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Philosophiae Doctor - PhD (Education) / The World Health Organisation defines mental health as "a state of well-being in which the individual realizes her or his own abilities, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community" (WHO, 2001, p. 1). There is a paucity of academic research about the mental health status of minority groups, especially women of colour (Moultrie & Kleintjes, 2006). In South Africa too, this gap in research is evident when focussing on the mental health of women, especially Coloured women in South Africa. Women's health and their mental health in particular are often affected by the way society treats and regards them; often they suffer from emotional, mental and physical exhaustions. This study investigated the mental health status of Coloured female teachers working in historically disadvantaged Special Schools in the Cape Metropole of the Western Cape Education Department. This group designation is the designation that was formally used during South Africa's Apartheid past policies of segregation in categorising groups according to pre-determined race categories. Coloureds where then considered to be a minority grouping in South Africa. Reference is still currently made in democratic South Africa to the Apartheid race categorisations in contemporary formal policies that seek to redress the inequities of the past, both in terms of race as well as gender categories (Conway-Smith, 2011; Stromquist, 1998). Given the intimate association between race and identity, especially within a socio-historical context such as that of South Africa, it is reasonable to consider the impact of this association on an individual's mental health status.

The diploma thesis deals with education of pupils with special educational needs in common elementary schools as well as in special elementary schools. It defines special educational needs of these pupils (syndrome ADHD/ADD, specific learning disabilities, cerebral palsy, autism, epilepsy, mental retardation, hearing impairment, combined disorders) and searches attitudes of parents and teachers to inclusion of pupils with special educational needs in common elementary schools as well as in special elementary schools.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka elevassistenters uppfattningar om vad den stöttning de ger till elever i särskolan bidrar till för elevens kunskapsutveckling. Studien har en kvalitativ ansats. En intervjustudie har genomförts med åtta elevassistenter. Empirin har analyserats genom en tematisk innehållsanalys. Resultatet visar att stöttningen har olika karaktär och att elevassistenterna riktar sin stöttning mot både elever och lärare. Förutsättningar för stöttning i form av samverkan och lärarens insats påverkar både elevassistentens roll och den stöttning som möjliggörs. Ett anmärkningsvärt resultat är att elevassistenter tycks ha ett motiv att avlasta läraren genom att helt eller delvis ta över planerings- och undervisningsansvaret avseende enskilda elever. Då studiens resultat ställs i relation till hur scaffolding förstås ur ett socialkonstruktivistiskt perspektiv uppstår frågor och funderingar, viktiga att lyfta i samtal mellan lärare och elevassistenter för att kvalificera – utveckla och fördjupa – en samverkan. Elevassistenter bidrar till bättre förutsättningar för elevens lärande och kunskapsutveckling i särskolan. Om lärarens undervisning utgår från ett socialkonstruktivistiskt perspektiv på scaffolding framstår samverkan kring förståelsen av vad stöttning är, stöttningens preciserade syfte, innehåll och vuxnas roller i klassrummet som helt centralt. / The purpose of the study was to investigate paraprofessionals perceptions of what the support they give to students in special schools for children with learning disabilities contributes to the student's knowledge development. The study has a qualitative approach. An interview study was conducted with eight paraprofessionals. The empirics have been analyzed through a thematic content analysis. The results show that the support has a different character and that the paraprofessionals direct their support towards both students and teachers. Conditions for support in the form of collaboration and the teacher's efforts affect both the paraprofessional role and the support that is made possible. A remarkable result is that paraprofessionals seem to have a motive to relieve the teacher by taking over all or part of the planning and teaching responsibility regarding individual students. When the results of the study are set in relation to how scaffolding is understood from a social constructivist perspective, questions and considerations arise, important to raise in conversations between teachers and paraprofessionals to qualify - develop and deepen - a collaboration. Paraprofessionals contribute to better conditions for the student's learning and knowledge development in the special school. If the teacher's teaching is based on a social constructivist perspective on scaffolding, collaboration around the understanding of what support is, the specified purpose of support, content and the roles of adults in the classroom appears to be absolutely central.

This study sought to find out ways in which teachers can be supported to implement inclusive education at a primary school in the Kwaluseni district of Swaziland. The government of Swaziland introduced Free Primary Education ( F.P.E) also called mainstreaming. As per governments order, parents brought their learners for grade 1 and that was in 2010 January. That marked the beginning of the problem as teachers were not used to teaching disadvantaged learners in their classes but believed that such learners have to be transferred to specials schools of which the country only has four. The study is a case study using a qualitative approach. Purposive sampling was used in choosing the sample. The key informant were teachers from Kwaluseni primary school. For data collection a designed interview with semi structured and open ended items was used. Data was analysed using codes and there was a search for patterns of thinking or behaviour, words or phrases that appeared with regularity was the coding categories. A report was then written based on the findings. Then recommendations were stated. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

Thesis (MAud (Interdisciplinary Health Sciences. Speech-Language and Hearing Therapy)--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / Over the past decade an increasing number of learners with cochlear implants have been placed in mainstream settings in South Africa (Müller & Wagenfeld, 2003). The aim of the present study was to describe possible factors that influence the initial grade 1 school placement as well as subsequent changes in placement of learners with cochlear implants. Data collection consisted of a retrospective record review of the children implanted at the Tygerberg Hospital-University of Stellenbosch Cochlear Implant Unit and a questionnaire aimed at assessing parental perceptions regarding the basis of grade 1 school placement for their children. The record review incorporated children implanted in 1988, the year of inception of the unit and included the most recently implanted children who have already started grade 1. Results of the 47 participants indicated that multiple factors influenced the selection of grade 1 school placement. Recommendations by professionals and parental preference were the most important determinants in the selection process. The mainstreamed learners were implanted at a much younger age than the learners placed in special school settings and therefore had a longer duration of implant use at the start of grade 1. Subsequent to grade 1 placement, the number of learners in mainstream placement, increased from 55% to 70%. The aspects identified in the study could be utilised when counselling parents during the school placement decision making process. Long term monitoring of the academic achievement of these learners needs to be an aim of future research.

Thesis (MEdPsych) Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Completing formal education with a specific learning disability presents many challenges to the individuals concerned. For learners in special education, negative perceptions of learning disabilities and/or inaccurate and unrealistic perceptions, could result in poor outcomes in adult life, as well as feelings of frustration, helplessness and hopelessness during their transition from school to post-school environments. Such individuals need to form accurate perceptions of their own learning disabilities to ensure that they can and will advocate for themselves and will be willing and able to seek out the appropriate support needed to experience success in all spheres of life. The aim of this study was to conduct an in-depth exploration of the subjective perceptions of adolescents in special education regarding their own learning disabilities since accessing this knowledge is an important first step toward developing and providing positive and empowering interventions and support for learners in special education. The researcher aligned herself with the constructivist/interpretive paradigm and the research methodology used can be described as a basic qualitative research design. Seven participants from one special school were selected through purposive sampling. The researcher used individual semi-structured interviews and focus group interviews as well as personal documents in the form of learners' personal files to obtain data. The process of analysis employed can be described as thematic content analysis. The findings of this study suggest that adolescents are aware of the individual challenges posed by completing school with a learning disability, although this was experienced in a less debilitating sense as a result of the supportive special school context. They were aware of some of the coping strategies that needed to be implemented in order to cope with their current academic workload, but were not always aware that these would need to be extended to life after school. Generally, they were also not aware that they would need to advocate for themselves and seek out support in post-school settings. The perceptions formed of their learning disabilities were influenced by early experiences of their first awareness of their struggles with learning, their experiences of assessment and placement in a special school, the perceptions others had of their learning disabilities, as well as their experiences as learners in a special school. The most important recommendation based on the findings of this study is that learners in the special school environment need to be provided with more explicit counselling regarding the specific nature of their learning disabilities. They need to be made aware of support strategies and resources that they would be able to use in post-school environments, as well as the process of obtaining access to such resources. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Voltooiing van formele onderwys met 'n spesifieke leergestremdheid bied baie uitdagings aan die betrokke individue. Negatiewe persepsies van leergestremdhede en/of onakkurate en onrealisties persepsies kan vir leerders met spesiale onderwysbehoeftes swak uitkomste in die volwasse lewe tot gevolg hê, asook gevoelens van frustrasie, hulpeloosheid en hopeloosheid tydens hul oorgang van skool na naskoolse kontekste. Sulke individue moet 'n akkurate persepsie van hul eie leergestremdhede vorm om te verseker dat hulle gewillig self voorspraak sal maak (self-advocate) en in staat sal wees om toepaslike ondersteuning wat nodig is om sukses in alle sfere van die lewe te ervaar, uit te soek. Die doel van hierdie studie was om 'n in-diepte ondersoek van die subjektiewe persepsies van adolessente in spesiale onderwys met betrekking tot hul eie leergestremdhede te voer, aangesien toegang tot hierdie kennis 'n belangrike eerste stap in die rigting van die ontwikkeling en voorsiening van positiewe en bemagtigende ingrypings en ondersteuning vir leerders in spesiale onderwys is. Die navorser het haarself belyn met die konstruktivistiese/interpretatiewe paradigma en die navorsingsmetodologie wat gebruik is kan beskryf word as 'n basiese kwalitatiewe navorsingsontwerp. Sewe deelnemers van 'n spesiale skool is gekies deur middel van doelgerigte steekproeftrekking. Die navorser het individuele semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude en fokusgroep onderhoude gebruik, sowel as persoonlike dokumente (in die vorm van die leerders se persoonlike lêers) om data te verkry. Die proses van analise wat toegepas word kan beskryf word as tematiese inhoud-analise. Die bevindinge van hierdie studie dui daarop dat adolessente bewus is van die individuele uitdagings wat aan hul gestel word deur die voltooiing van skool met 'n leergestremdheid. Tog was dit in 'n minder aftakelende sin ervaar as gevolg van die ondersteunende spesiale skool konteks waarin hul hulself bevind. Oor die algemeen was hulle nie bewus daarvan dat hulle self voorspraak (self-advocacy) sal moet maak vir ondersteuning in naskoolse kontekste nie. Die persepsies wat van hul leergestremdhede gevorm word is beïnvloed deur vroeë ervarings van hul eerste bewustheid van hul stryd om te leer, hul ervarings van die asseseringsproses en plasing in 'n spesiale skool, die persepsies wat ander van hul leergestremdhede het, sowel as hul ervarings as leerders in 'n spesiale skool. Die belangrikste aanbeveling gebaseer op die bevindinge van hierdie studie is dat die leerders in die omgewing van die spesiale skool voorsien moet word van meer eksplisiete voorligting ten opsigte van die spesifieke aard van hul leergestremdhede. Hulle moet bewus gemaak word van strategieë en hulpbronne wat hul moontlik kan gebruik in die naskoolse omgewings, asook die proses van die verkryging van toegang tot sodanige hulpbronne.

The diploma thesis "Creativity of teachers in the educational process in special elementary school" focuses on teachers in special elementary schools at this moment. The thesis is divided into four parts. First three chapters sumarizes the facts about creativity gained from the special literature. The first chapter sumarizes generall knowledges about creativity. It describes the notion of creativity and compares the definitions of various authors. In the second chapter it describes creativity from the view of the special pedagogues and describes the creative methods which may be used by them during the educational process. The second chapter also describes the barriers which can appeares on the way to creativity. The third chapter focuses on the meaning of special pedagogues for the special elementary schools. It describes special elemetary schools and how can special pedagogues develop their own creativity and which creative methodes they can use during teaching. The fourth chapter focuses on the use of creative methods. The main target is the analysis of the educational programme for the special elementary schools. In detailes it describes the part Art and Culture. At the end it sumarizes the resaultes of the questionnaire survey of special pedagogues at the special schools and their knowledges...

This diploma thesis provides a historical overview of state's educational policy towards Roma. It describes different approaches from Maria Teresa's governance in 18th century until recent state (spring 2011). The thesis provides analysis of frequently discussed causes of Romani children lower school success and examines tools used to help with their disadvantages. The tools are shown on example of 4 schools in Ostrava. Finally, recommendations for enhancing success of Romani children in education are suggested in the thesis. Key words: Roma Romani children Education Socio-cultural disadvantaged children Educational policy Discrimination Special schools

The thesis deals with education of pupils with hearing impairment in elementary schools, specifically in the South Bohemian region. It focuses in particular on their inclusive education. In its chapters, the thesis describes individual structures of the hearing analyzer, characterizes the degrees of hearing impairment and classifies persons with hearing impairment into specific categories. The main part of the thesis is a chapter focusing on education of hearing impaired pupils. It deals not only with education in the system of special schools, but concentrates primarily on their study within mainstream education. For this system of education, it is important to identify correctly a support measure, the levels of which are key to ensuring appropriate support for individual pupils. The aim of the work was to map the course of inclusive education of pupils with hearing impairment at elementary schools in the South Bohemian region. The objective was to assess the negatives and positives of inclusion and the impact of hearing impairment on the communication and social abilities of these pupils. During data collection, the methods of interview, observation and questionnaire survey were used, and participants of the research included parents and teaching staff educating pupils with hearing impairment....