The Hare and the Tortoise: a comparative review of the drive towards inclusive education policies in England and Cyprus

This paper explores the process of policy formulation and implementation in relation to children commonly described as having ‘special educational needs’ and disability (SEND), in Cyprus and in England. Drawing on qualitative research evidence from key primary documentary sources including legislation, statutory and non-statutory guidance and reports, it provides a comparative analysis of the content and the spirit of policy in both countries over the cycle of a century. The findings indicate that Cypriot policymakers have engaged in a process of ‘policy snatching’ from England, following four phases: charitable segregation and categorisation; enlightened legitimisation and categorisation; integration, ‘special educational needs’ and categorisation; inclusion, SEND and categorisation. Using the analogy of Aesop’s well-known fable ‘The Hare and the Tortoise’, the paper concludes that England, symbolically characterised as the hare, appears, overtly at least, to have moved ahead; while Cyprus, characterised as the tortoise, has been following slowly behind. However, progress has been slow in both countries, and the hare may well have fallen asleep. It is argued that whilst some common ground exists between the two countries, there is an inherent danger in transplanting selected elements of policy texts from one socio-cultural historical context to another.     

A cross‐cultural examination of typically developing children's attitudes toward individuals with special needs

This study explores children's attitudes toward individuals with special needs in Greece and in the United States. A total of 196 kindergarten‐age children participated in the study. Children's attitudes were examined using the Acceptance Scale for Kindergartners‐Revised (ASK‐R) and were further explored with the use of an open‐ended interview. In addition, the Inventory of Disability Representation (IDR) was used to collect information about how individuals with special needs are represented in school and classroom environments through books, displays, materials and curriculum. The results indicated that children in Greece and the United States were accepting of individuals with special needs. Also, children attending inclusive kindergartens held more positive attitudes when compared with children attending non‐inclusive kindergartens. Results from the interviews provided further information that contributes to the understanding of children's perceptions of people with special needs and the reasons why children become more or less favourably disposed towards individuals with special needs. Finally, IDR results indicated that the classrooms in Greece had low representations of individuals with special needs compared with US classrooms, which had moderate and high representations of individuals with disabilities in the classroom and school environments.     

Psychometric properties of the ProficiencyIn+E rubric: Self-evaluation of teaching skills

The aim of this article is to present the results of the empirical validation of the PROFICIENCyIn + E rubric for teacher self-evaluation, which allows us to know to what extent primary and secondary teachers consider themselves competent in eleven of the key competencies that have been identified through the review of the literature. The rubric has an online format and digital access through a learning management system aimed at schools. After completing it, teachers receive a personalized report on their competence profile. The reliability results show acceptable indices of internal consistency and empirical validation through the Multidimensional Non-Metre Scaling (PROXSCAL) procedure, suggesting that the rubric is an effective tool to evaluate teaching skills in non-university teaching. The use of this tool offers real opportunities for self-improvement and reflection amongst teachers related to their competencies and how to plan their professional development.     

Parents’ attitudes towards students with a background of migration—Does the background of migration matter?

As linguistic heterogeneity in classrooms is rising constantly, it was shown that attitudes play a role in the inclusion of students with migrant backgrounds. This paper focuses on attitudes of parents towards students with a migrant background and how variables such as parents’ level of education, cultural differences, and their own background of migration shape their attitudes. To this end, data from 876 parents (486 mothers and 390 fathers) was assessed, and it was found out that parents with a migrant background displayed more positive attitudes towards the inclusion of students with a background of migration in contrast to parents without a migrant background. Moreover, fathers displayed more positive attitudes towards students with lower cultural differences compared to students with higher cultural differences. Furthermore, mothers with a higher level of education had more positive attitudes towards students with a migrant background compared to mothers with a lower level of education.     

An alternative model of special education teacher education socialization

The process of organizational socialization sheds light on the difficulty of a university program to effectively socialize its special education teacher candidates into believing and acting on theories of inclusion for students with disabilities in public schools. In general, people are socialized by prior experiences, then the university, then the workplace. In this case, the workplace socialization exists prior to participation in the university setting and in conjunction with it potentially complicating traditional university socialization. This study explores how prospective special education teachers in a moderate/severe special education teacher credential program adopt, adapt, and redefine the concept of inclusion. An analysis of their use of the term “inclusion” in semi-structured interviews draws attention to the degree to which they have or have not been socialized into believing and acting on inclusion at their schools.     

Education,schooling and inclusive practice at a secondary free school in England

Abstract

This paper reports the experiences of staff, parents, governors and students at a secondary free school in the West Midlands of England in relation to the inclusion of students with special educational needs (SEN). The paper is based on a qualitative research project carried out at a school that opened in 2015, with the explicit aim of examining the extent to which it developed as an inclusive school, particularly for children with SEN. In the paper, we draw on the classic distinction between ‘education’ and ‘schooling’ to identify tensions and overlaps between process and outcome oriented practices and examine the views of different stakeholders on how such practices impact on inclusion. By focusing on the day-to-day practices of the school and linking them to broader notions of schooling and education, we provide a complementary perspective on the current research on free schools, which is overwhelmingly quantitative and focused on admissions.     

β-环糊精与8-羟基喹啉包合物的制备与表征

研究了以β-环糊精为主体，8-羟基喹啉为客体的包合反应，用元素分析、红外光谱、紫外-可见吸收光谱、荧光等方法对包合物进行了表征，并对包合物的形成进行了初步讨论。实验结果表明：β—CD与8-羟基喹啉分子形成物质的量比为l：l的包合物。8-羟基喹啉的吡啶环嵌入β-环糊精分子的空腔内。氢键的形成，包含水的释放是形成包合物的驱动力。     

Exploring the views and beliefs of parents of typically developing children about inclusion and inclusive education

Background: The inclusion of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SENDs) in regular classrooms has been identified as a high priority in many policy documents published by both European and international organisations. Its implementation, however, is influenced by a number of factors, some of which are directly related to the participation and attitudes of different stakeholders, including parents of typically developing children. Parents, as a social group, can act in favour of inclusion or they can support more segregated educational environments.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore, in a Greek context, the views and beliefs of parents of typically developing children about different aspects of the education of children with disabilities, with a particular focus on inclusion and inclusive education.

Method: Interviews were held with 40 Greek parents representing 40 typically developing school-aged children who were educated in six different primary education schools, from the broader area of central Greece. All of the children, at the time of the study, were educated in mainstream classes, in which an in-classroom support system was applied. Open-ended interview questions focused on parents’ views and beliefs about the implementation of inclusive educational programmes. Data were analysed according to the principles of an inductive data-driven approach.

Findings: The research findings indicate that most of the participant parents did not feel informed about specific school policy practices relevant to inclusive education; they were not aware of the notion of ‘inclusion’ or approached inclusion from an integrationist point of view. Within this context, they hold positive to neutral attitudes towards inclusion, on the basis that a child with SENDs can cope with the school requirements.

Conclusions: This small-scale, exploratory research study suggests the importance of informing and involving parents of typically developing children in efforts to promote more inclusive practices.