Narrating the Lived Experiences of Life Orientation Teachers: An Interpretive Phenomenology Study

This study seeks to explore the lived experiences of Life Orientation (LO) / Life Skills educators in the Further Education and Training Phase (FET). The aim of this research was to determine the lived experiences of teachers during the implementation of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) in LO. This qualitative study employs an interpretive phenomenological design by merging the transformative learning theory of Mezirow and Bandura's self-efficacy theory as a framework. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews with seven purposely selected LO teachers. The findings revealed that teachers experienced their training as effective, leading to continuous professional teacher development, and were able to mitigate the challenges encountered during the implementation of CAPS. Insights from these initial teacher narratives may inform collaborative efforts between the Department of Basic Education and Higher Education Institutes, whereby student teachers should be included in the initial stages of implementing change in the curriculum. The study concludes that the phenomenal aspects that determine effective curriculum implementation are well addressed at schools. It was suggested that to effectively implement CAPS at schools, the DBE should establish compulsory training for teachers to accumulate Continuous Professional Teacher Development points.