Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The purpose of the present study was an exploratory examination/study of the self-concept of learners with Special Education Needs. To this end, all 1005 subjects completed the Piers-Harris Self Concept Questionnaire once. This questionnaire consists of 80 statements divided into six subscales i.e. : Behaviour, Intellectual and School status, Physical appearance, Anxiety, Popularity and Happiness and satisfaction. A total score is then culculated from those separate dimensions. Learners in the four Special Schools were selected per school as follows: • in random order • sex • medium of instruction • technical subject • hostel/day scholar • grade/standard Correlations between self-concept variables were examined, but two other questionnaires containing certain biographical details and information concerning the learners' academic and technical marks and the parents' marital status, were also used in the study. By using these two questionnaires, correlations between self-concept variables and certain biographical variables such as the following were possible : • sex and self-concept • medium of instruction and self-concept • living in the school hostel and self-concept • evaluation of relationship with technical teacher and self-concept • academic achievement and self-concept • technical subject and self-concept and • marital status of parents and self-concept correlations The following decisive correlations emerged as a result of the study : • regarding the correlation between self-concept variables, Happiness and satisfaction as well as Popularity featured strongly with limited Anxiety. Physical Appearance correlated strongly with Popularity and with Happiness and satisfaction. • regarding the correlation between sex and self-concept, it appeared that boys have a better/higher self-concept than girls with regard to Physical Appearance, Happiness and satisfaction and limited Anxiety. • regarding the correlation between medium of instruction and self-concept, there appeared to be a significant link between the self-concept variables: Anxiety, Popularity and Happiness and satisfaction. English speaking learners registered higher values on the scores than Afrikaans speaking learners in all three self-concept variables. • regarding the correlation between living in the school hostel and self-concept, it appeared that day scholars had higher self-concept scores with regard to Physical Appearance, Popularity, Happiness and satisfaction than hostel residents. • regarding the correlation between evaluation of relationship with technical teacher and self-concept, it appeared that there was a significant link between evaluation of the relationship with the teacher and two self-concept variables : Behaviour and Intellectual and School Status. Learners to whom the technical teacher meant a great deal, had higher self-concept scores in Intellectual and School Status than those to whom the technical teacher meant little. regarding the correlation between academic achievement and self-concept and sex, there were significant correlations between academic achievement and self-concept variables such as : Behaviour, Intellectual and School Status and Happiness and satisfaction. Differences between the size of correlations between boys and girls were however, insignificant. • regarding the correlation between technical subject and self-concept, there are significant links between technical subject and Physical Appearance, Anxiety, Popularity and Happiness and satisfaction. • regarding the correlation between marital status of parents and self-concept variables, it appeared that learners whose parents are in the process of divorce, scored lower for Anxiety. They experienced a reasonably high degree of Anxiety and also less Happiness and satisfaction compared to persons whose parents were married or divorced. From the results of this study, it appears that the placing of a learner in a special school, despite the criticisms expressed by opponents, does show positive correlations between self-concept and certain biographical variables as discussed. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van die huidige ondersoek was In verkennende ondersoek na die selfkonsep van leerders met Spesiale Onderwysbehoeftes. Om dit te bewerkstellig, het al 1005 proefpersone die Piers - Harris Selfkonsepvraelys eenmalig beantwoord. Dié vraelys bestaan uit 80 stellings wat in ses subskale onderverdeel word, naamlik : Gedrag, Intellektuele- en skoolstatus, Fisiese voorkoms, Angs, Populariteit en Geluk en tevredenheid. In Totaaltelling word dan uit hierdie afsonderlike dimensies bereken. Leerders in die vier Spesiale Skole is per skool soos volg geselekteer : • op In gelykkansige wyse • geslag • onderrigtaal • tegniese vak • koshuis/dagskoliere • graad/standerd Verbande tussen selfkonsepveranderlikes onderling is ondersoek, maar twee ander vraelyste waarin sekere biografiese besonderhede en inligting oor leerders se akademiese en - tegniese punte en ouers se huwelikstatus bekom is, is ook in die ondersoek gebruik. Deur dié twee vaelyste ook te gebruik, kon verbande tussen selfkonsepveranderlikes en sekere biografiese veranderlikes soos die volgende ondersoek word: • verband tussen geslag en selfkonsep • verband tussen onderrigtaal en selfkonsep • verband tussen koshuisinwoning en selfkonsep verband tussen evaluering van verhouding met tegniese onderwyser en selfkonsep • verband tussen akademiese prestasie en selfkonsep • verband tussen tegniese vak en selfkonsep en • verband tussen huwelikstatus van ouers en selfkonsepveranderlikes Uit die resultate van die ondersoek is die volgende beduidende verbande, gevind: • ten opsigte van die verband tussen selfkonsepveranderlikes onderling, het Geluk en Tevredenheid asook Populariteit redelik sterk gekorreleer met lae Angsgevoelens. Fisiese Voorkoms korreleer ook redelik sterk met Populariteit en met Geluk en Tevredenheid. • ten opsigte van die verband tussen geslag en selfkonsep blyk dit dat seuns 'n hoër selfkonsep het as dogters wat betrefFisiese Voorkoms, Geluk en Tevredenheid en laer Angsgevoelens. • ten opsigte van die verband tussen onderrigtaal en selfkonsep blyk dit dat daar 'n beduidende verband is tussen selfkonsepveranderlikes : Angs, Populariteit en Geluk en Tevredenheid. Byal drie selfkonsepveranderlikes toon Engelssprekende leerders hoër waardes op die tellings as Afrikaanssprekendes. • ten opsigte van die verband tussen koshuisinwoning en selfkonsep blyk dit dat leerders wat nie inwoon nie, hoër selfkonseptellings het ten opsigte van Fisiese Voorkoms, Populariteit, Geluk en Tevredenheid as leerders wat inwoon. • ten opsigte van die verband tussen evaluering van verhouding met tegniese onderwyser en selfkonsep blyk dit dat daar 'n beduidende verband is tussen evaluering van verhouding met tegniese onderwyser en twee selfkonsepveranderlikes : Gedrag en Intellektuele en Skoolstatus. Leerders vir wie die tegniese onderwyser baie tot geweldig baie beteken, het hoër selfkonseptellings op Intellektuele en Skoolstatus as diegene vir wie die tegniese onderwyser baie min tot min beteken. • ten opsigte van die verband tussen akademiese prestasie en seljkonsep en per geslag is daar beduidende korrelasies tussen akademiese prestasie en selfkonsepveranderlikes soos : Gedrag, Intellektuele en Skoolstatus en Geluk en Tevredenheid. Verskille tussen grootte van korrelasies tussen seuns en dogters is egter baie gering. • ten opsigte van die verband tussen tegniese vak en seljkonsep is daar beduidende verbande tussen tegniese vak en Fisiese Voorkoms, Angs, Populariteit en Geluk en Tevredenheid en • ten opsigte van die verband tussen huwelikstatus van ouers en seljkonsepveranderlikes blyk dit dat persone wie se ouers besig is om te skei, laer angstellings het, met ander woorde hulle ervaar 'n redelik hoë mate van Angs en ook minder Geluk en Tevredenheid in vergelyking met persone waarvan die ouers in ander huwelikstate verkeer. Uit die resultate van die ondersoek wil dit tog voorkom asof die plasing van 'n leerder in 'n spesiale skool, nieteenstaande al die kritiek wat deur teenstanders uitgespreek word, tog positiewe verbande toon tussen selfkonsepveranderlikes en sekere biografiese veranderlikes soos bespreek

Inclusion has been adopted by the South African Department of Education as the policy for special needs· learners. This study explores the role of education managers in independent Christian schools in implementing this policy. A literature review and data gathered from interviews with principals of Christian schools which practise inclusion reveal that education managers have a vital role to play by offering leadership and vision to the inclusive school. They control the human and material resources required to bring about change towards greater inclusivity. Their accepting attitudes communicate to the community that all learners can belong in a school willing to accommodate them. The Biblical values that give the Christian school its reason for existence makes reaching out to those with special needs an imperative. Practical strategies for implementing inclusion are discussed in the context of organisational development and the management of change. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

Inclusion has been adopted by the South African Department of Education as the policy for special needs· learners. This study explores the role of education managers in independent Christian schools in implementing this policy. A literature review and data gathered from interviews with principals of Christian schools which practise inclusion reveal that education managers have a vital role to play by offering leadership and vision to the inclusive school. They control the human and material resources required to bring about change towards greater inclusivity. Their accepting attitudes communicate to the community that all learners can belong in a school willing to accommodate them. The Biblical values that give the Christian school its reason for existence makes reaching out to those with special needs an imperative. Practical strategies for implementing inclusion are discussed in the context of organisational development and the management of change. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

There has been a paucity of research concerning vocational training of learners with special education needs. The literature study focused on a vocational training and transition planning programme in the United States of America, which could provide as a useful guide to educators and school managers, when implementing vocational training and transitional planning in South Africa. Research was conducted using semi-structured interviews with educators and principals at special schools, observation of learners whilst performing skills training and documentary analysis, to explore whether learners with barriers to learning are receiving skills training that could position them for employment in the open labour market after they exit school. Findings revealed that principals and educators at special schools are faced with challenges in the learner’s microsystem, exosystem and macrosystem, resulting in the inadequate preparation of learners with special education needs for employment in the open labour market. Based on the findings, recommendations in terms of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory were made, to increase the opportunity for learners who experience barriers to learning, to be engaged in meaningful employment. / Education Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

There has been a paucity of research concerning vocational training of learners with special education needs. The literature study focused on a vocational training and transition planning programme in the United States of America, which could provide as a useful guide to educators and school managers, when implementing vocational training and transitional planning in South Africa. Research was conducted using semi-structured interviews with educators and principals at special schools, observation of learners whilst performing skills training and documentary analysis, to explore whether learners with barriers to learning are receiving skills training that could position them for employment in the open labour market after they exit school. Findings revealed that principals and educators at special schools are faced with challenges in the learner’s microsystem, exosystem and macrosystem, resulting in the inadequate preparation of learners with special education needs for employment in the open labour market. Based on the findings, recommendations in terms of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory were made, to increase the opportunity for learners who experience barriers to learning, to be engaged in meaningful employment. / Education Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)