Organising Schools for Inclusion

Author(s):

William Kinsella(presenting / submitting)

Conference:

ECER 2016

Network:

04. Inclusive Education

Format:

Paper

Session Information

04 SES 01 A, School Wide Inclusive Education

Paper Session

Time:

2016-08-23

13:15-14:45

Room:

OB-H2.20

Chair:

William Kinsella

Contribution

The aim of this study was to explore the most pertinent issues relating to the education of students with disabilities and special educational needs in second-level mainstream schools in the Republic of Ireland. A multi-perspective approach was adopted by accessing the views of a wide range of stakeholders, both within schools and within the wider education system, through a variety of means, and by conducting a multi-layered analysis of the system by examining the classroom context, the school context and the context of the wider national system. While it was conducted within the Irish context, it was also informed by international perspectives, including a review of relevant internaltional policies and legislation and also site visits to other jurisdictions, including England and Finland. It thus has the potential not only to inform policy and practice within Ireland, but also within a wider international context. The study adopted a psycho-social model approach to disability and special educational needs, thus emphasising the interaction between individuals and their learning environments.The study was informed by the related theoretical frameworks of Bronfenbrenner's (1979) Ecological Model, Systems Theory and the Organisational Paradigm. A particular focus of this study was on the organisational aspects of schools. It thus embraced the concept of schools as systems and the idea of schools as learning organisations, The aim was not merely to describe current practices in the schools but to explore, with school personnel, opportunities for developing more inclusive practices in the schools.

Method

The empirical aspects of the study involved, firstly, key informant interviews with strategic personnel within the Irish education system. The second empirical aspect of the study consisted of a case study approach, which involved working closely with four second-level schools with a view to examining the nature of provision for students with disabilities and special educational needs in these schools and to explore, in conjunction with school personnel, the challenges of, and the opportunities for, developing more inclusive practices in these schools. It involved the conducting of interviews with the principals and the persons responsible for co-ordinating special educational needs provision in the schools and the distribution of survey questionnaires to all teachers in the schools. As part of this survey process, the teachers’ attitudes to inclusion were explored by means of an Attitude to Inclusion Scale that was constructed as part of this study. Focus-group interviews were also conducted with the teachers of one selected First Year class group in each school.

Expected Outcomes

The conclusion of this study is that the development of inclusive second-level schools in any education system is not merely a function of student variables, of teacher variables or resources, though these are all important. It is also about a review and a re-organisation of core aspects of the second-level education system. It demands a shift in emphasis from individual pathology to organisational pathology, it demands the articulation, acknowledgement and discussion of important dilemmas and competing principles within the education system. It demands a review of structures, policies and practices at all levels within that system. In the absence of such review, schools and school personnel will continue to operate in a philosophical and ideological vacuum with regard to inclusive education, and organisational deficits within schools and within the national system will continue to constrain the organisational restructuring that is required in order to enhance school inclusiveness and develop inclusive school cultures. The main outcomes of the study included the development of a conceptual model of an inclusive school and an outline of the core characteristics of an inclusive classroom, operating within an inclusive school, embedded within an inclusive education system.

References

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development. www.dbhds.virginia.gov/OSAS-ATOD (accessed; 9th December 2009) Clark, C., Dyson, A., Millward, A. and Robson, S. (1999). Theories of inclusion, theories of schools: Deconstructing and reconstructing the ‘inclusive school’. British Educational Research Journal, 25 (2), 157-177. Easterby-Smith, M. and Araujo, L. (1999). Organizational learning: Current debates and opportunities. In M. Easterby-Smith, L. Araujo and J. Burgoyne (Eds.), Organizational learning and the learning organization: Developments in theory and practice (pp. 1-22). London: Sage. Emery, F.E. (Ed.) (1969). Systems thinking: Selected readings. Middlesex: Penguin. Lindsay, G. (2003). Inclusive education: a critical perspective, British Journal of Special Education, 30 (1), 3-11. McCarthy, E. (1997). The dynamics of culture, organizational culture and change. Thornfield Journal, 20, 1-19. McDonnell, P. (2000). Inclusive education in Ireland: Rhetoric and reality. In F. Armstrong, D. Armstrong and L. Barton (Eds.), Inclusive education: Policy, contents and comparative perspectives. London: David Fulton. Norwich, B. (1996). Special needs education or education for all: connective specialisation and ideological impurity. British Journal of Special Education, 23 (3), 100-104. Oliver, M. (1996). Understanding disability: From theory to practice. Hampshire: Palgrave. Senge, P., Cambron-McCabe, N., Lucas, T., Smith, B., Dutton, J. and Kleiner, A. (2000). Schools that learn. London: Nicholas Brealey. Skrtic, T.M. (1995). Disability and democracy: Reconstructing (special) education for postmodernity. New York: Teachers College Press.

Author Information

William Kinsella (presenting / submitting)

University College Dublin, Ireland

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