Exploring perceptions of enhancing children's relational well-being in South African school communities

Abstract

Nationally and internationally there has been increasing emphasis on the enhancement of children’s well-being within school environments, including the crucial role that relationships can play in this regard. The focus in South African school communities are also shifting towards relationships as a medium for intervention aimed at well-being enhancement. However, according to subject literature and recent research, a significant lacuna still exists in this regard. This study aims to address the current lacuna, which indicates a lack of research, by contributing to the expanding of the current body of knowledge pertaining to relational well-being in South African school communities. This will be achieved by exploring current perceptions concerning the enhancement of relational wellbeing, as well as the way in which the understanding of these perceptions might contribute to relational well-being enhancement in South African school communities. The conceptual framework that informed this study, includes the Community psychology and Positive psychology perspectives, as well as the bioecological systems theory and complexity theory. These perspectives and theories were used as a basis for the understanding of relational well-being enhancement. The promotion of well-being, well-being promotion in school contexts, and well-being promotion in specifically South African schools have been discussed. Moreover, relational wellbeing as a construct and relational well-being in school communities have also been considered. This has been done from a relational well-being perspective, according to which relationships can be enhanced through an inclusive, holistic, preventative and proactive school community approach. This approach, with an emphasis on relationships as a medium of intervention, is advocated by the mentioned conceptual framework as an alternative to the linear, individualistic and reactive approaches still followed in South African schools. The conceptual framework discussion is elucidated by two graphical representations. The research problem required that a qualitative research method be used. A qualitative phenomenological research design proved to be a suitable approach to gather the data needed to address the research problem effectively. A non-probability, purposive sampling technique, which included a group of 14 postgraduate students, was followed in order to gain the relevant data to be used with regard to exploring perceptions of enhancing relational well-being. The group seemed suitable for the research goal: they were all part of a larger project on relational well-being, enrolled for a Master’s degree in Psychology or Social work or a PhD at the North West University (N=130), involved in South African school communities and attended a colloquium on relational well-being during which a World Café session was held as data gathering method. Additionally, the World Café session was explained by a graphical representation. Audio recordings of the discussions were transcribed verbatim to provide a workable data set to be analysed in terms of the research questions. The data was analysed according to Clarke and Braun’s (2013) six phases. Five themes, which included the participants’ perceptions on enhancing relational well-being in South African school communities, were identified as an answer to the first research question, namely how the participants perceive the enhancement of children’s relational well-being. Thematic data analysis revealed that in order to enhance relational well-being, children should be treated with dignity and respect (1). Respect is often shown through non-verbal gestures by showing appreciation and acknowledgement to children and thereby enhancing connectedness. By creating safe spaces by the setting of boundaries (2), a caring, secure environment is established for relationship development. A supportive environment (3), characterised by a web of relationships with the teacher as the leading role player, is essential to the promotion of relational well-being. It also transpired that opportunities for interaction (4) should be purposefully created and facilitated in school communities as relationships primarily grow and develop through reciprocal interaction. Finally, the participants concluded that children learn through observation and argued that teachers, principals, parents and other role players should model positive relationships (5) to children. During the thematic analysis of the data, it was noted that the participants’ language may contain subtle social information about the children with whom they work. This veiled information manifested as concealed “messages” in their spoken language and was of such a nature that the researcher suspected that it might have critical implications for the enhancement of relational wellbeing – and should therefore be further explored. In order to explore how social information was revealed in language, a different research approach was required. This was necessitated by the fact that social information conveyed in language, manifests on a different level than the literal meaning of words. In order to achieve this, discourse analysis was used. The discourse analysis revealed that the personal dispositions of the participants comprised of two patterns of perceptions, namely a facilitative pattern, which is beneficial for relational well-being enhancement, and a restraining pattern, which might hold impeding implications for relational well-being. The two facilitative perceptions identified and explored include:  An inclusive school community: it was revealed that intervention should be aimed at the total, holistic, inclusive school community.  A proactive approach: it was suggested that intervention should entail a proactive, preventative approach. It was agreed upon that relational well-being enhancement be approached proactively by creating opportunities for relationship building. The implication of the facilitating pattern for relational well-being was critically assessed in terms of the reactive, individualistic perspective, as well as the four holistic, preventative perspectives and theories used as a framework for this study. Three perceptions were identified that might have a restraining effect on the enhancement of relational well-being: Uncertainty and Ignorance, Competitiveness and Othering:  Uncertainty and Ignorance: Participants verbally acknowledged their uncertainty and used strategies in their language to try and conceal their uncertainty. Four prominent strategies were identified and discussed.  Competitiveness: Competitiveness was identified as a result of the linear, individualistic approaches which are still followed in school communities and which focus on personal academic achievement and not on inclusive, holistic relational well-being.  Othering: Sociolinguistic analysis furthermore identified potential othering perceptions that involve teachers and children. These perceptions were based on some children’s “low social class” and other’s “culture”. Othering in terms of social class involves only the own cultural group, but othering in terms of culture can involve all cultures in South Africa. Therefore, the implications and restraining impact of othering in terms of culture has been explored in more detail. These restraining perceptions were respectively critically assessed regarding their compromising impact on relational well-being enhancement in current South African school communities. By the analysis and critical assessment of the facilitative and restraining perceptions and their potential impact on relational well-being enhancement, the second research question, namely how the understanding of these perceptions can contribute to the enhancement of relational well-being, has been addressed. This study is completed by a conclusive summary, including the answering of the research questions. The advantages of Sociolinguistics as an interdisciplinary approach, as experienced in the research, and the potential contribution of the study to relational well-being enhancement, are also indicated. Furthermore, the surprises and anomalies encountered are discussed and recommendations, ensuing from the findings of the study, are made to the Department of Education, as well as to school management teams and communities. Recommendations for further research are also suggested