Abstract
M.Ed.
This study focuses on how do conversations among grade five learners contribute to
their knowledge and understanding of myths and facts about HIV/AIDS. Through these
conversations with the learners I aimed to identify on a content level what conversations
reveal about their knowledge and understandings of the facts and myths about
HIV/AIDS. I then further aimed to describe the conversational patterns identified within
the conversation – i.e. how the conversation is organized and structured using the
notions of conversation analysis.
The motivation of the study has its origins in the limited literature on South African
primary school children’s knowledge and understandings of the myths and facts about
HIV/AIDS. I also wished to identify how children have made sense of the vast amount of
HIV/AIDS information that they are exposed to, the different educational and
interventional means, thus identifying whether or not the preadolescent child is able to
process the information correctly or interpret appropriately without creating further
myths and misunderstandings that can be potentially dangerous for themselves and
others.
This is an interpretivist qualitative study using an ethnomethodological research design.
The interpretivist qualitative approach allows for active engagement with the
participants, while the ethnomethodological design provides insight into the actions of
the participants.
The data collection process involved a video-recorded and transcribed conversational
activity with six grade five participants. The activity invited the participants to share one
true and false perspective or opinion on HIV/AIDS. These statements were
anonymously written down and placed into a container. The participants were then
given the opportunity the opportunity to read, share and discuss the validity of the
statement among the group.