Browsing by Author "Dorfling, Pieter Stephanus"

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    A knowledge network model for teachers supporting learners with disabilities in an inclusive education system
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-03) Dorfling, Pieter Stephanus; Swart, Estelle; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Educational Psychology
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT : It is widely acknowledged by researchers that teachers play the most important role in the implementation of inclusive education. However, it is also acknowledged by researchers and teachers alike that teachers are not adequately prepared for this task through the current approaches to initial teacher education and continuous professional development initiatives. Inclusive education aims to provide quality and equal education to all children. This implies that in an inclusive classroom there will be a diverse population of children with regard to their abilities, impairments and educational, medical, and therapeutic needs. It stands to reason that this requires teachers to be informed practitioners. However, it will be impossible for teachers to have all the knowledge they may need in a given situation to do justice to the needs of all the children in their classes. Inclusive education should therefore be seen as a shared responsibility. The concept shared responsibility implies that there is a pool of knowledge available to teachers. It is within the context of the above that I decided to conduct a study focussing on what should be entailed in the personal continuous knowledge development of teachers in inclusive education. The findings would be used to develop a personal continuous knowledge development (PCKD) model suggested in this study which is aimed at empowering teachers to be self-directed in their search for knowledge. To direct the study, the following research questions were developed: How will the strategies identified in the literature on knowledge management (KM) and inclusive education (IE) aid the development of a model for personal continuous knowledge development of teachers? The sub-questions that support the central question were: What is the level of knowledge management usage in the inclusive education system? What is the view of subject experts with regard to the personal continuous knowledge development (PCKD) model for the continuous knowledge development of teachers? To find answers to these questions, teachers and educators which I considered to be subject experts in the field of inclusive education due to their experience and the positions they hold were identified as study participants. A four-phase sequential mixed-methods design was used in the study. The first phase of the study was a literature study of the relevant literature on knowledge management and inclusive education. The main aim of this phase was to collect narrative data on strategies that will enhance the knowledge of teachers in inclusive education. The second phase was quantitative in nature and data was collected using a questionnaire distributed to 21 subject experts. The main aim of this phase was to obtain descriptive data of the use of knowledge management in the field of inclusive education. Of the total distribution, 17 questionnaires were returned and analysed using a scoring grid and the scores were then transferred to a histogram to present a comparison between the different categories of subject experts’ evaluation of the use of knowledge management in inclusive education. In phase three of the study, a questionnaire was used which collected quantitative and qualitative data with the aim of obtaining subject experts’ evaluation of the proposed personal continuous knowledge development (PCKD) model, which is based on the strategies identified in the literature study in phase one. In addition, a focus group discussion was held with 10 subject experts. The quantitative data was analysed using basic calculations and transferring scores to percentages. Qualitative data was analysed for occurring themes. The fourth phase combined all the data to consolidate the proposed personal continuous knowledge development (PCKD) model. The building blocks of the model include knowledge management strategies (e.g. collaboration, networking, communities of practice and the learning organisation), personal agency of teachers and the support of school management. In combination, these building blocks encourages the creation, sharing and retrieval of knowledge. With this approach, teachers not only become knowledgeable and informed practitioners, but the knowledge they obtain optimises the teaching and learning of children with disabilities in their inclusive classrooms. This study contributes to the debate on designing appropriate continuous professional development strategies that could improve teachers’ knowledge in the field of inclusive education.
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    Uitkomsgebaseerde onderwys vir leerders met verstandelik erg-gestremdheid
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2007-12) Dorfling, Pieter Stephanus; Engelbrecht, P.; Theron, M. J.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Specialising Education.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Since 2001 an inclusive approach is being followed in education in South Africa. According to this approach all learners must be taught in one education system and according to the same curriculum, namely the National Curriculum Statement Grades R to 9 (Schools). To ensure that this outcomes-based curriculum is relevant and effective in the teaching of learners with a severe intellectual disability, it is important to evaluate the curriculum and to adapt it if necessary. Learners with a severe intellectual disability form a distinctive educational community marked by their high need for continuous support, specific educational strategies and appropriate learning content. In the past, these learners received their education outside the mainstream of education according to an own, appropriate curriculum. However, since 2004 they have been required to receive their education according to the National Curriculum Statement Grades R to 9 (Schools). The aim of this research was to establish the effectiveness and relevance of the National Curriculum Statement Grades R to 9 (Schools) in the education of learners with a severe intellectual disability. A mixed-method research design, which included a literature survey, an empirical, as well as focus group interviews, was applied. By means of the literature survey, the demands were determined that are made on the curriculum by learners with a severe intellectual disability, their parents, the community, and the work community. The demands that educators make on the curriculum were determined by means of an empirical survey. This survey revealed that outcomes-based education is not generally implemented in the 21 schools included in this study. These findings formed the basis on which curriculum evaluation criteria were developed and according to which the National Curriculum Statement Grades R to 9 (Schools) was evaluated. By applying these criteria it was established that in some instances the National Curriculum Statement Grades R to 9 (Schools) does not comply with the demands of the determinants. The deduction could however be made that the National Curriculum Statement Grades R to 9 (Schools) has sufficient adaptable built-in features to be effective and relevant for learners with a severe intellectual disability. Recommendations were made on how best to make the necessary adaptations.