Original Research
The role of Parliament in promoting active citizenship in relation to the Grade 11 Life Orientation in the South African curriculum
The Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa | Vol 15, No 1 | a629 |
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/td.v15i1.629
| © 2019 Agnetha Arendse, Juliana Smith
| This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 02 November 2018 | Published: 22 November 2019
Submitted: 02 November 2018 | Published: 22 November 2019
About the author(s)
Agnetha Arendse, Department of Educational Studies, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South AfricaJuliana Smith, Department of Educational Studies, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
Abstract
The Parliament of the Republic of South Africa plays a pivotal role in promoting active citizenship to ensure the deepening of democracy. This article, as based on the study by Arendse, explored the extent to which Parliament as a key participatory institution promotes active citizenship in relation to the Grade 11 Life Orientation (LO) curriculum in South Africa. A qualitative, interpretive approach was employed. However, data were gathered through the crystallisation approach using different methods of gathering data such as document study, questionnaires and focus group interviews, which involved 461 Grade 12 LO learners who had completed the Grade 11 LO curriculum during 2012 and seven LO educators. The findings suggest that there is: (1) lack of exposure, knowledge and understanding about Parliament; (2) lack of public education programmes and initiatives about Parliament; and (3) limited information about Parliament in the LO curriculum.
Keywords
Active citizenship; citizenship education; Life Orientation; Parliament of the Republic of South Africa; public participation.
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