In 2006 South Africans celebrated the twelfth anniversary of a democratic South African. A paradigm shift in education was a prerequisite and the government introduced an inclusive education system. The aim of this investigation was to make a contribution to the understanding of educational needs of learners who experience barriers to learning and to provide guidelines on how to support them. This research will however attempt to examine how educators manage inclusion in the classroom, their competencies and the strategies they need to be competent inclusive teachers. The data is based on focused group interviews, observation and document analysis. The researcher selected Maloka primary school as the research site. The subjects that were chosen were 2 Grade 5 classrooms and 6 educators. The main themes identified in the interviews were among others availability of resources, strategies need and problems encountered in teaching inclusive classes. The conclusion reached is that inclusive education is here to stay so the Department of Education and all other stakeholders should join hands and make it work. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Education Management)

This research is an investigation into the factors that influence the decisions of grade 12 learners from Grahamstown East disadvantaged communities to pursue higher education. Research on learner aspirations has largely focused on access to higher education and little or no attention has been has been paid to the enabling or limiting factors and what can be done to increase the numbers of learners from disadvantaged communities who enrol at higher education institutions. This study aims to fill that gap. The research was a qualitative case study located in the interpretive paradigm. The data was gathered using questionnaires and focus group interviews for grade 12 learners. Individual interviews were conducted with the parents of the grade 12 research participants, educators and the school management team. Observation and documentary evidence from school documents were also used for data collection. The data were analysed using systematic patterning, were interpreted, and given meaning linking it to the literature surveyed. The main findings indicate that a number of enabling factors that influence grade 12 learners to pursue higher education co-exist with limiting factors. Recommendations arising from the main findings are presented and the limitations of the research are identified. Areas for possible further research in strengthening learner support so as to increase the numbers of learners who qualify for higher education and to enable the learners from disadvantaged communities to realise their aspirations, are suggested.

This is an interpretive case study that explores the workplace epistemologies and institutional structures of two nested cases within the broader context of the Environmental Education, Training and Development Practices - Level 5 qualification (EETDP qualification) that is registered on the South African National Qualifications Framework. The study provides insights to inform EETDP curriculum development that is enabling of reflexive environmental education and training processes. The study develops an understanding of workplace epistemologies related to environment and education, the structural factors that enable and constrain agency of environmental educators and the role of reflexivity in practice and in education in two nested cases: the agricultural and local government sectors. It draws on findings from workshops, semistructured interviews and document analysis of education materials in these two nested cases. The study notes that there are diverse and seemingly ambiguous understandings of both environment/sustainability and education processes in the two nested cases. This ambiguity seems to relate to environmental education practitioners drawing on different forms of knowledge, including differentiated or theoretical knowledge, and 'common-sense' ways of knowing, in their education practice. The understandings related to theoretical knowledge are, in both nested cases, dominated by scientific or technical understandings where environment is understood in the terms of the natural sciences and education is seen in instrumentalist terms as the transfer of mainly technical environmental knowledge to learners in order to effect behaviour change. The study opens up deeper understandings of the epistemological, socio-cultural and structural features of context, in the two nested cases, that have a bearing on environmental educators. It provides insights into workplace structures that can be both enabling and constraining of agency and notes that the causal power of structures to enable or constrain does not lie only in the structures but also in relation to the intentionality of the environmental education practitioners/agents. The study then examines reflexivity as one of the means through which environmental educators in the nested cases are able to consider appropriate actions or responses to structural constraints or enablements. Based on the insights offered by the research findings, the study makes recommendations for the EETDP curriculum development. It frames these recommendations within an understanding of curriculum as a contextualised social process that involves structural aspects of curriculum such as materials, as well as socio-cultural processes such as learning on the course and in the workplace.

According to White Paper 6, national policy regarding the provision of education in South Africa has changed since 1994 with an emphasis on the accommodation of all learners in one education system. The Department of Education envisaged an education and training system that would promote education for all and foster the development of inclusive and supportive centers of learning which would enable all learners to participate actively in education alongside their peers. The responsibility of the education system to develop and sustain learning is premised on the recognition that education is a fundamental right which extends equally to all learners. A complex and dynamic relationship exists between the learner, the centre of learning, the broader education system and the social, political and economic context of which they are all part. These components play a key role in whether or not effective learning and development take place. There are factors that lead to the inability of the system to accommodate diversity, which lead to learning breakdown or which prevent learners from accessing educational provision and have been conceptualized as barriers to learning and development. The primary aim of this study was to investigate and describe the barriers faced by foundation phase learners in an inclusive classroom and to propose the support needed to address those barriers. A literature review provided the background to an empirical inquiry using a qualitative approach. The design type chosen for this study was phenomenology which requires the researcher to ‘bracket‘ or put aside all prejudgments and collect data on how individuals make sense of a particular experience or situation. From the population of 17 schools in UMzimkhulu zone, three Junior Secondary schools were purposively chosen as a sample and the target group was foundation phase educators data was collected by means of INTERVIEWS as well as DOCUMENTS and were inductively analysed. FIELD NOTES were taken during interviews and a tape recorder was used. The data was analysed by using a thematic content analysis. The main themes identified in interviews were, among others, support, challenges faced by foundation phase educators, expectations of foundation phase educators, perceptions of inclusive education and challenges of inclusive education. The conclusion reached is that educators need more information and training about inclusive education. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

The study sought to investigate educators’ perceptions of the implementation of Inclusive Education in mainstream secondary schools around Polokwane, Limpopo Province of South Africa. The approach to the study was qualitative, guided by an interpretivist paradigm. A purposefully selected sample of 20 teachers from 10 purposively selected mainstream secondary schools in Polokwane participated in this study. Instruments for data collection comprised in-depth interviews, corroborated by non-participant field observations to verify the implementation of Inclusive Education in mainstream secondary schools. Content analysis was employed to analyse the data with the aim of coming up with themes and subthemes. The study revealed that the educators had the passion and willingness to implement Inclusive Education. The educators further perceived Inclusive Education as needful. The implementation of Inclusive Education was perceived as being effective to a lesser extent. The educators perceived the implementation of Inclusive Education as being negatively affected by their inadequate training, school environments which were unfit to accommodate learners with disabilities, the lack of facilities and equipment and higher learner enrolments in mainstream classrooms. Gender was seen to affect the educators’ confidence in handling learners with disabilities and their ability to identify such learners. The study recommends the continued professional development and training of educators in the area of Inclusive Education, regular support and monitoring of Inclusive Education activities in mainstream schools by the DBE, provision of relevant resources and facilities in mainstream schools for the implementation of Inclusive Education, and additional support to educators to enhance their confidence in handling learners with barriers to learning and development. Finally, a model for the improvement of the implementation of Inclusive Education in mainstream schools is proposed. / Inclusive Education / D. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

This study explores the management of equity in medical schools in South Africa using both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Notions and models of equity are discussed and student and staff profiles in medical schools are contrasted with national and international profiles. in-depth unstructured interviews are conducted with select senior and executive management members at national, institutional and faculty of medicine levels to identify the challenges and best practices associatd with promoting equity in medical schools in five broad areas, namely, staff, students, curriculum, research, and policies and practices. The study shows significant contextual differences between medical schools and their universities resulting in divergent trends in the student and staff profiles. Historically Black medical schools continue to provide access to aproximately 68% of African MBChB students. Postgraduate students remain predominantly White men and although more female than male students are enrolled for MBChB, the few females entering postgraduate training are segregated in particular areas of specialisation. Redressing the historically determined prevailing inequities in medical schools, in terms of race, gender and class, is inextricably linked to different management ideologies, management policies and practices, economic factors and discipline specific power dynamics. To manage equity inmmedical schools more efficiently, it is recommended that a single, separate budget be allocated to medical schools for staff appointments and student training. The management of academic health complexes should be under the jurisdiction of a national, joint Department of Education/Department of Health structure. Such a structure should, at a national level clarify, co-ordinate and monitor equity in medical schools and ensure that policies and practices in medical faculties are aligned to national strategic transformation frameworks and equity goals of higher education and health. Monitoring could include analyses of student applications, admissions, failure, drop-out and graduation rates of students. The establishment of a comprehensive database of South African medical doctors by race, gender, area of specialisation and location of practice is needed to track trends and shifts. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Educational Management)

Text in Afrikaans / This qualitative study is aimed at analyzing teachers’ experiences of their role as assessors according to the assessment framework stated in the National Curriculum Statement 2002. A literature study was done. Subsequently, data was collected from interviews with eleven teachers from nine schools. All the respondents teach in the intermediate phase. The schools concerned are situated in the Tshwane Metropolitan area. Interviews were semi-structured. A holistic picture was focused on during the analyses of the interview texts. Data was organized according to four themes. The results of the analyses show that the teachers involved are dedicated to teaching. However, uncertainty as to the exact requirements of policy documents is prevalent. Help, support and training is asked for. / Teacher Education / M.Ed. (Spesialisering in Kurrikulumstudies)

The goal of this research was to explore how students with blindness (SwBs) use information and communication technology (ICT) for learning at the University of South Africa (UNISA). To do this the critical paradigm was used as a way of viewing the educational world. Underpinned by Transactional Distance Theory, Cultural Historical Activity Theory, Universal Design for Learning and Critical Theory, the study was qualitative and used narrative inquiry. The selection of the participants was made through purposive and snowball sampling and data collected through life stories, in-depth and telephonic interviews. The findings culminated in two major findings: 1) the use of ICT for learning; and 2) inclusive digital approaches. The first has emerging themes, for instance, (a) challenges with mathematical, scientific and accounting signs; (b) inability to access graphic learning material; (c) incompatibility of software; (d) lack of timely access to electronic learning materials; (e) high cost of ICT tools; (f) personal computers and laptops; (g) myUnisa and myLife; (h) voice recorders, Brailler, screen readers and videoconferencing; (i) electronic mail (e-mail); and (j) mobile telephones. The themes for the second major finding include: (a) authentic use of student-centred approaches; (b) inconsistency between policy and practice; (c) testing and re-testing of assessment tools; and (d) regular seeking of students‘ views and experiences. The proposed ‗Inclusive Critical use of Technology‘ (ICuT) framework was developed to and can be used as an effective guide if it is foregrounded by applicable distance learning theories and appropriate technologies. The study recommends the use of inclusive and critical approaches when integrating ICT into teaching and learning. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

The study investigated adolescent boys who experienced behavioural problems at school and the possible causes for these phenomena. It was evident that the adolescent boys who experienced behavioural problems were found to lack emotional connections with others due to their fathers’ absence and lack of positive attachment. A total of 403 adolescent boys from various schools in the Tshwane districts were used in the sample group. This quantitative study employed the use of a quantitative questionnaire as a means of data collection that included qualitative open-ended question as a method to enrich the quantitative data and obtain insight into the life world functioning and experience of the participants. The primary aim of the research study was to determine the emotional relationship between fathers and sons within the sample group. Secondly, the study sought to investigate how this emotional relationship affects the adolescent boy’s self-concept, resilience and motivational aspects in his daily functioning. The approach to quantitative data analysis was by means of descriptive statistical analysis. The findings revealed that emotionally absent fathers indeed impact negatively on the adolescent boys’ resilience and motivational aspects of their functioning and that a father’s absence has a significant influence on the behaviours of adolescent boys in relation to motivation and resilience. However, the research results also revealed that an emotionally absent father does not significantly affect the self–concept of an adolescent boy. Finally, an intervention programme was developed to assist and guide fathers and adolescent boys to improve their relationship with one another. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

Through document analysis, one-on-one interviews with parents, and observations the researcher aimed to explore early intervention in pre-school children with learning difficulties in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape. The researcher set out to determine whether parents were aware of the importance of early intervention in addressing learning difficulties in their children, what support existed to help parents give support to children with learning difficulties, and how support could be improved to enable parents to help their children. This study found that parents in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape needed support that would enable them to provide early intervention for their children with learning difficulties. The study also showed that parents were aware of the importance of early intervention to help their children with learning difficulties. Most parents were receiving support, but there was room for improvement in the support that they were receiving. Flowing from this, the study also found that parents needed different forms of support, e.g. emotional and financial support. Based on the findings, recommendations were made. Recommendations were aimed at improving support for parents, so they can provide successful early intervention for their pre-school children, e. g. through the creation of open channels of communication between parents and other role players, like government departments and service providers. Recommendations were also made for future research, e. g. research into ways to create open channels of communication. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)