Faculty of Education
School of Educational Studies
Department of Educational Psychology
Selected Highlights from Research Findings
This research project, conducted on behalf of the Western Cape Education Department, entailed the specification of assessment tasks in Literacy and Numeracy for Grade 3 learners who are blind, partially sighted, deaf, learning disabled or physically disabled. Significant progress has been made since the groundbreaking research done by this team for a nation-wide Systemic Evaluation programme. The majority of the assessment items proved reliable across all categories of impairment. Valuable insights were also gained with respect to the relative strengths of learners with impairments and, especially, into the educational assets that a well-run special school could provide to the developing system of inclusive education in South Africa.
Contact person: Prof AC Bouwer.
A longitudinal study is underway with children who are affected with HIV/AIDS in a rural community in the Limpopo province of South Africa. The study focuses on the ways in which rural children cope with the challenges of HIV/AIDS. An enabling framework was developed that depicts vulnerable children in terms of their assets, capacities and resources rather than their deficits and needs. An action research design generated data within a memory-box-making process. The results of the study indicate a wealth of internal and external assets in the vulnerable children and their supporting community. The study also deepens our understanding of vulnerable children and sheds light on the complexity of the coping process, indicating avenues for the support of such children.
Contact person: Prof I Eloff.
|
