PSYCHOLOGICAL CHALLENGES OF IMPLEMENTING INCLUSIVE EDUCATION AMONG LEARNING SUPPORT TEACHERS AT METROPOLE EAST EDUCATION DISTRICT, SOUTH AFRICA
PSYCHOLOGICAL CHALLENGES OF IMPLEMENTING INCLUSIVE EDUCATION AMONG LEARNING SUPPORT TEACHERS AT METROPOLE EAST EDUCATION DISTRICT, SOUTH AFRICA

Summary/Abstract: This study examined psychological challenges of implementing inclusive education among South African learning support teachers. The study adopted a qualitative approach and a multiple case study of five primary schools in the Metropole East Education District, Western Cape, was conducted. Through semi-structured interviews, data from ten participants was gathered. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings of this study revealed that main psychological challenges of learning support teachers when implementing inclusive education are stress, burn-out, emotional exhaustion, low self-efficacy and negative teacher attitudes. The findings suggest that effective intervention strategies for teachers' mental health are required to lessen the burden of stress that learning support teachers are experiencing. Teachers also need to participate in mental wellness programs so that they can be emotionally and psychologically prepared to meet the challenges they will inevitably face in the classroom, which would allow them to successfully implement inclusive education. The study recommends that social workers, psychologists, and therapists should be stationed in schools, or alternatively, ordinary mainstream schools should be transformed into full-service schools.

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