Abstract
The South African journey towards Inclusive Education traces its background to the gazetting of Education White Paper 6 policy on Special Needs Education in 2001. Initially, this Education White Paper 6 policy was triggered by the Salamanca Statement and Framework for action on special needs education, which aimed at tackling discriminatory practices in educational institutions globally. Consequently, the implementation of Education White Paper 6 policy advocated for the rights of all children to have access to education without discrimination of their learning needs. This led to the emergence of a category of inclusive schools called full-service schools that would admit all learners regardless of their barriers to learning. The full-service schools by implication would, therefore, require teachers to be trained to teach inclusive classes because of the nature of the diverse learners that they would admit. However, research conducted in South Africa shows that the relevant authorities have accomplished very little regarding the professional development of teachers for inclusive teaching in the full-service schools. Thus, the question framing this research is: “How can an inclusive teaching framework for teaching diverse learners in full-service schools be developed (or extended)?” In order to help answer this broad question, the following sub-questions were derived from the main question: What do teachers know about inclusive teaching practices?; Which inclusive teaching practices (if any) are prevalent in full-service schools?; and, How can such be used to develop (or improve) a teaching framework for full-service schools? Using Participatory Action Research that required observations, interviewing and focus group meetings, 12 teachers and approximately 15 learners at a full-service school in Johannesburg East District were engaged in a research project over a six months period. Results from an inductive analysis of the qualitative data revealed that at the start of the research, many of the teachers had not received sufficient training in Inclusive Education and that many teachers had not fully understood the meaning of Inclusive teaching, hence, their teaching practices were not necessarily supporting Inclusive Education. The teachers’ methods of teaching were not very inclusive as they preferred to teach using teaching styles that they were used to, instead of teaching in ways that accommodated the needs of diverse learners. Upon completion of the PAR process, teachers had become more creative, self-critical and reflective of their practice. They were collaborating with their colleagues more and applied effective inclusive teaching methods for diverse classes. As a result, an Inclusive Teaching Framework that addressed the identified key pillars of Inclusive teaching for diverse classes was developed. The eight key components that the framework covered include; identity, policy, curriculum delivery, collaboration, welcoming environment, assessment, widening participation for all learners and creating a sense of belonging for all. The study ended with recommendations on how teacher training for inclusive teaching can be streamlined to include PAR methodologies that empower teachers as researchers in their practice, and the need for a structured inclusive teaching framework that supports learners with barrier to learning in full-service schools.
D.Phil. (Education)