2. Sign Supported English (SSE)
4.3 DATA ANALYSIS : THE QUESTIONNAIRE
4.3.4. System of analysis
4.3.4.5. The questions
(i) The questions below required a ―Yes‖ and a ―No‖ answer. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. The results are indicated in table 4.2.1.
Forty educators responded.
Table 4.2.1
Would you say inclusive education is implemented in South Africa?
RESPONSES FREQUENCY PERCENTAGES %
Yes 6 15
No 34 85
TOTAL 40 100
Results: The majority of educators (85%) answered ―No‖
Interpretation: Based on the respondents‘ answers, it seems that inclusive education is not yet fully implemented in South Africa. The non-implementation of inclusive education in South Africa could probably be ascribed to the fact that resources and facilities needed in inclusive education are not yet provided.
Table 4.2.2
Would you say stakeholders are now ready to implement inclusive education?
RESPONSES FREQUENCY PERCENTAGES %
Yes 8 20
No 32 80
TOTAL 40 100
Results: 80% answered ―No‖ , only 20% answered ―Yes
Interpretation: Eighty percent indicate that stakeholders are not yet ready to implement inclusive education. This is probably due to the fact that stakeholders are not yet trained.
People should receive training in order to implement inclusive education. Managers and governors of SHI in the Limpopo province need to be trained in order to manage and govern SHI effectively.
Table 4.2.3
Do you think that inclusive education should wait until ―everybody‖ is trained?
RESPONSES FREQUENCY PERCENTAGES %
Yes 2 5
No 38 95
TOTAL 40 100
Results: Ninety five percent answered ―No‖, only Five percent answered ―Yes‖
Interpretation: 95% indicates that inclusive education should not wait until everybody is trained. This is probably ascribed to the fact that not ―everybody‖ will be trained even if time to train stakeholders has come.
Teachers were required to indicate whether they discuss problems concerning inclusive education with parents. The results are presented in table 4.2.4 below.
Table 4.2.4
Discussing problems of inclusion
RESPONSES
FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE %
Yes 0 0
No 40 100
TOTAL 40 100
Results: All teachers in the study (100%) indicated that they did not discuss problems of the hearing-impaired learners with parents. The results revealed above, cited with the researcher‘s view that parents and teachers should form a partnership in the education of the hearing impaired learners.
Interpretation: Inclusive education is still a new phenomenon in the educational scenario.
Teachers were required to indicate whether they had School policies at their schools and who formulated these policies. The results are presented in table 5.2.5 below:
Table 4.2.5
Formulation of the school policy
RESPONSES FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE %
Principal only 0 0
Principal with teachers 10 25
Principal, teachers and pupils 26 65
Principal, teachers, pupils and parents 4 10
TOTAL 40 100
Results: Teachers further indicated that parents are supposed to come and discuss the following things with school management:
The code of conduct Control of finances Discipline in schools School policy
School rules and regulations; and
School governance in general and everything that affect the smooth running of the school.
Interpretation: This will help to improve relationship, partnership and involvement in the education of the hearing-impaired learners.
Table 4.2.6
Idea of parent involvement
RESPONSES
FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE %
Yes 40 100
No 0 0
TOTAL 40 100
Results: All teachers in the study (100%) indicated that they like the idea of parents‘
involvement in their classes because it will help to build a good partnership between parents and learners. If parents could be involved, education of the hearing-impaired can also be improved. It appears teachers are prepared to be involved with parents in special education.
Interpretation: Parents show a positive attitude towards parent-teacher partnership.
Teachers were asked to indicate whether parents visit their children at schools. The responses are presented in table 4.2.7 below:
Table 4.2.7 Parents Visit
RESPONSES FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE %
Once per month 0 0
Once per quarter 6 15
Once per semester 0 0
Once per year 0 0
No visit 34 85
TOTAL 40 100
Results: Majority of the respondents (85%) revealed that parents are not visiting their children at schools. These results show that there is no relationship and involvement between parents and teachers in education of the hearing impaired children.
Interpretation: Teachers need to involve parents in all school programmes
(ii) The following question required views from parents about communication with their LHI.
Forty parents responded to the question
Table 4.2.8
Communication and Sign language
RESPONSES FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE %
A big problem 20 50
Do not know Sign Language
10 25
No knowledge of Total Communication
10 25
TOTAL 40 100
Results: Fifty percent (50%) of the respondents indicated that communication is a big problem.
- Twenty Five percent (25%) do not know Sign Language - Another twenty five percent do not know total communication
Interpretation: According to the results indicated above, parents have no knowledge about the communication modalities used by learners with a hearing impairment. It is essential that parents should be trained.
(iii) The question below required information from the school governing body (SGB) about governance of SLHI within inclusive education. Four SGBs responded to this question.
Table 4.2.9
Governance of SLHI in an inclusive education
RESPONSES FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE %
No knowledge 0 0
Not trained 0 0
No knowledge about inclusion
04 100
TOTAL 04 100%
Results: One hundred percent (100%) of the respondents indicated that they have no knowledge about inclusive education.
Interpretation: Training of SGB about inclusive education is essential since inclusive education is a new approach in educational programmes.
(iv) The question below required views from education specialists about implementation of inclusive education. Two education specialists responded.
Table 4.2.10
Implementation of inclusive education
RESPONSES FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE %
Training first 12 100
TOTAL 12 100
Results: 100% of the respondents indicated that training of stakeholders is a priority.
Interpretation: Training of stakeholders at all levels must receive attention. Parents must receive training.
Parents‘ day allow parents, teachers and pupils to take delight in working together. These results emphasise the need for parent-teacher-pupil partnership involvement in the education of the hearing-impaired children. Training should focus on the control of learners‘ work by parents.
Table 4.2.11
Checking or controlling books
RESPONSES FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE %
Yes 0 0
No 40 100
TOTAL 40 100
Results: All teachers in the study (100%) indicated that parents are not checking books of their children. Parents fail to check books because all learners are boarders. They go home only during school holidays. Besides children staying in the hostels, most of the parents are illiterate and they cannot monitor their children‘s schoolwork.
Interpretation: Training and motivation need to be encouraged.
Teachers were asked whether they think parents can make decisions on the education of their hearing-impaired children. The results are summarised in table 4.2.12 below:
Table 4.2.12
Decision making on education
RESPONSES FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE %
Yes 0 0
No 40 100
TOTAL 40 100
Results: All teachers in the study (100%) indicated that parents cannot make decisions on education of their hearing-impaired children. Teachers also indicated that even the
department of education in our province cannot make decisions because they do not know anything about education of the hearing impaired learners. Teachers further indicated that parents are overwhelmed with mixed attitudes towards their deaf children and therefore do not participate in activities of the school. Parents should be encouraged to be involved in all school activities.
Interpretation: Participation in all school programmes will assist to minimise the problem of non-involvement by parents.
Teachers were asked to indicate whether they involve parents in any activities they do at schools. The results are presented in table 4.2.13 below:
Table 4.2.13
Involvement of parents in school activities
RESPONSES FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE %
Yes 8 20
No 32 80
TOTAL 40 100
Results: The majority of the teachers (80%) indicated that parents are not involved in school activities. Some teachers gave suggestions that towards the end of the second term the principals and the staff should organise parent‘s day functions with the purpose of allowing parents to participate in the activities of the school. Parents should be invited to involve themselves in some activities such as athletics, racing, dancing etc. Those who wish to assist in the organisation should be invited to help with baking and cooking for parents, teachers and visitors.
Interpretation: The principal should invite parents to the school.
Educators were asked whether they plan with parents when drawing up school programmes. The results are presented in table 4.2.14 below:
Table 4.2.14
Drawing up school programmes
RESPONSES FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE %
Yes 0 0
No 40 100
TOTAL 40 100
Results: The results were overwhelmingly negative. All (100%) the teachers indicated that they do not plan with parents when drawing up the programmes of their schools. The schools do invite parents to come, but they do not attend. These results revealed that there is no parent-teacher partnership involvement in the education of the hearing-impaired learners.
Interpretation: Parent involvement is constitutional and they should be made aware of the constitution.
Table 4.2.15
Method of communication
RESPONSES FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE %
Parents meeting 10 25
Letters or circulars 16 40
Telephone 4 10
No communication 10 25
Other (specify) 0 0
TOTAL 40 100
Results: The majority of educators (40%) indicated that they communicate with parents by means of letters or circulars given to learners when they go home for the school holidays. It seems teachers are trying to communicate with parents. Teachers should use
different methods to communicate with parents and even to visit them is very important.
The relationship will improve and parents will feel accepted in the community.
Interpretation: Teachers should provide parents with Sign Language books and urge learners to teach their parents at home.
Teachers were asked to indicate whether they had school committees in their schools.
The responses are summarised in table 4.2.16 below:
Table 4.2.16 School Committee
RESPONSES FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE %
Yes 40 100
No 0 0
TOTAL 40 100
Results: One hundred percent (100%) of teachers agreed that they had school committees in their schools. They indicated that there is a problem because when the school committee is invited, they do not attend the meetings.
Interpretation: The majority of the respondents agreed that parents cannot communicate with their hearing-impaired children and 100% of parents strive to know the causes of deafness, and they are willing to educate their children and also need guidance and counseling. They also agreed that parents cannot communicate with their hearing- impaired children and hence they are not involved in the education of their children. All teachers who participated in the study strongly agreed that parent-teacher partnership involvement in the education of the hearing-impaired learners should be formed. The results above, indicated that there is a need for a support team in education of the hearing- impaired learners.
Teachers were asked to indicate whether they involve parents in any activities they do at schools. The results are presented in table 4.2.17 below.
Table 4.2.17
Organisation of parent’s day
RESPONSES FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE %
Yes 8 20
No 32 80
TOTAL 40 100
Results: The majority of the teachers (80%) indicated that parents are not involved in school activities. Some teachers gave suggestions that towards the end of the second term the principals and the staff should organise parent; s day functions with the purpose of allowing parents to participate in the activities of the school. Parents should be welcomed to involve themselves in some activities such as athletics, racing, dancing etc. Those who wish to assist in the organisation should be welcomed to help with baking and cooking for parents, teachers and visitors.
The majority of teachers (65%) indicated that principals, teachers and pupils are involved in the formulation of school policies guided by the educational law and policy of schools act 27 of 1996.
Interpretation: According to these results it appeared schools do follow the schools act in formulating their school policies except that parents are not taking part in the formulation of school policies in education of their hearing-impaired children. Parents should be motivated to take part in any activities in schools in order to uproot all the negative attitudes they have towards their disability children.
Educators were asked whether they plan with parents when drawing schools programmes.
The results are presented in table 4.2.18 below:
Table 4.2.18
Drawing of school programmes for inclusion
RESPONSES FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE %
Yes 0 0
No 40 100
TOTAL 40 100
Results: The results were overwhelmingly negative. All (100%) teachers indicated that they do not plan with parents when drawing up the programmes of their schools. The schools do invite parents to come, but they do not attend. These results revealed that there is no parent-teacher partnership involvement in the education of the hearing-impaired learners.
Interpretation: Parents are not aware of inclusive education.
Table 4.2.19
Communication with parents by means of letters
RESPONSES FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE %
Parents meeting 10 25
Letters or circulars 16 40
Telephone 4 10
No communication 10 25
Other (specify) 0 0
TOTAL 40 100
Results: Majority of educators (40%) indicated that they communicate with parents by means of letters or circulars given to learners when they go home for the school holidays.
It seems teachers are trying to communicate with parents. Teachers should use different
methods to communicate with parents and even to visit them is very important. The relationship will improve and parents will feel accepted in the community.
Interpretation: Teachers need to communicate with the school in order to improve partnership and involvement in the education of their children.
Table 4.2.20
Visit to schools by officers of the Department of Education
RESPONSES FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE %
Yes 0 0
No 12 100
TOTAL 12 100
Results: Twelve responses by officers of the Department of Education revealed that officers of the Department of Education do not visit schools to do inspection.
Interpretation: According to these responses, it became clear that since the new dispensation in education in 1994, school inspectors do not visit schools for the purpose of inspection. The whole responsibilities were left to school principals.
4.4 AN OVERALL INTERPRETATION OF QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONSES