The cultural understanding of inclusion and its development within a centralised system
The cultural understanding of inclusion and its development within a centralised system
This paper discusses inclusion in relation to centralised systems, in particular the constraints central control makes upon decisions at school level. The discussion is empowered by an evaluative case study research undertaken to understand the development of inclusion in contexts where flexible teaching and curriculum change are sometimes hard to find. In particular, based on a systems approach, this research describes and evaluates an attempt in a Greek primary school to implement inclusive practices, aiming to analyse the problems and prospects of inclusion in a highly centralised system, entirely controlled by the Ministry of Education. The inclusive practices developed in this school were based on a collaborative teacher model, offering new roles to mainstream teachers. The research data come from a diary, group interviews, classroom and meetings observations, and document analysis. The study reveals several obstacles to inclusion, besides the good practices which promote it. The main argument is that a centralised system favours the integration of students with disabilities more than their inclusion.
1241-1258
Strogilos, Vasilis
c3f5776e-d0b6-420f-9e65-730028e939b6
2012
Strogilos, Vasilis
c3f5776e-d0b6-420f-9e65-730028e939b6
Strogilos, Vasilis
(2012)
The cultural understanding of inclusion and its development within a centralised system.
International Journal of Inclusive Education, 16 (12), .
(doi:10.1080/13603116.2011.557447).
Abstract
This paper discusses inclusion in relation to centralised systems, in particular the constraints central control makes upon decisions at school level. The discussion is empowered by an evaluative case study research undertaken to understand the development of inclusion in contexts where flexible teaching and curriculum change are sometimes hard to find. In particular, based on a systems approach, this research describes and evaluates an attempt in a Greek primary school to implement inclusive practices, aiming to analyse the problems and prospects of inclusion in a highly centralised system, entirely controlled by the Ministry of Education. The inclusive practices developed in this school were based on a collaborative teacher model, offering new roles to mainstream teachers. The research data come from a diary, group interviews, classroom and meetings observations, and document analysis. The study reveals several obstacles to inclusion, besides the good practices which promote it. The main argument is that a centralised system favours the integration of students with disabilities more than their inclusion.
This record has no associated files available for download.
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 20 January 2011
e-pub ahead of print date: 21 June 2011
Published date: 2012
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 417867
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/417867
ISSN: 1360-3116
PURE UUID: 2dbc2e14-ce34-4093-8950-50289b703566
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 15 Feb 2018 17:31
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 04:36
Export record
Altmetrics
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics
