Cross-Cultural Approaches to the Study of “Inclusive” and “Special Needs” Education

Abstract

This chapter explores some of the complexities involved when undertaking research at an international level in the area of “inclusive” education and “special needs” education. The complexities encountered by researchers working in these fields, mirror many of the challenges that comparativists in education studies find themselves addressing. Drawing from earlier investigations and from reports by international organizations, this chapter highlights some of the dilemmas and challenges that researchers face when considering inclusion and special needs education in different countries. Differing interpretations of “inclusion” are discussed and then contrasted with thinking around “special needs” practices. The chapter moves forward to analyze how the adoption of differing theoretical frameworks can influence the way that “disability” is conceptualized and therefore how inclusive and special needs education are interpreted and then put into practice. The chapter argues that cross-cultural work opens up opportunities for further development and learning in this field. We further argue that such cross-cultural work can become a mechanism to instigate fundamental change in education.

Citation

D'Alessio, S. and Cowan, S. (2013), "Cross-Cultural Approaches to the Study of “Inclusive” and “Special Needs” Education", Annual Review of Comparative and International Education 2013 (International Perspectives on Education and Society, Vol. 20), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 227-261. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-3679(2013)0000020021