) South African Educational Policy Review. Final essay on applied linguistics and discourse analysis in, Annual Review ofApplied Linguistics, Vol. 1990) Critical Discourse Analysis in, Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, Vol. 1980) Content analysis: introduction to its methodology.
