83 research outputs found
Imagining career resilience research and training from an indigenous knowledge production perspective
More often than not, higher education curricula expound Western-oriented
epistemologies of psychology. Trained psychologists may thus not be appropriately
equipped to provide career counselling that is suitable to a resource-scarce environment,
nor enriched with a heritage of knowledge related to customary career resilience
practices. Rather than enabling clients, one could argue that existing career counselling
training, and subsequent practice, may in fact hinder clientsâ ability to adapt and flourish
in their (career-)lives. The thesis of this article is that an indigenous knowledge
production imperative affords a way in which embedded values, practices, patterns and
concepts synonymous with career resilience in South Africa can be documented
systematically. Indigenous knowledge production urges researchers to appreciate what
lies at the heart of everyday occurrences (such as career decision making), and be
familiar with what is embedded in long-standing habits, rituals and patterns (related to for
example career choice). In this regard I discuss both indigenisation and establishing an
indigenous psychology as research schemas to develop ecologically-just curricula for higher education training. I explain the epistemological premises of indigenous
knowledge production and present research strategies framed within indigenous
knowledge production.http://www.unisa.ac.za/default.asp?Cmd=ViewContent&ContentID=20128hb2013gv201
Adding 'flock' to 'fight and flight' : a honeycomb of resilience where supply of relationships meets demand for support
In this article I explain how solidarity can support positive adjustment, collective in nature, where people face
chronic, cumulative stress and largely lack resources. I propose that when individuals use relationships as a way
to access and mobilise resources, an enabling ecology is configured to foster positive adjustment. Applying a
collectivist, transactional-ecological view of resilience I propose Relationship-Resourced Resilience (RRR) as a
generative theory to explain how resilience occurs as collective, rather than individual and subjective processes.
To do this, I draw on eight years of longitudinal case study data that were generated using a Participatory
Reflection and Action (PRA) approach with partnership schools (N = 12, primary = 9, secondary = 3; urban = 9,
rural = 3) and teachers (N = 74, female = 63, male = 11). The RRR model posits that, when under threat of
chronic stress in a poverty setting, a collective response is to flock (rather than fight or flight). Flock entails a
process of alone-standing individuals, experiencing shared and persistent burdens, connecting to access, share,
mobilise and sustain use of resources for positive adaptation. RRR extends current resilience views of subjective,
individual adjustment to individually reported stress in the direction of resilience as collective experiences
of continual stress with subsequent collective positive adaptation.http://www.elliottfitzpatrick.com/jpa.htmlam2013gv201
Voicing perceptions of risk and protective factors in coping in a HIV&AIDS landscape : reflecting on capacity for adaptiveness
The purpose of this article is to locate childrenâs own voices within the discourse of âdisadvantaged childrenâ. I commence by proposing that foregrounding vulnerable childrenâs knowledge of protective factors may enable resiliency in similar scenarios. After that, from a positive psychology
framework, I explicate the conceptual framework integrating constructs from
resilience theory, featuring protective in a systemic model. Next I describe the action research design of a partnership study1 in 78 schools in an impoverished rural province â focusing on the computer-based random sampling of 10 percent of the participants (n=2391), the development, piloting and translation of a mixed method questionnaire and the framework analysis
of collected data. Then I introduce the emerged themes in terms of protective
factors, locating most protection in the (disadvantaged) community, with the
child as the central system negotiating adaptation. Subsequently I interpret
the themes from my conceptual framework. I submit that the presence of cumulative protection will most probably enhance personal capacity. I also surmise that health-promoting schools may function as replacement safe spaces when safe family systems are lacking, whereas at-risk schools may aggravate the experience and consequences of unsafe family systems. I
suggest that perceived capacity in the community system be built on to further
support vulnerable children to be resilient. I conclude by suggesting some
strategies for future research and intervention endeavours
ResiliĂȘncia coletiva ao desafio global: transformar uma agenda coletiva de bem-estar rumo a uma educação equitativa sustentada
COVID-19 is a large scale and unpredictable global challenge. It predicts extreme negative outcomes for development âincluding education. Those with privilege will benefit and those living on the margins will be additionally side-lined. Responses to equalise the unevenness of opportunities to learn is often perceived as goodwill attempts to help âa few in distressâ to thrive âwith the norm that a majority has well-established resourced pathways towards wellbeing. COVID-19 constitutes a time and space of collective distress. COVID-19 calls for strategies to enable collective wellbeing ânot as a luxury but as a necessity. Adversity responses that absorb or adapt to shock continue to maintain, rather than transform, the unequal essence of existing structures. What is needed for equity, also in education, is a transformativeresponse. Social support responses to the global challenge of COVID-19 may offer insight into transformative pathways. Instances of social innovations because of a social contract to privilege collective wellbeing abound in the COVID-19 realm. In Africa, where large-scale adversity is normative, this is not unprecedented. Everyday interdependent resilience mechanisms of this calibre exist, termed flocking responses. Flocking denotes targeted joint resource distribution to counter extreme adversity. In this social response self-protection becomes secondary to collective wellbeing. In this position paper I argue that transformation to that which constitutes ânew educationâ post-COVID-19 may be the result (unintended and possibly sustained) of prolific non-structural flocking responses to equalise pathways that support education across systems. Examples of spontaneous systemic social interventions that resulted from âfreedom to make choices (for all) with what is availableâ could provide transformative insights to intentionally strive for collective wellbeing education agendas and deliberately create pathways for participatory engagement -rather than persisting with structurally engineered strategies maintaining inequality.http://www.revistas2.uepg.br/index.php/praxiseducativahj2021Educational Psycholog
Formative evaluation of the STAR intervention : improving teachersâ ability to provide psychosocial support for vulnerable individuals in the school community
The article describes the pilot phase of a participatory reflection and action (PRA) study. The longitudinal investigation
explores teachersâ ability to provide psychosocial support within the context of HIV/AIDS following an asset-based
intervention. The study ensued from our desire to understand and contribute to knowledge about the changed roles
of teachers due to adversity in the community, specifically in relation to HIV/AIDS and education. The supportive
teachers, assets and resilience (STAR) intervention was facilitated from November 2003 to October 2005 and consisted
of the research team undertaking nine field visits and facilitating 20 intervention sessions (2â3 hours each), and 12
post-intervention research visits have been conducted to date. Ten female teachers were selected for participation
through random purposeful sampling at a primary school in an informal settlement outside Port Elizabeth, South
Africa. Data-generation included PRA activities, observation, informal interactive interviews, and focus group
discussions. The data were analysed by means of inductive thematic analysis. We found that the teachers did not
view vulnerability as being related to children or HIV/AIDS in isolation, but rather that their psychosocial support to
children and the school community was inclusive across a spectrum of vulnerabilities and services. We argue that
teachers who are inclined to provide such support will fulfil this role irrespective of understanding policy or receiving
training. We contend that teachers are well-positioned to manage school-based psychosocial support in order to
create relevant and caring spaces for vulnerable individuals in the school community.We thank the following institutions for
financially supporting the project: Education, Training and
Development Practises, Sector Education and Training Authority
(ETDP SETA) (2003â2004); ABSA Foundation (2004); M&SS
Trust (2005); NRF dissertation award (2007); University of Pretoria
Research Development Programme (2007â2009); The Foschini
Group (2008â2009); Albert Wessels Funding; Toyota (2008);
University of Pretoria, Department of Community Engagement
(2008â2010); and National Research Foundation (NRF) Rated
Researchers Incentive Funding (2009âcurrent).http://www.nisc.co.za/journals?id=1gv201
Demonstrating resilience in an HIV and AIDS context : an emotional intelligence perspective
In this article we contemplate resilience in vulnerable children as a form of emotional giftedness. By foregrounding relevant segments of six ongoing studies and focusing on ways in which vulnerable children in communities in South Africa cope with the impact of HV&AIDS. The concepts of protective factors, processes and cumulative protection shape our understanding of vulnerable childrenâs coping in terms of resilience as a
signature form of (emotional) giftedness. In our studies we use a qualitative case study research design with groups of children in the six participating communities. We rely on dimensions of resilience to extract evidence of vulnerable childrenâs resilient coping.
The results of the study indicate that traces of resilient coping amongst the participating group of children do exist, and that these traces are closely related to the manifestation of emotional intelligence. Themes indicative of childrenâs resilient coping include a
sense of self-worth (based on added responsibility and related to education), the presence of hope and optimism, a sense of security, comfort and belonging (based on
knowledge of future caregivers and remaining in a familiar community), as well as selfregulation capacity. We conclude by debating these resilient coping strategies as a form of emotional giftedness
An attractive choice : education researchersâ use of participatory methodology
Participatory methodologies are often favoured in education research. This study aimed
to determine collaborative partnership trends between education researchers and
teachers in order to understand the use of participatory theory and practice in education
studies. Seven symposium presentations by education scholars from various higher
education institutions were analysed using trend analysis from a community of practice
theoretical framework. It emerged that participatory methodology denotes various
characteristics which indicate favourable use by education researchers. Partnerships
between education researchers and teachers share common goals, are contextual
in nature, have a process-oriented emphasis and foreground knowledge exchange
and the development of knowledge networks. In addition, collaborative partnerships
between education researchers and teachers appear to be directed by an overarching
philosophy of âcareâ.http://www.unisa.ac.za/default.asp?Cmd=ViewContent&ContentID=20128am2013gv201
The relationship between scientific knowledge and behaviour : an HIV/AIDS case
Debates on the role of scientific knowledge to affect behaviour are continuing. The theory of planned
behaviour suggests that behaviour is influenced by attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural
control and not by knowledge. However, a large body of knowledge argues that increased HIV/AIDSrelated
knowledge leads to the adoption of safe behavioural practices. The purpose of this nonexperimental
survey study, therefore, was to investigate the correlation between academic HIV/AIDS
knowledge, functional HIV/AIDS knowledge and self-reported behavioural preferences of 300 biology
and 243 non-biology students from nine South African schools. Results suggest a correlation between
studentsâ understanding of academic and functional HIV/AIDS knowledge. The behavioural preferences
of both biology and non-biology students were generally the same and safe. Among biology students,
correlation was observed between academic HIV/AIDS knowledge and self-reported safe behavioural
preferences, which was not the case for non-biology students, where functional HIV/AIDS knowledge
correlated with self-reported safe behavioural preferences. Within schools, however, no correlation was
found between both forms of HIV/AIDS knowledge and self-reported safe behavioural preferences.
There were indications that context-specific local factors have a greater influence on behavioural preferences.
These findings suggest that the type of knowledge that could influence behaviour is informed by
context-specific dynamics.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rjbe202016-09-30hb201
âI am doing okayâ : intrapersonal coping strategies of children living in an institution
In this case study, we utilized a Resilience framework and Sense of Coherence theory to understand how a group of children
coped while living in an institution as a consequence of HIV/AIDS. We followed a qualitative and interpretivist approach. The
experiences of nine children (5 girls and 4 boys) aged between 11 and 15 years is highlighted. The primary data generation
strategy was informal interviews. However, we based these interviews upon participatory task-based and multimodal
activities incorporating visual (drawings, pictures), auditory (stories, conversation), tactile (clay modeling) and kinaesthetic
(role play) activities to stimulate conversation and discussion. All interviews were voice recorded and the contents thereof,
thematically analysed. Children living in this institution use the following intrapersonal coping strategies: a sense of spiritual
connectedness, disengagement (fantasy, denial and detachment), and positive intrapersonal characteristics. Intrapersonal
sources of resilience help children to establish meaningfulness and comprehensibility in their lives on a continuum of
engagement or disengagement. They use spiritual connectedness and socially responsible behaviour to engage and
fantasy, denial and detachment to disengage.http://www.elliottfitzpatrick.com/jpa.htmlgv201
Teachers addressing HIV&AIDS-related challenges resourcefully
Teachers, in their relationship with children and their families, face challenges
related to cumulative risk, including HIV&AIDS. In this paper we use Sense of
Coherence to explain why teachers are able to address such barriers by using assets.
We explore the way that teachers (N=28) in four South African schools opted to
tackle the cumulative risk associated with HIV&AIDS, following participation in an
asset-based intervention (STAR â Supportive Teachers Assets and Resilience).
Data sources include six yearsâ longitudinal Participatory Reflection and Action
(PRA) data. Observation-in-the-context-of-interaction data was documented in
research diaries, field notes, visually as photographs and audiovisual recordings.
Informal conversational interviews, unstructured face-to-face interviews and focus
group interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. In the thematic analysis
HIV&AIDS-related barriers emerged as a socio-economic challenge that teachers
addressed by mobilising identified resources. Teachersâ experiences of barriers were
interwoven with narratives of confronting barriers by establishing school-based
support structures. This study provides empirical evidence for the theoretical
supposition that schools are well placed to function as intersections of care and
support in communities by theorising that teachersâ use of asset-based
competencies results in their experiencing eustress (rather than distress) when
faced with HIV&AIDS-related barriers, as they feel equipped to mediate the effects
of ongoing HIV&AIDS-related risk.http://www.saches.co.za/sare.htmlgv201
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