Challenges and Future Trends of Inclusion and Equity in Education

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102). This special issue belongs to the section "Special and Inclusive Education".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 August 2023) | Viewed by 11964

Special Issue Editors

Plymouth Institute of Education, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
Interests: special educational needs; disability; inclusive education; critical pedagogy; undergraduate pedagogy; research informed teaching
School of Education, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
Interests: critical digital pedagogies in education; policy networks and global education policy; governmentality and education subjectivities; processes of ableism and reproduction of disability in education; disability activism in higher education; inclusive education and equity of opportunities

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Since the enactment of the Salamanca Statement (UNESCO, 1994), the discourse surrounding equity and inclusion in education has been key to regional, national and global concerns in education policies and practices. Having emerged from the struggles of activists, families and teachers to eliminate exclusions and discrimination within schools, the statement upheld the right to equitable and inclusive education for every child, regardless of social, economic, race, gender and ability backgrounds. It granted access to regular schools for children identified as having Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) and ‘accommodate[d] them within a child-centred pedagogy capable of meeting these needs’ (UNESCO, 1994, p.viii-ix).

Since then, countries in the Global North and South have been issuing legislation according to its principles of equity and inclusion, working towards teaching and learning practices that could meaningfully and effectively include each child in the classroom. Indeed, on a micro level, the inclusion project undoubtedly created more opportunities for children from minority backgrounds, with a growing number of pupils benefiting from regular education.

However, despite global, national, and local efforts, inclusive education is still far from becoming the reality. Reasons for its failure have been identified, such as the difficulties of inclusive education’s univocal definition; the economic disparities among countries between the Global North and South; widespread standardizing and performative requirements on a global level and their reverberation in national contexts and local dynamics that relentlessly marginalize schools and children that do not perform efficiently. A dominant systemic culture exists in education that propagates ableism and furthers eugenic positions; hegemony and established norms in education and society determine what is valuable and what is not. Furthermore, austerity measures and market-driven practices have hindered the enactment of equitable education, defunding public education and advantaging children who are from more affluent backgrounds, white and able.

Inclusive education has therefore been defined as a feel-good attitude, supported by the benevolent humanitarianism of its experts who relentlessly, although many times unconsciously, repeat the same vertical relations that do not allow for children’s and their families’ voices to be listened to and enacted upon. Special educational practices have been increasingly subsumed under the definition of inclusion, and disability studies scholars and activists problematized its Global North origins, remarking how its language, thinking and objectives have been imposed on the Global South, disregarding local practices and expertise.

The pandemic has worsened this situation. Despite leaders from international organizations calling to seize the opportunity of the pandemic to enact better inclusive education through technologies, children identified as having SEND and those at the intersection of minoritized social markers have been disproportionately affected, raising questions of the efficacy of new technologies if prior problematics have not been firstly addressed.

This Special Issue creates a space for new thinking and fresh critical perspectives to re-purpose inclusion, informed by the rich knowledge of lived and collective experience and holding at its core the ethics and practice of equal collaboration and partnership. It aims to problematize our current understanding and practices in inclusive education, seeking to create a space for the discussion and imagination of its future trends and directions.

We invite contributions that explore, but are not limited to:

  • The importance of grassroots and community organizations; activism, associationism and alliances in shaping inclusive education in schools and communities;
  • Collaborative and cooperative practices, collective thinking, voices, lived experiences and other theoretical critiques and practical examples of models to achieve inclusive progression in education and society;
  • The intersection of equity and social justice on a global and local level and the influence of international organizations (networks, policy and connections to the North and South) and the private sector in shaping inclusive education policies;
  • Analytical tools to understand the schooling/education experience of disabled students, teachers and families and the role of technologies during and beyond the global pandemic;
  • The project of decolonizing curricula, pedagogies, and teaching and learning practices and the importance of enabling pluralities of experiences in education;
  • The intersection of disability and other social markers including race, ethnicity, indigeneity, gender, sexual orientation and class, among others, and the impact of intersectional experiences on modalities of teaching and learning inclusively;
  • Inclusive education and transitions from schools to post-16 education, higher education and to the labor market—exclusions, discriminations and potentialities;
  • Challenges of language in defining inclusion and the impact of the pandemic on the spaces of inclusion (i.e., growing levels of elected home education since lockdowns) and the voices and experiences that are informing this process. 

Prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors should initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 400-600 words, summarising their intended contribution, by 15 December 2022. Please send this to the Guest Editor Dr. Suanne Gibson (), Dr. Francesca Peruzzo(), or to the Education Sciences Editorial Office (). The Guest Editor will review abstracts to ensure proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review and should be approximately 6,000 words each.

  • Manuscript deadline: 4 June 2023
  • Abstracts deadline: 15 December 2022

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Suanne Gibson
Dr. Francesca Peruzzo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • inclusion
  • social justice
  • collaboration
  • partnership
  • equity
  • lived experience
  • decolonization
  • voice
  • power
  • policy
  • disability

Published Papers (7 papers)

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16 pages, 250 KiB  
Article
Teachers’ Experiences of Online/Distance Teaching and Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Mainstream Classrooms with Vulnerable Students in Cyprus
by Panayiota Christodoulidou and Charalampia (Hara) Sidiropoulou
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(2), 189; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14020189 - 15 Feb 2024
Viewed by 592
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent school lockdowns in many countries forced teachers to deliver lessons online to ensure that students continued their studies. This shift, which caused major challenges for school systems worldwide, significantly affected the Cypriot education system, which is highly centralised [...] Read more.
The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent school lockdowns in many countries forced teachers to deliver lessons online to ensure that students continued their studies. This shift, which caused major challenges for school systems worldwide, significantly affected the Cypriot education system, which is highly centralised and in which teacher-centred practices are widely used. In many countries, teachers and students were unfamiliar with the new teaching and evaluation methods, and learners in the most marginalised groups were deemed to be at risk of falling behind. For these reasons, an online survey was undertaken in Cyprus from March to September 2020 as part of an international online survey initiated by a university in the Northern Mexican state of Nuevo Leon. The survey examined teachers’ perspectives on the new online pedagogical practices; the challenges they faced; and the impact of these practices on the learning progress of all students, including two vulnerable groups, i.e., individuals with learning disabilities and immigrant students aged 6–18 years. Key findings suggest that the teachers were unprepared to design inclusive student-centred digital activities and deliver online lessons and that distance teaching may have negatively affected students’ learning experiences, especially in the vulnerable groups. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and Future Trends of Inclusion and Equity in Education)
15 pages, 523 KiB  
Article
A Paradigm Shift for a More Inclusive, Equal, and Just Academia? Towards a Transformative-Emancipatory Pedagogy
by Teresa Maria Cappiali
Educ. Sci. 2023, 13(9), 876; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13090876 - 29 Aug 2023
Viewed by 2639
Abstract
This article puts forward the core argument that a pedagogical shift is very much needed if we want to address the challenges and capitalize on the opportunities represented by increasingly diverse educational settings and move towards a more inclusive, equal, and just academia. [...] Read more.
This article puts forward the core argument that a pedagogical shift is very much needed if we want to address the challenges and capitalize on the opportunities represented by increasingly diverse educational settings and move towards a more inclusive, equal, and just academia. First, it is suggested that we replace the current pedagogical models in use, namely, the teacher-centered and student-centered models, as their educational philosophies are insufficient and can be considered, to a certain extent, oppressive. Then, it is argued that transformative pedagogy can broaden the scope of academic goals by including students’ well-being, as well as their individual and collective emancipatory goals. To support the argument, the author presents a theoretical framework that has been developed over time while teaching migration topics to students coming from all over the world. The framework includes a holistic approach rooted in transformative pedagogy, which engages with students’ cognitive, practical, and affective dimensions. It is further argued that the theoretical framework should integrate intersectional and decolonial approaches into its praxis. These approaches offer further insights into how to challenge power imbalances in the classroom, center the experiences and voices of marginalized communities, and recognize the interplay between individual experiences, systemic oppressions, and the broader socio-political context. The article concludes by explaining that transformative pedagogy has not yet received the attention it deserves, both in practice and in research, and that more efforts need to be made to explore its potential and scientific relevance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and Future Trends of Inclusion and Equity in Education)
15 pages, 745 KiB  
Article
Trust, Transgression and Surrender: Exploring Teacher and SEND Student Perceptions of Engagement with Creative Arts Project-Based Learning (CAPBL) Pedagogies
by James Tarling
Educ. Sci. 2023, 13(8), 848; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13080848 - 19 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1219
Abstract
CAPBL is an example of a student-led, Creative Arts/Project-Based Learning (CAPBL/PBL) curriculum approach to working with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) learners. This mixed-methods, quasi-experimental study seeks to explore staff and student perceptions of working in this way and establish key themes [...] Read more.
CAPBL is an example of a student-led, Creative Arts/Project-Based Learning (CAPBL/PBL) curriculum approach to working with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) learners. This mixed-methods, quasi-experimental study seeks to explore staff and student perceptions of working in this way and establish key themes for practice in relation to equity and inclusion. Although the literature on PBL is widespread, CAPBL is novel in that it brings these ideas to a specialist SEND, post-16 context, Further Education (FE), with a particular focus on arts education currently absent from the existing literature. This small-scale research project is positioned as a participant-led action research project involving qualitative/quantitative mixed-method instruments, bassline testing, questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews. Preliminary findings indicate that students and staff experience several benefits to working this way, including positive engagement with learning, self-efficacy, and ownership. This paper attempts to provide workable conclusions for practice located within theoretical frameworks that offer professional resistance to prevailing preoccupations with prescription in curriculum design and pedagogy both nationally and internationally. Specifically, civic compassion and pedagogical partnership are considered in relation to the experiences of learners and staff attempting to work this way. By challenging dominant paradigms of knowledge-led learning at a national level, CAPBL seeks to actively include SEND learners in the global processes of curriculum design itself. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and Future Trends of Inclusion and Equity in Education)
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17 pages, 563 KiB  
Article
“Otherwise, There Would Be No Point in Going to School”: Children’s Views on Assessment
by Simone Seitz, Alessandra Imperio and Petra Auer
Educ. Sci. 2023, 13(8), 828; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13080828 - 13 Aug 2023
Viewed by 1042
Abstract
Assessment is a much-discussed dimension of school life, as it is deeply connected to teacher–student power relations, where teachers’ responsibilities for individual assessment and support coexist. Moreover, children’s views are hardly investigated in the research. Studies reflecting those aspects in inclusive school systems, [...] Read more.
Assessment is a much-discussed dimension of school life, as it is deeply connected to teacher–student power relations, where teachers’ responsibilities for individual assessment and support coexist. Moreover, children’s views are hardly investigated in the research. Studies reflecting those aspects in inclusive school systems, such as the Italian one, are still rare. Assuming assessment is a social practice that shapes classroom differences, in our research project on “Children’s Perceptions of Performance in Primary Schools” (CrisP), we conducted 35 narrative interviews with 3rd graders from six schools, framed by classroom observations, to reconstruct their perceptions of performance and assessment and develop individual case portraits through Open Coding as defined within Grounded Theory and the Documentary Method. The study was conducted in the Province of Bolzano (Italy). Children seem aware of the teacher–child power relations that emerge in the assessment field and the reciprocity and interdependence of the two roles. In the reconstruction of Alice’s case, she demonstrates she trusts adults but can also work pragmatically on her position, redefining her power role that benefits from teachers’ services. Along with a brief overview of crucial findings and the reconstruction of Alice’s perceptions, we ask for implications for appropriate assessment practices in inclusive primary schools. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and Future Trends of Inclusion and Equity in Education)
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16 pages, 609 KiB  
Article
‘Let’s Teach as We Preach’: The Design of a Professional Development Initiative to Support Teacher Educators’ Responsiveness to Diversity
by Benjamin Ponet, Wendelien Vantieghem, Hanne Tack and Ruben Vanderlinde
Educ. Sci. 2023, 13(7), 755; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13070755 - 23 Jul 2023
Viewed by 1061
Abstract
(1) Background: In preparing the next generation of teachers, teacher educators are key actors in fostering diversity-responsive education. However, evidence-informed professional development initiatives (PDIs) are needed to raise teacher educators’ awareness and increase their diversity-responsive practices. This study provides insight into the design [...] Read more.
(1) Background: In preparing the next generation of teachers, teacher educators are key actors in fostering diversity-responsive education. However, evidence-informed professional development initiatives (PDIs) are needed to raise teacher educators’ awareness and increase their diversity-responsive practices. This study provides insight into the design of a PDI that addresses this need. (2) Methods: After consulting the educational literature to define PDI objectives and general design principles, a participatory design process was initiated at two teacher education institutions to create a tailored PDI. Therefore, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a key policy-maker of each institution (n = 2) and with all participating teacher educators (n = 19). (3) Results: The participatory design process resulted in (1) the identification of both institutional contexts and participant groups’ needs and (2) the subsequent design of a PDI to support teacher educators’ diversity-responsive practices. Particularly, a three-phased PDI was designed, of which the overall and context-tailored design choices are discussed. (4) Conclusions: This contextualised PDI is a unique and concrete contribution to the teacher educator literature. Moreover, three new design principles are proposed for teacher educator PDIs in general. This article might inspire policy-makers and teacher educators to design their own PDIs to foster responsiveness to diversity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and Future Trends of Inclusion and Equity in Education)
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12 pages, 524 KiB  
Article
New Developments and Emergent Challenges in International Inclusive Education—A Response to Growing Family Needs and the Pandemic
by Victoria Bamsey, Suanne Gibson, Yee Ling Lee and Tasnim Jannat Nijhu
Educ. Sci. 2023, 13(6), 592; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13060592 - 10 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1742
Abstract
Home education is a phenomenon that has been increasing globally over the past decade, particularly for families of children with special educational needs or disabilities. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this phenomenon with many families continuing to home educate even [...] Read more.
Home education is a phenomenon that has been increasing globally over the past decade, particularly for families of children with special educational needs or disabilities. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this phenomenon with many families continuing to home educate even after their children can officially return to school. This paper reports on a small-scale design-based research project that explored the needs of families who are home educating children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). Working in partnership with educational settings, practitioners, and families during the second year of the pandemic, academic researchers in Malaysia and England designed, implemented and evaluated a home learning pack for children with ASD aged 6–12 years old. The findings emphasised the role of economic, social and cultural capital for the families involved and how this impacted their ability to work and educate their children successfully. This raises crucial questions in relation to the place of home education within the wider international inclusive education debate and matters of social equality whilst also highlighting key questions for future research in this field on how policy and provision might develop to meet a growing diversity of need. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and Future Trends of Inclusion and Equity in Education)
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11 pages, 236 KiB  
Case Report
From Reporting to Removing Barriers: Toward Transforming Accommodation Culture into Equity Culture
by Alison Cook-Sather and Morgan Cook-Sather
Educ. Sci. 2023, 13(6), 611; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13060611 - 15 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1520
Abstract
This reflective case study is situated at the intersection of the literature on pedagogical partnership, child-parent research, and Critical Disability Studies. It presents a mother/daughter, faculty/student exploration of the daughter’s lived experiences of navigating, as a legally blind person, the campus and courses [...] Read more.
This reflective case study is situated at the intersection of the literature on pedagogical partnership, child-parent research, and Critical Disability Studies. It presents a mother/daughter, faculty/student exploration of the daughter’s lived experiences of navigating, as a legally blind person, the campus and courses of a college designed for fully sighted students. After presenting our conceptual frameworks and describing, using text and a video, the daughter’s lived experience of navigating the accommodation culture on her campus, we describe the semester-long partnership process through which the video was created with the goal of moving faculty, staff, and students toward equity culture. To support others in developing such video projects on their own campuses, we draw on details of this partnership to offer guidelines for co-creating representations of the lived experiences of other students with disabilities. By synthesizing learnings from this experience and the literature noted above, we offer recommendations for transforming accommodation culture into equity culture. These recommendations include: establishing diversity as the norm in every learning context; intentionally inviting a revision of differences from deficits to resources; going beyond providing accommodations to understand students’ lived experiences; and sharing the active taking of responsibility for shifting from accommodation to equity culture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and Future Trends of Inclusion and Equity in Education)
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