Chapter One Introductory Orientation, Research Problem, Aims of the Study and Research Methodology

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTORY ORIENTATION, RESEARCH PROBLEM, AIMS OF THE STUDY AND RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

1.1 INTRODUCTION

From widespread media coverage to intense academic debate, it is evident that the question of sustainable development is increasingly on international and national policy agendas. The world community, as well as research and scholarship fields, have witnessed an increased focus on questions of sustainable development, at global, continental, national and local levels. The concept of ‘sustainable development’ is one of two that have strongly emerged in recent years, the other being sustainable human settlement. The 2005 UN- HABITAT Report, Financing Urban Shelter, Global Report on Human Settlements 2005, gives a useful definition of the latter concept as

shelter that is environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable because it satisfies the Habitat Agenda requirements of adequacy. Its acquisition, retention and maintenance are affordable by those who enjoy it (UN-HABITAT, 2005: xlix).

The report states that human settlements, especially in the developing world, are in a state of disarray, noting that a crucial part of the problem is “…the management of natural resources required by the urban population, such as clean water and clean air”. It further states that, in such developing contexts, “urban residents collect firewood for use in cooking and heating, cutting down trees and scrub bushes, thereby contributing to the erosion of top soil and the sustainability of local ground cover” (UN-HABITAT, 2005:7).

Settlements in South Africa, one of which is the geographical setting for this study, share characteristics of the developing world, and such a use of firewood and coal for cooking and heating purposes is problematic, releasing as it does large amounts of smoke and carbon dioxide which in turn pollutes the air. The pollution has widespread effects on the population, including learners within

schools. This study therefore focuses on two aspects of sustainable development, namely education and clean air, and it considers the challenges posed by polluted air on the education environment. As will be discussed further below, the case study reveals the typically degrading impact of poor quality air pollution on the education environment, posing serious threats to sustainable development of the poorer communities.

The Concise Oxford English Dictionary (1990:27) describes ‘air pollution’ as any solid or gaseous contamination in the atmosphere, which occurs as dust or smoke from the combustion of fossil fuels and certain industrial processes. Empirical and theoretical evidence bears out the negative impact of air pollution on sustainable community development, with the study of air pollution problems leading to an abundance of literature on the subject. According to Miller Jr (2005:12), there are two main sources of pollution, namely non-point sources, which are hard to identify, and point sources, which are identifiable.

This research report will consider the sources of air pollution in the school community under investigation for this research, namely Reiger Park, Boksburg. Reiger Park is a small township, which forms part of the Ekhurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, east of Johannesburg. The air pollution problems that are characteristic of this community are very specific: (1) smoke from coal burning stoves and refuse burning; and (2) dust from abandoned mines or slime dams.

This study will investigate the perceptions of the school community of Reiger Park, of air pollution on their immediate environment, and perceptions of the impact thereof on teaching and learning processes. It will also consider perceptions of this school community about the impact of air pollution on the broader environment. Reference to the ‘school community’ is to stakeholders, including teachers, parents, learners and other members of the community.

1.2 BACKGROUND TO THE PROBLEM

The atmosphere is a blanket of air that surrounds the Earth, held together by the forces of gravity and consisting of a mixture of gases, which play a key role in the maintenance of life on Earth. However, the activities of humankind are changing the atmosphere. The emphasis in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro was on, among other factors, slowing down environmental damage, including that of the atmosphere. Ten years later, when the Summit on Sustainable Development (2002) was held in Johannesburg, the focus had widened to include the reduction of poverty, improving access to clean water, conserving biodiversity, combating climatic changes and reducing the harmful effects of the global economic system on both the poor and the biophysical environment. At both of these summits, South Africa joined forces with the majority of the countries of the world in agreeing to protect the environment through sustainable use of resources. Global awareness of the paramount importance of the environment to man’s survival can therefore be assumed to be growing, including that of air and atmosphere.

In conjunction with political awareness of environmental concerns, throughout this period, Environmental Education has continued to grow in importance, along with public awareness of the threat of environmental degradation. According to Ahlberg and Filhow (1998:26), Environmental Education was developed as a response to environmental problems. The school community under investigation in this Environmental Education study, that of Reiger Park, which forms part of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (formerly the East Rand), has been home to the researcher since 1977, in which time he has observed that the residents are exposed to air pollution on a daily basis, enduring serious problems with dust from the nearby mining operations, as well as smoke from coal burning stoves used by the community and its surrounding informal settlements. The gold mining operation has been in existence for many years and has impacted on the lives of residents on a daily basis.

Reiger Park has a population of 24 845 (2002). Many households make use of coal burning stoves for cooking and for keeping warm during the winter months. When coal is burnt it releases harmful gases into the atmosphere in the form of sulphur dioxide (SO2), which Walters and Trotmar (1991:139) describe as a poisonous gas that, in combination with water vapour in the atmosphere, causes a weak but damaging form of acid rain.

The second major air pollutant in Reiger Park, the dust, has continued to cause discomfort for the community. However, the people in the community have become accustomed to these living conditions. According to Harrison, in Die Beeld (2001), the residents of Reiger Park “eat dust for breakfast, dinner and supper”, as even when going to bed, waking up or driving, the dust is there. When the wind started to blow, people seal their doors and windows with anything from masking tape to old newspapers, in order to stop the ubiquitous dust from entering their homes or classrooms.

1.3 THE RESEARCH PROBLEM

Based on the above background, namely the continuous threat to the living environment posed by air pollution, the following serves as a focal research question that will guide this study:

How does the school community in Reiger Park experience and perceive air pollution?

Other sub questions will include:

What are learners’ perceptions regarding air pollution and the effect thereof on their direct environment? What is entailed by the process of teaching and learning about air pollution within a focus on wider environmental issues in Reiger Park? What role can the school community play in facilitating awareness of air pollution?

1.4 AIMS OF THE RESEARCH

The study has the following aims:

To examine the problems of air pollution in the school community. To enquire into the learners’ awareness of environmental problems in the community. If possible and feasible, to propose possible solutions to the perceived problem of air pollution in Reiger Park and Reiger Park schools.

1.5 THE RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

In order to ascertain some statistical evidence, the research made use of some quantitative research in the initial questionnaire, namely by drawing up questions for specific target audiences of learners. I also carried out interviews with teachers, athletes and members of the school community. However, the research study is primarily based on the principals of qualitative research, entailing desk research and analysis. Qualitative research, through primary and secondary sources, was important here to build up a narrative about a problem that people ordinarily do not know about, in scholarly or research circles. Strauss and Corbin (1991:17) refer to qualitative research as any kind of research that produces findings that are meaningful, testable and scientifically free from contradictions. This type of research focuses on understanding rather than predicting or controlling the phenomenon.

More details of the research design and methods will be given in Chapter Four.

1.6 DATA COLLECTION METHODS

For the purpose of this study, four data collecting methods will be used: the initial questionnaire, observation, interviewing and analysing of documents.

1.6.1 Observation

Because of the history and circumstances of the community of Reiger Park, little primary or analytical information is available. In order therefore to write about such a neglected community, I have to make the case for, and rely on important methods such as observation. Observation could be compared to the emerging tradition of oral history, in traditions where there is a history of lack of information and writing because of the lack of education in the community, observation and oral history become vital. According to Henning, Van Rensburg and Smit (2004:81), there is a scientific value to observation, relying as it does on “the researcher’s version of what is there”. In this study, this method is used to gather information firsthand and to be part of the research situation. The study further relies on the observations of the actions and attitudes of the school community, particularly with regard to when instances of pollution are severe, e.g. early morning, evening, and especially during winter and windy months, when smoke and dust pollution are at their most severe.

1.6.2 Interviews

While observation remains a powerful research tool for a study such as this, it is important to corroborate observation with other sources of information. As such, I conducted interviews with twenty-one learners from five different classes, as well as four teachers, the deputy principal and thirteen community members. The purpose of the interviews was to acquire firsthand information and to become part of the research process. In order to make sure that the observation and the interviews related to each other, I chose to “…focus selectively on the responses needed for the topic she [sic] is researching“ (Henning et al., 2004:52). Open and close-ended interviews were used, with specific questions about the impact of pollution on the schooling community.

1.6.3 Document analysis

Just as observation and interviews are important sources to make one’s scientific case, so existing and pre-existing research documents from non-

governmental organisations (NGOs) and local governments are important sources, and should be carefully analysed. The point is again to gather information on the phenomenon under investigation, and the analysis of primary and secondary information is clearly vital. For Henning et al. (2004:99), documents and documentation are considered “a valuable source of information and … they should be included in the design”.

A more detailed description of the data collecting methods will be discussed in Chapter Four.

1.7 OUTLINE OF THE CHAPTERS

Chapter one has contextualised the study and the research problem. The rationale and the research methodology were discussed.

Chapter two will view perspectives from literature on the effects of air pollution on the school community

Chapter three will look at Environmental Education as a possible integrated theme to the eight learning areas.

Chapter four will focus on the research design and methods and Chapter five will look at the findings and implications of the study

1.8 CONCLUSION

This chapter served as an introduction to the study. The context, aim, methodology and research question were briefly explained.

The next chapter deals with the conceptual and theoretical framework of the research.

CHAPTER TWO PERSPECTIVES FROM LITERATURE ON THE EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION ON THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY

2.1 INTRODUCTION

In Chapter One the foundation was set for the research to be conducted. In Chapter Two, the approach is to use the literature from various scientists, writers and authors who have undertaken research in the field of air pollution, to seek answers to the research question. An overview of air pollution and its root causes will be discussed and the sources responsible for polluting the air will be identified. Emission gases released from cars, coal burning stoves and dust from the abandoned mine or slam dams will be discussed, with ordinary household dust only being mentioned. This chapter will also examine the illnesses associated with air pollution and the effect these have on the learners in the teaching and learning environment.

2.2 DEFINING AIR POLLUTION

Air pollution is considered to be any emission into the atmosphere that has harmful effects on humans, animals or plants, as well as on the built environment. Elsom (1987:3) defines air pollution as the presence in the atmosphere of substances or energy in such quantities and of such duration as to cause harm to human, plant and animal life. Elsom, in addition, claims that these substances also cause damage to manmade materials and structures, contributing to change in the weather and climate or interfering with the comfortable enjoyment of life and property. According to Stempleski (2004:online), air pollution is any visible or invisible substance found in the air that is not part of its normal composition.

2.3 WHY DOES AIR POLLUTION OCCUR?

According to environmentalists, as quoted by Miller Jr. (1996:20), pollution occurs due to the following:

• Rapid population growth. • Simplification and degradation of parts of Earth’s life support systems. • Poverty, which can drive poor people to use potentially renewable resources unsustainably for short-term survival, and which also exposes the poor to much higher health and other environmental risks. • Widespread use of relatively cheap and environmentally damaging fossil fuels (especially oil and coal). • Rapid and wasteful use of resources with too little emphasis on pollution- prevention and waste-reduction. • Overuse and degradation of global common poverty resources, which are owned by none and available to all. • Failure to encourage Earth-sustaining forms of economic development and to discourage Earth-degrading forms. • Failures to have market prices represent the overall environmental cost of economic goods or service. This promotes the inefficient and wasteful use of resources by concealing the true cost of the products people produce and buy. • An urge to dominate and manage nature for human use.

Burger (1990:XV) includes reasons for environmental pollution as: rapid industrialization, militarization and rampaging population growth. In order to understand the cause of air pollution within a Reiger Park context, one needs to look at the historical development of the area. Negligence and bad environmental practices stemming from gold mining practices, heavy and light industry associated with mining for well over a century in the area, as well as the development of suburbs and the growth of informal settlements, have led to high levels of air pollutants which have resulted in associated health risks to the community. Identified air pollutants are those caused by household fuel-

burning, industrial and commercial fuel-burning, vehicle exhaust emissions, un- rehabilitated mine tailing impoundments and large industries associated with various stack, vent and fugitive emissions (Scorgie, Watson & Fischer, 2004:13).

2.4 SOURCES OF AIR POLLUTION

Air pollutants can enter the environment naturally or through human activity. Natural pollution is dispersed over a large area and can be either diluted or broken down to harmless levels by the Earth’s natural processes. Pollution through human activities is difficult to deal with and will take years to break down. Nuclear waste, for example, will take the Earth’s natural processes 10,000 years to break down or dilute, if they have low levels of radioactive waste, and 240,000 years if radioactive waste is of a high level (Miller, 1995:503).

According to Keller (1992:458), there are two major sources of air pollution, which are stationary and mobile sources. Stationary sources are those with a fixed location, which include point sources, fugitive sources and area sources. Point sources are those sources that emit air pollutants from one or more discrete controllable sites, e.g. smoke stacks of industrial power plants or the chimney of a house. Fugitive sources generate air pollutants from open areas exposed to wind processes, e.g. dirt on roads, storage piles and surface mines. Area sources are those in which pollutants are emitted from sources within a well-defined area, e.g. intense industrialization within an urban area. Mobile sources are those sources which move from place-to-place, while releasing emissions, e.g. automobiles, aircrafts, shops and trains.

The major sources responsible for polluting Reiger Park are identifiable as the dust from the nearby gold mine dumps, smoke from chimneys of houses and open veld fires, and exhaust pipe emissions from motorcars. However, although the authorities have identified the problem, they have found it difficult to control or eliminate these aspects of air pollution in the Reiger Park area (Scorgie, Watson & Fischer, 2004:13).

2.4.1 Air Pollutants

Keller (1992:439) identified air pollutants as gaseous and particulate manner.

The gaseous pollutants include sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), ozone (O3), hydrocarbon (HC), hydrogen sulphide (H2S), hydrogen fluoride (HF) and lead oxide (PbO). Particulate matter pollutants are particles of solid or liquid substances and may be either organic or inorganic.

For the purpose of this study only sulphur dioxide, lead oxide, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide will be discussed; solid particle substances, mine dust only, will also be discussed. These are the pollutants released by the sources responsible for polluting the area under investigation (Scorgie, Watson & Fischer, 2004:13).

FIGURE 1: Source contributions and the health impacts due to fuel burning emissions within Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni (Scorgie, Watson & Fischer, 2004). Air Quality Management Plan for Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality.

2.4.1.1 Gaseous pollutants

Smoke, as described by Tomany (1975:12), is a combination of carbon particles and liquid droplets and is usually a product of incomplete combustion.

This smoke contains gasses like sulphur dioxide (SO2), which is the principal pollutant. Stewart (1998:35) describes smoke as containing particle matter and gasses mainly SO2 and NO2. Elsom (1987:21) describes sulphur dioxide as a colourless gas, which is emitted from sources such as coal or oil when combustion takes place. According to Keller (1992:439), sulphur dioxide is an odourless and colourless gas, and is released during the burning of fossil fuels, mostly coal. Sulphur dioxide can also react catalytically or photo-chemically with other pollutants to form sulphur trioxide (rapidly hydrating to sulphuric acid) and sulphates. When these gases combine with water vapour in the atmosphere it forms a weak acid rain, which have a negative effect on animal and plant life, can cause corrosion on metal and paint structures, injury or death to animals and plant, especially to crops.

The chemical process involved is the following:

S + O2 Ã SO2 + H2O Ã H2SO3 (weak sulphuric acid)

Keller (1992:439) describes carbon monoxide as a colourless, odourless gas that even in very low concentrations is extremely toxic to humans and animals. Martin (1984:16) states that carbon monoxide is a component of motorcar exhaust gases and can be found whenever incomplete combustion takes place. Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that is produced when petroleum is burned in the air.

Lead oxide is a gas that is absorbed slowly through the body. Vlok (1996:146) states that lead oxide is a dangerous atmospheric pollutant and the main source is petrol fumes and the lead used in industries. Lead pollution causes a variety of illnesses, and children who are chronically exposed may develop hyperkinesias and lowering of intellectual potential.

2.4.1.2 Solid particle air pollution

Tomany (1975:2) describes dust as a solid particle that ranges in micron size. Dust can be any powdery particles (substance), which are very fine and can be blown by the wind. This dust, which is found in houses, or offices, can be cleaned by using different aerosol cleaning material.

Dyssel (1997:8) describes dust as a group of solid particles, divided in a gaseous medium, which can float in the air for a long period of time. Dust, therefore, can be any solid particle, which can easily be dispersed in the atmosphere. Fuggle and Rabie (1999:446) identify two main sources, which are responsible for dust pollution, e.g. dust arising from waste-mine dumps and dust emanating from industrial processes. It is evident from the literature researched (Keller, 1992; Martin, 1984; Vlok, 1996) that air pollutants do contain harmful substances. Therefore, a conclusion can be reached, that much of the detail in the literature resources applies to the scenario in Reiger Park.

2.5 ILLNESSES THAT RESULT FROM AIR POLLUTION

Gaseous and solid particle pollution affects the ecosystems, habitats, health and social environment of man. Due to the chemical combination of the gasses and the particle sizes of the dust it is evident that these pollutants can cause various illnesses, which will be discussed in the sections that follow. According to Urdang and Swallow (1983:543), an illness is an abnormal process in which aspects of the social, physical, emotional or intellectual condition and functions of a person are diminished or impaired, compared to that person’s previous condition.

2.5.1 Infirmity that results from air pollution

Humans breathe 14kg of air into their lungs each day and moist surfaces of the human body, which include the lungs, the eyes, nose and throat, are the ones

that suffer the most from air pollution (Nebel and Wright, 1998:37). The lungs are the major organ that is affected the most. Schröder and Schoeman (1989:27) distinguished between three categories of air pollution impact on the body, namely:

• Chronic - Pollutants cause gradual deterioration of a variety of physiological functions over a period of years.

• Acute - Pollutants bring on life threatening reactions within a period of hours or days.

• Carcinogenic - Pollutants initiate changes within cells that lead to uncontrolled growth and division (cancer).

De-Haan (2001:248) describes the following illnesses as a result of people who have breathed in polluted air:

• the increase of cardiac conditions if pollution levels rise, diseases of the respiratory tract, • particular chronic bronchitis and carcioma of the lung; • acute respiratory conditions such as acute bronchitis; • unacceptable high blood pressures levels due to the presence of lead in the air; • allergies of all kinds, including hay fever and asthma, irritation of the skin and mucous membranes, including the conjuctiva of the eyes.

According to Farmer and Miller (1994:123) the long-term damage to health created by air pollution resulted into 3500-4000 people deaths in London in December 1952 when smog was responsible for many deaths and illnesses – the word ‘smog’ being a combination of the words smoke and fog.

2.5.1.1 Illnesses that result from gaseous pollution

The Department of Environmental Affairs (DOEA, n.d: 21) states that sulphur dioxide is an irritation gas and can affect the mucous membranes of the eyes and respiratory system. Nebel and Wright (1998:39) explain how exposure to sulphur dioxide for a long period of time can lead to bronchitis (inflammation of the bronchi). This causes irritation in the throat, producing a feeling of discomfort. Keller (1992:439) states that sulphur dioxide can cause severe damage to human and other animal lungs. Martin (1984:41) points out that sulphur dioxide causes lung irritation, bronchitis, cough, dyshea, pulmonary oedema (Fluid on the lungs).

According to Environmental Literacy Council (2005:online), if carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere it can cause headaches, drowsiness, fatigue, impaired vision and confusion. Martin (1984:26) states that if carbon monoxide combines with haemoglobin in red blood cells it displaces oxygen, which can cause headache, fatigue, sore throat, dizziness, nausea and ringing in the ears. Carbon monoxide reduces the capacity of the blood to carry oxygen and can contribute to heart diseases. The most sensitive to air pollution are small children, asthmatics, people with chronic pulmonary and heart disease and the elderly.

Holman (1991:191) states that lead oxide can cause damage to the nervous system of humans. Knapp (1996:31) writes that people suffering from lead poisoning lost their appetite, start to be sick and may develop convulsions. In severe cases the brain is damaged and death may follow. The most important sources of lead poisoning are lead in drinking water originating from lead water pipes and in vehicle exhaust gasses (incomplete combustion of fossil fuels).

2.5.1.2 Illnesses that result from solid particle pollution

According to the Department of Environmental Affairs (DOEA, n.d:24) dust resulting from mining activities is dangerous and can cause pneumoconiosis (a

lung disease caused by the inhalation of dust or small particles). Scientific research has been done on the mine dust in the Soweto area for four years and the following results were obtained:

• Dust particles contain crystalline silica, which can lead to silicosis, • Can cause chronic bronchitis and increase lung disease. • Silicosis can exacerbate the onset of Tuberculosis (TB) in HIV carriers (Kagiso Trust, 1999).

According to Schmidt of the Sunday Times, Metro (30 June 2002:3) the dust also:

• contains poisons such as cyanide, which can contaminate ground water in high lakes under the province. • contains uranium that produces potentially dangerous radioactive radon gas when it decays. • contains salts and acids harmful to wildlife in the province’s few wetlands. • causes respiratory complaints, perhaps even deadly silicosis. • has the potential to cause mudslides, should the slime dams collapse (Merriespruit disaster which occurred in the mid-1990s).

Inferring from the generalizations made from the literature resources, from previous research undertaken in Reiger Park resulting in the Air Quality Management Plan for the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality document, some of the statements regarding the harmful effects of air pollution on the community and the environment, are proven.

2.6 NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF UNFAVOURABLE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS ON LEARNERS IN A SCHOOL CONTEXT

Unfavourable environmental conditions influence the process of teaching and learning negatively. The classroom is a place where learners interact with the teacher and fellow learners, but if the learners’ environmental conditions are

unfavourable, it could dampen their performance, as stated by Donald, Lazarus and Lolwana (1997:113).

The Constitution of South Africa enshrines the right of every child to a proper education (Bill of Rights, 1990:10) in a healthy environment that is not harmful to the well-being of its citizens: “It should benefit both present and future generations, through reasonable legislative and other measures that:

• Prevent pollution and ecological degradation; • Promote ecological sustainable development and the use of natural resources; • Promotion justifiable economic and social development”.

Unfavourable conditions in a learning environment, such as poor lighting exacerbated by wind-borne dust particles in the air, can make it difficult for students to see things in the class and to read and write. They also have difficulty seeing demonstration charts and work written on the board, as well as overhead transparencies. According to the Edugreen website (2004:online), indoor air pollution can be hazardous to health when it is released in close proximity to people. The Environmental Literacy Council (Online: 2005) and (www.chm.bris.ac.ak online:2005) states that too little oxygen, caused by the exhalation of carbon dioxide by pupils can cause impaired vision and confusion, as well as making respiration more difficult.

Further negative effects on the learners from noise pollution originating outside the classroom could also have an effect on the learning process, since learners find it difficult to concentrate. These intermittent noises have a detrimental effect on the learners’ ability to hear, focus and perform competently in their lessons. If the learners cannot hear the teacher or the lesson is interrupted by noise, then there is no flow to the lesson and the learners will miss out on valuable learning. Similarly, during group work, learners may have to shout to compete with external noise, thus making the learning environment too noisy and not conducive to achieving the outcomes of the lesson.

In searching for literature to support the negative effects of unfavourable conditions on learners in a school environment, it was found that very little research material was available. The researcher thus has drawn on discussions with the Reiger Park community members and those who are directly affected by living and working in this environment.

2.7 SUMMARY

This chapter, drawing on the literature, defined air pollution, various pollutants and the chemical composition of the pollutants. The researcher looked at possible causes of the air pollution problem in the Reiger Park area and then explored the negative effects as well as illnesses associated with air pollution, which thus impacts on the learning, and teaching in the classroom.

In the following chapter, a lesson plan, work schedule and learning unit on air pollution will be discussed, hence making learners aware of the air pollution problem. The potential integration of the theme in all the learning areas will be discussed.

CHAPTER THREE ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AS A POTENTIAL INTREGRATED THEME TO THE EIGHT LEARNING AREAS

3.1 INTRODUCTION

The aim of this Chapter is to show how to develop a Learning Programme for the senior phase, using some of the environmental related learning outcomes and assessments. The following will be discussed: Firstly, the historical aspect of Environmental Education and how it was taught in the past prior to recent developments, secondly, the theme of air pollution and the integration across the eight learning areas, and thirdly, a proposed work schedule and a lesson plan based on the theme of air pollution.

3.2 WHAT IS ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION?

In the past, only certain aspects of Environmental Education were taught as a sub-section of biology. The focus of these sub-sections was on the interdependence of plant and animal communities. According to Le Grange (2003: 40), the concept environment was perceived to signify nature and its focus was on the biophysical surroundings. But, due to increasing contamination of the land, air and water, Meadows (1989:58), quoted by Van Rooyen and Viljoen (1995:25), summarized the reasons for Environmental Education as follows:

• to learn from examples of others, to avoid their mistakes and replicate their success. • to foresee and avoid environmental disasters, especially irreversible ones. • to make the most of a country’s natural resource endowments and to manage that endowments efficiently, productively and sustainably.

• to be able to implement policies, such as restoration, recycling or family planning which require the co-operation of all the people. • to save money by preventing environmental damage instead of having to repair it afterwards. • to develop public understanding that prevents panic and exaggeration of environmental issues and to respect their true urgency. • to allow people to become informed, productive citizens of the modern world. • to create an environment where people can feel enriched, connected to it, and joyful about their economic, emotional and spiritual well-being.

Various definitions have been used to describe the concept of ‘Environmental Education’. Because the word ‘environment’ has such a broad meaning within different cultures, the definition for Environmental Education will have a different meaning within different cultures, too. Therefore, it is necessary to clarify what is meant by the terms ‘Environment’ and ’Environmental Education’.

According to Van der Merwe (1988:204), the term environment refers to the world around, our surroundings and us. The Kagiso Trust, (1999) states that the environment is made up of life support systems, which include soil, air, water, plants, animals, people and the way in which they work together.

In these descriptions the authors refer to the terms ‘surroundings’ and ‘life support systems’. Van der Merwe’s definition for instance, focuses on the world and its surroundings, which is very broad, whereas the Kagiso Trust’s definition is much narrower and focuses on life support systems and how they work together. Combining the two terms, I shall now look at descriptions, which describe the term Environmental Education.

According to Neal and Palmer (1990:2), Environmental Education is the process of recognising values and clarifying concepts in order to develop skills and attitudes necessary to understand and appreciate the inter-relatedness among man, his culture and his biophysical surroundings. Gough (1997:9)

describes Environmental Education as an integrated process, which deals with man’s interrelationship with his natural and man-made surroundings, including man’s relation to population growth, polluting resources, allocation and depleting resources, conserving his environment, technology, urban planning and rural planning, and the total human environment. For Gates (1999:x), the main aim of Environmental Education is to produce knowledgeable citizens concerned with their interrelationships with the environment and the problems associated with it. He further states that man must be made aware of these problems and how to solve them.

In all three descriptions there is a strong emphasis on the interrelationship between mankind, the physical surroundings and the problems associated with the environment. Mankind needs to identify these problems and find ways and means to solve them. A possible definition for Environmental Education is as education related to the effects humans have on the environment and seeking ways to examine and to solve these effects. Thus, Environmental Education can be described as a process through which we might enable this and future generations to respond to environmental issues in ways that might foster change towards sustainable community life in a healthy environment (EECI, April 1997)

3.3 ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AS A POSSIBLE INTEGRATED APPROACH ACROSS THE EIGHT LEARNING AREAS.

The White Paper on Education and Training (Department of Education, 1995:18) states that Environmental Education should involve an interdisciplinary, integrated and active approach to learning. This vital element (Environmental Education) within all levels and programmes of education and training has the potential to create environmentally literate and active citizens and will ensure that all South Africans, present and future, will enjoy a decent quality of live through sustainable use of resources.

The sustainable use of resources is the basis of an economy and of the health of the citizens. To live sustainable lives means one must use the resources wisely, without depleting them, and so ensure a good quality of life for all citizens in South Africa. One must therefore ensure that all generation’s future and present will enjoy a good quality of life. To practise sustainability, education, in particular Environmental Education can be seen as a major contributor in ensuring improvements in the quality of life. This very important role of education is recognised by the international world in Agenda 21, Chapter 36 and in the Millennium Declaration. Nationally it is recognised through the White Paper on Environmental Management Policy in South Africa.

These policy documents (the White Paper on Education and Training; Agenda 21, Chapter 36 and the Millennium Declaration; The White Paper on Environmental Management Policy in South Africa), must be integrated and translated into all programmes of learning for all phases, levels and across all learning areas.

The Outcomes-Based Curriculum Framework for Education and Training, released by the Minister of Education in March 1997, envisaged replacing content-based education with outcome based-education (OBE), and teacher- centred pedagogies with more learner-centred ones. It is also stated that OBE is rooted in the belief that all learners can learn and succeed (Draft Revised National Curriculum Statement for Grades R-9, 2001:30). In brief, OBE forms the foundation of the curriculum in South Africa and it strives to enable all learners to use their ability to the maximum.

Another major paradigm shift in education was the replacement of the old school subjects with eight learning areas (the learning areas are shown in Table 1).

TABLE 1: THE LEARNING AREAS IN THE SENIOR PHASE Languages LLC Mathematics MLMMS Natural Science N/S Technology Tech Human and Social Science HSS Arts and Culture A+C Life Orientation LO Economic and Management Science EMS

These learning areas are a combination of the old school subjects and their aims are to develop learners in a holistic manner as they progress in achieving these outcomes. Each learning area has a curriculum-linked outcome, which learners should attain through learning activities. The relationship of the learning content with human rights, a healthy environment and social justice will also be addressed in each learning area. The following scenario stands as an example for the possible integration of an environmental focus into each of the eight learning areas.

The purification of gold can provide and stimulate economic growth, resulting in urbanization or influx of labour (EMS), but creates pollution and the destruction of the natural habitat (N/S)(HSS). The equipment used to mine the gold (Tech) also contributes to pollution levels. Migrant workers will be faced with cultural and language diversification (A+C) and (LLC). The statistics (MLMMS) used to calculate the impact of mining on the environment as well making provision for human needs (LO) and the health risks associated with pollution forms an integral part of Environmental Education.

Learners will, therefore, learn about environmental issues, not through one single learning area but rather through the incorporation of all other learning areas. Integrated learning is central to OBE (RNCS, 2003:6). thus Environmental Education is integral to the new curriculum.

Against this background the researcher will use the guidelines provided by the Teachers ’ Guide for the Development of Learning Programmes to strengthen his argument. Furthermore, the researcher will mention briefly, what a Work Schedule and a Lesson Plan entail. For further details in this regard see Teachers’ Guide for the Development of Learning Programmes,( DOE: 2003).

3.3.1 Learning programme

One of the objectives of this research is to provide teachers with a learning programme, which they can use as a guideline to address the environmental problems within the institution under investigation. The first part of this discussion will focus on the understanding of a Learning Programme followed by a description of the processes currently followed in developing such a programme as outlined by the Teachers’ Guide for the Development of Learning Programmes (NRCS, 2003:6).

A Learning Programme serves a similar function to that of the traditional syllabus, except that it allows for individual interpretation by the teacher, is also intended to serve as a suggested guide for units of work. Each Learning Programme provides a framework for planning, organising and managing classroom practice for each phase. A Learning Programme also ensures that the Learning Outcomes and Assessment Standards for each Learning Area are attained. Furthermore, the Learning Programme also allows for the integration within and across all Learning Areas, as well as for the resources needed to deliver teaching and for learning activities (see Table 2).

A Learning Programme will therefore be translated into a yearlong grade- specific Work Schedule and shorter activity-long Lesson Plans.

3.4 THE THEME OF AIR POLLUTION AS PART OF A LEARNING PROGRAMME IN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAMMES IN SCHOOLS

As stated in the previous section (3.3.1), the researcher’s main objective is to develop a Learning Programme based on the Revised National Curriculum Statement Grades R-9/(RNCS, 2003:3). According to these guidelines, teachers and material developers should design Learning Programmes, which coincide with the principles that underpin the curriculum e.g., Social Justice, Healthy Environment, Human Rights and Exclusivity and the RNCS Philosophy and Policy. What are also important are time allocation and the weighting of marks, the available resources needed to complete the task, as well as the barriers to learning that may exist.

THEME

1 Selecting Learning Integration with other Outcomes Learning Areas

Identify Assessment standards 2

5 Allocate time to

each Learning

Outcome

Progression

4 Select the content 3 Determine context for teaching, learning and assessment

FIGURE 2: THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING A LEARNING PROGRAMME (GDE / GIED n.d.: 4)

Figure 2 above traces the process that one has to undergo when developing a Learning Programme.

Based on the discussion in 3.4 and on the illustration in Figure 2, the researcher will now develop a Learning Programme, which the teachers can use to make the learners aware of air pollution as a health problem. The researcher will also develop a Work Schedule based on the Learning Programme. Only the number marked 1 on the Learning Programme in the first column under the theme Air Pollution, will be used by the researcher to develop a Work Schedule and a Lesson Plan for the Learning Area Natural Science. This can serve as an example to assist teachers in developing their own Work Schedules and Lesson Plans for the other Learning Areas.

3.4.1 Interpretation of figure 2

For the relevancy of this study, the theme has been identified as “Air pollution”, the Learning Outcomes for the Learning Area (Natural Science). The Assessment Standard linked with the Learning Outcomes has been identified as AS2 and the integration with the Mathematics Learning Area is also noted in Table 3. Table 3 is an illustration of a Natural Science Work Schedule. In Table 2 the integration across the eight Learning Areas has been documented. The selection of content and the time allocation will be discussed in the Lesson Plan (see Table 4).

The researcher will now discuss Tables 2, 3, and 4 very briefly which represents The Learning Programme (Table 2), The Work Schedule (Table 3) and The Lesson Plan (Table 4).

TABLE 2: The Senior Phase Learning Programme

Arts Life Lang- Math- Natural Social Tech- Resource Theme: Air Pollution Grade & Orient- EMS uages ematics Science Science nology s Culture ation Poster, Overhead Chart, 1. Types of Air Pollution. Text, LO Dust 7 LO LO LO `1,4 LO LO LO LO pictures, 3 5 1,3 LO (GR) 2 1 2 3 Smoke 3 work book, work sheet Word- 2. Causes of Air Pollution book on Economics pollution. LO (H) Political LO LO LO 2 LO LO LO LO This can 2,5 2 2.,3 LO (G) 3 3 1 2 Social 3 be a Technological frieze on the wall 3. Effects of Air Pollution Health LO (H) Living and LO LO LO 1 LO LO LO LO 1,4 5 2 LO (G) 4 2 2 2 Learning 3 Environment. 4. Solving Air Pollution problems. Law LO1 (H) LO6 LO4 LO1,2,3 LO3 LO4 LO2 LO1,2,3 Committed LO3 (G) citizen

Clustering the Learning Area Outcomes and Assessment Standards around the theme Air Pollution within the eight learning areas programme for Grade 7.

3.4.2 The learning programme (Table 2)

The Learning Programme that the researcher has designed will be used as a starting point for the teachers to make learners aware of the pollution problems that they encounter on a daily basis. The learning outcomes that the learners are working towards have been identified and stated. As stated before, the Assessment Standards are coupled with the Learning Outcomes and will be noted and discussed in the Work Schedule. Therefore, the Assessment Standards against which the learners will be assessed will be noted. The resources relevant for this study have been identified as a Poster, Overhead Chart, Text, Pictures, Work Book and Work Sheets (resources will be discussed under the heading Lesson Plan). Because the school community is affected, learners will be able to integrate their lessons after school activities. The integration areas across learning areas have been indicated. (See Table 2) The principles underpinning the curriculum are taken into consideration and will be mentioned in brief under the heading Work Schedule and Lesson Plan.

3.5 ILLUSTRATION OF A NATURAL SCIENCE WORK SCHEDULE: THEME – AIR POLLUTION YEAR 2004

TABLE 3:

Learning Assessmen Integratio Assessment Context Learning Resources Outcome t Standard n forms content Activities LO3 AS 2: LO5 AS1 Questions Self at Group Work book Science, Understand (Maths) and home, discussions Society and sustainable answers. school . the use of the Presentatio community Individual environment earth’s n and reading . resources. environmen Teacher t ask questions based on presentatio n

3.5.1 Work schedule

A work schedule is a yearlong programme and it incorporates teaching, learning, assessment and pace of learning in a particular grade. The main aim of the Work Schedule is to achieve the Learning Outcomes and the incorporation of the Assessment Standards specified in the Learning Programme. Assessment Standards are coupled to a Learning Outcome and should be taken into consideration once the teacher has selected a Learning Outcome. An exemplar of a work schedule featuring the theme air pollution will be discussed in detail at the end of this section. (see Table 3)

A Work Schedule for the learning area Natural Sciences was developed, and once again it merely serves as a starting point for teachers, which can be used to make learners aware of the pollution problems in the area. The Learning

Outcome for the grade has been identified as LO3 “Science, Society and the

Environment”. The Assessment Standard has been identified as AS2 “Understand sustainable use of the earth’s resources”. The reason for choosing

LO3 and AS2, is because both relate to the theme and to the community under investigation. Learning Outcome (LO3) of the Natural Science was integrated with Learning Outcome LO3 ,” Technology, Society and the Environment” with

Technology. Assessment Standard. AS2 “express an opinion that explains how certain groups of society might be favoured or disadvantaged by given products of technology”.

Two books have been identified as tools, which the learners can use to assist them (the books are mentioned in the Lesson plan and on a website) The books are available at the Public Library; but some learners will find it difficult to surf the web because not all learners are computer literate or have access to computers and the Internet. Time allocation for the completion of this section is mentioned in a Lesson Plan (Table 4), which the researcher has drawn up after looking at the Learning Outcomes and Assessments Standards for one theme “Air Pollution”. This is an example, which teachers may use to make learners aware of the topic. If they develop their own plan, they still may wish to develop a similar grid for every theme they deal with.

TABLE 4: ILLUSTRATION OF A NATURAL SCIENCE LESSON PLAN:

LESSON PLAN for Natural science

LESSONS on Air Pollution Grade: 7

DURATION: 6 periods

DATE / WEEKS: 2 weeks

LEARNING OUTCOMES: LO3: ASSESSMENT STANDARDS: AS2 Science, Understands sustainable use of the earth’s Society and the Environment. The resources: Analyses information about learner will be able to demonstrate an sustainable and unsustainable use of understanding of the interrelationships resources. between science and technology, society and the environment.

Additional:

LINKS WITH PREVIOUS LESSONS: LINKS WITH NEXT LESSONS: Grade 6, LO1 : The learner will be able to Grade 7, LO2 : The learner will know and act confidently on curiosity about natural be able to interpret and apply scientific, phenomena, and to investigate technological and environmental relationships and solve problems in knowledge. scientific, technological and environmental Natural Science, Grade 7 : Pollution contexts. interferes with natural processes; Interactions in Environment Technology, LO1 and LO3, Grades 8and 9, e.g. “Express and detail opinions about the positive and negative impacts of products of technology on the quality of people’s lives and the environment”.

CORE KNOWLEDGE: CONTEXT: Atmosphere and Weather – Atmosphere Physical context: This lesson is and its role in protecting the earth from applicable in any South African context. harmful radiation; changes in the atmosphere due to natural events and Curriculum context: Curriculum links human activities are possible with Life Orientation (LO1 Properties and Uses – Raw materials must Health Promotion) EMS LO2, NS LO1,3 be mined, grown or imported. These processes have environmental impacts

LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND ASSESSMENT: Activity 1: The teacher explains the term sustainability. Learners discuss in groups the following question “ Are we using our resources sustainably or not and how does the use of these resources contribute to air pollution?” The teacher moves around the class and give guidance where necessary. Assess if learners have grasped the concept sustainable from the group discussions, they are then able to identify the pollutants.

FORMS OF ASSESSMENT RESOURCES: Presentation Island Press: Atmospheric pollution, Questions causes, effects and control policies From Earthscan: Sustainable Development for a democratic South Africa.

EXPANDED OPPORTUNITIES: TEACHER REFLECTION: How can we use the tools of science and technology to solve air pollution problems within the community?

3.5.2 Lesson plan

A lesson plan is the next level of planning and it is directly drawn from the Work Schedule and could range from a single lesson or consist of lessons to cover a few months. The lesson plan provides the day-to-day details for teaching, learning and assessment as well as being a day-to-day arrangement of teaching and learning activities incorporating events of major importance in a structured and flexible way. Lesson plans were formerly known as a daily planner. As indicated in the Learning Programme 3.3.1, the researcher has designed a Lesson Plan for the Natural Science Learning area. Teachers can use this lesson plan as a starting point to inform learners about the problems which they encounter on a daily basis.

The researcher has used the framework supplied by the Department of Education (NEEP-GET, 2004:31) for developing a lesson plan. The reasons for this choice are: with regard to the activities the researcher felt that he should first explain the term sustainability, thereafter, learners should discuss in groups. “Are we using our resources sustainably and if not, how does it contribute to air pollution?” The teacher moves around the class and give guidance were necessary. Once learners have grasped the concept “sustainable” they are then allowed to identify the pollutants. Once they have identified the pollutants, they can then make informed decisions about their environment.

The lesson plan is now described in detail below:

(i) Learning outcomes

The LO provides the learners a foundation to build on and to understand the relationship between Science , Society and the Environment. Further more it provides insights for understanding how science has contributes to environmental issues, both positively and negatively and how it can be used to solve environmental problems in the future. The LO is also relevant to other

areas in the country where the learning community encounters similar problems.

From the title of the lesson one can conclude that both the environment and the society are affected. Environmentally, learners experience discomfort during lessons in their learning environment whereas the community are affected negatively by inhaling polluted air.

(ii) Assessment standards

Assessment Standard AS2 “Understand Sustainable use of the earth’s resources” was selected because of its relevancy to this lesson and it allows learners to explore the ethical issues of science which involves the limitations of past developments and potential for future developments.

(iii) Links with previous and the next lessons

The researcher has identified LO1 , Grade 6, which states that the Learner will be able to act confidently with curiosity about natural phenomena, and to investigate relationships and to solve problems in the scientific, technological and environmental contexts. This outcome builds on the previous skills and continues to require that learners be involved in various aspects of scientific investigations and problem solving activities.

The linkage with the next lessons and with the other learning areas has identified; see table 4 for more information.

(iv) Core knowledge

The core knowledge and concepts are the tools needed by learners in the Foundation, Intermediate and Senior Phase as a foundation to prepare them for the FET Phase (Further Education and Training) and to keep them on par with the rest of the scientific world. See Appendix E for a summary of the content to be covered in the Natural Science learning area.

The core knowledge chosen for this lesson were taken from the category (1) “Earth and Beyond” Atmosphere and Weather; and (2) “Matters and Materials” Properties and Uses. Consider the following situation. Raw materials must be mined and in the process it causes pollution. Learners will thus be aware of the environmental pollutants and how it affects the living environment. See 3.3.

(v) Context

This lesson was developed for learners, who experience air pollution in their own environment. This activity is also relevant to other communities in South Africa who experience similar air pollution problems.

(vi) Learning activities and assessment

This part of the lesson allows the teacher to use his professional judgement. The learning activity will determine the type of assessment the teacher wants to employ. In this particular lesson the teacher explains the term sustainability, the learners discuss in groups the term sustainability and the usage of the country’s resources. The teacher moves around in the class to interact with the learners and to make sure that the learners do understand the term. Once the learners have grasped the term, they need to identify the pollutants.

The form of assessment applicable to the lesson will be a presentation, followed by questions from fellow students. The teacher also allows for further reading with regard to the topic and the teacher also identifies the resources. To expand the opportunities of the learner to know more about air pollution, we could look at the question on how we could use the tools of science and technology to solve air pollution problem within the community.

(vii) Teacher reflection

Teacher reflection can only be employed after the lesson has been completed. This allows the teacher to look at his own lesson critically. Questions which the teacher might ask himself, i.e. did I use the correct strategies in addressing the problem? Did I allow enough time for group discussions? The teacher can thus judge his or her own work and improve on it when designing the next lesson.

3.6 CONCLUSION

The integration of a theme across the eight learning areas was discussed, a Learning Programme, Work Schedule and a lesson plan was designed for the Senior Phase (Grade 7) based on the theme Air Pollution, the chapter that follows will focus on the methods of investigating air pollution.

CHAPTER FOUR RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

4.1 INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this chapter is to describe research design used in research report, and to explain the methodology used in relation to the data, which was gathered on the school communities’ views on air pollution.

The discussion includes:

Case studies: the setting of the enquiry Research design and methods Sample group Reliability and validity in research Data collection methods Data analysis

4.2 CASE STUDIES: THE SETTING OF THE INQUIRY

This research report opted to focus on the case study of Reiger Park, as it proved a convenient case from a geographical, personal and professional point of view. Henning et al. (2004:32), define a case study as a phenomenon that is being investigated as a bounded system and that this system may be a group of people. A case study also reveals important information about any given subject. In this particular study, the researcher investigates the phenomenon of air pollution, which affects the community of Reiger Park, our case study in this research. Teachers, learners and other relevant people affected by the pollution will be interviewed, and research documents from Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and the local government will be analysed.

The author of this report has lived in the community since 1977, and has also been an educator in the same community since 1995. The author has had an active athletics career, and as an active sports person from within the

community, the researcher encountered many problems with his breathing during the winter months and windy months; it was always suspected that this could be as a result of air pollution. Through intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, he decided to research the problem in a quest to find answers as to why, for so many years after the discovery that there is an air pollution problem in Reiger Park, no research had been done and no solution sought. Reiger Park was formally an Asiatic area named Zindabad, and it would have been interesting to try and discover whether there were links between the political history of the community and the subsequent declines in environmental conditions. Only after it was proclaimed a Coloured township on 10 September 1952 did the local authorities at the time rename it after one of Jan Van Riebeeck’s ships ‘De Reyger’ in 1952, which became Reiger Park and was declared a Coloured group area. The community became home to several primary and secondary schools, and for many years had problems with unemployment, and social problems like gangsterism, alcohol and substance abuse.

With the onset of democracy, there were visible changes in the social and demographic profile of the community. Reiger Park was hit by an influx of people after the 1994 democratic elections, when two informal settlement areas were created, the Ramaphosa and Joe Slovo settlements. The Ramaphosa settlement is situated at the outskirts of Reiger Park whereas the Joe Slovo settlement is situated next to the Sports stadium, showing a direct link and relationship between pollution and environmental decline on the one hand, and social and recreational activities like athletics and soccer on the other.

Many households in the two settlements, as well as the community of Reiger Park itself, use highly pollutant wood and coal fires for cooking and heating. It is important to point out that, even though smokeless fuels are available, they are too expensive and therefore unaffordable for the bulk of the people in these areas known for their high levels of poverty and unemployment. During the winter months, these coal and wood fires release dangerous gasses into the atmosphere, making breathing very difficult, especially if one participates in sport, or if one suffers from an asthmatic condition or if one is a person with breathing problems. Thus, people suffering from illnesses associated with

breathing are especially affected by the poor air quality and smoke inhalation. So, the problem of environmental decline in Reiger Park is compounded by the two new informal settlements, Ramaphosa and Joe Slovo, as they contribute to the air pollution that the community encounters on a daily basis. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that the smoke does not disappear after 19h00, but forms a thick blanket of polluted air over the area. When smoke is released through the chimneys, after people make fire for hot water, cooking and heating, the smoke, being hot air, travels upwards into the atmosphere, and only comes down to form a blanket after it cools off, forming a cloud of harmful pollutants. This blanket will stay there for most of the winter months and will increase on a daily basis, thereby having a direct impact on the quality of life of the community.

During the winter and windy months, many children who attend schools situated adjacent to mine dumps, are absent from school so they can avoid the dust pollution. There are also many windy days when the wind pollution could be severe, and can cause eye and skin irritation. The local doctor informed the researcher that in winter it has become common practice to treat mainly breathing illnesses, not only in children but across the whole community. Reiger Park, thus, bears the environmental cost of the mining, which has benefited the previous government and the mining companies. So, a supposed asset, gold mining, has clearly become a liability through the dust and mining sand, which pollutes the area and endangers the lives of the residents of the community.

Many of these mining companies have since closed, but they have left in their wake huge mine dumps that will continue to leave a legacy of air pollution. There is also the problem that some mine dumps are at present being recycled to extract residues of previously unextracted gold and other unknown metals. This new practice of recycling the mine dumps continues to create serious and constant air pollution in the form of dust.

4.3 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHOD

Research design, according to Bless and Smith (1995:63) is to guide the researcher in collecting, analysing and interpreting observed facts. Babbie (1998:89) refers to a research design as a strategy for finding out something and describing how to go about doing so. The research design of this study consists of qualitative research methods, which focuses on social issues of human behaviour. This research enquiry is consequently based on social issues of human interaction of the community members of Reiger Park, Boksburg, on the eastern outskirts of Gauteng.

According to Creswell (as quoted by De Vos, 1998:45), qualitative researchers interact with those they study. Qualitative research methods, according to Mouton (1988:1) include observation, participant observation, information or unstructured interviews, alongside the collection of documentary data.

A qualitative researcher should be skilful and as accurate as is possible, and as an active participant has to provide a valid research essay. For relevancy sake, the researcher attempted to discover how the community experiences and perceives the problem of air pollution.

The study design included the following:

• The process of the study was to interview and gather knowledge and information from observation (Merriam, 1999:7), especially from key actors such as teachers, learners and community members located near the mine dump and sports field. • The researcher is the primary instrument for collecting data and analysis (Merriam, 1999:7). The researcher observed, recorded and eventually analysed data, which was gathered from interviews and observation. • Field-work was conducted with the researcher going to the school to interview teachers and learners, and data was gathered through these means.

• The researcher also visited the sport stadium during practice sessions. This was done because, as argued earlier, sports and practice sessions at the stadium forms part of key community activities, and pollution has serious negative consequences on all these activities and community members who participate in them. Observations during winter and the windy months of August were done when the smoke and dust pollution was particularly severe.

Creswell (quoted by De Vos, 1998:45) suggests the researcher tries to minimise the distance between him and those being researched. The author of this research report heeded this advice and made sure that regular contact was maintained with the schooling community to provide a source of data and information.

4.4 SAMPLE GROUP

A sample is a small and informative portion of the population being investigated (Keith, 1992:7). Strauss and Corbin (1991:190) describe a qualitative researcher’s sample as a selection of the population that represents the entire population about which one wants to generalise. The Oxford English Dictionary (1996:805) describes ‘sampling’ as taking a small representative part or quantity of a whole.

The Drommedaris Primary School community was identified as an important segment of the study. This school was selected as part of the case study because of its importance as it is situated next to the mine dump and is one of the first so-called ‘Coloured’ primary schools in Reiger Park. For the purpose of the research or enquiry, one primary school, 21 learners, 4 educators, the deputy principal and a section of the community, one representative from a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) and one Local Governmental Representative (LGR) will make up the sample group for the study. The learners used for selection come from different backgrounds, which include their cultural and social backgrounds and they also stay in different parts of the

community. No forms of discrimination were used and all the learners answered the questionnaire and were treated equally, and as all learners were dressed in school uniform, it was difficult to distinguish learners on the basis of class or affluence.

The only criteria applied to selection of teachers, meanwhile, was as the community which stays closest to the mine dumps, because the people in this school are the ones who suffer the most.

The NGO representative is a community member and has lived in Reiger Park for more than forty years. He also holds the portfolio for Environmental Representative in an organization known as the Reiger Park Development Forum. He was involved in various environmental campaigns, and was therefore a valuable source of information for the completion of this study. The Local Government Representative works for the Ekurhuleni Municipality in the Department of Environmental Affairs.

4.5 RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY

4.5.1 Introduction

A study like this depends heavily on quality research in order to gather information and make a contribution to understanding an important social issue. Research as defined by Nueman (1997:1) is a way of going about finding answers to questions. In the researcher’s quest to find answers, the terms ‘Reliability’ and ‘Validity’ become inseparable from each other and completion of the study.

4.5.2 Reliability

Reliability, according to Wilkinson and McNeil (1996:107), is the degree of consistency of scores over repeated testing, as indicators of dependability and consistency (Nueman (1997:138). For example, if one conducts research on the same topic of the experience and perceptions of air pollution in another context, the researcher should come up with similar results based on the

original criteria. In the case of this study, the criteria selected for assessing the perceptions and experiences of air pollution in Reiger Park should be such that the research in another part of the country would produce consistent results with the same research methods used. Thus, reliability refers to what extent these research findings can be replicated in another setting, in another study and whether the results are consistent and dependable (Merriam, 1999:27).

4.5.3 Validity

According to Wilkinson and McNeil (1996) validity is a measure of a test’s usefulness. Internal validity of this research will be shored up by triangulation which is a way in qualitative research, whereby one can move from various points (three points) or angles towards a measured position (Henning et al., 2004:103). In this study triangulation will be achieved by using a combination of multiple methods of data collection, such as observations, interviews and questionnaires, so that data collected in an observation can be checked against that of document analysis such as the questionnaire (Merriam, 1999:25).

4.6 DATA COLLECTION

Data collection, as described by Bless and Smith (1995:100), consists of facts expressed in the language of measurement. According to Merriam (1999) qualitative data collection is mediated through the researcher. A further emphasis that Merriam made is that one can process data immediately, adapt techniques to the circumstances, clarify and summarise as the study evolves. Data from participants’ own words and direct citations from documents are likely to be included to support the findings of the study.

For the purpose of this study, data was collected through observations over an extended period of time, interviews and analysis of documents such as the questionnaire. The different methods of data collection used will now be discussed.

4.6.1 Observation

Mouton (1988:64) defines observation as a method or strategy, which involves social interaction between the researcher and those being studied in the milieu/environment of the latter, during which time data is systematically and unobtrusively collected. This type of data collection involves a number of activities, including looking, listening, enquiring and recording. Observing people requires considerable skill and great sensitivity. The researcher must become part of the flow (research process) to avoid altering the process or setting. Swanson and Hilton (1997:101) identify five dimensions of observational designs that should be considered:

• Role of the observer may range from a full participant in the process, observing as an insider to an onlooker, to observing as an outsider. • Portrayal of the observer role to other observers may make it known that they are observing (overt) or choose to remain anonymous to the group (covert). • Portrayal of the purpose of the evaluation to others – choices range from giving an explanation of the purpose to everyone, to giving only partial explanations, to giving false explanations to hide the purpose of the evaluation so as not to change behaviour. • Duration of the observation – observations may be quick, short observations or long-term multiple observations. • Focus of the observation – observations may be made for one single or specific purpose (communication, patterns in a group) or have a broad holistic focus (factors that affect group processes and effectiveness).

The researcher chose to be a full participant for the purpose of this study, without interfering with the process. Participants were fully aware that they were being observed. Participants were informed well in advance about the research process, and they were aware of the research setting. Objective observation was made for a specific purpose, namely to reveal what was going on, through careful listening and watching, specially with regard to the

participants during spells of bad weather such as wind and dust storms. During the observation process, the researcher took the role of a spectator, and he used all five senses, such as noticing, hearing, smell and touch. Nueman (1997:361) states the researcher becomes an instrument that observes all sources of information.

4.6.1.1 Researcher’s report on school observation

After a verbal discussion between the researcher and the principal, permission was granted to conduct the research and a Head of Department at the school was appointed to assist the researcher in his research. However, he did refer to one of his previous deputies who were actively involved in the drafting of a memorandum (Appendix A). The memorandum was given to the then MEC of Environmental Affairs of Gauteng, Mary Metcalfe, when she visited Reiger Park. The deputy of Drommedaris Primary at that time is currently the principal of Reiger Park Secondary School. Consequently, further explanations were made to the principal after which he happily assisted by being interviewed.

The Non-Governmental Organisation member who was interviewed serves on the Reiger Park Development Forum and occupies the key position of the Environmental Affairs Portfolio. Documents on air pollution in the Reiger Park area, from the Environmental NGO, which include letters, memorandums and pamphlets, were given to the researcher to form part of his background study.

Four community members who live close to the mine dumps were interviewed. The Non-Governmental Organisation’s member introduced them. After numerous attempts, the Local Government Representative granted the researcher an interview. I was grateful, because it must be remembered that these people do have busy schedules. An explanation about the study was given to him which subsequently led to his assistance in the research. The health officer responsible for monitoring the smoke and dust pollution also showed the researcher the methods they used in determining the percentage of these pollutants in the atmosphere.

FIGURE 3 : Guidelines for dust depositions

Figure 3 illustrates the guidelines published by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism which states that dustfall rates within the SLIGHT and MODERATE ranges do not result in complaints from the public, whereas HEAVY and VERY HEAVY ranges, generally result in complaints from the public. These ranges are called action levels, and consequently the sources of excessive dust must then be investigated.

FIGURE 4: Dust monitoring for the month of September 2005

FIGURE 5: Bar graph indicating the dust monitoring for September 2005

Figure 4 and 5 represents the monitoring site of mine dust falls within the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan.

The researcher explained his research to the soccer players, their coaches, and to the caretaker of the local sports field, after which permission was granted to interview these community members with regards to the smoke pollution and they gladly assisted the researcher in his quest to find answers. One marathon athlete was interviewed and the researcher highly appreciated the time given for the interview.

During the observation sessions, it became clear that the school community experienced some discomfort and dis-ease with regard to the dust. Learners and teachers run in all directions for cover whereas the athletes struggle with their breathing. As a result, during these windy periods of the year many learners are absent from school and most of the athletes suspend their daily training.

4.7 INTERVIEWS (OPEN-ENDED)

The third method of data collection for this study is the interview. According to Swanson and Holton (1997:96), the qualitative researchers require first hand information, which must be accurate, of a high level of competence and there must be a commitment from the researcher. According to Mouton (1988:120), qualitative interviewing is a framework for the subject to speak freely and in his or her own terms about a set of concerns, with the researcher interacting with whatever else the subject may introduce. Nueman (1997:254) sees an interview as an intimate conversation where the interviewer asks prearranged questions and records answers and the respondent answers. To interview somebody or a subject is to gather information and to get hold of accurate information from the interviewee. In the interview the feedback is immediate, hence allowing the interviewer to dictate the pace of the conversation, in terms of the direction of the social interaction, the content of answers, and the behaviour of the respondent.

For the purpose of this study, the open-ended interview principles applied for all the participants who were interviewed. During the interview process, the interviewer used a dictaphone to store conversations, which was used at a later stage to group or scale them down. A dictaphone is lightweight and small enough to be carried easily. Interviews were recorded on tapes and later transcribed.

Although the researcher felt that the principal did not really welcome the idea of research being conducted at his school, he nevertheless selected four teachers and the procedure was explained to them, which each accepted gradually. The teachers, deputy principal, community members, local government representative (LGR), athletes and a member a non-governmental organisation (NGO) were interviewed using the set questions (see Appendix B) and all conversations were stored onto a dictaphone.

Data was obtained from these interviews with community members, namely: the teachers, community members, local government representative, athletes and a member a non-governmental organisation.

The groups will be represented in the following table:

Table 4.1 Number of Participants

Participants Total Teachers 4 Deputy principal 1 Parents 4 Athletes 7 N.G.O. 1 L.G.R. 1 Learners 21 TOTAL 39

4.7.1 Collection and analysis of interview data

The researcher interviewed all the participants as indicated in the above table and then the interviews were transcribed.

The following abbreviations were allocated to the transcripts: (T1) = Teacher # 1 (T2) = Teacher # 2 (T3) = Teacher # 3 (T4) = Teacher # 4 Pr = Principal’s response Nf = Non-Governmental Organisation Member Ng = Local Government representative

(For a full glossary of the codes see Appendix D)

In order to gain a deeper understanding of how the school community in Reiger Park experiences and perceives air pollution, as well as insight into what perceptions are regarding air pollution and the effect thereof on their direct

environment, the researcher will analyse the responses of the teachers, the deputy principal, the NGO, the LGR and members of the community, gathered during the interviews.

4.7.1.1 Teachers

This school does have an emergency plan like a fire and bomb drill. There is no dust storm plan, however. All the teachers ensure that the children are brought inside the class and that all the windows and doors are closed. The lights are switched on so that learning can continue. After a dust storm, or if the wind has been blowing, all three teachers have found that their classes are covered in dust. They found it difficult then to cope in such surroundings, as the books are also dirty.

The learners’ clothes are dusty (T3), giving the children a responsibility to clean the dust regularly. All three teachers indicate that the dust does affect them from a medical point of view and that they do experience problems with the eyes, chest and breathing. Teacher two (T2) is asthmatic and the dust affects him/her personally.

Teacher three (T3) says: “I personally are affected because my sinus do affect me as well. The running noses of the learners, the constant coughing, sneezing and the constant dust in the class makes it difficult for me to complete work. The worksheets of the learners are full of dust and then it does influence the quality of work.”

The four teachers indicated that their lessons are affected negatively because of the dust. Teacher three (T3) indicated that the learners have accepted the dust problem and the problem has become part of their socio-economic conditions. All four teachers interviewed indicated that learners are absent from school after a severe dust storm and during the windy months. Two teachers indicated that most of the time they do not complete their planned lessons because of the dust polluting the learning environment.

It is evident from the interview with the teachers that the dust does cause problems and both the learners and the teachers do experience discomfort during the windy periods of the year.

4.7.1.2 The Deputy Principal

The deputy principal played a major part in the completion of this study as the school is situated next to the mine dumps, which according Keller (1992:458) is one of two major sources of air pollution, and in this case the mine dumps are considered stationary sources. He encouraged the researcher to use this study as a starting point to inform the school community about the effects air pollution has on the community. He was, however very concerned about the quality of education lost during the windy period of the year. When asked the question whether the government could minimise the problem, his answer was similar to the answer given by (T1), which is that vegetation should be planted on the mine dumps and the irrigation system should be improved. The education is affected during the windy months of the year, as explained by the principal’s answer given in the interview: During the windy months (Autumn) when the wind blows excessively, education is definitely hampered for the simple reason, the dust causes illnesses, especially illnesses associated with breathing which De-Haan (2001:248) has described as acute respiratory conditions such as acute bronchitis allergies of all kinds, including hay fever and asthma, irritation of the skin and mucous membranes, including the conjuctiva of the eyes. The principal has explained that many learners are absent in these very windy months and as a result, the education process suffers.

“When we look at the dust problem the number of people who have died over the past five to ten years, have died as a result of lung related diseases and they have been staying close to the mine dump”. Farmer and Miller (1994:123) in their research have found that the long-term damage to health created by air pollution resulted into 3500-4000 people deaths in London in December 1952 when smog was responsible. In a similar situation, the dust and smoke pollution experienced in Reiger Park impacts negatively on the members of the community. “It is a definite problem, not only in the education

system at school level, but also in the community because those parents who provide for the learners financially either die early or are put on pension.”

The deputy principal did suggest a possible solution to the dust related problem:

“Whatever suggestion I make, there should be funding included to eradicate the problem completely. Funding is another issue. I think more funds should be allocated for the planting of vegetation, especially on top of the mine dump; that is where most of the dust blows. A much better irrigation system should be installed, to ensure more watering could be done on the mine dump to keep it wet. When the wind blows it will then not affect the people staying in the vicinity of the dump. I think that it is high time that the people in the community mobilise. The facts should be put on the table and if the community takes mass action they will perhaps get the attention of the health services and the mine bosses at local level. Yes, something must be done. Previously the government has made promises, but no result was forthcoming. I hope that this study will be a vehicle through which our community will mobilise and organise themselves to take charge and empower themselves and to make demands based on their constitutional rights.” The Department of Environmental Affairs (DOEA, n.d: 35) echoed the idea that vegetation to be planted on the dumps to combat the air pollution and at the same time visually improves it.

4.7.1.3 Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) representative

The Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) representative became involved with the dust-related problems after he was affected personally. He also joined the Organisation called the Reiger Park Development Forum, where he heads the Environmental Portfolio. He uses this portfolio to run various campaigns, one of which is the awareness of dust-related problems. When confronted with the question on how he could solve dust related problems in the future, he said, “by keeping pace with all the new mining developments in the area and by

consulting with mine management. We then could know what to expect from dust related problems in future.”

The researcher asked what other programmes would help in the development of a healthy environment, which would benefit both present and future generations. Environmental programmes should be implemented to make the community aware of the mine dust pollution, and could thus ensure “the prevention of pollution and ecological degradation; the promotion of ecological sustainable development and the use of natural resources; and the promotion of justifiable economic and social development” (Bill of Rights 1990:10). The NGO reminded me that an association was formed with organisations in the area. They are all linked up with established environmental organisations for the future in order to monitor the level of dust in the area. However, if things got out of hand, they could discuss the problem with mine management and to come up with solutions jointly.

However, at this stage very few environmental programmes are in place and the researcher feels that environmental awareness in and by the community needs to be addressed.

4.7.1.4 Community members

All four-community members indicated that they do experience some problems with chest pains, breathing and with their eyes. One of the residents living near the dump for thirty-two years has developed asthma. One of the residents also complained about the dust in their cooking utensils after a severe dust storm. This viewpoint is cited by the Kagiso Trust (1999:24), which states that people sealed their doors with newspapers or foam rubber to stop the dust from entering. Three of them indicated that putting in a better irrigation system could solve the problem and by planting vegetation on top of the mine dump. When the researcher asked whether the government helped them solving the problem, they denied emphatically that government ever helped them.

4.7.1.5 Athletes

The main reason for choosing the athletes of the community is because the sports field is located next to an informal settlement. This also contributed to the smoke pollution by being one of the main areas where the smoke pollution is severe. The smoke does affect the athletes and trainers during the year and, in particular, the winter months. Athletes complain about the smoke in terms of severe chest pains during the respiration process, as well as burning of the eyes, which disturbs their vision. Nebel and Wright (1998:39) explain that exposure to sulphur dioxide, a component of the smoke, for long periods of time, can lead to bronchitis (inflammation of the bronchi) causing irritation in the throat producing a feeling of discomfort. Martin (1984:41) points out that sulphur dioxide also causes lung irritation, bronchitis, cough, dyshea and pulmonary oedema (Fluid on the lungs). As a result, their athletic performance suffers, with asthmatic sufferers feeling it even more acutely. I quote one of the trainers: “just imagine after a heavy workout, the body needs clean air, what do think will happened to that person that inhales toxic air?”

During the winter months, some of the athletes tend not to train because of the smoke pollution. They inform the researcher that more harm is done than good. The caretaker of the sports field mentioned that the inhabitants of the informal settlement do not only burn coal but anything they can get, which include plastic crates, motor car tyres and old shoes. When asked to suggest solutions to their problems, the athletes said: “People staying close the Sport field should start making their fires at an early stage, by the time they start to train no smoke should be in the air.”

“People should be removed and resettle at available land provided by the government.”

“A much cheaper and pre-treated coal should be used. There should be continuous bilateral discussions between the informal settlers and representatives from the Sport committee of Reiger Park.”

4.7.1.6 The Local Government Representative (LGR )

There were only limited responses from this sector. The reason for such limited responses could be that officials and councillors could feel that they could compromise and jeopardise their official positions by divulging too much information. Following the researcher’s interview with the Local Government Representative (LGR), it was clear that no desirable answers were to be expected. These officials from the government are very busy, since they are responsible for solving some of the environmental problems in the Ekurhuleni area. After several attempts, an interview was granted to the researcher. When confronted with questions regarding the dust and smoke problem, the LGR simply referred the problem to the Department of Mineral and Energy Affairs, whilst stating that his department was not responsible for dust-related problems.

When asked about the dust-related problems at the selected school, he pointed out that it was the Department of Education’s responsibility to solve that part of the problem. He went on to say that his department could not solve any pollution problems, but only facilitate discussion between the different departments. Scorgie, Watson and Fischer, (2004:13) have stated that the authorities have identified the problem, but they have found it difficult to control or eliminate these aspects of air pollution in the Reiger Park area. Smoke pollution is a problem, the LGR acknowledged, but once again he referred it to as being minimal, according to the laboratory results. He further pointed out that there is nothing that they can do to solve the problem. People are poor, hence they cannot afford a more expensive environmental friendly type of coal. Houses can be electrified, but, as he acknowledged, to electrify all houses would cost a lot of money and the people would be unable to pay the monthly electricity bill.

Members of the community, consisting of the principal and teachers of the primary school, the NGO representative, community members such as athletes and coaches as well residents from Reiger Park were interviewed (See

Appendix B) and all indicated that the dust and smoke pollution experienced in this area does tend to impact negatively on their health and their lives.

4.8 QUESTIONNAIRES

A questionnaire is similar to the design of an interview, although the administration and nature of data obtained is different. In an interview the feedback is immediate whereas in a questionnaire it will take a while to get feedback. The one is a verbal form whereas the other is in a non-verbal written form and anonymous. Bailey (1987:106) describes a questionnaire as an instrument that is given or handed to the respondent and filled in by them with no help from the interviewer. Nueman (1997:232) states that a questionnaire is a set of questions, read by the respondent, who also records the responses. Bailey refers to types of questionnaires, which are open or unstructured questionnaires and the closed or structured questionnaires.

4.8.1 Open-ended questionnaire

Open-ended questionnaires are usually employed by the researcher if he wants to find out the respondents own views or goals about a situation/phenomenon under investigation. No hint or clues are provided and the respondent needs to answer in his own words. What is good about these types of questionnaires is the respondent can express his/her opinion freely, further more, no fixed or one-word answers are expected from the respondent, which allows for creativity and an in depth expression. Bailey (1987:121) states open-ended questions can be used for complex situation questions that cannot be answered in a few simple categories but require more detail and discussion.

4.8.2 Close-ended questionnaire

In a close-ended questionnaire, the respondents have a fixed response to choose from, appropriate spaces are provided for ticks or ‘Yes’, ‘No’, ‘Poor’, ‘Fair’. Respondents thus have a clear understanding of the questions, which

then tend to be easy to analyse or code. Answers are standard and can be compared from person to person (Bailey 1987).

However, Bailey (1987) suggests that it is best to use open-ended questionnaires if the researcher requires more detail and discussion. Both types of questionnaires have shortcomings but their use will depend on the issue to be investigated, which will guide the researcher in his choice. For this study, as mentioned previously, qualitative research principles will be used as the researcher included qualitative types of questions in his questionnaire in order to get to know the respondents or understand with whom he was dealing.

For the purpose of this study, I compiled a questionnaire (see Appendix C) which I administered to the randomly selected learners of the participating school to find out how the learners perceive the dust and smoke pollution in their environment. I sat with the learners in their classroom while they completed the questionnaire.

4.9 DOCUMENT ANALYSIS

Document analysis, according to Bailey (1987) is any written materials that contain information about the phenomenon under investigation. Bailey further distinguishes between two types of documents, namely primary and secondary. Primary documents are documents, which are written or complied by people who have experienced the event first hand. Secondary documents are documents, which are written or compiled by persons who are not present at the event, but they compile documents by reading primary documents or interview relevant persons at the particular scene.

For the purpose of this study, primary documents were used and interpreted by the researcher, which include letters, memorandums, pamphlets, and minutes of meetings, annual reports, newsletters, magazines, newsletters and brochures. Documents and related literature were consulted and analysed to search for a better understanding of air pollution and the associated problems

experienced by the community; these were then used in the literature review and will also be used to provide researched knowledge to substantiate the findings of this study.

4.10 DATA ANALYSIS

Data analysis, according to Henning et al. (2004:127), involves taking apart words, sentences and paragraphs that are important in the research project, and making sense of, interpreting and theorising data. This viewpoint of data analysis is cited by Brink (2001:178) when she compares the method of data collection with data analysis and concludes that if the research study is based on the principles of qualitative research design, the applicable choice to analyse is to use the narrative strategy.

Essentially, narratives are stories, and in this study the researcher uses some elements of narrative strategy to relate the story of pollution in Reiger Park, with the aim of developing an integrated lesson plan for Grade 7 learners. The elements used were an attempt to build his own narrative from the responses of interviews, observations and questionnaires administered to various stakeholders in that community. According to Straus and Corbin (quoted in Maykut and Morehouse, 1994:122), this strategy involves “weaving descriptions, speaker’s words, fieldnote quotations, and their own interpretations into a rich and believable descriptive narrative”, and that is a useful approach to data analysis. As Fritz notes (in Henning et al., 2004:123), interviewees usually “reverted to narrative at some point in their interviews”. My aim here was therefore to extract from the participants’ stories only those themes relevant to the research question, concerning the perceptions and experiences of air pollution amongst the community. In order to do this, three data analysis strategies were used, namely coding, data processing and consolidation.

4.10.1 Coding

According to Nueman (1997:421), coding is a way of organising raw data into conceptual categories and creates themes or concepts, which the researcher then uses to analyse data. He further states that one can apply these methods only if all the data has been collected. Coding forms an integral part of research data and is guided by the operations by which data are broken down conceptualised and put back together in new ways (Henning, 2004:12). However, Brink (2001:192) suggests that coding begins as soon as data collection starts.

The researcher makes use of coding as part of his strategies to organise and to categorise the data into meaningful themes. This part of the analysis involves how one integrates and joins the data collected, and how one has applied it to the study. In the questionnaire, the researcher tabulated the number of “yes” and “no” responses, thereafter the researcher allocated codes and searched for patterns, relationships, and connections. With regard to the interviews, data were transcribed into smaller sections, codes were allocated to the transcribed data and comparisons were made to discover the patterns. While observing the phenomenon under investigation, codes were made directly.

4.10.2 Data processing

According to Bless and Smith (1995:13), data processing allows the researcher to generalise the findings from the sample used in the research, to the larger population in which the researcher is interested, in other words to make sense of the research inquiry (Henning, 2004:12). Qualitative data analysis is an ongoing non-linear process and it takes place throughout the data collection process. In this study, the researcher followed the approach of data analysis advocated by Henning (2004:27), in which ”an analysis commences with reading all the data and then dividing the data into smaller and more meaningful units”:

The researcher used comparisons to build and refine categories, to define conceptual similarities and to discover patterns. Categories are flexible and may be modified during the analysis. For instance, from the interviews with the community members, teachers and athletes, I gathered data on physical reactions to pollution that included eye irritation and respiratory ailments. I placed these together with other medical conditions related to the pollution in the category of ‘health’. Another category was ‘education’, made up of responses on such factors mentioned by the participants as dusty classrooms in which visibility was impeded, uncompleted lessons, and the general nuisance value of working in a dirty teaching environment.

Qualitative analysis took place throughout the data collection process. As such the researcher constantly reflected on impressions, relationships and connections while collecting the data. An analysis commenced with reading all the data and then dividing the data into smaller and more meaningful units.

4.10.3 Data Consolidation

Data from the various collection techniques were consolidated. The categories identified during data analysis were clustered in order to refine the categories and to reveal similarities in the contained data. Data were grouped, clustered together and findings were revealed based on the data analysis. The next chapter deals with the findings, which have emerged from the data analysis.

4.11 CONCLUSION

This chapter dealt with the question of how data pertinent to this study was obtained. The chapter specifically looked at the issues of enquiry setting, researched design, methods, data collection and data processing. Theoretical framework from various theorists and other authors were used and integrated with the raw data to explain it. The purpose of this chapter was therefore to explain both the methodology and research design used in research report.

This chapter also revealed that the research report opted to focus on the case study of Reiger Park, as it proved a convenient case from a geographical, personal and professional point of view. It proceeded to look at research design, in other words it focused on a guide for the researcher in collecting, analysing and interpreting observed facts. This chapter also focused on a key sample for the study: Drommedaris Primary school, which we identified as an important segment of our study as it is situated next to the mine dump and is one of the first so-called ‘Coloured’ primary schools in Reiger Park.

Thereafter, Chapter four considered the quality of research in order to gather information and make a contribution to understanding an important social issue. The chapter specifically considered ‘Reliability’ and ‘Validity’ as not only inseparable from each other, but important for the study. Finally, the chapter analysed the interviews conducted with the principal, the previous deputy principal, and several community members and athletes. Document analysis was conducted on the memorandum (see Appendix A) given to the then MEC of Environmental Affairs of Gauteng, Mary Metcalfe and the questionnaire, which the learners responded to, was also analysed.

Findings that have emerged from the data will be discussed in Chapter Five as well as offering recommendations.

CHAPTER 5 FINDINGS, IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE RESEARCH STUDY

5.1 INTRODUCTION

In this chapter, the findings that have emerged from analysed data will be interpreted. This will include an interpretation of the results of the questionnaire, followed by thematic evaluation of the codified interviews, reports on observations and document analysis.

The air pollution problem in Reiger Park, which includes smoke and dust, was investigated as carefully as possible. Qualitative research methods were mainly employed, which included observation, interviewing, and the analysis of documents. Closed questionnaires were used, from which quantitative data was recorded. Data obtained from the various sources and the strategies used were helpful in arriving at the final conclusion. Data obtained during the research investigation was analysed and the findings will be discussed in this chapter. Recommendations will also be made at the end of this chapter.

5.2 INTERPRETATION OF THE DATA OBTAINED FROM QUESTIONNAIRES

A questionnaire responding to by 21 learners was used as a method of data collection for this study. Just a few examples of the questionnaire questions and responses will be provided. A complete questionnaire and responses can be found in Appendix C.

Question one was intended to put the respondent at his or her ease. The surprise was that all the learners felt comfortable to answer the questions; all responded that they did not smoke, indicating a healthy approach to their lives. However, living near to the mine dumps and attending school next to the mine dumps where dust and smoke pollution is prevalent, contradicts this idea of a healthy lifestyle and in addition, the Constitution states that it is a right for

children to live in a healthy environment (Bill of Rights 1990:10) which is not happening for the children of Reiger Park.

A particularly important question, Question six, for this research was: “Would you consider your classroom and playground to be a dusty environment?” seventy-six percent of the learners did answer ‘Yes’. This was clearly an indication that they do have problems during the windy months of the year which tend to affect their health. As humans breathe 14kg of air into their lungs each day, the eyes, nose and throat, are the ones that suffer the most from air pollution (Nebel and Wright, 1998:37). This was reinforced by the educators who explained that many learners and one of the educators tend to suffer from asthma, itchy eyes, difficulty in breathing, sinusitis and bronchitis especially in the windy months.

Question fourteen read: “Will you be able to solve the problem?”. Ten (almost 50%) of the learners indicated that they will not be able to solve the problem because to them it is a natural phenomena for the wind to blow; they went on to reason that during winter time people usually make fires for cooking and keeping warm, with regard to the dust, the mine dump was always there and had become part of them. They accept the situation as it is and there is nothing that they can do to solve the problem. Six learners did indicate that they would be able to solve the problem, by informing the people around them to stop making fires and stop chopping trees. One learner indicated that he/she would be able to solve the problem by not making fires and not smoking. This reinforces the idea that the community needs to be environmentally aware and actively involved in taking care of their own environment

After analysing the questionnaire data, the researcher realised that the learners who according to the Constitution have a right to a proper education (Bill of Rights 1990:10) in a healthy environment, do experience some discomfort during the windy, winter months, and that most of them accept the environmental conditions although their health is at risk.

5.2.1 Educators’ responses (interviews)

It is clear from the interviews with the teachers that there are dust-related problems. The researcher interviewed the educators individually and asked them the same questions. In the event of a dust storm, the classroom is one of the few places available for the protection against the dust particles. Learners run in all directions for cover. Teachers also find it difficult to complete their lessons in these circumstances, which as stated by Donald, Lazarus and Lolwana (1997:113) dampens the child’s performance especially when the learner’s environmental conditions are unfavourable, and in this case, teachers have to cover every hole in the classroom to prevent the dust from entering. During the change of periods, the yellowish soft dust is visible on the learners’ clothes, in their hair and school bags. The teacher also mentioned that the children make fun of each other when the dust is visible on their clothes.

If the dust is already in the classroom, the cleaning process has to take place. One teacher also pointed out that the introduction is the main part of any lesson plan and if it is hindered, the lesson afterwards is a disaster. The researcher also discovered that the school does not have any action plan in case of a dust storm. Each teacher must apply his or her own method to stop the dust from entering. During the windy months of August some learners do absent themselves due to dust-related problems. Illnesses associated with the eyes, skin-irritation, tonsils and severe coughing are some of the medical reasons as listed by De Haan (2001:248), given for the learner absenteeism. In the event, learners lose a lot of time in which quality education is not taking place.

However, the overall conclusion was that the teachers are happy to be at the school, but that the dust-related problem needs to be investigated and a solution sought. Teachers hinted that the problem of dust is not an everyday one in that it only occurs during the windy months. Some teachers said that when they arrived to teach at the school many years ago, the mine dumps existed. However, at present the dumps are still there and very little has been done about the problems they create.

5.2.2 Findings from the Principal’s responses

As stated above, the principal was a member of the group responsible for drafting a memo handed to the then MEC of Environmental Affairs, Mary Metcalf. Even though it was a busy time of the year at the school, the principal did arrange time to accommodate the researcher. From the discussion between the researcher and the principal, it was evident that the school and the community were experiencing air pollution problems. The principal’s main concerns were the side effects that the children experience during the windy months (De Haan, 2001). He stressed that delivering quality education during this period of the year was difficult; pointing out that the dust also affected the parents who stay close to the mine dumps. For instance when parents retire or die at an early age, the learners tend to under perform and fail to reach their full potential. This observation implies that there may be an indirect link between the illness of parents and the performance of children.

When asked about the Government’s involvement in solving the problem, the principal pointed out the plans the government had on paper, but which had never been implemented. The principal also highlighted the inadequate efforts by both the Government and the mine management to curb the problem. The main issue seems to be the capital needed to implement suitable measures to curb or eliminate the pollution. The planting of grass on top of the mine dump and the installation of a water irrigation system were examples. He pointed out that the community should use the South African Constitution (Bill of Rights, 1996) to their advantage, insisting on the right to a clean and healthy environment. The community should be informed about the dangers of dust pollution and learners, in particular, should be informed through the inclusion of Environmental Education in their Curriculum (RNCS, 2003). The community should mobilise and organise themselves to form a united front against environmental pollution, in this case particular dust pollution. Lastly, he suggested that this study should be used as a starting point to inform the community about the dangers that the community encounters on a daily basis.

5.2.3 Findings from Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) representative’s responses

The NGO member is part of an organisation, which is known as the Reiger Park Development Forum, and is also a member of the African National Congress (ANC). It was, however, difficult to get an interview with him, but later it did materialise. The NGO became involved with the dust-related problems after he was personally affected, as well as his family and people staying around him. According to him, the problem worsened in 1999 when the East Rand Property Mines (ERPM) stopped all its mining operations, when it had become too expensive to mine gold at the then dollar-gold exchange rate.

The Development Forum and, in particular, the sub-structure (Department of Environment) was assigned to confront the mining bosses and Local Government with regard to the dust-related problems. Petitions under the auspices of the Forum were arranged, and in the process received a lot of accreditation from other communities who had similar problems. Communities in and around Reiger Park amalgamated with each other in order to address dust-related problems from a united front. The media supported them and their campaigns were a huge success. Currently, the organisations consult with mine managers, consultants and the different stakeholders, with regard to new mining developments in the area. According to the member, children in the area accept the conditions, therefore part of their objective as an organisation was to inform the learners and the community about the environment before it was polluted. The community was unable to relate diseases as sinusitis and other dust-related illnesses with the dust. It is clear from the interview with the NGO that the authorities are aware of the problems and that the various campaigns and initiatives have made the community informed about the illnesses related to the dust.

In conclusion, one of the athletes indicated that the sport-field is a healthy facility and every one should participate in a sport. The government should supply alternative land for the informal settlers (“squatters”).

5.2.4 Findings from members of the community that stay close to the dump

The members I have interviewed have been part of the community for more than twenty years. Their main concern was the dust related illnesses that affect them, such as eye irritation and respiratory problems (De Haan, 2001). They complain about the dust in their houses, polluting their clothes and food. One parent pointed out the suffering she and her family had endured over the past years. She and most of her children suffer from chest related illnesses (Nebel & Wright, 1998:37). The local government and the all-relevant stakeholders are very aware off the problems that the members of the community experience. However, the town council does not support them at all in their quest to find solution to their problems. However, this tends to be in contradiction to the Bill of Rights, which states that everyone has the right to a health environment (1996).

5.2.5 Findings from the athletes’ responses

All the soccer players and coaches complained about smoke inhalation during practices and matches leading to allergies of all kinds, including hay fever and asthma, irritation of the skin and mucous membranes, including the conjuctiva of the eyes, which according to Farmer and Miller (1994:123) causes long-term damage to health as seen by the death of 3500-4000 people in London in December 1952 when smog was responsible. All athletes experienced some discomfort and chest pains, eye irritations and they all got tired easily. The six members interviewed indicated that the informal settlements (squatters) should be removed from the area. However, one soccer player did indicate that the team should cooperate with the people staying in the informal settlement. “The problem can be solved if the squatters could lit their fires earlier in the day so by the time the players come for training most of the smoke should have been disappeared”.

5.2.6 Findings from the Local Government Authorities

One of the affordable solutions the local government did propose was the upside-down fire (technique whereby the paper and wood is placed on top of the coal and when the coal starts to burn the smoke is incinerated by the flames above) (online) that minimises the release of smoke. One of the points mentioned by the LGR is that the percentage of sulphur dioxide in Reiger Park is not considered high, rather it is acceptable according to the specifications. At the end of the interview, the researcher felt that perhaps the interviewee was avoiding questions and answering them as though it was acceptable for the community of Reiger Park to be polluted with toxic smoke and dust. However, as a resident of Reiger Park, the researcher knows that there are significant pollution problems that affect the quality of life of the inhabitants, whether or not they fall within the arbitrary quantitative range of government figures.

The researcher’s conclusion, after the discussion with the LGR, was that there are too many departments involved in solving environmental problems, and that none of them appear particularly enthusiastic about tackling the problems of dust and smoke pollution experienced by the community of Reiger Park.

5.3 INTERPRETATION OF FINDINGS

From the information gathered it is evident that the community of Reiger Park and learners are exposed to pollution. To the learners, the pollution has become part of their everyday lives. Since birth the learners have been exposed to the dust and the smoke, and have no experience of the environment before the dust pollution problem arose. Only after successful educational awareness campaigns by the development forum, have the learners and the citizens become aware of the pollution and the illnesses

associated with it. Consequently, they have developed a much broader perspective as to what air pollution is and its effect.

The athletes admitted to suffering from various respiratory problems, but indicated a willingness to sit down with residents to discuss solutions to the problems. One recommendation that emerged from these discussions was that the Ekurhuleni Department of Environmental Affairs should become more involved in solving environmental problems at local level, rather than simply shifting them to another department.

According to the head of the environmental portfolio, the NGO’s involvement in making the community aware of environmental problems at grassroots level is good. The formation of a united front, with residents, local government officials and mine management, to monitor any new mining activities can be seen as a positive step for the region. For instance, the same official in the interview said that the moving of a neighbouring mine dump after refining to one close to Reiger Park was being closely monitored, with regular inspections to ensure the minimalisation of pollution.

The principal’s main concern was that learners are absent for periods of time consequently this leads to gaps in their learning resulting in a negative effect on the quality of education. There is also a negative effect on the learners when parents have become ill or passed away due to dust related illnesses.

5.4 LIMITATIONS AND WEAKNESSES OF THE STUDY.

The research that was conducted was limited to one school and only selected parts of the community. With more time, it would have been possible to gather a wider range of opinions and data. Due to the time constraints, the researcher had to make use of a closed questionnaire to gather information from the learners. This prevented him from following up respondents’ answers with further questions aimed at eliciting more informed opinions and more qualitative data. Closed questions only got yes/no answers, which did not really allow the respondents to voice their true concerns about the problems. With hindsight the

questions in the instrument (Appendix B+C) may have been too leading, that is pushing the respondents into expected answers on coal burning stoves.

5.5 RECOMMENDATIONS

The researcher would recommend that medical research be conducted, in order to gather more information and data about the health risks posed by smoke and dust pollution in the Reiger Park area. In addition, resources should be made available, so that free medical check ups can be offered to the people of the community.

Environmental Health Education should be introduced at all levels in the schools within the community, so that the learners are able to understand the problems associated with this type of pollution. It is important that, as the future generation of adults in the community, they understand their constitutional rights regarding a healthy environment, and defend these. Information gathered should be used so that the community and learners can make informed choices.

A proper security system should be implemented in and around the mine dump. People have easy excess to the dump where criminal activities are committed in the form of vandalism. The fencing will prevent people with harmful intentions from entering, and removing or damaging the irrigation equipment. Unnecessary veld fires, which destroy the vegetation on the dump, will not spread. Environmental Education, including related legal issues, should make learners and the community aware of the different laws, which are applicable to the environment. Terms like ‘vandalism’ need to be explained to learners at an early age, including development of a respect for the laws of the country.

Residents of the informal settlements should be taught to live sustainable lifestyles, for example, the chopping trees for fire making and building of shacks without replanting, could at a later stage affect their health, because protection of the soil by the roots of the trees would not be offered and wind erosion would occur.

Finally, the government and the NGOs should implement more awareness campaigns to make the community aware of environmental problems that are affecting the area.

5.6 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH.

The research conducted needs to be broadened. All communities in and around the mine dumps with a perimeter of approximately ten kilometres should be investigated or researched. The smoke released during fire burning and which affects athletes should also be investigated, with a view to encouraging the use of smoke-free fuels.

5.7 CONCLUSION

The study has investigated the community’s views on smoke and dust pollution. The purpose of the study was to determine how the community perceive or cope with the problem. Furthermore, it also included what Environmental Education Programmes the school follows, and whether learners are aware of the problem. However, the question still remains on what the Government and NGOs are doing to inform the community about the pollution problems as well as searching for a solution. In the past, communities were uninformed about pollution problems but due to the awareness campaigns spearheaded by the NGOs more people are informed about the problems. However, dust and smoke pollution and their associated health problems still plague the community, but with the incorporation of Environmental Education into the curriculum, learners will be informed and equipped to deal with issues which affect them and their environment.

Perhaps the most significant aspect that has emerged from my study is the need to combine the economic needs of the community – that is work and inexpensive lifestyles – with education and an awareness of the potential for improvements in quality of life and developing sustainability of resources. For instance, the companies responsible for relocating the mine dumps could

employ people from the community which, in the process would create employment, hence curbing or relieving the high unemployment numbers in the community. The term and concept of sustainability should be imparted to learners throughout, so that they are aware of how to act in a sustainable manner.

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APPENDIX A

APPENDIX B

QUANTIFICATION OF DATA

In this section, I shall clarify the interpretation of the research data; the quantification of data and the responses of the teachers, the principal, the community members and the NGO will be presented. Only questions featured the interviews will be discussed.

1. RESPONSES TO INTERVIEWS

Q = Question

Tr = Teacher # 1 response Pr = Principal’s response Cr = Community member response Nf-r = Non-Governmental Organisation Member

Interview with teachers

Q1 What do you do when the wind starts stirring up the dust?

Tr Response: When the wind starts blowing dust it creates all sorts of problems. Children run around, looking for shelter and they then complain about burning eyes and that creates all sorts of problems,

Q2 How do you cope with the dust in your classroom?

Tr Response: I cope by making sure that the doors and windows are closed, broken windows are covered with charts and I try to create a calm effect. I also sweep the classroom all the time. Ultimately I create an environment where learning can take place.

Q3 What plans do you have in place in the event of a dust storm?

Tr Response: Every dust storm is different. I have no plans in place and I take it as it comes.

Q4 How does the dust affect lessons in your classroom?

Tr Response: It has a negative influence on my work. One cannot start if learners are complaining about dust in their eyes. The important part of a lesson is your introduction and one cannot start if learners are unsettled. Therefore, I have to wait a while for them to calm down and only then can I start with my lesson.

Interview with Deputy Principal

Q1 How do you think dust problems affect the education in Reiger Park, especially at Drommedaris Primary?

Pr Response: It has numerous effects. The side effects leave the children with different elements of the disease, which deter their academic potential. During the wind months (Autumn) when the wind blows excessively, education is definitely hampered, for the simple reason; the dust causes certain illnesses, especially illnesses associated with breathing. Learners are absent and the education process suffers.

When we look at the dust problem the number of people who have died over the past five to ten years, most of them died as a result of lung related diseases, are straying close to the mine dump. It is a definite problem, not only in the education system and school level, but also in the community because those parents who provide for the learners financially either die early or are put on pension.

Q2 Does the government have any plans to minimize the problem?

Pr Response: Well, there have been various suggestions made by them, but in terms of implementing their physical plans, the success of those plans started the planting of vegetation on the mine dumps, the irrigating system. They started with these plans a year ago, but whether it is effective I cannot guarantee that, because the wind and dust levels during August and September are still very high. So, according to me, the Government and the Mining bosses did very little to address this problem. Just take a look at the health of the people who are surrounded by the mine dumps and you will agree with me.

Q+ What do you suggest should be done to eradicate the problem?

Pr Response: Whatever suggestion I make, there should be funding included to eradicate the problem completely. Funding is another issue. I think more funds should be allocated for the planting of vegetation, especially on top of the mine dump; that is where most of the dust blows from. A much better irrigation system should be installed, to ensure more watering could be done on the mine dump to keep it wet. When the wind blows it will then not affect the people staying in the vicinity of the dump. I think that it is high time that the people in the community mobilise. The facts should be put on the table and if the community takes mass action they will perhaps get the attention of the health services and the mine bosses at local level. Yes, something must be done. Previously the government has made promises, but no result was forthcoming. I hope that this study will be a vehicle through which our community will mobilise and organise themselves to take charge and empower themselves and to make demands based on their constitutional rights.

Interview with Community Member

Q1 How does the smoke affect you daily training programme?

Cr Response: It affects each player, and trainer badly. You cannot run in the smoke you cannot do anything constructive, the smoke is heavy in the area. Pollutes the whole area.

Q2 How is your vision affected by the smoke?

Cr Responds: You cannot even watch them playing a game. You cannot see the players because of the smoke.

Q3 Does any breathing problems occur during training?

Cr Responds: yes, especially in wintertime, when the people are using coal to make fires. The players, and I as the coach, cannot breath at times.

Q4 Do you think anything can be done to solve the problem?

Cr Responds: Things can be done, like removing the people who occupy the same area where the soccer field is situated. People who stay around the field are responsible for polluting the area.

Interview with N.G.O.

Q1 Why did you, as a member of a NGO, become involved with the dust related problems?

Ng-r Response: the dust emission and the community as a whole personally affected me especially in 1999, when E.R.P.M. stopped mining.

Q2 What plans did you put in place to help the community being aware of the dust pollution problem?

Ng-r Response: Well, we formed little sub-structures out of our Community Development Forum to fight the mining organisations.

Q3 Do you think more people are better informed regarding dust related problems?

Ng-r Response: Certainly, yes to the extent we put petitions in this area. I was surprised to achieve our objective when we protested against the excess dust.

Q4 What did you achieve thus far with your campaign?

Ng-r Response: We amalgamated with other communities in the area, which were also affected by the dust. We had a lot of help from the media, which supported us in our campaign. We fully informed communities of who were affected and we were fully aware of what was going on.

Q5 How do you think you as a NGO can solve future dust related problems?

Ng-r Response: By keeping tread with all the new mining developments in the area and by consulting with mine management. We can know what to expect from dust related problems in the future.

Q6 To what degree do you think the dust had an effect on the children in the community?

Ng-r Response: Unfortunately, children for many decades grew up in mining areas like this one. To them it was like second nature and they took things fro granted. It was up to us to concretise the kids because

they must understand that an environment should be normal and not polluted.

Q7 What other programmes do you have in place to make the community aware of the mine dust pollution?

Ng-r Response: As I mentioned, we formed an association with organisations around us. We have joined up with established environmental organisations for the future, so that we are able to monitor the level of dust in the area and if things get out of hand we can go back and discuss the problem with mine management and come up with solutions, jointly.

Interview with L.G.R.

Q1 Are you aware of the dust problem in Reiger Park?

Lr Response: Yes, we are aware.

Q2 When last did you visit the area in particular the affected area?

Lr Response: It is not our responsibility to visit them but the provincial representatives.

Q3 What is Local Government doing in solving the problem?

Lr Response: To facilitate between the different departments.

Q4 In your opinion how can Local Government solve the problem?

Lr Response: Local government cannot solve the problem and to solve the problem we need a management plan, which involves funds, and currently we do not have any funds available.

APPENDIX C

5.2.1 Questionnaire Analysis

QUESTION YES NO 1. Are you a smoker? 21 Question one is considered to be an icebreaker, it was quite a surprise when all the learners answered this question. The answers were all no, indicating a healthy manner of conducting their lifestyles. 2. Do you have any breathing problems? 1 20 Although question one and two are based on personal believes, the response was overwhelming. To the second question, twenty of the learners respond with no and only one learner respond to a yes. 3. Is the smoke from the coal-burning 8 13 stove affecting you? Question three was based on an internal view of some of the many living conditions the community. Not everyone has electrical appliances and therefore resort to using obsolete appliances. Thirteen learner’s reactions was of a negative nature and therefore answered no whereas eight learners replied to yes. 4. Did you inform the local authorities 1 20 about your problem? The learners weren’t to concern about their well-being and this led to a total of twenty disappointing ‘no’ answers and only one yes response 5. If so, did the local authorities do any 20 thing about the problem? The response shows a major cause for concern. Twenty learners confirm that nothing was resolved and one learner handed over a spoiled paper. 6. Would you consider your classroom 16 5 and playground to be a dusty

environment?

The learners reaction to this stimulus led to two learners answers being no and sixteen answered to yes and to the researcher it was an indication that the learners do have problems during the windy months of the year 7. Do you attend school in Reiger Park? 21 All the learners proudly and positively respond with a great and clear yes. 8. Do you contribute to the air pollution in 6 14 your area? Fourteen learners answered no yet six of the learners admitted being part of a group that contribute to the air pollution problem. Only one learner didn’t indicate ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

9. What time of the year is the dust Winter Summer affecting you? 14 7 With regard to question nine, there wasn’t really anything anyone has done to avoid natural situations. Fourteen learners replied that in the season of Winter they were mostly affected by dust. Seven of the learners respond to the dry and hot season of summer. 10 What form of pollution do you observe Dust Smoke more? 11 10 Question ten was based on the learners opinion and experiences. Of the twenty- one learners and the different forms of pollution, eleven declared that dust was frequently observed whilst the other ten learners observed smoke instead. 11 What time of the day is the pollution Mornings Evenings most severe? 0 21 When asked what time of the day the pollution was most severe, it wasn’t really that surprising when the learners said that it was worst during the evenings. Twenty-one learners notified that pollution was severe in the

evening. 12 Are breathing infections experienced by Sometimes Often you and your family? 20 1 When this question was asked, it had to be answered in accordance with their families. Twenty learners indicate that they sometimes encounter breathing infections whilst one of them often experienced it. 13 In your opinion, do you think the Yes No infections are related to the 17 3 environment? In today’s world, infections of all kinds are discovered in various forms and are easily spread easily. This reality led to thirteen learners agreeing that infections are environment related due to pollution, three learners declined and one did not state anything.

14. Will you be able to solve the problem? Ten of the learners indicated that they will not be able to solve the problem because to them it is a natural phenomenon for the wind to blow and during winter time, people usually make fires for cooking and keeping warm, with regard to the dust, the mine dump was always there and had become part of them. They accept the situation as it is and there is nothing that they can do to solve the problem. Six learners did indicate that they would be able to solve the problem, by informing the people around them to stop making fires and stop chopping trees. One learner indicated that he/she would be able to solve the problem by not making fires and not smoking.

APPENDIX D

GLOSSARY OF CODES

Below, I present the codes that were allocated to the raw data

D.R.P. (Dust related problems)

I.C (I cope)

E.D.S (Every dust storm)

A.I.C (As it comes)

H.N.P (Have no plans)

O.C.S (One cannot start)

L.A.U (Learners are unsettled)

S.E (Side effects) C.I (Certain illnesses) L.A.A (Learners are absent) E.P (Education process) L.R.D (Lung related diseases) L.F (Learners financially) I.S (Irrigating system) C.R (Constitutional rights) P.T.W.A (Pollutes the whole area) C.B.A.T (Cannot breath at times) D.E (Dust emissions) C.D.F (Community Development forum) A.O.O (Achieve our objective) A.W.O.C (Amalgamate with other communities) A.N.M.D (All new mining developments) L.S.N (Like second nature)

APPENDIX E