Pathways to Resilience IV: Global South Perspectives

We are SISU! Teachers promoting social-ecological resilience of first graders in rural South Africa when starting school.
Presenter: Carlien Kahl (North-West University, Vaal Campus, South Africa)
Co-Authors: Itumeleng (Tumi) P. Khumalo, Dineo Agnes Ngwanya, Setlheuno Rebecca Segopolo, Moipone Stella Gill, Kesenogile Betty Dikana
Introduction: To illustrate how teachers supported resilient school transitioning of first-grade children living in a structurally deficient, rural community in South Africa. Teachers are well-established as invaluable to children’s positive school adjustment. Their contributions cannot be sustained in isolation and need inputs from social ecologies especially in scarce resource contexts.
Methods: Five case study children were selected using local community advisory panel criteria. These cases formed part of the 'Social ecologies of resilience among at-risk children starting school in South Africa and Finland: A visual participatory study' (in short the SISU project). Draw-and-talk, Photo elicitation, Day-in-the-life video methodology, and interviews with children and their parents and teachers were applied to explain who and what facilitated resilient school transitioning and how, despite structural deficiencies. Independent researchers conducted inductive iterative analysis to develop a codebook used for further deductive coding within and across cases. Consensus discussions and external review finalised analyses.
Findings: Teaching effectively despite classroom overcrowding, limited educational resources, and structural limitations, required creative teaching practices to promote positive first-grade adjustment: teaching core curriculum effectively through facilitated socio-emotional support among peers; engaging children in activities promoting autonomy; and facilitated individual/group learning to accommodate resource limitations. We explicate practical recommendations and limitations.