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Assoc. Prof 

Govender, Sumeshni

Faculty: Faculty of Education
Department: Educational Foundations
ORCID: 0000-0002-6631-7639
Research Interest(s): Her areas of specialization include Childhood and Adolescent Behaviour, Inclusive and Special Needs Education, HIV and AIDS Education, and Global Coherence.
Active Research Project(s): She is leading an individual project on intervention strategies for students, parents, and teachers of learners with special learning needs using a transdisciplinary approach (2021–present). Additionally, she is involved in a faculty project in collaboration with VVOB, KIC, and other educational institutions.
Active Community Engagement: She is a member of the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), the Psychological Society of South Africa (PsySSA), the Educational Psychology Association of South Africa (EPASSA), and Autism South Africa (AUTISMSA).
Biography: Associate Professor Sumeshni Govender holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Community Psychology. She is registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) as an Educational Psychologist. Professor Govender currently serves as a Senior Lecturer and Acting Director of the Child Guidance Clinic (CGC) in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education. She has been a member of the department for 13 years, with areas of specialization that include childhood and adolescent behaviour, inclusive and special needs education, HIV/AIDS, and global coherence. Professor Govender actively publishes scholarly articles, presents papers at academic conferences, and supervises Master’s and Doctoral research studies in her fields of expertise.
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2020 - 20223

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Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Evaluation of the implementation of Education White Paper 6 in selected full-service schools in KwaZulu-Natal
    2020
     | Universiti Kebangsaa...
    The South African Department of Education (DoE) is still in the process of phasing in full service schools (FSS), and further development is said to be based on immediate to short-term results. Concerns surrounding the developments were whether available resources were sufficient to further expand the provision of FSS, and if the Education White Paper 6 (EWP6) had been successfully implemented in the previous phases. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the implementation of EWP6 within FSS in Kwazulu-Natal. Purposive sampling was used and the researcher selected Institutional level support team (ILST) members (n=43 participants) within FSS (n=50). Self-administered questionnaires elicited both quantitative and qualitative data which was analysed using SPSS and thematic analysis in order to address the following research questions: have policy objectives been met in the implementation of EWP6 within FSS, what are the barriers to implementing EWP6 within FSS and what strategies have ILST members used to overcome these challenges? Some schools reported successes with implementation of EWP6: enrolment of learners experiencing diverse learning barriers, ILST optimistic attitudes regarding possible benefits of inclusive education and their theoretical knowledge of multi-level teaching, whilst others reported barriers: inadequate resources, support provision to FSS/ILST and training, lack of involvement from parents and communities. If the identified gaps can be addressed, then the implementation of White Paper 6 in FSS could possibly be successful.
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    Intervention strategies used by teachers to reduce bullying behaviour amongst learners
    2022
     | University of Venda
    Learners are often vulnerable when amongst peers who bully each other, and bullying behaviour in schools is a complex issue worldwide with research revealing that this behaviour problem varies globally. Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological systems theory views children as part of a complicated network of systems, and is key to understanding behavioural patterns, so bullying behaviour is viewed as part of this complex network. A descriptive research design was used to discuss intervention strategies teachers employed in kwaDlangezwa high schools to reduce bullying behaviour. A qualitative technique was used to gain information from two groups of stakeholders(teachers [N=17] and learners). [N=20]). A sample of thirty-seven participants were randomly drawn. Respondents were asked open-ended questions to determine intervention strategies to prevent bullying behaviour and the data was analysed using content analysis. The findings indicated that teachers are trying to minimize bullying behaviour in schools using different strategies including: reporting procedures, discipline, advocacy and supervision of learners. Obstacles were reported during the intervention process: gender related issues, lack of reporting of bullying behaviour and bullying outside school. Learners suggested ideal strategies that teachers could use in the future to improve the interventions of bullying behaviour: role-playing, segregation of learners and strict security measures.
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    Primary school-based support teams’ experiences and practices when supporting teachers
    2022
     | Caddo Gap Press
    School-Based Support Teams play a key role in providing support to teachers and learners through early identification and intervention to learners experiencing barriers to learning. This study investigates School Based Support Teams experiences of the nature of support they provided to schools. An interpretivism paradigm, qualitative approach was adopted. A non-probability sampling method of purposive sampling was used to select participants from School-Based Support Team members from six public schools in King Cetshwayo District. Data for this study were collected during six focus group interviews which resulted in the generation of fifteen themes including: the School-Based Support Teams understanding of Inclusive Education in White Paper 6, establishment and functionality of School-Based Support Teams especially with regards to providing support within their schools, their own experiences in serving as School-Based Support Team, challenges they experience in teaching learners experiencing barriers to learning and the kind of support they require as School-Based Support Team members to improve their functionality. The findings revealed that despite the implementation of Inclusive Education, there are still gaps. The study recommends that: educators be supported through conducting ongoing capacity building to equip them with skills needed, and the District-Based Support Team should provide comprehensive support and closely monitor School-Based Support Teams.
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