This thesis evaluates the experiences of a Maltese school that decided to embrace the philosophy of inclusion. It provides a synthesis of knowledge about the processes of inclusive education, derived from the experience of the main stakeholders in the school. The main research question being: “What changes does the implementation of the Social Model of Disability that focuses on abilities and skills rather than labelling and deficit have on a school population?” Specifically, the study investigated: · The practices within the school that enable inclusion. · The experience of students, students’ parents, teachers, learning support assistants (LSAs) and administrators. · Whether or not, and if so, how disabled students are participating, active members of the school. · The effect of inclusion on the school community/culture. A case study approach is used in order to evaluate this school’s process of inclusion and its ramifications on stakeholders. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used, along with a triangulation of questionnaires, focus groups, semi-structure interviews and observations. A thematic analysis supported by descriptive statistics was used within an interpretative approach of hermeneutic phenomenology. This research contributes theory to the following three areas in: 1. Offering a different model for an inclusive school. 2. The use of innovative structures in school management. 3. The changes brought about by valuing the education of disabled students. The findings show a general positive attitude towards inclusive education and suggest that inclusive education heightens the awareness of each interrelated aspect of the school as a community, challenges stereotypes, and promotes contextually relevant research. The work concludes with a series of possible future directions for research and a critical reflection that is needed to help educators achieve progress towards philosophical and practical ideals of a socially and academically just education.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:556351 |
| Date | January 2012 |
| Creators | Agius Ferrante, Charmaine |
| Contributors | Brandon, Toby ; Swain, John |
| Publisher | Northumbria University |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/8772/ |
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