D.Ed. / This study focuses on disability and specific learning difficulties as barriers to learning. With the introduction of inclusive education in South Africa, the fundamental rights of learners with disabilities to access educational opportunities equal to their non-disabled peers, were recognised. Many learners with physical disabilities and specific learning difficulties started attending mainstream schools, instead of being referred to special schools. The inclusion of these learners brought about many challenges to them, as well as to their teachers. It was now expected from teachers to make instructional, curriculum and assessment adaptions, in order to support and assist learners with a variety of disabilities and learning difficulties and to cater for their diverse needs. Learners with physical-, sensory- or neurological disabilities, as well as those with specific learning difficulties, may experience reading and writing difficulties which prevent them from giving a true reflection of their acquired knowledge in classroom tests and examinations. These barriers to learning are therefore causing barriers to assessment. The purpose of adaptive methods of assessment (also called special concessions) is to minimize the effects of a learner’s intrinsic or extrinsic barriers upon assessment performance and to place him/her on par with other learners. It provides the opportunity for learners experiencing barriers to assessment, to participate in the assessment process and to reach their full potential - which is in accordance to an inclusive learning community. Therefore, it is imperative that teachers should be familiar with the various types of disabilities and learning difficulties, as well as the appropriate special concessions that should be implemented, should a learner experience a barrier to assessment. The purpose of this research study was to explore and describe Grade 7 teachers’ understanding and implementation of adaptive methods of assessment (particularly amanuenses), for learners with reading and writing difficulties. A qualitative research study from an interpretative research paradigm was conducted. In this study I used a qualitative case study design. Sixteen teachers from four primary schools, as well as the four principals of the respective schools in the district of Gauteng East, were selected purposively as participants. Openended questionnaires, focus group interviews, observations and field notes, as well as document analysis of the schools’ assessment policies, were used as methods of data collection. The data was transcribed and analysed, using Tesch’s method of open coding and was interpreted on the basis of the literature.

The purpose of the study is to investigate the picture book preferences of grade four Aboriginal students, to discover what books have the greatest appeal and to determine which specific factors influence their choices. The study took place at an inner city elementary school with a high population of Aboriginal students located in the heart of the Canadian prairies. Experienced educators know that the majority of Aboriginal chidlren come to school with little or no exposure to books. Studies have shown that the ability or lack of ability to read at grade level is a strong indicator of future academic success. Teachers and librarians have little information available to assist them in choosing literature that will be of interest to Aboriginal students and motivate them to read and through practice improve their reading skills. Provincial governments are looking for research that addresses the needs of this growing population. Twelve grade four Aboriginal students participated in the study, seven boys and five girls. The students viewed forty-five books that were divided into three sets of fifteen and chose one book from each set to read and respond to through writing and/or drawing. After the book selection and response sessions were complete, the researcher interviewed each child to determine the one book they would most want to take home. The study concludes that: 1) Students preferred to read picture books portraying Aboriginal characters that reflected their own image; 2) Students transposed the urban and rural settings in the Aboriginal books to make relevant connections with their lives; 3) Aboriginal books portraying Aboriginal characters was the genre with the greatest appeal; 4) Students preferred vivid realistic illustrations; 5) Students background experience frequently determined their preferences in books and also increased their motivation to read; 5) Realistic pictures with minimal amounts of text held great appeal for boys selecting information books. It is hoped that the study will assist teachers and librarians in selecting literature that will be of interest to Aboriginal students encouraging them to read more and by improving their reading skills raise the level of their general academic achievement. / Education, Faculty of / Language and Literacy Education (LLED), Department of / Graduate

M.Ed. (Psychology of Education) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

The goal of this project is to suggest a way to combine a functional curricula (domains) with literacy experiences.

There is a tendency for children who display unacceptable behaviour to be described as having Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder when the actual reason for the child’s diagnosis may simply be affective factors, another disorder or simply misbehaviour. ADHD is the most commonly diagnosed child disorder affecting 3-5% of all school age children. The aim was to investigate the prevalence of Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder in a sample of Foundation Phase children at an Inclusive ex Model C Preparatory School in the South Metro, Western Cape, by uncovering the criteria that are used by their teachers to suggest a possible Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder in a child for a referral to a parent, therapist or professional. This study used a phenomenology design making use of interpretations, meanings and an individual’s opinions regarding the teacher’s criteria, which relate to the diagnosis of ADHD. It required a qualitative analysis with the emphasis on observation, interviews and document analysis. A verbal Interview consisting of questions which were taped and transcribed, as well as an observation, and completion of a Connors Form of the selected children was completed by the teachers. Ten class teachers were interviewed and seven children from Grades one, two and three were observed. A model from Creswell was used, in order to identify the units of meaning relating to the prevalence of ADHD amongst learners in the South Metro District. The findings include lack of understanding of ADHD amongst teachers, subjectivity in the diagnosis of learners with ADHD, factors influencing the diagnosis of ADHD, criteria necessary to identify ADHD and stereotyping differences. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

Inclusive education requires of teachers, as managers and facilitators in classrooms, to deal with all aspects regarding effectively addressing barriers to learning. Of specific concern are the cognitively gifted learners who are not taught in their mother tongue but who attend schools where the language of learning and teaching is English. This qualitative study deals with the support provided by Grade Four teachers to cognitively gifted English Second Language (ESL) underachievers. The research indicates that the teachers are aware of English Second Language (ESL) learners who show behaviours associated with cognitive giftedness but who,when considering their potential, underachieve. These learners do however not receive support in the classroom to address their specific barrier to learning, which is the dual exceptionality of cognitive giftedness co-occurring with poor English proficiency. Support for all aspects of the cognitively gifted Grade Four English Second Language (ESL) learner’s needs is recommended. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

In South Africa, in July 2001, the National Department of Education released White Paper 6 which underpins the notion of inclusive education. It states that the needs of all children should be catered for within the South African educational framework. Subsequent guidelines from the Department (2005; 2012) also provide a strong focus on understanding individual children’s learning styles and explain the concept and application of children’s multiple intelligences. However, on closer examination, it seems that the inclusive education, as well as barriers to learning referred to in the abovementioned guidelines, are indicated to mean catering for children at the lower-ability end of the learning spectrum. This research begins to explore the notion that high potential children might require special attention, though not at the expense of those with learning impairments. An education system that provides inclusive education to children at both the lower and higher ends of the learning spectrum would be more equitable, and would give all children an equal chance of reaching their full potential. One possible strategy for accommodating the diverse needs of learners is through differentiation (Department of Education, 2005). Differentiation is a way of teaching that aims to provide stimulating and enriching learning environments to a diverse group of children within a classroom. This might be achieved by separating the class into smaller groups based on ability, or by providing children with different tasks at the same time, with the same learning objectives but at differing cognitive levels (Rogers, 2007). Vygotsky’s work on the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and mediation provides a theoretical framework for proposing differentiation as a strategy. The data was gathered through an in-depth examination (using a combination of classroom observations, document analysis and teacher interviews) of mathematics teaching in Grade 1 in three schools in Grahamstown. My analysis was based on Vygotsky’s theories (the main tenets of which were the ZPD and scaffolding, as well as the role of socio-culture in learning), using Tomlinson’s (1999) differentiated instruction framework to provide structure to the study. The following themes emerged from the data: a focus on the teachers’ understandings of differentiation; the use of grouping as a superficial form of differentiation; a lack of teacher preparation and understanding in relation to task differentiation; and an underlying sense of ‘sameness’ in teachers’ understanding of their learners. In addition to the above, I did not observe evidence of real differentiation for high potential children and hope that this research contributes to extending teachers’ training (both academic and in-service) in this area, convincing teachers of the existence and importance of critical thinking abilities in our youngest learners, and initiating a move towards the drafting of Individual Education Plans for all our learners. During the period of my research I have been convinced that the use of differentiated instruction in classrooms is the way forward in educational thinking, particularly as it relates to the notion of inclusive learning. Clearly there are challenges to be addressed in terms of school timetables, curricula, teachers’ time frames and past education system inequalities such as we have here in South Africa.

The new democratic government in South Africa introduced an education system that focused on quality and equality for all. The introduction of the new education system intended to remove inequality in the schooling system. The new education system was been accomplished through phasing out school fees and introducing a no-fee school policy. The aim of the no-fee school policy was to redress the imbalances of the past and to attract the poor and orphans to access education without paying mandatory fees (Wilderman, 2009:32). The no-fee policy came with interesting ideas for relieving pressure on both parents and learners. It attracted many learners who had dropped out of school in many years. This led to a dramatic increase of enrolment in no-fee schools. However, Borkum (2009:1) sees the disadvantages of the increased enrolment as overcrowding that reduces the quality of education, increases lawlessness in schools, and insufficient resources such as textbooks. The major challenges faced by these schools is the delay in releasing provincial funds, inadequate state funding, and loss of income from school funding. These make no-fee schools vulnerable, affecting quality of education and influences on the enrolment pattern of learners (Nsapato, 2007:2). Against this background, the study aimed to investigate factors influencing poor enrolment in a no-fee school in the foundation phase and to suggest strategies that could be used to overcome these challenges. The study adopted a qualitative research method and its design was a case study. Four educators were purposeful selected on the basis of three years teaching experience in a no-fee school in the foundation phase. Data collection strategies were semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Data analysis was done according to a systematic process of coding and categorising. Gathered data was categorised into constituent parts for coding purposes. Ethical issues considered were the following: permission to conduct the study, informed consent, confidentiality, and anonymity. Participants’ confidentiality and anonymity were maintained by using pseudonyms in the report. The voluntary nature of participation and the absence of punishment for withdrawal from the study were emphasised prior to commencement of the semi-structured interviews. The issue of trustworthiness in this study was considered through the following: credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability. The data analysis from semi-structured interview revealed the following: the no-fee school policy has a negative impact on parents because parents were no longer involved themselves in the education of their children. The overburdened infrastructure has a negative effect on quality of education and the enrolment status, deterioration of quality of education in no-fee schools force parents to withdraw their children and register them to better schools, cooperation amongst stakeholders is necessary for the improvement of quality of education, teachers’ remuneration should also be improved and the maintenance of professionalism through discipline. Findings from document analysis revealed that poor enrolment in no fee school was caused by high rate of absenteeism in all registers. This compelled educators to withdrew learners’ from class registers hence poor enrolment figures in no fee schools. Staff meeting minutes revealed that enrolment of learners in no-fee schools could be improved through improvement of teaching and learning and the provision of adequate infrastructure and the reinforcement of the no-fee school policy packages such as the National School Nutrition Program in order to attract more vulnerable learners to these schools. Based on the findings, the following strategies are recommended for improving poor enrolment in no-fee schools: strengthening collaboration amongst the stakeholders in education; maintenance of discipline; enforcement of professionalism among teachers; continuous training of all stakeholders; and punctual disbursement of funds to no-fee schools. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

Inclusive education requires of teachers, as managers and facilitators in classrooms, to deal with all aspects regarding effectively addressing barriers to learning. Of specific concern are the cognitively gifted learners who are not taught in their mother tongue but who attend schools where the language of learning and teaching is English. This qualitative study deals with the support provided by Grade Four teachers to cognitively gifted English Second Language (ESL) underachievers. The research indicates that the teachers are aware of English Second Language (ESL) learners who show behaviours associated with cognitive giftedness but who,when considering their potential, underachieve. These learners do however not receive support in the classroom to address their specific barrier to learning, which is the dual exceptionality of cognitive giftedness co-occurring with poor English proficiency. Support for all aspects of the cognitively gifted Grade Four English Second Language (ESL) learner’s needs is recommended. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)