HREDU82
ASSIGNMENT 1 2026
DUE: 15 MAY 2026
SEMESTER 1 2026
,HREDU82 ASSIGNMENT 1 2026
DUE MAY JUNE 2026
(1) Title
Supporting grade 4 teachers in mainstream classrooms for learners with ADHD
(2) Background to the Problem Statement
Inclusive education is a global idea that says all children should learn together in the
same classrooms, no matter their different needs. This idea was strongly supported by
the UNESCO Salamanca Statement (1994), which promotes equal access to education
for everyone. In South Africa, this idea is included in Education White Paper 6
(Department of Education, 2001), which aims to create one inclusive education system
where barriers to learning are identified and removed. The policy tries to move away
from the old medical model of disability (which focuses on the learner’s problem) to a
social model (which looks at how the school system can create or remove challenges).
However, even after more than 20 years, there is still a big gap between what the policy
says and what actually happens in classrooms. This study looks at that gap, especially
focusing on whether teachers are ready and supported to include learners with
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which is a common condition that
affects attention and behaviour.
, From my own experience as a teacher and from talking to other teachers, many feel
stressed and not fully prepared. They struggle to support learners with ADHD, who may
show behaviours like not paying attention, being very active, or acting without thinking.
This problem is also supported by research. Oswald and de Villiers (2013) found that
many South African teachers feel they do not have enough training to use inclusive
teaching methods, which causes stress and negative attitudes towards inclusion. Nel et
al. (2016) also explain that teachers are the main people responsible for making
inclusion work, but they are often expected to do this without enough training or support.
This means the main problem is not the policy itself, but the lack of proper support and
training for teachers to implement it effectively.
The issues surrounding this problem are multi-layered. Firstly, teacher training
programmes have historically provided limited, theoretically-focused exposure to
inclusive education, with insufficient practical strategies for managing diverse
neurotypes in a single classroom (Forlin & Chambers, 2011). As a result, teachers often
enter the profession without a repertoire of evidence-based classroom management
techniques, differentiated instruction methods, or behavioural interventions tailored for
learners with ADHD. This knowledge gap is exacerbated by a severe lack of ongoing,
school-based support from district officials or specialised staff, leaving teachers
professionally isolated (Engelbrecht et al., 2016). Secondly, a resource gap compounds
the problem. Mainstream classrooms are frequently overcrowded, and basic teaching
materials are scarce, making individualised attention and specialised accommodations
seem like an unattainable ideal (Donohue & Bornman, 2014). Thirdly, a subtle but
pervasive attitudinal barrier exists, where uninformed teacher beliefs about ADHD being
a result of poor parenting or a lack of discipline can lead to punitive responses instead
of empathetic, pedagogically sound ones (Botha & Kourkoutas, 2012).
ASSIGNMENT 1 2026
DUE: 15 MAY 2026
SEMESTER 1 2026
,HREDU82 ASSIGNMENT 1 2026
DUE MAY JUNE 2026
(1) Title
Supporting grade 4 teachers in mainstream classrooms for learners with ADHD
(2) Background to the Problem Statement
Inclusive education is a global idea that says all children should learn together in the
same classrooms, no matter their different needs. This idea was strongly supported by
the UNESCO Salamanca Statement (1994), which promotes equal access to education
for everyone. In South Africa, this idea is included in Education White Paper 6
(Department of Education, 2001), which aims to create one inclusive education system
where barriers to learning are identified and removed. The policy tries to move away
from the old medical model of disability (which focuses on the learner’s problem) to a
social model (which looks at how the school system can create or remove challenges).
However, even after more than 20 years, there is still a big gap between what the policy
says and what actually happens in classrooms. This study looks at that gap, especially
focusing on whether teachers are ready and supported to include learners with
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which is a common condition that
affects attention and behaviour.
, From my own experience as a teacher and from talking to other teachers, many feel
stressed and not fully prepared. They struggle to support learners with ADHD, who may
show behaviours like not paying attention, being very active, or acting without thinking.
This problem is also supported by research. Oswald and de Villiers (2013) found that
many South African teachers feel they do not have enough training to use inclusive
teaching methods, which causes stress and negative attitudes towards inclusion. Nel et
al. (2016) also explain that teachers are the main people responsible for making
inclusion work, but they are often expected to do this without enough training or support.
This means the main problem is not the policy itself, but the lack of proper support and
training for teachers to implement it effectively.
The issues surrounding this problem are multi-layered. Firstly, teacher training
programmes have historically provided limited, theoretically-focused exposure to
inclusive education, with insufficient practical strategies for managing diverse
neurotypes in a single classroom (Forlin & Chambers, 2011). As a result, teachers often
enter the profession without a repertoire of evidence-based classroom management
techniques, differentiated instruction methods, or behavioural interventions tailored for
learners with ADHD. This knowledge gap is exacerbated by a severe lack of ongoing,
school-based support from district officials or specialised staff, leaving teachers
professionally isolated (Engelbrecht et al., 2016). Secondly, a resource gap compounds
the problem. Mainstream classrooms are frequently overcrowded, and basic teaching
materials are scarce, making individualised attention and specialised accommodations
seem like an unattainable ideal (Donohue & Bornman, 2014). Thirdly, a subtle but
pervasive attitudinal barrier exists, where uninformed teacher beliefs about ADHD being
a result of poor parenting or a lack of discipline can lead to punitive responses instead
of empathetic, pedagogically sound ones (Botha & Kourkoutas, 2012).
