Challenges facing educators’ in the inclusion of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disordered (ADHD) learners in the mainstream classroom
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Date
2010
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Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the challenges facing educators’
in the inclusion of ADHD learners in the mainstream classroom.
As an introduction to the study the challenges faced by educators’ in the
inclusion of ADHD learners in mainstream classes were reviewed by
means of a study of available and relevant literature. Educators are
people who make learning and teaching possible and their own
challenges in what is happening in the classroom are of crucial
importance. Research done in South Africa on challenges faced by
educators’ in inclusive education indicated that educators in mainstream
classrooms generally express negative attitudes to mainstreaming policies
and thus finds himself with many challenges. In the new education
dispensation educators in mainstream classrooms have to accommodate
learners with impairments, such as the ADHD child. Inclusion makes
additional demands on educators because of the special educational
needs of learners with impairments. The challenges facing educators in
inclusion and their efficacy in meeting the special needs of learners with
impairments play a determining role in the successful implementation of
an inclusive education policy.
For the purpose of the empirical investigation a self-structured
questionnaire was utilized. An analysis was done of 110 questionnaires
completed by primary school educators from the Mafukezela Gandhi district on the North Coast of KwaZulu Natal. The data was processed
and interpreted by means of descriptive statistics.
Essentially the following were the main findings from the empirical study:
Educators lack the necessary knowledge, skills, training and experience
of learners with special educational needs.
Educators have difficulty in identifying ADHD learners.
Educators needed to change their teaching methods to accommodate
learners with diverse educational needs.
The study concludes with a summary and findings from the literature study
and descriptive statistics. Based on these findings the following
recommendations were made:
The development of curricula, institutions and methods of assessments
must include a variety of strategies to accommodate learners with special
educational needs, such as ADHD learners.
The basic training of educators must include compulsory courses such as
orthopedagogics that will enable them to cope with the demands for
inclusion of learners with special educational needs.
Description
Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree MASTERS IN EDUCATION In the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education of the Faculty of Education at the University of Zululand, 2010.
Keywords
ADHD, ADHD learners -- mainstream classroom., Inclusive education, Inclusive education--South Africa., Inclusive education -- challenges