HREDU82
ASSIGNMENT 2 2025
DUE: 30 JUNE 2025
SEMESTER 2 2025
,HREDU82 Assignment 2 2025
DUE 30 JUNE 2025
This assessment builds directly from the work you have done in assessment 1. You are
expected to embark on writing a comprehensive literature review, which is an important
component of any research undertaken.
Please note that a literature review is not a summary or list of existing work. It is a
critical synthesis of the existing work around the work you have chosen to research,
guided by your research questions and objectives.
Structure of the assignment
1. Introduction
2. Literature review
3. Conclusion
4. Reference list (use a consistent referencing style – Harvard or APA)
1.1 a. Gender Stereotype Dynamics in South African Classrooms: Implications for
Sustainable Education
Question 2: Introduction and Background
2.1 a. Background of the Study
South Africa's education system, emerging from apartheid's deeply unequal and
discriminatory foundations, enshrines gender equality in its Constitution (Act 108 of
1996) and policies like the South African Schools Act (SASA, 1996). Education for
Sustainable Development (ESD), integral to achieving the UN Sustainable Development
, Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 5 (Gender Equality),
emphasizes transformative learning fostering critical thinking, social justice, and
equitable participation. Classrooms are primary socialization sites where identities,
including gender, are shaped. However, South Africa remains a society grappling with
pervasive patriarchal norms and gender-based violence, inevitably permeating
educational settings. Despite progressive legal frameworks, traditional gender
stereotypes – beliefs about attributes, roles, and capabilities deemed appropriate for
males and females persist. These stereotypes manifest subtly and overtly in teacher
expectations, student interactions, curriculum representation, and pedagogical
approaches. They can limit learners' aspirations, subject choices, participation levels,
and overall development, contradicting the principles of inclusivity and equity central to
both national policy and ESD. Understanding the specific mechanisms and impacts of
these stereotypes within the unique socio-cultural and historical context of South African
classrooms is therefore crucial. Research indicates their presence influences academic
performance, career choices, and reinforces harmful societal norms, acting as a barrier
to truly sustainable and equitable education.
2.1 b. Introduction and Identified Gap (Approx. 500 words):
Education is universally recognized as a cornerstone for achieving sustainable
development, fostering the knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes necessary for
creating just, peaceful, and inclusive societies. Within this framework, gender equality is
not merely a goal (SDG 5) but a fundamental prerequisite for progress across all SDGs.
South Africa, with its transformative constitution and commitment to redressing past
injustices, positions education as a key vehicle for social change. ESD, integrated into
the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), aims to empower learners to
address interconnected global challenges, including inequality. A critical aspect of this
empowerment involves dismantling gender stereotypes that constrain potential and
perpetuate discrimination.
ASSIGNMENT 2 2025
DUE: 30 JUNE 2025
SEMESTER 2 2025
,HREDU82 Assignment 2 2025
DUE 30 JUNE 2025
This assessment builds directly from the work you have done in assessment 1. You are
expected to embark on writing a comprehensive literature review, which is an important
component of any research undertaken.
Please note that a literature review is not a summary or list of existing work. It is a
critical synthesis of the existing work around the work you have chosen to research,
guided by your research questions and objectives.
Structure of the assignment
1. Introduction
2. Literature review
3. Conclusion
4. Reference list (use a consistent referencing style – Harvard or APA)
1.1 a. Gender Stereotype Dynamics in South African Classrooms: Implications for
Sustainable Education
Question 2: Introduction and Background
2.1 a. Background of the Study
South Africa's education system, emerging from apartheid's deeply unequal and
discriminatory foundations, enshrines gender equality in its Constitution (Act 108 of
1996) and policies like the South African Schools Act (SASA, 1996). Education for
Sustainable Development (ESD), integral to achieving the UN Sustainable Development
, Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 5 (Gender Equality),
emphasizes transformative learning fostering critical thinking, social justice, and
equitable participation. Classrooms are primary socialization sites where identities,
including gender, are shaped. However, South Africa remains a society grappling with
pervasive patriarchal norms and gender-based violence, inevitably permeating
educational settings. Despite progressive legal frameworks, traditional gender
stereotypes – beliefs about attributes, roles, and capabilities deemed appropriate for
males and females persist. These stereotypes manifest subtly and overtly in teacher
expectations, student interactions, curriculum representation, and pedagogical
approaches. They can limit learners' aspirations, subject choices, participation levels,
and overall development, contradicting the principles of inclusivity and equity central to
both national policy and ESD. Understanding the specific mechanisms and impacts of
these stereotypes within the unique socio-cultural and historical context of South African
classrooms is therefore crucial. Research indicates their presence influences academic
performance, career choices, and reinforces harmful societal norms, acting as a barrier
to truly sustainable and equitable education.
2.1 b. Introduction and Identified Gap (Approx. 500 words):
Education is universally recognized as a cornerstone for achieving sustainable
development, fostering the knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes necessary for
creating just, peaceful, and inclusive societies. Within this framework, gender equality is
not merely a goal (SDG 5) but a fundamental prerequisite for progress across all SDGs.
South Africa, with its transformative constitution and commitment to redressing past
injustices, positions education as a key vehicle for social change. ESD, integrated into
the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), aims to empower learners to
address interconnected global challenges, including inequality. A critical aspect of this
empowerment involves dismantling gender stereotypes that constrain potential and
perpetuate discrimination.
