Browsing by Author "Melane, Judith"
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- ItemExploring high school teachers understanding and implementation of the SIAS policy in a mainstream school(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2022-12) Melane, Judith; Jacobs, Carmelita; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Educational Psychology.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: During the apartheid era, in South Africa, children with disabilities and those who were perceived as different, were excluded from formal education as they were seen as not being able to fully participate with other learners in the classroom. After South Africa became a democracy, several legislation and policy documents that promoted the inclusion of all learners emerged. These policies were developed to create a platform where every child would be able to benefit in the education system. The policy on screening, identification, assessment, and support (SIAS) (2014) relates directly to the development and implementation of an Inclusive Education (IE) policy. The policy provides clear steps for the screening, identification, assessment, and support of learners with barriers to learning. Moreover, the SIAS policy provides strategies for teachers to implement inclusive systems in a collaborative working relationship with parents and learners. The aim of this research was to explore high school teacher’s understanding and implementation of the SIAS policy. To do this, the research made use of a qualitative research design that is embedded within the interpretive paradigm. The study is based was framed within the bio-ecological model of human development that views individuals in their contexts, considering various interactions between interconnected systems and how these systems influence one another. A purposive sampling strategy was used to select four teachers as research participants. Two methods of data collection were used, namely individual and focus group interviews. An inductive process using thematic content analysis was used. The key findings of the study showed that participants experienced many challenges in understanding the policy, due to a lack of training and support from all different systems in the education sector. The results further revealed that it is a shortage of resources and infrastructure that hinders the implementation of IE. Finally, even though all participants felt positive about IE they also feel that mainstream schools are not designed to accommodate the needs of diverse learners, hence the implementation is slow and partial.