Educators' attitudes towards the inclusion of hearing impaired learners
The aim of this study was to investigate educators' attitudes concerning the inclusion of hearing impaired learners in mainstream classrooms As an introduction to the study the attitudes of educators towards inclusion were reviewed by means of a study of available and relevant literature. Educators are the people who make learning possible and their own attitudes towards what is happening in the classroom are of crucial importance. Research done in South Africa on educators' attitudes towards inclusive education indicated that educators in mainstream classrooms generally express negative attitudes to mainstreaming policies. In the new education dispensation educators in mainstream classrooms have to accommodate learners with impairments, such as the hearing impaired child. Inclusion makes additional demands on educators because of the special educational needs of learners with impairments. The attitude of educators towards 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 utilised. An analysis was done of 110 questionnaires completed by primary school educators from the Port Shepstone district on the South 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: S Educators' attitudes towards inclusion are influenced by the availability of sufficient support and resources for learners with special educational needs. S Educators' lack of knowledge and experience of learners with impairments have a negative influence on their attitude towards inclusive education. V Many mainstream educators lack confidence in their own abilities to teach learners with diverse educational needs in the same classroom. The study concludes with a summary and findings from the literature study and the descriptive statistics. Based on these findings the following recommendations were made: ■S The development of curricula, institutions and methods of assessment must include a variety of strategies to accommodate learners with special educational needs, such as the hearing impaired. ^ 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.
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