Includ-ed, red europea de educación inclusiva

In December 2015, the European Network on Inclusive Education & Disability, incluD-ed, concluded its pilot study on 'Quality Factors of Inclusive Education in Europe. An Exploration.' The study was led by Jorge Calero Martinez, renowned expert on inclusive education from the University of Barcelona (Spain) and coordinated by Fundación ONCE’s team (Maria Tussy and Carla Bonino, European Programmes Unit), with the support of incluD-ed Technical Secretariat. The study has been conducted in the four European countries of incluD-ed‘s founding partners (Spain, France, Finland and Czech Republic) as well as in Austria, the UK, Ireland and Iceland where incluD-ed counts with associated member organizations.

Since November 2014, the incluD-ed network has been working on this pilot study aimed at exploring the quality of inclusive processes in various schools in several European countries, taking into account elements for quality inclusive education relating to culture, policies and practices as well as elements relating to available human and material resources. Inclusive education, with its overall objective to meet the common and special needs of students, is a demanding process in which these two types of elements combine. Other major objectives of this study have been to establish a method (questionnaire) for use in future studies to identify the needs in quality inclusive education and to establish desirable 'standards' in terms of policies, practices and resources with which to carry out inclusive processes.

The methodology

The study methodology consisted of:

• - An extensive literature review
• - A focus group with experts and school representatives
• - A study questionnaire as data-collecting tool to give insight into the following characteristics: policies, practices, resources and outlooks on inclusive education (translated from Spanish into the following languages: German, Finnish, English, French and Czech)
• - Selection of an (unrepresentative) school sample - the criteria used for sending questionnaires were not a statistical one but one based on a capacity to establish contact with the centre through different entities part of the incluD-ed network 
• - Analyse of the completed questionnaires: more than 60 schools from eight EU countries sent back the completed questionnaires. 49 of them had been considered from the following countries: Spain (22), UK (5), France (3), Iceland (2), Finland (6), Austria (4), Czech Republic (3) and Ireland (4)
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The two main research questions that would lead the general work on the study:

• - What do educational establishments need in order to provide quality inclusive education?
• - Do they, in fact, have what they need in order to provide quality inclusive education?

1.  

The collaborators and participants of the focus group have been the following: Gerardo Echeíta (Autonomous University of Madrid); Sonia González López (director of the CEIP Aldebarán, Tres Cantos, Madrid); Ángel Luis García Aceña. Director of the IES Miguel Catalán (Coslada, Madrid); Martine Aitken (PAU Education); Annett Räbel (PAU Education); María Antonia Casanova (expert of the incluD-ed network); Jorge Calero (expert of the incluD-ed network).

Reflections on the pilot study results on essential elements for quality inclusive education

It's important to once again point out the sample characteristics: non-representative centres and solely those involved in inclusive processes. They must be viewed as a work hypothesis and results should be contrasted in further studies.

1. 1. Inclusive education - a multidimensional process. It would appear that inclusive education is possible with limited human and physical resources as long as cultures, policies and practices are sufficiently well designed and shared by teachers, pupils and families.
2. 2. Teaching staff. Involvement and training are basic requirements and far more important than other elements. The option of flexible assignment of teaching resources is also identified as a key element for quality inclusive education.
3. 3. Family involvement. The fact that active family participation in the centre's project is pointed out in 15% of the questionnaires is significant.
4. 4. The importance of the family. Clear link between the education level of the centre's families and various inclusive education quality level indicators ('the higher the better').
5. 5. Physical resources. Along with an evaluation of physical resources as an element which is not of primary importance, it's worth pointing out that the level of adaptation to the centre's needs is relatively low.  
6. 6. Architectural barriers and mobility issues. Many centres still point out architectural barriers and mobility issues as aspects which complicate total student inclusion.
7. 7. Lack of support from education authorities.  There is a need for public sector provision of additional resources (more specifically in some countries, the need for trained staff to deal with students with special needs) although, on a more general scale, there is a need for specific policies designed to reinforce inclusive education.
8. 8. The inclusive education outlook. A process which ought to be extended to the entire education system and not limited to some of the more involved centres. This calls for more involvement by all players (mainly teaching staff, pupils, families and education authorities).

 

CONCLUSIONS

A series of 'products' made available on completion of this study for possible use in the future. 

In our opinion, the most relevant are:

1. 1. A multidimensional definition of quality in inclusive education.
2. 2. An instrument for collecting information on quality levels in inclusive education (questionnaire)
3. 3. A model for use of the information collected in the questionnaires (variables, compact indicators)
4. 4. Some guidelines on inclusive education quality determining factors ('tips' for further reserach)
5. 5. A less tangible 'product' from the study: people, institutions and centres which have participated through the network in this study and which potentially form a good basis for future group work.
6.  

In our opinion, it would be of great value to apply in the future the approach and methodology put forward to a representative and non-biased sample group of educational establishments in European countries on a general scale. This study would, clearly, mean other complications and challenges. However, the quality of the information, conclusions and suggestions on education policies and disabilities which might be obtained would more than make up for them.

Read the complete study in English or Spanish.