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In 1997, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was amended to emphasize the need for students with disabilities to have access to the general curriculum. Along with IDEA, No Child Left Behind (NCLB), emphasized that all children must have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education (Sec. 1001, Part A, Title 1 of ESEA; 20U.S.C. 6301) increasing the need for effective inclusion classrooms in schools around the country. This study evaluated six inclusive classrooms (three partial and three full) from a large metropolitan school district in Florida. The classrooms' best practices were assessed using the Inclusive Classroom Profile (ICP). The ICP is a 7-point rating scale conducted through an observation procedure that is designed to assess the quality of daily classroom practices of children with disabilities (Soukakou, 2007). Teacher characteristics, student characteristics, and classroom characteristics were gathered from all classrooms and analyzed through correlation tests with the ICP scores. Although statistical results did not demonstrate statistically significant data in regards to the strength of relationships between these characteristics and ICP scores, the direction of the relationship on the following characteristics: related experience, severity of disabilities, and level of support, revealed a possible impact on ICP scores.

This is a case study about how a class in the first years of elementary school works with the part of inclusion work - that has to do with social belonging and kinship. The study aims to learn about how the selected school works to support social contacts and kinship, and also to identify the obstacles that can stand in the way for interaction between the pupils.The starting point for the study is a class where one of the pupils has disabilities. The class was observed during two days, interviews took place with teachers and parents and document studies were conducted.The result shows that the selected school tends to conduct an integration work that has more to do with physical placement than social kinship and participation. In conclusion, the study shows that there was small possibilities of situations of interplay that contribute to interaction and communication between the pupil with disabilities and other pupils. I hope that my study can contribute to improving other learning environments to become more inclusive.

This basic interpretive qualitative study investigated the benefits and challenges of inclusive choir singing for youth with exceptionalities. Fourteen participants were recruited for this study including youth choir members with exceptionalities, parents, family members (e.g., siblings), choir directors, and a choir manager. Participant observation and semi-structured interviews were used to generate data. The study findings included four main overarching themes: health benefits, positive aspects, challenges, and inclusive choir singing as different than other activities. The current study’s findings have contributed to furthering research in the area of singing and health, and have several implications for both practice and future research in the area.

This research set out to examine the barriers to a secondary private school in implementing dyslexia-friendly practice and responding to different needs, through an in-depth case study of a girls’ school where this was an acknowledged aim. Data were collected through participant observation, interviews with staff, pupils and other key informants. Adolescent girls were chosen as the focus in relation to issues of self-esteem. Before looking at potential barriers, perspectives of pupils in three different private schools for girls were examined in order to investigate how significant practices designated as dyslexia friendly were in the experience of adolescent girls. This suggested that there was no significant difference in the practices and teaching strategies found helpful by dyslexic or non-dyslexic pupils. What was significant was the strength of reaction to teaching strategies that were perceived as patronising or critical, despite often being intended as helpful. Examinations of teachers’ beliefs about the nature of difficulties showed that even where there appeared to be an interventionist perspective, this was diluted in the case of pupils who did not fit the profile of the ‘right sort of dyslexic’ who would reflect well on staff and school. Three significant barriers to the development of more inclusive practice were identified: the culture of autonomy in the classroom and suspicion of collaborative work; a high level of dependence on ability grouping; lack of consensus over the role of the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO). Significance of the findings in relation to the current dichotomy in the wider educational setting between league table pressures on one hand and inclusive ideology on the other is discussed and suggestions are made about areas for further investigation.

This thesis provides a synthesis of knowledge about inclusive networking in an international context, derived from the experience of stakeholders in education in countries of the South. It is suggested that inclusive networking facilitates the telling of stories, challenges stereotypes, humanises headlines and promotes contextually relevant research. The research question: “What are the key principles for the development of an inclusive international network?” was developed as a guide to this study. Using a process of autoethnographic analysis, I identified my tacit knowledge of inclusive networking through a continual analysis and cross-referencing of the ten publications presented here, and a wider search of the literature. This thesis is presented as a narrative in three parts. In the first part I trace my motivation for becoming involved in international networking as a strategy to address global inequality, review the literature on networking most relevant to this thesis, and identify some of the barriers to publishing faced by education stakeholders in the South. In the second part, a case study of the Enabling Education Network (EENET) is presented and a wide range of networking dilemmas identified, related to the way information is collected and shared across diverse Southern contexts. The overarching dilemmas of northern dominance and deficit thinking are discussed in the context of oral culture and the global digital and communication divide, and the difficulties in promoting genuinely critical conversations. In the third part, it is argued that contextual detail and transparency about authorship are critical to the construction of stories and accounts if they are to be meaningfully networked across diverse contexts. However, it is suggested that investing resources in the development of documentation, reflection and analytical skills in education stakeholders is an essential part of inclusive networking, if ‘promising’ practice is to be captured from a Southern perspective. Following this, the penultimate chapter puts forward four key principles relating to the development of an inclusive international network that emerged from the analysis of publications and the wider literature: 1. sharing of information, knowledge and stories between contexts; 2. knowledge creation: through reflection, documentation and analysis; 3. balancing insider and outsider knowledge and perspectives; and 4. developing appropriate responses at community level. I conclude with some possible future directions for research, and with a personal story which encapsulates the theoretical framework of this thesis.

The purpose of this study is to find out how preschool teachers look at inclusion and the methodology of it. We also examined the findings, to establish if we are able to distinguish the essence from phenomenon. To do this we are using an interpretive phenomenology, to find the essence of inclusion phenomenon and inclusive ways to work. We interviewed six preschool teachers, at two different establishments. The questions raised, were intended to find out the views of participants, with regards the learning concept of inclusion methodology in preschool. We chose to use a qualitative interview technique, which meant that the questions used were particularly standardised. They were asked in a set order and of a basic structure. The survey was of open questions, which gave us the participants view of inclusion methodology. We also use the hermeneutics theory, within the circle of hermeneutics. This is because we wanted to use our experience within to confirm the findings of the study. Our conclusions from the study revealed that knowledge, experience and reflection are important attributes to possess to be able to work inclusively. It also emerged that inclusive practices are not always beneficial. It revealed on some occasions that the practice of exclusion is necessary.

The present study examined variables affecting teachers’ perceptions of inclusionary practices for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (E/BD) in three areas: inclusion of students with E/BD, behaviors of students with E/BD, and teacher efficacy. Teachers listed in the database of one Education Service Center located in north central Texas which represented 66 school districts, completed the online Survey on Teacher Perceptions of Inclusionary Practices for Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders. Findings of the study showed that (a) teaching experience was a significant predictor of teacher’s perceptions regarding the inclusion of students with E/BD, (b) student age was a significant predictor of teachers’ perceptions regarding behaviors of students with E/BD, (c) special education teachers are more likely to have a higher degree of perceptions on the subscale that measures their efficacy than general education teachers, and (d) the number of special education courses taken by general education teachers did not have a significant effect on teachers’ perceptions.

The educational practice known as inclusion, which is based on values of equal opportunity and diversity, enables students with disabilities to attend the same general education classes as typically developing peers. Inclusion is a legal requirement in the United States and South Korea, but factors facilitating inclusion likely differ across countries. The purpose of the study was to examine PreK-6 school teachers' beliefs about inclusive practices in the United States and South Korea and to present a more informed direction for the future of inclusive education in both countries. Seventy-four teachers from the US and 54 from South Korea participated via email for this study employing surveys. Teachers provided their beliefs about inclusion items on the My Thinking About Inclusion (MTAI) scale, a 28-question instrument, and also provided information about their own gender, years of experience, education level, and teaching practices. A statistically significant difference was found between the teachers of the two nations for the full survey scale. The teachers' training area (i.e., general education or special education) in the US was significantly associated with the belief toward inclusion, and special education teachers in both countries were more agreeable to inclusion than general education practitioners were as shown by the MTAI scale. A strong relationship between accommodation and preparedness for disabilities was found. Most of the barrier factors to practicing inclusive education were considered substantial obstacles, but more so for South Korea teachers than US teachers. University coursework was the least preferred method for improving inclusive practices according to teachers in both countries. Based on the outcomes of the two nations' teachers' beliefs about inclusion, the author suggests that supportive practices, including collaboration between educators, professional development, partnerships with parents and families, and peer supports, be implemented within the two countries for the upkeep of inclusive practices.

La thèse se propose de comprendre comment le droit des droits humains façonne la responsabilité juridique de l'entreprise au service de l'inclusion des personnes en situation de handicap dans le milieu du travail. / Doctorat en Sciences juridiques / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished