Submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree MASTER OF EDUCATION in the Department of Educational Psychology in the Faculty of Education at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2002. / The aim of this study was to investigate the perceptions of primary school educators concerning inclusive education for learners with hearing impairments. The orientation to the study is followed by a chapter to explain the design of the research, substantiating the choice of format, methods of data collection and analysis. A qualitative research method was chosen on account of its explorative, descriptive and contextual nature. Data was collected by means of interviews with mainstream educators with learning impaired learners in their classrooms. This was followed by a literature review to compare and complement the qualitative data analysis. The results from the qualitative research showed that the black primary school educators generally have negative perceptions of the inclusion of hearing impaired learners. The challenge facing many mainstream educators is that they have not been trained to cope with the diversity of learners now entering school. They have, for example, not been trained to meet the special educational needs of hearing impaired learners. Educators often feel that they are obliged to implement policies, such as inclusion of all learners, about which they were not consulted. They do not have a clear understanding of the demands of changes they must implement and lack adequate time to prepare for the implementation. Many mainstream educators lack confidence in their own abilities to teach learners with diverse needs. They fear failure, and are concerned about the educational needs of the "normal" learners in the inclusive classroom. Educators' perceptions are also influenced by the availability of sufficient support and resources and the amount of time required of the educator to address the special educational needs of the diversity of learners. Lack of knowledge and experience of exceptional children, such as the hearing impaired have a negative influence on educators' perceptions of mainstreaming. The study concludes with the findings from the qualitative research and the literature review and the following recommendations were made: • In-service and pre-service training courses in special education must be offered at all educator training institutions. • The development of both the curriculum and the school must include a variety of strategies to facilitate the learning and teaching of all learners.