Selected Gauteng secondary school learners’ lived experiences of Life Orientation and the fulfilment of its outcomes as a school subject

D.Ed. (Educational Psychology)Through quality education for all, learners will be able to reach their full potential and will be able to “meaningfully contribute to and participate in that society throughout their lives” (Department of Education, 1997, p.11). To facilitate this process, Life Orientation (LO) has been introduced as a compulsory subject in grades 8 to 12 and, according to the National Curriculum Statement, it will be “guiding learners to develop their full potential in all spheres of life (i.e. holistic development)”, and focusing on “skills that empower learners to relate positively and make a contribution to family, community and society life in South Africa” (Department of Education, 2003, p.19). This implies that those responsible for teaching this subject would require specific qualities and characteristics, as they face many challenges in terms of what learners bring to school, such as the effects of violence, HIV, abuse, divorce, poverty and teenage pregnancy. The expectations of the learning outcomes are high, and as yet little is known about the experience of LO within schools. This research therefore aimed to explore the learners’ lived experiences of LO within secondary schools in Gauteng, in order to understand their perspectives of LO and LO teachers in the first phase, so that intervention strategies could be developed in the second phase to enhance its implementation. The research utilised a qualitative paradigm and included a literature review, focus group interviews with six to eight learners in each grade of four secondary schools, five individual interviews with learners, four individual interviews with LO teachers, and open-ended questionnaires completed by one class in each grade in secondary school. Data analysis was deductive and themes identified focused on the relevancy of LO, the attitude to LO, the acquisition of life skills, LO teachers and their teaching methods, and the LO needs of learners. Several gaps were identified between learners’ experiences and the learning outcomes of LO. Intervention strategies, based on the findings of the study in phase one, were developed in phase two in order to address these gaps, to further develop LO as a learning area, and to facilitate the acquisition of life skills by secondary school learners. The overall principles of the intervention programme focused on improving the practical applicability of LO for learners, making it more relevant to adolescents, linking it to the community, assisting with the necessary teacher selection criteria and teaching qualities, and highlighting the necessity for more health promotion in schools