On the meaning of inclusive education. A theoretical discussion and empirical pilot study of teachers understanding.

This presentation asks the research question: How do a selection of teachers understand ‘inclusive education’ in their practice? The theoretical approach comes from feminist theories of inclusive citizenship practices. They emphasise justice, recognition, self-determination, solidarity and ability to make friends (Fraser 2003; Kabeer 2005; Lister 2008). ‘Justice’ is understood as fairness in treating people and students equally. To understand and resolve dilemmas of justice, it is necessary to build our knowledge of rights and empathy with students’ situations. ‘Recognition’ acknowledges the intrinsic worth of all human beings, including their differences. Recognition may be institutionalised, but it still requires an interpersonal response, something our study seeks to address through intercultural empathy. ‘Self-determination’ can be understood as a person’s ability to exercise some control over his/her own life. Self-determination is vital for inclusive citizenship and support for self-determination from the human environment requires some degree of empathy. Finally, ‘solidarity’ can be seen as both a societal goal and one of particular importance in education (Kabeer 2005, 3– 7). The method of the pilot study will be a group interview with teachers in 2 schools. Data will be analysed in the applied theoretical perspective above.