Enhancing the effectiveness of principals in implementing inclusive education using Ubuntu approach

[摘要] English: This dissertation aims at formulating a strategy to enhance the effectiveness of principals in implementing Inclusive Education (IE) in four schools in the Amajuba District, KZN.The major focus of this dissertation was the effectiveness of principals in implementing inclusive education where a lack of such inclusivity resulted in learners being deprived of attending schools due to various learning barriers. Consequently, some of these learners are in special schools by default, while others are early school leavers.The study included a team of stakeholders whose interest was enhancing principals' skills to effectively implement inclusive education. The stakeholders included principals of both primary and secondary schools, with and without knowledge of inclusive education, but with the intention and motivation to work together. Since education is a societal issue, community development workers were part of the team. The approach of Ubuntu was deemed appropriate for the study because it expresses compassion, justice, caring, kindness and solidarity. In order to achieve this, the following specific objectives were formulated to direct the study:�?To explore the challenges faced by principals in implementing IE;�?To analyse the components of the strategies that have been formulated and used to date to enhance the effective implementation of inclusive education by principals;�?To understand the necessary contextual conditions for the effective implementation of these strategies;�?To anticipate the threats to emerging strategies with the intention of formulating a risk management system; and�?To test emerging strategies in order to discover whether they achieve the intended aim of enhancing the effectiveness of principals in implementing IE, using Ubuntu as an approach.The theory of Ubuntu is used as the theoretical framework in order to conduct an in-depth study on the effectiveness of principals in implementing IE. Its suitability as a theoretical framework is grounded in its recognition of values that appreciate, respect and promote social justice, bring peace, give hope and emancipate the less fortunate. Participatory Action Research (PAR) is an approach that recognises the fact that the person being studied must participate in the design by being engaged in meetings and discussions with the aim of sharing, and empowering one another. Therefore PAR was used as a methodology to address the needs of the communities that require IE in their schools. This method was used because it is democratic, equitable, liberating and life-enhancing. In addition, PAR assisted the team by reshaping its members' knowledge of how political, social and economic factors impact on their daily lives, as knowledge assists in redressing problems in the community.During the study, the findings and recommendations revealed that, in order for IE to be effective, there is a need for a dedicated team to support principals. This team must have a shared vision, a strong support system and strong, committed leadership. This is instrumental to successful networking, advocacy, capacity building, training, strengthening inter-sectoral collaboration and stakeholders' engagement. Many findings led to the conclusion that in order for IE to be effectively implemented by principals, collaborative strategies need to be implemented which included building a strong support team, exchanging knowledge, providing advisory assistance, raising awareness on IE practices, aligning with policies, increasing parental involvement, preventing institutionalisation, early identification of threats, categorising schools, sharing of resources and working together. Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) was used to analyse the data since it facilitates the use of text by co-researchers.

[发布机构] University of the Free State