The impacts of culture and gender in HIV/AIDS lived experiences in education workplaces : case study of selected public schools in Gauteng Province of South Africa.
Date
2010-11-10
Authors
Amadi-Ihunwo, Uchenna Beatrice
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Abstract
This thesis represents an attempt to capture the complex life experiences of various
members of the education sector of Gauteng Province, including those involved in
public school governance, teaching, policy design and implementation. The intention
was to investigate how elements of culture and gender may be influencing the
motivations, abilities and ways in which members of the education sector are (or are
not) putting HIV/AIDS policies into action through their lived experiences. A modified
case study approach was applied utilizing qualitative and ethnographic techniques to
conduct research in five public schools in the Johannesburg area with an array of
relevant participants including school principals, governing board members, adult
learners and educators. Focusing on attitudes, knowledge, beliefs and practices of
the participants, the researcher identified particular aspects of ‘world views’ and/or
perceptions, popular discourses and non-biomedical disease explanatory models
that impact on the implementation of HIV/AIDS policies in the education sector. The
researcher demonstrates the insufficiency of official discourse and Western
biomedical constructs for understanding and responding to HIV/AIDS, and concludes
that the hybrid nature of perspectives and understandings means that no single
approach to the AIDS crisis in education institutions will be effective for addressing
the epidemic and its challenges.