Lived experiences and geographical consciousness : a study of five Namibian schools

Abstract

In Namibian schools, structured and organised outdoor learning opportunities are not accessible to everyone or equally distributed. All Namibian learners do, however, have access to lived experiences outside of school and are exposed to different everyday environments. Learners’ lived experiences are not always recognised as a potential and relevant geographical resource for teaching and learning. The aim of this research was to analyse the reported geographical lived experiences of secondary school learners from Namibia in order to establish the role of their lived experiences in the acquisition of geographical consciousness. The research objectives were (1) to gain an understanding of the learners’ biographic profile, mobility and interest in geography; (2) examine the influence lived experiences have on geography learners’ geographical consciousness; (3) question whether and how Namibian geography learners consider and use their everyday environments as geographical learning resources; (4) explore how the learners view their surroundings; and (5) propose a model of geographical consciousness and lived experiences based on the research findings. The research was positioned in a constructivist-interpretivist research paradigm and individual interviews and participatory drawings were used as data collection methods. The spatial research context is four Namibian towns and one city (Walvis Bay, Otavi, Rundu, Keetmanshoop and Windhoek). The findings revealed that each participant’s lived experiences and the interpretations of their lived experiences are unique. Three types of lived experiences, namely direct or first-hand, secondary and reconstructed lived experiences were identified. The learners have been exposed to concepts in human geography such as population, deforestation, pollution and farming and concepts in physical geography such as soil erosion, the water cycle, river processes and dunes. Skills such as comparing and contrasting, problem identification and making judgements emerged clearly. Most of the participants’ values and attitudes were influenced positively by their lived experiences. The participants’ ability and willingness to recognise their everyday environment as a geographical learning resource depends on barriers (e.g. academic pressure and repetition) and enablers (e.g. encouragement and interest). These components are included in the proposed model that shows the relationships between lived experience and geographical consciousness. It is recommended that reflection on lived experiences should be implemented in the geography classroom and the barriers to geographical consciousness should be intentionally addressed.

In Namibië se skole is gestruktueerde en georganiseerde buitelugleergeleenthede nòg toeganklik vir almal, nòg eweredig versprei. Alle leerders in Namibië het toegang tot geleefde ervarings buite die skool en word blootgestel aan verskillende daaglikse kontekste. Leerders se geleefde ervarings word nie altyd erken as ’n potensiële en relevante geografiese bron in die onderrig- en leerproses nie. Die doel van hierdie navorsing was om die geografiese geleefde ervarings, soos gerapporteer deur Namibiese sekondêre skoolleerders, te analiseer en vas te stel of geleefde ervarings ’n rol kan speel in die verkryging van geografiese bewustheid. Die navorsingsdoelwitte was (1) om die leerders se biografiese profiel, mobiliteit en belangstelling in geografie te verstaan; (2) om die invloed wat geleefde ervarings op geografie-leerders se geografiese bewustheid het, te ondersoek; (3) om vas te stel of, en hoe, Namibiese geografie leerders hulle alledaagse omgewing as ’n geografiese leerhulpbron beskou; (4) om te ondersoek hoe die leerders hulle omgewing sien, en (5) om ’n geografiese bewustheids- en geleefde-ervaringsmodel, gebaseer op die navorsingsresultate, voor te stel. Die navorsing is in ’n konstruktivisties-interpretivistiese navorsingsparadigma geposisioneer en individuele onderhoude en deelnemende tekeninge is as data-insamelingsmetodes gebruik. Die ruimtelike navorsingskonteks is vier dorpe en een stad in Namibië (Walvisbaai, Otavi, Rundu, Keetmanshoop en Windhoek). Daar is bevind dat elke deelnemer se geleefde ervarings en hul interpretasies van hul geleefde ervarings uniek is. Drie tipes geleefde ervarings, naamlik direkte of eerstehandse-, sekondêre- en gerekonstrueerde geleefde ervarings is geïdentifiseer. Die leerders is blootgestel aan konsepte in die menslike geografie soos bevolking, ontbossing, besoedeling en boerdery en konsepte in die fisiese geografie soos gronderosie, die watersiklus, rivierprosesse en sandduine. Die meeste geografiese vaardighede is openlik of heimlik ontwikkel, geoefen en verbeter deur deelnemers se geleefde ervarings. Die meeste deelnemers se waardes en gesindhede is positief deur hul geleefde ervarings beïnvloed. Die vermoë en gewilligheid van die deelnemers om hulle daaglikse omgewing as ’n geografiese leerhulpbron te herken, word bepaal deur hindernisse (bv. akademiese druk en herhaling) en instaatstellers (bv. aanmoediging en belangstelling). Hierdie komponente vorm deel van die voorgestelde model van geografiese bewustheid- en geleefde-ervarings. Daar word aanbeveel dat refleksie op geleefde ervarings in die geografie-klaskamer geïmplementeer moet word en die hindernisse vir geografiese bewustheid doelbewus aangespreek moet word.

Ezikoleni zaseNamibia, amathuba okufunda ngaphandle kwamagumbi ahambisana nohlaka futhi ahlelekile awatholwa yinoma ngubani noma awabiwa ngokulinganayo. Noma kunjalo, bonke abafundi baseNamibia bayakwazi ukuthola izinto ezenzeka ngaphandle kwamagceke esikole futhi bazijwayele izimo ezihlukene zansuku zonke. Okwenzeka kubafundi ngaphandle kwamagceke esikole akuqhakanjiswa njalo njengezinto ezingaba namandla futhi zibe yingqalasizinda ehambisana nomumomhlaba ekufundiseni nasekufundeni. Inhloso yalolu cwaningo kwakuwukuhlaziya okwenzeka ngaphandle kwamagceke esikole okubikiwe ezikoleni zabafundi bamabanga aphezulu, eNamibia, ukuze kutholakale indima edlalwa okwezenzeka ngaphandle kwamagceke esikole uma kutholakala ukuzigqaja okuphathelene nomumomhlaba. Izimpokophelo zalolu cwaningo kwakuyilezi (1) wukuzuza ukuqonda imilandokuzazisa ephathelene nendabampilo yabafundi, wukuhlanganisa kanye nentshisekelo ngomumomhlaba; (2) wukuhlola umthelela okhona wezimo ezenzeka ngaphandle kwamagceke ezikole kubafundi bezomumomhlaba mayelana nokuzigqaja okuphathelene nomumomhlaba; (3) wukubuza ukuthi ngabe abafundi bezomumomhlaba eNamibia bazibona kanjani izindawo abahlala kuzo nsuku zonke njengezingqalazizinda zokufunda ngokwendawo; (4) wukuhlola ukuthi abafundi bayibona kanjani indawo abahlala kuyo; (5) wukuphakamisa umfanekiso wokuzigqaja okuphathelene nomumomhlaba kanye nalokho okwenzeka ngaphandle kwamagceke esikole kugxilwe emiphumeleni yocwaningo. Lolu cwaningo lwenziwa ngohlelo lokwenza ucwaningo olwaziwa ngekhonstrakhivisti-inthaphrithivisti kanye nenkulumongxoxo nomuntu ngayedwana kanti nemidwebo ekhombisa ukubamba iqhaza yasetshenziswa njengenye yezindlela yokuqokelela ulwazi olungahlungiwe. Umsukamqondo wocwaningo osebenzisa isimo nobungako ngowamadolobha aseNamibia kanye nedolobhakazi elilodwa (iWalvis Bay, i-Otavi, iRundu, iKeetmanshoop neWindhoek). Imiphumela yocwaningo iveza ukuthi izinto okwenzeka ngaphandle kwamagceke esikole kumbambiqhaza ngamunye kanye nokucubungula okwenzeka kubo ngaphandle kwamgumbi okufunda akufani. Kwabe sekuhlonzwa izinhlobo ezintathu zezinto ezenzeka ngaphandle kwamagceke esikole, okuyilezi: yizinto ezenzeka ngqo noma eziqala ngqa ukwenzeka, ezingaqali ukwenzeka kanye nalezo esezakhiwe kabusha. Abafundi bayawazi amagama omumohlaba omayelana nabantu okubalwa kuwo inani labantu, ukuqedwa kwamahlathi, ukungcolisa kanye nezolimo, ngokunjalo namagama okubalwa kuwo awezinto ezibonakalayo okuyilezi: ukuguguleka komhlabathi, wumjikelezo wamanzi, okwenzeka emfuleni kanye nezindunduma zezihlabathi. Amakhono okubalwa kuwo ukuqhathanisa nokuhlukanisa, wukuhlonza inkinga kanye nokwenza izahlulelo kwahluluka ngokusobala. Amagugu nendlela ababona ngayo izinto ababambiqhaza abaningi aba nomthelela omkhulu kulezo zinto ezenzeka ngaphandle kwamagceke ezikole. Ukukwazi kanye nokuvumela phezulu kwababambiqhaza ekutheni babone izindawo abahlala kuzo zinsuku zonke njengezindawo ezingaba yizingqalazizinda zokufunda okuphathelene nomumomhlaba kweyame emikhawulweni (isb., yingcindezi yokufunda nokuphindaphinda into eyodwa) kanye nalokho okunikeza amandla (isb., inkuthazo kanye nentshisekelo). Lezi zingxubevange zifakiwe emfanikisweni ophakanyisiwe okhombisa ubudlelwano phakathi kwezinto ezenzeka ngaphandle kwamagceke esikole kanye nokuzigqaja okuphathelene nomumohlaba. Kunconywa ukuba okwenzeka ngaphandle kwamagceke okufunda kuqhutshwe nasemagunjini okufunda ngomumomhlaba bese kuthi imikhawulo ekhona ekuzigqajeni okuphathelene nomumomhlaba kukhulunywe ngakho ngenhloso.