Teachers' subjectivities and emotionality in HIV/AIDS teaching. Issue 3 (30th September 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Naidoo, Jaqueline; Rule, Peter
• Is Part Of: African journal of AIDS research. Volume 15:Issue 3(2016)
• Page Start: 233
• Page End: 241
• Publication Date: 2016-09-30
• Subjects: emotional geographies -- HIV prevention -- narrative -- stories -- subject positions; AIDS (Disease) -- Africa -- Periodicals; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome -- Africa -- Periodicals; 362.19697920096
• DOI: 10.2989/16085906.2016.1190768
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1608-5906

Abstract

Abstract : Schools play a significant role in conveying essential knowledge, skills and attitudes about HIV and AIDS to millions of learners, and are therefore at the forefront of addressing the HIV/AIDS pandemic. This has resulted in a shift in HIV/AIDS research to focus on the crucial role of teachers in HIV prevention. This paper explores the influence of teachers' subjectivities and emotionality on their teaching about HIV/AIDS. The paper draws on qualitative, narrative data gathered from five teachers teaching in a midlands town in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It finds that teachers' subject positions play a significant role in presenting compassionate, supportive and knowledgeable subjectivities in the classroom; and that their positive and negative emotions pivotally influence their teaching about HIV/AIDS. We argue that it is vital to consider how teachers position themselves, as this is intricately linked with their teaching about HIV/AIDS, and we draw attention to teaching about HIV/AIDS as an emotional practice.