High levels of HIV-related stigma in South Africa continue to hinder effective management of the pandemic. Although the Department of Basic Education incorporates HIV and stigma education into the life skills curriculum, classroom teaching remains largely theoretical and does not enable children to grasp the deeper social complexities and intersectional factors that drive and sustain stigma. An arts-based, experiential pedagogy offers a transformative paradigm for life skills teaching by allowing children to engage emotionally and critically with the realities of people affected by or infected with HIV. This study used an action research approach integrating interactive, arts based strategies in a Grade 5 Life Skills classroom to support children in exploring HIV stigma with the aim of reducing stereotypical thinking and fostering a more nuanced, intersectional understanding of the pandemic's social implications. In the first cycle, we examined children's initial perceptions of HIV and then applied arts based pedagogies to transform their thinking by identifying and challenging negative assumptions and promoting more informed and empathetic insights. Findings show that arts based methods surfaced children's existing interpretations of HIV, highlighted knowledge gaps, and encouraged greater empathy. These outcomes may help teachers bridge the gap between theoretical curriculum requirements and children's lived realities, making HIV education more relevant and engaging.
This paper reports on the servant leadership practices of female school principals and how these practices improved the quality of education in rural schools in South Africa. Using a feminist theoretical lens, the researcher explored how female principals conceptualised and enacted servant leadership in under-resourced school contexts, and how this leadership approach promoted educational quality despite systemic and gendered constraints. The research was exploratory and interpretative in nature, drawing on qualitative interviews with six female principals and six female teachers across three provinces in South Africa. The data were analysed using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis. The findings revealed several key themes: servant leadership as a moral and spiritual calling; relationships as the foundation of leadership; collective leadership and shared vision; holistic development of learners; motivation through empathy and staff development; and balancing accountability with a servant ethos. The study suggests that servant leadership, grounded in feminist praxis, offers a viable framework for educational transformation from the perspective of female principals. These findings contribute to the growing body of literature on gendered leadership and carry important implications for educational policy and school governance reform.
Students with intellectual disabilities face persistent challenges in conventional educational systems due to difficulties in abstract reasoning, verbal comprehension, and motor coordination. While inclusive education has gained global momentum, there remains a critical gap in the availability of adaptive, engaging, and accessible instructional media tailored to this learner group. This study aims to address that gap by designing and evaluating a prototype of visual learning media rooted in interactive communication and cognitive design principles. Conducted at SLB Amal Mulia, a special education institution in South Jakarta, the research employs a qualitative, participatory approach informed by asset-based community development. Data were collected through classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and visual activity documentation involving 30 students with mild intellectual disabilities. The prototype incorporated three interactive models: spot-dot drawing, object matching, and multi-sensory visual media. Results revealed significant improvements in student attention span, emotional engagement, and visual task completion. Students demonstrated increased motivation, social interaction, and verbal expression, particularly in response to high-contrast visuals and interactive stimuli. The study concludes that visual learning when grounded in user-responsive design and implemented with educator facilitation can meaningfully enhance learning experiences in inclusive settings. Its key contribution lies in merging pedagogical theory with visual communication practice to create replicable learning tools for inclusive classrooms. These insights contribute to the fields of special education, inclusive design, and multimodal learning, aligning with the journal's scope on education innovation and accessibility
Service-learning (SL) is a recognised form of experiential learning, of which the benefits for students' academic and personal growth are well researched. However, traditional SL models were developed without intentional regard to generational cohorts, and the advent of COVID-19 highlighted the lack of flexibility within these models. In this article, we explore how an existing SL model at a South African university of technology (UoT) can be adapted to align with Generation Z (Gen Z) students' learning preferences and where SL could be pursued during times of disruption. Purposive sampling was conducted to generate data from 43 Gen Z students who had participated in SL projects, and from seven SL lecturers who coordinated SL projects at this UoT. Semi-structured interviews, a focus group interview, and an online survey were administered to collect data. The findings reveal a Gen Z cohort profile of students who use multiple modes for learning and who are intrinsically motivated, hardworking, determined, compassionate, and technologically connected yet still value face-to-face contact. Regarding students' SL experiences in relation to Mezirow's transformative learning (TL) theory, they reported interacting with all phases of critical reflection and elements of rational discourse; however, action was limited. The findings aided in integrating Gen Z's learning needs directly into a flexible SL model that coalesced TL theory with the identified emergent themes. Enhanced by six strategic implementations, the new flexible model was integrated into the existing SL model employed at the UoT via four interlinked phases: pre-planning, collaborative planning, strategic implementation, and collaborative evaluation and reflection. The flexible model allows for adaptation to students' diverse learning preferences, evolving community needs, and sustainability in times of uncertainty.
This paper explores tutors' experiences and perceptions of integrating translanguaging pedagogy into a tutorial system at a South African university. South African universities grapple with creating language policy implementational spaces for epistemic access and, in response, University of the Free State has adopted translanguaging through its tutorial system to mediate epistemic access. However, no studies have yet been conducted to examine the experiences and perceptions of tutors who must often implement translanguaging pedagogy. Hence, this paper aims to fill this gap by exploring tutors' experiences and perceptions regarding integrating translanguaging pedagogy into the tutorial system in various disciplines. This qualitative study deployed focus group and semi-structured interviews to elicit the experiences of tutors facilitating multilingual classrooms. The study is framed within the ubuntu translanguaging framework. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings show that tutors reported supportive, resistant, and contradictory perceptions on the integration of translanguaging pedagogy in the tutorial system.
