Teachers’ Social Representations Concerning the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities

This article seeks to identify the social representations held by public school teachers in Bogotá and Cali (Colombia) regarding the inclusion of disabled children in the classroom. The research followed an inductive approach based on grounded theory; to this effect, the content and internal structu...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Gutiérrez, Mario Fernando, Martínez Fernández, Liliana
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2020
Country:México
Institution:UNIVERSIDAD AUTÓNOMA DE BAJA CALIFORNIA
Repository:Revista Electrónica de Investigacion Educativa
Language:Spanish
OAI Identifier:oai:ojs.redie.uabc.mx:article/2260
Online Access:https://redie.uabc.mx/redie/article/view/2260
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Special education
pupil integration
educational needs
right to education
Educación especial
integración escolar
necesidades educativas
derecho a la educación.
Description
Summary:This article seeks to identify the social representations held by public school teachers in Bogotá and Cali (Colombia) regarding the inclusion of disabled children in the classroom. The research followed an inductive approach based on grounded theory; to this effect, the content and internal structure of social representations were identified (a descriptive and relational analysis). The study involved 25 teachers from two public schools in Bogotá and Cali. The results show that, as far as inclusion is concerned, teachers believe they play a coordinating role between public policy and pedagogical implementation in the classroom, despite not always having appropriate training. For teachers, the emotional dimension of inclusion is demanding, and – for the most part – this is viewed negatively.