Implementation of the legal framework for inclusive education in Portugal (Decree-Law 54/2018) – A qualitative assessment by primary and secondary school teachers

Abstract

Successful inclusive education requires school transformations and changes to the education system. In Portugal new legislation passed in 2018 (Decree-law 54/2018) brought a new perspective in inclusive education for all educational agents. Three years later, it is essential that the legislation is evaluated by the teachers implementing it. Forty-three primary and secondary school teachers and two coordinators of multidisciplinary teams providing inclusive education support were the participants of our study. The data collection instruments were a questionnaire and interviews. This study values the participants’ narratives, highlighting the new concepts and attitudes required for the implementation of the new inclusive education legal framework in Portugal. The results of the thematic analysis were organized around four key themes: 1. Theoretical representations; 2. Practices; 3. Challenges; and 4. Training. It is also worth noting the notions of collaborative work, the need for reflective teachers and the development of learning communities to support the implementation of the new legislation.

Teachers' professional wellbeing. A digital game based social-emotional learning intervention

“…| 85 differentiated and inclusive practices (Ferreira et al, 2023;Ferreira & Reis-Jorge, 2022). These factors, along with the calls for the digitalisation of schools require constant adjustments in teachers' routines (Ferreira, 2022).…”

Foundations of Teaching and Learning – A Study with Teachers on Conceptions and Pedagogical Practices

“…The questionnaire on conceptions of teaching and learning and pedagogical practices (QEADP) was built with the aim of understanding/verifying whether teachers' conceptions of teaching and learning influence the planning and implementation of their pedagogical practices (Ferreira, 2022). The items were thought of from previous studies, namely interviews with teachers where they were encouraged to report and reflect on their conceptions of teaching and learning and their pedagogical practices (Ferreira & Reis-Jorge, 2022;Ferreira et al, 2020;Reis-Jorge et al, 2021).To this end, 22 items were generated in a questionnaire whose responses are Likert-type with 5-point intervals, ranging from 1 (total disagreement) to 5 (total agreement). The QEADP items describe, in the first part, conceptions about what teaching is (e.g.…”

Inclusive Education in Portuguese Higher Education: A Study on the Conceptual (In)Definition of Students in Institutional Documents

“…The Universal Design for Learning refers to the curricular planning and organization of universal measures for all students, proposing a learning model that is accessible, flexible, and effective, accommodating all educational differences and specificities. The Multilevel Approach offers an integrated action model aimed toward the success of everyone through a set of support measures for learning and inclusion and recommends abandoning student categorization systems, focusing on strategies and intervention measures [18] The Multilevel Approach proposes the concept of "support measures for learning and inclusion" for the organization of practices by levels of intervention [19,20], which vary in type, intensity, and frequency, depending on the needs and potential of students throughout their academic paths. The focus is no longer on "incapacity" and "disability" but on "Additional Support Needs (ASN)" that students may require to achieve their academic goals [21].…”