Inclusive Education Practices Research Articles

School leaders’ vision is the strongest predictor of their attitudes towards inclusive education practice

ABSTRACT School leaders have an important role in supporting implementation of inclusive education practices in schools. Therefore, it is necessary to understand how school leaders’ attitudes towards inclusive education are formed. We used the Attitudes Toward Inclusive Education Scale that was developed to measure different facets of attitudes towards inclusive education for all students. The instrument was completed by 301 school leaders in Estonia. Three factors describing attitudes in facets of inclusive education practices, vision, and supports were distinguished. Structural Equation Modelling revealed that school leaders’ practices towards implementing inclusive education approaches are driven more strongly by their vision than the support available to them, although both aspects have a significant effect on their attitudes towards these practices. However, participation in in-service courses focusing on inclusive education and working as a school leader in a special school had negative association with school leaders’ attitudes towards inclusive education practices.

Shaping students for inclusion: a gift and a project. Dutch preservice teachers and the complexity of inclusive teaching practices in physical education

ABSTRACT This paper aims to uncover assumptions about inclusion held by preservice teachers in physical education. The focus is on how they construct ideas about inclusion and how these constructions inform their attempts to reduce inequities and enhance inclusion in their teaching practices. A critical approach to the reflections of 41 Dutch preservice teachers, revealed how they struggled with inclusion and perceived it both as a gift and a project. Their positive affection for students whose bodies and attitudes resembled the ideal of the preservice teacher, opened the window for exclusionary practices in which all students became responsible for their own inclusion. The preservice teachers tended to apply discourses of transformation to those who underperformed or whose attitudes were perceived as inappropriate. The paper concludes with reflections on how teaching stances that are shaped by cruel optimism can inform inclusion and exclusion.

Inclusive Pedagogical Practice as a Predictor of Quality Early Childhood Education

<p style="text-align: justify;">The quality of the educational process within the humanistic concept and holistic-developmental approach is interpreted as the optimal adaptation to the individual needs and abilities of children, while inclusiveness presupposes equal inclusion and participation of all children. This article explores the opinions of teachers as bearers of pedagogical-educational process. The aim of this research was to determine how much importance teachers attach to certain dimensions of the educational process, and the procedures of inclusive practice. Empirical research included teachers in 5 preschool institutions (N=146). The research instrument was constructed based on relevant literature. Teachers in this sample recognize the importance: of individualized support to all children; of respecting the diversity; of collaboration with parents, and personal professional development. At the same time, the level of formal education and in-service teacher training is positively correlated with the assessment of importance towards child-oriented practice, and respect for diversity. Teachers with a higher level of education significantly value the importance of additional vocational training in the field of developmental and social risks, the use of community resources, and involvement of parents in planning individual support for children.</p>

Protagonismo docente em tempos de pandemia

O artigo aborda a prática docente dos professores da educação básica em tempos de pandemia provocada pela covid-19 com a finalidade de analisar a expressão do protagonismo docente nesse contexto. A metodologia de pesquisa é de abordagem qualitativa e a coleta de dados foi realizada por meio de questionário e depoimentos escritos. Os dados indicam que os professores buscaram proporcionar uma prática docente inclusiva para inserir todos os alunos no processo de ensino e aprendizagem empregando as tecnologias disponíveis, criando redes de apoio entre os docentes e os discentes. Essas práticas possibilitaram gerar novas formas de ensinar nas quais se expressa o protagonismo docente.

Teacher’s Perspectives: School Readiness for Inclusive Education in Abbottabad District

There has been a widespread international effort to build inclusive schools in recent decades. The ultimate aim is to find out the school readiness for inclusive education and inclusion practices in public and private schools in Abbottabad district by exploring the level of awareness and to analyze the attitude and teaching strategies that are being in practice for the children with special needs in a classroom. The researchers used a quantitative research design. For quantitative data collection, a questionnaire was adapted focused on eleven (11) quality education indicators for inclusion in the special education for disabled children (NJCIE, 2010). Population of the study was general education teachers working in public and private schools in the Abbottabad district. The researcher used convenient sampling to select the sample from the population. 200 participants were chosen as samples, 137 teachers were from the public sector, and 134 teachers were from the private sector. The data from the survey were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The frequency distribution of replies to each item in the questionnaire was used to examine the survey instrument.

An Analysis of Peer-Reviewed Publications on Open Educational Practices (OEP) from 2007 to 2020: A Bibliometric Mapping Analysis

This study undertook a bibliometric mapping analysis of research papers on Open Educational Practices (OEP) in the Web of Science and Scopus databases. This study functions as a guide for new research, serving to identify trends in the OEP field and compare the existing research so as to identify gaps and promising future paths. A total of 635 studies were obtained; however, only 156 were finally selected for the analysis. VOSviewer software was used to identify the most frequently used keywords and terms in the abstracts and titles. This software was also used to analyse the studies for co-authorship and citations. The findings showed that research on OEP started in 2007 and focused on higher education, including open and distance higher education. Most of the OEP studies were published in English as journal articles, in particular, many were published in Distance Education, International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, and Open Praxis. The United Kingdom, Spain, and Australia were the top contributors to the OEP literature. The analysis of keywords and terms in the titles and abstracts revealed that current OEP trends covered only open pedagogy and open collaboration, suggesting a need for more research on other trends, such as open assessment, open data, and open science. The results also suggested that future research needs to focus more on inclusive open educational practices that accommodate students with disabilities.

Where Are the Students in Efforts for Inclusive Excellence? Two Approaches to Positioning Students as Critical Partners for Inclusive Pedagogical Practices

Most educational development for inclusive excellence does not draw directly on the experiences and perspectives of students. This article presents two different approaches to positioning undergraduate students as critical partners in developing inclusive pedagogical practices. Co-authored by the directors of and student partners who participated in each approach, the article defines inclusive excellence and inclusive teaching and provides selected examples of partnership work that strives for equity and inclusion. It then describes our different approaches, discusses potential benefits of launching student-faculty partnership work through these approaches, and offers recommendations for developing pedagogical partnership efforts for inclusive excellence at other institutions.

Integrating social justice-oriented content into English for Academic Purposes (EAP) instruction: A case study

This study examines the integration of social justice-oriented content into English for Academic Purposes (EAP) instruction at a four-year university on the East coast of the United States. In the context of an Academic Writing course taught to emergent bilingual (EB) students, this article identifies the challenges and prospects of utilizing material that addresses past and present racial inequities in the United States— particularly when it comes to equipping EBs with essential background knowledge to engage in meaningful dialogues and critical writing about social issues that are entrenched in white supremacist and settler colonialist histories. It makes suggestions for TESOL educators who seek to adopt more equitable and inclusive teaching practices by leaning into rather than away from challenging classroom conversations with EB students and embracing the intersecting challenges and opportunities for new learning that may arise.

Evidence of Weight Bias in the College Classroom: A Call for Inclusive Teaching Practices for Students of All Sizes

Groupwork is a useful classroom tool, but may not fully benefit students who are ostracized by peers due to nonacademic factors, like weight. Here, undergraduate students estimated GPAs of hypothetical student peers who were described as “overweight” or “normal-weight” and judged how much they wanted to work with them. We found small but significant effects: students rated overweight peers as having lower GPAs and reported less desire to work with them relative to normal-weight peers. Instructors should be cognizant that overweight students are believed by their peers to be less desirable class partners and may be excluded from classroom participation.

Cross-cultural interactions in the context of teaching Brazilian Sign Language (LIBRAS) as a second language in preschool

ABSTRACT In 2002, the Brazilian deaf communities’ struggles against academic failure and deaf student dropout won a linguistic policy: the LIBRAS Federal Law. This official law, regulated by Decree N.5626 in 2005, recognises LIBRAS as a national language and requires inclusive educational practices in a bilingual model in order to promote meaningful learning, interaction and participation of deaf students in all educational domains. Nearly two decades later, the Law N. 14.191/2021 has been published, establishing bilingual education for deaf people as a teaching modality on Guidelines and Bases of National Education. Despite these political movements towards an effective inclusive education, the daily reality in Brazilian schools shows there are still challenges to adopting an additive bilingual and cultural approach using LIBRAS. There are also challenges in developing fluid communication between deaf and hearing class members that would enable inclusion, collaboration and understanding of cultural differences in the educational domain. Combining ethnographic perspectives and theoretical discussion of inclusive-bilingual education in Brazil, this article describes interactions in an intercultural dialogue between deaf trainee teachers, hearing children and their hearing teacher in a second-language learning context (LIBRAS). Focussing on the ways in which relationships and communication processes are re-constructed by the participants, this study reveals different ways of representing deaf people and the learning of LIBRAS, highlighting a deterritorialised perspective from the children which moves freely between the ideological boundaries and linguistic and cultural limitations of the deaf and hearing adults.

Innovative learning environments and spaces of belonging for special education teachers

ABSTRACT According to the OECD definition of innovative learning environments (ILEs), inclusion is considered a pillar of its design. The depiction of an inclusive ILE from the OECD outlines the importance of including students in ILEs. We wish to argue, however, that the successful implementation of inclusion also needs to address the location of special education teachers within these spaces. Our research provides a ‘spaces of belonging’ framework that offers support for the successful inclusion of special education teachers within an ILE. Results from our ILE project and interviews with special education teachers in Australia and New Zealand will illustrate the three concepts of ‘spaces of belonging’, using studies from a range of schools. We hope that the findings will inform future planning and design processes that will promote effective inclusive teaching practices in Australia and New Zealand.

Critical Conversations in Practice-Based Teacher Education: Fostering Equitable Teaching in a Yearlong Practicum

ABSTRACT This study explores the use of critical conversations in a field-based practicum setting to develop dispositions toward, and understandings of, equitable teaching practices. To date, few studies have examined how mentors and mentees use shared reflection to examine issues of equity alongside learning how to teach. Using self-study methods and discourse analysis, I describe how two mentors and one preservice teacher engaged in five critical conversations across one school year. Critical conversations centered around how to design curriculum and use inclusive teaching practices to serve culturally, linguistically, and racially minoritized students in one fifth grade classroom. Findings indicate the participants used ten discursive strategies to initiate and sustain critical conversations, and issues of race surfaced new tensions that challenged the group’s collaboration. Given the turn toward practice-based teacher education, this study offers insights into the ways mentors and mentees can use critical conversations to mediate field experiences and suggests the need for repurposing existing resources to prepare culturally relevant, antiracist, and equity-focused educators.

The impact of reflective practice on teacher candidates’ attitudes towards individuals with disabilities and professional identity

ABSTRACT With the global rise of inclusive educational practices, it is important to understand teacher candidates’ perceptions of disability and inclusion. The purpose of this one group experimental research design study is to examine the impact of a graduate-level course on perceptions of individuals with disabilities and professional identity. Eighty-three teacher candidates in the United States enrolled in a graduate-level introduction to special education course completed a series of reflections about disability and inclusion. Researchers found that perceived reflective ability significantly predicted teacher candidates’ perceptions towards individuals with disabilities. Regardless of general or special education career paths, teacher candidates significantly changed the way they perceived individuals with disabilities. Specifically, at the end of the semester, teacher candidates viewed individuals with disabilities as more different than individuals without disabilities. Implications surrounding the importance of reflective practice in domestic and international teacher education practice and research will be addressed.

From regular education teachers to special educators: the role transformation of resource room teachers in Chinese inclusive education schools

ABSTRACT This study aims to explore the perspectives of resource room teachers (RRTs) on their role transformation from regular education teachers to special educators and its influencing factors. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 RRTs from inclusive education schools in Beijing, China. This study found that the RRTs have experienced three stages of role transformation moving from confusion by the new job to conflict among multiple expectations and then to being professionalised as special educators with self-determination. They struggled with multiple roles, felt marginalised and deprofessionalised, and were dominated by a categorical perspective serving students with special educational needs. Moreover, clearly authorised full-time positions, professionalisation, administrative support, and attitudes towards inclusive education were found to be key determinants in RRTs’ successful role transformation. The present study concludes that RRTs should be empowered with clear expectations of their roles and responsibilities to lead inclusive education practices in schools and guarantee a stable professional status via sustainable training.

Conceptions, perceptions and practices of inclusive education in schools in Karnataka (India): moving beyond normative prescriptions and blame-game

ABSTRACT The elementary education sector in India has been changing rapidly over the past three decades. Government policies and programmes have facilitated the inclusion of children from disadvantaged groups, including children with disabilities. While there is near universal enrolment in practice, inclusion is fraught with difficulties. This paper analyses classroom practice and the perspectives of teachers in Karnataka, a state in the South of India, in the light of national policy directives. It is based on a field study of five schools across different districts in Karnataka. This study focused on understanding the context of inclusion primarily in terms of classroom practices, teachers’ perspectives of inclusion, and their professional needs for catering to diverse classrooms. Our findings suggest that the Indian state is attempting to make the education system inclusive drawing from international treatises, declarations and commitments such as the Sustainable Development Goals, but with little contextual engagement. Additionally, teachers have little conceptual understanding and methodological awareness about how to make schools inclusive. This paper argues that to effectively adopt and adapt international policy prescriptions, an aligned vision of inclusive education along with systemic support, and robust teacher education is needed to support inclusive classroom practices.

Implementation of Inclusive Education Policy in Ghana: Recommendations from Social Workers and Policy Makers

ABSTRACT To satisfy the global commitment of promoting ‘Education for All’, Ghana, a sub-Saharan African country developed an inclusive education policy to define the government’s strategic path for the education of children and youth with special education needs. Years after making this commitment, research evidence has revealed significant challenges confronting the successful implementation of the inclusive education program. However, little has been reported on ways to address setbacks hindering the effective implementation of the inclusive education programme. Consequently, this study reports the views of practising social workers and regional level policymakers on how to address the setbacks facing the implementation of the policy. Qualitative semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with eleven professional social workers, two policymakers in the Ashanti region in Ghana. Data from the participants’ narratives were thematically analysed with the aid of NVivo 12 Pro software. The participants recommended; reconceptualising disability, financial backing, a guideline on teacher recruitment and fostering inter-agency collaboration, as the means to achieve the policy goals. The findings suggest the need to resource responsible agencies and refocus the policy by facilitating linkage between education and social welfare in the practice of inclusive education.

SUPPORTING THE SPECIAL EDUCATION UNIT SYSTEM IN PROMOTING INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

This study was conducted to investigate the practice of the Special Education Unit (SEU) system in regular schools and its way forward to support the Inclusive Education (IE) system in the Ampara District. A survey design and qualitative and quantitative approaches were followed to conduct this study. The questionnaire, interview, and focus group discussion were utilized to collect data. 27 schools with Special Educational Needs (SENs) and participants were purposively selected. Data was collected from 27 school principals, 86 teachers from SEUs, seven In-Service Advisers of Special Education (ISA SE), and 35 parents of students with SEN. SPSS-16 was utilized for quantitative data analysis and the content analysis utilized qualitative data. The findings show that SEUs have been in practice since 2002 with the collaboration of the stakeholders, and it supports the improvement of IE practices in schools. Further, the study recommends that educational administrators should be allocated adequate resources and follow a mechanism to improve IE practices.
 
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Best Practices of Inclusive Education in Himachal Pradesh

Best Practices of Inclusive Education in Himachal Pradesh

Faculty Perception of Inclusion in the University: Concept, Policies and Educational Practices

European universities must face the challenge of diversity and design inclusive practices to address it as part of their social responsibility. However, not all universities are doing the same in terms of diversity practices, so it is important to gather the perceptions of the protagonists. To this end, we have analysed university faculty’s perceptions using a mixed model with a concurrent methodological strategy, including an ad hoc questionnaire validated with 880 educators, as well as 17 semi‐structured interviews. The triangulation of these two instruments allowed us to analyse three key dimensions associated with the idea of attention to diversity in the university: diversity concept or culture, policies and programmes of the institution, and inclusive educational practices. The conclusion is that faculty members are positively predisposed to get involved in the process of attention to diversity in all three dimensions, especially in the design of inclusive teaching practices such as the UDL (universal design for learning), although they do point out that it is important to systematise diversity policies in research, innovation, and teaching to keep promoting the social commitment and responsibility of higher education institutions.

Differentiated instruction:A review of teacher education practices for Canadian pre-service elementary school teachers

ABSTRACT Differentiated instruction has been identified as the most effective means of addressing the various learning, cultural, ethnic, and socio-economic differences within inclusive classrooms. The purpose of this study is to review and evaluate the professional preparation that Canadian elementary school teachers are offered in their university programmes regarding inclusive education and differentiated instruction, and to compare that level of preparation with individual provincial policies regarding inclusive education. All the Canadian university programmes that offer a bachelor degree in education in elementary education were reviewed (N = 53) for the number of courses and course credits they include regarding education in differentiated instruction or inclusive education practices and the programmes were compared within and between provinces. The results indicate that the majority of elementary school pre-service teachers receive an introduction to inclusive teaching practices. On average, 7.2% of the course credits in Canadian bachelor of education programmes are dedicated to introducing pre-service teachers to inclusive or differentiated teaching practices. Pre-service teachers entering the workforce will likely require additional professional development and support to effectively differentiate their instruction to meet the needs of diverse student populations. The results of this review have implications for universities, school administrators, teachers, and other education professionals.