Enhancing an enabling learning environment for learners with visual impairment in a rural Lesotho school
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Date
2022
Authors
Ramatea, Mamochana Anacletta
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
Ideally, an enabling learning environment (hereafter, ELE) is more important if it reflects improvement in the learners‘ learning and their general wellbeing. School should be enabling environment that nurture the holistic development of learners. However, in rural communities in Lesotho, learners with visual impairments remain a bone of contention because the effects of poverty, poor infrastructure, lack of trained teachers and inconsistency in the implementation of inclusive policies and practices have increased. The majority of literature on visual impairment highlights its severe impact on learners‘ education as a global concern. Literature reports numerous challenges faced by Learners with Visual Impairment (LVIs), especially those in Lesotho rural schools. The right to education for all, including learners with visual impairments accentuates agency to enhance an enabling learning environment for learners with visual impairments in Lesotho. In particular, teachers are placed at the forefront and have significant roles to play to ensure that schools are enabling space for all the learners. In response to lack of research in this area, this doctoral study sets out to explore pathways that can enhance an enabling learning environment for learners with visual impairments in the rural school in Lesotho. This qualitative study was situated within the interpretive paradigm, guided by a participatory case study research design that facilitated generation of data with the participants. To respond to the key research questions of this study, the researcher employed two methods for generation of data, namely the online focus group discussions (OFGDs) and photovoice - a participatory visual art-based method (PVA). Data were generated with ten participants, involving both male and female teachers, and who were purposively and conveniently chosen, first because of their knowledge on the phenomenon under study, and secondly, based on their experience of more than three years of teaching within the Lesotho rural mainstream school that admits LVIs. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data. The findings in the current study revealed rural secondary school teachers‘ diverse understanding of an enabling learning environment (ELE) for LVIs. These are linked the value of the environment, learners' equal access to education, enabling learners‘ diverse needs, and capacities. The findings also show that the enhancement of ELE for LVIs in rural schools is constructed through a school-based collaborative support and point to the importance of a school collective agency to enhance LVIs‘ learning environment. Furthermore, the findings revealed factors that enable and constrain the enhancement of ELE in rural school in Lesotho. Three themes that emerge as enablers indicate the importance of involving LVIs as agents with capability to influence their learning, enhanced interpersonal relationships, and resourceful materials to enhance ELE for LVIs in rural schools of Lesotho. However, ELE constraints include factors such existing poverty in rural schools, poor school infrastructure, to insufficient teaching and learning resources, ineffective inclusive education policy and ill perspectives on visual impairments in school and rural communities. The study concludes by suggesting that enhancing ELE for LVIs need a more nuanced understanding withing the rural context. Such understanding can facilitate more collaboration among rural schools about how to enhance ELE for LVIs. The researcher recommends for a meaningful collaboration of all the stakeholder, parents, teachers, learners, and government, public and private organisations. In addition, there is a growing need to consider the enhancement of ELE not from the perspective of the individual agent but emphasising collective agency to enhance schools in relation to learners‘ holistic development and growth. Notwithstanding its tensions, the researcher concludes that participatory arts-based methods can be a powerful to enable rural participants to identify their own agency, as well as reflecting on broader opportunities for a collective agency to enhance ELE, and therefore making inclusive education a reality for LVIs in Lesotho and beyond.
Description
Thesis (Ph.D.(Psychology of Education))--University of the Free State, 2022
Keywords
Enabling learning environment, inclusive education, participatory visual art-based method, rural schools in Lesotho, learners with visual impairment