Abstract
M.Ed.
This study investigated the perceptions of the teaching community, consisting of
teachers and therapists, with regards to the implementation of the Teaching
Handwriting, Reading and Spelling Skills (THRASS) programme in a special needs
school.
THRASS is a literacy program which promotes the learning of literacy skills within a
whole school paradigm. The implementation of this program requires teachers and
therapists to learn how the program approaches the teaching of literacy, which is a
different methodology to what has previously been taught in the classroom. It is both
the positive and negative aspects of this implementation process that has been
researched for this study.
This study was placed within the interpretivist paradigm. A case study design was
used as one special needs school was identified as the focus of the research, which
outlined the boundaries for the case. A qualitative approach was used, making use of
semi structured interviews as the method of data collection. Interviews were then
coded, analyzed and themes identified.
The findings were explored in themes, which were used to inform recommendations.
These themes included the perceptions of the initial THRASS training which included
the financial implications of training and the inclusion of parent participation.
Secondly, perceptions about teaching THRASS were explored. This included both
positive and negative aspects on the implementation of the new programme. Thirdly,
perceptions regarding the collaborative process that THRASS encourages. It was
found that collaboration led to empowerment within the teaching community. Finally
perceptions regarding learner performance and the view that learner confidence
increased with the implementation of this programme.
This study provides an opportunity to view and explore teachers’ and therapists
perceptions about the implementation of THRASS which is being introduced with
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special needs learners. It outlines both positive and negative experiences that have
been identified through this implementation process. These perceptions enable other
schools to learn from these experiences and allows further understanding in the
implementation of THRASS, within a special needs environment.