San Junior Secondary Students' Understandings of Literacy In
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SAN JUNIOR SECONDARY STUDENTS’ UNDERSTANDINGS OF LITERACY IN SCHOOL AND AT HOME: A CASE STUDY by LONE ELIZABETH KETSITLILE (Under the Direction of Michelle Commeyras) ABSTRACT The study investigated how San students of Botswana in a Junior Community Secondary School understood as literacy in school and at home. A narrative qualitative case study approach was used to gain an in-depth understanding of what students’ value and understand by literacy from co-participants and informants perspectives. Findings across participants’ stories revealed that they saw literacy as those things that had value to them and these influenced how they read the word and the world. Storytelling, games and singing were labeled literacy to the six participants in the study and the two San informants. Knowledge of different plants, basket weaving and sculpting was literacy to some of the participants. The conclusion is that the participants’ ways of reading and knowing the word and the world need to be included in the school curriculum for the benefit of not only San students but non San Batswana. In addition, appropriate pedagogic strategies need to be adopted in San classrooms for San formal schooling success. INDEX WORDS: San of Botswana Literacy, Home Literacy, and San Content Literacy SAN JUNIOR SECONDARY STUDENTS’ UNDERSTANDINGS OF LITERACY IN SCHOOL AND AT HOME: A CASE STUDY by LONE ELIZABETH KETSITLILE B.A., The University of Botswana, 1990 PGDE, The University of Botswana, 1991 M.A., Sussex University, 2000 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ATHENS, GEORGIA 2009 © 2009 Lone Elizabeth Ketsitlile All Rights Reserved SAN JUNIOR SECONDARY STUDENTS’ UNDERSTANDINGS OF LITERACY IN SCHOOL AND AT HOME: A CASE STUDY by LONE ELIZABETH KETSITLILE Major Professor: Michelle Commeyras Committee: Jennifer Graff Laurent Cammarata Derrick Alridge Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia August 2009 iv DEDICATION To all the San and other marginalized peoples in Botswana. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, I thank the Lord Jesus Christ for His strength and guidance in writing this dissertation. Second, heartfelt thanks to the members of my committee. To Professor Commeyras for her sterling academic leadership, mentoring and encouraging words, ke a leboga thata Mma. To Drs. Graff (Winner of the best dissertation, 2009), Cammarata, and Alridge for their help and suggestions. I thank you all for never losing hope in me and for believing in my work. Third, a big thank you to Fulbright and the University of Botswana for the financial support. Fourth, a loving thanks to my parents and siblings who have supported me in so many ways, especially by staying with my children at different times during my stay in the United States. Fifth, to my children Tshenolo, Goleba, and Ofe for their patience and understanding, especially Ofe. Thank you Phana! (Dr. Ofe). Finally, to my dearest friend Philip. Thank you for your prayers, encouragement and loving support. Ke a leboga thata Rra. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................................v LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES .........................................................................................................................x CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................1 The San of the Kalahari .............................................................................................4 The Status of San in Botswana ..................................................................................5 The San and Formal Education .................................................................................7 Definition of Terms ...................................................................................................9 Summary and Organization of the Remainder of the Dissertation..........................11 2 METHODS AND METHODOLOGY ........................................................................12 Research Design ......................................................................................................12 Why Narrative Research? ........................................................................................12 How and Why Did Letsatsi School Become My Site? ...........................................15 How I Found My Student Informants and Participants ...........................................16 How Did I Conduct Myself as a Researcher to Collect Data? ................................18 How Was the Data Analyzed and Interpreted to Write Narratives? .......................24 What Were My Subjectivities as a Researcher? ......................................................27 3 MEETING WITH THE DEPUTY PRINCIPAL .........................................................34 vii 4 INFORMANTS’ NARRATIVES ................................................................................41 Love and Peace – My Non San Informants .............................................................41 Done and News – My San Informants ....................................................................48 5 PARTICIPANTS’ NARRATIVES ..............................................................................57 Mr. President – My Grandfather is My Hero ..........................................................57 Knowledge –‘Germany’ My Love ..........................................................................72 Happy – I Miss Home So Much! .............................................................................82 Drought-I Wish I Had a Friend ...............................................................................91 Receiver – Bug Spraying Nightmare .....................................................................100 Trust – Help! My Mother Wants Me to Drop Out of School ................................108 6 SCHOOL AND FAMILY NARRATIVES ...............................................................119 The Staffroom at Letsatsi School ..........................................................................119 MS. Tau – Unexpected Informant .........................................................................124 Parents – Did You Bring us Any Snuff? ...............................................................139 Letsatsi School on Saturdays .................................................................................144 7 THE CONCLUSION: DISCUSSION OF THE STORIES .......................................154 Poverty and Dependency .......................................................................................155 Name Calling and Abuse .......................................................................................157 Teacher Frustrations ..............................................................................................157 Identity Crisis ........................................................................................................159 Solidarity ...............................................................................................................160 Language: Tool or Weapon? .................................................................................161 Content Area Literacy ...........................................................................................166 viii Foreign Instruction and Discipline Styles .............................................................167 Recommendations .................................................................................................173 Limitations .............................................................................................................178 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................179 APPENDICES .............................................................................................................................194 A Botswana Ethnic Groups Mentioned in the Study .....................................................195 B Student Interview Protocol ........................................................................................196 C Parent Interview Protocol ..........................................................................................198 D Observation Protocol .................................................................................................199 ix LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1: Participants and Informants Profile .................................................................................18 Table 2: Data Inventory .................................................................................................................23 Table 3: Teaching and Non-teaching Staff Mentioned in the Study at Letsatsi Community Junior Secondary School ..........................................................................................................120 x LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1: The Mosetlha Tree ..........................................................................................................58 Figure 2: Two Boys Playing ‘Morabaraba’ Game........................................................................70 Figure 3: Green Plant