Passing through professionalism: South African Black male teachers and same-sex desire

ABSTRACT

Framed using queer theory and intersectionality theory, this paper unpacks the various ways in which Black South African male teachers who engage in same-sex relations negotiate and manage their identities in a context deeply riddled by the history of apartheid. Eight male teachers were interviewed using a life history methodology. Consistent with many international studies on the work experiences same-sex identifying teachers, the paper argues that the interviewed male teachers draw on a passing act in order to manage their identities in school contexts characterised by a culture of heteronormativity. This adopted passing act mainly draws upon the enactment of hyperprofessionalism, a localised form which safeguards same-sex ‘desiring’ teachers against possible homophobia. While this form of passing grants teachers significant respect and power, leading at times to the disruption of homophobia, not all teachers enjoy this power. Some teachers are forced out of their schools by threatened managers. The paper calls for more interventionist work at both basic education and higher education levels in South Africa in order to make schools more inclusive and welcoming for all students and teachers.     

Challenges experienced by district-based support teams in the execution of their functions in a specific South African province

This article reports on the findings of an embedded mixed-method South African study that investigated the challenges experienced by District-Based Support Team (DBST) members in the sub-directorate of Inclusive Education of a South African province in the execution of their functions. A Likert-scale questionnaire and individual semi-structured interviews were used in the study. The findings showed that the participants experienced a variety of challenges in effectively executing their functions. These challenges included the ineffective integration of Special Schools as Resource Centres into the DBSTs, poor availability of infrastructure, equipment, human and physical resources, insufficient collaboration with the national department of education, a lack in adequate training of DBST members and an insufficient awareness of the role that they play in school communities.     

Investigating the effectiveness of institutional-level support teams at full-service schools in South Africa

In South Africa Education White Paper 6 introduced the establishment of Institutional-Level Support Teams (ILST) at school level to support the learning and teaching process by identifying and addressing learner, teacher and institutional needs. The core priority of these teams is to implement properly co-ordinated learner and teacher support services. This paper therefore explores the effectiveness of the ILSTs in providing support services at Full-Service Schools (FSS). In this article the Rubin, Plovnick and Fry's GRPI model of team effectiveness (1977) was used to explore the effectiveness of the ILSTs in selected schools. By means of focus group interviews, data was generated from two strata, namely ILST members and district officials working directly with FSS. The study was a case study within a qualitative research design. Data was analysed using an inductive analytical framework and a group interpretive data analysis method. The results indicate some efficacy of support provision, but with numerous challenges regarding attention to the desired results, agreement on the standards and expectations, misunderstanding of the boundaries in which ILSTs operate, individual and shared responsibilities, conflict resolution, and effective methods for dealing with conflict.     

Enhancing teachers’ self-efficacy within full-service schools: a disregarded aspect by the District-Based Support Team

Teachers’ sense of self-efficacy is crucial for the success of implementation of inclusive education in schools. The Education White paper 6 mandated the District-Based Support Teams (DBSTs) to successfully support teachers to feel more equipped and be competent in their roles to address barriers to learning, which consequently will experience positive self-efficacy beliefs. The purpose of this article is to explore the competencies of the DBST in enhancing teachers’ sense of self-efficacy within Full-Service schools. Data were generated by means of interviews using a qualitative approach. Members of the DBST and teachers from the Full-Service schools in two provinces of South Africa participated in this research. The findings revealed that certain factors such as incompetent leadership, inefficient support, unavailability of structured programmes as well as poor communication and cooperation disable DBSTs with respect to enhancing teachers’ sense of self-efficacy in various ways. The authors recommend that by addressing these factors teachers’ sense of self-efficacy will be enhanced.