School Community Participation and School Health Promotion: Challenges and Opportunities

Issues surrounding community participation at schools are frequently debated in South African education spheres. However, communities remain not totally convinced to participate in health promoting activities at schools. In this paper I report on the importance of community participation in health promotion processes at schools and elaborate on what community participation entails, its levels and reasons for non-participation. Data was generated from two strata: principals and chairpersons of health committees by means of semi-structured one-to-one interviews. The findings revealed that participating schools had an opportunity to build strong links with community organisations to sustain their School Health Promotion initiatives but failed due to lack of trust and leadership. The challenge in these schools is lack of understanding of community participation and its benefits. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n27p145

Health-promoting leadership in education: Relevance to teachers in township schools

Teachers in township schools are vulnerable because of the low socio-economic conditions of the communities in which their schools are located. Such factors coupled with personal challenges can have a negative impact on their health. The aim of this research was to investigate the value of health-promoting leadership (HPL) in township schools. A qualitative approach was followed to gather information about the latter. Data were gathered by means of diary keeping, recording and individual interviews. Sixteen participants participated in the research and were engaged in the research for 4 months. A total of 32 interviews were conducted; each participant was interviewed twice. The findings revealed that HPL was perceived as relevant to the participating schools as it enhanced healthy working conditions, such as a health-promoting culture, health awareness and close working relationships (community). It is recommended that more attention be given to HPL, focusing on physical environments and safety and providing social support and health awareness programs to enhance teachers’ physical and mental health

The value of teaching practice as perceived by Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) students

The pursuit of excellence in preparing student teachers for the teaching profession is a never-ending endeavour. This study aimed at investigating the value of teaching practice as perceived by the participants, how they determined such value using human judgement and whether value judgement can be used as a form of reflection during teaching practice by PGCE students. Human judgement can be used as a tool to promote reflection and an evaluation strategy which promotes a culture of observation and critical thinking about one’s practice. The qualitative study involved 25 participants, all of whom were Postgraduate Certificate in Education students and had completed the practical teaching period. In this study we applied Kant’s theory to analyse the data gathered by means of narratives. The results, which were based on self-reported values on teaching practice, revealed that the participants viewed teaching practice as valuable and pointed out that it benefitted them and others by enabling them to gain valuable experience in the classroom and in general school management. The participants based their judgement on three components of value judgement, both negative and positive: emotions, attitudes and experiences.Keywords: Postgraduate Certificate in Education; student teachers; teaching practice; value judgement on teaching practice; value of teaching practic

Roles of school leaders in the management of emergencies caused by natural disasters in Gaborone, Botswana

As natural disasters are becoming more frequent globally, understanding the role of school leaders during such disasters becomes more critical than ever, as they can grind schools to a halt. The fact that some communicable diseases such as COVID-19 are now classified as natural disasters means that natural disasters are increasing. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of school leaders in the management of emergencies caused by natural disasters. The study employed qualitative methods with three data collection tools to collect data from 20 participants – teachers, non-teaching staff members, and principals. The participants were purposively selected from schools in Gaborone, Botswana. The findings of this study reveal participants' understanding of the role of school leaders in all three stages of emergency management: before, during, and after an emergency because of previous experiences of natural disasters. The findings further suggest that school managers in emergency management play such roles as crisis managers, disaster managers, and caring and supportive leaders

Stakeholder Perceptions of the Determinants of Reputation in South African Public Schools

This research focuses on perceptions of reputation in black township schools in South Africa. The call for the provision of equal education compels school managers to be proactive in their efforts to build reputation for continuity and to remain educationally effective. Data was generated from four categories of stakeholders: parents, educators, school managers and clerks by means of narratives and semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed reputation as multi-dimensional and that there were main reputational signals that stakeholders focused on when making their judgments, these included academic performance, organisational climate and emotional appeal. All participants regarded character, academic and experiential reputations as the main determinants of a general school’s reputation. Only internal stakeholders regarded social responsibility as important in determining reputation. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n20p143

The conflict management styles adopted by managers in an FET College in South Africa

The purpose of this study was to investigate the conflict management styles (CMSs) adopted by managers in an FET college in South Africa and the extent to which they were implemented. It contributes to the body of literature regarding the importance of advancement of conflict management skills to reduce the major barriers affecting the delivery of skills development in FET colleges. The research design and methodology were quantitative in nature, using a stratified sampling method yielding two strata of data: lecturers (junior and senior); and managers (heads of departments and managers at selected colleges). A structured questionnaire, with closed-ended questions, was administered to elicit information from 300 participants. Data were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics. The empirical findings revealed poor communication about conflict, a strong preference and over reliance on two CMSs which seemed to have resulted from lack of conflict management skills. In addition, the procedures and processes used in the two CMSs were perceived ineffective. The results also suggest that the efforts of the management in resolving conflict were thwarted by lack of communication. This study intensifies the discourse on conflict management in FET Colleges in South Africa which still grapple with inadequacy in providing quality and efficient service. The conclusion for this study is that there is a need to augment our understanding of CMSs and processes that influence how managers move from efforts to eliminate conflict. The role requirements of a manager require the use of different conflict management styles in order to be effective

Intergrated Approach to Health Promotion: The South African Schools’ Role

This research sought to examine the schools’ role in integrated health promotion. The key focus was on the understanding of the integrated policies and the implications of practical implementation of such policies in schools. This research was explorative in nature and involved a stratified sample of 16 participants from one of the municipalities under Sedibeng District Municipality. The findings revealed that the schools’ ineffectiveness in their role is a barrier to efficient health services by health teams. There is lack of coordination and collaboration of health services due to lack of training and accountability. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n20p171

Caring principal leadership for the support of teachers leading committees for promotion of healthy school environments

Caring lies at the heart of effective enhancement of healthy school environments and good school leadership. This is evidenced by health policies wherein principals are indirectly obliged to act ethically and morally. By doing so, they assume their caring role that will enable the development of human capital. This study was conducted in schools in two provinces in South Africa with principals, school management team members and leaders of health committees as participants. This is a qualitative research study which included two rural and two township schools. As this was an exploratory, phenomenological study, data were collected using multiple data collection tools: narratives, interviews and shadowing. The findings of this research indicate signs of caring leadership in the actions and interactions of the principals and teachers; principals and community members; and principals and other external stakeholders. More caring leadership was, however, experienced for the programmes than for the leaders of committees per se

Harmonising the efforts of school nurses and teachers in health promotion in schools

A vital facet that adds value to schools is the partnership between the departments of education and health at national level. At the heart of making this partnership effective in order to achieve its potential is the need for synchronisation of the roles of school nurses and teachers to mitigate sustainability risks. In order to investigate the harmonisation of these roles, an explorative qualitative study was conducted with school nurses and teachers in three district municipalities in two provinces of South Africa. The aim was to determine the perceptions of these two groups of their respective roles and the possibility of harmonising these roles. The administrative task, which included obtaining the consent of parents for their children’s immunisation provided an opportunity for sharing responsibilities. However, the roles of school nurses - health screening and immunisation - and the roles of teachers - screening for barriers to learning - could not be harmonised due to a lack of understanding of health promotion and a tendency to work in silos because of a lack of trust and openness. This was compounded by the school managers’ inability to provide guidance and leadership