HREDU82 ASSIGNMENT 3 2026
DUE AUGUST 2026
Research Paradigm, Theories and Concepts for My Study on Inclusive Education
1. Introduction
Inclusive education means that all children, no matter their abilities or backgrounds,
should learn together in the same classrooms. The South African government made a
policy called Education White Paper 6 in 2001 that says all schools must include every
child. But the truth is that many schools still find it hard to make this work in practice.
Research problem
Teachers in South African schools are supposed to practice inclusive education, but
they face many problems. These include not having enough training, not having enough
resources, having too many children in their classes, and negative attitudes about
disability. There is a big gap between what the policy says and what happens in real
classrooms.
Research questions:
1. How do teachers in South African schools understand and practice inclusive
education?
2. What things help or stop teachers from using inclusive education in their
classrooms?
1
, 3. How can we make teacher training better to help them use inclusive practices?
Purpose of the study
I want to understand what teachers go through when they try to include all children in
their classrooms. I hope to find ways to make inclusive education work better in South
African schools.
2. Research Paradigm
2.1 What is a Research Paradigm?
A research paradigm is like a pair of glasses that a researcher wears. It shapes how
they see the world, what they think is important, and how they do their research.
Different paradigms have different ideas about what counts as knowledge, how we can
find truth, and what the purpose of research should be (Cohen, Manion & Morrison,
2018). Your paradigm affects every part of your study, from the questions you ask to
how you understand your findings.
2.2 The Transformative Paradigm
I have chosen to use the transformative paradigm for this study. This way of thinking
about research focuses on fairness, equality, and making the world better for people
who have been left out. Mertens (2020) says that this paradigm is based on ideas from
feminist theory and critical race theory. It says that knowledge is not neutral - it is
always connected to power and who has it.
The transformative paradigm has some key ideas:
It believes that research should help people who are treated unfairly
It says that researchers should work together with the people they study
2
DUE AUGUST 2026
Research Paradigm, Theories and Concepts for My Study on Inclusive Education
1. Introduction
Inclusive education means that all children, no matter their abilities or backgrounds,
should learn together in the same classrooms. The South African government made a
policy called Education White Paper 6 in 2001 that says all schools must include every
child. But the truth is that many schools still find it hard to make this work in practice.
Research problem
Teachers in South African schools are supposed to practice inclusive education, but
they face many problems. These include not having enough training, not having enough
resources, having too many children in their classes, and negative attitudes about
disability. There is a big gap between what the policy says and what happens in real
classrooms.
Research questions:
1. How do teachers in South African schools understand and practice inclusive
education?
2. What things help or stop teachers from using inclusive education in their
classrooms?
1
, 3. How can we make teacher training better to help them use inclusive practices?
Purpose of the study
I want to understand what teachers go through when they try to include all children in
their classrooms. I hope to find ways to make inclusive education work better in South
African schools.
2. Research Paradigm
2.1 What is a Research Paradigm?
A research paradigm is like a pair of glasses that a researcher wears. It shapes how
they see the world, what they think is important, and how they do their research.
Different paradigms have different ideas about what counts as knowledge, how we can
find truth, and what the purpose of research should be (Cohen, Manion & Morrison,
2018). Your paradigm affects every part of your study, from the questions you ask to
how you understand your findings.
2.2 The Transformative Paradigm
I have chosen to use the transformative paradigm for this study. This way of thinking
about research focuses on fairness, equality, and making the world better for people
who have been left out. Mertens (2020) says that this paradigm is based on ideas from
feminist theory and critical race theory. It says that knowledge is not neutral - it is
always connected to power and who has it.
The transformative paradigm has some key ideas:
It believes that research should help people who are treated unfairly
It says that researchers should work together with the people they study
2
