Exploring Effective Teaching Strategies For Foundation Phase Teachers .

EXPLORING EFFECTIVE TEACHING STRATEGIES FORFOUNDATION PHASE TEACHERS IN MAINSTREAMPRIMARY SCHOOLS TO EFFECT INCLUSIVE EDUCATIONROSEMARY ANNE WAHL(B.Ed Hons)Dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for thedegreeMAGISTER EDUCATIONISinLEARNER SUPPORTin theSCHOOL OF EDUCATIONAL SCIENCESat theNORTH-WEST UNIVERSITY(VAAL TRIANGLE FACULTY)SUPERVISOR: PROF M. NELVanderbijlpark2017i

DECLARATIONI declare that the entirety of this study is my own original work and I am owner of thecopyright thereof. All sources used have been acknowledged and I have notpreviously submitted any part of the research towards a qualification.SignatureDateCopyright 2017 North West UniversityAll rights reservedii

ABSTRACTInclusive education has been adopted worldwide in order to provide effective andinclusive teaching to all learners, including those who experience barriers to learningin mainstream schools. Teachers are central in this change in ensuring that alllearners are accommodated in the inclusive classroom. However, little evidence isavailable in the South African context about effective teaching strategies andprecisely how they are applied in the inclusive classroom, while still guaranteeingquality education.The purpose of this study was to explore effective inclusive Foundation Phaseteaching strategies in mainstream primary schools that could benefit every learner inan inclusive education setting. Teaching strategies in the context of this study werenot limited to strategies for learning, teaching and assessing content but es for collaborating with colleagues and parents. In addition, enrichmentexercises, group work, peer teaching and a degree of fun were also considered.A qualitative research design including open questionnaires, individual semistructured interviews, document analysis and classroom observations as datacollection instruments were employed. Content and constant comparative dataanalysis was used to analyse data inductively as well as deductively. Twentyparticipants were drawn from five private and public mainstream primary schools inthe East Sedibeng district through purposive sampling.Findings indicated that a variety of intrinsic and extrinsic barriers exist in theclassrooms resulting in diverse learning needs. Essentially it was found that theparticipants in this study used various teaching strategies, including differentteaching methods, to address these diverse learning needs. These various teachingstrategies mostly focused on a learner-centred approach, although direct teaching,and particularly repetition, was also believed by the participants to be importantteaching methods. Critically, a positive and accommodating classroom atmospherewas found to be vital in ensuring the successful application of different teachingiii

strategies to address a diversity of learning needs in the classroom. Good classroommanagement and the creative use of resources were noticed as important to allowfor the implementation of effective teaching strategies. In general learners whoseemed to experience barriers to learning were accommodated through curriculumand assessment modifications as well as individual support.iv

OPSOMMINGInkulsiewe onderwys word wêreldwyd geimplementeer om doeltreffende eninklusiewe onderring aan alle leerders te bied, insluitende diegene wie struikelblokkeervaar in hoofstroomskole. Onderwysers staan sentraal tot hierdie implementeringom te verseker dat leerders wel geakkommodeer word binne die inklusieweklaskamer. Daar is egter min bewyse beskikbaar in die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks oordoeltreffende onderrigstrategieë en presies hoe hierdie strategieë toegepas word indie inklusiewe klaskamer terwyl die kwaliteit van onderrig steeds gewaarborg word.Die doel van hierdie studie was om doeltreffende inklusiewe grondslagfaseonderrigstrategieë in hoofstroom laerskole te ondersoek waarby elke leerder binne ‘ninklusiewe onderrigomgewing baat kan vind. Onderrigstrategieë teen die agtergrondvan dié studie is nie beperk aan leer strategieë, onderrig en assesering van inhoudmaar sluit in klaskamerbestuur, die skepping van ‘n positiewe leeromgewing,deelneming van leerlinge, keuse van hulpbronne, kurrikulum modifikasies engeleenthede te skep om met kollegas en ouers saam te werk. Verder isverrykingsstudies, groepwerk, portuuronderwys en ‘n mate van pret ook oorweeg.‘n Kwalitatiewe navorsingontwerp wat oopvraelyste, semi-gestruktreerde vraelyste,dokumentontleding asook klaskamer waarnemings insluit, was onderneem. Inhouden konstante vergelykende dataontleding was toegepas om data induktief sowel asdeduktiefte ontleed.Twintig deelnemers vanuit vyfpubliekeen privaathoofstroomskole in die Oos-Sedibeng distrik is geselekteer deur middel vandoelgerigte steekproefneming.Resultate dui die bestaan van verskeie intrinsieke sowel as ekstrinsiekestruikelblokke binne die klaskamer aan wat lei tot uiteenlopende leerbehoeftes. Daarwas in wese bevind dat die deelnemers aan die studie van verskeie tegnieke,insluitend verskillende onderrigmetodes, gebruik gemaak het om die uiteenlopendeleerbehoeftes aan te spreek. Hierdie verskeie onderrigstrategieë was meesalgefokus op ‘n leerder-gesentreerde benadering alhoewel die deelnemers glo datdirekte onderrig, en spesifiek herhaling, ook belangrik is. Daar was bevind dat ‘npositiewe en akkommoderende klaskamer atmosfeer noodsaaklik en krities is om diev

suksesvolle toepassing van verskillende onderrigstrategieë aan te spreek binne ‘nverskeidenheid van leerbehoeftes in die klaskamer. Goeie klaskamerbestuur en diekreatiewe gebruik van hulpbronne was uitgewys as belangrik vir die implementeringvan effektiewe onderrigstrategieë. In die algemeen blyk dit dat leerders watstruikelblokke ondervind met die leerproses geakkommodeer word deur middel ssesering,asookdeurindividuele

DEDICATIONI dedicate this research to those teachers in mainstream schools who through hardwork and dedication consistently guide and encourage all learners to surmount anybarriers to learning through persistence of their own.vii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSI wish to express sincere gratitude to all who supported me during the duration of myresearch. Professor Mirna Nel for her esteemed professional guidance, unwaveringsupport and motivation The participant schools and their teachers for granting interviews, allowingobservations of their teaching and the completion of questionnaires My parents, Anne and Mike Wahl together with my siblings for theirencouragement and faith in my efforts through difficult times Finally, Professor Annelie Jordaan for making time in her demandingschedule for the professional language editingRosemary Anne WahlNovember 2016‘Informed teachers; informed learners’viii

TABLE OF CONTENTSDECLARATION . iiABSTRACT . vOPSOMMING . vDEDICATION . viiACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . viiiTABLE OF CONTENTS. ixLIST OF TABLES . xviiKEYWORDS . xviiiABBREVIATIONS. xviiiCHAPTER 1 . 1INTRODUCTION, PROBLEM STATEMENT AND RATIONALE FOR THE STUDY . 11.1Introduction and rationale . 11.2Problem statement . 31.3Purpose statement . 41.4Research question . 41.4.1Primary question . 41.4.2Secondary questions . 41.5Concept clarification . 51.5.1Mainstream education . 51.5.2Mainstreaming. 51.5.3Inclusive education. 51.5.4Teaching strategies . 51.5.5Teaching methods. 51.6Methodology. 61.6.1Paradigm . 61.6.2Research design . 71.6.3Strategy of inquiry . 71.6.4Methods of data collection . 81.6.4.1Literature Review . 81.6.4.2Qualitative questionnaires . 81.6.4.3Individual semi-structured interviews . 91.6.4.4Observations . 9ix

1.6.4.5Document analysis . 101.6.5Population sample. 101.6.6Data collection procedure . 111.6.7Data analysis. 121.7Trustworthiness . 131.8Role of researcher. 141.9Ethical considerations . 161.10Chapter division . 16CHAPTER 2 . 16TEACHING IN AN INCLUSIVE EDUCATION ENVIRONMENT . 172.1Introduction . 172.2Theoretical background . 172.2.1Defining inclusive education . 172.2.2Approaches to inclusive education . 202.2.3The medical deficit model versus the socio-ecological model . 222.2.3.1Medical deficit model. 222.2.3.2Socio-ecological model . 232.3Global development of inclusive education . 242.4Inclusive education in South Africa . 262.4.1Policy development . 262.4.1.1NCSNET and NCESS . 262.4.1.2Education White Paper 6 (EWP6) . 272.4.1.3Ensuing key policies . 292.4.1.4Curriculum developments. 302.5Challenges with regard to the implementation of inclusive education . 322.5.1Extrinsic barriers to learning . 322.5.1.1Socio-economic problems . 322.5.1.2Budget constraints . 332.5.1.3Inadequate implementation of policies . 342.5.1.4Language of learning and teaching (LOLT) . 342.5.1.5Inadequate collaboration . 352.5.1.6Overcrowded classrooms . 362.5.1.7Disruptive behaviour . 372.5.1.8Demands on the teacher . 38x

2.5.2Intrinsic barriers to learning . 392.5.2.1Learning impairments . 392.5.2.2Hearing impairments . 412.5.2.3Visual impairments . 422.5.2.4Autism . 432.5.2.5Epilepsy . 432.5.2.6Behavioural problems . 432.5.2.7Mal- and undernourishment . 442.6The role of the teacher in inclusive education . 442.6.1Attitudes and perceptions . 452.7Conclusion . 48CHAPTER 3 . 49TEACHING STRATEGIES TO EFFECT INCLUSIVE EDUCATION . 493.1Introduction . 493.2Theoretical framework . 493.2.1Behaviourism . 493.2.2Cognitive approach to learning. 513.2.3Social constructivism . 533.2.4Bio-ecological theory . 563.2.5Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning . 583.3Conceptual framework . 603.3.1What is a teaching strategy? . 603.3.2What is a teaching method? . 613.4Teaching approaches. 633.4.1Teacher-centred approaches . 643.4.2Learner-centred approaches . 643.4.2.1Cooperative learning and teaching. 653.4.2.2Cubing . 673.4.2.3Scaffolding . 683.4.2.4Repetition . 693.5Teaching to a flexible curriculum . 693.6Teaching within an inclusive classroom . 713.6.1Inclusive pedagogy . 723.6.2Differentiation . 74xi

3.6.2.1Differentiated assessment strategies . 773.6.2.1.1 Differentiation with no change to conceptual difficulty . 773.6.2.1.2 Differentiation by varying difficulty of assessment task . 783.6.3Multi-level teaching . 783.6.4Universal design of learning (UDL) . 813.6.5Individual support plans (ISP) . 813.6.6Collaboration among teachers . 823.7Classroom organisation, management and environment . 833.8Conclusion . 84CHAPTER 4 . . 85RESEARCH METHODOLOGY . 854.1Introduction . 854.1.1Background of the study . 854.1.2Purpose of the study . 854.2Research paradigm . 864.3Research method . 864.3.1Strategy of enquiry . 884.4Participant selection . 884.4.1Description of the school contexts . 904.4.1.1School A . 904.4.1.2School B . 904.4.1.3School C . 914.4.1.4School D . 914.4.1.5School E . 914.5Data collection. 924.5.1Data collection methods . 924.5.1.1Questionnaires . 924.5.1.2Semi-structured individual interviews . 934.5.1.3Observations . 944.5.1.4Document analysis . 954.5.2The data collection procedure . 954.5.3Role of researcher. 964.6Data analysis and interpretation . 974.7Trustworthiness . 99xii