A dissertation subnitted to the Faculty of Education in Fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Education in the Department Educational Psychology and Special Education at the University of Zululand, 2007. / The current investigation consisted of three aims. The first aim was to assist educators identify learners who experience learning difficulties. The second aim was to investigate empirically the nature of learning difficulties most prevalent in the primary schools of the Mthatha District. The third aim was to determine appropriate intervention strategies that educators can employ to deal with learning difficulties. The researcher constructed and validated her own scale to meet the aims of the study. A questionnaire was administered to educators of ten primary schools in the Mthatha District. A sample of four teachers per school was selected. Results indicated that educators may identify learners with difficulties with the support of specialist staff, by involving parents, through the process of screening, observation and assessment, and by checking both intrinsic and extrinsic sources of barriers to learning. The most prevalent learning difficulties in Mthatha District are those related to poverty, overcrowded classrooms, and dependency of families on welfare grant as the main source of income. The appropriate intervention strategies that educators can employ include having access to and support of specialist staff and parents. The investigation proved conclusively that with the necessary support, for learners, educators and the education system at large, learning difficulties could be overcome.

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The aim of this study was to explore the meaning of being a father with a group of five fathers with a Learning Disability, with reference to existential concerns and the role of the counselling psychologist in working with these men. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to analyse nine interviews conducted with five fathers. The main themes that arose from the analysis were "identity with family"; "identity as a father"; "disability as undesired" and "struggles of self in the community". It was found that fathers' identities were complex and mirrored the current cultural diversity of concepts of fatherhood. There were also difficulties highlighted with managing personal relationships and enforced separation from children. Associated with this were the complications of managing painful emotions, particularly anger. Fathers felt that they had been disadvantaged within their local communities and needed support to fulfil their parenting role. This is consistent with published research on parents with Learning Disabilities. Counselling psychologists provide a unique variety of services to people with learning difficulties in combining psychological theory with therapeutic practice which places great emphasis on both personal and relational awareness. Thus it was considered that counselling psychologists might be of specific benefit to assist these fathers with the difficulties they may have in their relationships and coming to terms with the consequences of living with a Learning Disability, as well as supporting professionals to develop strong working relationships with these families. As there is so little published material in this field, further research would be necessary to investigate more fully the considerations pertinent to this group of fathers.

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This thesis uses an evaluation of a course based on a Rogerian approach to education to challenge the efficacy of the normative/behaviourist approach, which has been used to train adults labelled as having learning difficulties. Unlike behaviourist approaches, Rogers' work seeks to empower students to become self-directed learners and claims to teach them how to become their own behaviour change agents. The research questions focused fIrstly on whether it was possible to use genumess, acceptance and empathic understanding to build the 'climate of trust' that Rogers claimed facilitates student learning (Rogers, 1983: 18) and secondly on the learning that took place in such a 'climate.' Primary data were gathered usmg participant-observation, written records and tape recordings throughout the two-year action-research programme. The evaluation took place post hoc. The evidence demonstrates that the adoption of Rogerian principles to develop the skills of communication, decision-making and self-evaluation generated a 'climate of trust' in which student learning and 'trust' became mutually reinforcing. Evidence from the second year, in the form of case studies, showed how different each individual student was, how their talents and needs varied and how they developed increased self-esteem and self-confidence. However, the Rogerian approach was not implemented without problems. His beliefs about genuineness, acceptance and empathic understanding do not recognise that the source of genuineness is the tutor's subjective values, whilst empathy requires an imaginative leap to grasp the students' subjective meaning. The tutor may well have to face dilemmas where her personal values are in conflict with her empathic understanding of her students' perspectives. Conflicts also arose between the needs of individual students and the needs of the group as a whole. Furthermore, Rogers' work largely ignores the pedagogic skills required of the tutor. In advocating breaking down the 'us and them' divide between tutor and taught, he ignores the problem of establishing a structure of legitimate authority. This was resolved by establishing a form of democratic decision making as a radical alternative to the praise/blame culture of the traditional classroom. Rogers' ideas may be utilised by tutors in ways that help students labelled as having learning difficulties drop the 'defensive strategies' (Goffinan, 1968:44) and 'facades' (Rogers, 1983:24) associated with stigma and 'spoiled identity.' The importance of 'critical events' (Woods, 1993:3) as turning points for learning following the building of trust, is highlighted. Several incidents highlighted the problems that arise for tutors who lack background knowledge of students' involvement with other professionals. This has led to unresolved issues and hence to a recommendation for more research into the potential for greater team-work. The Rogerian approach is not a formula. It engenders a climate of mutual respect where trust can grow. It is recommended to tutors working with adults labelled as having learning difficulties as it empowers them to direct their own learning and to become their own behaviour change agents.

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