Die verband tussen ouerskappraktyk en die aggressiewe gedrag van leerlinge in spesiale skole

Abstract

Leerlinge met matige intellektuele disfunksie (MID) is ʼn kohort leerlinge wie se hoë aggressievlakke onderrig in skole ernstig bemoeilik. Leerlinge met MID het ʼn gemiddelde intelligensiekwosiënt (IK) van 55 tot 70 en hul verstandelike ontwikkeling is van twee tot agt jaar agter dié van leerlinge sonder MID. Leerlinge met MID vind dit moeilik om kennis toe te pas, en beskik oor swak verbale, taal-, lees- en wiskundige vaardighede. Hulle het ʼn kort geheue en aandagspan, is hiperaktief en impulsief, vertolk nieverbale boodskappe verkeerd, en raak maklik gefrustreerd en geïrriteerd. Gevolglik het hierdie leerlinge ʼn vier keer hoër risiko om aggressiewe gedragsuitvalle te openbaar wat vir onderwysers en belanghebbendes groot uitdagings bied. Die doel van hierdie studie was om te bepaal of die ouerskappraktyke van hierdie leerlinge se ouers bydra tot hulle aggressiewe gedragsuitvalle. ʼn Fenomenologiese benadering en ʼn kwalitatiewe ondersoek is gebruik. Vyftien leerlinge met MID en aggressiewe gedragsuitvalle is in diepte met semigestruktureerde onderhoude, dokumentestudie van leerderprofiele en waarneming bestudeer. Die hoofbevinding van hierdie studie is dat die aggressiewe gedragsuitvalle in die skool ʼn simptoom was van dieperliggende probleme by die leerlinge. Hierdie dieperliggende probleme was ʼn sameloop van negatiewe ouerskappraktyke, emosionele verwaarlosing en ingeperkte vermoëns om uitdagings toepaslik te hanteer. Negatiewe ouerskappraktyke het die volgende ingesluit: aggressiewe gedrag, onbetrokkenheid, permissiewe praktyke, gebrekkige kommunikasie en inkonsekwente dissipline met min ondersteuning, warmte en empatie. Die leerlinge met MID het gevoel dat hulle ouers emosioneel en fisies afwesig was, wat gelei het tot ʼn gevoel van emosionele verwaarlosing, verwerping, verlies en ʼn gebrek aan ondersteuning. Akkumulatiewe negatiewe faktore soos gesinsverbrokkeling en problematiese binding het ook oorsaaklik tot hul aggressiewe gedragsuitvalle bygedra. Hierdie leerders het nie die ondersteuning gehad om uitdagende gebeure te verwerk nie. Die leerders moes dit self verreken en is met onverwerkte emosies aan hul eie lot oorgelaat. Die bevinding in hierdie studie was dat leerlinge met MID se akkumulatiewe negatiewe uitdagings (wat ontoepaslike ouerskappraktyke insluit), aanleiding gee tot impulsiewe reaktiewe aggressie wat met die geringste provokasie ontlok word.English: Learners with mild intellectual disabilities (MID) are a cohort of learners whose high levels of aggressive behaviour make teaching in schools a challenging task. Learners with MID have an average intelligence quotient (IQ) of between 55 and 70 and their intellectual development is almost two to eight years behind their peers without MID. Learners with MID have difficulty in applying their knowledge and have poor verbal, language, reading and mathematical skills. Learners with MID also present with short memory and attention span, are hyperactive and impulsive, misinterpret non-verbal messages, and get easily frustrated and irritated. These learners are four times more likely to develop aggressive behaviour, which leads to certain challenges for teachers and other persons concerned. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the parental practices of these learners’ parents were causative to their aggressive behaviour. A phenomenological approach and a qualitative research design were used. Fifteen learners with MID and aggressive behaviour were studied in depth through semi-structured interviews, document analysis and observation. The main findings of the study show that the aggressive behaviour in the school was only a symptom of underlying problems in the learners. These underlying problems were an unfortunate combination of negative parental practices, emotional neglect and a lack of skills to deal with challenges. Negative parental practices included: aggression, uninvolved and permissive parents, poor communication and inconsistent discipline with little support and empathy. The learners were left with the perception that their parents were emotionally and physically absent, which led to a feeling of emotional negligence, rejection, loss and inadequate support. Accumulative negative factors such as separated families and problematic attachment were causative to their aggressive behaviour. These learners were not supported adequately to deal with the challenges. They had to overcome these challenges by themselves and they were left with unresolved emotions. The finding in this study was that accumulative negative challenges of learners with MID (which included inappropriate parental practices) led to impulsive reactive aggression evoked by the least provocation.