Project topics and materials
Get Complete Project Material File(s) Now! »
The impact of cultural influences
Many countries around the world have diverse cultures within their citizenry. This has come about as a result of people that have emigrated from their countries to settle elsewhere in the world. Various cultures brought together in such a manner inevitably influence one another, hence the processes of acculturation and enculturation (Baldauf, 1981, 3). The school is one such place where an encounter may play itself out, and in most cases with negative effects on learners who belong to a minority cultures. In order to highlight the impact of cultural influences in schools, an exposition of the problems experienced by the children of the Aborigines of Australia and the Afro-American and African-Caribbean children living in the USA, Britain and Canada is provided below.
In a study conducted by researchers in Australian schools that were known to be performing well, a number of learners, educators and parents were interviewed (http://www.unisa.edu.au/hawkeinstitute/hpw/documents/sanderson-discipline.doc). The focus of the study was to determine the influence of diversity on the implementation of discipline at school. The researchers wanted to investigate the causes of the overrepresentation of Aboriginal learners in suspension and /or expulsion figures, time-out and principal’s office referrals. This concern was also raised by Munn et al. (1998, 11) who claims that expulsion can cause problems for indigenous children, including the irritation and inconvenience that goes with it. In their report, the researchers documented serious inequalities and inconsistencies that were revealed by parent groups, educators and learners, regarding the punishment of learners from different cultural backgrounds.
Aboriginal parents revealed that their children were the ones who were frequently locked out of the formal education system; institutional racism existed in schools; that there were differences in aboriginal parenting that caused conflict in the management of behaviour of aboriginal learners, that their children were over-represented in suspension statistics and office referrals, and that there was limited inclusion of aboriginal culture in the curriculum. Educators raised issues on culturally appropriate teaching practices and pedagogies. The indications are that there are many cultural differences; other cultures had different views on punishment and the effectiveness of suspension.
Furthermore, the researchers noted that the home and the school were two different worlds that were kept apart by race, poverty and gender. They also observed that although parents and learners made serious attempts to fit into a bi-cultural world, the school remained a mono-cultural institution which excluded the minority cultures. Some schools do not understand the world of indigenous learners and their parents and they make no attempt to come to terms with its complexities and practices. Finally, they indicate that unless such schools become culturally inclusive, their indigenous learners will continue to develop oppositional identities which are in conflict with mainstream educational practices. This implies that disciplinary problems will persist with no end in sight. This view is supported by Beresford and Omaji (1996, 54). The researchers highlighted the importance of the incorporation of aboriginal culture into the school curriculum by citing the work of Alfie Konn (1994; 1996; 1999; compare also Morrison 2002), who argues for a curriculum that should be developed originally from real life interests and concerns of the students. This view is supported by Dewey (1934), available online at (http://www.unisa.edu.au/hawkeinstitute/hpw/documents/sanderson-discipline.doc). Dewey contends that skilled teaching allows learners to grapple with real life situations and this brings the cultural content and implications into classroom. If day-to-day experiences are allowed to be reflected in the classroom, they will promote culture circles, dialogue and peer interaction which will promote synergy in many other things.
This will promote enculturation and the much needed understanding and tolerance of each others’ culture.
AFRICAN CULTURAL PRACTICES AND AFRICAN SELF
A number of social and cultural factors have a bearing on the self of Africans. Many young people give up their own education to take up jobs for sole purpose of being afraid of being punished at school or they want to assist their siblings. In polygamous home, children have different mothers but common father. Once the mother pass away, children face discrimination from remaining wife, this results in children running away from home and leaving school. Another factor is interdependence among Africans transcends death, while death terminates a person ‘s visible physical presence in given space of time, many Africans subscribe to the belief that it is still possible to communicate with those have passed on. This cultural practice affect school, learners will stay away from school claiming that they where talking to their forefathers. As an African educators you cannot question that.
As in many other cultures, the problem of discipline in African schools is not new. African learners often defy their educators’ authority thus creating a plate of tension and hostility. Mwamwenda (2004, 275) contends that misbehaviour in school and the classroom may originate in the child him/herself, the school, society, parents and educators. He continues to indicate that learners may have been raised to behave in ways that are not congruent with the behaviour expected of them at school. He further points out that children who do not receive love and good care from their parents, they learn to disrespect their parents and then extend this perception of adults to other authority figures at school (Mwamwenda 2004, 275). Society also has an influence on the level of discipline. What is happening at school is a reflection of what is going on in the society. In the African culture it was not essential to educate a girl child, those who go to school is for the sole purpose of securing good jobs.
They view cultural practices such as circumcision and “Domba” the largest school of initiation for girls among the Venda with strong personal and cultural pride as compared to education.
In African culture there are parents who provide an autocratic family environment and those who provide protective interdependent family environment. Children coming from autocratic family environment are punished whenever they disobey the rules because they are expected to be totally obedient, according to their culture they are not allowed to question their parents. Children reared by such parents may develop obsessive compulsive behaviour and this may lead to behavioural problems and poor performance in school work. Children from protective interdependent family environment, parents wish that their children to achieve independently, they are afraid that they may fail, as a result they intervene thereby impeding their children from developing individuality. The children depend on their parents, this relationship extends to other situation, including learning. These learners are likely to be timid and quite in the classroom. It is therefore important that participants to understand African children if they are to succeed in their classroom discipline practices. They must understand the child as he/she exists in the home environment so that what he/she expereinces at home can be linked with what he/she does and studies at school. Duroijaye 1976, as quoted by Mwamwenda (2004, 399) states that the childrearing practices of African are of educational values given the manner in which a child is received when he/she is born. Knowledge of African childrearing practice can make educators of African children sensitive to and aware of some of the values they have to shape children. Gyekye (1997 8) asserts that philosophical activity is universal and is common to all cultures of the world. He further indicates that every culture produces a philosophy and adopts a particular world view. He contends that to deny African peoples philosophical thought is to imply that they are unable to reflect on or to conceptualise their experience.
He supports this view by indicating that African philosophical ideas and proverbs are the result of reflection on their experience in the world.
CHAPTER 1 ORIENTATION, PROBLEM STATEMENT, LITERATURE REVIEW AND RESEARCH APPROACH
1.1 Orientation
1.2 Problem statement
1.3 Literature review
1.4 Delimitation of the study
1.5 Research objectives
1.6 Research method
Description of sample
1.7 Outline of chapters
1.8 Conclusion
CHAPTER 2 THEORIES OF SCHOOL DISCIPLINE
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Behaviourists
Skinnerian model
2.3 Cognitivists
2.4 Constructivists
2.5 Hybrid theories of school discipline
2.6 Conclusion
CHAPTER 3 THE INFLUENCE OF LIVED EXPERIENCES ON CURRENT BEHAVIOUR
3.1 Introduction
3.2. Historical overview of the South African context
3.4 How lived experiences influence current behaviour
3.5 Conclusion
CHAPTER 4 RESEARCH DESIGN
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Qualitative research
4.3 Research procedure
4.4 Sampling
4.5 Procedure for data analysis
4.6 Ethical considerations
4.7 Credibility and trustworthiness
4.8 Triangulation and Crystallization
4.9 Conclusion
CHAPTER 5 A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Backgroung information of the three sample schools
5.3 Research procedure
5.4 Data analysis and interpretation of semi structured interviews
5.5 Participants’ view on school discipline
5.6 Conclusion
CHAPTER 6 NARRATIVE ANALYSIS OF EDUCATORS’ LIVED STORIES
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Procedure in analysing participants’ experiences
6.3 Analysis and interpretation of participants’ classroom discipline practices and experiences
6.4 Conclusion
CHAPTER 7 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
7.1 Introduction
7.2 A possible way forward
7.3 Conclusion
