Teachers’ Personal Barriers Hindering Implementation of Inclusive Education in One Mainstream School in South Africa

Abstract

Inclusion in education entails affording all learners access and equal opportunities to education and learning. Several countries, South Africa included, have developed policies on inclusive education. At the centre of the policies are teachers who happen to be the primary implementers of the same policies. Successful implementation of the policies calls for teachers to possess functional knowledge of the policies, be equipped with effective instructional pedagogies, be given all the support they need, and be motivated enough. The objective of this article is to analyse the perception of mainstream teachers towards inclusive education and establish teachers’ personal barriers hindering the successful implementation of inclusive education. This qualitative study purposively sampled twelve (12) teacher participants from one mainstream school in the Northern Cape Province, among whom two (2) were members of the school-based learner support team. Data was collected through interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. The findings from the interview responses highlight low teacher buoyancy, low teacher self-efficacy, teacher negative attitudes, and a lack of training on inclusive education as major teachers’ personal barriers to the implementation of inclusive education policy. The study thus recommends that departments of education should consider retooling teachers on the policies of inclusive education. This work has the value of providing an insight into teachers’ personal barriers which hinder implementation of inclusive education.