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Question: Alicia is a 6-year-old girl in Grade 1 in a public Primary School near Pinetown. Her parents are originally from Mozambique, her mother fled from Mozambique due to the physical abuse from Alicia’s father and came to South Africa last year in search of a better life for her children. Alicia lives in an informal settlement with her mother and 2 younger brothers. Her mother hand weaves mats and sells them by the roadside, Alicia helps her after school and during weekends. She has not found work yet and use the little money she gets from selling mats to support her children. Alicia speaks Swahili and Portuguese at home and does not understand any of the South African languages. The school that Alicia attends uses IsiZulu as a language of instruction and she does not understand the teacher due to the language barrier. Alicia’s birth card indicate that she was born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) a condition that results from alcohol exposure during the mother’s pregnancy. Her teacher tries her best to accommodate her by relying on demonstrations when instructing her to do tasks, it is however, still difficult for Alicia to comprehend and her teacher suspects that Alicia’s academic challenges are not only a result of the language barrier. She seems to lack concentration in class and appears to be in a world of her own. She also struggles to interact and engage with other learners in her class. Her teacher has noted that she is usually tired in the mornings and lacks energy, her energy levels seem to improve after break when she has eaten a meal provided by the school. Her teacher called her mother for a meeting to address Alicia’s academic challenges, her mother came to school intoxicated and communication between her and Alicia’s teacher was difficult. She did demonstrate that the teacher must hit Alicia if she gives her any trouble. Despite Alicia’s academic challenges her teacher has noted that she is very artistic and enjoys drawing, singing, and dancing. • Identify and explain 3 theories that are applicable to the above case study
1. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory: This theory suggests that people are motivated by five basic categories of needs: physiological, safety, love, esteem, and self-actualization. According to this theory, Alicia's basic needs of food, safety and emotional support are not adequately met. Physiological needs such as proper nutrition and rest in order to function properly in school are not sufficiently met. Her safety needs are also threatened as she lives in an informal settlement and her home environment seems unstable, especially given her mother's active substance abuse. Her love and belonging needs are compromised due to lack of a supportive family structure. 2. Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory: This theory asserts that a child's development is influenced by the systems of environment in which the growth occurs. In Alicia's case, the microsystem includes her family and school environment, both of which are not positively contributing to her emotional and intellectual development. Her macrosystem, which would include societal beliefs and attitudes, may also negatively affect her due to prejudice her family faces as immigrants and her mother's substance abuse issues. 3. Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory: This theory underscores the significant role that social interaction and culture play in a child's cognitive development. Alicia's struggle in school is symptomatic of the disjunction between her home culture/language and that of her school's. The school uses IsiZulu for instruction, a language unfamiliar to Alicia, which presents a hurdle in her cognitive and social development. Her development might improve if she is taught in a language she understands, aligning with Vygotsky's emphasis on cultural tools like language for cognitive development.
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