Abstract
M. Ed.
This study investigated the experiences of intermediate phase educators who teach
Life Orientation to learners with special educational needs in a special school in
Gauteng. The study attempted to identify what these educators believe are the best
teaching practices for teaching Life Orientation to learners with special educational
needs in the intermediate phase.
The researcher made use of an interpretivist, qualitative, case study design to
explore the educators' experiences. The data collection methods used included: a
literature review, incomplete sentence questionnaires, semi-structured individual
interviews, a focus group interview as well as observations. Themes established
were verified by the participating educators at the end of the data collection process.
The data was analysed using thematic content analysis. Six main themes emerged
for the best teaching practices for teaching LO to LSEN. Under each theme there
were a number of sub-themes. The main themes were “learner focused”, “attributes
of the teachers”, “Life Orientation curriculum”, “teaching methods and strategies”,
“resources” and “stakeholder involvement”. These themes and the sub-themes
were discussed in detail.
Recommendations were made regarding what the best practices for teaching LO to
LSEN in the intermediate phase should be. It also included what educators require
in order to effectively teach this learning area to learners with special educational
needs.
The limitations and strengths of the research were explained and the research
concluded with recommendations for possible future research that can be done
within this domain.