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4.2.2 The effects of delinquent subculture to school culture and eighth grade pupils. 53-54. 4.2.3 Reasons why students affiliate to delinquent subculture.
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A case study of eighth grade students
by
MANTIME ELIZABETH KEKANA
submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree
MAGISTER EDUCATIONIS
in
COMMUNITY EDUCATION in the FACULTY OF EDUCATION AND NURSING at the RAND AFRIKAANS UNIVERSITY
SUPERVISOR : DR D DANIELS
NOVEMBER 1999
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2.1 INTRODUCTION (^) 10- 2.2 ECOSYTEMATICAL VIEW OF DELINQUENT SUBCULTURE (^) 12- 2.2.1 THE HOME ENVIRONMENT (^) 13- 2.2.1.1 Affective neglect as a cause of juvenile delinquency. (^) 14- 2.2.1.2 Single parenting (^) 15- 2.2.1.3 Parental styles (^) 16- 2.2.2 NEIGHBOURHOOD INFLUENCE TO DELINQUENT SUBCULTURE (^18) 2.2.2.1 The socio-pedagogic implication of urbanisation (^) 18- 2.2.2.2 Unemployment as a sociological implication of urbanisation (^) 20- 2.2.23 Poor social environment and its effect on delinquent subculture (^) 21- 2.2.2.4 Unemployment and the youths (^) 22- 2.2.3 THE SCHOOL AS A SOCIALISING AGENT (^) 23- 2.2.3.1 Classroom management system that creates frustration (^) 25- 2.2.3.2 The teacher pupil relation and emphasis on scholastic achievement 26- 2.2.4 PEER GROUP AS A CAUSE OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY IN SCHOOLS (^) 27- 2.2.4.1 THE INFLUENCE OF PEER PRESSURE (^) 30- 2.2.4 CONCLUSION (^) 31-
The purpose of this study was to find out about the delinquent subcultures that exist in secondary schools and their effect on the culture of learning and teaching.
By means of intensive investigation conducted through observation, questionnaire and interviews, qualitative data about the existence of three delinquent subcultures at Setjhaba-sohle secondary school was gathered. From the data collected it was evident that there are delinquent subcultures whose beliefs, norms, values and activities are working against the school culture. Their existence is a result of a reaction to the frustrating situation caused by the home, the school, the society and peer group during the process of socialisation. The findings revealed that there are background factors which force youths into delinquent subcultures. This suggests that if the socialising stimuli to which a developing child is exposed could be corrected, then the disorganisation caused by these subcultures could be kept to its minimum level.
The interviews, observation, and questionnaire conducted at Setjaba-sohle secondary school revealed the existence of three delinquent subcultures, namely, Makoloane, Matariana, and Mapantsola. Under pressure from their peer groups, together with background factors, these groups had formulated their own values, norms and actions which are different from the school culture.
The conclusion reached is that the type of delinquent subcultures at school is determined by the type of community that the school serves. The existence of these subcultures result as a reaction to malfunctioning and disintegration of the community. If the community can re-integrate, unite and help one another, the circular causality of contributing factors to delinquency can be kept to a minimum.
I gratefully acknowledge and heartily thank Dr D. Daniels, my supervisor, who had a magical way of assisting me and who provided psychological support on days when my energy faded. Prof. E. Henning, who is such a knowledgeable lecturer, is also thanked.
My gracious and sincere gratitude and appreciation go to the following people for their remarkable contribution to this study.
To my husband, Daniel, and our three sons Sebushi, Thabang and Kgotso for the tremendous support and encouragement they have given me throughout the years of my studies.
To my colleague, Mr Themba Zwane, and friend Bernard Otto, who provided the psychological support during the dark days of compiling this study.
My sincere gratitude goes to all the participants in this research who sacrificed their spare time to provide raw data. Uppermost, I would like to thank the grade eight students as well as their class teachers, Mr S. Lebenya, Miss J. Matsekane and Mrs Z. Mahlaba for providing me with artifacts needed in compiling the research.
Above all, I would like to thank my gracious and majestic God, for giving me the ability and courage to persevere throughout all the difficult years of my studies.
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Figure 1: Conceptual framework 39 Graph 1: The rate of quarterly absenteeism in grade eight classes 51 Table 1: Profile of grade eight pupils 38 Table 2: The delinquent subcultures at Setjhaba-sohle 45
Delinquent subcultures in secondary schools emerge as a result of both the street gang cultures that is being brought into the school grounds and the home culture of the township learners. According to Cross (1993) subcultures exist where there is some form of organized and recognized constellation of values, behavior and actions which are responded to as being different from the prevailing sets of norms and value system. These values, behavior and actions are the distinguishing characteristics of subcultures.
According to this approach, an attempt is made to take into consideration not only the child, but his environment in its interactive relationship with him (Kapp, 1991: 13). The macro- and micro-environments in which children find themselves have an impact on their development. The change in the macro-environment determines how the children interact with the micro-environment, which includes home, church and school.
A century ago, South Africa was an agricultural country, with its black population living mainly in rural areas. With the discovery of gold and diamonds, large towns were turned into cities where people from rural areas moved to urban areas in search of jobs in the gold and diamond mines. The mining industries gave birth to the development of more cities, thus creating more and a larger variety of job opportunities. The transformation resulted in urbanization and technological development. The movement of people from rural areas to urban areas has resulted in townships that surround the industrial areas. Overcrowding was one of the social problems experienced by people in Sebokeng township. Most of the industries found in and around Vereeniging have
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These groups urged the community members to go on strike and to take part in stay aways and rent boycotts. These activities eventually contributed to the high rate of unemployment in the area. The said state of affairs further resulted in poverty, disrupted family relationships and total disorganization of this community. Many children of Sebokeng were exposed to subcultures that were necessary for their existence and survival, and which was part of their daily interaction.
1.2 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY Sebokeng township is situated about 10km from Vereeniging and 50km from Johannesburg. The name Sebokeng originates from the noun Seboka meaning 'a crowd' which literally means 'many people grouped together'. The township is dominated by people who speak Zulu, Sepedi, Sesotho and Xhosa. The representation of these ethnic groups in Sebokeng is the result of migration from the rural areas of Kwazulu Natal, Lesotho, Transkei and Lebowa. The township is divided into ten zones. The township was once declared an unrest stricken area due to the activities of vigilante groups and the senseless killings by the hostel dwellers. The community perception of order, discipline and education is shaped and defined by the ongoing violence. This community's behavior is also reflected in the schools. So, for example, the schools constantly experience inter-group fights in the schoolyard, as well as inter-school group fights. On the school premises there are areas which are accessible to some of the pupils only. For example, certain groups are not allowed access to a particular toilet. The schools also experience fights amongst their pupils or with pupils from other neighbouring schools. The fight may be started by two students, branched out to a group affiliated to one student and later extend to inter-group fights which could lead to inter-school fights and eventually killings. The school principals are sometimes forced to call in the assistance of the police when they fear that total chaos might result.
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Members of the school community have lost their sense of security. Teachers and principals, as well as pupils, are being killed while in the school yard. Instead of schools serving as institutions for learning, they have been turned into battlefields. All types of delinquent subcultures are found in most township secondary schools. These groups can be identified from one another according to their activities, dress codes and behavior. As people have a tendency to act out their beliefs, the activities of these subcultures reflect their values and beliefs. According to Allen and Martin (1994), education and community are inseparable. There can be no education without community and no community without education. This means that the activities of the community affect the school and the community is affected by the problems found in the school.
The study addresses the problem of the youths in a previously violent township known as Sebokeng. The focus is on youths who have just graduated from primary school and who are in their first year at secondary school. Their first year experiences as influenced by the delinquent subcultures, is the researcher's point of departure.
It is assumed that grade eight learners, after graduating from primary school, are excited to be admitted to the secondary school of their choice. At these institutions their role as senior pupils changes to that of most junior members. As a result, they are likely to experience pressure from their schoolmates and the new school culture. Some of these pupils were captains in various sporting activities and some were prefects at their former schools. These sudden changes require them to adjust to the rules and regulations of the new school. The stage in which grade eight pupils find themselves is regarded by Bronfenbrenner (1979) as ecological transition. That is a stage that occurs whenever a person's position in the ecological environment is altered as a result of a change in role or setting. Grade eight learners experience a change in the settings in that their school environment has changed. As young adolescents, grade eight pupils are
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In this qualitative research design, the gathered data was provided by the subjects of the study. The relevant methods were an in-depth interview, focus group interview, questionnaire, as well as observation by the researcher. The purpose of methodology triangulation is to overcome the weakness or biases of one method. Henning (1997) suggests that the qualitative method, if used correctly, can outweigh any weakness or biases.
Individual in-depth interviews were conducted with a sample of nine grade eight pupils. The participants were selected randomly. The same subjects also participated in the focus group interview. In both types of interviews, a structured interview guide was prepared before hand. The researcher was free to explore, probe and ask follow up questions that would elucidate and illuminate the subject in question (Patton, 1987). According to Maykut and Morehouse (1994) the focus group interview is an opportunity to observe a selected group of people discussing the topic that the researcher is investigating. In this approach, I hoped to bring to the fore the general perception of the focus group about the subcultures and the effect it has on their daily interaction with teachers and their schoolmates. McMillan and Schumacher (1993) stated that a questionnaire is a written set of questions or statements that assesses attitudes, opinions, beliefs and biographic information. The data that the questionnaire harnessed, was used to build on the demographic and biographic profile of the research population. Ten pupils from each of the three grade eight classes were asked to complete the questionnaire. The pupils were selected randomly. As one of the educators at Setjhaba-sohle secondary school, I wore the mask of an observer. The data gathered from the observation consisted of a detailed description of the population's behavior, staff actions and a full range of human interaction (Patton:1987).
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The researcher conducted unstructured interviews with members of the school community who served as key informants to the study. This included teachers, the principal, and pupils in higher grades who are knowledgeable about the subject in question. In this research inquiry the researcher used methodology triangulation, that is, according to Leedy (1993), the use of two or more methods of data collection procedures within a single study. The purpose is to cross- validate the collected data so as to endorse the outcomes of the study. In addition, the researcher studied literature related to the topic in question in order to have a broader view on it.
The theoretical population of this study was all grade eight pupils at secondary schools in Sebokeng zone 14. I decided on this group as they were likely to undergo developmental and ecological transition because of their newness in secondary schools. Their experience and perception of subcultures and the school culture in a new situation was explored in this research. The sample frame was grade eight pupils at Setjhaba-sohle secondary school.
The school has three grade eight classes with the teacher pupil ratio being 1: 35. The subjects participated in an in-depth interview, focus group interview and some of them also complete questionnaires. The youths who participated in both the in-depth and the focus group interviews were from the sample population. This helped to permit generalization of the findings at Setjhaba-sohle secondary school.
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1.9 ORGANIZATION OF THE RESEARCH ESSAY This essay is divided into four sections. Section one provides an overview of the study. Section two deals with the conceptual and theoretical framework. Section three provides a description of the methodology, how the data was collected and analyzed. Section four is the report on the research findings. This process engages interpretation of information, validation, forming the conclusion and then making recommendations.
Having justified the need for the study, given an overview, and the background thereof, it will be necessary for me to conduct the relevant literature review, the purpose being to acquire a wider view of the study. If this study can effectively make use of the collected data, categorized efficiently and assessed in order to make correct findings, this may be of value to Setjhaba-sohle secondary school's teaching personnel, management, learners in general and grade eight in particular. It is assumed that the community around the school will also benefit from the outcomes of this study.
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SECTION TWO LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 INTRODUCTION The Gauteng MEC for education, Mary Metcalf established the Committee on Culture of Learning and Teaching (CCOLT) in early 1995. This was in response to the claim that in schools, schooling appeared to be broken down. This report pronounced the collapse of the culture of learning and teaching in secondary schools according to Chisholm and Vally ( 1996). The purpose of the committee was to assist the new education department in developing an understanding of the factors that contribute to or prevent the successful climate of teaching and learning and to come up with recommendations on what could be done to remedy the situation.
One of the factors that was assumed to be the contributing factor to the collapse of the culture of teaching and learning, and teaching in secondary schools, is the presence of delinquent subcultures in these institutions. These subcultures arose as countercultures to the school culture; thus adding detrimental factors to the school community and the educational community. As the school culture of individual schools differs from one another, the subcultures found in them are also different. As we cannot separate education from community, the achievement of democracy by the school also calls for democracy in the community. Gunter (1985) indicates that a democratic society is characterized by a feeling of belonging together, a sharing of a common bond among its members. It is also characterized by an interest on the part of every member in the welfare of the other and the society as a whole. In this context, the effects of subcultures in existence at secondary school do not affect the school only, but the society too.
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on pupils in grade eight to recruit them; thus increasing their membership. These subcultures become a circular causality of breaking the culture of learning and teaching in secondary schools. Delinquent subcultures have their loyal members in all the grades and continue to lure others in lower grades. Members take advantage of the fact that grade eight pupils are the novices of their institutions.
The focus of this study is to identify and interpret different types of delinquent subcultures that are in existence at the secondary schools in zone 14 of Sebokeng. The purpose is to deduce the contributory factors that are likely to force youths into joining these subcultures from the ecosystems' point of view. It is also to suggest possible reasons why grade eight pupils affiliate to the delinquent subcultures rather than the school culture.
In order to understand the concept and the context of delinquent subcultures, one has to consider the circular causal factors that lead to these subcultures being formed, and how their members are kept loyal to them. As an educator, one has to find a way of breaking the continuous interruption of these subcultures to the school culture. According to Van Niekerk and Meier (1995) South Africa is not the first country in the history of the world that has had to deal with social and political crises affecting its youths. The difference between the subculture youth movements in South Africa and those in the rest of the world is that locally, the number of individuals conforming to subcultures constitutes not merely hundreds or even thousands, but millions of social "outsiders "or peripheral figures. The question is, what could be the cause of this conformity? What pushes youngsters into these subcultures? In trying to break into this web of attraction the researcher had to assume a system's theory. According to Dowling and Osborne (1995) the reality is, behavior is intimately dependent on the context in which it occurs. They further stated that when educational problems
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arise, it is useful to examine the problem in the dual context of the family and the school. In support to the said view, Gunter (1985) indicates that the success of the school depends to a large extent on the foundation laid in the home as well as the support and co-operation of the parents of these children. According to the ecosystem view, one has to take into consideration not only the developing child, but the environment and the people who interactively relate to the child. This indicates how the developing children interact with other human beings. This interaction of human beings is called socialization. According to Meintjies (1992) socialization is a process in which children acquire the values, beliefs and behavior that are expected in their culture. These norms and values are transferred by the agents of socialization along the developmental stages of the child. The following are agents of socialization according to Meintjies (1992): micro-educational (the family), meso-educational (the school), macro- educational (the society) and the peer group. The four milieus are interdependent and interrelated. If the process of socialization in one milieu happens to deviate from its role, that deviation will be reflected in the milieu that follows. The delinquent subculture is the culture within a parent culture that emerges as a reaction to the deviance that different milieus have created as the child is socialized from one milieu to the other.
For the purpose of this study, deviance of the four social settings that are likely to lead the youths to delinquent subcultures will be discussed. The reason for discussing these settings and their influences is that both the grade eight learners and members of delinquent subcultures have used these environments and are also reflecting their effects. The behavior they display is the product of the said setting.
Modern families are formed by a legal union of a man and woman who happen to love each other. After marriage the couple will cohabit and later bear children.
