Background & Theoretical Frameworks
The Convention on the Rights of the Child has been instrumental in directing the global focus on children and their participatory rights (Balagopalan, 2011). However, it has become increasingly clear that children’s voices are largely missing from ‘international’ documents and research on inclusive education (Messiou, 2019). In India, even though children’s education has drawn powerful government and intellectual attention, the development sector has predominantly marginalised the perspectives and experiences of children (Bowen & Hinchy, 2015). In order to lend focus to Indian children as ‘knowers in their own right’ (Bowen & Hincy, 2015; p. 318), as opposed to Euro- and adult-centric notions, our paper highlights the multiple voices of children from a remote school in Uttarakhand, India as agents of inclusive education. The choice of children from a remote school in Uttarakhand lies in the purpose of bringing to the fore, experiences of children in schools that are largely ignored in the current body of literature on inclusive education. For example, within the Indian context, most inclusive education research studies have focused their attention on urban schools in large metropolitan cities.
Moreover, recent scholarship has demonstrated that the predominant reason why the promotion of inclusive education in the countries of the South have led to disappointing results is because international developmental agencies have failed to sufficiently understand local realities (e.g., Le Fanu, 2013; Kamenopoulou, 2018). Consequently, researchers from the Global South have advocated for decolonising and developing contextually sensitive research on inclusive education (e.g., Kamenopoulou, 2020; Walton, 2018). While it may be easier to disregard countries of the South as they try to overcome seemingly unassailable barriers in achieving access to quality education, it is imperative and useful to learn from their experiences (Ainscow & Sandill, 2010). We are of the opinion that when we value marginalised voices through robust and contextually sensitive studies, we could identify already existing strengths and inform practices for not only ‘resource-poor’ but also ‘resource-rich’ schools and countries.
It is widely known that defining inclusive education is contentious and does not seem to enjoy common ground among researchers (e.g., Ainscow, 2020; Messiou, 2019). However, those familiar with the Capabilities Approach have ascertained that it could potentially offer a mutual understanding of inclusive education as a social justice issue and an ethical concern (e.g., Reindal, 2016). Under the Capabilities Approach, inclusive education is conceptualised as the development of valued capabilities for all children (Reindal, 2010). Individual difference is considered neither a deviance nor something to celebrate; it is simply a specific variable of human diversity with an objective reality (Reindal, 2016). Furthermore, the Capabilities Approach places the child at the centre where they are valued and have agency (Reindal, 2016). Thus making children’s voices and inclusion inseparable concepts. Messiou (2019) refers to the multiplicity of children’s ‘voices’ understood as their thoughts, emotions and actions to bring about change. However, Spyrou (2011) has also warned us about the problem of representing children’s ‘authentic’ voices. Children’s voices occur within specific contexts that require reflexivity and transparency on the part of researchers to ensure rigour and creativity in the research process (Spyrou, 2011). We have thus attempted to incorporate the aforementioned nuances of including and representing children’s voices to contextualise inclusive education.
Research Questions
The research questions that guided our paper are:
- What according to children (11 to 14-year-olds), are the most valued aspects of being in school?
- How does school promote children’s valued aspects of being in school?
- How can children’s educational experiences be enhanced in school?