The dissertation examines contemporary challenges of inclusive education in the context of a globally diffused yet, in practice, only partially realised commitment to inclusion. The central research problem is the pronounced heterogeneity of the field – not only at the level of definitions, but also at the level of justifications and aims of inclusive education – and the question of how this heterogeneity can be understood and addressed to enable, rather than obstruct, further development. The study synthesises several key lines of divergence in the contemporary field and shows their effects on theory and practice.
The empirical and theoretical work is organised into four main blocks of analysis. First, the dissertation reconstructs the historical development of special education, integration and inclusion, from segregated schooling to the Salamanca Statement, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the formation of inclusive education in Slovenia. Second, it presents and critically evaluates existing attempts to conceptualise the field, particularly contributions that address the heterogeneity of definitions of inclusion. Third, it offers a systematic literature review and qualitative content analysis of 34 theoretical contributions on definitions, justifications and aims of inclusive education. Fourth, it develops a conceptual and philosophical analysis that links the findings to selected theories of education and inclusion.
The results show that the heterogeneity of the field reflects divergent understandings of definitions, justifications, aims, and core problems and dilemmas of inclusion. The study synthesises these into seven main points of divergence concerning the content and delimitation of the problem field, the relationship to special education, argumentative stances, conceptions of transformative ambition, views on existing implementations, global positioning, and the realism of proposed solutions. The analysis further reveals recurring argumentative weaknesses and shows that many approaches are caught between idealistic demands and the real constraints of existing education systems. The dissertation additionally analyses the impact of neoliberal accountability policies and standardised assessments and develops an educational framework for understanding school as scholé, a space of subjectification and “bearing with strangers”, in which inclusion is understood as a feature of a good school.
On this basis, the dissertation formulates guidelines for further conceptualisation and empirical research on inclusion, for models of practical implementation, for national education policies, and for teacher education programmes, with particular attention to the Slovenian context.
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