No abstract

This article demonstrates how action research can fill a theoretical gap in the literature on ‘social exclusion’. Although the literature points to the centrality of ‘relationships’ in overcoming exclusion, it offers little theory on the nature of these relationships and how they are formed. This article presents ‘actionable knowledge’ for creating interpersonal relationships that interrupt processes of exclusion. It draws on the findings of an ‘action science’ inquiry process carried out by the staff of an intervention program that helps schools work more effectively with students characterized by chronic failure. The article describes how the concept of ‘social exclusion’ entered the discourse of the inquiry and helped practitioners frame their practice problem and intervention strategy. It then analyzes the program’s specific ‘theory of action’ for forming inclusive relationships. Finally it addresses the validity and the generalizability of action science research aimed at developing a theory of inclusive practice.

No abstract

No abstract

Teachers face a dilemma in setting limits and establishing boundaries with excluded students, who often exhibit extremely disruptive behavior that cannot be ignored or condoned. Since limit-setting through threats, sanctions, punishment, or expulsion simply reinforces the cycle of exclusion, the alternative approach presented here is to treat the breaching of boundaries as a developmental rather than a moral issue. Benevolent authority and empathic limit-setting, which lie at the core of this method, involve understanding and tending to the needs of the young person while at the same time clearly defining the necessary boundaries and positively reinforcing students for maintaining them. The transition from power struggle to empathic limit-setting entails both a turning point in which problematic incidents are essentially reframed, and emotional awareness on the part of teachers of their own inner turmoil in response to such situations. To the extent that teachers can exercise their authority without punishing or humiliating their students, they provide a holding environment in which excluded students feel stable and secure enough to develop their own internal authority. This paper is based on action research carried out with teachers in an MEd program in inclusive education at the Oranim Academic College of Education in Israel.