Paradigmatic Values

The themes of paradigmatic values are represented by the following subthemes, namely concepts around social justice and human rights, as well as understandings of disabilities.

5.2.2.1 Notions of social justice and human rights

The understanding of social justice, as used in White Paper 6 (Department of Education, 2001) or in the Constitution, was interpreted by most participants through political lenses and a belief that it has been forced on them by legal means. It seemed clear that, in most instances, this interpretation was internalised and part of a personal belief system. This personal belief system was described most aptly by participant 4:

"… whatever you decide to believe in your little heart, nobody can influence, because that's your own thinking."

The understanding of having human rights enforced by law is illustrated by the following quote, also from participant 4:

"But when you come into a social context whether it's at school, at church, wherever you go, then there shouldn't be any discrimination and that's where the justice part comes in and it's by law … written in stone."

Although there is some understanding of social justice, it is clear that most of the participants did not believe that it is reachable in our society.

"But I don't think it (social justice) is always beneficial ... I think the idea where it stemmed from was in order to make it beneficial for the children and I think that in practice it doesn't always work that way." (Participant 11)

91 5.2.2.2 Understandings of disability

In White Paper 6 (Department of Education, 2001), the term 'disability' is rephrased as 'barriers to learning'. It seemed as if different, albeit still sometimes accurate, views and understandings of what a 'barrier to learning' is were held by the participants.

Participant 7 explained a 'barrier to learning' as follows:

"Something that stops you from being able to achieve what you are able to achieve …"

"Um, so, if my mental capacity or my IQ says that I am a number and I'm able to achieve that number because of a various number of circumstances, whether again, reading issues or social issues or not being able to see or hear, then that's going to become a barrier to me achieving what my IQ says that I am capable of." (Participant 7)

Participant 5 saw it as:

"… enige iemand wat nie (kan nie sê normaal nie, want wat is normaal?) maar wat nie gemaklik in 'n klas kan sit en dieselfde as die res verstaan en inneem en kan skryf en emosioneel ook kan optree en … al daai dinge voldoen nie, dan is daar 'n hindernis." / … anybody who cannot (cannot say normal, because what is normal?) but cannot sit comfortably in a class and understand as the rest do and take in and write and conduct themselves emotionally and … all those things, then there is a barrier."

Participant 4 had a solution-focused answer:

"Well, a barrier, for me, was always something that you could cross. Like a

barrier is like a hurdle, so it's something in your way that you could get past with help or assistance, um, so for me, like the word 'disability' and 'barrier to learning' is not really that different to me, because a disability means there's something that you are not able in, um, and that's the same as a barrier, if there's a big hurdle and I can't cross it physically, then I need help to cross it

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… the word 'barrier' does assume the fact that you can push past it … 'Barrier' is movable …" (Participant 4).

Participant 12 stated:

"Wel, ja, as 'n kind nie die vermoë het om op die standaard te kom waarop hy moet kom nie of nie leer wat hy moet leer nie. Ja, as hy een of ander, um, gebrek het, of ja, iets in daai lyn."/Well yes, if a child has not got the ability to achieve the standard expected or cannot learn what he is supposed to learn. Yes, if he has some or other disability, or yes, something like that."

The subthemes above have been grouped together to form the theme's paradigmatic values.

In the literature there is an emphasis on the fact that transformation to an IE system requires teachers to modify their values and practices (Donald et al., 2010). Ainscow (2007, p. 6) calls for a "challenge in the thinking behind the existing way of working" and states that the focus must not only be on the practice of IE principles. Furthermore, he states that challenging the beliefs and values of teachers, and the contribution it makes to practices, can contribute to a growing commitment to inclusion.

The reasoning behind the change in the terminology that is used, from 'disability' to 'barriers to learning', seems clear, as in essence it represents not only a change of words, but also an effort to move towards a change in paradigm. It implies a shift from 'problems inside the learner' only, to 'problems in and outside the learner', and therefore, by implication, focuses on 'problems in the systems involved'. Such reasoning therefore moves away from educational failure caused by the characteristics of the individual learner only, to an "analysis of the barriers to participation and learning" (Booth & Ainscow, 2002, in Ainscow, 2007, p. 3). It basically underlines the move from a 'medical model of disability' to a 'social model of disability', as described in Chapter 2.

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5.3 EXOSYSTEMIC INFLUENCES ON READINESS