Bibliography / Thesis (MEd))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / Bibliography / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMIMG: Die transformasie vanaf ʼn tradisionele onderwysstelsel na ʼn inklusiewe stelsel het ʼn perspektiefverandering tot gevolg gehad. Die verandering in perspektief het ʼn verskuiwing weg van ʼn klem op individuele diagnose en voorskriftelike terapeutiese intervensies deur professionele persone, na ʼn groter klem op die ontwikkeling van samewerkende en konsulterende verhoudings tussen onderwysers, professionele persone en ouers meegebring. Hierdie verandering in denke het ʼn invloed gehad op die rolle van onderwysers, skoolhoofde en ondersteuningspersoneel. In hierdie studie word daar spesifiek gefokus op die rol- en praktykomskakelings van die eertydse remediërende onderwysers na leerondersteunende onderwysers (leerondersteuners). Navorsingstudies het getoon dat die rol van die leerondersteuner tans baie meer omvattend is as vroeër, met die gevolg dat die volgende navorsingsvrae ontstaan het: Wat is die rol van leerondersteuners binne inklusiewe onderwys en watter ervarings het hulle gehad tydens hul rol- en praktykomskakelings? Die doel van hierdie generiese interpretatiewe navorsingstudie was om vier leerondersteuners wat voorheen as remediërende onderwysers gewerk het se ervarings van hul rol- en praktykomskakelings te analiseer, te beskryf en te verduidelik. Die studie is gedoen vanuit die interpretatiewe paradigma wat die kwalitatiewe navorsingsontwerp gerig het. Data is deur middel van semi-gestruktureerde en fokusgroeponderhoude asook dokumente van die Wes-Kaap Onderwysdepartement gegenereer. Die onderhoudsdata is getranskribeer en verwerk. Bevindinge het getoon dat al die leerondersteuners unieke ervarings gehad het. Daar was egter ʼn ooreenkoms in die ervaring van ʼn klemverskuiwing wat plaasgevind het vanaf remediërende onderwys na leerondersteuning. ʼn Belangrike aspek wat uit die data voortgespruit het, was dat leerondersteuners se daaglikse take en verantwoordelikhede by hul spesifieke skole grootliks van mekaar verskil het, vanweë die verskillende skoolkontekste. Daar is verder bevind dat daar ʼn leemte is in die ondersteuning wat leerondersteuners aan onderwysers bied. Voorstelle is gemaak om ondersteuningsnetwerke te vorm binne die verskillende sisteme van die leerder se konteks, sodat skole omgeskakel kan word na inklusiewe gemeenskappe. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The transformation from a traditional education system to an inclusive education system implies a change in perspectives. Perspectives in education support that have traditionally focused on the so-called medical deficit approach have since changed to a model that focuses on inclusive education. An inclusive education system moves away from an approach that focused on diagnosis and treatment, to a system where the removal of stumbling blocks within society and the participation of all people, especially those with differences, in the everyday life of society, are recognised. The change in perspective requires the transformation in the roles of education support professionals. This study focuses specifically on these role conversions that the former remedial teachers have to make in becoming learning support teachers. Research has shown that the role of learning support teachers is more comprehensive within an inclusive system. This led to the following research questions: How do learning support teachers experience their role conversion? Because studies proved it to be problematic to define the role of the learning support teacher, due the influence of the context on their work, a second question arose: What is the role of the learning support teacher within an inclusive education system? The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to analyse, describe and explain the experiences of four remedial teachers during their role conversion to learning support teachers. The study was conducted within an interpretive paradigm which guided the qualitative research design. Data was generated by means of semi-structured and focus group interviews and included relevant documents from the Western Cape Education Department regarding the role of learning support teachers and inclusion. The interview data were transcribed and analysed. The findings show that all the learning support teachers had unique experiences during the role conversion. An important aspect that resulted from the data was that the day-to-day operations and responsibilities of learning support teachers differed from one another, due to the difference in the school contexts. vi An additional outcome of the analysis identified a lack of support for teachers. Recommendations are made to create support networks within the different systems of the learner‟s context to ensure that schools are converted to inclusive communities