Enabling, hearing and giving weight to students’ views of special schooling in 21st century Ireland: do ‘dilemmas of difference’ apply?
Year: 2009
Type: other
Abstract: Special schooling is increasingly under the microscope, with theory, policy and practice\nconverging towards inclusive education, and Irish legislation enshrining the principle o f\ninclusive education fo r children who have special educational needs. Central to current\ndebate is the question o f whether or not to recognise difference: this has become known as the\n‘dilemma o f difference'. In recent years, another social movement has also come under the\nmicroscope, with increased emphasis and discourse on the concept o f children’s rights / views\no f children. Both o f these themes are central aspects o f this study.\nThis study aims to ascertain the views o f students who attend one special school, and in\nparticular whether ‘dilemmas o f difference’ apply fo r them. Using a range o f different\nstrategies such as focus groups, individual and paired interviews and written and pictorial\ndata created by participants, students ’ views on schooling are gathered and analysed. An\noverarching theoretical perspective combining an open thesis o f insider epistemology, a\nrelational theory o f the subject, and a social relational model o f disability is used to fram e the\nstudy. The findings are that dilemmas o f difference do apply fo r at least some o f the\nparticipants, in particular in relation to identification, location and the status o f the school. A\ndilemma o f difference in respect o f curriculum was fo u n d not to apply in this study.\nThis study is significant fo r the manner in which research is conducted with young people\nwith special educational needs, and its findings have implications fo r policy makers and\npractitioners. While the movement towards inclusive schooling continues, it is apt to consider\nand to give due weight to the views o f students, including those attending special schools.
Author: Colman Motherway
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2892041577