Proceedings of The 6th World Conference on Research in Education
Year: 2023
DOI:
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Intensifying Psychosocial Support for CHH Learners in Schools for Sense of Belonging and Sustainable Learning
Lepheana Alice and Alexander Gregory
ABSTRACT:
The paper addresses the social challenges which affect learners from child-headed households (CHHs) and impact them psychologically in learning. The observation of poor academic performance emanating from different challenges they experience, specifically in school, suggests a need to intensify psychosocial support. CHHs in South Africa, as in other countries (Mtetwa, is an increasingly serious problem. In 2018, 58% of children aged 15-17 of the 19.8% child population were found staying by themselves. Through participatory action research (PAR) couched by critical emancipatory research (CER), different stakeholders in Xhariep district, as identified researchers and participants, collaborated to support learners. CHH learners were amongst other participants as key role-players in the society, and the envisaged outcome was meeting unique and ever-changing challenges in their schooling life by strengthening psychosocial support and improved academic performance in schools for sustainable learning. Critical discourse was helpful in analysing data from meetings and consequently different workshops were conducted as means of empowerment and intensifying psychosocial support (PSS), leading to the emergence of an appropriate framework. The study`s recommendations, challenges, and shortcomings are acknowledged in concluding remarks.
keywords: Child-headed households, intensify, psychosocial support, sense of belonging, sustainable learning