Teachers' perspectives of learner support in a full-service school – A case study

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT : Around the world, inclusive education means that learners' rights and needs are being taken into consideration and education systems are required to adapt to accommodate the diversity of individuals. The need for an integrated school was called upon by the department of education. In 2001, Education White Paper 6 was introduced by the Department of Education as part of a significant period of change and policy development post the apartheid era. Education White Paper 6 (DoE, 2001) introduced a comprehensive range of educational support services. Schools weregradually divided into mainstream schools, full-service schools or inclusive schools and special schools all offering varying levels of support in the aim to minimise learners' barriers to learning and increase active school participation for all learners.Through a qualitative case study of a particular full-service school in South Africa, the study explores teachers' perspectives of learner support in the specific school. The study is based on Bronfenbrenner's bio-ecological model as a framework which views individuals in their context, taking into account various overlapping systems that are interconnected and influence the participants' lives.This study which is rooted within an interpretive paradigm, made use of purposeful sampling to select the teachers from the full-service school as participants for the study as they were considered to be able to provide rich information. The study made use of semi-structured interviews as well as observations and interactions with the school in order to gather data. The findings suggest that, in line with the theory of inclusive education, when certain principles and practices are in place, learners are able to be supported and are provided with a voice within a full-service school. Participants also gave valuable recommendations with regards to what works when increasing learner participation and learner support in a full-service school.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University