Changing Roles for Educational Psychologists within Inclusive Education in South Africa

Abstract

Reform in education in a democratic South Africa has inspired commitment to a single, inclusive education system for all. The challenges related to the changing nature of education in South Africa and the relationship of these challenges to the past, and particularly to the legacy of apartheid, have forced educational psychologists to reconsider their roles in order to respond to the needs of their clients. Contextual demands have required a shift from the traditional child-de.cit, medical model towards an ecological and multi-systems paradigm, suggesting a wider scope of analysis and action. This article focuses on the response of educational psychology within support services and how this opportunity to change the face of the profession can be used in a creative and constructive way.