Inclusion and exclusion in educational setting
In the context of this e-module, inequalities in education are defined in terms of educational opportunities, education participation, quality of teaching, selection, and peer relations (Thompson 2019, Bhopal et al. 2014, Lambert and Griffiths 2018, Bukowski et al. 2020). In the e-module, particular attention is devoted to social and educational inequalities which affect group dynamics and the atmosphere in the classroom (Bhopal et al. 2014, Lambert and Griffiths 2018). These aspects can be seen in Exercises 3 and 4 as well as to a lesser extent in Exercise 2.
In connection with the theoretical framework of inclusion and exclusion (Schuelka et al. 2019, Pearson 2016, Killen and Rutland 2011), inclusion is seen as
a process of addressing and responding to the diversity of needs of all learners through increasing participation in learning, cultures and communities, and reducing exclusion within and from education. It involves changes and modifications in content, approaches, structures and strategies, with a common vision which covers all children of the appropriate age range and a conviction that it is the responsibility of the regular system to educate all children” (UNESCO 2005: 13).
Inclusion is about welcoming diversity, which benefits all learners, whether they feel left out or not, i.e. the excluded children in school are not the only ones who can feel rejected. The goal is providing equal access to education for all as well as making certain provisions for certain categories of children without making problems of exclusion even worse (UNESCO 2005). According to Schuelka, the key elements of successful inclusive education implementation consist of
a clear concept and definition of inclusive education; concrete inclusive education targets, indicators, measures, and outcomes; an understanding of existing structural, educational, and cultural challenges to successful implement; a well-designed implementation strategy that includes a clear plan, evaluation, and school review process; providing inclusive education training, sustained support, and resources for all teachers and school leaders; and national leadership on inclusive education policy, education management information systems, curricular-reform, and coordinating social systems such as inclusive education and inclusive employment (Schuelka, 2018: 2).
In this e-module inclusion is dealt with in exercises 2 and 3, especially in terms of student diversity, different learning needs and styles as well as supporting engagement. For this e-module and the exercises, inclusion is a key concept, since one goal is to monitor the degree of inclusion or exclusion of students within the school/university culture, the educational process, and the class collective. In contrast to inclusion, exclusion takes many forms, such as
exclusion from having the life prospects needed for learning, exclusion from entry into a school or an educational programme, exclusion from regular and continuing participation in school or an educational programme, exclusion from a recognition of the learning acquired, exclusion from contributing the learning acquired to the development of community and society (see BE-UNESCO 2021).
Exclusion can be perceived as a social mechanism by which a collective determines who belongs or does not belong to the group. This is also connected with identity, since in various ways an identity is assigned to one student or one group, and an identity is denied to others (Mareš & Sirovátka 2008). In this regard, this is related to exercises 1 and 4, in which the topic of social and interethnic relations at classrooms or (ethnic) identity is introduced.
Considering the theme of identity as expressed in exercises 1 and 4, it is important to recognize the fact that “our identity locates us in the social world, thoroughly affecting everything we do, feel, say, and think in our lives” (Newman 2018: 115). According to Lawler (2014: 9) “identity works as an object (or a set of related objects) in the social world: it works to delineate both persons and types of person, and to differentiate between them.” The topic of difference is yet another essential theme in this e-module, one which permeates all of the exercises. Difference is closely linked to identity in the context of the e-module, as
two concepts, sameness and difference, offer complementary perspectives on identity. The first of these allows for individuals to imagine themselves as a group, while the second procures social distance between those who perceive themselves as unlike (Bulcholtz a Hall 2004: 369).
While identity is multi-layered, in this e-module we deal especially with ethnic identity. In this respect, ethnicity is perceived as consisting of a distinction between “we” and “them.” It is relational, situational and is created by social contact (see Eriksen 2010). Ethnicity is a social construct and concept (Eriksen 2010). In the scholarly literature, it is understood more as a process and one aspect of a relationship, rather than an essential characteristic of an individual or a group (Barth 1969).
From the point of view of interethnic relations and communication (Eriksen 2010; Brubaker 2006; Jenkins 2014, 1997), in the e-module the social and interethnic relations are presented in a group of children as a process that co-creates various aspects of sociality in the educational settings. This topic is discussed primarily in exercise 1.