The psychological experiences of learners who have undergone the loss of a parent at Collins Chabane Municipality schools

Abstract

A parent's death is a significant life event, and children must absorb, grieve, and deal with their feelings and emotions in their own way. During learning, a learner should be in a good state of mind and emotional well-being to be at the optimal level of learning, and the area of learning must be conducive. School performance may suffer as a result of the drawn-out and painful process of grieving and sorrow. The purpose of the study was to examine the experiences of students who have undergone the loss of a parent at Collins Chabane Municipality Schools, Limpopo Province. The phenomenological design was the main emphasis of the qualitative research methodology. Purposive sampling was the method used by the researcher to choose twenty (20) participants. The researcher stopped collecting data when no new information was expected to be added to enhance the study's findings. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather study data; the interviews were documented in Xitsonga and, after that, transcribed into English. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was utilised to examine the information. The outcome of the research was useful in sharing knowledge about the experiences of loss with the learner. In exploring the coping skills and identifying the protocols put in place to support the learners going through the experience of losing a parent, the research centred on examining the perspectives of students who have undergone the loss of a parent at Collins Chabane Municipality Schools. Additionally, moral precepts like informed consent and confidentiality were observed in that study, and the recommendations were based on the findings.