Full Text Available

Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.

Teachers' support strategies for primary school learners with dyscalculia

Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2026.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Van Zyl, Rosemarie Clara
Other Authors: Conradie, Karlien
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University 2026
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1867613738915332096
access_status_str Open Access
author Van Zyl, Rosemarie Clara
author2 Conradie, Karlien
author_browse Conradie, Karlien
Van Zyl, Rosemarie Clara
author_facet Conradie, Karlien
Van Zyl, Rosemarie Clara
author_sort Van Zyl, Rosemarie Clara
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv Stellenbosch University
description Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2026.
format Thesis
id oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/135637
institution Stellenbosch University (South Africa)
language English
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:40:55.520Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
publishDate 2026
publishDateRange 2026
publishDateSort 2026
publisher Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
publisherStr Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
record_format dspace
source_str SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
spelling oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/135637 Teachers' support strategies for primary school learners with dyscalculia Van Zyl, Rosemarie Clara Conradie, Karlien Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Educational Psychology. Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2026. Van Zyl, R. C. 2026. Teachers' support strategies for primary school learners with dyscalculia. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/06c1b961-0d17-45d5-a147-95a1924ef494 This study explored the support strategies that primary school teachers in the Western Cape employ to assist learners experiencing dyscalculia. Although international research identifies dyscalculia as a persistent mathematical learning disorder affecting approximately five percent of learners, South African policy and practice continue to treat it as a general learning difficulty rather than a specific condition requiring targeted support. The study sought to understand how teachers conceptualise dyscalculia, what affordances and challenges they experience in supporting affected learners and how they perceive the effectiveness of their practices within the framework of inclusive education. Guided by Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of learning, the study adopted a qualitative case study design. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with primary school teachers, an interview with a senior educational psychologist from the WCED and evaluation of key national and provincial policy documents. A thematic analysis, following Braun and Clarke’s (2006) model, was used to identify and interpret patterns across the data. While the data findings align with existing concerns about limited diagnostic training, its persistence highlights the systemic nature of the policy–practice gap. Teachers rely on informal, experience-based practices to support learners with dyscalculia. However, these practices are constrained by systemic barriers, including insufficient diagnostic tools, limited professional development and inconsistent implementation of inclusive education policies. This pronounced policy-practice gap leaves learners with dyscalculia under-identified and inadequately supported. The study recommends the formal recognition of dyscalculia in national and provincial policy, structured teacher professional development on mathematical learning disorders and further research into contextually relevant support tools. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of inclusive mathematics education and highlight the need for responsive, evidence-based frameworks that scaffold both the teacher and the learner within South Africa’s evolving inclusive education landscape Masters 2026-04-07T06:33:18Z 2026-04-07T06:33:18Z 2026-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/135637 en Stellenbosch University 134 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
spellingShingle Van Zyl, Rosemarie Clara
Teachers' support strategies for primary school learners with dyscalculia
title Teachers' support strategies for primary school learners with dyscalculia
title_full Teachers' support strategies for primary school learners with dyscalculia
title_fullStr Teachers' support strategies for primary school learners with dyscalculia
title_full_unstemmed Teachers' support strategies for primary school learners with dyscalculia
title_short Teachers' support strategies for primary school learners with dyscalculia
title_sort teachers support strategies for primary school learners with dyscalculia
url https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/135637
work_keys_str_mv AT vanzylrosemarieclara teacherssupportstrategiesforprimaryschoollearnerswithdyscalculia