Abstract
Constructive communication practices between secondary school teachers and learners play an essential role in the relationships, support of development and self-actualisation of learners. Learner development is facilitated via teacher-learner interaction in the context of a healthy relationship. In my master’s dissertation (Prins, 2009:85-87) I describe that learners sometimes experience a rigid attachment of the teacher to his or her own perspective and role as sender during communication. In essence, this type of communicative interaction is associated with a breakdown in true communication. It is basically a refusal by the teacher to respectfully engage and authentically listen to the learners in their care. I call this mode of interaction a parallel-monologue. The experience of this parallel-monologue seems to represent an important dimension of the experience of disrespect during the communication between teachers and learners and also inhibits the development of an authentic supportive and constructive educational relationship between a teacher and a learner. The refusal, by the teacher, to listen respectfully to the learners in their care is characterised by a psychological atmosphere where there is a lack of mutual respect, a negative intrapersonal experience, and an absence of important principles of effective teacher and learner interactions. The experience is associated with low trust, frustration and aggression. Such a mono-logical communication approach is unsatisfactory. An approach to teacher and learner communication interactions that fails to incorporate constructive communication, in the form of respectful dialogue, is strongly associated with learners’ experience of aggression during communication interactions with teachers. Constructive communication between teachers and learners in a secondary school is an essential element of healthy learner development and self-actualisation. Against the preceding background and rationale the following research question was formulated and this question will determine the focus of this thesis: What can be done to address the monologue between secondary school teachers and learners?...
Ph.D.