Inclusive education through the eyes of South African teachers
Date
2018
Authors
Mbatha Stainbank, Yolanda
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
This study explored the attitudes of teachers in three types of South African schools
(Mainstream, Full-service, and Special school) towards inclusive education in relation
to the support that they are receiving in the implementation of inclusive education in
their respective schools. Participants in this study were selected purposively from
mainstream, full-service, and special schools within the Johannesburg South district.
Data in the research was collected through individual teacher interviews. Data
obtained was interpreted using qualitative methods. Participants were coded (in
relation to the type of school they are from) in order to ensure anonymity in the results.
Data was analysed using Thematic Content Analysis. Thematic Content Analysis
allowed the researcher to descriptively identify, analysis, and report themes. It involved
the identifying of common themes throughout the text which describe significant
aspects of the data in relation to the research question. The computer programme
ATLAS was used in order to assist with the Thematic Analysis. Following the analysis
of data it was found that the attitudes of mainstream and full-service teachers towards
inclusive education are mostly negative in comparison to that of teachers in special
schools as result to the discrepancies in the level of support each teacher receives to
implement inclusive education (depending on the type of school they are in). The
former has implication in terms of how effectively inclusive education is implemented
in all schools in South Africa because in accordance to this study's findings support
for teachers should not be based on only the type of school teachers are in but also
the type of support teachers need individually. Also it was found that the ideals of
inclusive education are not fully accepted by all stakeholders (more specifically the
different units within the district) within the education department and this has
influenced how teachers view the relevance of inclusive education policies.
Considering the finding of the study, an exploration of how all stakeholders in the
education system view and practice the policy of inclusive education is seemingly
required in future research to better understand the state in which inclusive education
is currently progressing in South Africa. Furthermore due to teachers being a major
stakeholder in the implementation of inclusive education, it is important that continuous
exploration on their attitudes and that which may influence their attitude towards
inclusive education is done. Consequently, issues such as discrepancies in support
towards teachers due to differences in types of school need to be further investigated.
Description
A research report submitted to the Faculty of Education, University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education
Keywords
Inclusive education, Full-service, mainstream schools and special schools, Learning barriers and special needs vs specific needs