EVIDENCE-BASED PEDAGOGY
Inclusive education improves results
Young people with special educational needs get good marks in regular classes. But we still need more studies on social factors.
A classroom assistant helps a child in the Suhr Primary School. | Photo: Christian Beutler / Keystone
Inclusive education is the norm in Swiss schools. Children with learning difficulties, sensory impairments and behavioural problems are integrated into mainstream classes and are given special educational support. But this model is coming under increasing pressure. Teachers are complaining of being overworked, and in certain cantons there are renewed discussions about introducing separate school classes for kids with special educational needs.
Researchers at the University of Zurich have conducted a literature review and have concluded that for young people with special needs in grades seven to nine (i.e., aged roughly 12 to 15 years), inclusive education actually improves their level of performance.
But there is only patchy research into inclusive education for secondary school students. In particular, evidence is scarce about the actual impact of it. “Inclusive teaching at this age level is very challenging”, says Eva-Maria Holzer, the lead author. “Teaching is more performance-oriented, and the gap between the children becomes wider”.
Together with Elisabeth Moser Opitz, Holzer has now evaluated 21 international studies on this topic. She concludes that young people with special educational needs achieve comparable or better results in inclusive settings at secondary level when compared to those receiving separate classes. And at the same time, the other pupils in the class are not disadvantaged. “In terms of achievement, it would therefore seem to be beneficial for young people with special educational needs to be taught in mainstream classes”, says Holzer.
When they did their literature review, Holzer and Optiz did not take into account aspects such as social integration and well-being. They are now collecting data on them in a study in Switzerland. To this end, they are analysing figures for social and performance-related aspects of inclusive education across 85 classes. They are especially interested in the teachers’ perspective.
