Pedagogical and Psychological Department

Dita Nīmante, Dr. paed

University of Latvia

Pedagogical and Psychological Department,

Address: Jūrmalas gatve 74/76, Rīga, LV -1083,

e –mail: ;

Research/ teaching interests: Inclusive education, clasroom management.

Perceptions, possibilities and implementation of inclusive education in the Latvian context

Paper presented at the European Conference on Educational Research, University of Vienna, 28-30 September 2009

Annotation

Although the processes taking place in past fifteen years in education in Latvia overall should be considered as positive, specially concerning the rights of children with special needs and their possibilities in education system in Latvia into essence in linear section seem positive and oriented towards development, they are not unambiguous; they also reveal a certain contradiction. The contradiction is formed between the relatively politically advanced (by joining diverse international declarations and other international documents) move towards inclusive common society and education, which is accessible to all in Latvia, on the one hand, and the practice of general comprehensive school, on the other hand, where it is still problematic to ensure the educational needs of the children with special needs, thus also the accessibility of education and implementation of inclusive education in practice.

The author of the article evaluates critically one of the possible reasons why inclusive education of special needs children in general education is not being promoted- the insufficient link between the aims stated in the education policy documents and the content included in the documents regulating education that results in either actions or inactivity of those who are implementing education.

Introduction

The recognition of the diversity, the previously existent norms, taking down the traditions, acknowledgement of the rights of all and everyone and the rights to be like you are and to live as you consider right is the reality of the post-modern society. This development stage of the society possesses its uniqueness, which is characterized by globalization processes, the “shrinking” of time and space, repletion of information, multiculturalism, feminism and pluralism. At the same time it includes the change of paradigms of the modernism or “falling out of it” (Skrtic, 1991). As Skrtic maintains, “postmodernism represents the reconceptualization of the nature of knowledge itself”.(Skrtic, 1991, p. 18) Besides the ideas of postmodernism express the conviction that “the society has to provide benevolent conditions so that all individuals regardless their belonging to a particular group of population could develop full-fledged – even if the group is small and is not “economically” perspective. (Jermolajeva, 2002, 198). Thus the issue whether all individuals, especially those who have been historically “outcast” or “rejected” by the society are ensured the necessary conditions for a wholesome life, became the topicality of the postmodern society.

Research question

Is there any coherence between the understanding of inclusive education, the defined possibilities of including childrenwith special needs and their implementation in practice, which has been expressed in statements of 35 pedagogues, education planning documents, normative documents of education as well as in data obtained in interviews in 5 general comprehensive schools?

Methodology of research

Theoretical methods – analysis of theoretical literature.

The obtained qualitative data were analyzed in AQUAD 6 environment (Program for analyzing qualitative data,Huber, Universität Tübingen, 1990–2007), using the primary mathematic statistic methods and in SPSS 16 environment, using non-parametric statistic methods (test of Kolmagorov-Smirnov, correlation ratio of Spearmen ranking).

Theoretical findings

Winzer the history of special education and development in special education entitles as humanization of whole society. (Winzer,1993, XI) Humanization of society in education is reflected in the concept of inclusive education. Therefore inclusive education should be looked upon in the context of diverse processes – from isolating to segregative, from integrating to inclusive, which is historically grounded. They include the development of perception about children with special needs, the expansion of rights for children in the context of general education,understanding the “norm” and “non-norm” of the society as well as the development of society’s understanding on the whole. The degree of ensuring everyone’s possibilities – from isolating to inclusive – should be perceived as providing broader possibilities for children with special needs to acquire education as well as for the children themselves to become full-fledged members of the society.

The inclusive education is based on the values of humanism, it is the reflection of the social model in practice, represents the ideals of a democratic school, is child-centred, which supports and concentrates on the educational needs of every pupil in social context of school, by ensuring the accessibility of education to everyone, the belonging and participation in all aspects connected with the school life as well as the development and achievement of every child in effective and qualitative process of education.

The scheme of “Hierarchy of inclusive education” provided by UNESCO (UNESCO, 2005) becomes very useful, where we can find the visualization of processes described above. The ladder represented in the scheme symbolizes the way of children with special needs from isolation to segregation, integration and inclusive education. Children with special needs have been perceived differentlyin every footstep; every developmental footstep solved historically different problems and overall reveals a complex process of the society development. Hofsaas refers this complex process to education. He entitles this development (from isolation to segregation, integration and inclusive education) as four step evolution of inclusive education from anthropological perspective. (Hofsaas, 2008)He calls those steps: educational exclusion, educational segregation, educational integration and educational inclusion. Every stage of those processes in education is characterized by the efforts to solve definite objectives; each following one is the basis for the development of further processes, for the exchange of thoughts and for increasing the understanding of children with special needs in the society, which is followed by concrete actions in education –in the formations of receiving the education services and in the format of implementing the teaching/learning process.

Although the theoretical literature offers different interpretation of these issues, especially about separation of ‘integration’ and ‘inclusive education’, learning more about the understanding of this processed expressed by the following authors (Reynolds, 1962; Booth, 1983; Wood, 1984; Harris and Associates, 1989; Ainscow, 1995; Thomas, Walker, Webb, 1998; Florian, 1998,Thomas, Loxley, 2001; Booth, Ainscow,2002; Lindsay, 2003; Swain,Cook, 2005; Gibson, Blandford, 2005; Henley, Ramsey, Algozzine, 2006; Ainscow, 2007; Florian, 2007; Lindsay, 2007)it is possible to summarize several features which are characteristic to each step of the process as it can be seen in the table.

Table1.Isolation, integration, segregation, inclusive education

Features
Isolation / Seclusion, complete separation
Key words: isolation, secluded, outside
Segregation / A way how child’s special needs are being accommodated.
Aim: to ensure education to children with special needs, but when implementing the education process in a separated environment, when separating children from other by certain features and concentrating them in one “safe” environment, envisaging “specialized” and “professional” assistance and care. Medical model in practice.
Format: to establish separate schools, separate classes.
Key words: a child with special needs: visually impaired/blind children, hearing impaired/deaf children, learners with disturbances in physical development, learners with mental developmental disturbances, learners with somatic illnesses, learners with language disturbances, learners with psycho neurological illnesses, learners with delay in psychic development and learning difficulties; special education – special school, special class, special assistance, special service, to separate, to unite according to special or particular needs.
Integration / Uniting again separate, previously separated parts.
Aim: to ensure the rights of children invalids and to make their life as “normal” as possible in order to ensure ordinary home and school life as long ass it is possible.
Format: “to place” children with special needs, who for some reasons were isolated and segregated from the general comprehensive educational institution, into the system of general comprehensive education. It is based on the opinion that children with special needs have rights to learn in general comprehensive school. Equality as regards the age.
Key words: a child with special needs: visually impaired/blind children, hearing impaired/deaf children, learners with disturbances in physical development, learners with mental developmental disturbances, learners with somatic illnesses, learners with language disturbances, learners with psycho neurological illnesses, learners with delay in psychic development and learning difficulties; a child with special needs: problem children, children with troubles, non-standard children, difficult children; integration by including in general comprehensive school; ensured rights to learn in general comprehensive school; the school accepts, welcomes, offers, ensures, provides; possibilities of social integration, second chance education possibilities for children with special needs; correction programs; integration possibilities; education for children from social risk groups in a separated environment.
Inclusive education / Accommodation of individual needs of every and each child in social and inclusive environment. The rights of every child to education.
Aim: to change the existing policy of general comprehensive schools (the culture of school, teaching and learning) by increasing the quality of education, so that the school encouraged the accessibility to education for all, by ensuring the educational needs of every child, by reducing any obstacles for any child.
All children are winners as the support and “good, qualitative teaching” is organized for all children.
Key words: a child, everyone, every child and youth, all children, all; educational institution, school; the possibilities of everyone to get education; accessible environment for everyone, accepted; participating, involving, joining; ensuring all the individual needs; achievement, results, development; for everyone’s progress and development, the suitability of the environment to all; ensuring development possibilities for everyone; participation of all; accessibility to qualitative education for all; the rights of everyone;ensuring all kinds of achievement; programs accessible to everyone; education involving all.

The perception of the above mentioned processes made a theoretical background for the research

Empirical data processing

The task of data processing was to perform a profound analysis of the inclusion possibilities of children with special needs in general comprehensive schools of Latvia and to define the regularities by analyzing the understanding of the inclusive education that teachers had expresses in their statements, the possibilities that are substantiated in legislative and normative documents and the implementation as it was revealed in the data obtained from interviews carried out in 5 general comprehensive schools.

In order to perform the study, texts of their fragments were selected from the following documents:

35 statements on inclusive education by teachers (hereafter in the text – statements);
interview with the principal of RigaSecondary school Nr. 84 (hereafter in the text – interviews);
interview with the representatives from Smiltene gymnasium administration (hereafter in the text – interviews);
interview with the principal of Šķibe primary school (hereafter in the text – interviews);
interview with the principal of Vaivari primary school (hereafter in the text – interviews);
interview with the principal of Sabile secondary school (hereafter in the text – interviews);
Law on education, 1999 (hereafter in the text – documents);
Law on general education, 1999 (hereafter in the text – documents);
Conception of development of education for years 2002 – 2005 (hereafter in the text – documents);
Guidelines on the development of education 2007 – 2013 (hereafter in the text – documents);
Regulations on State standards in basic education and subject standards in basic education, 2006 (hereafter in the text – documents);
Model program of special basic education for learners with special needs, 2005 (hereafter in the text – documents);
Model program of special education for learners with special needs who are integrated in general basic education and general secondary education, 2003 (hereafter in the text – documents).

In order to ensure the validity and equity of the qualitative study, the obtained data were processed and analyzed in the AQUAD 6 (Program for qualitative data analysis, Huber, Universität Tübingen, 1990–2007environment with the aim to reveal the regularities (See Table 2). Data were only partly reduced during data processing. Texts from interviews and statements were preserved intact, and parts from the texts from normative documents of education were reduced and only those fragments from the text that were identified as applicable to the issues under the research were included in processing. All texts and text fragments were “placed” in AQUAD 6 environment according to the requirements of the program.

Data processing was organized in two steps

1. Primary coding of data.

Data coding according to its structure is organized in hierarchy including four meta-codes: isolation, understanding of segregation, integration, inclusive education that reflects the historical or anthropological understanding of the development of inclusive education and the development of processes. Meta-codes include a more detailed system of sub-codes (73 sub- codes), which in its turn includes the interpretation of 4 levels: understanding, including problems, possibilitiesand implementation. (look appendix 1) Coding was performed according to the developed scheme which was based on theoretical findings, more precisely, the keywords which indicates theisolation, integration, segregation and inclusive education. It was done by two researchers in order to reduce the subjective understanding of the text. Separate parts of the text – the content units- were coded according to the content during the coding process. (see table 2;3)

Table 2 Card of the cods

Izolācija/
Isolation / Segregācija/
Segregation / Integrācija/ Integration / Iekļaujoša izglītība/ Inclusive education
Izpratne/
understanding / iek_izgl_ spec_i / izg_spec_int_izp izg_ip_vis_izp / ikv_iesp_iatt_izp katr_att_apst_izp katr_iesp_att_izp ieklau_vide_izp katr_iesp_izg_izp vis_iesai_i_izp vis_indva_n_izp vis_pie_kval_izpr vis_pie_vienl_izpr vis_piemer_izp visi_pie_izp katr_ties_izg_izp
t.sk. problēmas/
problems / izol_pr / izg_spec_int_pro izg_spec_pie_pr izg_spec_sp_izp izg_spec_atb_nre / izg_spec_int_pro izg_socr_iek_pr izg_ip_prob izg_2iesp_prob / visi_pie_pr visi_sas_pr vis_pie_inti_rne
Iespējas/
possibilities / izg_spec_int_mer izg_spec_pie_me izg_spec_sp_ies spec_pie_inti_mer izg_spec_int_ies / izg_spec_int_ies izg_spec_int_mer izg_kor_pr_mer izg_kor_pr_ies izg_ip_pie_mer izg_ip_atb_mer / iek_soca_maz_mer
visi_pie_mer katr_ties_izg_mer katr_iesp_att_mer katr_iesp_izg_ies katr_iesp_izg_mer vis_iek_kv_pie_mer vis_iek_pie_mer vis_pie_inti_mer visi_kva_mer visi_peej_prog-iesp visi_soc_iek_mer katr_att_mer
Realizācija/
implementation / izg_spec_int_rea izg_spec_pr_rea izg_spec_sp_rea kor_pr_sekm_rea izg_spec_atb_rea / izg_ip_pr_real soc_int_real izg_spec_int_rea izg_kor_pr_rea izg_ip_atb_rea kor_pr_sekm_rea izg_2iesp_rea / vis_pie_kval_real vis_pie_inti_rea vis_kva_real katr_iesp_att_rea katr_iesp_izg_rea vis_iek_pie_real vis_iesai_i_rea vis_iesp_sekm_rea visi_indvaj_int-real izg_ies_ta_rea

Table 3 Acronym explanation

Izolācija/ Isolation
Izpratne, tai skaitā problēmas/ understanding, problems
izol_pr – izolācija, problēmas/ isolation, problems
Segregācija/ Segregation
Izpratne/ understanding
iek_izgl_ spec_i – iekļaujoša izglītība kā speciālā izglītība izpratne/ inclusive education as special education, understanding
Tai skaitā problēmas/problems:
izg_spec_int_pro - izglītība bērniem ar speciālajām vajadzībām integrējot, problēma/ education for children with special needs by integrating, problem
izg_spec_pie_pr - izglītība bērniem ar speciālajām vajadzībām pieejamības problēma/ education for children with special needs, accessibility problem
izg_spec_sp_izp - izglītība bērniem ar speciālajām vajadzībām, speciālā izgl., izpratne/ education for children with special needs, special education, understanding
izg_spec_atb_nre - izglītība bērniem ar speciālajām vajadzībām, atbalsta nerealizācija/ education for children with special needs, support problems
Iespējas/ possibilities:
izg_spec_int_mer - izglītība bērniem ar speciālajām vajadzībām integrējot, mērķis/ education for children with special needs by integrating, aim
izg_spec_pie_me- izglītība bērniem ar speciālajām vajadzībām, pieejamības mērķis/ education for children with special needs, accessibility, aim
izg_spec_sp_ies - izglītība bērniem ar speciālajām vajadzībām, speciālā izgl., mērķis/ education for children with special needs, special education, aim
spec_pie_inti_mer - izglītība bērniem ar speciālajām vajadzībām interešu izglītības pieejamība/ education for children with special needs, accessibility of out of school education.
izg_spec_int_ies - izglītība bērniem ar speciālajām vajadzībām integrācijas iespējas./ education for children with special needs by integrating, possibilities
Realizācija/ implementation:
izg_spec_int_rea - izglītība bērniem ar speciālajām vajadzībām integrācijas realizācija/
education for children with special needs by integrating, implementation.
izg_spec_pr_rea - izglītība bērniem ar speciālajām vajadzībām sp. programmu realizācija/ education for children with special needs, implementation of special educational programmes
izg_spec_sp_rea - izglītība bērniem ar speciālajām vajadzībām speciālās izgl. realizācija/ education for children with special needs, implementation
kor_pr_sekm_rea - korekciju programmu sekmīga realizācija/ correction programs, implementation
izg_spec_atb_rea - izglītība bērniem ar speciālajām vajadzībām atbalsta realizācija/ education for children with special needs support, implementation
Integrācija/ Integration
Izpratne/ understanding
izg_spec_int_izp - izglītība bērniem ar speciālajām vajadzībām integrācijas izpratne/ education for children with special needs, integration, understanding
izg_ip_vis_izp - izglītība bērniem ar īpašām vajadzībām vispārizglītojošā skolā izpratne/ education for children with exceptional needs in regular school, understanding
Tai skaitā problēmas/ problems
izg_spec_int_pro - izglītība bērniem ar speciālajām vajadzībām integrācijas problēmas/
education for children with special needs by integration, problems
izg_socr_iek_pr - izglītība bērniem no sociālā riska grupām, iekļaušanās problēmas/
education for children with exceptional needs (children at social risk), integration problems
izg_ip_prob - izglītība bērniem ar īpašām vajadzībām problēma/ education for children with exceptional needs, problems
izg_2iesp_prob – otrās iespējas izglītības problēmas/ second chance education possibilities, problems
Iiespējas/ possibilities:
izg_spec_int_ies - izglītība bērniem ar speciālajām vajadzībām integrācijas iespējas/ education for children with special needs by integration, possibilities.
izg_spec_int_mer - izglītība bērniem ar speciālajām vajadzībām integrācijas mērķis/ education for children with special needs by integration, aim
izg_kor_pr_mer – izglītība korekcijas programmā mērķis/ education in correction program’s, aim
izg_kor_pr_ies - izglītība korekcijas programmā iespējas/ education in correction program’s, possibilities
izg_ip_pie_mer – izglītības bērniem ar īpašām vajadzībām pieejamības mērķis/ education for children with exceptional needs, aim
izg_ip_atb_mer – izglītība bērniem ar īpašām vajadzībām atbalsta mērķis/ education for children with exceptional needs, support, aim
Realizācija/ implementation:
izg_ip_pr_real – izglītība bērniem ar īpašām vajadzībām programmu realizācija /education for children with exceptional needs, implementation of programs
soc_int_real – sociālās integrācijas realizācija/ implementation of social integration
izg_spec_int_rea - izglītība bērniem ar speciālajām vajadzībām integrācijas realizācija/ education for children with special needs by integration, implementation
izg_kor_pr_rea – izglītība korekcijas programmās realizācija/ correction programs’, implementation
izg_ip_atb_rea - izglītība bērniem ar īpašām vajadzībām atbalsta realizācija/ education for children with exceptional needs, implementation of support
kor_pr_sekm_rea – korekcijas programmu sekmīga realizācija/ correction programs, implementation
izg_2iesp_rea – otrās izglītības iespēju realizācija/ second chance education implementation
Iekļaujoša izglītība/ inclusive education
Izpratne/ understanding
ikv_iesp_iatt_izp – ikvienam iespējas izaugsmei un attīstībai izpratne/ every one has an opportunity for development and growth, understanding
katr_att_apst_izp - katra attīstības apstākļu nodrošināšanas izpratne/ creation of development condition for everyone, understanding
katr_iesp_att_izp – katra iespēju un attīstības nepieciešamības izpratne/ necessity of opportunities and development for everyone, understanding
ieklau_vide_izp – iekļaujošas vides izpratne/ inclusive environment, understanding
katr_iesp_izg_izp – katra iespējas izglītoties izpratne/ educational possibilities for everyone, understanding
vis_iesai_i_izp – visu iesaistīšanās izglītībā izpratne/ everyone is includes in education, understanding
vis_indva_n_izp - visu individuālo vajadzību nodrošināšanas izpratne/ ensuring of individual needs for everyone, understanding
vis_pie_kval_izpr – visu pieejamības kvalitatīvai izglītībai izpratne/ accessibility to education for everyone, understanding
vis_pie_vienl_izpr – visu pieejamības vienlīdzības izpratne/ equality of accessibility to education for everyone, understanding
vis_piemer_izp – visu piemērotības izglītībā izpratne/ eligibility of education to everyone, undestanding
visi_pie_izp – visu pieejamības izglītībai izpratne/ accecability of education to everyone, understanding
katr_ties_izg_izp - katra tiesības uz izglītību izpratne / the rights to education for everyone, understanding
iek_soca_maz_mer – iekļaušana sociālā riska mazināšanai, mērķis/ inclusion for reducing social risk, aim
tai skaitā problēmas/ problems
visi_pie_pr - visu izglītības pieejamības problēmas/ accessibility of education to everyone, problems
visi_sas_pr - visu sasniegumu nodrošināšanas problēmas/ achievement for everybody, problem
vis_pie_inti_rne - visu pieejamības interešu izglītībai nepietiekama realizācija/ accessibility of out of school education to everyone, problems
iespējas/ possibilities:
visi_pie_mer - visu pieejamība izglītībai mērķis/ accessibility of education for everybody, aim
katr_ties_izg_mer - katra tiesības uz izglītību, mērķis/ everyone right to education, aim
katr_iesp_att_mer - katra iespējas attīstīties, mērķis/ possibilities for development for everyone, aim
katr_iesp_izg_ies - katra iespējas izglītoties, iespējas/ possibilities for education for everyone, aim
katr_iesp_izg_mer – katra iespējas izglītoties, mērķis/ education possibilities for everyone, aim
vis_iek_kv_pie_mer – visu iekļaušana, kvalitatīva pieejama, mērķis/ everyone included, qualitative and accessible, aim
vis_iek_pie_mer - visu iekļaušana, pieejamība, mērķis/ inclusiveness, accessibility for all, aim
vis_pie_inti_mer - visiem pieejama interešu izglītība, mērķis/ out of school education for everyone, aim
visi_kva_mer – visiem kvalitatīva izglītība, mērķis/ qualitative education for everyone, aim
visi_peej_prog-iesp – visiem pieejamas programmas, iespējas/ programs’ for everyone, possibilities
visi_soc_iek_mer - visiem sociālā iekļaušanās, mērķis/ social inclusion, aim
katr_att_mer – katra attīstība, mērķis/ development of everybody, aim
realizācija/ implementation:
vis_pie_kval_real - visiem pieejama kvalitatīva izglītība, realizācija/ accessibility of education for everybody, implementation
vis_pie_inti_rea – visiem pieejama interešu izglītība, realizācija/ out of school education for everyone, implementation
vis_kva_real – visiem kvalitatīva izglītība, realizācija/ qualitative education for everyone, implementation
katr_iesp_att_rea – katra iespēju attīstīšana, realizācija/ development of everybody, implementation
katr_iesp_izg_rea - katram iespējas izglītoties, realizācija/ possibilities for education for everyone, implementation
vis_iek_pie_real - visiem iekļaujoša pieejama izglītība, realizācija/ inclusiveness, accecabiliy for all, implementation
vis_iesai_i_rea - visus iesaistoša izglītības realizācija/ inclusiveness for all, implementation
vis_iesp_sekm_rea – visu iespēju sekmīga realizācija/ education possibilities for everyone, implementation
visi_indvaj_int-real – visu individuālo vajadzību un interešu realizācija/ everyone right to education, implementation
izg_ies_ta_rea - izglītības iespēju tiesību uz attīstību realizācija/ everyone right to education, implementation

Adjustment of code system to the selected texts. Primary coding. Texts were correlated with codes. The table of codes was defined more precisely.
Determining the mutual connection of the data: frequencies, subordination, superordination, chain or overlapping, linkages.

2. Secondary coding