Curriculum adaptation for learners with diverse learning needs: A case of South African inclusive rural schools

Abstract

In this article we report on Foundation Phase teachers’ experiences when implementing curriculum adaptation in rural inclusive schools of South Africa. We argue that, in spite of inclusive education policies being in place and several pre- and in-service training have been undertaken, teachers still experience challenges to meet the learning needs of their learners by means of curriculum adaptation. We relied on purposeful sampling to select 6 Foundation Phase teachers from 3 inclusive schools in 2 South African provinces. We followed a qualitative approach and implemented a phenomenology research design. Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews and were audio-recorded. Following thematic data analysis, we identified themes that related to the significance of early identification of learning barriers, knowledge of curriculum adaptation, application of curriculum adaptation in practice and barriers preventing the effective implementation of curriculum adaptation by teachers. Based on the findings of the study, we recommend continuous in-service teacher development and support by district-based teams, as such efforts may improve the experiences of teachers when implementing curriculum adaptation in inclusive schools.