Factors that Enhance Flexible Teaching of Learners with Special Needs in South Africa in the COVID-19 Era: Implications for Post COVID-19 Classrooms

Notwithstanding the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically in the educational system, research indicated that teachers of learners with special needs carried out meaningful teaching activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the different strategies employed by teachers of special needs learners to enhance effective teaching have been thoroughly researched in the field of education, they were not investigated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to explore factors that enhance flexible teaching of learners with special needs in South Africa in the COVID-19 era. A phenomenological research design was adopted using a qualitative research approach. Ten teachers were purposefully selected to participate in the study. The interviews were recorded and then transcribed. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data. The findings of this study revealed that teachers’ characteristic factors such as attitudes towards the use of ICT, prior knowledge of computer use and motivation, and infrastructural factors such as easy access to computers and availability of technology influenced flexible teaching of learners with special needs in the COVID-19 era. The findings of this research contribute to what is hoped will be a continually expanding body of empirical evidence-based insight about effective, flexible teaching strategies that may increase knowledge of the adoption and integration of flexible teaching in the field of education. Being well informed regarding enabling factors that enhance the effectiveness of flexible teaching is essential when designing and providing instruction to learners in a virtual environment. It is recommended that teachers of learners with special needs should gain new information and ICT skills to enable them to adapt from face-to-face teaching to teaching on virtual platforms, especially as educational institutions and research have shifted focus to understanding sustainable post-COVID-19 pedagogical needs. Keywords: Flexible teaching, Special needs learners, Special education, COVID-19 pandemic, Remote learning