Children's learning In the diverse sociocultural context of South Africa

Children develop in several interlocking systems—in the context of their family, and within the interaction of such settings as home, school, and church (Russell, 2011). In South Africa, children’s diverse backgrounds within families, neighborhoods, and sociocultural environments provide them with v...

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Main Authors: Chikovore, Jeremiah, Makusha, Tawanda, Muzvidziwa, Irene, Richter, Linda
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Association for Childhood Education International 2016
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/11408/1143
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author Chikovore, Jeremiah
Makusha, Tawanda
Muzvidziwa, Irene
Richter, Linda
author_facet Chikovore, Jeremiah
Makusha, Tawanda
Muzvidziwa, Irene
Richter, Linda
author_sort Chikovore, Jeremiah
collection DSpace
description Children develop in several interlocking systems—in the context of their family, and within the interaction of such settings as home, school, and church (Russell, 2011). In South Africa, children’s diverse backgrounds within families, neighborhoods, and sociocultural environments provide them with varied experiences and opportunities to learn. Whether the children are growing up in urban or rural communities, belong to a specific race and ethnic group, or are poor or rich, all are exposed to cultures, lifestyles, amenities, and living conditions that differ in marked ways (Makoe, 2006). For example, the racial and ethnic heterogeneity of South Africa translates into a complex mix of languages: English, Afrikaans, nine indigenous languages, and five Indian languages (Reagan, 2001). Children from diverse backgrounds come to school with different experiences, and the schools struggle to meet their assorted educational needs. The poor performance of learners in South Africa reflects the continued use of an instructional model that emphasizes school-based learning with abstract outcomes, and that evaluates pupils on the basis of constructs and concepts that ignore what children know and learn outside the school environment. In the context of South Africa, much attention centers on improving achievement rates within a framework whereby knowledge is treated largely as objective (Shisana, 2011). Such perceptions of education and achievement ignore other forms and sources of knowledge and seek to fit learners into existing frameworks of formal learning.
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spelling ir-11408-11432022-10-15T20:35:53Z Children's learning In the diverse sociocultural context of South Africa Chikovore, Jeremiah Makusha, Tawanda Muzvidziwa, Irene Richter, Linda Children (education), folk literature (educational aspects),folklore (educational aspects) Children develop in several interlocking systems—in the context of their family, and within the interaction of such settings as home, school, and church (Russell, 2011). In South Africa, children’s diverse backgrounds within families, neighborhoods, and sociocultural environments provide them with varied experiences and opportunities to learn. Whether the children are growing up in urban or rural communities, belong to a specific race and ethnic group, or are poor or rich, all are exposed to cultures, lifestyles, amenities, and living conditions that differ in marked ways (Makoe, 2006). For example, the racial and ethnic heterogeneity of South Africa translates into a complex mix of languages: English, Afrikaans, nine indigenous languages, and five Indian languages (Reagan, 2001). Children from diverse backgrounds come to school with different experiences, and the schools struggle to meet their assorted educational needs. The poor performance of learners in South Africa reflects the continued use of an instructional model that emphasizes school-based learning with abstract outcomes, and that evaluates pupils on the basis of constructs and concepts that ignore what children know and learn outside the school environment. In the context of South Africa, much attention centers on improving achievement rates within a framework whereby knowledge is treated largely as objective (Shisana, 2011). Such perceptions of education and achievement ignore other forms and sources of knowledge and seek to fit learners into existing frameworks of formal learning. 2016-04-29T08:57:54Z 2016-04-29T08:57:54Z 2012 Article : 0009-4056 http://hdl.handle.net/11408/1143 en Childhood education;Vol.88, No.5; p. 304-308 open Association for Childhood Education International
spellingShingle Children (education), folk literature (educational aspects),folklore (educational aspects)
Chikovore, Jeremiah
Makusha, Tawanda
Muzvidziwa, Irene
Richter, Linda
Children's learning In the diverse sociocultural context of South Africa
title Children's learning In the diverse sociocultural context of South Africa
title_full Children's learning In the diverse sociocultural context of South Africa
title_fullStr Children's learning In the diverse sociocultural context of South Africa
title_full_unstemmed Children's learning In the diverse sociocultural context of South Africa
title_short Children's learning In the diverse sociocultural context of South Africa
title_sort children's learning in the diverse sociocultural context of south africa
topic Children (education), folk literature (educational aspects),folklore (educational aspects)
url http://hdl.handle.net/11408/1143
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