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.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uzulu/oai:uzspace.unizulu.ac.za:10530/250 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Nqadala, Sylvia Nandipa |
| Contributors | Nzima, D.R., Sibaya, P.T. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf |
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