What is meant by inclusion? On the effects of different definitions on attitudes toward inclusive education

ABSTRACT

Aiming to further our knowledge about what is meant by inclusion, we examined how various conceptualisations relate to people's attitudes about inclusive education. We assign the varying characterisations of inclusion of specific groups with differing involvement in the education system in Luxembourg, applying an influential systematisation of definitions of inclusion in which four qualitatively different categories are identified. Results of study 1 showed that members of the general population, pre-service and in-service teachers perceive inclusive education in importantly different ways. Although results showed relatively positive attitudes toward inclusive education for the whole sample, attitudes varied by group and in relation to the differential categorisation of definitions. As teachers' attitudes and the extent to which they feel prepared to implement inclusive practice are crucial for the success of inclusive education, the latter aspect is further investigated in study 2. Results showed that teachers with more in-depth understanding of inclusive education reported more positive attitudes and felt better prepared to implement inclusive practices. Implications for education systems and society are discussed.     

Inclusive education and students without special educational needs

Background:?In the debate on inclusive education, students without special educational needs (SEN) are an important topic. However, there is a lot unknown about differences between these typical students in inclusive and non-inclusive classes. For example, the neutral results that are often found in earlier research could be caused by positive effects for some students, and negative effects for others.

Purpose:?This study investigated whether there is a relation between inclusive education and the academic achievement and socio-emotional functioning of typical students, and, more importantly, whether inclusive education affects the achievement and socio-emotional functioning of more and less intelligent typical students differently. Furthermore, we investigated whether differences occur by type of SEN of the included students. Here, we made a distinction between students with behavioural, cognitive and other problems.

Sample:?A representative sample of 27,745 students without SEN in Dutch primary education from a large cohort study in the Netherlands was used.

Design and methods:?Language and arithmetic tests were used to assess academic achievement. For socio-emotional functioning, both teacher and student questionnaires were used. A non-verbal IQ test was used to assess student intelligence. Based on the number of students with diagnosed SEN, the students without SEN were divided into several groups: typical students with no, a few and more than a few students with (certain types of) SEN in their class. Multi-level regression analyses were used to compare these groups.

Results:?For academic achievement, no differences were found between students without SEN in inclusive and non-inclusive classes. In this, we found no differences between intelligent and less intelligent typical students. For socio-emotional functioning, some differences were found, but the practical importance of these differences is unclear, since the effect sizes were small. The functioning of typical students does not meaningfully differ by type of SEN of the included students.

Conclusions:?The findings of this study are interesting in the light of the ongoing inclusion debate. Arguments against inclusive education often concern an assumed adverse effect on typical students. As in this study, hardly any differences were found between typical students in inclusive and non-inclusive primary school classes, this research strengthens the scientific evidence in support of inclusive education.     

Avoidance-oriented students’ development in motivation for maths,self-regulated learning behaviour and achievement: a person-centred study in the lowest level of secondary education

Performance-avoidance orientation has been found to undermine students’ academic motivation and achievement. Recognising groups of students with different levels and developments of performance-avoidance orientation makes it possible to try to intervene early in their school careers. In this study, 1168 12–13?year-old students attending the first and second year of the lowest level of secondary education, participated. Questionnaires on goal orientations, self-efficacy, investment in maths and well-being at school were administered four times. Report marks were collected at school. Using growth mixture modelling, four groups of students were distinguished: group 1 had an intermediate and a slightly increasing performance-avoidance orientation; group 2 a low and clearly increasing performance-avoidance orientation; group 3 an intermediate and clearly decreasing performance-avoidance orientation; and group 4 a low and slightly decreasing performance-avoidance orientation. We found that groups1 and 2 had less favourable development in their well-being at school, self-efficacy and performance-approach orientation.     

Why teachers use digital learning materials: The role of self-efficacy, subjective norm and attitude

Although Information and Communication Technology (ICT) seems a promising tool in an educational context, many teachers are reluctant to integrate it in their daily practice. A large scale survey was undertaken amongst primary and secondary school teachers in the Netherlands to explore possible determinants of the educational use of digital learning materials (DLMs) in order to develop interventions to reduce teachers’ reluctance to use ICT and more specifically to stimulate the use of DLMs. Basing on the Integrative Model of Behaviour Prediction it was conjectured that self-efficacy, attitude and subjective norm would take a central role in explaining the intention to use DLMs. Several other predictors were added to the conceptual model whose effects were hypothesized to be mediated by the three central variables. All conjectured relationships were found using mediation analysis on survey data from 1,484 teachers. Intention to use DLMs was most strongly determined by attitude, followed by self-efficacy. ICT skills was in its turn the strongest predictor of self-efficacy. Subjective norm played only a limited role in the intention to use DLMs. Basing on the outcome of this study, persuasive communication focusing on positive outcomes and skills based training seem appropriate interventions to promote a positive attitude towards DLM and improve self-efficacy in using DLMs.     

The value of international business archives: the importance of the archives of multinational companies in shaping cultural identity

This paper explores the value to society of the archives of large international businesses or multinational companies. It highlights the importance of having access to the archives of multinational companies and the role these archives play in documenting the history of our society. This paper also looks at the motives for multinational companies to establish archival programmes and the attendant challenges they face. The archives of multinational companies differ from the archives of national businesses because they operate in various countries and are therefore subject to different international laws and regulations. Furthermore, recordkeeping and archiving practices differs from country to country. The focus of this paper is global and explores the subject from a societal perspective.     

Building a Trauma-Informed Workforce Capacity and Legacy

Social workers encounter trauma in a majority of the populations they serve. It is therefore essential to train social work students to understand the impact of trauma, to assess trauma history and symptoms, and to effectively intervene with children and families. This article presents 3 qualitative research narratives that provide an in-depth analysis of factors contributing to successful implementation of an innovative trauma-informed educational model. The narratives identify common themes related to student knowledge and field readiness; personal and system context; organizational leadership; and vision, training, and partnerships/collaborations.     

Body_machine? Encounters of the human and the mechanical in education,industry and science

This paper unveils the body_machine as a key element of dynamic mental maps that have come to shape both educational praxis and research. It traces and analyses instances in which the human and the mechanical encountered each other in metaphorical, material and visual forms, thereby blurring to some extent the boundaries between them while capturing and mobilising specific forms of knowing and acting. The paper studies, first, how certain ‘orienting frames of reference’ and associated ‘experimental systems’ managed to materialise around the body_machine and penetrate theory and praxis; and, second, what visual and textual sources related to a vocational school may reveal about where and how the body_machine has come to operate in education, industry and science. The paper centres on early twentieth-century photographs and analyses these not only as media presenting, representing and interrogating common thought and practice but also as agents of meaning-making around the body_machine.     

Professional field in the accreditation process: examining information technology programmes at Dutch Universities of Applied Sciences

In this paper, we analyse 53 Dutch accreditation reports in the field of information technology to assess the mechanisms of the reported involvement of the professional field in the undergraduate programmes of universities of applied sciences. The results of qualitative content analysis reveal a coupling effect in reporting on mechanisms of interaction. Although the involvement of the professional field is tightly coupled with the undergraduate programmes at universities of applied sciences at the strategic level, there is an under-representation of university-industry interaction on an operational level, which suggests the need to explore the actual interaction taking place between the professional field and the programmes. Simultaneously, our results indicate that accreditation reports are not able to provide a holistic picture of professional field engagement in the curriculum of undergraduate programmes at the operational level, which questions their role in acknowledging the role of industry in shaping and achieving intended learning outcomes. Perhaps policymakers should consider introducing other tools or standards for addressing the outcome of the engagement and the responsiveness of the programmes at universities of applied sciences to the professional field.     

Relations between the development of future time perspective in three life domains, investment in learning, and academic achievement

Relations between the development of future time perspectives in three life domains (i.e., school and professional career, social relations, and leisure time) and changes in students’ investment in learning and academic achievement were examined in this study. Participants were 584 students in the first and 584 in the second year of the lower vocational education in the Netherlands who completed self-report measures at four different time points during a school year. The data were analysed using multivariate latent growth curve modelling. Future time perspective influenced the development of academic achievement via the growth of investment in learning. Long-term time perspective in leisure time had a negative effect on the development of investment in learning, whereas the effects of the long-term time perspective in school and professional career, as well as in social relations, were positive.