Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Learners enter the classroom with different academic abilities, learning profiles and interests. Inclusive education is therefore seen as a possible answer to accommodate individual diversity in the classroom and to address the needs of every learner. During South Africa’s era of apartheid education, differences and disabilities were seen as learner-centred, and this led to labelling, marginalising and exclusion of specific learners. In the light of the aforementioned, the implementation of inclusion, which sees difference in learners (and between people in general) as a basic part of human life, is seen as challenging in South Africa. Differentiated instruction can be seen as a teaching strategy to promote inclusive education, as its focus is learner-centred and it is based on the philosophy that all learners can learn provided they are supported in the learning process. Although differentiated teaching is not unknown internationally and nationally and is most probably implemented in the classroom, the effective implementation thereof is not understood fully.
This research study made use of the participatory action research design, and the main aim was therefore to effectively implement differentiated teaching in the Foundation Phase through collaborative teacher learning. A qualitative methodology was used, with six teachers as the participants in the natural setting of the school where they teach (in the Foundation Phase). The school is located in a less affluent urban community in the Western Cape province, one of the nine provinces in South Africa.
During the first action research cycle it was found that not all aspects of differentiated teaching were internalised for effective implementation in the classroom. The evolving nature of the participatory action research design allowed an additional phase for problem definition and therefore the initiation of another action research cycle. The results will be shared with the participants as well as the relevant district’s office and the learning support educator, who will be employed during 2014, in an effort to ensure the sustainability of the process. Individual interviews were conducted with the participating teachers to formulate a problem definition for the next cycle in the participatory action research process. Although it was found after the first cycle that not all aspects of differentiated teaching were internalised for effective implementation, the teachers acknowledged the approach and initiated differences in their classroom. It is hoped that a longer intervention period may result in valuable outcomes.
When the next cycle of the teacher learning process commences, whole-school development should be used as a starting point, where collaborative relationships exist in an inclusive school community and in which all role players are involved. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Leerders betree die klaskamer met verskillende akademiese vermoëns, leerprofiele en belangstellings. Inklusiewe onderwys word tans as ’n moontlike antwoord gesien om individuele diversiteit in die klaskamer tegemoet te kom en in elke leerder se behoeftes te voorsien. Tydens Suid-Afrika se era van apartheidsonderwys is verskille en ook gestremdhede as probleme ervaar wat in die leerder gesentreer is, en dit het tot die etikettering, marginalisering en uitsluiting van sodanige leerders gelei. In die lig van voorafgaande word die implementering van inklusiewe onderwys, wat die bestaan van verskille tussen leerders (en tussen mense in die algemeen) as ’n basiese deel van die menslike lewe aanvaar, in Suid-Afrika as uitdagend beleef. Gedifferensieerde onderrig kan as onderrigstrategie gebruik word om inklusiewe onderwys te bevorder, aangesien die fokus van inklusiewe onderwys leerdergesentreerd is en op die filosofie gegrond is dat alle leerders kan leer mits hulle in die leerproses ondersteun word. Alhoewel gedifferensieerde onderrig internasionaal en nasionaal nie onbekend is nie en waarskynlik wel in klaskamers geïmplementeer word, word die effektiewe toepassing daarvan nie altyd ten volle verstaan nie.
In hierdie navorsingstudie is van deelnemende aksienavorsing as ontwerp gebruik gemaak met die hoofdoel om deur middel van kollaboratiewe onderwyserleer die effektiewe implementering van gedifferensieerde onderrig in die Grondslagfase te bevorder. Daar is van ’n kwalitatiewe metodologie gebruik gemaak, met ses onderwysers as die deelnemers en die skool waarin hulle onderrig (in die Grondslagfase) die natuurlike omgewing. Die skool is in ’n minder welvarende stedelike gemeenskap in die Wes-Kaap-provinsie, een van die nege provinsies in Suid-Afrika, geleë. Ná afloop van die eerste aksienavorsingsiklus is bevind dat nie alle aspekte van gedifferensieerde onderrig genoegsaam geïnternaliseer is om effektiewe toepassing in die klaskamer te verseker nie. Die ontwikkelende aard van deelnemende aksienavorsing as navorsingsontwerp het egter ruimte gelaat vir ’n addisionele fase van probleemafbakening om ’n verdere aksienavorsingsiklus in die navorsingskool te inisieer. Die resultate van hierdie fase sal met die deelnemers gedeel word en ook aan die betrokke distrikskantoor en die leerondersteuner, wat die posisie gedurende 2014 sal beklee, bekend gemaak word in ’n poging om die volhoubaarheid van die proses te verseker. Individuele onderhoude is met elke deelnemende onderwyser gevoer ten einde ’n probleemstelling vir die volgende siklus in die deelnemende aksienavorsingproses te formuleer.
Alhoewel daar ná afloop van die eerste siklus bevind is dat nie alle aspekte van gedifferensieerde onderrig genoegsaam geïnternaliseer is om effektiewe toepassing te verseker nie, het die onderwysers wel van die benadering tot onderrig kennis geneem en reeds veranderinge in hul klaskamers begin inisieer. Die hoop bestaan dus dat ’n langer intervensieperiode waardevolle uitkomste kan meebring Wanneer hierdie studie se volgende siklus van die onderwyserleerproses in aanvang neem, moet geheelskoolontwikkeling, waar daar ’n kollaboratiewe verhouding in die skool as ’n inklusiewe gemeenskap bestaan en waarby alle rolspelers betrek word, as vertrekpunt dien.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/86466 |
| Date | 04 1900 |
| Creators | Burger, Corlia |
| Contributors | Oswald, M. M., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Educational Psychology. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | af_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Format | xiv, 205 p. : col. ill. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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