Revisiting Jürgen Habermas's Notion of Communicative Action and Its Relevance for South African School Governance: Can It Succeed?

Autor/in	Mabovula, Nonceba
Titel	Revisiting Jürgen Habermas's Notion of Communicative Action and Its Relevance for South African School Governance: Can It Succeed?
Quelle	In: South African Journal of Education, 30 (2010) 1, S.1-12 (12 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0256-0100
Schlagwörter	School Administration; Governance; Participative Decision Making; Educational Philosophy; Foreign Countries; Teacher Attitudes; Student Role; Focus Groups; Freedom of Speech; Social Theories; Moral Values; Elementary Secondary Education; Interviews; Qualitative Research; South Africa + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Education; Educational policy; Financing; Steuerung; Bildung; Erziehung; Bildungspolitik; Finanzierung; Bildungsphilosophie; Erziehungsphilosophie; Ausland; Lehrerverhalten; Redefreiheit; Gesellschaftstheorie; Moral value; Ethischer Wert; Interviewing; Interviewtechnik; Qualitative Forschung; Südafrika; Süd-Afrika; Republik Südafrika; Südafrikanische Republik
Abstract	I apply as theoretical framework the Habermassian principles of "communicative action" and "consensus" through deliberation and reasoning. In particular, I focus on "rational" and "argumentative" communication through which school governance stakeholders could advance arguments and counter-arguments. I explore perceptions of educators concerning the role of learners, their experience and their democratic participation in school governance. I collected data using focus group discussions with educators in five selected schools in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Data were analysed using natural meaning units which represented specific thoughts, feelings or perceptions as expressed by the participants. Results showed that educators were not very eager to accept learners as participants in the structure of school governance. Finally, I suggest that, through the Habermassian notion of communicative action, school governing body stakeholders will be free to exchange ideas, and that they will not only voice opinions, but also listen, because through the act of engaging and listening (communicative action) participants can be persuaded and their thinking can be transformed. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Education Association of South Africa. University of Pretoria, Centre for the Study of Resilience, Level 3, Groenkloof Student Centre, Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education, George Storrar Road and Lleyds Street, Pretoria 0001, South Africa. Tel: +27-12-420-5798; Fax: +27-12-420-5511; Web site: http://www.sajournalofeducation.co.za/index.php/saje/index
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01