South African teachers’ initiation into Values Education: Following the script

Abstract

This article reports on a study of teachers' first encounter with an in-service development programme on Values Education. The authors describe how a two year professional development programme in Values and Human Rights education was designed and implemented with 144 teachers. The research conducted on these two aspects of the programme yielded findings that show how the teachers in two South Africa provinces (Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape) fashioned their practice to reflect their commitment to the programme and its curriculum. One finding was that they highlighted values for civic life more than values related to their profession. Interpreted from sociocultural theory, and specifically the notion of "internalization," the authors argue that the teachers performed for the benefits of the programme and its assessment, more than for critically inquiring into the role of values in their pedagogy.

Pre-service teachers’ perception of values education in the South African physical education curriculum

“…It is evident that educators who teach values choose how they infuse values, but this is also an area of concern and needs to be investigated (Haljasorg & Lilleoja 2016). According to the sociocultural theory, or the cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) of Vygotsky (1978) and Engeström (1987), teachers often strictly adhere to the curriculum content and lack critical debate on social issues emanating from contextual realities within the school and community environment (Dasoo & Henning 2012).…”

“…Following the South African democratic dispensation of 1994, values and human rights feature nationally in educational research. Issues of human rights and social justice have received attention (Dasoo & Henning 2012).…”

“…They can also act as human mediators in the capacity of role models (Vygotsky 1986). However, Dasoo and Henning (2012) maintain that to prescribe certain values taught with a specific pedagogy undermines critical inclusive debate on values, especially in a multicultural and diverse society such as South Africa, which is also reflected in schools. Difference exists, on the one hand, in learners' knowledge of appropriate behaviour and, on the other hand, what they know about their actual behaviours.…”

“…However, following the inaugural ceremony of Nelson Mandela as the post-apartheid President of South Africa, on 10th May 1994, a new democratic country begun the process of social, political, economic and educational transformation aimed at developing a healthy egalitarian society (Lomofsky & Lazarus 2001). Yet, more than 20 years into democracy, traces of injustice and various forms of discrimination remain evident (Dasoo & Henning 2012;Roux & Janse van Rensburg 2017). Against this background human rights violation and especially human rights education have become eminent (Simmonds & Du Preez 2017).…”