Educational needs of over age learners in the foundation phase as viewed by educators

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:Being over age-for-grade has become a barrier to learning. More than 15% of learners inthe South African school system are over age. This creates an enormous problem in termsof education spending per learner. In 1998 South Africa spent one-third of its educationbudget on over age learners who included repeaters and drop-outs.A clearer understanding of the educational needs of over age learners is needed. Theselearners are at risk of dropping out, being further retained or being promoted out of theschool system. Thus far over age learners have been marginalised by the educationsystem essentially due to the system's inability to deal with them. The purpose of thisstudy is, therefore, to make a contribution to the understanding of the educational needsof over age learners.A qualitative approach provided a clear description of the factors that impact on theeducational needs of over age learners. This study revealed the following:• Over age learners experience a sense of being educationally displaced.• The attitudes and beliefs of teachers directly influence their educational responses tothe needs of over age learners.• Over age learners struggle with basic scholastic skills.• The provision of support comes primarily from classroom peers.It appears that teachers need a variety of educational skills to deal appropriately with theneeds of over age learners. Furthermore, it appears that these learners need aneducational space of their own within an inclusive education environment. It wouldfurther appear that over age learners need to be acknowledged as being a specificcategory of learners with learning barriers, otherwise their needs will continue to bemarginalised by the educational system.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University