Displaying 1 - 10 of 52
Abstract
The study sought the socio-economic supports available for the high school adolescent girl learners from child-headed families (CHFs). The study used the phenomenological research design using a total of 40 learners from five (5) rural schools which were randomly selected for the study. Data were collected using focus group discussions and individual interviews. Data collected were thematically analyzed by scrutinizing them for commonalities. The findings of the study revealed that the adolescent girls in CHFs receive the majority of their socio-economic supports from the…
Abstract
Limited evidence exists of the effectiveness of combining cash transfers and family strengthening interventions in developing country contexts. This study provides evidence from an evaluation of a bespoke family strengthening intervention for Child Support Grant beneficiaries in 10 urban communities in Johannesburg, South Africa. A qualitative pre-post design was used to assess the effectiveness of this combination intervention including a nine-month follow-up study. Participants were randomly assigned to intervention and non-intervention groups allowing for comparison between the…
The Sihleng’imizi (meaning ‘we care for families’) Family Programme is designed to complement and scale up the positive benefits of the Child Support Grant (CSG) in South Africa and strengthen disadvantaged families to improve child well-being outcomes. The main purpose of the follow-up evaluation was to assess first, whether participants in the Sihleng’imizi Family Strengthening programmes had retained what they had learned and were able to implement these learnings nine months following termination of the intervention; second, to compare these findings with the control group that had not…
Abstract: Orphaned learners in South Africa are vulnerable and frequently absent from school. These learners are often physically abused and may be stigmatized due to their state of homelessness, as a result potentially turning to substance use or abuse. This article focuses on the lived experiences of orphaned learners and their perspectives relating to the support offered by the School-Based Support Team (SBST) within schools, in two education districts of the Free State province, South Africa. Twenty-five orphaned learners from five schools in two education district (…
Abstract
The aim of this article is to discuss the social justice implications for educational psychologists working with orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) who comprise 3.7 million of the population in South Africa. The author begins with a global conceptualisation of social justice and then discusses the nature of social justice in South Africa. This is followed by an exploration of social justice within the discipline of educational psychology and how it would apply to the contexts of OVC, especially taking their psychosocial and educational challenges into consideration. These…
Despite having international and national legislative frameworks and policies that guarantee children’s rights and encourage their participation in matters affecting them, consulting children has received scant scholarly attention in the African context. Notwithstanding this state of affairs, it is important to ask whether, in keeping with growing progressive practices, having children as active researchers is a feasible goal to achieve and, if so, how might this be possible. Drawing on Swartz and Nyamnjoh’s framework of research existing along an emancipatory continuum, we argue for…
Abstract
Background
Household cash grants are associated with beneficial outcomes; enhanced if provided in combination with care.
Objectives
This study describes the impact of cash grants and parenting quality on 854 children aged 5–15 (South African and Malawi) on educational outcomes including enrolment, regular attendance, correct class for age and school progress (controlling for cognitive performance). Consecutive attenders at randomly selected Community based organisations were recruited. The effects of cash plus good parenting, HIV status and gender were examined.…
Abstract
Background: Social protection interventions, including cash grants and care provision have been shown to effectively reduce some negative impacts of the HIV epidemic on adolescents and families. Less is known about the role of social protection on younger HIV affected populations. This study explored the impact of cash grants on children’s cognitive development. Additionally, we examined whether combined cash and care (operationalised as good parenting) was associated with improved cognitive outcomes.
Methods: The sample included 854 children, aged 5 – 15, participating in…
Abstract
In South African schools, the umbrella term orphans and vulnerable children includes child-headed households (CHHs). In the light of trauma exposure of learners from CHHs due to their plight, there is a need to investigate how they are supported. This research investigated the psychosocial-support provision for learners from CHHs in five public high schools in South Africa. This was a qualitative study using a phenomenological design. A stratified sampling method was used to gather data from principals, co-ordinators of health programmes and teachers with the highest number of…
This report presents the findings of an intervention study evaluating the short-term outcomes of Sihleng’imizi Family Programme, an evidence-based preventative social-educational intervention. The qualitative data was drawn from interviews with the 40 families who completed the programme and 20 control group families.
The outcomes of the programme were assessed in relation to changes that were evident in the five areas outlined below:
- Child-caregiver relations: improving communication, family cohesion, behavioural management, and caregiving capabilities;
- …