Towards inclusive schooling policies in Finland: a multiple-case study from policy to practice
Engelsk titel: Towards inclusive schooling policies in Finland: a multiple-case study from policy to practice
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Författare:
Lempinen, Sonia
Email: somale@utu.fi
Språk: Eng
Antal referenser: 35
Dokumenttyp:
Artikel
UI-nummer: 17060072
Sammanfattning
New education laws that emphasize inclusive ideology were recently
introduced to the Finnish educational system. In this study, I examine
whether these laws provide more inclusive practices and assess whether
the changes in the laws meet the views of the participants on
education. Semi-structured interviews with parents, teachers and
assistants of three children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
(age: 6–8 years) were conducted around the period of transfer from
kindergarten to schools in three municipalities. The official municipality
websites were examined to find types of classrooms offered. The results
showed that classrooms did not meet all expectations of the
participants and were not satisfactorily inclusive. To enable structure and
safety, the classrooms should be smaller (in the catchment area school)
and should include pupils with and without special education support to
learn from and support each other. The importance of one-to-one
interaction with professional staff was also emphasized. In conclusion,
the effect of the new laws could be seen through varying and to some
extent unequal organizing of special educational support in the
municipalities.