In Aotearoa New Zealand, the promise of a world class inclusive education system that achieves improved educational opportunities and outcomes for diverse learners and/or learners with disability remains an illusory goal. In an aim to explore how student teachers in an early childhood education (ECE) initial teacher education (ITE) programme develop inclusive practice I began my doctoral journey as a relatively inexperienced teacher educator in an unfamiliar terrain. My early research question focuses on how ITE can support student teachers to become inclusive practitioners? Within this question are two assumptions, the first is that ITE supports inclusive education and the second assumption is that student teachers are not already inclusive.

One of the key issues of inclusive educationis a lack of specificity, therefore I believe that the way educational settings engage in inclusive practices will vary (Slee, 2001; Florian & Black-Hawkins, 2011). This complexity is also reflected in Skidmore’s (2004) work in which he considers three major paradigms (psycho-medical, sociological and organizational) that have influenced how inclusive education is played out in different educational settings. These three paradigms remain influential across different educational sectors. In examining the role that ITE plays, I am interested in the broader structures of ITE and whether inclusive education is present and supported. I am also interested in the way that inclusive education is played out within an ITE programme particularly regarding the constructions teacher educators and student teachers hold. According to Forlin (2012), for student teachers to become inclusive practitioner’s theoretical knowledge must be matched by the practical skills taught.

Framed within a qualitative case study my research project follows a social constructionist approach. Like Slee (2008) who believes that information is sieved through our own interpretations of the world, I believe that educational researchers use filters that reflect their own position and influence. This is also illustrated by the different paradigmatic views as noted by Skidmore (2004).  I am interested in the constructions that teacher educators, past student teachers and current student teachers have of inclusion and inclusive pedagogy.

Social constructionism encourages us to challenge our taken for granted or traditional view of knowledge and understanding, but it does not affirm or deny the world out there (Burr, 2003; Crotty, 1998; Schwandt, 2003). I believe challenging assumptions is crucial for all educators,  the strengths and limitations of the beliefs educators hold and the impact of these on learners. The constructions people hold are continually tested and modified in the light of new experiences and through narrative inquiry and discourse analysis I aim to explore how constructions of inclusive education in ITE are influenced. While the literature highlights the benefits of inclusive education, deficit paradigm views remain and I am curious as to what factors support educators to change.

Burr, V. (2003). Social constructionism. Second Edition. Routledge. England. Connor, D.L., Gabel, S.L., Gallagher, D.J., & Morton, M. (2008). Disability studies and inclusive education — implications for theory, research, and practice, International Journal of Inclusive Education, 12(5-6), 441-457 Crotty, M. (1998). The foundations of social research; meaning and perspective in the research process. Sage Publications. Dewey, J. (1910). How we think. Boston: D.C. Heath & Co. Florian, L. & Black-Hawkins, K. (2011). Exploring inclusive pedagogy. British Educational Research Journal. 37(5), 813-828. Forlin, C. (2012). Responding to the need for inclusive teacher education: Rhetoric or reality? In C. Forlin (Ed.), Future directions for inclusive teacher education. An international perspective (pp.3-12). New York, NY: Routledge. Gallagher, D., Heshusius, L., Iano, R.P., & Skrtic, T.M. (2003). Challenging orthodoxy in special education:dissenting voices. Denver, Colorado: Love Publishing. Harrison, J. K., & Lee, R. (2011). Exploring the use of critical incident analysis and the professional learning conversation in an initial teacher education programme, Journal of Education for Teaching, 37(2), 199-217. Macartney, B. & Morton, M. (2011). Kinds of participation: teacher and special education perceptions and practices of ‘inclusion’ in early childhood and primary school settings. International Journal of Inclusive Education. DOI: 10.1080/13603116.2011.602529 Mukherji, P. & Albon, D. (2010). Research methods in early childhood: An introductory guide. SAGE publications. London. Schwandt, T. A. (2003). Three epistemological stances for qualitative inquiry: Interpretivism, hermeneutics, and social constructionism. In Denzin, N.K & Lincoln, Y.S. (Eds). The landscape of qualitative research: Theories and issues (2nd Ed.). Sage Publications. United States of America. Sharma, U. (2010). Using reflective practices for the preparation of pre-service teachers for inclusive classrooms. In C. Forlin (Ed.), Teacher education for inclusion. Changing paradigms and innovative approaches (pp. 102 - 111). Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. Skidmore, D. (2004). Inclusion: the dynamic of school development. Maidenhead: Open University Press. Slee, R. (2001). ‘Inclusion in practice’: Does practice make perfect? Educational Review, 53(2), 113-123. Slee, R. (2008). Beyond special and regular schooling? An inclusive education reform agenda. International Studies in Sociology of Education, 18(2), pp.99-116. Stake, R. (1978). The case study method in social inquiry. American Education Research Association. 7(2), 5-8. Walkington, J., Christensen, H.P., & Kock, H. (2001). Developing critical reflection as part of teaching training and teaching practice, European Journal of Engineering Education, 26(4), 343-350.