Imagining inclusion in the university setting: plural discourse among Spanish university lecturers / Imaginar la universidad inclusiva: pluralidad de discursos del profesorado universitario español

Abstract

Diversity management is a core priority in the definition of international education policies, and educational inclusion is a strategic indicator of quality and excellence. As a contribution to improving educational inclusion in higher education, this study seeks to map out the opinions and positions expressed by university lecturers regarding their teaching action in the classroom with respect to educational diversity and inclusion. To this end, qualitative research was designed and developed in eight Spanish public universities. A total of 17 interviews and eight focus group were held, analysing and interpreting the output by means of mixed deductive and emerging thematic analysis. Findings indicate two stances or positions expressed, identified as conventional logic and critical logic, which point to different conceptions of diversity held by the lecturers, the purpose of inclusion in university and its justification, the difficulties they encounter and their proposals for improvement. Global integrated approaches are necessary for the institutionalization of inclusion, despite conceptual confusion, poor training and institutional difficulties encountered by teachers in the classroom.