Learners who experience barriers to learning and the practice of inclusion

Get Complete Project Material File(s) Now! »

Criticism of separate services

Identifying and withdrawing certain learners who are deemed to have special needs for separate special education is problematic for a number of reasons, some conceptual and some practical. Those concerned with human rights and equality would question whether a separate special education system is congruent with the aim of democratic education (Brantlinger 1997:425). Importantly, separating some learners for separate education locates the problem of poor performance in the learner rather than in the quality of the instructional programme. It thus exempts the teacher and the school from critically examining the ways in which schools themselves contribute to school failure.

Inclusion is not mainstreaming

Many authors are keen to distinguish inclusion from mainstreaming and yet there is not always consensus on a definition of mainstreaming. Davern, Sapon-Shevin, D’Aquanni, Fisher, Larson, Black and Minondo (1997:32) say that mainstreaming is when those with mild disabilities are included in the general classroom depending on the level of support available while those with severe disabilities remain in special classrooms. The South African Education White Paper Six: Special Needs Education (DoE 2001a:17) distinguishes between mainstreaming (or integration) and inclusion by saying that mainstreaming is about helping learners to adapt to the existing system, the focus being on the changes that the learner needs to make in order to fit in to what is seen as the normal classroom.

What is inclusion?

The foundations for a comprehensive understanding of inclusion have been laid by considering insights derived from United Nations initiatives, international experiences, research and debate in the field of inclusion and the general body of literature on the topic. Different authors emphasise different aspects when defining inclusion and it is clear that inclusion means different things to different people (Dyson & Millward 1999:152; Ferguson & Ferguson 1998:302; King-Sears 1997:2; Loreman et al. 2005:2; Swart, Engelbrecht, Eloff & Pettipher 2002:176). Some authors emphasise access, belonging and participation in the general classroom for all learners with an underlying culture that values diversity.

Education in South Africa

Although it is acknowledged that the field of education encompasses many aspects, including higher education and training, early childhood education and adult basic education and training, the focus of this study is on schooling in the areas known as general and further education and training. An appreciation of the historical, social, political and economic context in which education functions is important to an understanding of education in a country. Booth and Ainscow (1998:9) confirm this. In their comparative international study on inclusion, they asked what they needed to know about the local and national context in order to comprehend the process of inclusion in any particular country.

The White Paper and subsequent Department of Education publications

Since the publication of the White Paper in 2001, other documents have been published by the Department of Education that begin to flesh out the policies of the White Paper. Of note is the Draft Conceptual and Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of Inclusive Education (the second draft was published in 2002). This document provides a thorough discussion of critical issues in inclusion and also very practical guidelines for the implementation of inclusion. With a focus on grades R to 9, the Curriculum 2005 Assessment Guidelines for Inclusion, also published in 2002 describes how barriers to learning can be addressed in assessment. Also very practical in its orientation, it guides teachers and institutional support teams into adaptations and modifications that can be made in assessment to address barriers to learning.

Table of Contents :

• Chapter 1: Introduction to the research
  • 1.1 Introduction: background to the research
  • 1.2 Motivation for the research
  • 1.3 Objectives of the research
  • 1.4 The research question
  • 1.5 Research premise and hypotheses
  • 1.6 Research methodology
  • 1.6.1 Research traditions and methods
  • 1.6.2 Research process
    • 1.6.2.1 Preliminary stages
    • 1.6.2.2 Administration of the questionnaire
    • 1.6.2.3 Data analysis
  • 1.7 Clarification of concepts
  • 1.7.1 Inclusion
  • 1.7.2 Learners who experience barriers to learning
  • 1.7.3 Support
  • 1.7.4 Practice
  • 1.7.5 Ordinary schools
  • 1.7.6 Independent schools
  • 1.8 Demarcation of the study
  • 1.9 Overview of the study
  • 1.10 Conclusion
• Chapter 2: Inclusion and independent education
  • 2.1 Introduction
  • 2.2 Towards an understanding of inclusion
    • 2.2.1 A historical and international perspective on inclusive education
    • 2.2.1.1 United Nations’ initiatives
    • 2.2.1.2 International experiences
  • 2.2.2 The debate about inclusion
    • 2.2.2.1 Views of those opposed to inclusion
    • 2.2.2.2 Views of those who are in favour of inclusion
    • 2.2.2.3 The debate on inclusion and its contribution to understanding inclusion
  • 2.2.3 Inclusion according to authors in the field of inclusion
    • 2.2.3.1 Inclusion is not mainstreaming
    • 2.2.3.2 Inclusion is not integration
    • 2.2.3.3 Inclusion is not transfer or dumping
    • 2.2.3.4 What counts as inclusion
  • 2.2.4 What is inclusion?
  • 2.2.5 Inclusive education in South Africa
    • 2.2.5.1 Education in South Africa
    • 2.2.5.2 Legislative and policy framework in support of inclusion
    • 2.2.5.3 Research on inclusion in South Africa
    • 2.2.5.4 Inclusion in the South African context
  • 2.3 Independent education in South Africa
  • 2.3.1 Introduction: The size of the sector
  • 2.3.2 Definition and classification
  • 2.3.3 Growth in independent education in South Africa since
  • 2.3.4 Independent schools’ associations
    • 2.3.4.1 ISASA
  • 2.3.5 Independent schools: Special needs and exclusion
    • 2.3.5.1 Special needs education in independent schools
    • 2.3.5.2 The exclusive nature of independent education
  • 2.3.6 Independent schools and inclusion
  • 2.4 Conclusion
• Chapter 3: Learners who experience barriers to learning and the practice of inclusion
  • 3.1 Introduction
  • 3.2 Learners who experience barriers to learning
  • 3.2.1 Introduction
  • 3.2.2 Terminology
    • 3.2.2.1 Disability, handicap and impairment
    • 3.2.2.2 Special needs
    • 3.2.2.3 Barriers to learning
  • 3.2.3 Paradigms
    • 3.2.3.1 The medical or deficit model
    • 3.2.3.2 The social model
    • 3.2.3.3 The systems approach
  • 3.2.4 Factors leading to barriers to learning
    • 3.2.4.1 Intrinsic barriers
    • 3.2.4.2 Extrinsic barriers
  • 3.2.5 Barriers to learning: The dilemma of difference
  • 3.3 The practice of inclusion
  • 3.3.1 Introduction: The importance of a focus on the practice of inclusion
  • 3.3.2 Inclusive culture and the practice of inclusion
  • 3.3.3 Inclusive policy and the practice of inclusion
  • 3.3.4 Inclusive practice
    • 3.3.4.1 Introduction
    • 3.3.4.2 School-wide inclusive practice
    • 3.3.4.3 Class-wide practices that support inclusion
    • 3.3.4.4 Inclusive practices for the support of individual learners
    • 3.3.4.5 Support
    • 3.3.4.6 School improvement, effectiveness and inclusion
  • 3.4 Conclusion
• Chapter 4: Research methodology and the administration of the questionnaire
• Chapter 5: Data analysis: Findings and discussion
• Chapter 6: Summary, recommendations and conclusions

GET THE COMPLETE PROJECT
THE EXTENT AND PRACTICE OF INCLUSION IN INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS (ISASA MEMBERS) IN SOUTHERN AFRICA