The successful implementation of an inclusive education system relies heavily on educators, since they engage daily in reciprocal interactions with learners. The implementation of an inclusive education system in South Africa was part of the educational reforms that occurred after 1994. Inclusive education promotes the full personal, academic and proficient development of all learners and is based on values such as human dignity, the achievement of equality and the advancement of human rights and freedom. Although most educators were only trained for either mainstream education or specialised education, they now had to cope not only with the diverse challenges posed by individual learner barriers, but also with broader systemic issues such as non-protective legislation and policy, cultural prejudice, inaccessible and unsafely built infrastructure, and lack of parental involvement. The complexity of the interactive relationships between different systems such as learners, educators, families, schools and the learning context were recognised and therefore the ecosystemic perspective was applied. The purpose of the research was to explore the experiences of educators in ordinary schools regarding the challenges involved in inclusive learning contexts, and to identify the competencies that they apply to deal with some of these challenges. A qualitative research design was chosen, using a case study to obtain an in-depth understanding of educators' experiences in a specific context. The study was conducted in the North-West province at Klerksdorp Secondary School. The school is characterised by its cultural diversity among educators and learners. Various contextual and micro systemic barriers that threatened an enabling learning environment were observed. Seven educators, one male and six female, participated in the research after ethical approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of the University, the Department of Education, the Head of the school as well as the individual participants. Participants were involved in the research through purposive sampling. Three methods of gathering data were used in this research, namely written assignments that were completed by the participants; in-depth follow-up interviews and a focus group with all the participants. Thematic content analysis was used to identify themes and subthemes in the educators' descriptions of their experiences. The findings indicated that educators demonstrated competencies that enabled them to support learners and initiate and form collaborative relationships in an inclusive learning environment. The competencies associated with supporting learners included unconditional acceptance, focussed observations, adaptation and flexibility and motivating and encouraging learners to achieve. The competencies associated with the initiation and forming of collaborative relationships included involving parents in the learning process and forming collaborative relationships with colleagues. The findings clearly indicated that although educators had not received formal training in dealing with learners challenged with barriers to learning, they intuitively explored various ways of co-creating enabling learning contexts. Various implications for the Department of Education and school management teams are suggested. The Department of Education's training policy should acknowledge teachers' existing competencies. Educators should form part of advisory committees that could advise the Department of Education about the development of inclusive learning contexts. School management teams and institutional support teams could emphasise collective planning for inclusion so that educators' expertise is explored and further developed. / Thesis (M.A. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Magister Educationis - MEd / The purpose of this study is to determine the nature of support services offered to Extended Curriculum Programme students in a South African university. The primary goals of support services in higher education are to support students holistically and reduce barriers to learning in the teaching and learning environment. One of the faculties in a South African university established a support unit to assist with the low throughput level. The academic support unit is housed in the Academic Development Department (ADD) in a faculty. The unit attempts to address the needs of underachieving students in the Extended Curriculum Programme (ECP). The thesis first identifies the challenges the ECP students are experiencing. Then, support services in the university and in the support unit are described. Thereafter, the challenges experienced by the centre of support services in the university and the support unit are illuminated. Qualitative data was gathered through individual interviews with senior management. Then, a focus group discussion with tutors who volunteer in a support unit was facilitated and lastly the staff members employed in the support unit were also interviewed individually. The thesis was able to identify the intrinsic and extrinsic barriers to learning the ECP students are experiencing. It became evident that the support services available in the university and the support unit are not sufficient to address the needs of the students. The challenges the support service centre of the university and the support unit are experiencing are twofold. The first is a lack of organisational resources that hinders service delivery, the second is a lack of skills and expertise in attain structures that limits the provision of support services.

The purpose of this study was to explore the role that the educational psychologist can play to support inclusion at school level in South Africa. The study aims to provide national, provincial and district support teams with information that could guide them on how best to utilise educational psychology services within the context of limited resources. It also aims to guide the educational psychology profession in how best to provide support within the South African public inclusive schooling system. The research was conducted using a conceptual framework based on three matrices designed by Wedell (2005) to address some of the ‘rigidities that hamper inclusion’ (Wedell, 2005, p. 4). My deduction was that these matrices do not adequately capture the stage of development of inclusive education in the South African context, and that additional matrices are needed which show the key variables that are impacting on the ability of the educational psychologist to support learners with barriers to learning in the South African public education context. In this study, I followed an interpretivist paradigm, and adopted an instrumental case study design. The intention was to gain insight at a very practical level, namely the school, into how the challenges related to inclusion are being, and could be, addressed. Data was collected in one Gauteng public school through semi-structured face-to-face interviews with the school principal, a private educational psychologist providing services to the school community, a parent and national Department of Basic Education officials, and focus groups with teachers and district officials. Three main themes emerged following thematic content analysis of the data: Participants’ understanding and experiences of inclusion and inclusive education at school level, perceptions of the role of the educational psychologist in supporting inclusion in schools, and the future role of educational psychologists in supporting inclusion in schools. The findings indicate that inclusion remains more of an aspiration than a reality, and show the important role the educational psychologist can play in helping to build collaborative approaches to planning and implementation of policy. Amongst other things, educational psychologists should find a way, collectively, of engaging with district offices to structure planning and implementation that includes the profession. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Educational Psychology / unrestricted

Magister Artium (Child and Family Studies) - MA(CFS) / Parental involvement in the process of implementing inclusive education is one of the major considerations for ensuring support, especially to learners with learning difficulties. The involvement of parents in their children’s education has been found to have a positive contribution and results in good learning outcomes. In the South African context, the Education White Paper 6 (EWP 6) and the policy on Screening, Identification, Assessment and Support (SIAS) emphasizes the importance of the role of parents in the process of implementing inclusive education. This study aimed to explore the ability of teachers to engage parents to assist their children with learning difficulties. A qualitative research method with a phenomenological research design was deemed suitable for the nature of this study with Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological systems theory as a theoretical lens to underpin this study.

This thesis examines the collaborative development of corporate responsibility (CR) standards from the perspective of organisational learning theory. The author proposes that standards development projects can be understood as Network Learning episodes where learning is reflected in changes in structures, interpretations and practices accompanied by learning processes. Network Learning alone is seen as insufficient to reflect the diverse contributions and outcomes in the special case of CR standards. Concepts from multi-stakeholder learning like the role of dissensus in learning and the empowerment of weaker stakeholders are therefore used to create a synthesis of the two theories in a single conceptual framework. This framework is then tested against a pilot case and three case studies of corporate social responsibility (CSR) standards including the development of the new ISO international standard on social responsibility (SR). The data validates and extended this framework to yield a Multi-Stakeholder Network Learning theory capable of describing the how participants and non-participant stakeholders learn in this context. New concepts are generated from the data, like dislocated learning, which demonstrate how participants in the process and those they represent can experience quite different learning outcomes. Stakeholders whose learning is aligned with the learning of their participant representatives truly have a stake in these influential standards. However, where representatives fail to learn from those represented, the latter's stake is diminished. By shedding light on the mechanisms of effective collaborative learning this work contributes to learning theory, the practice of standardization and the normative stakeholder empowerment agenda.

The aim of this study was to investigate the demands, pressures and needs experienced by teachers in special needs schools (referred to as schools with learners with barriers to learning), with the aim of providing guidelines for teacher support to promote wellness. To attain this aim, the study had the following specific objectives or aims: 1. To determine the demands made on and pressures experienced by teachers as stressors. 2. To determine the needs which teachers experience to alleviate these stressors that arise as a result of the demands and pressures experienced by teachers in a special needs school. 3. The provision of guidelines for teacher support in order to promote wellness. 4. To make recommendations for the promotion of the wellness of teachers in a special needs school. A qualitative research design was considered to be the most appropriate for gaining in-depth insight into the demands, pressures and needs of these teachers. Data was collected through phenomenological interviews and direct observations. This data was then organised into categories and subcategories and direct quotations were presented verbatim. Research findings were compared with the relevant literature to identify existing information and possible differences, and the findings were then recorded in the form of two articles. As explained above, the primary goal of this study was to identify and describe the demands and needs experienced by teachers in special needs schools and to formulate guidelines for support to promote wellness. The study also showed that students need mentally and physically fit adults who can guide them as they find their way in the world. It is thus necessary to develop and promote the use of programmes and instruments to identify specific needs and stressors, so as to more accurately predict, prevent and alleviate demands that can be detrimental to health, and to provide and support guidelines to promote wellness in teachers.. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

This study focuses on the English Second Language (ESL) learner with inadequate English proficiency. The Schools Act allows parents to choose their children's Language of Learning and Teaching (LOLT). Consequently, many parents choose English as LOLT for their children, believing that it will guarantee success for their children in the world of school and work. ESL learners with inadequate English proficiency experience barriers to learning. Most educators do not have the knowledge or the tools to support these ESL learners. Consequently, many ESL learners are recommended for retention or defined as "slow" learners. A crucial need for a language enrichment programme to augment these ESL learners' inadequate English proficiency was identified. After an in-depth search no South African language enrichment programme could be found for Grade 4 mainstream educators to implement in the classroom. A questionnaire was designed, based on the literature research, and distributed to determine what the needs of Grade 4 mainstream educators Concerning a language enrichment programme were. Grade 4 educators were targeted as a population since Grade 4 has been reported by educators as a critical period in the learners' education and also falls into the researcher's sphere of responsibilities. A great need for a language enrichment programme was confirmed. From the questionnaire it was deduced that educators felt comfortable using a story as medium for the language enrichment programme. A language enrichment programme suitable for the mainstream classroom was compiled for Grade 4 ESL learners based on the literature research and the responses of the questionnaire. 40 Grade 4 Language, Literacy and Communication (LLC) educators with knowledge on how to support learners with barriers were requested to implement the language enrichment programme over a six week period in their classroom. A short questionnaire to assess the suitability of implementation was completed by them afterwards. The response from the educators was exceptionally positive. The results of this study suggest that the story-based language enrichment programme can be implemented with success in the mainstream classroom to augment ESL learners' inadequate English proficiency, making the road to academic and career success so much smoother. / This study focuses on the English Second Language (ESL) learner with inadequate English proficiency. The Schools Act allows parents to choose Their children's Language of Learning and Teaching (LOLT) consequently, many parents choose English as LOLT for their children, believing that it will guarantee success for their children in the world of school and work. ESL learners with inadequate English proficiency experience barriers to earning. Most educators do not have the knowledge or the tools to support these ESL learners. Consequently, many ESL learners are recommended for retention or defined as "slow" learners. A crucial need for a language enrichment programme to augment these ESL learners' inadequate English proficiency was identified. After an in-depth search no South African language enrichment programme could be found for Grade 4 mainstream educators to implement in the classroom. A questionnaire was designed, based on the literature research, and distributed to determine what the needs of Grade 4 mainstream educators concerning a language enrichment programme were. Grade 4 educators were targeted as a population since Grade 4, has been reported by educators as a critical period in the learners' education and also falls into the researcher's sphere of responsibilities. A great need for a language enrichment programme was confirmed. From the questionnaire it w deduced that educators felt comfortable using a story as medium for the language enrichment programme. A language enrichment program suitable for the mainstream classroom was compiled for Grade 4 El learners based on the literature research and the responses of the questionnaire. 40 Grade 4 Language, Literacy and Communication (LLC) educators with knowledge on how to support learners with barriers were requested implement the language enrichment programme over a six week period their classroom. A short questionnaire to assess the suitability of implementation was completed by them afterwards. The response of the educators was exceptionally positive. The results of this study suggest that the story-based language enrichment programme can be implemented with success in the mainstream classroom to augment ESL learners' inadequate English proficiency, making the road to academic and career success so much smoother. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2004.

Not many studies exist in the literature on reading in South Africa which examine the differences between the reading performance of first (L1) and second (L2) language English speaking learners, particularly those who experience barriers to learning. Using archival material from the Education Clinic of the University of the Witwatersrand, this study compared the results on the Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test (Brown Level) for a group of 43 high school L1 (20) and L2 (23) learners identified as experiencing barriers to learning. In line with international research on reading difficulties skills (Ben-Zeev, 1984; Baker, 1988; Drucker, 2003; Cummins, 1989,1991; Miller, 1984; Droop and Verhoeven, 1998), it was found that the L2 students performed significantly below the level of their L1 counterparts in Auditory Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension. The results on the Phonetic Analysis were found to be similar for both groups.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2004.

The aim of this study was to investigate the demands, pressures and needs experienced by teachers in special needs schools (referred to as schools with learners with barriers to learning), with the aim of providing guidelines for teacher support to promote wellness. To attain this aim, the study had the following specific objectives or aims: 1. To determine the demands made on and pressures experienced by teachers as stressors. 2. To determine the needs which teachers experience to alleviate these stressors that arise as a result of the demands and pressures experienced by teachers in a special needs school. 3. The provision of guidelines for teacher support in order to promote wellness. 4. To make recommendations for the promotion of the wellness of teachers in a special needs school. A qualitative research design was considered to be the most appropriate for gaining in-depth insight into the demands, pressures and needs of these teachers. Data was collected through phenomenological interviews and direct observations. This data was then organised into categories and subcategories and direct quotations were presented verbatim. Research findings were compared with the relevant literature to identify existing information and possible differences, and the findings were then recorded in the form of two articles. As explained above, the primary goal of this study was to identify and describe the demands and needs experienced by teachers in special needs schools and to formulate guidelines for support to promote wellness. The study also showed that students need mentally and physically fit adults who can guide them as they find their way in the world. It is thus necessary to develop and promote the use of programmes and instruments to identify specific needs and stressors, so as to more accurately predict, prevent and alleviate demands that can be detrimental to health, and to provide and support guidelines to promote wellness in teachers.. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.