Inclusive Pedagogy Research Articles

Special guest editorial: inclusive pedagogies and services

Special guest editorial: inclusive pedagogies and services

Guiding principles towards inclusive design: research notes for meaningful change

Educational media (games, animations, virtual labs) offer expansive content to various audiences and often use multiple modes to provide a meaningful learning experience. Unlike their counterparts designed solely for entertainment, educational media are designed to transform the learner and often require a combination of visual, audible, and interactive components. When integrating inclusive design practices, development teams and educators work to ensure that learners with various needs can use any given material for its entire purpose, that they feel represented, and that they can relate to the media while learning. This article presents research notes from one information designer working with a development team toward inclusive design practices. It provides a set of guiding principles to use when applying inclusive design to educational media as a way for design teams to build their own frameworks for creating more meaningful transformational media.

59 A Student Perspective on the Importance of Inclusive Pedagogy

Abstract Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in higher education is critical for success of all students including those with marginalized identities. Implementing an inclusive pedagogy involves consideration of all student experiences, backgrounds, and identities. Students who identify within the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer plus (LGBTQ+) community can benefit from a more inclusive learning environment. Within the classroom setting and individual courses in particular, including pronouns on course syllabi, using non-binary language, and asking for/respecting preferred names are all examples of simple changes that can be made to create a safe space for LGBTQ+ students. Faculty can also demonstrate a commitment to inclusion outside of the classroom by including pronouns in email signatures or by having DEI training stickers on office doors. These efforts can indicate that faculty are striving to provide a safe space where students can be themselves and that they are committed to being supportive educators that students can trust. Exploring the student perspective offers a unique opportunity to identify potential omissions or oversights in existing curricular and larger systemic factors that can contribute to a lack of inclusion, and to consider potential strategies to ensure promotion of LGBTQ+ inclusive approaches for students in higher education.

“Why Did Devon Just Leave the Classroom?”: Disability Studies in Education-Informed Related Service Provision

Public schools often schedule related services by using a mix of pull-out and push-in instruction, referred to as service delivery models. This poses challenges because the transitions to and from services are obvious to other students and can influence student identities and result in a loss of academic instructional time. This article shares inclusive approaches for novice teachers to learn how to organize related service provision in ways that strengthen student identities as individuals with disabilities. By focusing on how our previous teaching and research experiences inform our pedagogical design in our teacher education courses, we seek to open the door for future research on how related services are constructed and enacted in public schools that are working towards more inclusive pedagogy and practice. In this article we share how both authors are rethinking teacher education curriculum as a potential site for helping beginning educators understand the array of service delivery models and to address ways to conceptualize how related services are offered to students in PreK-12 schools across all classroom settings.

Editorial [IJEE, 15,2

The Covid-19 pandemic has provided a window of opportunity for education and schools to become more caring and compassionate, with wellbeing and social and emotional education becoming more established as a primary goal of post-covid education. Such a process, however, needs to start with the adults themselves, with initial teacher education becoming a transformative personal and social process where teachers develop the requisite competences to become caring, responsive and inclusive educators and mentors through an experiential, reflective and collaborative approach. In the first paper in this edition, Falcón-Linares (Spain) evaluates an affective pedagogy action research programme aimed at arousing positive emotions such as kindness and tenderness amongst preservice teachers through an integrated explicit and vicarious learning. The narratives of over 360 student teachers highlight the role of affective teacher education in fostering the growth of their professional identity and of an ethic of care in the classroom.

Do we have to rethink inclusive pedagogies for secondary schools? A critical systematic review of the international literature

AbstractThis article builds on the findings of a critical systematic review that aimed to explore understandings and applications of inclusive pedagogies in the secondary school. Inclusive pedagogies are often conceptualised as both a set of strategies that aim to ensure access to learning for all students, and as value principles that reflect particular views on inclusion; this is why they tend to be approached in diverse ways. We were particularly interested in secondary school as the focus on particular curricular areas and subjects, additional pressures for teachers and students derived from assessment and exams, and fewer opportunities for collaboration between teachers as a result of the compartmentalisation of the curriculum can make the implementation of inclusive pedagogies more challenging than at primary level. Six databases were searched for literature published exploring inclusive pedagogies in the context of secondary school. We found that inclusive pedagogies were often filtered through the lenses of particular subjects and were associated with other approaches with similar philosophies, such as differentiation and student‐centred learning; that student perceptions of inclusive pedagogies are still little explored; and that tensions associated with inclusion were only acknowledged to some extent. Based on the findings, we argue for a refined way of understanding inclusive pedagogies in the secondary school context, one that acknowledges the unique characteristics, challenges and tensions at this school level. The review findings also affirm the ‘messiness’ of the inclusion literature and raise questions as to the relevance and usefulness of systematic reviews in exploring this fragmented topic.

Addressing Barriers to Inclusion: Challenges and Recommendations for Inclusive Primary Education in Bangladesh

Despite policy commitments to inclusive education, significant barriers hinder its true realization in Bangladesh, particularly at the primary level. This research utilizes secondary data analysis to comprehensively identify and examine these challenges, drawing insights from official reports, academic literature, and stakeholder interviews. The study investigates four primary domains: policy and infrastructure, teacher preparedness and practices, attitudes and awareness, and accessibility and support mechanisms. Findings reveal systemic limitations in infrastructure and resource allocation, inadequate teacher training in inclusive pedagogies, persisting negative attitudes towards diverse learners, and insufficient support services for children with disabilities and marginalized backgrounds. Drawing on these insights, the paper proposes multi-pronged recommendations across each domain, advocating for: 1) strengthened policy frameworks and resource allocation, 2) comprehensive teacher training in inclusive practices and differentiated instruction, 3) community-based awareness campaigns on inclusion and diversity, and 4) improved accessibility measures in schools and learning materials. The research emphasizes the need for collaborative efforts at national, local, and school levels to dismantle identified barriers and create a truly inclusive primary education system in Bangladesh, ensuring equitable access and quality learning for all children.

Inclusive work-integrated learning in higher education: a scoping review

ABSTRACT This paper investigates how inclusive work-integrated learning (WIL) is being approached and addressed by examining current research that highlights the intersection of inclusion, WIL, and employability. It employs an inclusive pedagogies framework to analyse findings from a scoping review (between 2010 and 2022) that address or investigate inclusive WIL. Through this examination, the paper identifies common barriers and enablers of inclusive WIL and presents key recommendations to enhance WIL experiences for all students. This paper proposes an adapted theoretical framework that serves as a foundation for future research in the field of inclusive WIL. Overall, the paper aims to advance understanding of approaches to inclusive WIL in order to promote greater equitable access to and participation in these valuable learning opportunities.

Student perceptions of inclusive pedagogy in undergraduate STEM classrooms.

In university STEM classrooms, the incorporation of inclusive practices improves student performance, decreases disparities in the academic success of underrepresented students, and increases student retention and persistence in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programs. Inclusive pedagogical practices include effective instructional choices like active learning, providing rubrics, and other strategies that have been shown to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Additionally, explicitly inclusive practices such as addressing microaggressions and sharing pronouns can promote a sense of belonging for students. While a plethora of literature has shown these impacts and faculty have access to resources and training about inclusive pedagogy, we were interested in whether students are noticing these practices and how student identities impact their observations of instructional practices. We surveyed undergraduates (n = 74) from diverse STEM disciplines at a large land-grant university regarding their observation of 11 different inclusive pedagogical practices. Overall, students observed inclusive instructional practices more often than they observed explicitly diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)-related practices. For explicitly DEI-related practices, white students observed more practices than Students of Color. This suggests that more work needs to be done to train faculty in explicit DEI-related practices, especially with the goal of supporting Students of Color who have been historically excluded from STEM.

Drama Queens: applying dramaturgy as an inclusive pedagogy within the one shot

PurposeTo illuminate the experience of working with students using the innovative pedagogical approach of dramaturgy, this pedagogy can more effectively address systemic bias within academia.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is rooted in dramaturgical theory which suggests that how a person's identity or background is being constantly reshaped by their interactions with one another and the world around them. Within a classroom setting, it applies to contexts where group activities have a required performative aspect.FindingsThe authors found that taking a dramaturgical approach can be a very effective active learning technique within a one-shot information literacy instruction context.Originality/valueCreative approaches to information literacy instruction often remain untried, and the combination of this work and the consideration of dramaturgical theory within the framework of inclusive pedagogy is a distinct contribution to the field.

Listening to diverse voices: inclusive pedagogy and culturally responsive teaching for library interactions

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to summarize the findings from focus group interviews conducted with librarians and library staff, faculty and students. It highlights the significance of implementing inclusive teaching and culturally responsive strategies in instructional settings and interactions with library patrons and seeks to emphasize the importance of developing guidelines, best practices and effective strategies.Design/methodology/approachUsing focus groups, this study interviewed librarians and library staff, faculty and students. This research approach identified, reviewed and assessed existing programs and practices in instruction and library interactions.FindingsThe findings from this paper indicate that while faculty and librarians are making individual efforts to promote inclusivity in teaching and interacting with patrons, many participants expressed the necessity for institutional-level training, guidelines and good practices on how to achieve and implement culturally responsive and inclusive teaching strategies.Originality/valueThe methodology utilized in this study can be adapted by other libraries or institutions aiming to explore the practice of inclusive pedagogy and culturally responsive teaching within their own context. The insights from the study inform the development of strategies that librarians, faculty and staff can employ to integrate inclusive and culturally responsive teaching into their instruction and services for the wider academic community.

An Inclusive Early Childhood Education Setting according to Practitioners’ Experiences in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

In Indonesia, the definition of inclusive education tends to be a narrow one. Even though the goal of the national policy on inclusive education underlines non-discrimination for all learners, early childhood education (ECE) practices still do not accommodate every child’s needs. This study focuses on inclusive practices in ECE by exploring the provision of inclusive ECE in Yogyakarta, one of the big cities in Indonesia, where ECE inclusive pedagogy has been implemented for more than five years. By exploring ECE practitioners’ experiences, this study aims to discuss the (mis)alignments between inclusive education policy and practices. The data sources are two-fold. First, we conducted online interviews with ECE manager and teachers (N = 5). The second form of data comprised ECE teachers’ online discussions on the topic of inclusion. The data collected were analysed using a thematic analysis method. The results indicate that distributed leadership, an organisational culture that respects diversity, and inclusive ECE pedagogy are the main aspects that need to be developed to enable inclusive ECE.

University English-medium instruction in Türkiye – what instructors say

Abstract The rise of English-medium instruction (EMI) and the increasing number of international students in Turkish universities call for a change in the language support programs that prepare students for EMI. English as a lingua franca (ELF) is a promising perspective to achieve a more linguistically and culturally inclusive pedagogy. This paper reports the views of 10 English language instructors who took a teacher training course on ELF and experimented with ELF-aware teaching with several lessons in the classroom. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the instructors to explore how they conceptualized the relationship between ELF and their teaching context, and how they evaluated their teaching experiences. Results reveal that when preparing students for EMI, instructors saw ELF as a useful frame of reference that promoted students’ confidence, motivation, and critical thinking. Instructors’ teaching preferences were shaped by the curriculum they were supposed to follow, the materials at their disposal, and the characteristics of their learners. Findings highlight the need to equip students for the variability in the English language, and become more confident with their linguistic skills as multilingual speakers, as well as engage in critical thinking about English and its use in their context.

Informing Inclusive Practice in Post-Secondary Environments: Perspectives of Post-Secondary Instructors with Learning Disabilities

This paper offers post-secondary instructors an opportunity to think about teaching practices and strategies for meaningful inclusion of students with learning disabilities (SLD) in post-secondary environments (PSE). Utilizing the narratives of the authors and building on the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), it provides recommendations for effective inclusive pedagogy for instructors to consider. These recommendations are framed by the three main UDL guidelines of multiple means of engagement, representation, and of action and expression (CAST, 2011). By approaching teaching and assessment in this way, instructors may engage learners authentically, thus reducing the potential for disengagement and subsequent underachievement. This may also facilitate an equitable environment where students can participate in meaningful ways. Finally, instructors may have more time available in class to address student questions and provide support.

Towards a post-humanist design for educational inclusion

In this contribution to the special issue on adult education, inclusion and justice we discuss how an inclusive pedagogy can foster a more just way of inhabiting litter polluted living environments, in which the interests of both human and non-human dwellers are taken into consideration. More precisely, we theorize how arts can function as study material and enable a collective sensitivity for the ways in which (non-)human entities (e.g., fishermen, seals, birds, litter pickers, tourists, plastic producers) constitute a ‘sick’ habitat. Based upon our theory-driven participatory action research with adult inhabitants of the litter polluted Belgian coast, we conclude that a study pedagogy has the power to constitute collective events of emancipation in which inhabitants of damaged living environments can start to inhabit these places, i.e., they become (more) attentive to the reciprocal relationships with other human and non-human entities and respond accordingly with care towards these entanglements.

Measuring collective efficacy for inclusion in a global context

ABSTRACT Previous research has identified the importance of teacher attitudes and self-efficacy in supporting inclusive education. This study involved a multi-national exploration of a further dimension of inclusive education, collective efficacy, through the testing of a new tool, the Teacher Efficacy for Inclusive Practice-Collective (TEIP-C) Scale. The study also aimed to investigate whether teacher attitudes, self-efficacy, collective efficacy and intention to teach in inclusive classrooms differ across countries. Participants included 1,523 teachers from Canada, Greece, Italy and Switzerland. Results suggested a two-factor structure for the TEIP-C, Engagement, and Inclusive Pedagogies, with strong internal consistency for the scale. Several differences across countries were identified, with teachers from Italy reporting more positive attitudes towards inclusion and a greater intention to teach in inclusive classrooms. Implications of the study in terms of further strengthening inclusive practice are discussed.

Navigating Challenges in Multilingual Education: Ensuring Equitable Learning for Diverse Students

Addressing critical issues in multilingual education requires tackling various challenges to ensure effective learning experiences for students who speak multiple languages. These challenges include planning for linguistic diversity, equitable access to resources, teacher training, inclusive pedagogies, family engagement, and sufficient funding. The article focuses on difficulties faced by multilingual students, providing practical strategies to support their academic growth. The study involved 55 multilingual students in Texas, predominantly refugee children speaking 38 languages on campus. The study highlights the importance of recognizing the children’s unique needs and implementing effective strategies for improved educational outcomes and successful transitions to higher grades.

Teacher motivation: An empirical study with teachers educating students with identified disabilities in a diverse classroom environment

The teachers who, on a day-to-day basis, take on the task of educating students with disabilities in a diverse classroom environment undoubtedly collaborate in a very relevant social function when they take on the task of developing these students academically while at the same time supporting their integration into society. This research aimed to investigate the reasons that motivate teachers to work with students with identified disabilities. The qualitative study relied on Grounded Theory in the process of collecting the information and analyzing the data. Data collection used a semi-structured interview protocol applied to ten key informants who participated in the study. The findings were organized around the core category "Reasons that motivate teachers to work with students with disabilities," which made it clear that a commitment to justice, linked to a committed vocation for inclusive pedagogy, are two major motivational forces that are central to directing teachers' motivated action toward the work of educating students with disabilities.

Inclusive Pedagogy Strategies to Introduce High Schoolers to Systems Biology

Inclusive Pedagogy Strategies to Introduce High Schoolers to Systems Biology

Adapting Legal Research for a First-Generation Audience

One segment of our diverse law school population are students who are the first in their family to attend college, and by extension, law school. What can we as librarians do to advance a more inclusive classroom experience for our first-generation students? Washburn University, as part of a Title III Strengthening Institutions Grant, provides a summer program for faculty to enhance inclusive pedagogy and curriculum related to firstgeneration students. The author was a part of the program in 2022, and this paper will address the redesign of a legal research course based on the training from the program. The discussion will include an overview of the University provided training for the redesign, the concepts utilized in the class reboot geared toward fostering inclusion for first-generation students, and an extensive analysis of the final product.