Wits School of Education (ETDs)

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Exploring inclusive Practices, Successes and Challenges experienced by teachers in Implementation of Inclusive Education in one selected mainstream school in Ekurhuleni North district, South Africa
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-08) Mamogobo, Amogelang Mankurwane; Aloka, Peter
The realization of inclusive education in South African schools has been controversial. Despite numerous policies enacted, numerous studies have found low levels of implementation of inclusive education in schools. The study aimed to explore inclusive practices, successes, and challenges of inclusive education implementation in the selected mainstream school. In order to explore the study, three research questions were addressed, which inclusive practices are being implemented by teachers in the selected school? What are the successes of inclusive education implementation in mainstream primary schools in Gauteng? What are the challenges affecting the implementation of inclusive education in mainstream primary schools in Gauteng? Both the inclusive pedagogical method and the social model of disability approach served as the theoretical foundation for the current investigation. The present study was conducted using a qualitative research methodology with a case study as the chosen research design within an interpretivist research paradigm. The researcher used a non-probability sampling technique more specifically the purposive sampling approach, in which the researcher used their own judgment to sample the research participants. In relation to the data collection methods. The researcher used non-participant observations and semi- structured interviews to gather data. Interviews with just six individuals and one classroom observation were conducted. The study's conclusions reaffirmed the importance of inclusivity; there were many inclusive practices that were widely used in the study; and the school had achieved a number of successes, such as the purchase of infrastructure and the successful implementation of intervention programs to improve the learning experience of students who faced barriers. The challenges in the present study were vast and categorized into three sub-sections: teacher-related, school-related, and community-related challenges. The study's findings indicate that there have been major efforts to integrate inclusive policies, some of which have been successful, but that there are still many difficulties in schools. The report suggests that the Department of Education give priority to in-service teachers' initial and ongoing training in inclusive practices for a range of learner disabilities.
Investigating the psycho-social challenges of Implementing Inclusive Education among Learning Support Teachers at Metropole East Education District, Western Cape
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Khoboko, Nkepeng Esther; Charamba, Erasmos; Aloka, Peter
The Implementation of inclusive education in schools is yet to reach expected levels in South African schools. Previous research has focused on teachers but very scanty research has been done among learning support teachers. This study examined psychological and social challenges of implementing inclusive education among South African learning support teachers. The following research questions were addressed in this study: (a) What are the psychological challenges of implementing inclusive education among learning support teachers? (b) What are the social challenges of implementing inclusive education among learning support teachers? (c) What kind of support do learning support teachers require to successfully implement inclusive education? The study adopted a qualitative approach and a multiple case study of five primary schools in the Metropole East Education District, Western Cape, was conducted. Through semi-structured interviews, data from ten participants was gathered. The five criteria of credibility, dependability, confirmability, transferability and authenticity were used to assure the trustworthiness of qualitative data. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The study found that learning support teachers are psychologically and socially challenged when they have to implement inclusive education. The learning support teachers did get some support from the district officials but this was not sufficient to make them fully implement inclusive education in schools. Teachers expressed their deep concern about the lack of parental involvement, as it makes the SIAS policy referral process challenging. Moreover, teachers expressed that they were stressed out and burned out as a result of a variety of events that made their job to be stressful. The study concludes that the learning support teachers’ psychosocial challenges when implementing inclusive education remains a major concern for teachers in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Although the education department has implemented a number of strategies to help manage the psychosocial challenges of teachers, these methods mostly focus on the learners, leaving teachers with ongoing social and mental health issues. The study recommends that social workers, psychologists, and therapists should be stationed in schools, or alternatively, ordinary mainstream schools should be transformed into full-service schools.
Teachers’ experiences of giving support and implementing inclusive education in a township school in Kimberley, Northern Cape
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-08) Yeboah, Adu; Charamba, Erasmos; Aloka, Peter
Implementation of an inclusive education policy in South African schools was a major milestone because it corresponded with the advancement of the theory of Ubuntu, which is at the heart of South Africa's educational framework. The policy's implementation in schools was also consistent with the right to education for all, as enshrined in the Republic of South Africa's Constitution of 1996. However, despite the initiatives on inclusive education, the level of implementation is still below expected standards. The study aimed at examining the experiences of teachers in giving support and implementing inclusive education in a selected mainstream township public secondary school in the Frances Baard education district of Kimberley, Northern Cape. The study adopted a case study design within the qualitative research approach. Purposive sampling was used for the selection of 12 teacher participants from one mainstream public secondary school in the township of the Frances Baard education district of Kimberley. Semi-structured individual interviews were used to collect data from the 12 teacher participants, and the collected data was thematically analysed. Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems theory and Social Model of Disability guided the studies. According to the findings of the study, teachers implemented a variety of inclusive practises; however, teachers perceive inclusive practises differently, and how they are implemented varies. Furthermore, the findings revealed that some teachers are unable to implement the inclusive education policy due to barriers related to the teachers themselves, barriers within the school system, and barriers emanating from the community in which a school is located. It was also revealed that teachers used a variety of support strategies to assist students, such as changing seating arrangements, implementing remedial lessons, and allocating extra reading time to struggling students. In contrast, some teachers prefer to work collaboratively with learners' parents to provide needed support, whereas others prefer to work alone. The study concludes that, in terms of implementing inclusive education in South Africa, there is a mismatch between what is happening on the ground and what is supposed to happen in the classroom. Despite this, pockets of success have been recorded in the implementation process. The study recommends that the Department of Education consider retooling teachers, instituting teacher training programmes, raising awareness, investing in the policy, and adopting a collaborative approach.
Teachers’ understanding of advantages and disadvantages of implementing inclusive education in one selected mainstream primary school in Ekurhuleni South district
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-09) Makama, Bathobile; Aloka, Peter
Inclusive education was set to bring about change that has yet to be effective in the field. Many South African policies were created to guide it, but the contradiction has left many confused and teachers at the forefront with no support. This study aimed to investigate teachers’ understanding of advantages and disadvantages of implementing inclusive education in one selected mainstream primary school in Ekurhuleni South district. To achieve this goal, three research objectives were set to govern the study, namely: to explore teachers’ understanding of inclusive education in the selected mainstream primary school; to examine teachers’ understanding of the advantages of implementing inclusive education in the selected mainstream primary school and finally, to explore teachers’ understanding of the disadvantages of implementing inclusive education in the selected mainstream primary school. This study used the interpretive research paradigm. The design that was used in this study is a case study because it dealt with contemporary phenomena. The sample size of 7 teachers allocated to the intermediate phase from Grade 4- 7 were obtained by using the purposive sampling method. The research instruments adopted comprised of a semi-structured interview for three teachers and one focus group discussion for the other four teachers. The data was analysed by employing a thematic analysis framework to enable analysis of interview data. The findings of the study indicated that teachers have multiple understandings of what inclusive education such as; holistic teaching, team teaching, effective communication and understanding, accommodation of diverse learners, creation of special schools for learners with disabilities and dumb down content for support. The findings of the study also reported teachers understanding of advantages of inclusive education as; caters for diverse needs of all learners, enhances intrapersonal understanding of learners with special needs, enhances self-esteem of disabled learners and provides equal opportunities for all learners. The study highlights teachers understanding of implementing inclusive education to include; lack of teacher training, overcrowded classrooms, limited class time, overloaded curriculum, lack of support, lack of resources, incorrect infrastructure, teaching by trial and error amongst others. The study recommends that the Department of Education should provide continuous in-service teacher training on inclusive education.
Teachers’ Understanding, Adoption, and Implementation of the Montessori Method in Selected Montessori Schools in Gauteng, South Africa
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-08) Gorgieva, Ruzhica; Bagus, Rashad; Aloka, Peter
This research study explored how Montessori teachers understand, adopt, and implement the Montessori Method in a South African context. To these ends the study examined the teachers’ understanding of the Montessori Method and their role in the Method, how they implement the Method in their practice, and the psycho-social factors which influenced them to adopt alternative practices. A framework of five authentic Montessori principles were outlined which served as a lens to examine and determine the teachers’ subjective understanding, adoption, and implementation of these five principles of the Montessori Method. The study adopted an interpretative paradigm and a qualitative multiple-case approach was utilised. This involved the use of data collection methods as semi-structured interviews and observations of 14 pre-primary Montessori teachers, from six private Montessori schools in Gauteng, South Africa. The findings revealed that the teachers have a comprehensive understanding of the Montessori Method and their understanding of their role in the Method did not differ from Montessori’s role descriptions. However, it was found that despite their comprehensive understanding of the Method, the teachers adopted practices which were not congruent with the Montessori Method. The reasons for the adoption of these noncongruent practices included their disagreement with Montessori’s ideas, beliefs, financial constraints, parental demands, and quite importantly, the children’s disruptive behaviour. It is recommended that Montessori schools should provide parents with clear indication about their adherence to Maria Montessori’s practices, and should reveal whether the employed teachers are trained in the Montessori Method. Further recommendations include parental education about the nature of the authentic Montessori Method, to assist them in making the correct decision regarding their children’s education.
Understanding Anxiety, and its Implications for Teaching and Learning: A Perspective on Freud and Others
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-06) Ally, Adila; Aloka, Peter
This dissertation is conceptual in nature rather than empirically-oriented and explores an understanding of learning and motivational theory in an attempt to study various formulations of the concept of anxiety, dating back to those presented by the foundational figure of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud. It is noted that Freud did not develop a single theory of anxiety- but at least three and arguably as many as eight over the lifetime of his career. Such hesitancy and uncertainty is not interpreted by this dissertation as indecision, rather it is read as uncertainty being a core element in the meta-modelling of anxiety itself. Refracted through Lacan -- who performs a reinterpretation of Freud in a way that produces a unique formulation of the concept that seems to invert Freud's own definition -- and through J. B. Watson, this dissertation develops a novel concept of anxiety as being mimetic in nature, relying Girard's concept of mimetic desire for this purpose. Moscovici's social representation theory, Latour's inter-objectivity, Bandura's triadic structure of observational learning, Foot's studies on Double-Effect problems, the Rashōmon Effect in the narrativisation of data and Seligman's learned helplessness are also used in developing the novel concept of mimetic anxiety. Thus after recognising four variants of anxiety -- a unified Freudian "object-loss" anxiety, Lacanian "overabundance" anxiety, Watsonian "commodity" anxiety and the novel concept of "mimetic anxiety" -- this dissertation proceeds to gauge interaction between these and the learning theories of Pavlov, Skinner, Piaget, Vygotsky and Gagné, and the motivational theories of expectancy value, achievement goal, and self-determination theory. In observing a case study of the flipped classroom model of teaching, Gagné and expectancy value seem to predict the emergence of Watsonian anxiety, the only variant of the four which allows for extinction of anxiety. However, the flipped classroom model, expectancy value motivation and Gagné's methodology together continue to address deeper challenges developed by mimetic anxiety and the synetic (not synthetic) demand placed on Girardian interdividual subjects by technology. Further use of the flipped classroom study is made to explore Freud's throwaway comment that economics might explain the concept of anxiety-as-signal, whereupon Hayek is found to introduce the concept of price-as-signal. This synchronicity forms the basis for considering Freud as necessarily heterogeneous and yielding of increased depth if paired with outside disciplines. In conclusion, the Flynn Effect is suggested as a significant driver of Freudian recession into insularity and from digitally mediated interaction, insinuating advocacy for the flipped classroom model.

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Browsing Wits School of Education (ETDs) by Author "Aloka, Peter"

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