Teachers’ knowledge of their learners’ psychological well-being at a special school In Uthungulu District
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Date
2015
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
University of Zululand
Abstract
One of the objectives of setting up a special needs school system in South Africa (SA) was to ensure that children with learning disabilities and special needs are part of a full service, inclusive education system. In SA, special needs education can be traced back to the Apartheid during which learners were segregated on the basis of their race, colour, ethnicity and disability. The apartheid policy allowed for well-resourced schools for white disabled learners and very few under-resourced schools for disabled learners from other population groups i.e. Blacks, Indian and Coloured. Children with learning disabilities (LD) have problems beyond reading, writing, mathematics, memory and organisational skills, to mention a few. Problems may include a deep sense of anger, sadness, shame and frustration which could lead to poor psychological well-being. Often affected learners present with anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and other psychological concerns. Teaching learners with special needs require skills which include proper knowledge about learners, wants and aspirations. The differences may also include cultural, gender, social and economic background. These differences influence how each learner relates and adapts to developmental milestones, cognitive & language development and psychological well-being. It should then be emphasised that every teacher, especially those who deal with learners with disabilities, needs assistance or information that will help them develop instructional programmes that enhance maximum functionality of each learner, particularly those with disabilities. The aims of the study were to assess teachers’ knowledge about the psychological well-being of their learners; and also to establish whether or not there is a relationship if any, between teachers’ demographical data and levels of knowledge. This study sampled thirty (30) teachers teaching at the special needs school, using a standardized structured quantitative questionnaire. The conclusions reached were that teachers at a special needs school did not possess adequate levels of knowledge about their learners’ psychological well-being. It was also established that there was a statistical significant association between their selected demographics and knowledge level of teachers.
Description
A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Education in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Educational Psychology in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Needs Education at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2015
Keywords
psychological well being --special needs school --teachers --learners --learning disabilities --inclusive education system