Educators' experiences of their role in supporting children from divorced families : a phenomenological study

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:Divorce is a common phenomenon throughout the world. According to the SouthAfrican Population census in 1996 (Stats SA, 2001: 1.7) almost a tenth of theindividuals that got married that year, had been separated or divorced. In the UnitedStates of America it is estimated that almost one out of every two couples eventuallydivorce (Dreman, 1999: 150).According to Pedro-Carroll, Sutton and Wyman (1999:467) many children may be atrisk as a result of the negative consequences of marital disruption. These childrenchallenge us, as educators, to support them in ways that will reduce risk factors andpromote resilient outcomes for them. The statement by Pedro-Carroll et al.(1999:467) provides a rationale for this study, namely that children from divorcedfamilies may need support when experiencing the consequences of divorce. I arguethat the school system, especially educators, play an important role in supportingchildren form divorced families.The school environment may serve as a source of support for children from divorcedfamilies, where educators are in a good position to be empathic to these children'sproblems and needs (Bray and Berger, 1992:73; Dreman, 1999:163). Therefore, Iexplored the phenomenon of educators' experiences of their role in supportingchildren from divorced families.The methods I made use of was firstly, semi-structured interviews to gain theeducators' experiences individually. Two focus group sessions followed, where I alsodetermined their experiences in a group dynamic. Through the produced andtrascribed data I gained new insights into educators' experiences on this matter, byidentifying themes from their experiences.One hundred and sixty one (161) themes were identified from the produced data.The findings were presented in four areas of experience, namely, educators'experiences in terms of:.the child; themselves; the school; and the parents.Some participants have experienced that generally children come across asuncertain and stressed, when their parents divorce, and that children may even feelthat the divorce is his fault. It was also mentioned that children may exhibitpsychosomatic symptoms due to the stress they experience. In terms of theeducators' experiences of the school environment it was mentioned that the schoolprovides structure for the children from divorced families. According to Wallerstein etal. (1980:277) the school can provide structure in a child's life at a time when themajor structure of his life, the family, is crumbling.Mostly, educators have experienced that they do play an important role in supportingthese children. Some even mentioned that they, as educators, have to sometimesfulfil a parental role for that child. According to Ligon and McDaniel (1970:76)educators are of inestimable help to children who bring their problems to them.I believe that the findings of this phenomenological study add credence to theresearch on educators as a supportive system for children from divorced families.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University