Meerkotter, DirkHamana, Khayalethu Sebastian2019-02-282024-05-282019-02-282024-05-282000https://hdl.handle.net/10566/15499Magister Educationis - MEdThe Constitution provides that the primary object of the SANDF is to defend and protect the Republic, its territorial integrity and its people, in accordance with the Constitution and the principles of international law regulating the use of force. In this thesis I argue that an action research theory that finds its home in educational institutions like the schools of the industrialised countries of the North, cannot simplistically be applied to the set-up of the educational institutions of the developing countries of the Southern hemisphere, more so in a military context like that of the SANDF which is different from schools. Secondly, an action research theory that developed in the German-speaking countries and in some post-World War American institutions, cannot simply be applied to post-apartheid South African institutions like the SANDF, without first evaluating the nature of the transformation process of South African institutions from the yoke of an apartheid ethos and orientation into the institutions that are suited for meeting the needs of all South Africans. Thirdly, I argue for a need to share knowledge, skills, experience and expertise on the basis of equality between the institutions in the North and the South. On the one hand, this includes military and non-military institutions, and between and within the different sectors of the rapidly changing public service in South Africa, on the other. The main question at stake is: How to help soldiers in the new dispensation in South Africa develop a critical awareness of why they do certain things and why they view themselves and the world around them the way they do? In other words, When will the ways of thinking and acting in the SANDF contribute not only to the improvement of soldiers' interaction with each other, but also to the betterment of a quality of service that the Defence Force is responsible for delivering to the rest of the Country's citizens and to South Africa's neighbouring countries?enHealth ServicesSouth African National Defence Force (SANDF)MarginalisationEducationMilitaryUniversity of the Western Cape