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The present study focuses on the investigation of the influence of teaching facilities and teacher training on the attitudes of educators towards the implementation of inclusive education. As a result of South Africa's particular history of inequalities and discrimination, and the context recent rapid social changes, most schools do not even have basic resources and are experiencing a serious breakdown in the culture of learning. These factors are viewed as part of the major challenges to educators and the policy of inclusion. If these factors are not addressed, they act as major barriers to learning and development, thereby resulting in the exclusion of many learners. The right of all learners to basic education is underwritten by the policy of inclusive education. Attainment of an educational right, therefore, focuses on the need to ensure that all learners, including learners with special educational needs (LSEN), are able to access equitable educational opportunities that will allow them to achieve to their potential. Inclusive education constitutes a challenge to the education system as a whole and in particular to educators in mainstream classrooms. The educators in South African schools are currently being expected to make major changes in the way they understand teaching and learning in the process of adapting to an entirely new curriculum. Teachers are expected to have the knowledge and skills to accommodate a range of diversity among learners. In international literature, it has been found that positive attitudes in educators towards inclusive education, play an important role in the successful implementation of an inclusive educational policy. From the literature, it becomes clear that, should educator's attitudes towards inclusion be negative, their teaching abilities in the inclusive classroom will be negatively affected. In order to achieve the goal of this study, a survey questionnaire which was completed by fifty educators (White and African) was conducted. The researcher was able to determine the influence of teaching facilities and teacher training on the attitudes of primary school educators towards implementation of inclusive education. From analysis of the data, it became apparent that these primary school educator's attitude was largely positive but they felt incompetent because of their lack of knowledge and skills, and because of the lack of teaching facilities and resources. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2006.

Evolution is considered a controversial topic and has been met with much debate, concern and conflict in its inclusion in the school curriculum. The aim of his investigation was to determine what conceptual change occurs when learners are taught evolution and what factors influence this change looking in particular at learners’ conceptual ecologies and the role that religious beliefs play. The attitudes of the learners, teachers and school community towards evolution were also investigated. A mixed methods approach was used because it obtains a fuller picture and provides a deeper understanding of a phenomenon by combining the strengths of qualitative and quantitative research. Learners were given a pre-and post-instruction survey and concept mapping task, and a sample of learners were interviewed post instruction. Results showed that learners made significant conceptual changes and that religious beliefs are the main contributing factor to learners’ conceptual ecologies and the conceptual changes that occurred. An overall negative attitude was initially experienced from learners, but this developed into curiosity and interest. Teachers had a positive attitude towards teaching evolution. This study also highlights the notion that conceptual change theory is not sufficient in explaining how all learners learn evolution. Learners that experience cultural conflict follow various other learning paths explained by collateral learning. Collateral learning is considered because it more accurately explains how religious learners learn evolution. Collateral learning puts emphasis on the importance that learner cultures have in learning and highlights the importance of teaching for cultural border crossing / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.

M.Ed. / This research essay focuses on the empowerment of educators as adult learners with a view to develop a positive attitude towards inclusive education. The philosophy of inclusive education has become more prominent in the education fraternity worldwide with the turn of the century and has been applied with great success in countries like the USA, United Kingdom and the Scandinavian countries. Education White Paper 6 passes new regulations on the implementation of special needs education and inclusive education in South Africa Inclusive education as an education system is part of actions taken and reform supported by the National Education Department in South Africa to render education more accessable for all learners with their diverse educational needs. These new regulations are to be implemented by educators in South African schools. The problem that arises in South Africa is that educators do not have a good grounding in the philosophy and values of inclusive education, which leads to negative attitudes. These negative attitudes are seen by various South African researchers as an obstacle to implement inclusive education in South African schools. The statement of the problem in this essay is: How can a workshop for educators as adult learners be designed to empower them with positive attitudes to eventually successfully implement and apply the philosophy of inclusive education in South African schools? The aim of this research was to develop and design a workshop for educators to promote and enhance positive attitudes towards the implementation of inclusive education. Without the positive attitudes of the educators on ground level the implementation is doomed to failure. The philosophy of inclusive education is based on democratic values of freedom, equity and the acknowledgement of human rights. A paradigm shift towards learners who experience barriers to learning must be developed and those learners should be experienced as valued citizens of society. It must therefore be noted that inclusive education does not only include learners with dissabilities but all learners that have barriers to learning and those that were previously deprived of or denied access to education.

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF EDUCATION in the Department of Educational Psychology of the Faculty of Education at the University of Zululand, 2007. / The aim of this investigation was to establish the challenges facing educators in the implementation of inclusive education. From the literature study it emerges that inclusive education constitutes a challenge to the education system in South Africa, in particular to mainstream educators. Successful implementation of inclusive education requires educators to have a positive attitude, be flexible and critical, creative and innovative in their approach to teaching and learning. Educators are expected to have the necessary knowledge, skills, competencies and support to accommodate a wide range of diversity among learners in an inclusive classroom. They must be able to select appropriate teaching strategies to achieve specific outcomes. Effective inclusion will only stay a dream if educators do not have the necessary training, support systems and appropriate resources. For the purpose of the empirical investigation a self-structured questionnaire, to be completed by educators from primary schools, was utilised. The data obtained from the completed questionnaires were analysed and commented on by means of descriptive statistics. In conclusion a summary was presented on the findings of the literature review and empirical investigation and the following are some of the recommendations that were made: > Opportunities for in-service training regarding inclusive education must be made available to mainstream educators. > The Department of Education must provide adequate support to educators concerning all aspects of inclusive education.

Text in Afrikaans / The being, nature and importance of organisational climate as well as the role of the educational manager in this regard is described. A study regarding cultural differences in the South African milieu was conducted. A pilot study preceded the qualitative, empirical survey for which a questionnaire was designed. Interviews with principals and staff members of different cultural groups were conducted at a primary, secondary and tertiary educational institution. The data is described, analysed and interpreted. Results indicated that a closed organisational climate prevailed at the majority of educational institutions in South Africa with multi-cultural staff. Guidelines for the appointment, training and development of educational managers are given. It is recommended that applicants for educational manager posts are to be selected according to psychometric tests. Current educational managers should be trained with reference to the creation of organisational climate. Management principles, management style, leadership and cultural sensitivity should be addressed. / Na aanleiding van 'n literatuurstudie is die wese, aard en belangrikheid van organisasieklimaat asook die rol van die onderwysbestuurder in die verband beskryf. 'n Literatuurstudie in verband met kultuurverskille in die Suid-Afrikaanse milieu is onderneem. 'n Loodsstudie is gedoen. 'n Vraelys is antwerp vir 'n kwalitatiewe, empiriese ondersoek. Onderhoude is by 'n primere, sekondere en tersiere onderwysinstansie met drie hoofde en elf personeellede van verskillende kultuurgroepe gevoer. Die data is beskryf, geanaliseer en gei"nterpreteer. Daar is gevind dat 'n geslote organisasieklimaat by die meerderheid onderwysinstansies in Suid-Afrika met multikulturele personele heers. Riglyne is verskaf vir die aanstelling, opleiding en ontwikkeling van onderwysbestuurders. Daar word aanbeveel dat aansoekers vir onderwysbestuursposte na aanleiding van psigometriese toetsing gekeur word. Huidige onderwysbestuurders meet indiensopleiding en ontwikkelingsgeleenthede ontvang ten opsigtevanorganisasieklimaatskepping metverwysingnabestuursbeginsels, bestuurstyl, leierskap en kultuursensitiwiteit om hulle toe te rus vir hulle moeilike taak. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Onderwysbestuur)

Thesis (M.Ed. (Educational Psychology))--University of the Witwatersrand, Education Faculty, 1998 / Reports received on psychoeducational assessments of their pupils, were rated by 93 teachers from Ex-"Model"C" primary schools in the greater Johannesburg area. The reports came mainly for psychologists in private practice (n=63) followed by departmental support services. (n=27) and education clinics (n=3). The chief reason for referral was academic difficulties. Thf majority of teachers held favourable attitudes to psychologists and test data in general, found report content as presented in specific reports useful, and found reports useful overall. Forced choices ratings also indicated that the majority of teachers were satisfied with their reports in areas commonly criticised in the literature (length of report, .understanding of the teacher’s role, specificity and number of recommendations, language use). These very positive findings are tempered by indications that teachers may have been : somewhat biased toward giving positive ratings, and by certain criticisms of the reports.Also reports were not seen as positively with regards to helping teachers deal with classroom ; behaviour and in helping develop specific instructional plans/methods. Language use, particularly in the presentations of test results, may represent a difficulty for teachers, Teacher ratings of the overall usefulness of specific reports did not relate significantly to their demographic charactel^ajs, or their attitudes to psychologists or test data.

Educators from schools located in the Midlands region of KwaZulu Natal were approached to participate in the present study with the aim of investigating educators' perceptions of their learners' intelligence. School type differences in educator estimates of their learners' overall and multiple intelligences, and the best predictors of learners' overall intelligence were investigated. Information was elicited pertaining to educators' views on intelligence and the multiple intelligences most valued in pedagogical practice. A questionnaire was administered to educators from Previously Disadvantaged High and Primary Schools, and Ex-Model C High and Primary Schools. Educators from Previously Disadvantaged High Schools gave comparatively lower estimations of their male and female learners' intelligences. Mathematical and verbal intelligence were shown to predominate as the foundations for academic intelligence, especially for male learners, while cultural and social intelligences were included as best predictors of female learners' overall intelligence. A preponderance of the Western associated academic intelligences (mathematical and verbal) was demonstrated in pedagogical practices. The study highlights the need to engage with educators' implicit perceptions of intelligence to facilitate change in education. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

Amartya Sen has sought to refocus development theory towards the ultimate goal offreedom, and has in this context emphasised the importance ofeducation in building human capabilities to lead the lives they have reason to value. However, research suggesting that gender-based violence is prevalent in the South African school system represents a paradox as it reveals that years of schooling can contribute to deprivation and capability failure rather than enhanced human capabilities and development. Literature reviewed for this dissertation suggests that over and above the lost educational opportunities due to gender-based violence in schools, it can cause long-term and even terminal health damages and contribute to increased societywide levels of violence with substantial socio-economic costs. Anti-violence interventions among learners have been found to have minimal effect unless they are supported by the overall school culture. However, educators who are expected to ensure a safe school environment are not only responding inadequately to cases of genderbased violence between learners, but some are personally engaging in acts ofgender violence towards learners. Recognising the significant role ofeducators, both as part ofthe problem and as key to any solution, this dissertation seeks to improve understanding ofthe context within which interventions at the level ofeducators may be possible. This study explores what previous research have identified as common attitudes, beliefs and knowledge gaps among educators in schools with high levels ofgender-based violence. Findings include confusion about the legal and policy framework as it applies to such cases, a lack of will to acknowledge the problem and inadequate understanding ofgender-based violence. The construction of men and women as essential opposites has been identified as an underlying reason for inadequate acknowledgement and understanding. Research on these dimensions forms the basis for a study using survey and focus group methodologies to assess the prevalence of such attitudes and knowledge gaps of issues around gender-based violence among student teachers about to fmalise their studies and start their professional lives as educators. The data collected suggests that the student teachers will vary considerably in their ability to respond to cases ofgender-based violence. A more concerted effort is required in order to prepare student teachers for the problem ofgender-based violence and enable them to create more gender-friendly school environments. Possible routes for improvement are suggested. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008.

Education policy in South Africa seems set to follow the international trend towards inclusion of learners with special education needs. [LSEN]. Research has shown that the attitudes of educators towards mainstreaming are one of the most important factors impacting on the success of the implementation of this philosophy. Against this background, the study investigated the attitudes and views of educators regarding inclusive education. To achieve the objectives, a quantitative research approach was used. The questionnaire was administered to one hundred and twenty five primary / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2006.