Teachers’ experiences of indigenous games in the early grades

Abstract

Background: This research foregrounds inclusive education (IE) values by way of indigenous games. The outline of the South African national curriculum states that its main aim is to teach its children and youth to become members of a refinement that supports the values which are democratic, the human rights, and communal justice. However, the associated instructional methodologies that have long been a societal tool in instilling these values at an early stage of child development have been largely disregarded in achieving this goal. Indigenous games rely on specific values and traits from children’s cultural heritage. Aim: The study aimed to find out how teachers experience the use of indigenous games in teaching mathematics in IE schools. Setting: Six IE schools in the KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa. Methods: Semistructured interviews and teacher narratives, framed by the philosophy of ubuntu, were employed to generate data. These data were analysed in conventional qualitative methodology fashion. Results: The study showed that teachers believe that indigenous games encourage and endorse spontaneous interaction among learners as they communicate with their classmates and recognise the form of play from their community life. Conclusion: Teachers require specialised IE programmes as well as pedagogical formats to advance indigenous games.