Developing Inclusive Practices: Case Study of the Model of Inclusion, Management and Leadership in a School in Bengaluru, India
type: CreativeWork
description: Policies advocating inclusive education (IE) have been adopted and implemented in many countries, including India. Literature from India in the area of inclusion and children with special needs (CWSN) has reported primarily on legislation, teacher attitudes and training, and challenges to IE. Few studies have reported pedagogical practices in schools and their practical implementation, or have described specific situations within Indian schools. This research investigated the inclusion of CWSN including those with learning difficulties (LD); social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD); attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) within one case study school; this was an urban private school (referred to as MPES) in Bengaluru, Karnataka. An interpretive approach was used to investigate the meaning of inclusion and SEN in practice at MPES, the model of inclusion (MoI) followed, implementation processes in the school and the roles and understandings of the key individuals who contribute to this process. A case study approach was developed and informed by questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and observations as data collection tools. The sample population consisted of the principal and vice-principals; teachers including mainstream-teachers, coordinators, special-educators and counsellors; and children with and without SEN. Data from 120 questionnaires, 66 interviews and 16 sessions of observation were thematically analysed. The findings revealed that MPES follows a multilevel MoI that included main-classrooms and pull-out rooms thus ensuring a continuum of services. Teachers used labels and terms such as ‘hyper child’, ‘slow child’ and ‘autistic’, most of them in an uninformed way whereby this labelling was not based on a formal diagnosis of disability. The school valued the achievement of all learners, and paid attention to both academic and social outcomes as expressed by teachers’ and students’ statements on their…
abstract: Policies advocating inclusive education (IE) have been adopted and implemented in many countries, including India. Literature from India in the area of inclusion and children with special needs (CWSN) has reported primarily on legislation, teacher attitudes and training, and challenges to IE. Few studies have reported pedagogical practices in schools and their practical implementation, or have described specific situations within Indian schools. This research investigated the inclusion of CWSN including those with learning difficulties (LD); social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD); attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) within one case study school; this was an urban private school (referred to as MPES) in Bengaluru, Karnataka. An interpretive approach was used to investigate the meaning of inclusion and SEN in practice at MPES, the model of inclusion (MoI) followed, implementation processes in the school and the roles and understandings of the key individuals who contribute to this process. A case study approach was developed and informed by questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and observations as data collection tools. The sample population consisted of the principal and vice-principals; teachers including mainstream-teachers, coordinators, special-educators and counsellors; and children with and without SEN. Data from 120 questionnaires, 66 interviews and 16 sessions of observation were thematically analysed. The findings revealed that MPES follows a multilevel MoI that included main-classrooms and pull-out rooms thus ensuring a continuum of services. Teachers used labels and terms such as ‘hyper child’, ‘slow child’ and ‘autistic’, most of them in an uninformed way whereby this labelling was not based on a formal diagnosis of disability. The school valued the achievement of all learners, and paid attention to both academic and social outcomes as expressed by teachers’ and students’ statements on their…
author: Padmanabhan, Rajani
language: eng
keywords: Inclusion, Model of inclusion, India, Leadership, Teacher training and attitude
date published: 2023-6
date modified: 2026-07-24T03:26:52Z
provider: University of Northampton
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Northampton