The problem statement for this study is, "an investigation towards the experience of intermediate phase educators in the George district of the implementation of inclusive education in their schools". Firstly a literature review was perfomed on the implementation of inclusive education in South Africa and overseas, which revealed a diversity of opinions about the implementation of inclusive education, and that the various countries experience varying demands and successes in the implementation thereof. The empirical research performed thereafter was qualitative in nature, to explore the experience of intermediate phase educators in the George district of the implementation of inclusive education in their schools. The results of the empirical research indicate that the educators experience various barriers themselves regarding the implementation of inclusive education in their schools, inter alia a great diversity of learners in their classes which puts demands on their time and attention to those learners, a number of factors that hamper the learning process, lack of parental involvement, insufficient learning support materials to fulfil the needs of learners, and most of all the experience of a lack knowledge and skills in themselves to identify and support barriers to learning in learners. The study concludes with a summary and recommendations. / Thesis (MEd (Learner Support))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012

The problem statement for this study is, "an investigation towards the experience of intermediate phase educators in the George district of the implementation of inclusive education in their schools". Firstly a literature review was perfomed on the implementation of inclusive education in South Africa and overseas, which revealed a diversity of opinions about the implementation of inclusive education, and that the various countries experience varying demands and successes in the implementation thereof. The empirical research performed thereafter was qualitative in nature, to explore the experience of intermediate phase educators in the George district of the implementation of inclusive education in their schools. The results of the empirical research indicate that the educators experience various barriers themselves regarding the implementation of inclusive education in their schools, inter alia a great diversity of learners in their classes which puts demands on their time and attention to those learners, a number of factors that hamper the learning process, lack of parental involvement, insufficient learning support materials to fulfil the needs of learners, and most of all the experience of a lack knowledge and skills in themselves to identify and support barriers to learning in learners. The study concludes with a summary and recommendations. / Thesis (MEd (Learner Support))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Die wereldwye neiging in die onderwys wat bekend staan as lnsluiting is teweeggebring deur die reg van elke individu op onderrig, soos vasgele in die Universele Verklaring van Menseregte van 1948, tesame met die hernieude onderneming van die wereldgemeenskap' op die Wereldkonferensie oor Opvoeding vir Almal van 1990 om daardie reg, ten spyte van individuele • verskille, te verskans. Aile aanduidings is dat Suid-Afrika ook die beleid van lnsluiting sal aanvaar in die regering se pogings om die onderwys te hervorm. Hierdie beleid van lnsluiting hou groot implikasies in vir die onderwyser in, die gewone skole, aangesien hulle beida die voorwerp en die . agent is van sodanige hervorming. Daar word aanvaar dat die onderwyser se houding teenoor leerders in die algemeen 'n belangrike rol speel met betrekking tot die sukses van die onderrig- en leergebeure in die klaskamer. Hierdie houding word dikwels bepaal deur die · onderwyser se kennis van leerders in die klaskamer en sy vaardighede met betrekking tot hul onderrig. In die lig van die literatuurstudie, wat daarop dui dat onderwysers nie voldoende opleiding ontvang om aan die behoeftes van leerders met spesiale onderwysbehoeftes te voldoen nie, word in hierdie navorsing die houding van die onderwyser in die gewone skool teenoor die leerders met spesiale onderwysbehoeftes soos dit in die praktyk openbaar word bepaal. / The right of every individual to education, as enshrined in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the renewing of the pledge made by the world community at the 1990 World Conference on Education for All to ensure that right, regardless of individual differences, gave rise to the worldwide trend in education known as Inclusion. All indications are that South Africa will also adopt the policy of Inclusion as part of the government's efforts to reform education. The policy of Inclusion has major implications for the teachers in the ordinary school, as they are both the subjects and the agents of reform. It is generally believed that teachers' attitudes towards learners plays a major role ·in the success of the teaching-learning events in the classroom. These attitudes are often influenced by .. the teachers' knowledge of the learners in their classrooms and their skill in teaching them. In view of literature that suggests that teachers are not adequately trained to meet the needs of learners, with special Educational needs, this study undertakes to investigate the attitude of teachers in the ordinary school towards learners with special educational needs, as it manifests in practice. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Ortopedagogiek)

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Die wereldwye neiging in die onderwys wat bekend staan as lnsluiting is teweeggebring deur die reg van elke individu op onderrig, soos vasgele in die Universele Verklaring van Menseregte van 1948, tesame met die hernieude onderneming van die wereldgemeenskap' op die Wereldkonferensie oor Opvoeding vir Almal van 1990 om daardie reg, ten spyte van individuele • verskille, te verskans. Aile aanduidings is dat Suid-Afrika ook die beleid van lnsluiting sal aanvaar in die regering se pogings om die onderwys te hervorm. Hierdie beleid van lnsluiting hou groot implikasies in vir die onderwyser in, die gewone skole, aangesien hulle beida die voorwerp en die . agent is van sodanige hervorming. Daar word aanvaar dat die onderwyser se houding teenoor leerders in die algemeen 'n belangrike rol speel met betrekking tot die sukses van die onderrig- en leergebeure in die klaskamer. Hierdie houding word dikwels bepaal deur die · onderwyser se kennis van leerders in die klaskamer en sy vaardighede met betrekking tot hul onderrig. In die lig van die literatuurstudie, wat daarop dui dat onderwysers nie voldoende opleiding ontvang om aan die behoeftes van leerders met spesiale onderwysbehoeftes te voldoen nie, word in hierdie navorsing die houding van die onderwyser in die gewone skool teenoor die leerders met spesiale onderwysbehoeftes soos dit in die praktyk openbaar word bepaal. / The right of every individual to education, as enshrined in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the renewing of the pledge made by the world community at the 1990 World Conference on Education for All to ensure that right, regardless of individual differences, gave rise to the worldwide trend in education known as Inclusion. All indications are that South Africa will also adopt the policy of Inclusion as part of the government's efforts to reform education. The policy of Inclusion has major implications for the teachers in the ordinary school, as they are both the subjects and the agents of reform. It is generally believed that teachers' attitudes towards learners plays a major role ·in the success of the teaching-learning events in the classroom. These attitudes are often influenced by .. the teachers' knowledge of the learners in their classrooms and their skill in teaching them. In view of literature that suggests that teachers are not adequately trained to meet the needs of learners, with special Educational needs, this study undertakes to investigate the attitude of teachers in the ordinary school towards learners with special educational needs, as it manifests in practice. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Ortopedagogiek)

Some of the major difficulties encountered in embracing an inclusive education system are, lack of commitment, lack of resources as well as a poor understanding of how to support successful inclusion. The Education White Paper 6 (here after referred to as EWP6) states that, all children can learn, should be supported to learn and assured of equal and equitable education. The implementation of inclusion has been initiated by the EWP 6 (Department of Education, 2001) and is still in the process of developing the necessary education support services. At the school level, an institution level support team (ILST) should serve as a means of supporting learners experiencing learning difficulties. This study examined the perceptions of foundation phase teachers regarding the support they are getting from the ILST as well as finding out whether collaboration between the above mentioned bodies can help in addressing the issue of learner diversity in an inclusive classroom. The investigation was conducted at a school in the Northern suburb of Johannesburg. The foundation phase teachers and some members of the ILST were purposively included as participants. A case study design was chosen since this would allow for in-depth examination of the perceptions of foundation phase teachers regarding the support they are getting from their (ILST). The data collection process included questionnaires, oral follow up interviews, document analysis and observation. The data collected from the above sources has been analyzed according to themes and subthemes that emerged. The findings of the study show that, there is little or no collaboration between the foundation phase teachers and the ILST. It was also evident that the foundation phase teachers collaborate immensely amongst themselves in sharing ideas on how to support learners in their classrooms. Lastly, it was apparent that the support given to the foundation phase teachers was done solely by the learning support educator and not as a team with the other members of the ILST. The ILST on their part did not take time to actually define their roles in terms of how they would be functioning in rendering support to the foundation phase teachers. Based on the findings in this study, recommendations are made as to how to effectively support teachers as well as improve collaboration among all stake holders involved in inclusive practices.

Diabetes is a illness many people have heard of and think they understand, yet many diabetic learners go unrecognised and unnoticed. The research question of the study was to determine the developmental and learning needs and the assets of the learner with type I diabetes in the foundation phase. The study had the following aims concerning learners with type I diabetes in the foundation phase: • To identify the developmental and learning needs and the assets of these learners • To provide knowledge about and understanding of these learners • To rally friends, family, the school, teachers and the community to become external and internal asset builders in the development of these learners. The ecological perspective was viewed as an appropriate framework for conceptualising this study. The needs and asset-based approach was included in the theoretical framework to gain a holistic view of these learners. This was a qualitative ethnographic study using case studies. The research was based on the interpretative paradigm. After an in-depth literature survey, data were collected in four phases in questionnaires, followed by semi-structured interviews held with a non-random sample of three learners with type I diabetes drawn from different cultures, their parents and teachers. The semi-structured interviews were recorded and transcribed and the data coded and analysed inductively. A narrative approach was used for interpreting the data. The relationship between the participants and their ecology was investigated to determine the factors in the learners’ environment. The learners’ developmental and learning needs and the assets inherent in each unique participant were identified. / Dissertation (MPhil (Education for Community Development))--University of Pretoria, 2004. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted

Education White Paper No.6 (2001) – Special Education: Special Needs Education. Building an Inclusive Education and Training System creates the expectation that more South African schools will need to follow an inclusive approach to address, effectively, the varying educational needs of all learners. A number of South African private schools implemented inclusive programs before the publication of this white paper. This research focuses on the perceptions of four South African private school principals with regards to the implementation of these programs and the consequential development of their schools. This qualitative research generated data about the selected private schools through a semi-structured interview, a document analysis, and a literature review. The processed data displayed the principals’ perceptions about the South African private schools’ nature; location; the expertise of the various stakeholders; the schools’ criteria and considerations for administering an inclusive program; the effects of the inclusive programs on the schools’ development; the influence of an inclusive approach on the development of staff, infrastructure and administration within these schools; and the nature of the systemic changes within these private schools. The literature review confirms that inclusive education is a diffuse term and that the American IDEA legislation, as the most progressive policy in this regard, ensures comprehensive inclusive mainstream schools for all learners, irrespective of their educational needs, in the least restrictive environment in their respective communities. The interview data was transcribed, labelled according to specific markers and thematically interpreted in five groups. The data analysis showed that the location of the private school, the expertise of the stakeholders at the school and the motivation for the program’s existence all play a definitive role in the extent; nature; marketing; assessment; policy formulation; accreditation; infrastructural developments; cost; policies; procedures; decision making; leadership style; in service training and staff allocation linked to the inclusive program. There are still misconceptions and questions about inclusive education within and outside the private school milieu. The growing cost and increased workload linked to this approach impede its widespread development and make other schools hesitant to implement it in the same manner as the private schools used in this research sample. AFRIKAANS : Onderwys Witskrif Nr.6 (2001) –Spesiale Onderwys: Die vestiging van ’n inklusiewe Onderwys en Opleidingstelsel se verwagting is dat meer Suid-Afrikaanse skole ’n inklusiewe benadering sal volg om al die onderwysbehoeftes van alle Suid-Afrikaanse leerders effektief aan te spreek. ’n Aantal Suid- Afrikaanse privaatskole het voor hierdie publikasiedatum verskillende inklusiewe programme geïmplementeer. Dié navorsing werp lig op die sienings van vier Suid-Afrikaanse privaatskool-hoofde aangaande die implementering van dié programme én die skoolontwikkeling wat daaruit voortvloei. Die kwalitatiewe het data oor die geselekteerde privaatskole deur ’n semi-gestruktureerde onderhoud, ’n dokument-analise en literatuurstudie ingesamel en verwerk. Die data het die skoolhoofde se persepsies aangaande die Suid-Afrikaanse inklusiewe privaatskole se aard; ligging; die kundigheid van hulle belanghebbendes; die skole se kriteria en oorwegings om die inklusiewe program te bedryf; die effekte van die inklusiewe program op skool- ontwikkelings; die invloed van die inklusiewe benadering op die personeel-, infrastruktuur- en administratiewe ontwikkelings in dié skole; én die aard van die sistemiese veranderings in die privaatskole opgelewer. Die literatuurstudie het bevestig dat inklusiewe onderwys ‘n diffuse term is en dat die Amerikaanse IDEA-wetgewing, as die progressiefste beleid in hierdie verband, verseker dat ‘n volwaardige inklusiewe hoofstroomskool alle leerders, ongeag hulle onderwysbehoefte, in die minsbeperkte leeromgewing in hulle gemeenskap akkommodeer. Die onderhouddata is getranskribeer, volgens merkers geëtiketteer en tematies geïnterpreteer in vyf groeperings. Die data-analise toon dat die ligging van die privaatskool, die kundigheid van belanghebbendes by die skool en die motivering vir die program ‘n besliste rol speel in die omvang; aard; bemarking; assessering; beleidformulering; akkreditering; infrastruktuurontwikkelings; koste; beleide; prosedures; besluite; leierskapstyl; indiensopleiding en personeeltoewysing van die inklusiewe praktyke. Daar is steeds wanopvattings oor inklusiewe onderwys binne en buite die privaatskoolbedryf, en die verhoogde werkslas en groeiende koste hieraan verbonde rem die wydverspreide ontwikkeling en maak nuwe skole huiwerig om dieselfde stap te neem as die gevestigde skole. Copyright / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

The National Commission of Special Needs in Education and Training (NCSNET) Document (1997) which portrays the new Education Policy in South Africa. clearly states that one of the crucial outcomes is that all possible barriers to learning must be eliminated so that all learners are able to actualise their full potential. Inclusive education, as embedded within the Education Policy, is regarded as an approach which will allow learners to actualise their full potential. This study is a critical reflection on whether inclusive education is practised in primary schools in the Thohoyandou area. The research findings indicated that inclusive education is not practised in the Thohoyandou area. A major factor or barrier in this regard is that teachers and principals are not empowered in terms ofknowledge to practise inclusive education. Other factors acting as barriers to the implementation of inclusive education are that the school buildings do not cater for physically and visually impaired learners as well as the attitudes of teachers, parents and peers are inclined to be negative towards learners experiencing barriers to learning. The community should also be educated and empowered to assist and understand these learners, who will become the future members of the community, more effectively, As inclusive education is one of the means whereby all learners are given the opportunity to actualise their full potential, these barriers must be addressed so that inclusive education can be practised in all primary schools in the Thohoyandou area. A few strategies to implement inclusive education in the Thohoyandou area are suggested by the researcher. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Special Needs Education)

The National Commission of Special Needs in Education and Training (NCSNET) Document (1997) which portrays the new Education Policy in South Africa. clearly states that one of the crucial outcomes is that all possible barriers to learning must be eliminated so that all learners are able to actualise their full potential. Inclusive education, as embedded within the Education Policy, is regarded as an approach which will allow learners to actualise their full potential. This study is a critical reflection on whether inclusive education is practised in primary schools in the Thohoyandou area. The research findings indicated that inclusive education is not practised in the Thohoyandou area. A major factor or barrier in this regard is that teachers and principals are not empowered in terms ofknowledge to practise inclusive education. Other factors acting as barriers to the implementation of inclusive education are that the school buildings do not cater for physically and visually impaired learners as well as the attitudes of teachers, parents and peers are inclined to be negative towards learners experiencing barriers to learning. The community should also be educated and empowered to assist and understand these learners, who will become the future members of the community, more effectively, As inclusive education is one of the means whereby all learners are given the opportunity to actualise their full potential, these barriers must be addressed so that inclusive education can be practised in all primary schools in the Thohoyandou area. A few strategies to implement inclusive education in the Thohoyandou area are suggested by the researcher. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Special Needs Education)

Mildly intellectually disabled (MID) learners, in South Africa, experience a great deal of discrimination. For the Black MID learner, the situation has been the worst in that even at a time when their white counterparts received education in separate schools, nothing of the sort existed for them. Most of them found themselves in ordinary schools, a situation described by many authors as "mainstreaming by default". The new education dispensation of 1994 brought along with it the need to begin looking at ways in which these learners are to be accommodated in the education system. However, such accommodation is made difficult by the fact that teachers are not familiar with ways of catering for diversity in the classrooms. An investigation was undertaken of the phenomenon mild intellectual disability. The characteristics of these learners were studied, in order to understand how these characteristics impact on their learning. The teaching principles and learning principles that make it easier for them to learn were studied. Most of these learners experience problems with reading, writing and mathematics. Existing educational programmes in developed and developing countries were examined, together with aspects of those programmes that might be of use in South Africa. A closer look was taken at provisions for these learners in South Africa before the new dispensation. An empirical study was undertaken to investigate what manifestations these learners display, how they are assisted once they are identified and to establish if teachers receive any support from parents, school management teams and the Department of Education. Finally, it was investigated if methods used for Outcomes-Based Education can be used to accommodate MID learners. Implications were then tabled on three levels, namely, the macro level, which is the provincial level, where decisions regarding educational policy and legislation for the Province are made, the meso level, which concerns implementation at the district level, and the micro level, which is the school itself. This level concerns the teacher's task in the classroom. Finally, a training manual for school support teams was designed, tested and finalised as a document to be used in assisting teachers to support MID learners / Early Childhood Education and Development / D. Ed. (Special Needs Education)