Learning and Living
Comparative Analysis of Inclusive Education Policies and Practices in Denmark and Australia View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Maria Christina Secher Schmidt, Suzanne Carrington
The global challenge of translating inclusive education policy into practice is shaped by cultural, historical, economic, and political factors. This paper explores international progress and priorities in advancing inclusive education in Denmark and Australia. The research question is: How does a comparative approach that considers international, national, and local influences contribute to advancing inclusive education in Denmark and Australia? Drawing on theoretical frameworks of Bartlett and Vavrus (2009) and Artiles and Dyson (2005), we analyzed data from international and national documents, reports and existing research on inclusion policies and practices in both countries. Each country case is analyzed individually to understand the specific contexts and conditions that influence inclusion policies and practices, followed by a cross-case analysis to identify common patterns and differences. Our findings trace the connections between international, national, and local forces that influence the development of inclusive education in both countries. The comparative case study reveals that both Denmark and Australia acknowledge the importance of professional collaboration and local leadership in promoting inclusive education. However, despite these countries' endorsement of inclusive education principles, challenges remain due to concurrent political rationales influenced by global neoliberal ideologies.
The Oral History: An Exploration of Social and Political Realities View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Rina R. Bousalis
Given the present-day need for citizenship education (civics), growing university interest in engaging students with diverse members of the community, and university instructors seeking ways to help preservice teachers find relevance in learning and teaching civics, this paper discusses a study conducted in a South Florida university’s social studies methods course that supplemented the curriculum with an Oral History Project, a classroom-based project in which 38 elementary preservice teachers took part in as students and researchers. By conducting an oral history/interview with community members who shared first-hand knowledge or experience related to a historical or current social and/or political issue/event (e.g., immigration, government, law, diversity, war, poverty, inequalities, civil and human rights, rights and responsibilities, etc.), preservice teachers were able to analyze topics and human perspective in dialogue to determine how their interviewee’s shared experience impacted their attitudes, beliefs, and understanding of content knowledge/past-to-present societal issues, their own lives, and their future teaching. Though participants focused on a collage of events and issues that showcased local community citizens’ experiences, the topics were representative of what global citizens experience. As preservice teachers can help build a foundation of civic engagement with their future students, the Oral History Project is an example of such an endeavor which allowed preservice teachers to form a bond with community and gain real world civic knowledge and authentic social studies.
Citizenship and Belonging: Experiences of Chinese and South Asian Women in Toronto, Canada
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Usha George
In spite of a number of theoretical discussions on the concept of citizenship and belonging, empirical studies examining how various sections of the population experience citizenship are lacking (Nordberg, 2006). Exploration of the everyday experience of citizenship becomes even more important in the Canadian context, given the high levels of immigration and range of ethnocultural diversity. This study presents the findings of experiences of naturalized South Asian and Chinese Canadian women – Canada’s two largest racialized groups – living in the Greater Toronto Area. The study seeks to address the gap in the literature by exploring the following questions: what does citizenship mean to South Asian and Chinese Canadian women? This paper discusses the findings of a multi-year, collaborative, mixed-methods study by researchers. The theoretical orientation of the study is based on Chastenay et al. (2004)'s categories of citizenship: identity, equality of participation, and civic engagement. Identity was conceptualized as both cultural and civic; equality as the inclusion of diversity in the representation of collective identities; engagement was conceptualized as either current or future involvement in community and civic organizations The study’s findings reveal three critical ways in which naturalized South-Asian and Chinese women experience Canadian citizenship. Participants spoke about citizenship as an instrumental tool with particular reference to privileges that accompany the Canadian passport; how the naturalization process had impacted their sense of belonging and identity; and the barriers to successful integration into mainstream Canadian society despite the acquisition of citizenship.
