Abstract:
The main purpose of this study was to investigate enablers and inhibitors to
implementing inclusive education in the Foundation Phase of rural schools in the
Capricorn district, Limpopo province. The study was conducted in three primary
schools (Foundation Phase) in the Capricorn district of Limpopo Province, South
Africa. All the sampled schools have or once had special needs learners. This study
employed qualitative research approach, which was backed by the case research
design. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, focus group and document
reviews. The interviews were backed by a tape recorder for quality and storage
purposes. Eleven Foundation Phase teachers were sampled (but 10 interviews were
used because the voice recording device I used to record, damaged the voice clip of
an interview I had with T3A, and it was impossible to schedule another meeting due
to school examinations commitments). These teachers were sampled using the
purposive sampling technique. Data were analysed through the thematic data analysis
method. The reviewed documents were The South African Schools Act (SASA),
Education White Paper 6 (WP6) and Screening, Identification, Assessment and
Support policy (SIAS).
The findings were as follows: teachers showed an appealing understanding of
inclusive education and teachers and policies agreed that Foundation Phase learners
are susceptible to exclusions and priority must be projected towards them. Teacher
training (inclusion workshops) and curriculum (lesson) differentiation are the chief
enablers to implementing inclusive education at the sampled schools, yet challenges
are pertinent. Unproductive workshops, overcrowded classrooms and a lack of
resources, exclusion of rural teachers’ views on inclusion policies and issues of foreign
learners are some of the factors that appeared key factors to inhibiting inclusion at the
sampled schools.
