| Summary: | Thesis (MEd (Inclusive Education))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017. === A need for learning support in mainstream schools has come to the fore with the
implementation of the inclusive education policy in South Africa. Learners who
experience barriers to learning are withdrawn from the mainstream class in small
groups in order to receive extra support in their home language and mathematics.
The purpose of this mixed-method convergent study was to determine the influence
of withdrawal from the mainstream classroom, for learning support, on the foundation
phase learners’ self-esteem. The phenomena were studied from the perspective of
mainstream and learning support teachers as well as the learners. In the quantitative
phase, surveys consisting of open and closed questions were distributed to seventy
mainstream and seven learning support teachers. The qualitative phase used
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to analyse data gleaned from the
Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale which had been adapted into an interview schedule in
order to determine the perceptions of self-esteem, of five foundation phase learners,
who were withdrawn from the mainstream classroom for learning support.
This study found that learning support did not seem to have a negative influence on
the global self-esteem of the learner participants in this study. It was found that the
school culture and mainstream teachers’ attitudes had a negative influence on
learners’ self-esteem. Other variables that had a negative influence on self-esteem
were family relationships and the learners’ social competence and acceptance, and
non-academic competencies were shown to have a greater effect on self-esteem.
Overall, both the teachers and learners indicated that they perceived that LS had a
positive influence on learners’ self-esteem.
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