background of the research site code-named Peace-Hope prison as well as the theoretical framework of the paper. Section two addresses some of the findings and conclusion.
SECTION ONE 1.2 Background
The prison is made up of single structure buildings each almost the size of a football pitch. The whole prison site may be equivalent to four football stadiums. The education
unit is one of the sections in the whole prison organisation and was established in the year 2000. At its inception, the unit was manned by two teachers, viz. the supervisor and his
assistant; and they assert that the work was too heavy for them at the time. However, at the time of my visit the teaching personnel had increased to six officials including the
supervisor. The total number of learners, as stated by the assistant supervisor was ten, i.e. eight males and two females. Contrary to this figure however, during my lesson
observations I counted twenty two learners in some lessons in the academic stream. The number of female learners was two in line with the assistant supervisor’s account. It was
baffling that the official records as provided were sharply in disparity with the records taken during my daily classroom lesson observation. Perhaps the disparity may be
attributed to records not being updated appropriately. The academic stream which largely occupied the centre of my research was made up of the following subjects: languages
English, Sepedi and Tsonga; commercial subjects business economics, economics and accounting; science subjects physical science, mathematics, biology and agricultural
science; and social science subjects history, geography, travel and tourism.
1.2 Methodology The methodological focus of the research was largely informed by two factors, viz.
exploring perspectives and the significance of education on crime reduction. In my opinion to achieve these factors, interpretivequalitative approach in the present context
was an appropriate approach for application for the following reasons: • that conception of reality is a social construct and therefore respondents are likely to
provide a variety of answers from their subjective points of view because interpretation of reality depends on one’s perception.
• The fact that understanding of reality varies from individual to individual as much as from group to group presupposes that reality is not static but dynamic and, in fact,
multifaceted. Consequently, respondents to the present study were expected to provide varied responses and, in my opinion, the best possible approach to enable this
to happen and in which to analyse the responses, is interpretive approach. As a researcher I have an obligation to make a choice among the variety of approaches that
prevail in the field of research so that claims are made appropriately and relevantly. My view is that locating the present project within the parameters of the
interpretivequalitative methodology was therefore justified.
• that researchers are perceptual, interpretive and analytical social beings and therefore detaching themselves from reality is unrealistic.
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• that knowledge is a consequence of the relationship between the observer and the observed and therefore, the relationship is flexible and reciprocal Stake, 1995;
Robson, 2002. • The current project is an in-depth study which is rooted in case study approach
because observations, interviews, and textual analysis will be employed when I commence with field work for the purpose of data collection.
• Reality is a consequence of perception therefore there are multiple realities which are dynamic depending on individual perceptions. In the present study I expect each of the
stakeholders to provide their accounts based on their conceptualisation of curriculum in the centre.
Multiple realities denote that the truth about the phenomenon can be seen in different ways and essentially, there will be different interpretations. It is therefore important for
researchers to appreciate and understand construction of reality as seen from different angles. In view of this it was not possible to be conclusive in terms of all the questions to
be assessed, however adjustments were made and further questions added when data collection process commenced in the research site.
1.3 Research Approach: Case study Cohen et al 2000 define case study as
