HIV/AIDS content knowledge and presentation strategies in biology for effective use in everyday life

Abstract

HIV/AIDS education should empower students to create knowledge using everyday life experiences. Such knowledge should then be used to construe experience and resolve social problems such as risk behaviour that leads to infection. In South Africa, attempts to reduce the spread of HIV include incorporating HIV/AIDS education in the Biology curriculum.However, there is a dearth of knowledge regarding the effectiveness of Biology-based HIV/AIDS education. The current study therefore aimed to identify strategies that can be used to enhance Biology students' understanding of HIV/AIDS and promote the use of this knowledge in their daily lives. A predominantly qualitative mixed-method approach with Delphi technique was used to gather and analyse data from secondary-school Biology students and teachers, as well as HIV/AIDS experts specializing in medicine and research. Findings show that most students rely on knowledge learnt in Biology to make decisions related to HIV/AIDS. Respondents suggested that HIV/AIDS education should be taught collaboratively by teachers, people living with HIV, and HIV/AIDS experts. Biology concepts and teaching strategies that could enhance students' understanding of HIV/AIDS, which are not part of the current Biology curriculum, were identified.

An investigation into the curriculum ideology that foregrounds the presentation of HIV/AIDS content in selected South Africa Life Sciences textbooks

“…Perhaps this could help alleviate the burden of HIV/AIDS, especially among the most vulnerable, such as women and children. Engaging learners in research activities in their local communities, as found in the present research, addresses concerns raised by Mnguni and Abrie (2012) in that HIV/AIDS knowledge can now be learned in the everyday context of the learners. This could, in turn, improve learners' ability to apply knowledge learned in school into their everyday lives (Chamany, Allen, & Tanner, 2008;Holbrook, 2014).…”

“…Previous research has shown that HIV/AIDS knowledge taught in school curricula does not always affect behaviors (Anderson & Beutel, 2007). Mnguni and Abrie (2012) suggest that this is probably because such knowledge lacks depth and is presented in a manner that is not relevant to students. Other scholars also argue that HIV/AIDS knowledge is presented in the Life Sciences CAPS curriculum as academic knowledge rather than functional knowledge (e.g., Wolff & Mnguni, 2015).…”

“…In the South African context, Life Sciences (previously known as Biology) is the only school subject where learners are taught the biology of HIV/AIDS. To this end, previous research has shown that learners may depend on scientific knowledge learned in Life Sciences to make decisions related to HIV/ AIDS (Mnguni & Abrie, 2012). However, an analysis of the Life Sciences curriculum has shown that several concepts necessary for learners to understand the nature and characteristics of HIV/AIDS are not prescribed in the CAPS curriculum (Wolff & Mnguni, 2015).…”

The Curriculum Ideology Recommended by Novice Teachers for Life Sciences in South Africa

“…By not recommending this ideology therefore, teachers may not integrate socio-scientific issues in their teaching, which are meant to bridge the gap between science and society. It is perhaps for this reason that Mnguni and Abrie (2012) as well as Mnguni, Abrie and Ebersöhn (2016) found that in Life Sciences students are taught HIV/AIDS knowledge as "academic knowledge" rather than "functional knowledge". As a result, students fail to apply this knowledge in their behavioural practices related to HIV/AIDS.…”

Exploring the Student and Social Accountability of the Life Sciences Curriculum: a Case of Hiv/Aids

“…It is, therefore, imperative that the curriculum should respond to HIV/AIDS by providing learners with cutting-edge knowledge and skills required to deal with the socio-economic challenges caused by HIV/AIDS. The extent to which this is the case currently has been addressed by various scholars who suggest that the curriculum may not be playing a significant role in the fight against HIV/AIDS (e.g., Mnguni & Abrie, 2012;Mnguni, Abrie, & Ebersohn, 2016). The underlying cause of this misalignment between the curriculum and social needs has not been extensively explored.…”