Education in Intermediate Phase: South African Case Study Analysis

This essay delves into the complexities of education during the intermediate phase, employing Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory to analyze a case study of a student named Christine in South Africa. The essay begins by introducing the dynamic nature of education and the obstacles that can hinder a student's mental development. It then provides background information on Christine, a grade 9 student from an indigenous community facing socioeconomic and cultural barriers. The core of the essay examines both internal and external barriers to education, including cultural discrimination, economic disparities, and infrastructural limitations. The theoretical foundation of Bronfenbrenner's ecological approach is explained, followed by a discussion of risks and protective factors affecting students. The essay also explores the teacher's perspective, emphasizing the importance of adapting teaching strategies to the students' diverse backgrounds and maturity levels. Finally, it outlines practical implications and potential support systems, such as promoting cultural sensitivity and inclusive educational policies. The essay concludes by highlighting the importance of inclusive education and the impact of various barriers on students' emotional intelligence and overall development.

Running had: EDUCATION IN INTERMEDIATE PHASE
Education in Intermediate Phase
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1EDUCATION IN INTERMEDIATE PHASE
Introduction
The field of education is dynamic in nature and it seeks to adhere to the level of mental
development of all the concerned individuals (Donald 2014). However, often times it can be
observed that there are some obstacles which are present within this field of education which
affects the mental development of an individual. The purpose of this essay is to understand the
field of education against the back drop of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological approach. In this context,
a case study is developed in the essay whereby the demographic factors of an individual has been
looked in to. Furthermore, the barriers faced by this individual in the field of education has also
been analyzed in this essay along with the necessary support provided by the teacher to help
resolve such activities.
Back ground information about the chosen individual
The chosen individual for this case study is named Christine who is a resident of the
country of South Africa. She belongs to a comparatively economic weaker section of the society
whereby her parents have to struggle in order to provide her with basic education. She belongs to
the Khomani San indigenous group of South Africa and lives close to the Kalahari Desert. In
order to provide their daughter with a better standard of living, Christine’s parents decided to
send her to one of the schools within the capital of South Africa, to Cape Town. She is a grade 9
student and studies in the ABC school of the region. Due to her indigenous cultural and ethnic
back ground, she has faced discriminatory activities from the other people of the region.
Barriers to education as faced by the individual in the case study
There are certain barriers which are faced by the students of the region of South Africa
with respect to their accessibility to knowledge and education. In the context of Christine, such

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barriers to education may be divided in to internal barriers and external barriers which have been
discussed as follows.
Internal barriers
The most important internal barrier which is faced by Christine is that of her indigenous
cultural back ground. The indigenous population of all regions of the world have always been
treated to be subservient to that of the main stream population (Cleak et al., 2018). They occupy
a low social status in the society whereby the other people of the community treat them in a
condescending manner. Furthermore, the indigenous population are economically weaker as they
prefer to live away from the main stream society. As a result of this, they do not engage in any
industrial activities but rather choose to stay near to nature. Such activities are not economically
rewarding due to which their standard of living suffers to a great extent. Due to such a low socio-
economic position occupied by the indigenous population of a region, they do not enjoy an equal
status with the common public of the society.
As a result of such internal differences in the case of Christine, she faces a lot of
discriminatory activities in her school. Her indigenous identity has served as an important
internal barrier which has prevented her from receiving an equal treatment from her fellow class
mates (Skidmore and Murakami 2016).
External barriers
There are certain external barriers which also adversely affects the level of education that
is received by a student. One of the most significant factors is that of the economic status of the
individuals. Schools of the contemporary time period are more focused on the manner of how to
provide education to only those who are able to afford it (Arvanitis 2018). This is highly

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discriminatory in nature as the economic status of a person is dependent on the external
environment.
Another external barrier that can be observed within the context of receiving education is
that of the location of the individuals. In the case of Christine, it can be seen that she was living
near the edge of the Kalahari Desert. She had to movie from there to the main city of South
Africa in order to receive effective education. This was a result of the unavailability of proper
infrastructure of educational institutions in all the parts of the country. Thus, it can be observed
that Christine had to leave her home town in order to receive educational knowledge. From here,
it can be analyzed that the external environment of provision of infrastructure is essential for an
individual to receive proper education (Navarro et al. 2016).
Theoretical foundation of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological approach
The development of an individual depends on the way the inherent internal qualities of an
individual intermix with that of their external environment (Vélez-Agosto et al. 2017). This, in
turn, highly influences the manner in which an individual grows and develops with regards to
their emotional intelligence. Uric Bronfenbrenner talked about this by formulating the Ecological
Systems Theory. This theory lays emphasis on the issue of observing the chosen children within
different kinds of environment in an attempt to analyze and understand the level of their
development (Pittenger, Huit and Hansen 2016). According to Bronfenbrenner, an individual in
seen to be active in their home environment as well as in their school environment, both of which
are completely different. The changes which are observed in the individuals with respect to the
differences in their environment play a significant role in changing the nature and shaping the
mental development of such individuals (Burns, Warmbold-Brann and Zaslofsky 2015).

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Risks and protective factors
In the field of education, the indigenous population often faces many hurdles and
obstructions which pose a risk to their ability to develop. For instance, the cultural identity of the
individual acts as a barrier to their ability to effectively integrate themselves with the other
students in the class room (Hertler, et al. 2018). The society usually lays a lot of emphasis on the
ethnic back ground of an individual which makes them conscious about the place occupied by
such cultures within the societal frame work. In this context, it can be observed that the
indigenous identity of Christine acts as a barrier for her to develop her level of self-efficacy and
self-confidence (Ashiabi and O’Neal 2015). As a consequence of this, she is unable to develop
her ability to critically reflect on an issue and form judgments and self-reflection with regard to
that issue.
Another risk factor which might be encountered by Christine in her educational
institution is the language barrier that might occur. The indigenous people of a community have
their own form of language and traditions which are widely different from the ones identified
with the main stream population. As a result of this, Christine faces a lot of difficulty in
interpreting the lessons taught in the class and often times, she even faces a problem of trying to
relate to the fictional characters of the literature used in the class room (Elliott and Davis 2018).
This affects the level of critical thinking ability of Christine which is the most important
development required for an intermediate phase student. Class 9 is the time when the students
learn to critically evaluate their surroundings in a practical manner.

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Teacher’s perspective
The role of the teacher in any class room environment is important in the context of
development of the children who are under their care. The level of mental maturity of a child is
highly influenced by the different teaching strategies that are employed by such teachers (Walker
and Pattison 2016). In this context it can be seen that the theory of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological
approach needs to be applied in practice within such class rooms.
The perspective of a teacher is dependent on many factors. A teacher needs to first take in
to consideration the different cultural identity of the students present. Second, the mental
maturity level of the students also needs to the accounted for in an intermediate phase of
education (Ford, Mongon and Whelan 2018). Accordingly, the he or she needs to adopt that
teaching strategy which would aid the students to effectively understand the topics taught as this
is essential for grade 9 standard. All of these would aid the students to understand the importance
of the socially desirable ideas of tolerance and harmony while encouraging them to advance their
emotional intelligence.
Practical implications and possible support
In order to aid Christine to have access to an effective education system, there are certain
kinds of support which can be given to help her cause. As per the Bronfenbrenner’s ecological
approach, a child is exposed to a different set of environment pertaining to different situations.
For instance, the situation at their homes is widely different from the situation as seen in their
class room (Bondi and Matthews 2017). This needs to be understood by the teachers so that they
can remove such differences. This can be done with the aid of giving the necessary education to
the students which talks about the importance of respecting the cultural identities of the people of

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the society. Furthermore, the teachers should try to provide knowledge which discusses about the
significance of maintain peace on the society which can only transpire as a result of the
individuals living as a community.
The second support that can be given is with regards to the administration of the
educational institutions. The essence of education can be fulfilled when it has been made
inclusive in nature (Bondi and Matthews 2017). In other words, education and knowledge should
be made available to everyone in the society. In this regard, the educational institutions should
try to reduce their admission fees so that even the most poorest and backward individuals of the
society can afford access to such levels of knowledge.
Conclusion
In conclusion it can be observed that the emotional intelligence of the individuals is
developed as a result of receiving such forms of education and knowledge. However, the field of
education is not without its barriers. The inclusive nature of education has undergone a change in
the contemporary world. All the students who are desirous of being a part of this process of
teaching and learning are not allowed to be so. They are widely discriminated against based on
their social status, their economic condition, their cultural and ethnic back ground and other such
areas of discrimination. Furthermore, there might be certain factors inherently present within an
individual itself which might prevent them from getting an access to an effective system of
education. Such barriers might be present in the psychological sphere of the individuals
themselves. This has been analyzed in detail with the aid of the case study and the
Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory approach within this essay.

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