Evaluation of Educators’ Experiences and Practices of Inclusive Education in Primary Schools: A South African Perspective (original) (raw)
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Perspectives in Education, 2021
Inclusive education is the term used to describe an education system in which all learners are accepted and fully included, educationally and socially. The process of inclusion proves to have challenges in developing countries such as South Africa which adopted it a bit later than the developed countries. Research has mentioned that amongst other challenges is the lack of resources and overcrowding. Hence, this paper debates and discusses the challenges in the implementation of inclusive education in South African schools. The study was designed as a multiple case study research in which a qualitative research approach was employed. Three schools in the Buffalo City Metro and three participants per school participated in the study. Qualitative data analysis was grounded on an interpretive philosophy. The findings revealed that overcrowding, insufficient training, lack of knowledge and skills of educators were the overarching themes that resulted in educators feeling a sense of inadequacy to teach in an inclusive education classroom. The study will cover the challenges faced in the implementation of inclusive education. Therefore, the study recommends that inclusive education should cater to all learners irrespective of the type of disability.
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The British Index for Inclusion was selected to be used in three primary schools in the Western Cape Province in South Africa in order to develop a South African model to assist in the development of inclusive schools. The Index for Inclusion process entails progression through a series of five developmental phases and this paper, written by Petra Engelbrecht, professor in educational psychology and special education and senior research director at Stellenbosch University, Marietjie Oswald, lecturer in special education at Stellenbosch University, and Chris Forlin, associate professor in special education at the Hong Kong Institute of Special Education, is a reflection of the first two phases. Qualitative data were generated from the consultative process followed in the schools during the first phase and both qualitative and quantitative data from questionnaires regarding the perceptions of all school community members on the inclusive practices or lack thereof in their schools during the second phase. The authors drew out the following five themes from the three sets of data: an inclusive school philosophy; democratic leadership, structures, processes and values; collaboration; addressing learner diversity; and resources. Petra Engelbrecht, Marietjie Oswald and Chris Forlin, all of whom were working on a UNESCO-funded project to trial the use of the Index for Inclusion in South Africa, suggest that these themes provided invaluable insights into both the common and unique complexities, the problems and the assets of the different school communities. The themes are discussed in detail in this article, raising fascinating issues for the development of inclusion in different contexts around the world, and will be used to inform the three remaining phases of the Index for Inclusion process.
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This study investigated the management of inclusive education in the four selected junior primary schools in the Empangeni District, KwaZulu-Natal. Despite the fact that the White Paper 6 on Special Needs Education and Training: Building Inclusive Education and Training System was released in 2001, aiming at providing quality education for all learners, the implementation and management of inclusive education in schools still remain a challenge. This research, therefore, investigated possible challenges and suggested solutions that could be used for the effective implementation and management of inclusive education in schools. This study was conducted to answer the following questions: i. What are the challenges at school level that delay the implementation of inclusive education? ii. What skills do teachers and principals have or acquired in order to identify and support learners who experience barriers to learning and development? iii. What are the teachers’ perceptions regarding ...
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The central argument is that the creation of inclusive schools will require more than merely the implementation of new policies. Practising teachers are the key to the successful implementation of an inclusive system and they will need time, ongoing support and in-service training. Real change therefore requires a long-term commitment to professional development. This article presents a comparative analysis of the findings of three independent studies aimed at identifying and describing teachers' attitudes to and experiences in implementing inclusive education in South Africa. The main themes identified in all three studies include inadequate knowledge, skills and training for the implementation of inclusive education; lack of educational and teacher support; insufficient facilities and resources, and the potential effects of inclusive education on learners. Die implementering van insluitende onderwys in Suid-Afrika: onderwysers se houdings daarteenoor en ervaring daarvan Die sentrale argument is dat die ontwikkeling van insluitende skole omvattende verandering vereis wat meer behels as die blote implementering van die nuwe onderwysbeleid. Onderwysers speel 'n beslissende rol in die suksesvolle implementering van 'n insluitende onderwyssisteem, mits voldoende tyd, ondersteuning en indiensopleiding aan hulle beskikbaar is. Daadwerklike verandering vereis dus langtermyn professionele ontwikkeling van onderwysers. Hierdie artikel vergelyk die bevindinge van drie onafhanklike voorstudies wat fokus op die identifisering en beskrywing van onderwysers se houdings teenoor die nuwe stelsel en hulle ervarings van die implementering van insluitende onderwys in Suid-Afrika. Die hooftemas van hierdie studies sluit in: ontoereikende kennis aangaande die nuwe stelsel; vaardighede en opleiding benodig om insluiting te implementeer; ontoereikende steun aan onderwysers in hierdie verband; onvoldoende fasiliteite en bronne om die nuwe stelsel te implementeer; en die potensiële invloed van insluiting op die leerders.
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Currently inclusive education is one of the contemporary issues in education in both developed and developing countries, though some countries are struggling to effectively implement it. Research has demonstrated that inclusive education can only be firmly implemented if there is a proper curriculum, appropriate resources and good teacher pedagogical and knowledge skills. It is therefore imperative for teacher education to empower pre-service teachers with necessary knowledge and pedagogical skills to teach inclusively. The article focused on Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) 3rd year student teachers’ perceptions and views regarding inclusive education curriculum implementation at a University of Technology in South Africa (UoT). A qualitative research approach was employed with a case study design. Purposive sampling was used to select 120 participants from 3rd year Bachelor of Education students from a University of technology in South Africa. Structured focus group interviews were u...
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The states of inclusive pedagogy in South African schools remain bleak and teachers are in the dark about what constitutes an inclusive pedagogy in the South African context. This is despite policy changes since the advent of the new educational dispensation in 1994. In this review article the researcher presents the background in terms of inclusive education developments, both within historical and policy contexts. While articulating the conceptualization of inclusive education, the paper also discusses the model of inclusive education with reference to the role of all levels of ecosystemic system support such as school, district, provincial and national level of education. Further, the way barriers to learning and the notion of inclusive pedagogy are conceptualized within the South African context are discussed. The paper concludes by reviewing the current state of inclusive pedagogic practice in the South African classrooms. Among the findings of this paper is that the way inclusion is conceptualized still bears the hallmarks of the special needs education of the past education dispensation. The paper concludes that a shift from the special need approach to the conceptualization of inclusion is required.
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The aim of the study was to describe the challenges faced by teachers in the implementation of inclusive education in their classrooms. The study used a qualitative approach where a case study design was adopted. Six teachers were purposively recruited to participate in the study. Data were collected through two methods, interviews and document analysis. The findings yielded that teachers' perceptions are negative towards inclusive education because of inadequate training and curriculum constrains. Secondly, lack of resources proved to be a major challenge for teachers as they needed resources to teach and cater for all diverse learners. Thirdly lack of support from the government in terms of providing quality, constant in-service training and deploying specialists to help teachers transform schools to be inclusive. Fourthly, the need for consistency in the on-going professional development of teachers was lacking.
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