Enhancing Teachers’ Professional Curriculum Practice in Sex Education in a Grade Ten Life Orientation Class

Abstract

This article documents the research processes followed by a coordinating team for the subject of life orientation in a school. The aim is to enhance life orientation teachers’ professional curriculum practice in pedagogy. The focus is on sex education and cultural influences on the behaviour of four hundred and forty school community members in Motheo district. Critical emancipatory research was used as the theoretical framework to guide the research process. Participatory action research was used as an approach for data generation. Critical discourse analysis was applied for the interpretation of, and to arrive at the following findings: the impact of gender roles, age and experience of teachers has a bearing on teaching sex education; cultural beliefs are a barrier to teaching sex education; and the legacy of colonialism and apartheid education has had a profound impact on education in South Africa.

DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2014.v4n6p287