Abstract
In a period where inclusive education is mandated in the educational system of South Africa, this dissertation explores the attitudes of teachers toward supporting learners with disabilities in South African township full-service schools. Township schools have been known for their poor infrastructure and populated classes since the apartheid era. Against this backdrop, this research study further seeks to discover the factors that are shaping the attitudes of teachers, and to respond to a critical question: What roles do the available support systems in the mesosystem of teachers play in influencing their attitudes?
The methodology that guided this study involved a qualitative approach embedded in an interpretive paradigm. It comprehensively analysed the data of the fifteen participants, collected using semi-structured interviews, and supplemented by the researchers’ reflective journal, informed by classroom observation. The findings revealed multiple factors that are impacting the attitudes of teachers in the realisation of inclusive practices in township full-service schools. The findings indicate that teachers are negatively affected because of poor knowledge on inclusive education practices, inadequate support from pivotal systems such, school leaders, parents and the district-based support team. For this reason, they expressed both negative and ambivalent attitudes. However, some were advocates for inclusion and were willing to support learners' disabilities despite the persisting challenges in curriculum implementation, environmental constraints, and socio-cultural barriers that are a hindrance to inclusion.
The findings of the study demonstrate that the progress and success of inclusion require systemic support from key aspects that can also transform teachers’ attitudes. Hence, the researcher proposes the following recommendations to be considered: Professional development of teachers in inclusive practices is required and support from the Department of Education. Psychoeducational programmes for parents and the communities about inclusion and learners with disabilities are also a requirement for the promotion of inclusion and transforming attitudinal barriers to it. Furthermore, there is a need for collaboration with schools excelling in inclusion, including those in the private sector, for mentorship programmes on inclusive education. These collaborations can be the catalyst for accelerating the progress of inclusive education and promoting positive attitudes in South African full-service schools towards the implementation of inclusion.