Abstract
M.Ed.
Conversations on sensitive topics within and outside the classroom are
complicated by many factors including the presence of various cultures, the
breakdown of communities and lack of parental guidance. Added to this our
"rapid moral decline" makes for a very volatile society (Prinsloo, 2007:55). These
factors spurred the researcher on to investigate sensitive topics, particularly in
terms of how adolescents converse on these topics, and what they talk about.
The adolescents' perception and understanding of sensitive topics appears to be
influenced by a number of factors such as social experience, style of parenting,
peer group influence and type of education. It is therefore necessary to
determine the needs and knowledge that adolescents have on these topics,
considering the variations in adolescent development.
This study aims to describe conversational patterns - how conversations are
organised and structured; to determine what conversations reveal about their
beliefs that they hold on sensitive topics; to make recommendations to teachers
on how they could help facilitate such conversations; and to clarify how these
views are culturally determined.
The research questions of this study required a qualitative approach, involving a
detailed engagement or encounter with the participants of the study (Merriam,
2002). The research takes place in two phases. Phase one determines which
topics learners deem as sensitive and why. A questionnaire is used to determine
these. Phase two constitutes an interview addressing the topics determined by
phase one.