The researcher, who is also a member of the Luthuli rural community, has a very good insight into the cultural background of the people of KwaLuthuli. Mr Bongani Chili commenced his M Ed before the merger of the universities, and therefore before the conditions for ethics approval currently set by the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1 FOCUS OF STUDY
- RATIONALE
- RESEARCH QUESTIONS
- DEFINITION OF TERMS AND CONCEPTS
- ABBREVIATIONS USED
- OUTLINE OF CHAPTERS
This is an example of where teaching should be geared towards the needs and aspirations of the learner. As a member of the Luthuli community, I want to determine what the needs and aspirations of the people are in relation to literacy.
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
CONTEXT OF LITERACY IN THE APARTHEID ERA
The first South African democratic elections in 1994 marked the beginning of a new era in the history of hitherto discriminated and disadvantaged groups. At the heart of all strategies for improving people's lives was reducing illiteracy among South Africans.
CONTEXT OF LITERACY IN THE POST APARTHEID ERA
Bantu education was exactly the kind of education Freire (1970) alluded to when he spoke of education for the household. Freire believed that education would free these peasants from the ravages of oppression, ignorance and dependence.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS
POLITICAL FACTORS
In all respects, GEAR has failed to improve the goals and objectives of the RDP and this has necessitated the introduction of ASGISA (Accelerated Shared Growth Initiative of South Africa), which is more or less the same as GEAR (Ndwandwe 2006). However, this must be strongly supported by our country's economic policy if it is to be successful.
MEANING OF LITERACY
This means that you may be considered illiterate in one country, while in another you may be considered highly literate. As can be seen in the preceding paragraphs, it appears that literacy is a complex concept and can mean different things in different contexts.
THREE METAPHORS OF LITERACY
- LITERACY AS ADAPTATION
- LITERACY AS A STATE OF GRACE
Literacy is considered here as a source of power for individuals to participate in the economic, social and political spheres. In the current context of the Church, every convert is expected to attend a catechism class, which introduces him to the ethics and principles of holy living.
MODELS OF LITERACY
CAUSES OF ILLITERACY
- CHARACTERISTICS OF ILLITERACY
- CULTURAL ATTITUDES TO GENDER
- EFFECTS OF APARTHEID
- SOCIAL DISRUPTIONS
During the apartheid era, South African black women in particular faced double discrimination, as they were discriminated against both on the basis of skin color and gender. She said that the only thing that mattered to them was what they were going to eat (Chile, 2005).
ABE AND DEVELOPMENT
This means that without basic education it is not easy for adults to develop. It is therefore important that literacy programs are designed in a way that focuses on practical applications of literacy, such as income generation, among others.
REASONS FOR NON - PARTICIPATION IN LITERACY CLASSES
In addition to the already mentioned reasons for not attending literacy classes in the 1900s, Laubach has some interesting data on the reasons for illiterates' resistance to study. He saw literacy as the primary weapon in the global battle for the hearts and minds of the 'dead' and dispossessed billions of illiterates around the world. Furthermore, when husbands themselves were illiterate, they usually discouraged their wives from attending literacy classes (IFAD, 2006).
NEEDS ASSESSMENT
This highlights the fact that it is important to take people's activities in which they are involved seriously for delivering literacy to them. As far as possible, learning activities should be based on the practices of literacy in real situations. Activities can be based on filling in a series of real or invented details on account sheets.
CONCLUSION
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
- A POSITIVIST PARADIGM
- POST POSITIVIST PARADIGM
- INTERPRETIVIST PARADIGM
- CRITICAL SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH
- DATA COLLECTION
- INTERVIEWS
- FOCUS GROUP
- SITE AND SAMPLING
- DATA ANALYSIS
- ETHICAL ISSUES
- LIMITATIONS AND STRENGTHS OF THIS STUDY
For them, knowledge is useless if it cannot bring about change in people's lives. I was able to meet with all of them and re-brief them on the whole focus group interview process. I read the contents of the letter to them, explained it in detail and asked them to put a cross in the space provided.
CHAPTER FOUR: RESEARCH FINDINGS
ATTITUDE OF PARENTS TOWARDS SCHOOLING
- FEAR OF CORRUPTION OF MINDS
- FEAR OF PROMISCUITY AMONG GIRLS
This would only be achieved through long-term exposure to norms and principles in the family environment and a strong resistance to Western influence. This explains how deeply embedded traditional families were in cultural norms and principles. As already pointed out, girls were considered great wealth in the family environment.
SOCIO-CULTURAL PROBLEMS
- ILL-HEALTH
- POVERTY
- DOMESTIC CHORES
One of the 10 interlocutors pointed out that feeling unwell was also one of the reasons she was turned away from school. For example, according to one of my interviewees, poor health was one of the things that kept her away from school. It is clear that most of their time was spent on animal husbandry, working in the fields and taking care of children.
ATTITUDES TO LOST CHANCES OF EDUCATION
- REGRET
- ANGER AND RESENTMENT
- PAIN AND SADNESS
Some illiterates often feel very strongly about their inability to read and write, blaming their parents for it. As can be seen, the sad feelings caused by the inability to read and write are aggravated by the fact that some educated people make fun of the illiterate. Given the aforementioned sentiments of illiterate people, one would expect them to participate in PALC in large numbers.
PROBLEMS WITH ABET CLASSES ATTENDANCE
- ADULTHOOD RESPONSIBILITIES
- ILL-HEALTH
- PROBLEM OF OLD AGE
I feel really envious of literate people, saying to myself: "happy are those who had the opportunity to go to school".]. What makes me refrain from going to adult school is that there are many adult responsibilities that hold me back. The bad thing is that I suffered from eye problems and I couldn't afford to go to school anymore.
MOTIVATIONS AND EXPECTATIONS
- LEARNING TO SIGN NAMES
- LEARNING TO COUNT
- LEARNING ENGLISH LANGUAGE
For example, it happens that people who understand the English language are so amused by the speech that they begin to express their amusement. So for a person who does not understand the English language it becomes very difficult for them to get information from such. However, some symbols used in traffic signs help road users who do not understand the English language.
CHAPTER FIVE
DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
PROBLEMS WITH ATTENDING PALCS
During the focus group interview, one of the participants highlighted that teaching methods are sometimes a barrier to continued participation in the poles. Many focus group participants were of the opinion that the latter method of learning to read is the best for beginners, while a few maintained that this method was a boring method. Laubach (1986) confirms that one of the reasons why illiterate adults do not attend literacy classes is doubt about their own abilities, the baseless belief that only children can learn and that an adult is too old to learn.
POVERTY AS A FEATURE OF ILLITERACY
Because of the experience they have, adults are even better able to learn faster than their children. This means that if parents are poor and illiterate, they are very unlikely to encourage and motivate their children to go to school. They can only encourage their children to participate in household activities that help them eat and live.
GENDER INEQUALITIES
According to the traditional view, women are expected to be docile and completely subordinate to men. Therefore, it is obvious that schooling was perceived as not good for girls because it would probably change them. They are supposed to stay at home and take on all sorts of household duties such as cooking, washing, working in the fields, fetching water, fetching firewood and weaving mats.
MOTIVATIONS AND EXPECTATIONS
So, as Fordham says, it makes more sense to know how and where the skills to be learned will be used. If people want to learn because they want to successfully generate income, they must be offered the subject content and literacy activities that meet this need. Rule further suggests that literacy and numeracy practices should be effectively and appropriately integrated with aspects such as income generation, democratic participation, family health and nutrition, and so on.
ILLITERATE PEOPLE'S ATTITUDE TOWARDS LITERATE OR EDUCATED PEOPLE
This is contrary to illiterates' expressed motivations and expectations regarding the income-generating aspect of ABE. Perhaps in order to understand the illiterate KwaLuthuli people's perceptions of educated or literate people, it may be useful to know something about their background. In general, most of the illiterate are adults who grew up in traditional rural environments where people were not well aware of the importance of education.
CHAPTER SIX: CONCLUSIONS
The second research question was: “What are the needs and aspirations of illiterate adults regarding literacy?”. According to the findings, most of these people want to earn a living through literacy. The findings show that the PALCs or adult education planners should operate in accordance with the needs and aspirations of the learners.
Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts, New Delhi, (online) http://www. 2005) M.Ed essay (unpublished work), University of KwaZulu-Natal. Uganda- Empowerment of Rural Women Through Functional Adult Literacy.(online) http://www.ifad.org/. International Encyclopedia of Adult Education and Training. A review of approaches and experiences. 2001) Some contemporary trends in adult reading from an international perspective.
APPENDIX A: INTERVIEW SCHEDULE
APPENDIX B: INTERVIEWEES' RESPONSES
UMBUZO 1
I had to take care of my father's goats and cattle, and I had to take care of my brothers and sisters. My father did not allow me to go to school and was so strict that my father's older brother was lucky to attend the lower grades while I plowed the corn.]. Uma ngifa abantu abdile niye ngifikelu yinhliziyo ebuhusi ngikabanga ukuthi nami ngbe ngamada ukuba ubaba wayengiweka.
UMBUZO 1
Not being educated has destroyed me since I was praised by my employers for my good work, but I could not qualify for a good salary. I would really like to work in the adult education center because even though I am a cleaner, I still need to be able to read and write to do my job well. I also want to be able to count money because if I can't count properly, I can't see a profit in what I sell.
UMBUZO 1
I want to be able to read, write and sign my name independently. I also want to be able to read, write and understand the spoken English language.]. I can be very happy if I can read and write my name and signature.
UMBUZO 1
Ngifuna nezincwadi uma ngingakwazi ukungena esikoleni samabanga aphezulu, ngagcina ngafunda esikoleni, akuyona inkinga ngoba izikole zethu ziseduze nasekhaya futhi ngiyakwazi ukuhamba ngezinyawo. Ngiphatheka kabi ngifikelwa umona uma ngibona umuntu okwaziyo ukufunda nokubhala ngoba angilitholanga leli thuba. Ngabe sengingena esikoleni sabadala ngase ngiyeka ngoba umyeni wami waphelelwa umsebenzi kwadingeka ngifune itoho.
UMBUZO 1
Sake sangena esikoleni sabadala, kodwa ngenxa yezimo zokuphila ezihlobene nobudala, saphoqeleka ukuba siyeke futhi sibambe itoho. Ngaphandle kwalokho ubaba wayengathandi ukuthi ngiye eskoleni ethi ngizoza esikoleni ngizojola kodwa abafana kwathiwa abafunde. Kubuhlungu kakhulu ukungakwazi ukufunda ngoba umuntu angakubhalela incwadi enolimi olubi kakhulu angenzi lutho ngayo.].
UMBUZO 1
