Abstract
South Africa embraced the move to inclusive education after the political transformation in 1994 by subscribing to the international Education for All (EFA) drive initiated in 1990 at the Jomtien World Conference on Education for All. Education White Paper 6 (EWP6) affirms that teachers play a central role in implementing an inclusive education system Training is emphasized as a key strategy to enable educators to become more inclusive in their teaching practices. The focus of this study is on Initial Teacher Education (ITE) for inclusion in the Foundation (Reception to Grade 3) and Intermediate Phases (Grade 4 to 6) of the Baccalaureus Educationis (B Ed) programme. Methods: The primary research aim was: To explore the perceptions of final year students and their lecturers in ITE programmes regarding the preparation of pre-service teachers for teaching in inclusive and diverse learning environments. A qualitative research approach was employed to gain in-depth and rich data. Purposive sampling was used including final year students and their lecturers. Open questionnaires and group interviews were employed as data generation strategies. An inductive thematic analysis shows that the following themes were identified by the participants as critical to be considered in the development and implementation of ITE programmes: Understanding inclusive education, which is also linked to knowledge; the disconnect between theory and practice, the lack of knowledge and practical experience regarding inclusive teaching strategies and how inclusion is addressed in the B Ed curriculum.
Presenters
Mirna NelDeputy Dean for Research and Innovation, Faculty of Humanities, North-West University, Free State, South Africa Nicky Pylmsn
Senior lecturer, Educstion, University of Fort Hare , Eastern Cape, South Africa Tanya Bekker
Head of Division, Studies in Education, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa Christa Beyers
Associate Professor, Education, University of the Free State, Free State, South Africa Gregory Alexander
University of the Free State
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Inclusion, Initial, Teacher, Education, Pre-Service, Students, Lecturers, South Africa
