Abstract
M.Ed.
A person constitutes his world and determines to a large extent his
happiness by means of choices. The individual find himself in a
society with a network of relationships wherein several values and
views of life are representative. In this complex structure of
views and relationships a person can easily feel unfettered in the
midst of choices in respect of which he does not feel ready to take
a view. It is against this background that a study was made as to
the education of responsible choices as a means of coping.
The goal of the study was to investigate the making of choices as
a means of coping against the background of a fundamental-agogic
perspective. It shall also be endeavoured to highlight the
educational implications of the findings and to express same in
functional terms.
To determine what the underlying basis of a person's daily choices
is, it is necessary to determine a person essential characteristics
from a universally valid perspective. This essential
characteristics are then brought in connection with the
ground motives which regulate a person's daily existence. In
futherance of the universally valid perspective the motives
relating to personal aspects and to other people within the
ideological context and how such motives are manifested within the
specific context are investigated.
In futherance of the fenomenologistic view on choices, it will be
shown what the educational requirements are when the exercise
of choices takes place. It will also be shown concisely how a lack
of choice-awareness may be a contributing factor in socioeducational
problem areas for instance misbehaviour and suicide
amongst the youth.
The most important findings from the above mentioned study are the
following:
It is the task of the educator to make the educant aware that
he has, as a human being, a choice potential and to encourage
him to make use of such potential. An awareness of choices as
a life-skill should underlie the rational making of choices.
A persons options are determined by his specific time-space
situation and the parameters of his responsibility. Because
of the uniqueness of every person's circumstances rigid
directives of choices cannot be fundamentally or universally
valid. There are however certain singular core matters which
are generally present in the education of choices namely:
The possibility of education toward choices exists because the
exercise of choices is a conscious mental process. Through
choices the educant obtains a share in his growth process and
will his helplessness be gradually reduced. A person should
exercise choices from within the safe basis of a value
structure to experience order and security. When the educator
makes the educant aware of his choice-potential, he should
also unfold the sense of life to him, because choices one
makes in relation to meaning of his existence also determines
to a great extent the goals of the other choices which he will
make. The educant should obtain the opportunity for making
choices in a climate of responsible discipline.
By utilizing choices as a life skill, a person can answer to his
basic motives and anthropological needs. Because of choices a
person can establish himself as somebody and can enter into
relationships with the others of his existence being the divine,
his fellowman and objects.