Volume 3, Issue 4 (December 2024)
IJER 2024, 3(4): 1-20 |
Back to browse issues page
Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
Kearney S. (2024). Perceptions of Inclusion in Australian Schools. IJER. 3(4), 1-20. doi:10.22034/3.4.1
URL: http://ijer.hormozgan.ac.ir/article-1-305-en.html
URL: http://ijer.hormozgan.ac.ir/article-1-305-en.html
Professor, School of Education, University of Notre Dame Australia, Sydney, Australia , sean.kearney@nd.edu.au
Abstract: (455 Views)
Objective: This study explores educational professionals’ perceptions of inclusive practices in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, with a focus on specialized roles such as learning support coordinators, teachers, and school learning support officers.
Methods: Using surveys and interviews, the research investigates how inclusion is conceptualized, implemented, and its perceived impact on students.
Results: Findings highlight significant inconsistencies in understanding inclusion, with some participants associating it exclusively with students with additional needs, while others embrace a broader philosophy. Despite general support for inclusive practices, challenges persist, including limited resources, insufficient professional development, and variability in leadership support. Comparisons with international research underscore shared challenges in operationalizing inclusive education globally.
Conclusions: This paper proposes a framework for reconceptualizing inclusion as a universal pedagogical philosophy and offers actionable recommendations for bridging the gap between policy and practice. Implications for teacher training and professional development are also discussed.
Methods: Using surveys and interviews, the research investigates how inclusion is conceptualized, implemented, and its perceived impact on students.
Results: Findings highlight significant inconsistencies in understanding inclusion, with some participants associating it exclusively with students with additional needs, while others embrace a broader philosophy. Despite general support for inclusive practices, challenges persist, including limited resources, insufficient professional development, and variability in leadership support. Comparisons with international research underscore shared challenges in operationalizing inclusive education globally.
Conclusions: This paper proposes a framework for reconceptualizing inclusion as a universal pedagogical philosophy and offers actionable recommendations for bridging the gap between policy and practice. Implications for teacher training and professional development are also discussed.
Type of Study: Original |
Subject:
Educational Studies
Received: 2024/06/22 | Accepted: 2024/10/8 | Published: 2024/12/1
Received: 2024/06/22 | Accepted: 2024/10/8 | Published: 2024/12/1
References
1. Allan, J. (2011). Complicating, not explicating: Taking up philosophy in learning disability research. Learning Disability Quarterly, 34(2), 153-161. [DOI:10.1177/073194871103400206]
2. Anderson, J., & Boyle, C. (2015). Inclusive education in Australia: Rhetoric, reality and the road ahead. Support for Learning, 30(1), 4-22). DOI: 10.1111/1467-9604.12074 [DOI:10.1111/1467-9604.12074]
3. Australian Institute for Teachers and School Leadership (AITSL) (2015). Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. Education Services Australia.
4. Bindhani & Gopinath, 2024). Inclusive education practices: A review of challenges and successes, 6(2). https://www.ijfmr.com/papers/2024/2/17341.pdf [DOI:10.36948/ijfmr.2024.v06i02.17341]
5. Blackmore, J. (2009) Inclusive education: What does it mean for students, teachers, leaders and schools? Professional Voice, 7(1), 11-15.
6. Boyle, C., Topping, K., & Jindal-Snape, D. (2013). Teachers' attitudes towards inclusion in high schools. Teachers and Teaching, 19(5), 527-542. DOI: 10.1080/13540602.2013.827361 [DOI:10.1080/13540602.2013.827361]
7. Commonwealth Government. (2006). Disability Standards for Education 2005. Commonwealth of Australia. www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/C2014C00013
8. Dempsey, I., & Davies, M. (2013). National test performance of young Australian children with additional education needs. Australian Journal of Education, 57(1), 5-18. [DOI:10.1177/0004944112468700]
9. Denscombe, M. (2010). The good research guide for small-scale social research projects (4th ed.). Open University Press.
10. Dixon, R., & Verenikina, I. (2007). Towards inclusive schools: An examination of socio-cultural theory and inclusive practices and policy in New South Wales DET schools. Learning and Sociocultural Theory: Exploring Modern Vygotskian Perspectives International Workshop 2007, 1(1), 191-208. https://ro.uow.edu.au/llrg/vol1/iss1/13
11. Ferriday, G., & Cantali, D. (2020). Teachers talk about inclusion… but can they implement it in their classroom? Exploring teachers' views on inclusion in a Scottish secondary school. Support for Learning, 35(2), 144-162. DOI: 10.1111/1467-9604.12295 [DOI:10.1111/1467-9604.12295]
12. Florian, L. (2015). Inclusive pedagogy: A transformative approach to individual differences but can it help reduce educational inequalities? Scottish Educational Review, 47(1), 5-14. [DOI:10.1163/27730840-04701003]
13. Gonski, D., Boston, K., Greiner, K., Lawrence, C., Scales, B., & Tannock, P. (2011). Review of funding for schooling. Final report. https://www.dese.gov.au/download/1307/review-funding-schooling-final-report-december-2011/1280/document/pdf/en
14. Goodman, L. A. (1961). Snowball sampling. Annals of Mathematica Statistics, 32(1), 148-170. doi:10.1214/aoms/1177705148. [DOI:10.1214/aoms/1177705148]
15. Graham, L., & Slee, R. (2008). An illusionary interiority: Interrogating the discourse/s of inclusion. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 40(2), 277-293. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/57604/ [DOI:10.1111/j.1469-5812.2007.00331.x]
16. Hoff, K., & Pandey, P. (2004). Belief systems and durable inequalities: An experimental investigation of Indian caste. World Bank Policy Research working paper 3351, June 2004. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/14063 [DOI:10.1596/1813-9450-3351]
17. Hosshan, H., Stancliffe, R. J., Villeneuve, M., & Bonati, M. L. (2020). Inclusive schooling in Southeast Asian countries: A scoping review of the literature. Asia Pacific Education Review, 21, 99-119 (2020). [DOI:10.1007/s12564-019-09613-0]
18. Mertens, D. M. (2005). Research and Evaluation in Education and Psychology (2nd ed.). Sage.
19. Mitchell, S. (2020). Inclusive Education Statement for students with disability. NSW Department of Education. https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/disability-learning-and-support/our-disability-strategy/inclusive-education
20. Neumann, W. L. (2011). Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches (7th ed.). Pearson.
21. New South Wales Department of Education (n.d.). Supporting Inclusive Education. https://education.nsw.gov.au/parents-and-carers/learning/diversity-and-inclusion/supporting-inclusive-education
22. New South Wales Education and Standards Authority (2019). Subject content knowledge requirements. NESA. https://www.educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/wcm/connect/1bea4323-19a6-4af6-b657-95ae4cea954b/subject-content-knowledge-requirements-policy.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CVID=
23. Nilsson, A. (2022, March 2). NSW Education Minister rejects claim sector in crisis after revelation 10,000 teachers left profession last year. News.com.au. https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/at-work/nsw-education-minister-rejects-claim-sector-in-crisis-after-revelation-10000-teachers-left-profession-last-year/news-story/3773a2b4f195928c6eec87861a5ebf1b
24. OECD. (2010). The high cost of low educational performance: The long-run economic impact of improving PISA outcomes. OECD. http://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisaproducts/pisa2006/44417824.pdf [DOI:10.1787/journal_dev-v10-4-en]
25. Rose, T., & McGowan, M. (2022, March 16). A perfect storm': government forecasts shortfall of 1,700 teachers in NSW. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/mar/16/a-perfect-storm-government-forecasts-shortfall-of-1700-teachers-in-nsw
26. Simons, H. (2009). Case study research in practice. London: Sage. [DOI:10.4135/9781446268322]
27. Smyth, J. (2013) Losing our way? Challenging the direction of teacher education in Australia by framing it around the socially just school. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 41(1), 111-122. [DOI:10.1080/1359866X.2012.753990]
28. Snow, P., & Powell, M. (2012). Youth (in)justice: Oral language competence in early life and risk for engagement in antisocial behaviour in adolescence. Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, 435, 1-6. [DOI:10.52922/ti254209]
29. Stake RE (2000). The case study method in social inquiry. In R. Gomm, M. Hammersley & P. Foster (Eds.) Case Study Method: Key issues, key texts (pp.19-26). Sage.
30. Sundqvist, C., Björk-Åman, C., & Ström, K. (2021) Special teachers and the use of co-teaching in Swedish-speaking schools in Finland. Education Inquiry, 12(2), 111-126, DOI: 10.1080/20004508.2020.1793490 [DOI:10.1080/20004508.2020.1793490]
31. Titone, C. (2005). The philosophy of inclusion: Roadblocks and remedies for the teacher and the teacher educator. The Journal of Educational Thought, 39(1), 7-32. www.jstor.org/stable/23767480 [DOI:10.55016/ojs/jet.v39i1.52626]
32. UNESCO. (1990). World Declaration on Education for All. UNESCO. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000127583
33. UNESCO. (1994). The Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action on Special Needs Education. UNESCO. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000098427
34. Yin, R. K. (2009). Case study research: Design and methods (4th ed.). Sage.
Send email to the article author
| Rights and permissions | |
 |
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons - Attribution 4.0 International. |
