5.4.1 Physical Environment
Implications
The dilapidated physical environment of the school was demotivating to the learners. Without a conducive environment to learning, gains would be limited in other interventions. Esau’s (2007:87) research has shown the detrimental effects vandalism has on school culture and academic performance in township areas.
Recommendations
The SGB and management of the school should place a greater emphasis on improving the infrastructure of the school. Masinyusane could assist in this regard by identifying potential funders and obtaining quotes for renovations. The learners had clearly identified installing electricity as a top priority and the school should commit itself to bringing this about. Following this, the learners had requested renovated classrooms. The researcher suggests that this be done in part by professionals and in part by learners and community stakeholders (such as parents and guardians). By taking part in renovating the school, such as the painting of classrooms, the learners would be more likely to protect, take care of and maintain any renovations made.
5.4.2 Curriculum at the School
Implications
The school was not offering enough subjects for the learners to develop their creative capacities. The learners were therefore not being afforded the opportunity to develop one of the traits (creativity) that Renzulli (2000:100) identifies as “a hallmark of society’s most productive people.” By failing to give the arts and humanities due justice, the school was failing to provide what Root-Bernstein (1999:20) describes as a holistic education.
Equally concerning was that the lack of exposure to different subjects, and thus methods of thinking, resulting in a lack of opportunity to discover and develop many of Gardner’s (2008:4) multiple intelligences. This directly correlated to the lack of talent discovery and corresponding implications discussed in section 5.1.1 above.
Furthermore, with its limited curriculum, School A was only catering to certain intelligences, interests and talents. This resulted in lower motivation levels, poor academic performance and higher drop-out rates amongst students that were not being catered for academically.
Recommendations
School A should begin by holding a meeting with its SGB and management staff to discuss the curriculum. Among other things, they should discuss whether they are satisfied with the current curriculum and the scope (and capacity) there is to offer additional subjects. The school should investigate all options for opening a computer laboratory, as this was not only being demanded by the learners, but is an essential part of education in the modern world.
Masinyusane could assist by offering (or organising) extra classes after school that are not currently in the curriculum. These could range from the arts and humanities to engineering and technically oriented classes. While these afternoon classes would not be academically rigorous, they would help to expose learners to more subjects and help identify more passions and talents. They would also provide opportunities for these learners that stated that their interests were not being catered for by the school, which should in turn raise motivational levels and attendance.
5.4.3 Obstacles at School
Implications
A group of teachers were clearly failing the learners; by both neglecting their teaching responsibilities and by physically abusing the learners. The most obvious implication is that the learners would not learn the material from the curriculum. They would therefore be unprepared to perform well academically. Another implication is that the teachers’ attitudes were showing the learners that their education was not important. The learners themselves would then begin to adopt this attitude, resulting in lower morale and learner motivation. This would contribute towards creating a culture of anarchy at the school, which would also undermine all other initiatives.
With regard to corporal punishment, this too was causing anarchy at the school. Not only was it illegal, but it created resentment and unrest amongst the learners, which could worsen the situation (Hawkins, 2009:39). The fact that the teachers were
resorting to corporal punishment suggests that the school needs to take steps to improve discipline.
Recommendations
It goes without say that the management of the school needs to address the issue of teachers failing to fulfill their teaching responsibilities. This could come from multiple fronts, such as the SGB, the principal, the teachers’ union, and from the teachers themselves. It is critical that the SGB and the principal take the lead here and ensure that teachers are in class and doing their job. Failure to do so should be reported to the Department of Education and the relevant teachers’ unions.
Masinyusane does not possess the authority to force teachers to teach, or to punish them for not doing so; therefore, its approach should be different. One suggestion may be to create a system of rewards and incentives to reward teachers who attend classes, perform their duties, and are rated highly according to some predetermined scale. This may not only encourage underperformers to start doing their job, but also inspire those working hard to continue to do so.
Regarding discipline, the school should enforce a more rigorous Code of Conduct. This may give teachers confidence that there is an alternative to corporal punishment (Hawkins, 2009:167). The school could also arrange for workshops to be held to discuss alternative disciplinary strategies.
5.4.4 Talent Development
Implications
The school was not providing the participating learners with as many extracurricular opportunities as they would like. This should not be the case and implies that the learners were being withheld opportunities to develop the talents in which they were interested. The fact that the majority of the learners believed that the school was helping them to develop their talents once again implies that they possessed a limited understanding of talent discovery and development.
Recommendations
Masinyusane needs to assist the school in creating opportunities for learners to develop their talents in the realms of academics, extracurriculars, role models and mentors, and parenting. These were discussed in detail in Sections 5.2 to Section 5.4 above.
In addition to this, Masinyusane should organise workshops designed to educate the learners about the process of talent development. With a clearer understanding of the hard work, focus, determination and assistance once needs to become an expert in any talent, the learners would be more likely to take the necessary steps. Furthermore, these workshops should seek to identify examples of successful individuals from similar backgrounds and explain the hard work and dedication those individuals exerted to achieve success. It is critical to dispel the myth that God-given talent is the only reason one achieves success in any given talent.
5.4.5 Positive Perceptions of the School
Implications
The learners did reflect many positive perceptions of the school, which provided a critical foundation from which to build. All hope is not lost. This held particularly true regarding a core group of teachers to whom the learners felt particularly grateful.
Recommendations
Both the school and Masinyusane must build upon the strengths of the school and attempt to create a tipping point of success in which excellence and achievement become expectations at the school. School culture matters a great deal, and a culture of expectation and success will go a long way in improving motivation levels and mindsets amongst the learners. This would in turn facilitate all the other recommendations for talent discovery and development noted before.