This paper offers insights into learning experiences in inclusive classrooms, gained by giving voices to pupils about their perceptions of themselves and their opinions on classroom climate. A positive response pattern is identified concerning academic and social dimensions of schools, while the overall picture concerning the dimension of participation is more blurred. The paper argues for further explorations of the concept of educational participation in inclusive settings, not only with a focus upon the psychological classroom climate aspects, but also upon the pedagogical and didactic processes that constitute the learning conditions for pupils with disabilities included in mainstream classrooms.
Setting the stageIn Scandinavian countries, the idea of including all learners in mainstream schools has been accepted for decades. The question, however, is whether this is an ideal rather than actual practice, as the practice seems often to fall short of the mark. Scandinavian research literature indicates several problematic experiences for pupils placed in inclusive settings (Emanuelsson
Inkluderende uddannelse og undervisning blev sat på den internationale dagsorden i Salamanca Erklæringen og det tilhørende handlingsprogram. Det slås fast, at den almindelige skole skal være for alle børn uanset deres fysiske, intellektuelle, sociale, følelsesmæssige, sproglige situation. Danske psykologer og pædagogiske forskere har deltaget i Danida-støttede uddannelsesprojekter baseret på disse værdier og principper i bl.a. i Kenya, Uganda, Mongoliet, Nepal og Eritrea. Udviklingsprojektet dokumenterer, at selv under ressourceknappe betingelser og vanskelige politiske forhold kan der etableres grobund for bæredygtig skoleudvikling. Projektet var praksisorienteret, og tog udgangspunkt i at vise best practice i klasseværelset. Det blev demonstreret, at nye metoder og nye materialer gav nye muligheder for alle børn. Der blev lagt vægt på, at undervisningsmaterialerne blev lavet af lærerne selv eller fremstillet lokalt og billigt. Resultaterne blev dokumenteret gennem formativ følgeforskning baseret på indikatorer for inkluderende udvikling: Indikatorerne dannede det væsentligste grundlag for undersøgelsesdesign og forskningsredskaber i form af spørgeskemaer, interviewguides og observationsskemaer. Der blev udviklet et formativt forskningsdesign, der var langtidsholdbart. Det er afprøvet af en bred gruppe af institutioner i pilotprojektet og kan bruges af konsulenter eller andre resursepersoner ved skolevæsenet, så man lokalt kan følge, dokumentere og evidensbasere skolens udvikling.
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