scholarly journals Is pedagogical training an essential requirement for inclusive education? The case of faculty members in the area of Social and Legal Sciences in Spain

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0254250
Author(s):  
Rosario Lopez-Gavira ◽  
Inmaculada Orozco ◽  
Ana Doménech
Keyword(s):  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Inductive System ◽  
Essential Requirement ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Pedagogical Training ◽  
Professional Characteristics ◽  
Spanish Universities ◽  
Fundamental Requirement

Introduction This study investigates the profiles of 25 faculty members of the area of Social and Legal Sciences, from seven Spanish universities, who were selected by students with disabilities. Specifically, the aim of this paper is to understand why, despite their lack of pedagogical and disability training, they are considered to be inclusive faculty members. Objective For this purpose, we analysed the professional characteristics of these academics, their conceptions about disability, what actions they carry out to provide an inclusive response and how they consider that the current situation of university students with disabilities could be improved. Methods Semi-structured individual interviews were used to collect the data. Subsequently, a progressive analysis of the data was performed, using an inductive system of categories and codes. Results and conclusions The results show that these faculty are responsible, involved and committed to their teaching performance. Moreover, they regard reasonable adjustments as a fundamental requirement to handle the different needs of students with disabilities. This paper–which can also be useful for faculty and researchers in other areas of knowledge–comes to the conclusion that training is relevant for becoming an inclusive faculty member. Nevertheless, good will and eagerness to do one’s job properly are even more important aspects.

scholarly journals Methodological Strategies of Faculty Members: Moving toward Inclusive Pedagogy in Higher Education

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3031
Author(s):  
Almudena Cotán ◽  
Arecia Aguirre ◽  
Beatriz Morgado ◽  
Noelia Melero
Keyword(s):  
Universal Design For Learning ◽  
Computer Software ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Inductive System ◽  
Inclusive Practice ◽  
Design For Learning ◽  
Inclusive Pedagogy ◽  
Spanish Universities ◽  
The University

This study presents findings that can pose an advancement in the development of inclusive teaching practices in the university scope. The aim of this work was to understand the methodological strategies that inclusive faculty members use in their classrooms and the difficulties that they find in the implementation of such strategies. A total of 119 faculty members from different fields of knowledge of 10 Spanish universities participated in this study. The data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and later analysed using an inductive system of categories and codes with computer software MaxQDA 12. The obtained data show the actions that these faculty members take to interact with their students, the methodologies they use to teach, the strategies they implement to promote their learning and the difficulties that hinder their inclusive practice in the classroom. This study concludes that there are faculty members who are committed to designing teaching projects based on the principles of Universal Design for Learning. They developing active methodologies in the classroom and attending to the diversity of the students through the necessary support and adjustments, from the approach of inclusive pedagogy.

University of Zululand Library and Inclusive Education: Responding to the Needs of Students with Disabilities

Mousaion ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorothy Eneya ◽  
Dennis N. Ocholla ◽  
Bertha Janneke Mostert
Keyword(s):  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Equal Access ◽  
Disability Policy ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Access To Information ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Education Agenda ◽  
The University

This paper investigates the University of Zululand Library’s response to the university’s inclusive education agenda with respect to the accessibility of library services to students with disabilities. This was a qualitative study within the interpretive paradigm that used Michael Oliver’s social model of disability as an underpinning theory. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from students with disabilities and library staff. In addition, physical inspection of the library building was also conducted. Data analysis was done by thematic analysis. The study reveals that the University of Zululand Library services are not inclusive. Students with disabilities struggle to access library services. They faced such challenges as inaccessibility of library services, unavailability of resources in alternative formats and assistive technologies, and the lack of a disability policy. The study also found that the library faced the following challenges in providing services for students with disabilities: limited funding, a lack of staff awareness and training, the lack of a disability policy and a lack of collaboration. Formulating regulations to enforce the implementation of disability policy and legislation, developing institutional disability policies, and providing assistive technologies are critical in ensuring the accessibility of library services to students with disabilities at the University of Zululand. Unless students with disabilities have equal access to information, the university’s inclusive education agenda will remain a distant dream. Access to academic library services is critical to the full participation of students with disabilities in education. Likewise, inclusive university education can only be realised when students with disabilities have equal access to information. This aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals and the United Nations Convention on the Rights for Persons with Disabilities, which promote equal access to services and facilities to persons with disabilities. This paper raises awareness for both library staff and university management about the current status of library facilities and services with respect to accessibility for students with disabilities and how to address inclusiveness in library service provision.

scholarly journals Twice-Exceptional Students: Review of Implications for Special and Inclusive Education

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 85
Author(s):  
Marcin Gierczyk ◽  
Garry Hornby
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Gifted Education ◽  
School Experiences ◽  
Exceptional Students ◽  
Twice Exceptional ◽  
Online Databases ◽  
Teachers Experiences ◽  
Education Interventions

The purpose of this article is to review recent literature on twice-exceptional students and consider implications for their education in the context of the trend towards increased inclusive education for students with disabilities. The review focused on teachers’ experiences and perceptions and the school experiences of twice-exceptional students. Fifteen articles were reviewed, published between 2000 and 2020, selected according to a systematic protocol from two widely used online databases. Findings indicated that the implications that need to be considered were the importance of teacher preparation, the need for a continuum of special education interventions, the need for collaboration with parents and specialists, and teachers needing to focus on developing strengths as much as remediating difficulties. It was concluded that twice-exceptional students can be taught effectively in inclusive education settings as long as they are able to access appropriate strategies and programs from the fields of special education and gifted education.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Diversity Programs in Higher Education Training Contexts in Spain

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 226
Author(s):  
David Pérez-Jorge ◽  
Eva Ariño-Mateo ◽  
Ana Isabel González-Contreras ◽  
María del Carmen Rodríguez-Jiménez
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Educational Needs ◽  
Social Conditions ◽  
Dropout Rates ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Educational Systems ◽  
University Teachers ◽  
Diversity Programs ◽  
Spanish Universities

Measures adopted by educational systems to improve and adapt the educational response of pupils with disability or diversity conditions arising from their personal and social conditions, have enabled them to gain tenure throughout the various stages of education. Educational institutions have been progressively adapting and responding to the educational needs of students who start university, and this fact highlights the lack of inclusive culture in university institutions. The lack of training of university teachers in the educational response to the needs of students with disabilities is evidenced by the high dropout rates of this group and in successive complaints of teachers who do not have the skills or tools to cope with this situation successfully. The review of a set of 75 programs developed by different Spanish universities to meet the needs of these students shows an insufficient institutional and administrative response while reflecting the lack of unity of jointly developed criteria.

scholarly journals Technological Platforms for Inclusive Practice at University: A Qualitative Analysis from the Perspective of Spanish Faculty Members

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 4755
Author(s):  
Víctor H. Perera ◽  
Anabel Moriña ◽  
Nieves Sánchez-Díaz ◽  
Yolanda Spinola-Elias
Keyword(s):  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
University Teaching ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Good Account ◽  
Inclusive Learning ◽  
Spanish Public Universities ◽  
Technological Platforms

Currently, the development of new virtual environments as a complementary tool to face-to-face teaching and the increased presence of students with disabilities at university classrooms are changing the landscape of university teaching. This article analyses the actions of faculty members who carry out inclusive practices in the context of technological platforms. The research was based on the assumptions of the qualitative paradigm, using individual semi-structured interviews with 119 faculty members from 10 Spanish public universities. The results show the reasons for inclusive learning with technological platforms, the use that faculty members make of these platforms in their inclusive educational practices, and the influence of these on the learning of students, especially students with disabilities. The conclusions give a good account of the conditions that determine the pedagogical use that faculty members make of virtual environments to facilitate the inclusion of students.

Students with disability perspectives towards inclusive education at the College of Basic Education in Kuwait: Barriers and challenges: اتجاهات الطلبة ذوي الإعاقة تجاه الدمج التعليمي في كلية التربية الأساسية في دولة الكويت: العوائق والتحديات

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (41) ◽  
pp. 218-200
Author(s):  
Nouf Salem Alenezi, Bader Jassim Alqallaf, Hamed Jassim Alsa Nouf Salem Alenezi, Bader Jassim Alqallaf, Hamed Jassim Alsa
Keyword(s):  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Basic Education ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Visual Disability ◽  
Social Barriers ◽  
Data Coding ◽  
Inclusive Practice ◽  
College Of Basic Education ◽  
Barriers And Challenges

This research is a qualitative interpretive case study focuses on the perspectives of (6) students with physical and visual disability who study at college of basic education in Kuwait. It sought to elicit the “voice” of students with disabilities, seeking to identify their experiences of inclusive practice and any barriers to participation. The researchers conducted semi structured interviews. It was processed and analysed through data coding, categorising and emergence of themes. Participants of the current study showed a willingness towards the concept of inclusion with some concerns, which include the cultural, structural, and social barriers of implementing inclusive education. The results of this study emphasise the importance of increasing the knowledge of inclusion and how to deal with students with disability. Overall, recommendations include a need for training courses for the faculty members at the College of Basic Education in the field of disability and inclusion.

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