Browsing by Author "Dewa, Nokuthula Ntombiyelizwe"

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    Conceptualisation of Inclusive education: Impact on primary school principals and foundation phase teachers
    (2023-09) Dewa, Nokuthula Ntombiyelizwe
    This study investigated how the conceptualisations of Inclusive Education (IE) by primary school principals and Foundation Phase teachers impact teaching practices. The study places a high value on participants' IE conceptualisations because they have an impact on teachers' actions in their classrooms, which can either support or limit teachers' inclusive practices in granting epistemic access to learning to all learners. The study addressed the question of how primary school principals and Foundation Phase teachers conceptualise IE and considered the implications of these conceptualisations on their practice. Conceptualisations inform pedagogical practice, and I argue that a pedagogical shift that takes accountability for providing learning opportunities for all learners regardless of difference is necessary. A qualitative transformational research method was used to collect data, and thirteen Foundation Phase (FP) teachers and three school principals were conveniently and purposefully chosen from three Government primary schools, in Johannesburg South. Individual semi-structured interviews and focus group interviews were used to collect data, which was then thematically analysed using both inductive and deductive methods. With some extensions and adjustments, two theoretical frameworks were used for this study: the Inclusive Pedagogical Approach (IPA) and Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory. Although Black-Hawkins (2017) argues for three required inclusive pedagogical shifts for teachers to teach inclusively, this study’s findings reveal that teachers in South Africa are currently at three different levels of development toward the required pedagogical shift, which is why IE implementation is hampered despite the numerous IE issues raised by previous studies. According to the findings of this study, there are teachers who have little to no pedagogical shift toward inclusive practices, teachers who have an emerging shift, and teachers who have an established shift. These stages of the pedagogical shift are supported by various conceptualisations that influence teachers' actions, leading to a variety of teaching strategies, some of which do not involve all learners in teaching and learning. The study recommended that the actual stage of shift be considered to support continued progress toward inclusive practice. Teachers who have made little or nopedagogical shift toward inclusivity should be made aware of IE policies and practices, while those who have made an emerging pedagogical shift should be encouraged and assisted in including everyone in their teaching and learning, and those who have made an established pedagogical shift should be developed further in maintaining and improving inclusive practices
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    Conceptualisation of Inclusive Education: Impact on primary school principals and Foundation Phase teachers
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-09) Dewa, Nokuthula Ntombiyelizwe; Bekker, Tanya
    This study investigated how the conceptualisations of Inclusive Education (IE) by primary school principals and Foundation Phase teachers impact teaching practices. The study places a high value on participants' IE conceptualisations because they have an impact on teachers' actions in their classrooms, which can either support or limit teachers' inclusive practices in granting epistemic access to learning to all learners. The study addressed the question of how primary school principals and Foundation Phase teachers conceptualise IE and considered the implications of these conceptualisations on their practice. Conceptualisations inform pedagogical practice, and I argue that a pedagogical shift that takes accountability for providing learning opportunities for all learners regardless of difference is necessary. A qualitative transformational research method was used to collect data, and thirteen Foundation Phase (FP) teachers and three school principals were conveniently and purposefully chosen from three Government primary schools, in Johannesburg South. Individual semi-structured interviews and focus group interviews were used to collect data, which was then thematically analysed using both inductive and deductive methods. With some extensions and adjustments, two theoretical frameworks were used for this study: the Inclusive Pedagogical Approach (IPA) and Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory. Although Black-Hawkins (2017) argues for three required inclusive pedagogical shifts for teachers to teach inclusively, this study’s findings reveal that teachers in South Africa are currently at three different levels of development toward the required pedagogical shift, which is why IE implementation is hampered despite the numerous IE issues raised by previous studies. According to the findings of this study, there are teachers who have little to no pedagogical shift toward inclusive practices, teachers who have an emerging shift, and teachers who have an established shift. These stages of the pedagogical shift are supported by various conceptualisations that influence teachers' actions, leading to a variety of teaching strategies, some of which do not involve all learners in teaching and learning. The study recommended that the actual stage of shift be considered to support continued progress toward inclusive practice. Teachers who have made little or no pedagogical shift toward inclusivity should be made aware of IE policies and practices, while those who have made an emerging pedagogical shift should be encouraged and assisted in including everyone in their teaching and learning, and those who have made an established pedagogical shift should be developed further in maintaining and improving inclusive practices.
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    Investigating 4th year student teacher preparedness for teaching inclusively in diverse Grade R classrooms.
    (2020) Dewa, Nokuthula Ntombiyelizwe
    This study aimed to investigate how pre-service teachers perceive the preparation they receive from an Initial Teacher Education (ITE) in one Higher Education Training (HET) institution in Gauteng. This investigation was intended to gain insight into how pre-service teachers are prepared for handling inclusive environments and to enact inclusive pedagogy in Grade R classrooms. This was viewed as fundamental in answering the claim that many learners enrol in Grade One underprepared for formal learning, which has a profound effect on the achievement gap between learners. To address this, data was collected from pre-service teachers using qualitative surveys, focus group, and individual interviews, both interview sets were semi-structured. All 4th-year Foundation Phase pre-service teachers were given equal opportunities to participate as respondents. Six pre-service teachers gave their consent to participate in the study. Data was gathered and analysed, which led to the emergence of four overarching themes. These were: (1) Importance of Grade R, (2) Perceptions of preparedness, (3) Understanding of concepts and (4) Experiences of pre-service teachers. The findings from the analysis were contrasted against the theoretical framework of inclusive pedagogical practice, which informs the study, leading to the following discoveries as key perceptions of preparedness. (i) Pre-service teachers view Grade R as important to both teachers and learners. (ii) Pre-service teachers perceive their school-based training as playing a role to some extent in their pedagogical practices. (iii) Pre-service teachers also perceive concepts such as; diversity, exclusion, inclusion, inclusive pedagogy and differentiation largely influencing their pedagogical practices. These study findings were contrasted with the research questions leading to the conclusion that although school-based training can influence teachers’ practices, more so teachers’ pedagogical practices are to a larger extent influenced by their preparedness. The study ended with some possible recommendations for future research.