STUDY UNIT 3
Social and educational barriers
Appolonia Masunungure
Appolonia.Masunungure@nwu.ac.
za
018 389 2188
“As long as poverty, injustice and gross
inequality exist in the world, none of us can
truly exist.” – Nelson Mandela
“Poverty is the parent of revolution and
crime.” — Aristotle, Greek philosopher
“Poverty is like punishment for a crime you didn't commit.”
— Eli Khamarov, writer
Study Unit
3
SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL BARRIERS
Study material
Aanbevole leesmateriaal vir hierdie gedeelte: / Recommended reading material for this section:
–
Van der Merwe, W. & Meyer, L.W. 2017. EDCC 521. Educational psychology: introduction to educational psychology. Study unit 2.
–
Thutong: South African Education Portal. 2013. Support learning space: Inclusive Education. [Online] Available:
www.thutong.doe.gov.za/inclusiveeducation/Policy/DistrictBasedSupportTeams/t abid/3305/Defa ult.aspx . Parliamentary Monitoring
Group, 2010. https://pmg.org.za/committee-meeting/12308/
–
Anastaiou, D. & Kauffman, J.M. 2011. A Social Constructionist approach to Disability: Implications for Special Education. Exceptional
Children, 77(3): 367 – 384.
–
Forlin, C. & Chambers, D. 2011. Teacher preparation for inclusive education: Increasing knowledge but raising concerns. Asia-Pacific
Journal of Teacher Education, 39(1):17–32.
–
Llewellyn, A. & Hogan, K. 2000. The Use and Abuse of Models of Disability. Disability & Society, 15(1): 157 – 165.
–
Ngcobo, J. & Muthukrishna, N. 2011. The geographies of inclusion of students with disabilities in an ordinary school. South African Journal
of Education, 31:357-368.
–
Nkabinde, Z.P. 1997. An analysis of Educational challenges in the new South Africa. University Press of America: Lanham, Maryland. 77 –
79.
–
Savolainen, H., Engelbrecht, P., Nel, N. & Malinena, O. 2012. Understanding teachers’ attitudes and self-efficacy in inclusive education:
Implications for pre- service and in-service teacher education. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 27(1): 51–68.
Outcomes
U sal in staat wees om:
You should be able to:
• ’n verduideliking van die invloed van
• offer an explanation of the
die samelewing op opvoedkundige
influence of society on
hindernisse te gee;
educational barriers;
• ’n oorsig oor die verskillende tipes
• give an overview of the various
sosiale en opvoedkundige
types of social and educational
hindernisse te gee; en
barriers; and
• Vaardighede te demonstreer om
• demonstrate skills to support
leerders met verskillende tipes
learners with different types of
sosiale en opvoedkundige
social and educational skills.
hindernisse te ondersteun.
5
Study Unit
3.2
Issues in education
What is a "Barrier"?
Anything that
prevents a learner
to be able to learn
effectively
Enige iets wat ‘n
leerder verhinder
om effektief te leer
What is a "Barrier"?
Make an educated guess as to the statistics associated with
poverty in SA. Fill in the actual numbers as we go over the
numbers.
CATEGORIES
MY GUESS
ACTUAL
1. Percentage of pre-school children not
attending school.
% 64%
2. % (19-25y) Attending Post-secondary
education
% 3.7%
3. Number of people (35-64) not literate
3 180 117
4. Percentage of children who received
schooling who cannot read
% 27%
5. Percentage of pupils who start school
that pass their matriculation exam.
% 37%
6. Number of people (age 18-24)
unemployed & not receiving further
training/education.
2.8million
Make an educated guess as to the statistics associated with
poverty in SA. Fill in the actual numbers as we go over the
numbers.
CATEGORIES
MY GUESS
ACTUAL
7. Percentage of schools without running
water
% 27%
8. Percentage of schools without libraries
or computers
% 78%
9. Number of mud schools
395
10. Percentage of people living below
Upper poverty line
% 63%
(R992pp/month)
11. % people living below the food poverty
line
% 25%
(R527pp/month)
SOCIETAL
BARRIERS

Household Poverty - Children living in
poor households are less likely to
afford
costs
associated
with
education, including uniforms, books,
stationery and travel.

Parents’ unemployment, whether due
to job loss or illness, affects the
education of children

Level of Parent Education can also
affect learning

Caregiving arrangements: Schoolgoing children not living with a family
and/or relative are likelier to drop out
of school than those living with either
their parents or maternal/ paternal
relatives.
SOCIETAL
BARRIERS
Continuation……

Teenage Pregnancy

Consequences of teenage
pregnancy include:

Increased absenteeism,

Poor academic
performance,

Lower educational
attainment and

Ultimately, school dropouts
SOCIETAL BARRIERS Continuation……
 Violence against children
 Children exposed to violence may :




Be aggressive
Use illegal substances
Show dysfunctional ways of dealing with anxiety
Indulge in unprotected, un-lawful and exploitative sex which may lead to
HIV infection and other STIs as well as early pregnancy in girls.
EDUCATIONAL
BARRIERS IN
EDUCATION
Continuation
Some of these systemic barriers in a South
African context impacting children with barriers
to learning include :
 Overcrowded classrooms
Inappropriate language of teaching and
learning
 Long waiting lists at special schools
 Insufficient training of educators to manage
diversity in their classrooms
 Lack of funds for assistive devices
 Lack of teaching assistants
 Long delays in assessment of learners
•
EDUCATIONAL
BARRIERS IN
EDUCATION
Continuation

Curriculum Content and Assessment
One of the most insignificant barriers
to learning is the curriculum and the
manner in which it is taught and
assessed
This includes:



The content ( What is taught)
The language or medium of instruction
How the classroom is organised
EDUCATIONAL BARRIERS IN
EDUCATION Continuation




The method/ process used in teaching
The pace of teaching and time available to complete the curriculum
The learning materials and equipment used
As well as how learning is assessed
 A more flexible curriculum is needed in order to ensure that it is
accessible to all learners, irrespective of their learning barriers
•
•
POVERTY AS A
BARRIER TO
EDUCATION
It is an extrinsic barrier to learning
The World Health Organisation describes poverty
in this way:
“Poverty is hunger. Poverty is a lack of shelter. Poverty
is being sick and not being able to see a doctor. Poverty
is not having access to school and not knowing how to
read. Poverty is not having a job, fear for the future,
living one day at a time. Poverty has many faces,
changing from place to place and across time, and has
been described in many ways. Most often, poverty is a
situation people want to escape. So, poverty is a call to
action -- for the poor and the wealthy alike -- a call to
change the world so that many more may have
enough to eat, adequate shelter, access to education
and health, protection from violence, and a voice in
what happens in their communities.”
CONTINUATION……
•
Children/learners from poorer backgrounds
face many obstacles to accessing education.
These include not having a school nearby or in
their community to attend and also not having
access to educational material or teachers.
•
But even when these resources are in place,
children/learners living in poverty usually do
not have their basic needs met. These include:

Physical needs for normal human function,
such as food, water, clothing, and sleep.
Safety needs, such as protection from danger,
health and wellbeing and financial security.
Being loved by having a stable family set up
and a group of friends.
Being respected.



•
Different ways
in which
poverty can be a
barrier to
learning
Poor nutrition
Poor nutrition and being malnourished can affect a child’s cognitive abilities as well as their
level of concentration. This can set them back when it comes to learning new concepts and
developing new skills.
•
A lack of security
Children who feel unsafe may not want to go to school or be around other people. This
complicates the learning process.
•
Not feeling loved or respected
Children who come from a poor family or community set up and experience little to no support
typically struggles with confidence. This reduces their desire to learn.
How can teachers
support learners living
in Poverty





Many circumstances learners living in poverty
encounter are beyond their control. They can
face many challenges that affect their brain
development, emotional well-being,
relationships with others, and school
achievement.
Give learners the opportunity to set goals.
Then, coach them to achieve their goals.
Be a role model. Share your goals and high
expectations for yourself with your learners.
This can serve as a motivation for them to
work harder.
Many times, learners’ experiences can be
limited due to their means and their
parents/caregivers experiences. It is integral to
show learners the world around them and
open their eyes to what the world has to offer.
Get learners off school grounds /premises and
take them to a field trip to somewhere
educational and fun filled.
CASE STUDY
Katie is 10 years old. She lives in a house with her parents and two brothers on a fairly ordinary
street. When Katie was a baby, her father had a serious accident which left him mentally and
physically disabled. He could no longer go to work. Luckily for the family, the payments on their
home were covered by an insurance policy otherwise they could have ended up homeless. Katie’s
mum had to also give up her job to look after Katie’s dad. The family receives state benefits but
this does not go very far. Their house has fallen into disrepair as they simply cannot afford the cost
of maintaining their home. Katie’s bedroom has mould on the walls, caused by dampness. The
damp and mould spread to the carpet and some of the furnishings. No matter what they do, they
cannot stop this from happening. They can’t afford new furniture and so as long as the damp
remains in the house, it will continue to spread. As a result of the family’s living conditions, Katie’s
health has suffered. She has asthma, constant colds and coughs and often has to miss school due
to illness. Missing school means that Katie’s education is constantly disrupted. She has a reading
age lower than her actual age. Her overall literacy is very poor, despite the fact that she loves
stories and writing. Her mum would love to help her with her reading and writing but caring for
Katie’s disabled father is a full-time job. Katie’s mum knows that healthy food could help improve
the family’s health, however, she doesn’t have much time to spend on cooking and their food
budget is low. They often have to rely on cheap frozen processed food that can be quickly and
easily heated in the microwave. When Katie is at school it’s a relief to be in a warm building, but
she has had to endure being teased and picked on for years about her clothes and shoes. Due to
her frequent absences, she finds it hard to make friends and the teasing leads her to get into
arguments and fights with other children. She’s too embarrassed to tell her teacher why she gets
into fights. Her school is not very pleased with her behaviour and she doesn’t think things will get
much better once she gets to secondary school. Every day is a struggle for Katie.
Group work &
discusison
Classify and briefly discuss the barriers to learning in education that are experienced worldwide, by
making use of a Tree Map.
EXAMPLE OF MIND MAP
Retrieved from: https://sites.google.com/site/ctsenengport/home/option-17-edugains-videos
Barriers to education around the world
(Study guide p.3 & 4)
Expense of
education
Lack of
funding
No teacher/
untrained teacher
No
classrooms
Hunger and
poor nutrition
Lack
Learning
materials
Distance
from homeschool
Country in
conflict or risk
Excluding
learners with
disabilities
Being the
‘wrong’ gender
Study Unit
3.3
Social barriers to learning SG p 12
Society consists of…
Mense
People
Kulture
Waardes
Cultures
Values
Vlakke in
samelewing
Praktyke
Levels in
society
Practices
Sosioekonomiese
toestande
Lewenswyse
Way of life
Godsdienstige
beginsels
Religious
beliefs
Socioeconomic
conditions
Levels of the system that relate to the education process SG p 13
Whole social system
Wider community
Skool / School
Local community
Family
Peers
Individual
Examples of social issues (p14 Study Guide)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Intergroup relations, referring to social differences, discrimination, racism, social
class, culture and ethnicity, religion, diversity in work, community and society.
Inequality: race, gender, age, class and education.
Poverty, which may lead to homelessness, unemployment, malnutrition, lack of
fulfilment of basic needs, mortality issues which may cause HIV/Aids (which in turn
lead to increased number of orphans), the aged, medical care; street children and
abortion.
Crime: murder, theft, breaking and entering, prisoners, gangsters and vigilante
groups.
Violence: mistreatment of women, children and the elderly.
Abuse: substance abuse (alcohol & drugs), physical abuse and emotional abuse.
Sexual orientation: lesbianism, homosexuality and bisexuality.
Psychological problems: mental problems, stress, anxiety, depression and suicide.
Unemployment: insufficient job opportunities, immigrants, lack of education
Illnesses: HIV and Aids, tuberculosis.
Xenophobia towards immigrants.
Investigate social problems
and issues that occur in
society
Which of these affect
you?
Activity 3.3
Social issue
1.
2.
Effect on school and
individual
Possible solution