Data were collected to explore the responses of tertiary students in Lesotho to IEC printed materials used to inform, educate and communicate about HIV issues with young adults in Lesotho. The discussion also included a comparison with the researcher's own interpretations of the materials as an IEC teacher for triangulation purposes.
INTRODUCTION
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
2012) elaborate that it spreads through an interrelated combination of biomedical, behavioral, social and structural factors (see Table 1) and many of them. Given all these concerns, tertiary institutions should equip students with adequate HIV knowledge through the use of information, education and communication of HIV prevention messages using, inter alia, printed IEC materials so that students are able to protect themselves.
MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY
Although the National University of Lesotho (NUL) conducted a survey in 2010 to determine the prevalence, knowledge, attitudes and practices of the 2010 Pre-Entry Science Program cohort regarding HIV issues, they did not examine students' responses to IEC materials, used to prevent the spread of HIV, despite the fact that even the World Bank (2004) had declared the intensity of the HIV/AIDS challenge as very strong in African tertiary institutions. Baxen and Breidlid are also concerned that current education debates about HIV/AIDS primarily focus either on the impact of the pandemic on the education sector at a systemic level, at an educational level.
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The study also examined the applicability of the material, which is how relevant or appropriate the material's messages were to the reader, as well as how practical these messages were for young adults in the fight against HIV, in Lesotho. To facilitate a better understanding of the situation in Lesotho, it was necessary to also inspect the HIV overview perspectives from different positions, i.e. global, continental and regional, before focusing on what is happening in Lesotho.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
6 comprehensibility, that is whether people can read and understand it. To determine their credibility, which is how persuasive the material was to the reader.
GLOBAL OVERVIEW OF HIV
Thus, it was assumed that these goals could be achieved not only by informing and educating people about HIV issues, but by communicating these issues to them in the most culturally acceptable and engaging ways that would allow them to become a part of the solutions to related problems. . In light of all these concerns, the following section provides an overview of HIV on the African continent where Lesotho is located.
OVERVIEW OF HIV SITUATION IN AFRICA
OVERVIEW OF HIV IN THE SUB-SAHARAN REGION
Sub-Saharan Africa is counted among the regions most affected by HIV and AIDS, therefore, UNAIDS refers to it as "home to 70 percent of all new HIV infections" in the world. However, the region reportedly accounted for 71 percent of the world's new infections among adults and children in 2011, despite these gains.
OVERVIEW OF HIV IN THE SADC REGION
For example, there is strong high-level political commitment to tackling HIV in the region, as evidenced by Member States' commitments to the SADC-Maseru Declaration (2003), the Abuja Declaration and the Organization of African Union (OAU). (2001), the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGASS) on HIV and AIDS (2011). As this study examines the responses of the tertiary institution students in Lesotho, it is necessary to first provide the country profile of Lesotho before outlining the overview of HIV in the country.
LESOTHO COUNTRY PROFILE
HIV OVERVIEW IN LESOTHO
Alcohol and drug abuse is suspected to be a factor driving the HIV epidemic in the country. Consequently, the Government of Lesotho, through the Ministry of Health, has mandated the Health Education Department (HED) to oversee all health education and health promotion activities to raise awareness and promote behavioral change in society in an effort to curb the spread of HIV. fight.
LESOTHO’S NATIONAL RESPONSE TO THE HIV EPIDEMIC
The following section describes the purpose and evolution of the HED to facilitate the reader's understanding of its mandate and importance in the ministry. The Labor Code was amended to prohibit discrimination based on HIV status in the workplace (GoL: 2006).
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
UNESCO-IBE states that education and training in Lesotho is provided and managed through a joint venture between the government through the Ministry of Education and Training and the churches. University of Lesotho (NUL) in Maseru District; the lowlands (semi-rural) represented by the Technical Institute of Leloaleng (TIL) in Quthing District; and the mountainous (rural) areas represented by the Lesotho College of Education (LCE) satellite campus in Thaba-Tseka District.
FOCUS OF THE STUDY
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF LESOTHO
For example, we succeeded in negotiating with the Center for the Study of AIDS (CSA) at the University of Pretoria to initiate the expansion of CSA's Future Leaders @ Work peer training. The purpose of the study was to determine the prevalence of HIV among Pre-Entry Science Program students and to assess their knowledge, attitudes, practices and behaviors that may be associated with their predisposition to HIV.
TECHNICAL INSTITUTE OF LELOALENG
Almost all the respondents were Basotho and they entered university after their 'O' level qualifying examination. Three quarters of them had been day teachers in their previous school years, of which only two thirds had lived with their parents.
LESOTHO COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
As a result, the college budget is provided by the government through the Ministry of Education. In 2006 the college opened a satellite campus in Thaba-Tseka district (LCE, 2011), one of the remote districts in Lesotho.
THE HEALTH EDUCATION AND PROMOTION SERVICES IN LESOTHO
This Committee is intended to provide technical guidance in the development of all BCC messages and to ensure that all messages distributed in the country are accurate and do not transmit unintended messages. Additionally, all deleted messages must be returned to owners within three business days.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
ADULT EDUCATION
DEFINITION OF OPERATIONAL TERMS
Print: This refers to or arises from the technical printing process by which IEC materials or documents are produced and reproduced, and not to print in the sense of verbal text or written words found in many different media.
ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY
CONCLUSION
33 monitoring and a need to regularly evaluate the importance of printed IEC materials if Lesotho is to realize its long-awaited dream of promoting attitudinal and behavioral change through the delivery of appropriate and effective HIV information, education and communication.
INTRODUCTION
Since little research has been conducted on this aspect of HIV/AIDS since 2009, this review focuses primarily on studies by Aggleton, Yankah, and Crewe (2011), Das and Gupta (2011), and Bekele and Ahmed (2008). In addition to examining the progress or impact of HIV/AIDS education, these studies were of interest because the aim of the study was to determine how young adults perceived the importance and appropriateness of educational materials used during this period.
IMPACT OF EDUCATION ON HIV AND AIDS
A review of their literature review revealed that a number of studies found that a majority of. To assess participants' interpretation of the images, Arbuckle asked participants (23 adults attending a Level 1 Zulu adult literacy course at two rural and two urban literacy centers in KwaZulu-Natal) to look at images (without text) and describe their meaning.
LEVEL OF HIV/AIDS KNOWLEDGE AMONG YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS
Overall, 41 percent of respondents knew all five methods of either transmitting or preventing HIV. This study also aimed to investigate the extent to which these problems were prevalent among Lesotho tertiary students. 2011), indicated significantly different levels of HIV/AIDS knowledge among youth and young adults.
RESPONSES TO IEC MATERIALS FOR HIV/AIDS PREVENTION
Apparently, the knowledge they gained during their participation in the planning phase of the campaign influenced their beliefs and attitudes towards sexuality and responsible behavior. Preece and Ntseane suggested that if preventive strategies for HIV/AIDS are to bring about the desired change, group discussions and dialogues must be conducted in such a way that they take into account cultural issues and promote awareness of the contradictions that may be overshadowed by the cultural discourse.
WHAT IS COMMUNICATION?
Parallel to the emotional function in the communication process is the conative function, which is more familiar with the message's effect on. At the top, located in the center of the poster, is a coat of arms logo.
CHARACTERISTICS OF INFORMATION, EDUCATION AND
USER FOCUSED DIMENSIONS
- COMPREHENSION
- ATTRACTIVENESS
- PERSUASIVENESS
- ACCEPTABILITY
- CREDIBILITY
This includes aspects such as the appeal of the visuals and of the instruction itself (whether the instruction helps people understand the message). It is therefore necessary for IEC material producers to organize messages in such a way that they enhance the reader's experiential and interpersonal meaning of the message and form it into a linear and coherent whole (Carstens, 2011).
CONCLUSION
As has been described in the preceding paragraphs, messages are central to the printing of IEC materials. That is, printed IEC materials with HIV prevention messages should observe the concerns and knowledge level of targeted audiences so that they are able to promote the required attitudinal change.
INTRODUCTION
64 It was envisaged that communication theory would provide a deeper understanding of how communication contributes to learning, while the semiotic approach would assist in the analysis of how students derive and or express meaning from the text and images that make up these materials and what they understand text. and image functions must be. Given that the study involved learning, communication strategies and issues with the interpretation of teaching materials, the concept of learning is briefly defined from the point of view of various theorists with a particular focus on adult learning, as such.
LEARNING
For example, a new perspective or understanding of previously learned information can change the motivation to learn. For him, learning is an interpretation of the meaning of experience and a guide for future action.
THEORY OF COMMUNICATION
- LASSWELL’S MODEL OF COMMUNICATION
- SHANNON AND WEAVER’S MODEL OF COMMUNICATION
- WILBUR SCHRAMM’S MODEL OF COMMUNICATION
- JAKOBSON’S MODEL OF COMMUNICATION
According to Fiske (2011) and Steinberg (2007), the communication theorist Harold Laswell developed the linear model of communication in 1948. However, Jakobson seems to have tried to capture these functions in his model of communication.
SEMIOTICS THEORY
- THE SIGN
- THE APPROPRIATENESS OF SEMIOTICS TO THE STUDY
- PEIRCE AND THE SIGN
- ORDERS OR SYSTEMS OF SIGNIFICATION
This implies that text helps people make sense out of the images, depending on their familiarity with the characters there. Discourse analysis theory was used as a tool to analyze how respondents create meaning from the materials.
DISCOURSE ANALYSIS THEORY
DISCOURSE
Consequently, in the case of this study, HIV messages intended to be communicated through printed IEC materials must be research-based. In the case of this study, it is expected that such learning can be demonstrated through attitude. language and action) change after the learners' interaction with printed IEC materials.
DISCOURSE ANALYSIS THEORY
92 Therefore, discourse analysis was used in addition to semiotic analysis and as a means of interpreting students' discourses and discourse behaviors. Fairclough points out that the intertextuality of a text is rather complex or ambivalent because of the relationships it has with the genres, discourses, styles and types of activity that make up the order of discourse.
TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING THEORY
It was useful to look more closely at the intertextuality of the text materials and students' responses to them in order to gain a deeper understanding of the type of ambivalence and how it is created in the texts in order to analyze the suitability of the printed IEC materials. for youth and young adults in their context as literate Basotho young adults (tertiary students), although the study does not focus on discourse analysis in detail. As stated at the beginning of this chapter, the above theoretical framework also connects with learning theory that talks about the transformation of adult learning, focusing in particular on one of the stages of Mezirow's learning cycle: transformative learning.
DIALOGIC EDUCATION THEORY
But since the concept of dialogue in learning situations is embedded in dialogic educational theory, it is in this respect that the review in the next section touches on this theory. In this pedagogical view of dialogue and learning, the pedagogue does not take on the role of a one-sided authority, but together with the students collaboratively asks about the learning content (Gravett, 2005), works with it and reasons about it.
CONCLUSION
Freire (2000) emphasizes that when the oppressed struggle for their liberation, this is not a gift from the revolutionary leadership, but the result of their conscientization and that this can only be successfully achieved through dialogue. However, Freire warns that “replacing dialogue with monologues, slogans and communiqués is an attempt to liberate the oppressed with the tools of domestication.”
INTRODUCTION
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This means whether the printed IEC materials used to prevent the spread of HIV in the country are serving their intended purposes or not. The research was exploratory because its purpose is to explore and analyze what meaning the students attributed to the printed IEC materials used in Lesotho, or what message the materials convey to them.
RESEARCH PARADIGM
This is achieved through questions that were. 102 aimed to create students' understanding of the materials, namely comprehension. Indications of behavior change could not be assessed due to the short-term nature of the study, but.
RESEARCH DESIGN
It is descriptive, in that it presents a rich and thick description of the phenomenon under study. It is heuristic because it illuminates the reader's understanding of the phenomenon under study and leads to the discovery of new meanings.
RESEARCH POPULATION AND SAMPLE
RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS
In order to carry out the study, a total of four visits were made to each institution. Principals of the schools that were selected for the research were first sensitized by telephone in order to.
SAMPLING TECHNIQUES
A total of 108 students (10 from each institution) were selected from these two institutions. This was not the case for NUL, as explained in the previous section, increasing the number of participants in the sample to 26.
ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
In the pursuit of fairness, institutions were also asked to ensure that students with disabilities (especially those with visual and hearing impairments) were included in the study. However, the final copy of the report will be shared with all three institutions in the hope that recommendations arising from the study will benefit the students as individuals and the institutions as well.
DATA COLLECTION
TRIANGULATION
For this study, a method of triangulation of multiple sources of data was adopted to ensure that the probability of the findings would be reliable or worthy of consideration. This was important because triangulation can help improve the trustworthiness of research findings (Bradley 1993).
RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS
- TRUSTWORTHINESS
- CREDIBILITY
- TRANSFERABILITY
- DEPENDABILITY
- CONFIRMABILITY
Using the 15-item interview guideline, an initial group discussion meeting was held to explore students' understanding of the materials. Focus groups and individual interviews were then used as data collection methods for students' analysis of the same documents (HIV materials).
SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS OF THE MATERIALS
The first meetings were held to establish the message(s) the students believed the materials should convey and their perceptions of the materials' meaning and appropriateness for them. They were also asked to make suggestions for the layout of the materials so that it would attract the intended audience.
PILOT TESTING
From this, I was able to estimate the amount of time needed for the actual orientation meetings. However, the first meeting was held almost three weeks later, as the school took some time to identify students for the pilot study.
FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSIONS
SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS
THE FGD AND INDIVIDUAL INTERVIEW PROCESS
Learners were asked to take turns to read aloud a paragraph or bullet point from the material during the discussions, thus actively involving them and helping them to exercise their mental and physiological involvement (Chilisa and Preece, 2005). in the hope of maximizing their participation. After that, the actual discussion about the material followed, guided by the rest of the questions from the interview guidelines.
DATA ANALYSIS
Learners' discourses were used to analyze the extent to which the materials matched Basotho culture, or that of the learners. The observation was that the ability to read did not mean that students understood the message of the materials.
LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
Topics include: first impressions, meaning making and suggestions for improving the poster. It also investigates the effects of discussions on students' attitudes towards the poster.
CONCLUSION
INTRODUCTION
THE IMPORTANCE OF ANALYSIS
The importance of analyzing the materials prior to conducting interviews with students lay in their value in assisting producers of IEC printed materials and members of the IEC Clearing. Furthermore, this analysis and interpretation made me realize the value of retesting the materials before they could ultimately be produced and distributed.
THE ANALYSIS
These provided insights into how the language used in the materials should be culturally sensitive (particularly as some of the simple Sesotho words are sometimes taken as an insult and therefore cannot be used for public messages), prompting IEC material producers encouraged to use euphemisms or metaphors to describe sensitive issues, while at the same time it is important that the intended audience can easily distinguish the connotative messages. The current practice is that the materials are produced only based on the results of the pretest, without being retested after being reformulated based on the results of the initial pretest.
THE POSTER
ANALYSIS OF THE POSTER
In the analysis, it was assumed that even illiterate people would be able to interpret the intended message from looking at the picture because they would be familiar with the type of people shown, although the results of others in the literature (Arbuckle, 2014, Carstens ) , Maes and Gangla-Birir, 2006 and Carstens, 2004b) seemed to contradict this assumption because the connotation or underlying meaning of the poster is not presented in an analogous way. The grid of lines in the center of the images symbolized the connections between those who enjoy a 'good time'.
CRITIQUE OF THE POSTER
THE PAMPHLET
ANALYSIS OF THE PAMPHLET
Perhaps this was due to prior knowledge the researcher already had about what he was communicating. The implication was that the message came from the brochure's sponsors, whose logos appear on it.
CRITIQUE OF THE PAMPHLET
Due to the lack of credibility, questions were raised about the number of people who would go or be encouraged to get tested for HIV after interacting with this pamphlet. This also called into question the quality of services offered by the producers of this particular pamphlet as they also offer HIV testing services.
THE MAGAZINE
ANALYSIS OF THE MAGAZINE
An evaluation of the messages revealed that the material contains different layers of meaning, although the picture does not clearly explain the content of the text. It can be assumed that the picture of the male nurse implies the credibility of the material, as it represents someone who is supposed to be trustworthy and knowledgeable about biological matters such as masturbation.
CRITIQUE OF THE MAGAZINE
CONCLUSION
However, the magazine (article 5) uses the nurse as a sign of credibility to establish that the material can be trusted in the absence of visually depicting the actual content, thus making it even more attractive. The material also did not display the AIDS ribbon symbol, which made me consider what meaning the Lesotho IEC material producers and the tertiary education learners attach to this ribbon, but during the informal discussions (after the interviews), I learned that, otherwise than in South. Africa, where Marschall found that "the South Africans considered the extensive use of the symbol essential", the tertiary institution learners in Lesotho did not appreciate the use of this ribbon at all.
INTRODUCTION
The chapter concludes with a summary analysis of student comments about text and images that appeared to be important in the design of health-related posters.
THE FIRST IMPRESSIONS
- MOTIVATING FACTORS
- CULTURAL ISSUES
- GENDER ISSUES
- ELEMENTS OF CONFUSION
- MIXED MESSAGES
F4: …as you can see on the poster, the four plus one driver is well defined. They were of the opinion that their parents should be included in the target audience, because first of all HIV does not respect age limits, so it is.
MEANING MAKING
- TRANSFORMATIVE THINKING
- MISSING MESSAGES
- LEARNING FROM EACH OTHER
- DENIAL VERSUS REALITY
- FEAR UNDERTONES
All the respondents understood the message of the poster to mean that HIV can infect everyone, regardless of gender, education and or economic standards. The point is that they were already aware of the consequences of sexual relations and HIV problems.
PARTICIPANTS’ SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT
SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE ATTRACTIVENESS
SUGGESTIONS TO FILL COMMUNICATION GAPS
SUGGESTIONS FOR THE INCLUSION OF ALL BASOTHO
SUGGESTIONS FOR ADJUSTING THE DIAGRAM
CONCLUSION
INTRODUCTION
THE FIRST IMPRESSIONS
MOTIVATING AND DEMOTIVATING FACTORS
ELEMENTS OF CONFUSION
MEANING MAKING
TRANSFORMATIVE THINKING
LEARNING FROM EACH OTHER
FEAR UNDERTONES
SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT
SUGGESTIONS TO FILL COMMUNICATION GAPS
SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE ATTRACTIVENESS OF THE PAMPHLET
SUGGESTIONS FOR THE INCLUSION OF ALL BASOTHO
CONCLUSION
INTRODUCTION
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
MOTIVATING FACTORS
DEMOTIVATING FACTORS
CULTURAL ISSUES
ELEMENTS OF CONFUSION
MEANING MAKING
TRANSFORMATIVE THINKING
LEARNING FROM EACH OTHER
FEAR UNDERTONES
DENIAL VERSUS REALITY
LEARNERS’ SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF THE MAGAZINE
SUGGESTIONS TO FILL COMMUNICATION GAPS
SUGGESTIONS FOR THE INCLUSION OF ALL BASOTHO
CONCLUSION
INTRODUCTION
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
MOTIVATING FACTORS
DEMOTIVATING FACTORS
CULTURAL ISSUES
MEANING MAKING
TRANSFORMATIVE THINKING
FEAR UNDERTONES
DENIAL VERSUS REALITY
LEARNERS’ SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF THE MATERIALS
SUGGESTIONS TO FILL COMMUNICATION GAPS
SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE ATTRACTIVENESS
SUGGESTIONS FOR THE INCLUSION OF ALL BASOTHO
SUGGESTIONS FOR ADJUSTING THE DIAGRAM
CONCLUSION
INTRODUCTION
OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY
SUMMARY OF CHAPTERS
FINDINGS OF THE STUDY
CONCLUSION
FINDINGS FROM THE INTERVIEWS WITH THE RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS 309
RECOMMENDATIONS
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDIES
