| Abstract: | Abstract A questionnaire designed to investigate the epidemiology of barriers to learning was given to the parents of 800 Grade 3 learners from 11 schools in the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, Gauteng Province, South Africa. This article reports on only the frequency and nature of problems as experienced by the 634 learners whose families completed the questionnaire. A differentiation was made between developmental problems noted in the pre-school stage and learning barriers identified after Grade 1 entry. Results show that 50.5 per cent of Foundation Phase learners experienced barriers described as moderate to severe difficulties or disabilities, with a fairly even gender distribution. The most commonly experienced difficulty in pre-school is concentration. While concentration and task completion are the most frequently experienced barrier in formal schooling. Attention Deficit Disorder (inattentive type) is the most frequently diagnosed disorder. |
