Abstract:
As inclusive education gains momentum in South Africa, more and more learners with disabilities are entering traditional mainstream schools. This has direct implications for regular class teachers
who have to make inclusion work, and can, no doubt, give raise to feelings of stress. This study was aimed at exploring the stressors and coping skills of five teachers in Gauteng, who are including
a Grade 12 learner with a physical disability. Data was gathered through in-depth interviews. The Teacher Stress and Coping Questionnaire (Physical Disability) provided the structure for these interviews. Through inductive analysis it appeared that the teachers involved in this study did not experience the inclusion of a learner with physical disability to be stressful. Even though the experience as a whole was not perceived as stressful, factors such as inadequate information,
workload, the emotional disposition of the learner and peer group interactions were reported to be stressful. Problem-focused coping strategies were viewed as the most effective in dealing with the stress. The results from this study confirm existing findings, expand the scientific knowledge of
teachers’ experience regarding inclusive education, and indicate the way for future research.
