School of Education Foundations

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Browsing School of Education Foundations by Subject "Challenges"

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    Exploring teachers’ perceptions of their readiness to support learners with barriers to learning in the full-service classroom
    (University of the Free State, 2024) Claassen, Sandra Petronella; Beyers, C.
    Following the Salamanca Conference held in Spain in June 1994, which placed a priority on individuals with disabilities, South Africa affirmed its dedication to inclusive education by releasing Education White Paper 6. One of the core strategies outlined in Education White Paper 6 for implementing inclusive education in South African schools is the establishment of full-service schools. Full-service schools provide support to learners with a wide range of learning needs. As a result of a range of factors that could lead to barriers to learning and development, the teacher needs to employ adaptive teaching techniques, tailored curricula and streamlined assessment methods. Ensuring that teachers possess the necessary skills and resources for this task is of utmost importance. Nevertheless, teachers find themselves grappling with challenges within the full-service school environment, which in turn shapes their perceptions of their readiness to assist learners facing learning barriers. Moreover, the available support structures for teachers, particularly in rural regions, often prove to be either lacking or ineffectual. Drawing from the ecological systems theory proposed by Bronfenbrenner, this study adopted an interpretivist paradigm to conduct qualitative semi-structured interviews with teachers at full-service schools within the Motheo rural district in South Africa. Thematic analysis was employed to determine teachers’ perceptions, challenges and sense of preparedness in supporting learners within the full-service school context. The three main themes that surfaced were directly aligned with the three secondary research questions: 1) barriers experienced by teachers, 2) resources accessible to teachers in the rural full-service school, and 3) assistance required by teachers in the full-service school. Sub-themes emerged from the collected data. Recommendations are made to the Department of Education, school management teams and school governing bodies to address the findings in relation to the themes and sub-themes that emerged from the study. The study bears value because it highlights the challenges teachers experience, which support structures are available to them and which support structures are still necessary for teachers in FSSs in rural areas. This information may assist the DoE to understand the challenges teachers experience and to render the appropriate support needed.
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    The social challenges that contribute towards non-completion within institutions of higher learning in Lesotho
    (University of the Free State, 2024) Ntelo, Mamolefe; Mukuna, K. R.
    Higher learning dropout has predominantly been identified as one of the major problems that the higher learning systems face almost every year. Multiple analytical factors point out the complexity of dropout phenomena in higher learning Institutions. These occurrences prompted the researcher to conduct a study that explores a range of hardships that students face, specifically the social challenges that mostly make it rigid for them to continue learning at higher learning institutions in Lesotho. The study adopted a qualitative approach through an interpretive research paradigm and a narrative research design. Sixteen students and four staff members who were purposively selected from two colleges and two Universities in Lesotho. It employed the structured interviews to collect data. The data were analysed through the thematic analysis. The findings revealed the holistic support provided to students have proved to bring about improved student’s academic accomplishment and retention. Students who are aware of the social challenges are more likely to be resilient if equipped with required skills. This enables students to gain more control over their learning and increases their likelihoods of success. Secondly, familiarity form a centre that informs lecturers towards reflecting on the approaches that will facilitate student learning and enhance the influence of positive factors. The study recommends that lecturers need to be well trained to provide students with psychosocial support and also be able to identify individual psychological needs. The higher learning institutions also need to have a proper channels of referral for students who needs further support.