Inclusive Pedagogy Research Articles

What are inclusive pedagogies in higher education? A systematic scoping review

ABSTRACT ‘Inclusive pedagogies’ have been recommended as an approach for addressing increased student diversity in the university classroom. However, to date, no research has sought to map the field of inclusive pedagogies in higher education (HE) to establish how researchers have conceptualised and investigated this phenomenon. In this systematic scoping review, five databases were searched for literature published on the topic of inclusive pedagogies in HE. The findings suggest that HE researchers do not share a common understanding of inclusive pedagogies. We argue that inconsistency and fragmentation in perceptions of inclusive pedagogies is the result of inclusion itself being a philosophically contested matter; and that this needs to be reflected in the way that inclusive pedagogies are discussed in HE – even if this goes against current performative and market-driven trends that emphasise quick fixes over acknowledging the complexity of pedagogic issues.

Higher education inclusivity: when the disability enriches the university

ABSTRACT This article analyses the perspectives of faculty members on disability in higher education. Their testimonies give value to the attitudes and qualities of university students with disabilities and show how they influence their professional and personal development. We carried out a qualitative study, through interviews with 119 faculty members of different fields from 10 Spanish universities, who were nominated by students with disabilities for developing inclusive pedagogy. We conducted a progressive analysis of the data using a system of categories and codes. The results describe the motivations that drove the participants to respond to the needs of students with disabilities, the personal and professional impact posed by the challenge of adjusting the teaching and learning processes, and the perceptions of the faculty members toward the contributions of these students to the university. In the conclusions section, we delve into the need of universities to embrace inclusivity. The data provided by this study reveal that disability can be a valuable asset in a university context that dissociates from the deficit lens and acknowledges that all students are important and able to learn when the attitudes and conditions are appropriate.

Inclusive Education: How do New Zealand Secondary Teachers Understand Inclusion and how does this Understanding Influence their Practice?

Inclusive education expects that all students are welcome and that teachers focus on adapting environments so every student can be present, participate, learn and belong. This article summarises a mixed methods, small-scale inquiry which investigated how a sample of 44 New Zealand secondary school teachers understand inclusion and how this understanding influences their practice. While most participants responding to the online the survey reportedly agree with the values underpinning inclusive education, most participants also felt that students with severe needs should be taught by specially trained teachers. Participants identified numerous barriers which influenced student achievement in inclusive schools and reported feeling inadequately prepared to teach in inclusive schools. Furthermore, consistent and clear inclusionary practices were not evident. While further investigation is required, the findings from this small-scale inquiry serves as a starting point into investigating how New Zealand secondary teachers can be supported towards becoming confident, inclusive educators.

Planning and implementing actions for students with disabilities: Recommendations from faculty members who engage in inclusive pedagogy

The focus of this paper is to explore the advice given to colleagues by 119 Spanish faculty members who engage in inclusive pedagogy, to help them plan and implement actions aimed at including students with disabilities. We carried out an exploratory qualitative study with individual interviews. We analysed them using a system of categories and inductive codes. The results revealed five recommendations: listen to students and get to know them and the needs deriving from their disability; be empathetic and emotionally engaged and strive to facilitate students' learning; establish a universal, accessible, flexible and open syllabus; view having students with disabilities in class as an opportunity and part of the job; and actively seek information and training. The analysis includes a series of recommendations that may help other faculty members eager to make their planning and practice more democratic, fair and inclusive.

Using Student-Led Discussion and Reflection of a Public Health-Related Nonfiction Book as a Tool to Encourage Inclusive Pedagogy in an Undergraduate Classroom.

Educators realize the need to provide an inclusive, safe environment in a diverse classroom setting to encourage discussion of sensitive topics. However, descriptions of evidence-based approaches that may help us to meet inclusive pedagogy–related competencies are limited. Here, we describe a discussion format that followed chapter readings from a nonfiction biographical book called Mountains beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World (2003), by Tracy Kidder. This semester-long effort allowed sufficient time for students to develop an understanding of global public health affairs and to reflect on their own role in this world as responsible citizens. A discussion around several sensitive issues emerged, such as the extent of their belief in faith versus science, their opinion on providing financial aid to developing countries versus addressing public health issues in their home country, stereotypes and how that may spread panic during a public-health emergency. The student essays provided evidence that activities were successful in 1) drawing out students’ voices about world affairs, 2) teaching students to empathize with varied belief systems, 3) helping students develop a deeper appreciation of empirical and ethical factors that may affect such issues—all of which are key competencies for an inclusive classroom setting. We believe that the activities are flexible in structure and could be easily incorporated into a biology or liberal arts classroom setting to achieve inclusive pedagogy–related goals.

An exploration of the use of ABLe by educational psychologists to promote universal inclusive practice in primary school classrooms in one local authority in Scotland

In Scotland, an increasing amount of emphasis is being placed on creating inclusive learning environments to meet the needs of all learners. An inclusion pedagogy requires a focus on all children in a classroom and a rejection of deterministic beliefs of ability. The current study examined the use of Addressing Barriers to Learning (ABLe), an inclusive practice resource developed and promoted by Dundee City Council Educational Psychology Service (DEPS). 11 educational psychologists (EPs) took part in a survey exploring their views surrounding the impact and process of using ABLe. Qualitative thematic analysis identified three key themes (Staff engagement, role of the EP, future needs) and six sub-themes (staff resistance, within-child conceptualisations, professional dialogue, evidencing impact, accessibility and format, and staged approach to implementation). The findings suggest that successful implementation of ABLe is facilitated by the collaborative coaching of inclusive pedagogy and functional links to the National Practice Model.

Transformative Identities: Journeys through the Neoliberal University in Search of Social Justice

Abstract This paper discusses the current crisis in the United Kingdom higher education system and how the introduction of market forces has left academic staff and students dissatisfied. With shrinking budgets, increased competition, and classrooms full of students with complex lives and backgrounds, this glossy marketing material feels disingenuous. I reflect on how the university classroom can become a radical space in which the neoliberal university is challenged through a participatory, reflective, and inclusive critical pedagogy modeled on hooks' and Freire's philosophy. Describing and interpreting a three-year program delivered in a university in London, I consider how an anthropological curriculum helped students and teacher alike reflect their experiences back to university management, articulated a critique of current neoliberal policies, and ultimately embodied the social justice ethos that was previously just marketing copy of commodified educational experiences.

Impact of Artificial Intelligence in Special Need Education to Promote Inclusive Pedagogy

Impact of Artificial Intelligence in Special Need Education to Promote Inclusive Pedagogy

Robotics and Early-years STEM Education: The botSTEM Framework and Activities

botSTEM is an ERASMUS+ project aiming to raise the utilisation of inquiry-based collaborative learning and robots-enhanced education. The project outputs are specifically aimed to provide in- and pre-service teachers in Childhood and Primary Education and children four-eight years old, with research-based materials and practices that use integrated Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) and robot-based approaches, including code-learning, for enhancing scientific literacy in young children. This article presents the outputs from the botSTEM project; the didactical framework underpinning the teaching material, addressing pedagogy and content. It is a gender inclusive pedagogy that makes use of inquiry, engineering design methodology, collaborative work and robotics. The article starts with a presentation of the botSTEM toolkit with assorted teaching practices and finishes with examples of preliminary results from a qualitative analysis of implemented activities during science teaching in preschools. It turns out that despite perceived obstacles that teachers initially expressed, the analysis of the implementations indicates that the proposed STEM integrated framework, including inquiry teaching and engineering design methodologies, can be used with children as young as four years old.

Culturally inclusive pedagogies of care: A narrative inquiry

Abstract This paper is a reflection on culturally relevant pedagogies of care to achieve more equitable outcomes for diverse cultures within early childhood. The authors are academics at a tertiary institute in Auckland, New Zealand. Our aim is to share our experiences as teachers in a diverse and multi-ethnic city in New Zealand. Authors draw on narrative methodology to deconstruct our experiences and share how we position ourselves in teaching and learning. The paper emphasises an enactment of pedagogy that recognises diverse cultural knowledge and other ways of knowing.

COMPARING THE EXPERIENCES OF WOMEN IN UNDERGRADUATE ENGINEERING ACROSS DIFFERENT SCHOOLS

A previous study by the authors that was conducted on students in accredited undergraduate engineering programs showed significant differences between men’s and women’s experiences in their programs. That previous first-stage study highlighted that the causes of Canada’s low retention of women in the field may be at least partially attributable to women’s negative experiences at the beginning of their careers, in their undergraduate education. The research done thus far by the authors was largely explorative; there is now a need to begin identifying where and when students are experiencing negativity tied to their gender. The purpose of the research herein is to get a more comprehensive understanding of how specific behaviours and practices of professors, teaching assistants, peers, and other personnel in the classroom affect students will have significant consequences for what inclusive pedagogy in engineering should look like. As a part of this, the previous pilot study was revised, expanded and distributed to four accredited engineering institutions in North America. The results of the present study reinforce authors’ previous theories and indicate that across the institutions surveyed, peers and professors made up the primary source of discouragement and intimidation against students. In addition, institutional differences uncovered in this study suggest that specific programs and initiatives at the institutions in question at least partially affect student experiences, and later their retention in the field. The authors conclude that institutions need to begin targeting peers and professors for equity education, bias eradication training, and other initiatives.

Alumnado con Discapacidad en Educación Superior: ¿En qué, cómo y por qué se forma el profesorado universitario?

En este artículo se analiza en qué, cómo y por qué se forman 119 profesores universitarios que han sido seleccionados por estudiantes con discapacidad por desarrollar una pedagogía inclusiva. Se realizaron entrevistas semiestructuradas a profesores de todas las áreas de conocimiento de diez universidades públicas españolas. El análisis de datos fue progresivo a través de un sistema de categorías y códigos. En los resultados se trató de dar respuesta a cuatro cuestiones: ¿en qué y cómo se forma el profesorado?; ¿por qué es necesaria su formación continua?; ¿qué capacitación es imprescindible para dar respuesta a las necesidades de los estudiantes con discapacidad?; y ¿cómo pueden mejorar las universidades la formación permanente del profesorado? El trabajo concluye con la idea de que incorporar la formación en las prácticas docentes es fundamental para construir una cultura universitaria sensible con la discapacidad.

New Approaches to Literacy Problems: Multiliteracies and Inclusive Pedagogies

This paper is based on a qualitative study examining multiliteracies (New London Group, 1996, 2000) and inclusivity. Underpinned by a socio-cultural approach, the study examined ways to facilitate meaningful literacy learning for students experiencing challenges in print-based, classroom activities. Key to this research was an analysis of how scaffolding was used to bridge home and school communities. This paper focuses on one of the study’s students, Hannah, who exhibited extensive engagement with multiliteracies at home - driven through the Arts (e.g. graphic design, singing and music). In contrast, Hannah’s literacy experiences in the classroom were, at times, challenging and considerably different to those with which she engaged at home. Featuring iMovies and audiobooks, a multimodal literacy program connected the home and classroom, facilitating Hannah’s exploration of multimodality. Findings call for open-ended, flexible approaches to literacy education and a reinvigoration of initial teacher programs, to support diversity and inclusion in literacy education.

COMPARING THE EXPERIENCES OF WOMEN IN UNDERGRADUATE ENGINEERING ACROSS DIFFERENT SCHOOLS


 A previous study by the authors that was conducted on students in accredited undergraduate engineering programs showed significant differences between men’s and women’s experiences in their programs. That previous first-stage study highlighted that the causes of Canada’s low retention of women in the field may be at least partially attributable to women’s negative experiences at the beginning of their careers, in their undergraduate education. The research done thus far by the authors was largely explorative; there is now a need to begin identifying where and when students are experiencing negativity tied to their gender. The purpose of the research herein is to get a more comprehensive understanding of how specific behaviours and practices of professors, teaching assistants, peers, and other personnel in the classroom affect students will have significant consequences for what inclusive pedagogy in engineering should look like. As a part of this, the previous pilot study was revised, expanded and distributed to four accredited engineering institutions in North America. The results of the present study reinforce authors’ previous theories and indicate that across the institutions surveyed, peers and professors made up the primary source of discouragement and intimidation against students. In addition, institutional differences uncovered in this study suggest that specific programs and initiatives at the institutions in question at least partially affect student experiences, and later their retention in the field. The authors conclude that institutions need to begin targeting peers and professors for equity education, bias eradication training, and other initiatives.

Socio-Material Realities of Inclusive Pedagogy for Autistic Pupils in Mainstream Primary Schools in the UK

Socio-materialist theories of education highlight the importance of material practices alongside social practices within learning experience. Little is known about inclusive pedagogy for autistic pupils, but this theoretical approach is of relevance since autistic people describe meaningful connections to material things. The aim of this study was to explore the nature of inclusive pedagogy for autistic pupils through the development of two case studies. Research questions focused on tracing the socio-material realities of learning, with information gathered in the form of video recordings. Three realities of learning are described: thinking about maths, asking sensitive questions about the social world, and doing ‘hard work’ and making mistakes. The analysis shows that materialisation per se does not benefit autistic pupils, but can be used to support learning in certain circumstances, particularly where inherent social meanings are more easily made visible. The analysis shows that supportive relationships are also important sources of support.

An inclusive pedagogy in Arts and Humanities university classrooms: What faculty members do

This article shows the educational strategies developed by faculty members that their students with disabilities considered as excellent for carrying out an inclusive pedagogy in Higher Education. One hundred and nineteen faculty members from 10 Spanish public universities participated in the study, 24 of whom were from the field of Arts and Humanities. Through a qualitative methodology, individual semi-structured interview was used for data collection. The data were analyzed inductively through a categories and codes system. The results show how the participants considered students' opinions when designing their methods. Moreover, the study shows the teaching strategies that the participants used to ensure the participation of all their students. Lastly, the article describes how the participants attended to the concerns of students with disabilities. Finally, we discuss these results with previous studies, and we consider the main elements for an inclusive pedagogy that may serve as an example for other faculty members.

Framing heuristics in inclusive education: The case of Uganda's preservice teacher education programme.

BackgroundRecent education-related research has raised concerns about the persistent exclusion of vulnerable learners in Uganda. The Revised Primary Teacher Education Curriculum of 2013 marked an ambitious yet inconclusive attempt to advance the implementation of inclusive education but has encountered deeply entrenched sociocultural exclusionary practices among education experts.ObjectivesThis study aimed to explicate education practitioners’ interpretations of Uganda’s flagship inclusive education programme in preservice primary teacher education.MethodDrawing on the conceptual vocabulary of frame analysis and the qualitative analysis of individual and group interviews and classroom observations, the interpretations of inclusive education implementation in preservice primary teacher education in Uganda were examined. The participants included policy design experts, curriculum design experts and classroom practitioners.ResultsThree main findings emerged. Firstly, interpretations of inclusive education displayed a narrow framing heuristic of inclusive education as a perfunctory, daily practice rather than a pathway for reflective, inclusive pedagogical engagement. Secondly, the heuristic encouraged the treatment of inclusive pedagogy as a ‘label’ under a specific rubric referring to sensory impairments or disabilities – a historical device for sociocultural exclusion. Thirdly, inclusive education was a praxis but was misframed from its original intentions, causing tension and resentment among practitioners. These findings contribute to the debates on the sustainability of inclusive education beyond preservice teacher education.ConclusionUganda’s flagship inclusive education programme in preservice primary teacher education was fraught with tensions, ambiguities and an overt, urgent need for change.

Pedagogies of inclusion: a critical exploration of small-group teaching practice in higher education

ABSTRACT This paper provides a critical examination of inclusion as a pedagogic principle through a practice-based interrogation of contemporary ‘good practice’ strategies for encouraging inclusion in small-group teaching. The analysis emerges from our experiences of delivering four classroom exercises that are frequently proposed as strategies for increasing inclusion, and borrows insight from critical intersectional feminist pedagogy to interrogate normative discourses of inclusion in HE. We argue that both the terms of inclusion, and the assumption that (verbal) participation is itself a straightforward sign of improving inclusion in classroom spaces, require interrogation. This article thus responds to the proliferation of inclusion discourses in contemporary UK HE, by identifying some of the potential pitfalls of viewing inclusion through the limited lens of participation.

Understanding inclusive pedagogy in primary education: teachers’ perspectives

ABSTRACT This article describes the beliefs, knowledge, designs and actions of primary education teachers who carry out inclusive pedagogy. We gathered the data using two semi-structured interviews. Twenty-five primary education teachers participated in the study, from eleven Spanish urban public schools. The results covered four topics: beliefs, knowledge, designs and actions for the learning of all students. We observed that teachers who apply inclusive pedagogy believe in the richness of diversity, use a student-centred learning approach, consider the affective and emotional aspects of learning, and base their teaching on active methodologies. This study provides examples of “good teachers” who may inspire others.

Do educational practitioners invest in specialised discourses of autism? Professional knowledge landscapes of teachers and teaching assistants in mainstream schools

A key metaphor used to describe the complexity of what teachers do is that of professional knowledge landscapes. This conveys the idea that effective practice should be explored in relation to how teachers perceive pupils, but also to how teachers see themselves and questions of professional identity. The research reported here was part of a larger study into inclusive pedagogy for autistic pupils. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was applied to transcripts of semi‐structured interviews with mainstream practitioners (n = 8) to identify constructions about practice. Findings show that specialised knowledge about autism was welcomed, but effective practice was seen to be based wholly on ongoing interactions with pupils and did not differ from practices used with other pupils. Findings from this research contest the idea that mainstream practitioners simply fall short in adopting certain practices for autistic pupils and indicate they have practices of their own which are aligned with ideas about inclusive education.