Factors Shaping Teachers’ Perceptions of Assessment Concessions: Evidence from South Africa

Abstract

This study investigated the internal and external factors influencing South African teachers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of assessment concessions for learners with barriers to learning. Grounded in the context of inclusive education, the study draws on data from a cross-sectional survey of 261 teachers from independent schools across all nine provinces. Although assessment concessions form a core mechanism for ensuring equity in South Africa’s inclusive education system, limited research has examined the combined influence of teachers’ internal dispositions and external systemic conditions on perceptions of their effectiveness. This study addresses this gap by offering one of the first large-scale quantitative analyses in the South African independent-school sector. Exploratory factor analysis identified key dimensions related to attitudes, beliefs, policy challenges, and resource access. The findings reveal that, while teachers generally perceive assessment concessions as effective, internal factors, such as beliefs and values about inclusion and inequality, are not significantly associated with these perceptions. In contrast, external factors — particularly bureaucratic complexity and reluctance to attend training — were negatively associated with perceived effectiveness. These results suggest that practical barriers, rather than ideological resistance, pose the most significant challenge to implementation. The scientific novelty of the study lies in demonstrating that teachers’ broader ideological orientations toward inclusion do not significantly shape their views on the effectiveness of concessions—contrary to dominant assumptions in international research. Instead, external system-level constraints emerge as the primary determinants. Methodologically, the study contributes a validated, multidimensional factor structure for investigating concession-related perceptions, offering a tool that can be adapted for future national monitoring. Theoretically, the findings extend inclusive education scholarship by highlighting the primacy of structural and procedural factors over attitudinal ones in shaping teacher behaviour. These insights have practical significance for policy and practice: strengthening administrative efficiency, improving district-level support, and providing contextually relevant teacher training may yield greater improvements than attempts to shift teacher beliefs. The study underscores the need for policy refinement, reduced administrative burdens, and enhanced professional development to bridge the gap between inclusive policy intent and classroom practice.