Exploring the psychosocial and emotional challenges faced by 11–15-year-old Muslim adolescents studying at Hifth schools in Cape Town
Year: 2020
Type: dissertation
Abstract: In compliance with the Constitution, the South African Schools Act 84 of 1996 requires that every child attend school from age 7 (or grade 1) to age 15 (or grade 9, whichever occurs first).The Western Cape Education Department (WCED), the constitutional custodian of education in the Western Cape Province, requires that all informal institutions accommodating learners of school-going age register their learners for an educational curriculum.It is an essential requirement that all learning institutions (religious or otherwise) provide the necessary academic support for their learners.A growing number of Hifth schools are introducing secular academic studies into their curriculum, with programmes consisting of hifth studies, English, and Mathematics.The implementation of these programmes varies, however, and they are offered to the learners in conjunction with the hifth programme.In South Africa, there is a dearth of research associated with hifth schooling, and absolutely no documented research could be located regarding the integrated hifth programme and its impact and effects on learners.This study explored the psychosocial and emotional challenges that learners undergo when studying hifth.The study utilised Erikson's theory of psychosocial development in an endeavour to understand the development of the children attending these institutes.A qualitative methodological framework with an exploratory research design was employed.The sample was purposively selected and consisted of 24 learners (12 boys and 12 girls) between the ages of 11 and 15 (grades 5 to 9).The learners were selected from six Hifth schools registered with the Muslim Judicial Council's Academic Support Programme situated in Cape Town, in conjunction with the WCED.Data was collected through semi-structured individual interviews and was thematically analysed with Braun and Clarke's (2006) six-phase process of thematic analysis.Governing such research is a set of ethics guidelines set by the Humanities and Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee of the University of the Western Cape, which ensures participants' confidentiality, anonymity, and ability to withdraw from the study at any time without prejudice or censure.These principles was strictly adhered to.Results indicated that learners experience social challenges such as pressure relating to family and societal expectations, lack of socialising with family and friends, dealing with peer pressure and emotional challenges such as stress, personal problems that affect their academic performance, and managing screen time.They further experience academic challenges related to adjusting to their hifth studies, quality of academic management and coping with the Mathematics and http://etd.uwc.ac.za/ viii English classes.To mitigate these challenges, many of these learners employ coping strategies such as engaging in leisure activities, parental assistance, and various personal coping strategies.In addition to employing these coping strategies, many of them receive support from family, peers, teachers, and tutors to cope with their studies.They also utilise technology in the form of Qur'an apps and listening to their favourite Qari to assist them with memorisation.Lastly, the learners felt that they required more conducive learning environments, both at school and at home.
Author: Faiza Toefy
Language: English
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3111865160