Life Orientation teachers’ perceived sense of meaning and purpose in their career lives

Maree, J.G. (Kobus)2025-06-272025-06-272025-092025-01*S2025http://hdl.handle.net/2263/103021Mini Dissertation (MEd (Educational Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2025.In South Africa, the role of Life Orientation (LO) teachers is to assist learners in making informed decisions about life responsibilities, which includes subject and career choices, as part of aiding them in the process of designing successful lives (DBE, 2011; Ruiters & Maree, 2022). LO teachers’ role as subject specialists is, however, challenged by limitations in their professional qualifications, particularly regarding their career practitioner competencies in providing career guidance to learners (Diale, 2016; Modiba & Sefotho, 2019). Furthermore, LO teachers face the formidable task of teaching a subject often regarded as less important to learners and their colleagues, which can adversely affect their personal fulfilment and intrinsic motivation (Dama, 2020; Diale, 2016). The purpose of the research study is to fill the gap in literature regarding LO teachers’ experiences teaching the LO subject, which contributes to their perceived sense of meaning and purpose. The experiences and perceptions of LO teachers were explored in the research study, particularly for those currently teaching the LO subject to learners in the Further Education and Training (FET) phase, in schools within South Africa's Gauteng province. The interviews explored the factors that influence fulfilment amongst LO teachers, the challenges they face in their work, and strategies they use to sustain their motivation. The findings of this research study could be potentially helpful in contributing to the knowledge, as well as informing stakeholders, of how teachers experience LO as a subject, how they present the content, and how their classroom instruction influences the career choices and self-development of Grade 11 learners. The research study is qualitative in nature, with the Self-determination theory (SDT) as the theoretical basis. For data generation, semi-structured individual interviews and a focus group interview were conducted with 10 LO teachers who are currently employed within the Gauteng Province and possess at least 10 years of teaching experience, particularly for Grade 11 learners. Phenomenology is the research design, and the researcher will utilise hermeneutic phenomenology, followed by the implementation of Ajjawi and Higgs’s (2007) six stages for data analysis.en© 2024 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.Life Orientation as a subjectLife Orientation teachersCareer guidance or educationCareer counsellingMeaning and purpose (in career guidance)Career developmentUCTDLife Orientation teachers’ perceived sense of meaning and purpose in their career livesMini Dissertationu1605429710.25403/UPresearchdata.29270159