| Summary: | The majority of educators/practitioners practicing in South Africa today were either
educated under the apartheid regime or experienced a post apartheid education that
was given by people socialized under the apartheid regime. Therefore, there is a
strong possibility that democratic practice in schools is compromised due to the
socialization of the practitioners. ECD practitioners’ perceptions on democracy and
how they implement democratic practices in their workplace are explored in order to
begin to identify the elements of a learning and working environment that could
promote the values of a liberal democracy. A dialogic, participatory approach using
questionnaires, focussed group discussions, personal interviews and critical incidents,
investigated relevant issues such as perceptions of democracy, socialization,
leadership, adult education and the impact of crime and HIV/Aids within the ECD
context. The findings show that democracy is recognized as a positive and welcomed
development in South Africa. There is a genuine ‘spirit of ubuntu’ present and the
participants relish the diversity in their midst. A common feature between all groups
is the concern over crime and corruption. However, it also revealed that although the
surface levels of understanding of the principles of democracy are similar between
various groups, the in-depth perceptions regularly differ. Improved avenues for
legitimate communication between participants at all levels is advised, not only to
discuss differences but also common ground. Understanding the factors that promote
democratic principles such as cultural interaction, diversity, etc. could help both the
participants of this study and other ECD practitioners in creating and promoting
legitimate democratic practice in the workplace.
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