Over the last few years, there has been considerable debate regarding the ways in which the different educational systems in the world should develop more inclusive practices in their schools. An important aspect of this discussion revolves around the question of what schools can do to become more inclusive in terms of maximizing the participation of all children in their cultures, curricula, and communities. The Cyprus educational system, in responding to international developments, has made certain efforts to provide equal educational opportunities. These initiatives are undertaken centrally by the Ministry of Education and Culture without paying much attention to individual schools, their cultures, and the relations between schools and their communities. Given these efforts, this study examined how school cultures influence the development of inclusive practices, using case study in a rural primary school in Cyprus with 115 students, and through the analysis of our data, we spotted certain elements of the school's culture that contributed to the success of inclusive education. The provided examples, as well as the way that the leaders led the school under investigation toward an inclusive culture, might be helpful for educators in other contexts who struggle to develop inclusive schools.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AinscowM. (1999). Understanding the development of inclusive schools.London: Falmer Press.
AinscowM., & SandillA. (2010). Developing inclusive educational systems: The role of organisational culture and leadership. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 14(4), 401–416.
4.
AngekdesP. (2004). Moving towards inclusive education in Cyprus?International Journal of Inclusive Education, 8(4), 407–422.
5.
AngekdesP., & AinscowM. (2000). Making sense of the role of culture in school improvement. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 11(2), 145–163.
6.
ArmstrongF., ArmstrongD., & BartonL. (2000). Introduction: What is this book about. In ArmstrongF., ArmstrongD., & BartonL. (Eds.), Inclusive education: Policy, contexts and comparative perspectives (pp. 1–11). London: Fulton.
7.
AttfieldR., & WilliamsC. (2003). Leadership and inclusion: A special school perspective. British Journal of Special Education, 30(1), 28–33.
8.
AvramidisE., & NorwichB. (2002). Teachers’ attitudes towards integration/inclusion: A review of the literature. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 17(2), 129–147.
9.
BenjaminS. (2002). The micropolitics of inclusive education.Buckingham, UK: Open University Press.
BoothT., & AinscowM. (Eds.). (1998). From them to us: An international study of inclusion in education.London: Routledge.
12.
BoothT., & AinscowM. (2002). The index for inclusion (2nd ed.). Bristol, UK: ICIE.
13.
BurgessR. G. (1982). Keeping a research diary. Cambridge Journal of Education, 2(1), 75–83.
14.
CarringtonS. (1999). Inclusion needs a different school culture. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 3(3), 257–268.
15.
CorbettJ. (1999). Inclusive education and school culture. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 3(1), 53–61.
16.
DealT., & KennedyA. (1983). Culture and school performance. Educational Leadership, 40(5), 14–15.
17.
DealT. E., & PetersonK. D. (2009). A guide for shaping your school's culture: Pitfalls, paradoxes and promises (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
18.
DoyleL. H. (2002). Leadership and inclusion: Reculturing for reform. International Journal of Educational Reform, 11(1), 38–62.
19.
DysonA., FarrellP., PolatF., HutchesonG., & GallanaughF. (2004). Inclusion and pupil achievement (Research Report No. 578). London: Department of Education and Skills.
20.
DysonA., HowesA., & RobertsB. (2002). A systematic review of the effectiveness of school-level actions for promoting participation by all students. In Research evidence in education library.London: EPPI-Centre, Social Science Research Unit, Institute of Education.
21.
EilersA. M., & CamachoA. (2007). School culture change in the making: Leadership factors that matter. Urban Education, 42(6), 616–637.
22.
FullanM. (1991). The new meaning of educational change.London: Cassell.
23.
FullerB., & ClarkeP. (1994). Raising school effects while ignoring culture? Local conditions and the influence of classroom tools, rules, and pedagogy. Review of Educational Research, 64(1), 119–157.
24.
GlaserB. G., & StraussA. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory.London: Weidenfield & Nicolson.
25.
GubaE. G., & LincolnY. S. (1988). Do inquiry paradigms imply inquiry methodologies? In FettermanD. M. (Ed.), Qualitative approaches to evaluation in education (pp. 89–115). New York: Praeger.
HargreavesD. H. (1995). School culture, school effectiveness and school improvement. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 6(1), 23–46.
28.
HebdigeD. (1979). Subculture: The meaning of style.London: Routledge.
29.
HopkinsD., AinscowM., & WestM. (1994). School improvement in an era of change.London: Cassell.
30.
HyndsA. (2008). Developing and sustaining open communication in action research initiatives: A response to Kemmis (2006). Journal of Educational Action Research, 16(2), 149–162.
31.
KruseS. D., & LouisK. S. (2008). Building strong cultures: A guide to leading change.Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
32.
KugelmassJ., & AinscowM. (2004). Leadership for inclusion: A comparison of international practices. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 4(3), 133–141.
33.
LiasidouA. (2008). Politics of inclusive education policy making: The case of Cyprus. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 12(3), 229–241.
34.
LincolnY. S., & GubaE. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry.Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
35.
MerriamS. (1988). Case study research in education: A qualitative approach.London: Jossey-Bass.
36.
MilesM. B., & HubermanM. A. (1994). Qualitative data analysis.Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
37.
MuijsD., AinscowM., DysonA., RaffoC., GoldrickS., KerrK. (2010). Leading under pressure: Leadership for social inclusion. School Leadership and Management, 30(2), 143–157.
38.
NiasJ. (1999). Primary teaching as a culture of care. In ProsserJ. (Ed.), School culture (pp. 66–81). London: Chapman.
39.
NiasJ., SouthworthG., & YeomansR. (1989). Staff relationships in the primary school.London: Cassell.
40.
NindM., BenjaminS., SheehyK., CollinsJ., & HallK. (2004). Methodological challenges in researching inclusive school cultures. Educational Review, 56(3), 259–270.
41.
NoddingsN. (1984). Caring: A feminine approach to ethics and moral education.Berkeley: University of California Press.
42.
NoddingsN. (1992). The challenge to care in schools.New York: Teachers College Press.
43.
NoddingsN. (1996). The caring professional. In GordonS., BennerP., & NoddingsN. (Eds.), Caregiving: Readings in knowledge, practice, ethics and politics (pp. 21–39). Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
44.
PhtiakaH. (1999). Disability, human rights and education. In ArmstrongF., & BartonL. (Eds.), Disability, human rights and education: A comparative approach (pp. 67–86). Buckingham, UK: Open University Press.
45.
PollardA. (1985). The social world of the primary school.London: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
46.
RiehlC. J. (2000). The principal's role in creating inclusive schools for diverse students: A review of normative, empirical, and critical literature on the practice of educational administration. Review of Educational Research, 70(1), 55–81.
47.
RobinsonV. M. J. (1998). Methodology and the research–practice gap. Educational Researcher, 27(1), 17–26.
48.
RosenholtzS. J. (1989). Teachers’ workplace: The social organisation of the schools.New York: Longman.
SalendS. J. (2005). Creating inclusive classrooms: Effective and reflective practices for all students (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
51.
ScheinE. H. (1985). Organisational culture and leadership: A dynamic view.San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
52.
SergiovanniT. J. (1984). Cultural and competing perspectives in administrative theory and practice. In SergiovanniT. J., & CorballyJ. E. (Eds.), Leadership and organisational culture (pp. 1–12). Chicago: University of Illinois Press.
53.
SleeR., & AllanJ. (2001). Excluding the included: A reconsideration of inclusive education. International Studies in Sociology of Education, 11(2), 173–191.
54.
StakeR. (1995). The art of case study research.Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
55.
SymeonidouS. (2009). Trapped in our past: The price we have to pay for our cultural disability inheritance. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 13(6), 563–579.
56.
Te RieleK. (2006). Schooling practices for marginalized students-practice with hope. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 10(1), 59–74.
57.
TheoharisG. (2007). Social justice educational leaders and resistance: Toward a theory of social justice leadership. Educational Administration Quarterly, 43(2), 221–258.
TrimikliniotisN. (2004). Mapping discriminatory landscapes in Cyprus: Ethnic discrimination in a divided education system. Cyprus Review, 15(2), 53–86.
60.
UNESCO (1994). The Salamanca statement and framework for action on special needs education.Paris: Author.
61.
UNESCO. (1997). Appraisal study on the Cyprus educational system.Paris: International Institute for Educational Planning.
62.
WestwoodP. (2003). Commonsense methods for children with special educational needs: Strategies for the regular classroom (4th ed.). London: RoutledgeFalmer.
63.
ZembylasM. (2007). The politics of trauma: Empathy, reconciliation and peace education. Journal of Peace Education, 4(2), 207–224.
64.
ZembylasM., & IsenbargerL. (2002). Teaching science to students with learning disabilities: Subverting the myths of labeling through teachers caring and enthusiasm. Research in Science Education, 32(1), 55–79.
65.
ZollersN. J., RamanathanA. K., & YuM. (1999). The relationship between school culture and inclusion: How an inclusive culture supports inclusive education. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 12(2), 157–174.
