Navigating classroom management: Experiences of teachers with disabilities in South African Multicultural Schools

Navigating classroom management: Experiences of teachers with disabilities in South African Multicultural Schools

Tankiso Progress Molupe , Gregory Alexander & Brenton Grant Fredericks

Issue: Vol. 7 No.7 2026 Article 27 pp. 2114 – 2133
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20267727 Published online 24th September 2026

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ABSTRACT

This study explores the experiences of teachers with disabilities (TWDs) in managing classrooms within South African multicultural primary school settings, an aspect that has received limited attention in the existing scholarly literature. The research is informed by Critical Disability Theory (CDT) and Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory (EST) to identify issues and challenges related to disability, cultural diversity, policy requirements, and institutional and structural barriers, to enhance classroom practices for TWDs. This study used an interpretivist paradigm and a qualitative research approach to probe, through semi-structured individual interviews, the experiences of five TWDs with specific representations of visual impairment, hearing loss, mobility impairment, and communication disorders. Through the use of thematic analysis, the findings of the study indicate that the severity of the impairments seemingly does not hamper the effectiveness of TWDs; rather, systemic, policy, infrastructural, and general classroom impediments do. Notwithstanding these limitations, TWDs demonstrate resilience and make significant contributions to the teaching and management of multicultural school spaces and to the promotion of inclusive pedagogical practices. The paper presents disability-responsive training, tougher policy implementation, institutional considerations, and the acknowledgement of TWDs as agents of inclusive educational change as necessary measures to improve the classroom conditions for TWDs.

Keywords: Teachers with disabilities, multicultural classrooms, classroom management, institutional ableism, inclusive education.

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ABOUT AUTHOR(S)

Tankiso Molupe is a master’s graduate from the Central University of Technology, South Africa. He is a practising Tankiso Molupe is a master graduate from the Central University of Technology, South Africa. Mr Molupe is a practising teacher and Mathematics Departmental Head in Thabo Primary School in the Free State. His academic and research interests include inclusive education, disability studies, classroom management, multicultural education, and the experiences of teachers with disabilities. Tankiso’s research focuses particularly on promoting equitable and inclusive learning environments within South African schools.

Gregory Alexander is currently a professor in Educational Psychology at the Faculty of Humanities, Central University of Technology, South Africa. He holds a PhD in Psychology of Education from the University of the Free State, South Africa and qualifications in teacher education, values-based leadership and human resource management. Gregory also teaches research and supervises students at the postgraduate level. His research interests are in the areas of critical multicultural education, inclusive education, social science education, service learning and social justice education.

Brenton Fredericks is a senior lecturer in the Department of Communication Sciences at the Faculty of Humanities, Central University of Technology, Free State. He is a dedicated academic with a Doctorate in Language Practice from the Central University of Technology, Free State. Brenton is passionate about advancing academic literacy, communication, linguistics, and multilingualism, and he is committed to excellence in research and education. He is actively engaged in national and international academic communities, contributing to the broader discourse on language and communication.

TO CITE ARTICLE

Molupe, Tankiso Progress, Gregory Alexander, and Brenton Grant Fredericks. “Navigating classroom management: Experiences of teachers with disabilities in South African Multicultural Schools.” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 7, no.7 (2026): 2114 – 2133 https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20267727