An Investigation of Foundation Phase Teachers' Perceptions of Their Needs Within the Inclusive Classroom
Date
2006-11-16T07:18:53Z
Authors
Moolla, Nirosha
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Abstract
This study investigates the needs of Foundation Phase teachers within an inclusive education
system. The policy of inclusion in education is currently being promoted in many countries and
has over the last decade been part of the new educational movement in South Africa. The
rationale for this study lies in the pivotal role of teachers in facilitating the success of an
inclusive system. The study utilises a sample of eighteen female teachers in the Foundation
Phase of six different township-based mainstream primary schools in Gauteng. The schools share
similar socio-economic backgrounds, and are all dual medium of instruction (English and
Afrikaans), co-ed schools. The participants range in age from 26-59 years old, having a tertiary
qualification in education and a range of teaching experience from 1 year to over 10 years. The
teachers were asked to participate in a guided interview that was designed to examine 1) their
perceptions of what they need in order to be effective within their classrooms, 2) their
perceptions of their competency in managing diversity within their classrooms, and 3) their
perceptions of support services with regard to in-service training programmes, district-based
support teams, school-based support teams, and within school resources. The findings revealed
that the major needs of teachers within an inclusive setting relate to: smaller class size, less
administrative paperwork, specialised support from professional experts within the field of
education (e.g. psychologists, remedial teachers), greater support from support teams, and
training programmes aimed at directly addressing their difficulty in adequately meeting the
individual needs of learners. Further, the teachers feel that they do not possess the necessary
skills that are needed to cope with meeting the demands of learner diversity within their
classrooms. The results of this study provide reasons for concern regarding teachers who are
viewed as the key role-players for the successful implementation of inclusive education. The
research findings suggest that unless the needs of teachers are acknowledged and addressed
through effective interventions, the implementation of inclusive education could encounter
serious obstacles. The limitations of the present study are discussed and directions for future
research are made.
Description
Student Number : 9604227E -
MEd research report -
School of Human and Community Development -
Faculty of Humanities
Keywords
inclusion, inclusive education, attitudes, needs, support, learner diversity, stress