Inclusive education emerged as an idea within United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s Special Education Unit and was presented as a new way ahead at the ‘World Conference on Special Needs Education’ in Salamanca in 1994. Since then, it has been on the global agenda as the overriding political objective within education. In spite of this, the international agreement, on an ideological basis, was not initially founded on a common interpretation of the meaning of ‘inclusive education’. However, the Salamanca Statement reflected clearly the idea of overcoming the divide between regular and special education. After 20 years, a vast amount of research and numerous reports and national strategies for implementing inclusive education, there are in these a lack of agreement over a common interpretation of inclusive education. Since 1994, the concept inclusive education has explored the world, so to say, without having landed, and the effort of giving it a clear working definition...

Discussing inclusive education: an inquiry into different interpretations and a search for ethical aspects of inclusion using the capabilities approach

Advocates of inclusive education argue that the social inclusion of students with special educational needs (SEN) increases when they are educated with typically developing peers. However, research...

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Student voices on social exclusion in general primary schools

Gender and Development 20 (2012) http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13552074.2012.663648 Cornwall, Andrea (ed.) The Participation Reader London and New York: Zed Books, ISBN: 978-1842774038, 393 pp. My grea...

The Participation Reader

This article reports on the findings of an embedded mixed-method South African study that investigated the challenges experienced by District-Based Support Team (DBST) members in the sub-directorate of Inclusive Education of a South African province in the execution of their functions. A Likert-scale questionnaire and individual semi-structured interviews were used in the study. The findings showed that the participants experienced a variety of challenges in effectively executing their functions. These challenges included the ineffective integration of Special Schools as Resource Centres into the DBSTs, poor availability of infrastructure, equipment, human and physical resources, insufficient collaboration with the national department of education, a lack in adequate training of DBST members and an insufficient awareness of the role that they play in school communities.

Challenges experienced by district-based support teams in the execution of their functions in a specific South African province

Student participation in school decision-making and reform processes has taken inspiration from reconceptualisations of childhood. Advocates for student voice argue for the repositioning of childre...

The challenges of student voice in primary schools: Students ‘having a voice’ and ‘speaking for’ others:

This paper reports a small-scale research project which took place in one primary school in the north-east of England. The study aimed to listen to children’s views about how the practices of teachers helped and/or hindered their sense of inclusion in classrooms. Inclusion was understood here in a broad sense rather than specifically relating to children with special educational needs. Participatory research tools were used as part of group interviews with children from three different year groups. Even though the children were mostly happy with their school experience, it was noticeable that there were some areas for concern for some children that related to four interconnecting themes: unfairness, shouting, loneliness and seating plans. All of these themes seemed to be connected with children’s interpersonal relationships – with teachers and with each other – and can be seen as crucial in terms of understanding inclusion in schools and further developing existing practices.

Exploring inclusive practices in primary schools: focusing on children’s voices

This paper reports on two small scale research projects which were undertaken in the north east of England. The two projects engaged with pupils from the age of four up to the age of sixteen. However, it is only the children aged four to age seven whose views are going to be reported here. The studies aimed to listen to children’s views about how the practices of teachers helped or hindered their sense of inclusion in classrooms. Inclusion was understood here in a broad sense rather than specifically relating to children defined as having special educational needs. Participatory research tools were used as part of group interviews with children. The findings from this research are explored under four main thematic headings that relate specifically to teachers and teacher practices: characteristics and personality of the teacher; support and assistance that the teacher gives; the teacher’s use of discipline and finally the choices given to children by teachers. These themes are seen to be connected to each other under the broader headings of emotional support and instructional support and can be seen as crucial in terms of understanding inclusion in schools and further developing existing practices.

Rebecca Jane Adderley

Papers

Exploring inclusive practices in primary schools: focusing on children’s voices

Exploring young children’s perspectives of inclusive education through the use of participatory research methods