Abstract
This research aimed to investigate the extent of children’s, teachers’ and parents’ knowledge
of children’s rights and responsibilities and the extent to which children were being
responsible with their rights. The results were used to design a programme for teaching
children’s rights and responsibilities in schools.
A sequential explanatory mixed method approach was used. Phase 1 gathered quantitative
data from 577 Grade 9 learners, 109 teachers and 402 parents using a questionnaire. The data
was analysed using SPSS 22.0 software for descriptive statistics and factor analysis. Phase 2
collected qualitative data through individual interviews with six learners, five teachers and
six parents and five focus groups. Quantitative results showed learners, teachers and parents
were able to identify their rights and responsibilities from the given items to a large extent
while qualitative results revealed a lower knowledge base of rights and responsibilities
among learners as compared to teachers and parents.
Quantitative results showed that learners were being responsible for their rights to a large
extent while qualitative results indicated that learners generally lacked responsibility for their
rights. Both quantitative and qualitative findings indicated a lack of teaching of children’s
rights and responsibilities at school, home and community places and the need to educate
learners and their significant adults more on children’s rights and responsibilities.
Phase 3 integrated both phases and then the development of a programme for teaching
learners about rights and responsibilities to include more practical teaching methods to allow
learners to be actively involved in the learning process. The study contributed in
understanding the gap in knowledge of rights and responsibilities among children and their
significant adults. It is hoped that the results of the study will help the learners to know and
understand more of their rights and responsibilities as well as appropriately putting them into
practice. Educators struggling to approach the topic of rights and responsibilities could use
the programme as a guide line for teaching.
Ph.D. (Educational Psychology)