European Journal of Inclusive Education
https://tidsskrift.dk/ejie
<p><em>The European Journal of Inclusive Education</em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is the official journal of the Inclusive Education Network, founded in 1996 and affiliated to the <a href="https://eera-ecer.de" target="_blank" rel="noopener">EERA European Educational Research Association</a>.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The European Journal of Inclusive Education provides an open-access forum for the exploration of issues associated with inclusive education across the age-range. Its focus is international and multi-disciplinary. It seeks studies that explore the ways in which our education systems impact upon the experience of a broad range of learners. We are interested in articles that are relevant to a wide audience and that contribute to discussions within the pages of this journal. </span><span lang="EN-GB">We encourage studies approaching learners from a diversity perspective (rather than categorical view of learners)</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span><span lang="EN-US">Finally, we aim to </span><span lang="EN-US">favour interdisciplinary and intersectional connections with research on diversity in education and, more broadly, in the social sciences area.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Scope</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The journal is interested in promoting critical analysis of policy and practice that has relevance to a global audience. Since policy and practice of inclusive education are context-dependent, we are also interested in locally situated studies of inclusive education, which could be conceptually and/or methodologically generalisable.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Each issue will primarily include research reports, but will also include theoretical contributions and methodological discussions. We also welcome creative and imaginative ways to explore and represent </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">issues of inclusion.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> We will consider studies across a broad range of topics, including pedagogy, curriculum, assessment, policy, organisational processes, educational experiences and relationships.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Peer Review Policy</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">All research articles in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymized refereeing by at least two anonymous referees.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Publication costs</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Publishing in EJIE requires no article processing charges (APC) or other publication fees (e.g. article submission charges). Publishing is free of costs.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></p> <p><strong>Publication frequency</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Issues (online): bi-annually (January, July).</span></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Why publishing on </strong><strong>the European Journal of Inclusive Education?</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">EJIE is</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">-</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> open-access;</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">- peer-reviewed;</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">- initiated and run by representatives of the research community;</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">- non-profit;</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">- open for multidisciplinary perspectives on inclusive education.</span></p>The European Journal of Inclusive Education is the official journal of the Inclusive Education Network affiliated to the EERA European Educational Research Associationen-USEuropean Journal of Inclusive Education2794-4417<p>This journal is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License</a> (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/legalcode">full legal code</a>).</p>Tensions as a rule: Re-imaging the development of special education by functional system theory
https://tidsskrift.dk/ejie/article/view/142098
<p style="font-weight: 400;">This article aims to re-imagine special education through the theoretical lens of functional system theory, tightly connoted with the sociological work of Niklas Luhmann. Regarding this perspective, modern society’s social system is characterized by ‘functional differentiation.’ Its subsystems emerge concerning particular functions. This conceptual approach can be seen as a toolbox to unpack the complex relations of special education organizations, professions, and an academic discipline. First, special education is an organic part of a mass education system. Special education is a strategy of an education system to solve issues of variance of learners’ needs. Second, organization, practice, and special education theory are contextually contingent. Thirdly, inherent frictions can be related to special education functions of serving in two functional systems: a functional system of health and one of education. Employing the case of Sweden and using system theory and re-imagination lens, I show that special education since the 1990s and even before has served as an inclusion project. It was also an issue of constant re-arrangement of special education into the education system by negotiation between medical and pedagogical means. Therefore, in this article I claim that dilemmas and tensions must be the rule.</p>Wieland Wermke
Copyright (c) 2024 Wieland Wermke
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2024-12-312024-12-313223224410.7146/ejie.v3i2.142098Teacher training for inclusion within an égalité framework in France
https://tidsskrift.dk/ejie/article/view/143308
<p>In France, recent years have seen a national-level acceleration towards embracing “<em>l’école inclusive</em>”, with the 2019 education law reform providing for a standardised national teacher training curriculum. While teachers are in theory being better prepared for inclusive practices, France’s egalitarian constitutional model remains in ideological conflict with differentiated treatment of diversity. This raises the question of whether current teacher education in the French context, within an <em>égalité</em> framework, can effectively prepare teachers for their work with pupils with diverse learning needs and special educational needs. A small-scale qualitative study carried out in Bordeaux in 2021-2022, as part of the research project <em>Empowering Teachers for Inclusion in Schools (ETIS),</em> explores this question by gathering views from 17 local teacher educators, mainstream teachers and SEN educators. Common themes across these interviews were identified using a Thematic Content Analysis. The main problems identified by educators are (1) institutional teacher training takes a separatist approach to preparing teachers for inclusion of diversity, and (2) a lack of initial teacher training for inclusion leads to “<em>bricolage</em>” (DIY) in response to the needs of SEN pupils in schools, rather than structured, strategic approaches to support learning. In a third finding, mainstream and SEN educators alike share the view that school inclusion could be strengthened by reinforcing preparation within core initial teacher training programmes.</p>Fiona SmytheRégis Malet
Copyright (c) 2024 Fiona SMYTHE, Régis Malet
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2024-12-312024-12-3132227929210.7146/ejie.v3i2.143308Towards A Zombie Theory Of Inclusive Education: A Discourse Analysis Of Special Educational Needs Policies In Five European Countries
https://tidsskrift.dk/ejie/article/view/143767
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Purpose</strong> This study aims to contribute to the ongoing discourse on reimagining special education to authentically support inclusivity. It explores the application of zombie theory as a critical lens to examine Special Educational Needs (SEN) policies across Denmark, France, Italy, Spain, and the UK. By dissecting the current state of SEN policies, the paper seeks to uncover mechanisms that perpetuate exclusion under the guise of inclusion.</p> <p style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Methods</strong> Employing a mixed-methods approach, the research combines quantitative data analysis with qualitative discourse analysis. This comprehensive methodology facilitates an in-depth examination of SEN policy implementation and its impact across the selected European countries. The study analyzes policy documents, legislation, and statistical reports to investigate the conceptualization and operationalization of SEN within various educational systems.</p> <p style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Findings</strong> The findings reveal a growing trend in the identification of students with SEN, coupled with significant regional disparities in addressing these needs. The analysis highlights the fluid and often ambiguous definitions of SEN, contributing to what is described as a ‘nurtured epidemic.’ The study identifies processes of ‘immunization’ and ‘burnout’ as crucial for understanding the exclusionary pressures within inclusive education. These processes marginalize students with SEN and commodify their needs within a broader educational market, reflecting the paradoxes and contradictions that undermine the objectives of inclusive education.</p> <p style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Conclusion</strong> The study concludes that zombie theory provides a powerful metaphor for critiquing and rethinking SEN policies within the context of inclusive education. It advocates for a shift away from current practices that marginalize and exploit students with SEN, proposing instead a more dynamic and fluid understanding of inclusion. This ‘nomadic’ approach to inclusive education would acknowledge and value the diverse needs of students, viewing these differences as opportunities to enrich the educational landscape. The paper calls for an educational paradigm that truly accommodates all learners, moving beyond the undead state of current SEN policies to revive the spirit of genuine inclusion.</p>Fabio Dovigo
Copyright (c) 2024 Fabio Dovigo
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2024-12-312024-12-313224527810.7146/ejie.v3i2.143767Introduction
https://tidsskrift.dk/ejie/article/view/152530
<p style="font-weight: 400;">This issue seeks to confront the challenge encapsulated in the notion of Special Education. This is a challenge which has been with us from before the days of compulsory education, intensified with the arrival of formal schooling for the masses and took on a new dimension as calls for inclusive education began to grow. It is about how we support people who have sensory, intellectual or physical characteristics that are marginalised by society and who face additional everyday challenges as part of their lived experience. Across all countries, similar numbers of children associated with such characteristics spend at least 80% of their time outside of the regular classroom, even in those systems which claim to have closed special education settings (E.g: EASNIE, 2024; Anastasiou et al, 2015).</p>Olja Jovanović Rix JonathanJude Tah
Copyright (c) 2024 Olja Jovanović ; Rix Jonathan, Jude Tah
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2024-12-312024-12-313222423110.7146/ejie.v3i2.152530