With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, digitization became highly relevant for schools and caused major challenges not only for all European countries, but also countries around the world (Katic et al., 2021; Faridah et al., 2021; Hamad, 2022). The sudden school closures required large adaptations of teaching practices, especially the application of digital technologies and implementation of methods of distance learning. Many studies examined the impact of the pandemic as well as its challenges on all school participants (e.g., Fickermann & Edelstein, 2020; Huber et al., 2020). In comparison, only a few addressed the identification of learning potentials or implications for digital or inclusive school development. Digitization can be seen as a way to maximize participation in school life and thus contribute to school inclusion, which aims to reduce discrimination and maximize educational opportunities and social participation for all students (Arndt & Werning, 2017; Ainscow et al., 2006; Hartung et al., 2021).

The concepts of inclusion and digitization are essentially important for everyday school life and, in combination, they can offer opportunities for school development processes (Hartung et al., 2021). This potential could help reaching and including all students in classrooms. For a successful implementation of inclusive school development processes, all participants of school are highly relevant. Furthermore, for the successful implementation of a digital-inclusive school development, the involvement of all school stakeholders and high-quality interdisciplinary and multiprofessional collaboration in the school are required (Arndt & Werning, 2016; Lütje-Klose & Urban, 2014; Prengel, 2020). A sound interprofessional collaboration is an important precondition of inclusion as well as for digitization.

The factors for successful implementation of inclusion and digitization in schools intersect at the teacher level. These include: existing expertise, a positive attitude and conviction toward the concepts and practical implementation, and a certain willingness to be innovative (Hartung et al., 2021). Particularly teachers' experiences with digital media in everyday school and classroom practice is a necessary prerequisite for digital-inclusive school development. It is recommended to define research-based indicators for (digital-) inclusive school development which consider the practical experiences of all actors in the school system (Arndt & Werning, 2017). Thus, it is relevant to analyze the experiences made in using digital resources in teaching and learning with a special focus on the potential to promote inclusion.

This paper aims to show what experiences Austrian teachers have gained with digital media in pandemic distance-learning and how these can contribute to digital-inclusive school development. The focus was to examine the handling and development process of distance learning, the use of digitally inclusive practices and the transfer of “new” methods of teaching in pandemic-times into the regular face-to-face school setting.

This paper refers to the results of semi-structured interviews with 16 teachers of primary and secondary level I and II, and in addition, open-ended responses from a quantitative online survey with teachers (n=44) from 18 elementary and 11 middle schools in Austria. The qualitative subsample and the quantitative online survey were part of a bigger research project called "In-DIG-developments: Inclusion through digital school development - barriers and solutions as a result of COVID-19. Data was collected from April 2021 - January 2022 (more information about the project and research team can be found here: https://fzib.at/de/forschung/projekte/aktuelle-projekte/in-dig-developments-detailbeschreibung/). The guideline for the interviews was constructed within the research team and focused on distance learning, development process of distance learning, the transfer of the gained experiences into face-to-face teaching and regular teaching practice, as well as recommendations for a successful use of digital technologies to promote inclusion. Regarding the quantitative online survey, the participants answered to an open question at the end of the questionnaire and wrote down their own experiences and challenges. For the qualitative interviews with 16 teachers (50% female, 50% male), a mixture of eleven individual and one focus group (n=5) was implemented (Döring & Bortz, 2016). The majority (n=12) worked at a middle school, two were employed at an elementary school and another two taught at both lower and upper secondary level. All interviews were conducted online using a videoconferencing tool and were recorded, transcribed, anonymized, and analyzed with the consent of the interviewees. Data analysis was performed using structured qualitative content analysis (Mayring, 2015) with MAXQDA, Version 2021 & 2022 (Rädiker & Kuckartz, 2019) through deductive and inductive category development and rating by two independent researchers. At the segment level with a code overlap of 80%, an intercoder reliability of κ = 0.86 was achieved (kappa after Brennan & Prediger, 1981).

1) Teachers reported that after initial difficulties (e.g., being overwhelmed, proximity-distance problems with parents) a sustainable development process started. Digital-inclusive practices were established, including teaching and learning formats that allowed a more adaptive teaching experience. In accordance with Hense (2019), the use of digital media is making a major contribution to inclusion, if it is seen and perceived in this context and used for this purpose. 2) Teachers emphasized the facilitation potential of digital communication channels. In line with previous findings describing (multiprofessional) cooperation as an essential condition for the success of school-based inclusion (Lütje-Klose & Urban, 2014; Arndt & Werning, 2016), it can be concluded that close cooperation with all actors in the school system, complemented by digital communication, can support digital-inclusive school development. 3) The commonalities in the concepts of inclusion and digitization were discovered and recognized by teachers and students as follows: a need for cooperation between all participants, a positive attitude toward one's own possibilities and resources, courage as well as an open-minded and innovative spirit. This is very consistent with Booth and Ainscow's (2017) described inclusive values for developing an inclusive school, e.g. courage and open-mindedness, communities that encourage collaboration and active participation. An orientation towards existing resources and strengths was practiced at the teacher and student level. E.g., the different distribution of media competence among students with and without disabilities contributed to inclusion. Despite the many challenges schools faced due to insufficient resources during the pandemic, some teachers reported positive experiences which could also be adapted by other European teachers: close cooperation with parents and colleagues, exchange and recommendations for the use of digital technologies, a changed understanding of roles in the teaching staff and in the classroom. The implementation of these aspects will contribute to the promotion of digital-inclusive school development.

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