Attitudes Towards Inclusive Schooling

Over the last two decades, the implementation of inclusive schooling has increased significantly in European countries and worldwide. According to empirical evidence, one of the most important success factors in implementing inclusive schooling are the attitudes of the actors involved. Previous studies have shown that positive attitudes towards inclusive schooling are not only a condition for success regarding the implementation, but also an important outcome variable of inclusive education. The present study provides empirical insights into the attitudes towards students with learning disabilities and behavioral disorders. A study called ATIS-STEP (Attitudes Towards Inclusive Schooling - Students', TEachers' and Parents' Attitudes) was conducted in the school year 2016/17 in 48 inclusive classrooms in Austria. It is the first study to provide longitudinal data that examines the attitudes of the three different stakeholder groups: students, teachers and parents. Furthermore, the interdependency of the attitudes of the three groups, as well as the influence of previous contact experience on the attitudes are analyzed and discussed. Dr. Susanne Schwab: Professorin für Methodik und Didaktik in den Förderschwerpunkten Lernen sowie emotionale und soziale Entwicklung, School of Education am Institut für Bildungsforschung an der Bergischen Universität Wuppertal, Deutschland, und Extraordinary Professor in der Research Focus Area Optentia an der North-West University, Vanderbijlpark, South Africa. Vorsitzende der Sektion Empirische pädagogische Forschung der Österreichischen Gesellschaft für Forschung und Entwicklung im Bildungswesen (ÖFEB). Arbeitsschwerpunkte: Inklusionspädagogik, Lehrerprofessionalisierung, Soziale Partizipation.

This volume brings together some thought provoking discussions on inclusive education within the current education climate. Is inclusive education worth pursuing or is the fervour for its implementation subsiding as the realities of its challenges are understood?

Offering a personal account of survival and professional development, this is one of a series dealing with issues in language teaching for teachers and trainers across Europe, in both state schools and private education. The aims are to bridge the gap between current language-teaching theories and classroom practice, and to share and benefit from the expertise of foreign-language teachers who speak their pupils' mother tongue.

Featuring leading voices in the field from across Canada and Europe, this edited collection offers empirical analyses of the historical, social, cultural, and legislative determinants of inclusive education in Canadian schools. Covering four thematic areas including the structure, culture, and practices of inclusive education, the volume offers comparative insights from a European perspective, engaging critically with widely held views of Canada as a world leader in inclusive education. Providing rich comparisons with educational systems in Germany, Spain, and Finland, chapters explore in-depth the assessment structures and curricula specific to Canada, as well as educational policy, and explore attitudes and practices in relation to diverse student populations, including refugee and indigenous peoples, and students with special educational needs. This volume will benefit researchers, academics, and educators with an interest in multicultural education, international and comparative education, as well as educational policy more specifically. Those involved with inclusion and special educational needs will also benefit from this volume.

This book provides a clearly written, wide-ranging overview of current key issues and challenges arising from the implementation of more inclusive policies and provision in education in this country and internationally. The author sets policies for inclusive schools in the broader contexts of current policies which aim to reduce poverty and social exclusion, and the wider global background of the United Nations drive to promote 'Education for All'. The book draws a distinction between integration and inclusion and provides a critical analysis of the government's Program of Action and the revised National Curriculum and their implications for schools, pupils and families.

The current emphasis on individualised intervention programmes for students with special needs may not only be impractical, but also undesirable. This book compares and contrasts special needs approaches with school effectiveness strategies. The author sets out theories about inclusive schooling that arise out of a detailed scrutiny of practice. The link between theory and practice will be welcomed by many practitioners. With extensive examples from the field to illustrate Ainscow's ideas, this is an eminently accessible text.

"Each chapter ends with questions and issues for reflection. The book also includes an annotated list of further reading. It is designed to encourage readers to conduct their own research. This is a useful text for practitioner, postgraduate students, researchers, academics and policy-makers in education."--Jacket.