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Africa Education Review
ISSN: 1814-6627 (Print) 1753-5921 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/raer20
Student teachers’ opinion of the pastoral role
module in a Postgraduate Certificate in Education
programme
S. Schoeman
To cite this article: S. Schoeman (2012) Student teachers’ opinion of the pastoral role module in
a Postgraduate Certificate in Education programme, Africa Education Review, 9:2, 327-343, DOI:
10.1080/18146627.2012.722407
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/18146627.2012.722407
Published online: 19 Oct 2012.
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327
ISSN1814-6627 (print) 1753-5921 (online)
DOI: 10.1080/18146627.2012.722407
University of South Africa Press
Africa Education Review 9 (2)
pp. 327 – 343
Student teachers’ opinion of the pastoral
role module in a Postgraduate Certificate
in Education programme
S. Schoeman
Department of Teacher Education
Universit y of South Africa
schoes@unisa.ac.za
Abstract
The Norms and Standards for Educators (2000) recognises a well-defined community,
citizenship and pastoral role as one of seven roles of a competent and qualified edu-
cator. In 2005 a module dealing with the pastoral role was introduced as part of the
Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE – Senior Phase and FET) programme in the
institution under study. The aim of this article is to report the outcomes of an empirical
study of student teachers’ opinion on the module. A group-administered questionnaire
was used to determine student teachers’ opinion regarding the extent and the adequacy
of the module to prepare them for their future pastoral role. The student teachers have
an overall positive opinion of the module. Grove’s pastoral community model is put
forward to enhance the quality of the pastoral role training provided in the programme.
Keywords: initial teacher education, student teacher, PGCE, pastoral role, role of the
educator
Introduction
The Norms and Standards for Educators (2000) recognises a well-dened
community, citizenship and pastoral role as one of seven roles of a competent
and qualied educator. In Norms and Standards for Educators (2000; ELRC
2004, A–47, A–50, A–51) the community, citizenship and pastoral role of the
educator is outlined as a responsive, supportive, empowering and change-
328
S. Schoeman
oriented task of engagement. The notion of the pastoral role has been elaborated
by Beck and Earl (2001, 65) as values education, Best (1999, 58–59) and
McNamara (2008, 6–21) as ve pastoral development and support tasks, Best,
Lang, Lodge and Watkins (1995, 63) as merely instrumental, and Grove (2004,
34, 36–37) as a pastoral community model comprising three R’s – relationships,
respect and responsibility – for pastoral care in school.
Teacher education institutions have thus been required to focus their initial
teacher education programmes on identiable competencies that every newly
qualied teacher (NQT) should have. Much of it rightly focuses upon raising the
quality of learning area and/or subject teaching but the teacher’s role has been
expanded. He or she is not just responsible for the academic development of
learners but is also expected to play a role encompassing learners’ psychosocial
needs. As all teachers come into contact with learners throughout their working
day, they will often have to deal with problems when they arise and not wait for
specialist help. It could therefore be said that every teacher adopts a pastoral
role, no matter how his or her school denes its pastoral care system (Beck and
Earl 2001, 1–62; Carey 1993, 12–13; Glasgow Education Services 2010, 1).
Problem statement
The problem that underlay this study centred on the need for and the extent
and adequacy of the formal pastoral role training provided in initial teacher
education programmes in South Africa. Just as the traditional side of teaching
requires training, teachers need to be trained for their pastoral role. As Bishop
(1990, 3–10) puts it: “the teachers’ pastoral role is not simply caring, listening
and being sympathetic; it requires training”. Although a need for training has
been recognised, according to Allder (1992, 3–6), Carey (1993, 17–18) and the
Glasgow Education Services (2010, 1) very few teachers have had any training
for their pastoral role. Student teachers in South Africa for many years were
not given much initial teacher education for their pastoral role.
Research questions
Against the backdrop of the preceding discussion, the following research
questions can be formulated: How does the module offered to all PGCE (Senior
Phase and FET) students address the developmental needs of prospective
teachers in relation to facilitating pastoral care of learners in South African
public schools? How do the student teachers view the extent and the adequacy
of the module to equip them for their future pastoral role? How can the module
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Student teachers’ opinion of the pastoral role module in a Postgraduate Certificate in Education programme
be improved to enhance the professional competence of students who enrol
for the module in future?
Purpose of the study
In view of the research questions, the purpose of this article is to rstly, outline
scholars’ views of the fundamentals of pastoral care training and practice to
use as conceptual framework for the study; secondly, describe the extent and
the nature of the pastoral role module offered to all PGCE (Senior Phase and
FET) students in the institution under study as context for the empirical study;
thirdly, report the outcomes of the empirical study of the opinion of student
teachers on the module to identify the (possible) strengths and weaknesses
of the module; and lastly, recommend Grove’s pastoral community model to
enhance the quality of the pastoral role training in the module, and to make
public schools places where learners feel safe and accepted. The theoretical
framework of the study is critical pedagogy.
Clarication of the concept pastoral role
Best, Lang, Lodge and Watkins (1995, 63) see the pastoral role of the educator
as merely instrumental, i.e. picking up problems as they arise and responding
pragmatically to them. In this reading of the role, according to Beck and Earl
(2001, 65) there is little or no attempt by the school to deliver values education,
and a lot of problems may go unnoticed.
The question of what kinds of activity were to be included in the pastoral role
of the educator was answered by adopting a model of ve pastoral tasks, which
distinguishes between different aspects of provision managed by schools for the
development and support of learners (Best 1999, 58; McNamara 2008, 6–21).
Best (1999, 58–59) summarises the ve pastoral tasks as follows: reactive
pastoral casework, undertaken on a one-to-one basis in response to the needs
of learners with problems; proactive, preventive pastoral care, in the form of
presentations or activities which anticipate ‘critical incidents’ in learners’ lives
and are aimed at pre-empting the need for reactive casework; developmental
pastoral curricula, aimed at promoting the development and well-being of
learners through distinctive programmes and cross-curricular activities;
promotion and maintenance of an orderly and supportive environment, by
building a community within the school with support systems and positive
relations between all members, and the promotion of a pervasive ethos of
mutual care and concern; and management and administration of pastoral
care, in the form of planning, motivating, resourcing, monitoring, supporting,
330
S. Schoeman
evaluating, encouraging and otherwise facilitating all of the latter. One domain
which should according to Halstead and Taylor (2000, 65) be added to the ve
pastoral tasks is moral education and the development of values.
Grove (2004, 34) suggests a pastoral community model as foundation for pastoral
care in schools. The model consists of three interlocking circles representing
the three R’s of the model – relationships, respect, responsibility. The rst and
outer circle symbolises the rst of the three R’s, relationships, these being the
basis for all human interactions (Grove 2004, 34). The second and middle circle
symbolises the second of the three R’s, respect which is a vital ingredient in
the development of positive, nurturing relationships (Grove 2004, 36–37).
The third and inner circle symbolises the third of the three R’s, responsibility,
and is one of the more problematic aspects of developing a pastorally caring
classroom community. It is impossible for the pastoral educator to take full
responsibility for the care of his or her learners. At any given point in time
there are going to be a number of learners who are having crises in managing
some aspect of their life (Grove 2004, 37). A proactive collaborative approach
is recommended by Grove (2004, 37) whereby responsibility is shared across
all groups associated with the school.
Pastoral role module
In 2005 a module dealing with the pastoral role of the educator was introduced
as part of the Postgraduate Certicate in Education (PGCE – Senior Phase
and FET) programme in the institution under study. For the rst time, student
teachers who enrolled in initial teacher education were trained to specically
address the issues which are associated with the pastoral role of the educator.
In designing the module the requirements of ofcial policy documents were
followed and the South African context was taken into consideration. The
module is a core module which aims to equip student teachers with the necessary
knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to teach various cross-curricular themes
and to perform a guidance and counselling role in their classrooms, schools
and communities.
The module comprises a theoretical component and a practical component. The
theoretical component of the module entails lectures in a study guide dealing
with cross-curricular themes such as cultural diversity, integrated schools,
human rights and inclusivity education, religion, citizenship education, barriers
to learning, child abuse and HIV/Aids. Counselling skills and practical skills
for crisis intervention are explored and a whole school or team approach is
emphasised. The practical component of the module entails, as Dean (1996,
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Student teachers’ opinion of the pastoral role module in a Postgraduate Certificate in Education programme
18) puts it, “watching, discussing and doing” of pastoral care activities during
teaching practice, resulting in a written report by school principals on the
student teachers’ involvement in activities during their ten weeks of teaching
practice. During discussion classes, counselling skills training is also provided.
Literature review
Lang (1995, 18–23) and Nuen (2003, 169–182) emphasise that in the preparation
of teachers for the pastoral, personal and social aspects of their roles, three
distinct aspects must be considered. They are: attitudes and beliefs, knowledge
and understanding, and skills and competence. The rst includes the teachers’
own belief systems and the beliefs that exist in the education system and the
schools about the degree to which teachers should be involved in pastoral
work and personal and social education. The second includes the teachers’
knowledge and understanding of pastoral care and personal and social education
in terms of their professional work, particularly in the systems in which they
work. The third includes the teachers’ skills and competence in managing
effective group discussion and individual counselling. Maples (1999, 33–38)
highlights the importance of developing teachers’ self-esteem since this is
crucial to the learning environment, specic curriculum-based strategies and
to the development of self-esteem in learners.
Nigro (2003, 1–10) and Taylor, Hawkins and Brady (1991, 143–150) establish
that training in crisis management does improve teachers’ condence in
recognising and dealing with a crisis. Carey (1993, 12–18), in a study of
how teachers react to learners’ life crises, identies a need for some form of
communication, listening and counselling skills training in order to provide
them with a model that they could work through when dealing with a learner
under stress. Cleave, Carey, Norris, Sloper, While and Charlton (1991, 16–21)
and Kelly (2011, 1–2) indicate that training teachers to listen actively could
make them feel more condent when dealing with learners under stress. Other
useful skills could include empathy, expressing and recognising feelings, and
knowing when to refer a learner for specialist help. Easton (1995, 25–28) and
Kottler and Kottler (2007, 1) highlight the importance of developing counselling
skills for teachers, and discusses the need to understand the individual and
organisational obstacles involved in counselling students, the need to explore
what counselling is and the limitations of counselling issues in the whole school
approach, ethical issues such as condentiality, role conict of class teachers
(for example, conict between discipline and counselling roles), and greater
links between teachers and others working as counsellors.
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S. Schoeman
Reisby, Krgyger, Moos and Reinsholm (1994, 27–33) stress that teacher training
for pastoral care should emphasise the importance of the social and cultural
context in the implementation of personal and social education. They go on
to say that with a changing context, the caring and relational sides of teachers
become even more important. In order to carry out their pastoral role, teachers
need to be open-minded; aware of their own values; knowledgeable about child
development and social relationships within their class; skilful in encouraging
open dialogue and co-operation with colleagues; informed of ethical standards;
and compliant with rules when working for the general good of the learners and
their parents. The Cambridgshire Community Services (2011, 1) and Reisby et
al. (1994, 27–33), in their study of the tasks of class teachers, highlight the fact
that the class teachers’ role is perceived as monitoring attendance, discipline,
upbringing, health and social aspects of learners and as being a co-ordinator
between teachers, learners and parents. This is similar to Leung and Wong’s
(1999, 5–11) description of the class teacher’s role in Hong Kong. They
highlight the importance of training teachers in writing reports and remarks,
meeting parents, and counselling learners with emotional problems. The prime
skills for managing this load involve good basic administration skills but also
good basic counselling skills.
With the information obtained from the international literature review, an
empirical study particular to the South African situation was planned.
Empirical study
A non-experimental survey research design involving quantitative data was
utilised to generate data for the study.
Questionnaire
A questionnaire was used to determine the student teachers’ opinion regarding
the extent and the adequacy of the module to prepare them for their future
pastoral care role. The questionnaire was based on Lang’s (1995, 18–23)
discursive analysis of how to prepare teachers for pastoral care and personal
and social education (either to be trained or to be educated), and Pattie’s
(2000, 42–46) research project on personal and social education and teacher
development in Hong Kong. These two scholars indicate that student teachers,
in the preparation for their pastoral care role, need to be educated with regard
to three distinct aspects, namely beliefs and attitudes, knowledge and skills.
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Student teachers’ opinion of the pastoral role module in a Postgraduate Certificate in Education programme
The questionnaire comprised two sections. Section 1 consisted of four scaled
questions, each with a list of related variables to which the respondents were
asked to respond. Question 1 read: What beliefs or values does the module help
you to reect on? Listed were the following related variables: teacher-learner
relationship, critical or transformative pedagogy, learners’ changeability, teacher
open-mindedness, whole school approach/team work, teacher responsibility,
teacher self-esteem. Question 2 read: What knowledge about your pastoral role
do you gain from this module? Listed were the following related variables:
pastoral care concepts, pastoral care implementation, adolescent development,
class teachers’ role, ethical commitments, learners’ socio-cultural contexts,
barriers to learning. Question 3 read: What skills or professional competence
do you obtain from this module? Listed were the following related variables:
crisis management skills, communication skills, counselling skills, listening
skills, reference skills, ethical skills such as condentiality, administration
skills, cooperation skills, open dialogue, empathy, expressing and recognising
feelings. Question 4 read: On the whole what aspects do you get the most from
this module? Listed were the following variables: knowledge, skills, values
and attitudes. Respondents were asked to indicate, using a Likert-type scale,
the strength of their agreement or disagreement regarding the extent to which
the variables of each question contributed to the preparation for their pastoral
care role by marking an X on a continuous scale ranging from SA, indicating
strong agreement (6), to SD, indicating strong disagreement (1). Section 2
comprises an open-ended question in which the student teachers were requested
to narrate their opinion regarding the value of the module for their professional
development.
Respondents
Probability simple random sampling was used. The questionnaire was group-
administered to 59 (9.1% of the target population of 642) student teachers during
the annual day seminars held on the university campus. The sample included
sub-groups of race, gender, age, geographical area, academic qualications
and teaching experience. White and Black as well as male and female students
between the ages of 24 to 55 years were involved. Respondents came from
the following six geographical areas: Gauteng, Mpumalanga, North West,
KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and Limpopo. The respondents had all obtained
a rst bachelors’ degree. Many of the respondents had also completed honours
and/or masters’ degrees. The teaching experience of the students varied from
none to “many years”.
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S. Schoeman
Data collection
The questionnaires were administered by the researcher herself during the rst
20 minutes of the day seminars. Prior to the completion of the questionnaires,
the instructions were read out loud and respondents were encouraged to
ask questions prior to and during the completion of the questionnaires. The
respondents were then reminded that they should read all the sections carefully,
respond as honestly as possible on the questionnaire form itself and approach
the two sections contained in the questionnaire from the perspective of their
own understanding. The importance of completing all the sections of the
questionnaire was also emphasised. Assurance of anonymity and condentiality
were given. To ensure a greater return rate, respondents were asked to respond to
the questionnaire upon distribution, with all forms being returned immediately.
The student teachers were then thanked for their participation in the project.
Although each respondent completed his or her questionnaire independently and
respondents appeared to give their full attention to the survey, some degree of
mutual inuence might have occurred among the respondents. It took an average
of 10 to 15 minutes to complete the questionnaires. The response rate for the
questionnaires was 69% (N=41). During the data entry stage, it became clear
that some respondents experienced difculties in reading and understanding
the instructions and the questions. It is presumed that these respondents were
too embarrassed to ask for clarication in front of the whole group, so they
answered the questions arbitrarily, incompletely and incorrectly. This could
affect the validity of the data. Eventually only 51% (N=30) of the completed
questionnaires were used in the research project.
Results
The data obtained from the questionnaires was assessed through statistical
analysis using mean ranking scores. A mean score of 3.5 or greater was
interpreted by an overall positive opinion of a given variable, and a mean
score of less than 3.5 was indicative of an overall negative opinion of a given
variable. The results from the questionnaires are presented in two sections.
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Student teachers’ opinion of the pastoral role module in a Postgraduate Certificate in Education programme
Section1: Scaled questions
Table 1: Rank order, percentage, mean score (M) and standard deviation (SD) of student
teachers’ opinion by means of total sample (n=30) of the beliefs and values the module
helps them to reflect on
Variable Rank N % M SD
Teacher-learner
relationship
125 83.3 5.39 0.85
Teacher open-
mindedness
222 73.3 5.08 1.13
Teacher
responsibility
319 63.3 4.81 1.05
Learner
changeability
415 50.0 4.48 1.08
Whole school
approach/team
work
514 46.6 4.28 1.31
Pedagogy 6826.6 3.84 1.12
Teacher self-
esteem
7516.6 3.21 1.35
Table 1 summarises the rank order, percentage, mean score and standard
deviation of student teachers’ opinion of the beliefs and values that the module
helps them to reect on. The student teachers (N=30) who were sampled put the
7 variables that the module helps them to reect on in the following numerical
order. Of the 30 student teachers, 25 (83.3%) ranked teacher-learner relationship
as 1; 22 (73.3%) ranked teacher open-mindedness as 2; 19 (63.3%) ranked
teacher responsibility as 3; 15 (50.0%) ranked learner changeability as 4; 14
(46.6%) ranked whole school approach or team work as 5; 8 (26.6%) ranked
the pedagogy as 6; and 5 (16.6%) saw teacher self-esteem as 7. The majority
of sampled student teachers see 6 of the 7 variables as positive, because the
mean scores for 6 variables were greater than 3.5: teacher-learner relationship
(m=5.39); teacher open-mindedness (m=5.08); teacher responsibility (m=4.81);
learner changeability (m=4.48); whole school approach or team work (m=4.28)
and pedagogy (m=3.84). The student teachers see the variable teacher self-
esteem as a negative, because the mean score for the variable was less than
3.5, namely 3.21.
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S. Schoeman
Table 2: Rank order, percentage, mean score (M) and standard deviation (SD) of student
teachers’ opinion by means of total sample (n=30) of the knowledge they gained from
the module
Variable Rank N % M SD
Pastoral care
concepts
125 83.3 5.39 0.85
Learners’ socio-
cultural context
221 70.0 5.02 1.62
Pastoral care
implementation
319 63.3 4.81 1.05
Class teachers’
role
417 57.0 4.52 1.35
Barriers to
learning
515 50.0 4.48 1.08
Social relations 614 47.0 4.28 1.31
Adolescent
development
713 43.0 2.97 1.44
Ethical
commitments
812 40.0 2.81 1.36
Table 2 summarises the rank order, percentage, mean score and standard
deviation of student teachers’ opinion of the knowledge they gained from the
module. The student teachers (N=30) who were sampled put the 8 variables in
the following numerical order. Of the 30 student teachers, 25 (83.3%) ranked
pastoral care concepts as 1; 21 (70.0%) ranked learners’ socio-cultural context
as 2; 19 (63.3%) ranked implementation of pastoral care as 3; 17 (57.0%) ranked
the class teachers’ role as 4; 15 (50.0%) ranked barriers to learning as 5; 14
(47.0%) ranked social relations as 6; 13 (43.0%) ranked adolescent development
as 7; and 12 (40.0%) ranked ethical commitments as 8. The majority of sampled
teachers are of the opinion that 6 of the 8 variables help them to obtain the
necessary knowledge for their future pastoral care role, because the mean scores
of 6 of the 8 variables were greater than 3.5: pastoral care concepts (m=5.39);
learners’ socio-cultural context (m=5.02); implementation of pastoral care
(m=4.81); class teachers’ role (m=4.52); barriers to learning (m=4.48); social
relations (m=4.28). The student teachers are of the opinion that the module
does not provide them with knowledge of adolescent development and ethical
commitments. They see these two variables as negative, because the mean
scores of the 2 variables were less than 3.5, namely 2.97 and 2.81 respectively.
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Student teachers’ opinion of the pastoral role module in a Postgraduate Certificate in Education programme
Table 3: Rank order, percentage, mean score (M) and standard deviation (SD) of student
teachers’ opinion by means of total sample (n=30) of the skills or professional competence
the module helps them to obtain
Variable Rank N % M SD
Communication skills 124 80.0 5.37 0.82
Counselling skills 219 63.0 4.81 1.05
Empathy 318 60.0 4.79 1.02
Listening skills 416 53.0 4.52 1.00
Expressing/recognising
feelings
416 53.0 4.52 1.00
Confidentiality 416 53.0 4.52 1.00
Reference skills 515 50.0 4.48 1.08
Crisis management skills 614 47.0 4.30 1.15
Open dialogue 713 43.0 4.09 1.45
Cooperation skills 811 37.0 3.82 1.51
Administration skills 9620.0 3.02 1.62
Table 3 summarises the rank order, percentage, mean score and standard
deviation of student teachers’ opinion of the skills or professional competence
that the module helps them to obtain. The student teachers (N=30) who were
sampled put the 11 variables in the following numerical order. Of the 30
student teachers, 24 (80.0%) ranked communication skills 1; 19 (63.0%)
ranked counselling skills 2; 18 (60.0%) ranked empathy 3; 16 (53.0%) ranked
listening skills, expressing and recognising feelings and condentiality 4;
15 (50.0%) ranked reference skills 5; 14 (47.0%) ranked crisis management
skills 6; 13 (43.0%) ranked open dialogue 7; 11 (37.0%) ranked cooperation
skills 8; 6 (20.0%) ranked administration skills 9. The majority of sampled
student teachers see 10 of the 11 variables as positive, because the mean scores
of these 10 variables were greater than 3.5: communication skills (m=5.37);
counselling skills (m=4.81); empathy (m=4.79); listening skills (m=4.52);
expressing and recognising feelings (m=4.52); condentiality (m=4.52);
reference skills (m=4.48); crisis management skills (m=4.30); open dialogue
(m=4.09); cooperation skills (m=3.82). The student teachers see the variable
administration skills as negative, because the mean score of this variable was
less than 3.5, namely 3.02.
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S. Schoeman
Table 4: Rank order, percentage, mean score (M) and standard deviation (SD) of student
teachers’ opinion by means of total sample (n=30) of the aspects they got most from the
module
Variable Rank N % M SD
Knowledge 128 93.0 5.62 0.63
Values and
attitudes
227 90.0 5.49 0.77
Skills 326 87.0 5.39 0.85
Table 4 summarises the rank order, percentage, mean score and standard
deviation of student teachers’ opinion of the total sample (N=30) of the aspects
they got most from the module. The student teachers who were sampled put the
three aspects in the following numerical order. Of the 30 student teachers, 28
(93.0%) ranked knowledge as 1; 27 (90.0%) ranked values and attitudes as 2;
and 26 (87.0%) ranked skills as 3. The above does not add up to 100% because
some student teachers viewed two or all three aspects as equally important.
The majority of sampled teachers see all three aspects as positive, because the
mean score of the three aspects were greater than 3.5, knowledge (m=5.62),
values and attitudes (m=5.49) and skills (m=5.39).
Section 2: Open-ended question
In this section the student teachers were requested to narrate their opinion
regarding the value of the module for their professional development. A
sampling of the responses follows:
Respondent #1: “I like the various (and above-mentioned knowledge, skills
and competencies) that this module teaches, because they are of practical use
to me both as a future teacher and in my everyday life and social interactions
(eg, empathy, listening, skills, etc) They have helped by either enabling me to
implement the various skills and knowledge while I teach, or to be mindful of
them so that I can use them as needed.”
Respondent #2: “I would have benetted more from practical examples how
to counsel (ie a written dialogue to read for myself of a conversation between
educator and learner.”
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Student teachers’ opinion of the pastoral role module in a Postgraduate Certificate in Education programme
Discussion
From the student teachers’ responses to the rst scaled question (see pp. 9-10 of
this article) it became clear that they are of the opinion that the module helped
them to reect on six beliefs and values relevant to their future pastoral care
role. The importance of the six beliefs and values as ranked by the student
teachers is conrmed by scholars such as Easton (1995, 25–28) and Reisby, et
al. (1994, 27–33) as fundamental to pastoral care training and practice. The
sampled student teachers are of the opinion that one of the variables, namely
teacher self-esteem, is not sufciently addressed in the module. Personal and
interpersonal growth is not a theme in the module, but is addressed in another
compulsory module, “The educator as a mediator of learning”. It is difcult to
speculate on the reason for the student teachers not using their metacognitive
knowledge, or even personal theories, of self-esteem and education in their
response to this variable.
The responses of the student teachers to the second scaled question (see pp. 10–
11 of this article) revealed that they are of the opinion that the module provided
them with knowledge of six aspects relevant to their future pastoral care role.
Easton (1995, 25–28), Leung and Wong (1999, 5–11) and Reisby et al. (1994,
27–33) highlight the importance of most of the ranked knowledge variables
for prospective teachers’ pastoral care role. The sampled student teachers are
of the opinion that the module does not provide them with knowledge of the
variables adolescent development and ethical commitments. It is difcult to
speculate on the reason for this perception. One-quarter of a learning unit in
the study guide is devoted to the various stages and characteristics of adolescent
development. It may be that the student teachers experienced the other themes
in the study guide as more applicable to authentic classroom, school and
community situations, and, consequently, focused their attention mainly on
these themes. This argument may be substantiated using the student teachers’
responses to a satisfaction survey in a Tutorial Letter 102 which read: What was
the most positive aspect(s) of the module? Their responses were “HIV/AIDS
education at school …”; “Race and racial discrimination …”; “Warning signs
of child abuse”; “… knowledge about other cultures …”. With regard to the
variable ethical commitments, it may be argued that many of the respondents
did not really understand what the variable entailed and refrained from asking
for an explanation, and consequently were unable to reect on examples of
ethical commitments. Many of them ignored this question.
The student teachers’ responses to the third scaled question (see pp. 11–12 of
this article) revealed that they are of the opinion that the module helps them
340
S. Schoeman
to obtain the professional competence (and skills) necessary for their future
pastoral care role. Carey (1993, 12–18), Cleave et al. (1991, 16–21), Easton
(1995, 25–28), and Reisby et al. (1994, 27–33) argue for the importance of
most of the skills as ranked by the student teachers for the pastoral care training
of prospective educators. The sampled student teachers are of the opinion that
the module does not teach them the necessary administration skills for their
future pastoral care role. The theme of the management and administration of
the educator’s pastoral role is not included in the module; however, the student
teachers are studying a related theme in another compulsory module, “The
educator as leader, manager and administrator”. The reason for their negative
response may be similar to that of Question 1.
Regarding the fourth scaled question (see p. 12 of this article), the responses
of the student teachers illustrate that they are of the opinion that the module
provide them with the three distinct aspects emphasised by scholars such as
Lang (1995, 18–23) as compulsory for the preparation of prospective teachers
for their pastoral care tasks, namely knowledge, values, attitudes and skills.
Consequently, student teachers who pass the module will be able to full the
ve pastoral tasks as put forward in Best’s (1999, 58–59) pastoral tasks model.
Respondents responses to the open-ended question matched their responses
to the four scaled questions. From the student teachers’ responses to the open-
ended question it becomes clear that they have an overall positive opinion of
the module: the module provides them with “professional knowledge, skills,
values and attitudes”; but if they as newly qualied teachers are to “feel as
condent in their pastoral role as in their academic role”, “more counselling
and practical skills training” needs to be provided to help them “cope with
learners experiencing problems whilst at school”.
Conclusion and recommendations
The results of this study revealed that the emphasis of the module is mainly
on the basics, or formal aspects, of pastoral care training, more counselling
and practical skills training is needed. The module provides pastoral role
training in the form of predetermined issues that a newly qualied teacher
may be required to teach in school, and prepares him or her for the expected
needs of learners related to their individual and personal growth, and addresses
them in groups. The counselling and practical skills training provided in the
module is primarily theoretical in nature using lectures in a study guide,
limited counselling skills training during discussion classes, and “watching
and discussing” in teaching practice schools. If the newly qualied teacher
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Student teachers’ opinion of the pastoral role module in a Postgraduate Certificate in Education programme
is to be concerned with individual as well as group issues, then pastoral role
training needs to encompass counselling and practical skills training which
would provide the newly qualied teacher with skills that he or she can use
when dealing with learners under stress. It is not always clear what counselling
and practical skills training is being covered in the teaching practice schools,
and great variation would probably exist in the quality of support student
teachers receive. Consequently, it is acknowledged that lectures are sufcient
for the basics, or formal aspects, of pastoral care training, but these need to be
supplemented with specic counselling and practical skills training in order
to encompass the whole range of pastoral care responsibilities.
It is therefore recommended that the counselling and practical skills training
provided in the module should be viewed as the rst stage of a process of
professional development that can be continued throughout the student teachers’
teaching careers. Ideally according to Cleave et al. (1991, 18), training in
counselling skills should be provided at initial teacher education level, with
the follow-up in the rst two years of teaching. Training could take place later
on in the graduates’ teaching careers in the form of INSET sessions. Although
theoretically appealing, this recommendation has difculties. It could not be
guaranteed that every newly qualied teacher would have the opportunity to
attend INSET sessions, and, as all teachers take on a pastoral role, it is important
that they should all have the opportunity to prepare for it.
To enhance the quality of the module it is recommended that the current two
pillars of the module – the basics, or formal aspects, of pastoral care training
and the counselling skills training – be expanded to include a third pillar, the
teaching of Grove’s (2004, 34–37) pastoral community model. The rationale for
the third pillar is Bredekamp and Rosegrant’s (1992, 81) view that a classroom
community as a place where social bonds are established, individuals can
ourish, and members can participate and contribute is essential for learners’
well-being and academic success. Kohn (1998, 20–25) indicates that once
learners are thriving in a caring classroom community, it follows that classes
can work together to make the school a caring community. Including Grove’s
(2004, 3–37) pastoral community model in the module will enable newly
qualied teachers to support learners’ strengths in a classroom community
with the message, “We are all here to help each other” and “We care about all
members”; and to help learners to become successful learners, problem solvers,
and decision makers. When South Africa’s classrooms function as communities,
learners can feel safe and accepted and make positive connections with others;
and when they leave school they would enter the increasingly complex world
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S. Schoeman
of the adult community with as many assets and as few liabilities as possible,
and be empowered to make the world a better place to live and to work in.
In this article it is argued that training for the educator’s pastoral role in
South African higher education institutions should be seen as important; that
the pastoral care of young people should be made a priority otherwise there
is a danger that many young people will leave school feeling alienated and
confused by their educational experience; and that open debate on initial teacher
education for the pastoral role of the educator should be encouraged. This study
is an attempt to play a part in these discussions.
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