Inclusive Practices In Schools Research Articles

Children’s Voice as a Parameter of Ryan’s Model for Promoting Inclusive Education: The Case of Greece

The choice of the appropriate model of educational leadership for the promotion of inclusive education is a key issue for contemporary educational policy. This paper focused on the role of children’s participation in democratic school leadership based on the Ryan model in order to promote good inclusive education practices in primary schools. Five school principals from different schools in Athens, Greece, participated in this research. The research showed that involving children in school leadership through a range of activities can enhance the participation of all children in the daily life of the school. This article concludes with a discussion, suggestions and limitations on using student voice as part of school leadership to strengthen inclusive education.

The use of critical communicative methodology as a collaborative research approach to enhance co-creation of inclusive practices in schools

ABSTRACT This paper explores the use of Critical Communicative Methodology (CCM) as a collaborative research approach to co-construct knowledge with participants in a research project aimed to enhance the inclusion of students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) in three mainstream schools in England. The paper discusses how collaboration between researchers and research participants (i.e. school staff, parents and students), based on egalitarian dialogue, created knowledge co-construction through the use of reflective conversations, communicative focus groups and communicative observations. By describing the design of the project and reflecting on the decisions taken with the participants, the paper highlights how CCM supported the researchers and the participants in reconsidering their assumptions towards inclusive practices. The paper also shows how the generation of qualitative findings with the participants led to the co-creation of a toolkit to improve the services schools provide to students with SEND and their families. The main ethical issues, the unique role of CCM, and challenges in its implementation are discussed. It is concluded that CCM can enhance inclusive practices in an inclusive way based on egalitarian dialogue between academic- and practice-based knowledge co-construction.

Expanding the special education professional toolbox: A case study of a digitalised special education practice in Sweden

AbstractTwo educational trends that have had major impacts on school policies of the last few decades are inclusive education and digitalisation. To that end, the purpose of this study is to examine how inclusive education and the digitalisation of education are related, understood, and represented in one case of Swedish special education practice. Using activity theory as a theoretical framework, the results of this study suggest that the meaning of inclusive education has shifted, and that digitalisation has entailed both congruencies and contradictions in special education activities aiming for inclusive education. Although digitalisation was described as providing alternatives for inclusive school practices, new expectations and work assignments sometimes exceeded the special educators' professional knowledge.

Inclusive education in Japan and its role in international cooperation: analysis of a project for children with disabilities in Mongolia

This study explores the influence of educational ideologies and practices of donor countries on the educational systems in recipient countries in the context of international cooperation. Previous research on international education cooperation has focused on international cooperation policies, ignoring the educational systems of both donor and recipient countries. This study seeks to fill this gap by examining how Japan’s dualistic model of inclusive education is reflected in the Strengthening Teachers’ Ability and Reasonable Treatments for Children with Disabilities (START) project in Mongolia. This study reviews the literature on inclusive education in Japan and Mongolia, and analyzes documents produced through the project. It finds that despite some instances of inclusive practices in Japanese schools, special needs education in Japan is still predicated on individualized and medicalized approaches to disabilities. Conversely, Mongolia has struggled to provide children with disabilities with accessible and quality schooling since its transition from a socialist to a capitalist regime in the early 1990s. The START project aims to identify children’s disabilities as early as possible, provide individualized support and guidance, and develop educational settings that allow the inclusion of children with disabilities in their peer groups. In implementing the project, Japanese-style inclusive education is negotiated between Mongolian teachers and officials rather than imposed by Japanese experts. By embracing the dualistic nature of Japanese inclusive education, Mongolia can better promote the ideal of inclusion for all children.

Exploring Inclusive Practices in Schools: A Systems Thinking Perspective

Exploring Inclusive Practices in Schools: A Systems Thinking Perspective

Psychological Factors Influencing Leadership, Diversity and Equality for Better Inclusive Education Practices

To promote inclusive practices holistically within Indonesia’s school system, three ideas–leadership, diversity, and equality–have been constructed and integrated within the operationalization of the inclusive education concept. This study has been carried out to understand the influence of leadership, diversity, and equality factors on inclusive practices in schools, especially in Indonesia. This study used a correlational research method with a questionnaire as the data collection technique. Questionnaires were distributed to 212 respondents living in West Java Province, Indonesia. The research was based on the theory of inclusion, equality, diversity, and leadership in teaching and learning. The data analysis, using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), revealed that female teachers had good knowledge and were found to be prospective teachers with better support for inclusive education. However, it has been established that variations exist regarding the way special education teachers and general teachers address practical leadership, diversity, and equality in an inclusive learning environment. Experienced teachers, in support of inclusive practices within education, were observed to understand their leadership style, perceptions regarding the equality of learners, and how they handle students’ diversity within a school enclosure. It has been concluded that the attitudes of both experienced and inexperienced teachers toward leadership, equality, and diversity influence the promotion of inclusive practices.

Teachers’ Involvement in Inclusive Education: Attitudes of Future Teachers

Background: inclusive education seeks to ensure that all students can access quality education and requires education systems to commit to providing students with equal opportunities to participate in all aspects of school life. While progress has been made in this regard, the full implementation of educational inclusivity remains hindered by significant challenges and barriers. Teacher involvement is necessary for this inclusion, and it is important to study the attitudes that affect their inclusive practices in schools. Therefore, this study aims to determine the attitudes of future teachers (current student teachers at the University of the Basque Country) towards inclusive education. Methods: 369 primary and early childhood education students participated in this study. An ad hoc questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic data, and the Revised Scale of Feelings, Attitudes, and Concerns Towards Inclusive Education (SACIE-R) was administered using Google Forms. Results: the results indicate that 34.9% of the respondents have close contact with people with functional diversity, while 62.7% state that they have never worked with people with diversity. Male primary and lower grade students are generally less negative toward functional diversity. Conclusions: this study shows where the main efforts should be focused to highlight the importance of inclusive schools, and for this purpose, university education will be essential.

Students with limited health capacities as bullying victims in inclusive school practice

The author of the article actualizes the problem of bullying of adolescents with limited health capacities by their normatively developing peers, when their education is carried out jointly in the system of inclusive education. The article presents the results of the study. The main form of its implementation was an oral survey. The study participants were 48 schoolchildren with developmental disorders. They constituted a risk group as victims of bullying. The status of a bullying victim was confirmed in 70.8 % of students. They are systematically exposed to aggressive influence, which is initiated by their healthy peers in the context of inclusive school practice. It is reported that verbal forms of aggressive impact on students with limited health capacities dominate. The connection between the nosological group and the risk of becoming a victim of bullying is denied. Schoolchildren with various developmental disorders may be subject to aggressive actions on the part of their healthy classmates. However, students with sensory and mental impairments become victims of bullying more often. Bullying harms the physical, moral, and mental health of students. The risks of bullying in inclusive school practice are reduced if students with normal and impaired development are united in one group from the very beginning of their joint educational activities. The author notes that the condition for preventing and countering bullying in an inclusive school environment is the formation of an inclusive culture among participants in the educational process and inclusive traditions in an educational organization. At the same time, when choosing an inclusive practice as an educational model for students with developmental disorders, it is important to take into account their psychological readiness for joint learning with normotypical peers.

Policies for inclusive education practices in teacher education in the United Kingdom and France

AbstractImplementation of any inclusive policy is dependent on longstanding conceptions, beliefs, and public discourses on schooling, learning, and including children in mainstream schooling. The adoption of inclusive education in education policies in France and the United Kingdom requires discursive support to reshape the meaning and content of teachers' work, duties and practices. Although inclusive education is widely debated, analyses of the variations in policy narratives promoting inclusive teaching in Europe are lacking. This article reports on comparative and international analysis of discourses and policies for empowering teachers for continuous professional development and inclusive school practices. The analysis focuses on an exploration of varieties of articulations, resources, and conceptual dynamics in the UK and France. These elements are discussed within the broader scheme of the teaching profession, with reference to the inclusive education paradigm.

Early Grade Educators' Perception and its Influential Factors in Implementing Inclusive Education in the Akuapem South District, Ghana

Aim: The main aim of the study was to examine the perceptions and the determining factors of these perceptions in the implementation of inclusive education among early grade educators in the Akuapem South District of Ghana.
 Methodology: For this study, a descriptive survey design was employed. After reviewing extant literature, self-crafted questionnaires were validated and piloted to obtain internal consistency cronbach's alpha coefficients of 0.930 and 0.752 for perceptions of early grade educators and the factors influence the Perceptions respectively. These instruments were used to collect quantitative data from all 248 early grade educators in the district. Descriptive statistics (Means and Standard Deviations) were used to analyze data to answer both research questions.
 Results: The findings of the study indicated that the majority of early grade educators held the perception that inclusive education related to children with disabilities only. They lacked a comprehensive understanding of the theoretical concept of inclusive education. With respect to the factors that influenced the perceptions of early grade educators on the implementation of inclusive school practices, the study revealed that learners’ attitude, working experience with children with disabilities, availability of counsellors and counselling services and in-service training were identified.
 Conclusion: It is recommended that massive capacity-building programs be organized for early grade educators so as to equip them with knowledge and skills in inclusive education. Again, more Special Education coordinators and counsellors should be sent to the circuits in the district to facilitate education on inclusive education to help teachers work effectively with children with disabilities and also to promote a conducive learning environment, especially for children with disabilities.

Inclusive Education of Children with Special Needs: Practices, Opportunities and Barriers

The study was to explore the status of inclusive education, its opportunities and barriers in primary schools in Punjab. The objectives of the study were to (i) Find out inclusive education practices in primary schools in Punjab, (ii) Find out opportunities of inclusive education in primary schools in Punjab and (iii) Explore the barriers of inclusive education in primary schools in Punjab.

‘Teachers should put themselves in their students’ shoes’: Perspectives of Parents from Minority-ethnic Backgrounds on Schooling in Ireland

ABSTRACT This paper explores the experiences and perspectives of parents from minority-ethnic backgrounds concerning their children’s education in primary and post-primary schools in Ireland. Five focus groups were conducted with 20 parents of non-White African and Asian backgrounds. Our findings demonstrate complex interactions and tensions between home and host cultures, parenting approaches and schooling experiences for both students and their families. Participating parents’ accounts illustrate their strong interest in their children’s education, their critical cultural consciousness and their desire to engage in dialogue with teachers. Positive teacher attitudes, teacher professional development, acceptance of/learning about differences and a more diverse teaching population emerged as key recommendations in parents’ discussions regarding culturally inclusive learning environments. We argue that parents from minority-ethnic backgrounds are uniquely positioned to support the development of teachers’ intercultural competencies and of inclusive education practices in schools.

Teachers of learners with ASD in mainstream schools and classrooms in Spain: attitudes towards inclusive education

This study analyses the attitudes of teachers in Spain towards the inclusion of learners with autism spectrum disorder in mainstream education settings and their relationship with the perceived benefits of inclusion. The ex post facto prospective design included 180 teachers from 14 schools. Data were collected using a questionnaire on teachers' attitudes towards inclusive education and a second questionnaire on the benefits of inclusion developed for the specific purposes of this study. The results show teachers' positive attitudes towards inclusion as well as the benefits perceived. This study demonstrates the fundamental role of teachers' previous experience. Implications for inclusive cultures and practices in schools are discussed.

Toward equitable and inclusive school practices: Expanding approaches to “research with” young people

AbstractThis commentary links child‐family research to the systematic inquiry approaches under the umbrellas of student voice and youth participatory action research. It reviews the underlying premises of the latter two bodies of work, including recognizing young people as knowers, partners, and change agents through conducting research with rather than on children and youth. It highlights how the articles included in this special issue challenge us to consider literacy not simply as a language competency but also as a life capacity that must be developed in relationship and in real, sometimes devastating, and always complex, human circumstances. The commentary concludes with a call to pursue multiple forms of literacy and linguistic justice through valuing young people's multilingual and multimodal linguistic practices, honoring their diverse forms of perception and expression, and recognizing the rich insights and recommendations for practice they provide to those who work in school contexts.

El liderazgo inclusivo desde una perspectiva familiar en la Enseñanza Obligatoria

Distributed and pedagogical leadership plays a key role in the creation and upholding of inclusive school practices as a strategy for improvement and success in the management of quality education for students. Aims: describe, through an inclusive perspective, the actions and initiatives implemented to promote attention to diversity by school leadership teams, from the point of view of families. Methodology: Descriptive-exploratory design with a cross-sectional, quantitative focus. Sample: 25 schools (public schools, N = 18, and charter schools, N = 7) with 631 families. These families completed the questionnaire, “Leading inclusive education in compulsory-education schools-families”. Results: identifying actions and strategies aimed at the prevention of truancy through a school environment that generates respect, recognition and appreciation of the different needs of their students. Conclusions: Actions taken are advancing the development of a school culture where the family plays a key role. Some of the actions implemented focus on respecting the different needs of students and the educational community in order to develop an inclusive school climate. However, schools should both make families aware of the importance and benefits and promote the participation of students and the educational community in the school.

Practice-to-Research: Responding to the Complexities of Inclusion for Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders with Recommendations for Schools

School administrators are instructional leaders responsible for ensuring high quality inclusive education for all students including those with disabilities. In this article, the authors review legal mandates, discuss inclusion of students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in practice, and obstacles to effectiveness. Recommendations are provided to assist administrators in maintaining high quality inclusive education for students with EBD by addressing the following barriers: (a) administrator preparation and training; (b) prioritization; (c) common philosophy, vision, and mission; (d) funding and resources; (e) teacher training and coaching, (f) effective practices and (g) effective co-teaching. While experts continue to debate the inclusion of students with EBD, school administrators have moved on and are leading inclusive practices in schools. Barriers must be addressed prior to instating a fully inclusive model or face loss of staff and failure of students with EBD. As such, the authors propose a model of practice to research, in which strategies are recommended for current practice to overcome the identified barriers with available research. With implementation of the recommendations in this article, it is highly probable that students with EBD can be successful in inclusive settings.

Facilitating Research-Informed Educational Practice for Inclusion. Survey Findings From 147 Teachers and School Leaders in England

This paper considers the engagement by teachers and school leaders in England in educational practices that are both ‘research-informed’ and supportive of inclusive education. We do so by seeking to understand the benefits, costs, and signifying factors these educators associate with research-use. In undertaking the study, we first worked to develop and refine a survey instrument (the ‘Research-Use BCS survey’) that could be used to uniquely and simultaneously measure these concepts. Our survey development involved a comprehensive process that comprised: (1) a review of recent literature; (2) item pre-testing; and (3) cognitive interviews. We then administered this questionnaire to a representative sample of English educators. Although response rates were somewhat impacted by the recent COVID-19 pandemic, we achieved a sufficient number of responses (147 in total) to allow us to engage in descriptive analyses, as well as the production of classification trees. Our analysis resulted in several key findings, including that: (1) if respondents see the benefits of research, they are likely to use it (with the converse also true); (2) if educators have the needed support of their colleagues, they are more likely to use research; and (3) perceiving research-use as an activity that successful teachers and schools engage in is also associated with individual-level research use. We conclude the paper by pointing to potential interventions and strategies that might serve (at least, in the English context) to enhance research-use, so increasing the likelihood of the development and use of effective inclusive practices in schools.

School inclusion, young migrants and language. Success and obstacles in mainstream learning in France and New Zealand

ABSTRACT Inclusive schooling practices that support immigrant students with low language-of-schooling proficiency to actively participate in learning within mainstream contexts is crucial during the newly-arrived phase. The concept of reciprocal integration and its more recent evolution through the inclusive education movement, reframes school-community relationships as negotiable and re-positions young migrants as empowered navigators of new routes into school integration processes. This study conducted between 2017 and 2019 examines how four immigrant teenagers (‘late arrivers’ aged between 13 and 15) navigated mainstream learning in two schools during the newly-arrived phase, in two different educational contexts – France and New Zealand. A key aim is to see where educational conditions and individual learning behaviours intersect, as a way of highlighting how students respond to differing integration variables within these two school systems. Four case studies explore similarities and differences, comparing effects on students’ experiences of integration. Findings identify, describe and explain a set of common best practices for newly-arrived immigrant teenagers in mainstream learning, with implications for teacher education in language-adapted approaches.

What are the experiences and practices of educational psychologists when working with and supporting autistic, gender-diverse children and young people?

AimsResearch into the nature of educational psychologist (EP) practice when supporting autistic, gender-diverse children and young people (CYP) is within its infancy. This study explores the experiences and practices of five EPs with applied knowledge of work in this emerging area.MethodSemi-structured interviews were conducted and a reflexive thematic analysis carried out to develop themes.FindingsFindings highlight distinct areas of practice and challenges faced by participants. In particular, this study highlights the uncertainty and complexity of work in this area with a specific focus upon the intersectionality of autism and gender diversity. The nature of direct work with CYP and support for inclusive schooling practices are also explored alongside current gaps in educational psychology practice in this area.LimitationsGiven the aim of this study to provide an exploratory entry point into the practices of EPs working with this population of young people, the researchers did not aim for representativeness. Therefore, subjective participant experiences cannot be assumed to reflect those of all EPs with applied knowledge in this area.ConclusionsImplications for research and practice are discussed including the development of resources and guidance within educational psychology services to support practitioners in their work in this area. A discussion of the need for EPs to utilise their knowledge of intersectionality when working with the uncertainty of dual identity casework is provided alongside reflections about the nature of EP work in supporting schools to further develop their inclusive practices.

Principals' perspectives of inclusive education involving students with autism spectrum conditions – a Swedish case study

PurposeThe aim of this case study is to describe what commitment and actions are needed in the Swedish school so that principals — within the Swedish school policy framework and with the goal of creating an inclusive school culture and practice — can positively affect schooling for students with disabilities, with a particular focus on students with autism spectrum conditions (ASC). Three research questions guide the study: (1) What commitment and actions do principals consider important for developing an inclusive school for all students, with a particular focus on students with ASC? (2) How do the principals reflect on their own leadership in the development of inclusive education, with a particular focus on students with ASC? (3) Based on the results, what are the implications of the study in practice?Design/methodology/approachAs part of a three-step data collection method, a snowball sampling was conducted in which n = 6 principals were initially interviewed and the data analyzed by an inductive thematic content analysis.Findings(1) Certain structures are needed when planning how to develop mutual values when organizing an inclusive school involving students with ASC, (2) the principals could, at times, feel a sense of loneliness in relation to their superiors and decision-makers and (3) more accountability from educators and greater consideration for the student perspective in decision-making are needed.Practical implicationsIt was found that (1) certain structures are needed when planning how to develop mutual values when organizing an inclusive school involving students with ASC, (2) the principals could, at times, feel a sense of isolation in relation to their superiors and decision-makers and (3) more accountability from educators and greater consideration for the student perspective in decision-making are needed.Originality/valueIndex for inclusion and elements from the inclusive leadership model were used in the data collection and analysis.