| dc.description.abstract | Na die aanbreek van 'n demokratiese Suid-Afrika, met die verkiesing van 1994, het daar, soos
op baie ander terreine van die samelewing, ook drastiese hervorming op die gebied van die
onderwys gekom. Een van die groot veranderings wat Kurrikulum 2005 teweeggebring het,
was die insluiting van die vak Lewensoriëntering in die Kurrikulum. Lewensvaardighede het in
2011 die vak Lewensoriëntering vervang in die lntermediere fase en is die studie van die self in
verhouding met ander en die samelewing. Die doel van Lewensvaardighede het by die van
Lewensoriëntering aangesluit. Die vak Lewensvaardighede staan sentraal om leerders toe te
rus vir 'n betekenisvolle lewe in 'n snelveranderende gemeenskap.
Dit het duidelik geword dat leerders in die lntermediêre fase in KwaZulu-Natal, soos in die res
van Suid-Afrika, gekonfronteer word met sosiale kwessies soos byvoorbeeld armoede,
werkloosheid, behuisingsprobleme, 'n tekort aan basiese dienste, 'n tekort aan voedsel, morele
verval, die MIV- en vigs-pandemie, disintegrasie van familiestrukture, mishandeling van vroue
en leerders, taal- en kulturele verskille, asook opvoeding- en gesondheidsprobleme. Die
navorser het bewus geraak van die feit dat leerders wat deur bogenoemde faktore geraak word,
wangedrag openbaar, byvoorbeeld bakleiery, disrespek vir hul medemens en onderwysers,
diefstal, vandalisering van ander se eiendom, swak taalgebruik en die besit van dwelms, drank
en wapens.
Die Lewensvaardighede-onderwyser is in 'n groot mate betrokke by die vorming en ontwikkeling
van die leerders, aangesien die vak Lewensvaardighede sentraal staan tot die holistiese
ontwikkeling van leerders se fisiese, intellektuele, persoonlike, emosionele en sosiale groei.
Wanneer die Lewensvaardighede-onderwyser 'n proses van verandering teweegbring rakende
die leerders se emosionele, kognitiewe en sosiale kwessies in die lntermêdiere fase, tree hy op
as 'n veranderingsagent. Die proses van verandering behels nie noodwendig die verbetering
van die probleem nie, maar verwys eerder na die verandering van sekere kwessies. In hierdie
geval verwys die proses van verandering na die verandering vanaf problematiese sosiale
kwessies wat in leerders in die lntermediêre fase-skole in Noord-KwaZulu-Natal ervaar word na
die ondersteuning, behandeling, asook die bevordering van sterkpunte daarvan.
Die primêre doel van die studie was om te bepaal wat die rol van die Lewensvaardighedeonderwyser
as veranderingsagent in die lntermediere fase is. Om hierdie primêre navorsingsvraag ten voile te kon ondersoek en te kon beantwoord, moes die volgende
sekondêre vrae beantwoord word:
Wat behoort die rol van die Lewensvaardighede-onderwyser as veranderingsagent te
wees?
Hoe kan die lntermediêre fase leerder se lewe baat by die rol van die
Lewensvaardighede-onderwyser as veranderingsagent?
Hoe ervaar Lewensvaardighede-onderwysers hul rol as veranderingsagent in die
lntermediêre fase?
Die navorser het bevind dat die vak Lewensvaardighede en die inhoud van die vak daargestel is
met die doel om leerders toe te rus met die nodige kennis, vaardighede en waardes om as
verantwoordelike burgers op te tree in 'n snelveranderende omgewing. Die vak lei leerders ook
om huile voile fisiese, inteilektuele, persoonlike, emosionele en sosiale potensiaal te bereik deur
te fokus op hierdie faktore. Die individue het positiewe, sowel as negatiewe gevoelens rondom
die vak Lewensvaardighede. Daar bestaan 'n gevoel dat die vak noodsaaklik is ten opsigte van
leerder-ontwikkeling, maar dat dit afgeskeep en geminag word. Daarteenoor voel sommige
individue ook dat die vak tydmors is en dat dit 'n onrealistiese, waardelose vak is, wat die
leerders se vermoëns onderskat. Die vak Lewensvaardighede se fokus is op Persoonlike en
Sosiale Welsyn, Liggaamlike Opvoeding en Skeppende Kunste.
Die navorsing het getoon dat die onderwyser se doel is om leerders by te staan en aan leerders
hulp te verleen sodat huile hul voile potensiaal kan bereik. Die onderwyser tree op as 'n sleutel
tussen leer en die leerder. Elke onderwyser behoort dus professioneel, gekwalifiseerd,
toegewyd, besorg, bekwaam en toegerus met idees, bronne en kennis te wees. Om oor
bogenoemde eienskappe te beskik, behoort die onderwyser 'n vakspesialis in sy/haar rigting te
wees, wat voortdurend navorsing doen en nalees oor die vak, sodat hy/sy kennis het oor die
onderwerpe en inhoud van die vak.
Die onderwyser het 'n direkte invloed op die vorming, ontwikkeling en welstand van die
leerders. Leerders staar probleme in die gesig, welke probleme soms wangedrag by leerders
tot gevolg mag hê. Die Lewensvaardighede-onderwyser is in 'n unieke posisie om verandering
binne hierdie situasies teweeg te bring , aangesien die vak Lewensvaardighede sentraal staan
tot die groei- en ontwikkelingsproses van die leerders. Wanneer die onderwyser verandering
teweegbring, tree hy/sy op as 'n veranderingsagent. 'n Veranderingsagent kan gedefinieer
word as 'n persoon wat as 'n hulpmiddel optree om 'n ander/nuwe gesteldheid na vore te bring.
Hy/sy behoort die algemene veranderingsproses te organiseer en te reguleer. Die veranderingsproses is 'n onvermydelike proses en bied geleentheid vir groei en innovasie. Dit
is 'n beplande, maar meer dikwels 'n onbeplande reaksie op stimuli in die omgewing. Hierdie
verandering sluit emosionele, fisiese, fisiologiese, intellektuele, persoonlike en
persoonlikheidsverandering in. Veranderinge op politieke, staatkundige, demografiese, sosiale,
kulturele, ekonomiese, onderwyskundige, grondsake en landboukundige terrein, sowel as taalen
sportveranderinge, het ook 'n invloed op die lntermediêre fase leerder, hetsy op 'n direkte of
indirekte wyse. Die onderwyser bevind hom-/haarself in die unieke posisie om as 'n
veranderingsagent op te tree binne die lntermediêre fase leerders se lewens aangesien hy/sy in
die perfekte posisie is om leerders te lei om die regte keuses te maak random enige
verandering wat in sy/haar lewe plaasvind. Dit is dus belangrik dat die regte soort verandering
ge'identifiseer word om uieindelik die regte proses van verandering te volg .
Die lntermediere fase leerder gaan deur kognitiewe, sosiale, sosio-ekonomiese, emosionele,
selfkonsep-, liggaamlike en morele ontwikkeling; verandering kan dus 'n positiewe of 'n
negatiewe invloed hê op die leerder wat binne 'n omgewing met diverse waardesisteme
grootword.
Die navorser is van mening dat 'n opvolgstudie onderneem kan word waarin daar bepaal sal
word hoe die leerders aanpas by die verandering waartydens die onderwyser as
veranderingsagent opgetree het, ten einde 'n beter begrip van die resultate van die
Lewensvaardighede-onderwyser as veranderingsagent in die lntermediêre fase te verkry. 'n
Verdere ondersoek na die rol van 'n akademiese program in die veranderingsproses word
aanbeveel. Following the elections of 1994, the dawning of a democratic South Africa led to radical
transformation on numerous areas of society including education and training. One of the most
significant changes brought about by the introduction of 'Curriculum 2005' was the inclusion of
the subject Life Orientation in the curriculum. The subject Life Orientation was replaced by Life
Skills in the Intermediate-Phase during 2011 and in essence manifests as a study of the
individual in relation to others and society at large. The purpose behind the introduction of Life
Skills was to enhance the scope of Life Orientation by becoming the vehicle to equip learners
with all the required skills to live a purpose driven life amidst a rapid and ever-changing
community.
It soon became clear that Intermediate phase learners in Kwa-Zulu Natal were constantly
challenged by social problems like poverty, unemployment, lack of housing and basic services,
constant shortage of food, moral decline, the HIV and AIDS contagion, disintegration of family
structures, exploitation of women and children, linguistic and cultural transformations as well as
health and educational difficulties. The researcher became aware of the fact that the learners
exposed to the abovementioned factors, displayed bad behavior i.e. fighting, direspect towards
other individuals and teachers, theft, vandalism of other people's property, poor vocabulary and
possession of drugs, alcohol and weapons.
The Life Skills educator, to a large extent, is involved in the development and character forming
of the learners since the contents of the subject Life Skills provides the foundation for a holistic
approach to the development of the physical, intellectual, personal and social development of
learners. Life Skills educators convert to agents of change when their interaction leads to
transformation of the emotional, cognitive and social development of learners in the
Intermediate-Phase. This process of change unfortunately does not necessarily lead to solving
of the problem, but must rather be seen as a change in some of the concerns. In these specific
cases, the process of change refers to a transformation from challenging social apprehensions
experienced by these Intermediate-Phase learners in North-Kwa-Zulu Natal to an environment
free of fear and conducive to support, conduct and advancement of their forte.
The principal purpose of the study was to determine the roll of the Life Skills educator as
change agent in the Intermediate-Phase in schools in North-Kwa-Zulu Natal. A prerequisite for
the research in this area was the acquisition of answers to the following secondary questions: What should the role of the Life Skills educator as change agent be?
How could the Intermediate-Phase learner benefit from the life Skills educator
accomplishing the role of change agent?
How do Life Skills educators experience their role as agent of change in the
Intermediate-Phase?
The researcher has established that the subject Life Skills and the content thereof was
introduced with the sole purpose to equip learners with the appropriate knowledge, skills and
value-system to act as an accountable citizen in a rapid and ever changing environment. It was
also confirmed that by focusing on a variety of factors, the subject contents lead the learners to
reach their potential in a number of areas i.e. physical-, intellectual-, personal-, emotional- and
social ability. It was further established that both positive and negative feelings and perceptions
surfaced around the subject Life Skills and its content. These feelings were validated by a
sense of necessity for learner development but that the presentation of the subject was
neglected and tainted. It was also felt by some learners that presentation of the subject was a
waste of time, without any contributing value and underestimating the abilities of some learners.
The main focus of the subject Life Skills was found to be on personal and social wellbeing,
physical education and creative arts.
The research has shown that the purpose of the educator is to assist learners and to help them
so that they may reach their full potential. The educator acts as a 'key' between the learner and
the learning process. Each educator therefore needs to be professional, qualified, determined,
caring, competent and equipped with ideas, sources and knowledge. In order for the educator
to have the abovementioned characteristics, the educator needs to be a specialist in his/her
field, who continuously does research and reads about the subject, so that he/she can obtain
knowledge about the scope and content thereof.
The educator has a direct influence on the development and wellbeing of the learners. The
learners often face problems, which problems can result in bad bahaviour. The life Skills
educator is in a unique position to bring about changes, since the subject Life Skills forms the
centre of the growth- and development process of the learners. When the educator brings
about change, he/she acts as a change agent. An agent of change can best be defined as
somebody acting as enabler to bring about change in thought processes and actions and a
facilitator able to handle and regulate the change process. Change is an unavoidable process
that offers opportunity for growth and innovation that offers planned (and sometimes unplanned)
reaction to initiators from the surrounding environment. Change may include, amongst others, emotional-, physical-, intellectual-, personal- and personality changes. Likewise, the ro le of
political-, demographic-, social-, cultural-, economic-, educational-, language-, landownership
and agricultural changes as well as changes to sport and recreational activities may have a
direct or indirect effect on the learner in the Intermediate-Phase. The educator operates amidst
the unique environment and is therefore ideally 'situated' to act as agent of change to the
learner in the Intermediate-Phase change by facilitating decision making on matters effecting
changes taking place in their lives. It is therefore critical to identify the required change and
implement the correct change process.
The Intermediate-Phase learner is constantly exposed to cognitive-, social-, socio-economical-,
emotional-, physical- and moral development and the change process may be have both in a
positive and negative effect on a learner growing up in an environment with diverse value
systems.
The researcher is of the opinion that a follow-up study needs to be done to establish the level of
adaption to change facilitated by an educator who acted as an agent of change. This in turn will
shed more light on the success of the Life Skills educators' role as agent of change. Further
research into the role of an academic program of the change process is therefore
recommended | en_US |
