View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Wits Institutional Repository on DSPACE COPYRIGHT NOTICE The copyright of this research report vests in the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, in accordance with the University’s Intellectual Property Policy. No portion of the text may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including analogue and digital media, without prior written permission from the University. Extracts of or quotations from this research report may, however, be made in terms of Section 12 and 13 of the South African Copyright Act of No. 98 of 1978 (as amended), for non-commercial or educational purposes. Full acknowledgement must be made to the author and the University. An electronic version of this research report is available on the Library webpage (www.wits.ac.za/library ) under “Research Resources”. For permission requests, please contact the University Legal Office or the University Research Office (www. wits.ac.za). i AN EXAMINATION OF SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAMMES AS INCLUSIVE STRATEGIES Sibili Precious Nsibande Student No: 909874 Supervisor: Dr Yasmine Dominguez-Whitehead A research project submitted to the WITS School of Education, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education by combination of coursework and research Johannesburg, 2016 ii ABSTRACT In an attempt to promote inclusive education, many schools have put strategies in place to ensure that all children access and participate in learning. An inclusive strategy is defined as a practice or something that people do to give meaning to the concept of inclusion (Florian, 2011). Inclusive strategies therefore are about practices that give all children equal opportunities to participate in quality learning by ensuring that barriers to learning and participation are removed. Hunger has been identified as one of the barriers to learning, especially in developing countries (Potterton & Dawjee, 2004) and many schools have introduced school feeding programmes as a strategy to promote education for all children. In this qualitative study, grounded in the interpretive paradigm, the views of principals and teachers are explored to establish how school feeding programmes operate or fail to operate as inclusive strategies in schools. Through the use of semi-structured interviews, the study revealed that although school feeding programmes were viewed as mechanisms that operate as inclusive strategies, there were multiple concerns pertaining to the programmes. The principals’ and teachers’ views revealed that while their school feeding programme promoted the academic and general success of all learners, it also inhibited the academic and general success of some children by promoting the stigmatization of children from low-socio economic backgrounds. The study also revealed major concerns in the administration of the school feeding programmes. With reference to the participants’ views on school feeding programmes, it can be contended that while school feeding programmes serve as inclusive strategies for all children in schools, they also have multiple constraints that could to be addressed as an attempt to improve their effectiveness. KEYWORDS: Inclusive Education, Inclusive Strategies, School Feeding Programmes iii DECLARATION I hereby declare that the material contained in this research report is my own original work. It is submitted for the degree of Masters of Education (coursework and research report) in the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. It has not been submitted for degree purposes to any other university. Sibili Nsibande February 2016 iv DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this research report to my husband Shomps, whose support, encouragement and sacrifice were boundless. Thank you Goje, for believing in me, more than I ever believed in myself. I would also like to thank my boys, Similo and Yamkelwe, for their encouragement and support throughout the entire journey. Additionally, I would like to thank all other family members, especially my mother in-law who has been a friend, a mother and a prayer partner throughout this journey. Ngiyabonga Nkonyane, Phephetse wena weNgwedze ne Ngwavuma. Lastly, a big thank you to all friends who made this journey bearable. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I gratefully acknowledge the generous support I received from my supervisor, Dr Yasmine Dominguez-Whitehead. I would like to thank her for the unwavering support and guidance she provided throughout this research. I am truly indebted to her. I would also like to thank the people who agreed to participate in this study. This study would not have been possible without their help. Lastly, I would like to thank everyone, who in their own way contributed to the successful completion of this research study. Their support did not go unnoticed, and I am thankful for it. vi Table of Contents DECLARATION ......................................................................................................................... iv DEDICATION… .......................................................................................................................... v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................... vi Chapter 1 ……………. ............................................................................................................ 1 Introduction ...………………………………………………………………………………….1 1.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Rationale ................................................................................................................... 1 1.3 Aim of the study ....................................................................................................... 2 1.4 Overarching research question ................................................................................. 2 1.5 Problem statement .................................................................................................... 3 Chapter 2 …………. ................................................................................................................ 4 Literature review ...................................................................................................................... 4 2.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 4 2.2 Definitions ................................................................................................................ 4 2.2.1 Inclusive Education ..................................................................................................... 4 2.2.2 The History of Inclusive Education ............................................................................ 8 2.2.3 Inclusive strategies ...................................................................................................... 8 2.2.4 Inclusive pedagogical strategies .................................................................................. 9 2.2.5 General inclusive strategies...……………………………………………………..….10 2.2.6 School feeding programmes…………………………………………………………..10 2.2.7 Feeding programmes and learners' voices……………………………………………..18 Chapter 3 ………… ............................................................................................................... 19 Methodology ............................................................................................................................ 19 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 19 3.2 Research design and methodology ......................................................................... 19 3.2.1 Research Paradigm .................................................................................................... 19 3.2.2 Data Collection .......................................................................................................... 20 3.2.3 Sampling Method ...................................................................................................... 22 vii 3.2.4 Information on research sites/schools ...................................................................... 23 3.3 Credibility and Trustworthiness ............................................................................. 23 3.4 Data analysis .......................................................................................................... 24 3.5 Ethical considerations ............................................................................................. 24 3.6 Confidentiality ........................................................................................................ 24 3.7 Anonymity .............................................................................................................. 25 3.8 Informed Consent .................................................................................................. 25 Chapter 4 ………................................................................................................................... 26 Research Findings and Interpretation ............................................................................... 26 4.1 Introduction ...........................................................................................................