Exploring the implementation of inclusive education in the pinetown district school

A case study of learners' experiences and teacher' perceptions about the classroom environment at a selected school

Master's Thesis from the year 2009 in the subject Pedagogy - Pedagogic Psychology, University of KwaZulu-Natal, course: Master of Education, language: English, abstract: The study intends to contribute to successful implementation of Inclusive Education in South African Schools, by exploring learners' experiences within the classroom and teachers views about the classroom environment. A combination of these two factors will indicate the extent how far inclusive education is being implemented in the classrooms. The school that was selected to participate in this study is located in the semi-rural area in Pinetown district. Learners participated in three focus group sessions. These sessions aimed at gathering data on learners' experiences within classroom environment. Each group consisted of eight learners; that is, four males and four females. Focus group one was selected from grade seven; the second focus group from grade eight and the third group from grade nine. The class teachers of the selected classes were requested to take part in the interview sessions. The sessions intended to gather information on teachers' views about classroom environment and how it impacts on their implementation of Inclusive education.