Advancing towards inclusion: recommendations from faculty members of Spanish universities

ABSTRACT

The Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda have set a new horizon for higher education institutions. Universities must guarantee an inclusive and quality education for all. Far from this objective, in the Spanish university system, the expansion of participation seems to have come to a halt, generating obvious situations of inequality. From a qualitative approach, this work gathers the contributions of 119 faculty members who reflected on how to advance toward more inclusive universities. The results show the barriers to inclusion that Spanish universities must overcome and the strategies that would allow them to progress toward more inclusive university culture, policies and practices. It concludes with the invitation to a cultural and organisational change based on a broader conception of inclusion. Moreover, it suggests an institutional commitment translated into a greater economic investment that enables the improvement of learning conditions and the training of faculty members in inclusive pedagogies.

KEYWORDS:

• Inclusive education
• faculty members
• higher education
• diversity
• Spain

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This study was financed by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, The Spanish State Research Agency and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) [grant numbers EDU2016-76587-R].

Notes on contributors

Carmen Márquez

Carmen Márquez is an Assistant Professor and Researcher at the Autonomous University of Madrid at the School of Education and Teacher Training. He obtained his doctorate in 2014 at the University of Huelva with the doctoral programme in Applied Social Sciences. Her research interest focuses on the analysis of educational inequalities and the processes of inclusion in secondary and higher education. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Carmen_Marquez_Vazquez.

Noelia Melero Aguilar

Noelia Melero is an Assistant Professor and Researcher at the University of Seville at Faculty of Education Sciences. He obtained his doctorate in 2005 at the University of Seville with the doctoral programme Education and Society. Her research interest focuses on the processes of inclusion in higher education and social pedagogy. https://www.researchgate.net/scientificcontributions/2110811708.