The University of the Western Cape (UWC) Faculty of Education held a most productive face-to-face postgraduate student-focused workshop recently, where CPUT and the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) collaboratively dissected the topic for the day: Utilising Phenomenology as a Research Methodology in Education.

The workshop was attended by the seasoned phenomenological researchers, novice academics and postgraduate doctoral students from the three higher educational institutions in South Africa. At the robust postgraduate workshop led by Dr Karen Koopman, Senior Lecturer, Department of Educational Studies at UWC, two CPUT final-year doctoral students, Byron Abrahams and Clive Brown gave insight into their respective studies, which embraces a phenomenological research design.

Abrahams, Mathematics specialist in the Faculty of Education is supervised by Prof Yusuf Sayed and Dr Sharon McAuliffe at CPUT. He states: “In my doctoral study, I am using a Hermeneutic phenomenological research design to explore the role of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) in developing teachers’ competence in integrating technology into their practice and to understand better the provision of equitable and quality teaching and learning”.

Brown, Intermediate Phase Teaching Practice Coordinator and GET Advisory Board Secretary, is undertaking doctoral studies at UKZN and being supervised by Prof Sarasvathie Reddy within the School of Education. He states: “My research study proposes to understand a final group of Intermediate Phase student-teachers' lived experiences while completing Teaching Practicum in diverse South African schooling contexts”.

Both academics have collectively and most recently published an article within the African Perspectives of Research in Teaching & Learning (APORTAL) Vol 6 (3) (2022) Special Issue. The articles are titled:

• CPD and The Development of Teacher TPCK For Technology Integration: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study [Abrahams, McAuliffe & Sayed, 2022].
• Critical Reflections On Researching Lived and Learning Experiences: Towards A Critical Phenomenology [Samuel, Reddy & Brown, 2022].

All the articles in this special issue consist of teaching and learning studies in which the authors applied a phenomenological research design. https://www.ul.ac.za/aportal/index.php?Entity=Special%20Issue%202022

Koopman emphasised the importance and benefits of doctoral cohorts in higher education institutions and their relevance in supporting postgraduate students to succeed from start to finish. Brown also reiterated that in his view, the take-home message of the postgraduate workshop focusing on phenomenology illuminates the importance of ‘human experiences’ and quotes the sentiments of Higgs (1995) by stating, “The world is in us, and we are in the world”.

Written by CPUT News
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The Faculty of Education, in collaboration with the Institutional Transformation Forum, extends its gratitude to a seasoned Psychosexual Educator, Delene van Dyk, for conducting a thought-provoking Gender Equity Workshop.

This session delved deep into the complexities of gender binaries and societal boxes, offering fresh perspectives and challenging conventional norms, observed Clive Brown, Chairperson of the Faculty of Education Transformation Committee. Brown said the workshop was designed to provide a profound understanding of four key concepts within the binaries and boxes framework: sex, gender, sexual orientation, and sexual pleasure. “Through this exploration, participants were encouraged to deconstruct rigid and linear notions of biological variance, sexual and gender identity, expression, and sexual behaviour. The session aimed to tackle heteronormativity head-on, reduce stereotypes, and debunk pervasive myths”

Targeting Intermediate Phase student-teachers, the workshop emphasised the importance of preparing future educators to navigate and teach in diverse and inclusive environments. The session was a crucial step in broadening the minds of these future professionals, equipping them with the knowledge and sensitivity required to address gender-related issues in both South African and global contexts.

Brown highlighted the extensive efforts involved in securing funding for this invaluable workshop. He expressed his gratitude to Byron Abrahams, Secretary of the Faculty of Education Transformation Committee, for his instrumental role in this process. Brown emphasised that financial support was essential to infuse the teaching curriculum with a focus on gender studies, a topic often overlooked amidst the diversity within higher education.

Van Dyk, a counsellor, and sexual health nurse with over thirty years of experience, currently serves as the Training and Education Manager at My Sexual Health’s sexology courses. Brown praised her ability to navigate through challenging questions and provided insightful commentary on topics that are often considered taboo in many South African households. He said: “Delene was simply excellent in navigating through questions, examples, and commentary which in many South African households is taboo or unquestionable. As a pertinent committee within the Faculty of Education, we believe that the transformation of behaviour through one's actions stems from the knowledge in which you engage. We will definitely have Delene back real soon. Thank you.”

He added that the workshop represented a significant step towards fostering a more inclusive and understanding educational environment, ensuring that CPUT's future educators are well-equipped to make a meaningful impact in the diverse classrooms they will lead.

Written by CPUT News
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