In and out of class – what is the meaning for inclusive schools? Teachers’ opinions on push-and pull-out in Italy and Norway

ABSTRACT

The research aim of the project presented in this paper is to contribute to an understanding of the meaning of push- and pull-out in inclusive school systems. We ask: How do Italian and Norwegian teachers regard the fact that it is sometimes seen as necessary for some students to spend time out of class? A vignette with short scenarios to stimulate responses was used for teacher interviews in lower secondary schools in Italy and Norway. Situations in two different contexts were designed for the vignette, including a description of some students, their class and the available resources. The main funding is that most teachers’ opinions were sensitive to the context, here the way teaching and learning activities were organised. When presented for a traditional teacher-centred class situation (context 1), most of the respondents thought pull-out was a good solution for some students under certain conditions. Presented with the more differentiated and pupil-centred context 2, a clear majority found that the described learning environment would meet the educational and social needs of all learners within class, regardless of disabilities or learning challenges.

KEYWORDS:

• School inclusion
• inclusive education
• push- and pull-out
• Italy
• Norway

Disclosure statement

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

Notes

1 See, for instance, http://blog.tesol.org/pull-out-vs-push-in-esl-programs-in-elementary-schools/ or https://k12teacherstaffdevelopment.com/tlb/what-is-the-difference-between-the-pull-out-and-push-in-model-in-special-education/

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Heidrun Demo

Heidrun Demo is an Associate Professor for Inclusive Education and director of the Competence Centre of School Inclusion of the Free University of Bolzano. Her research focuses on inclusive teaching and learning, inclusive school development and inclusive school systems

Kari Nes

Kari Nes is a Professor of Education at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences. She has been engaged in several national and international research and development projects in the field of inclusive education, with a focus on teacher education and special education in inclusive school settings.

Hege Merete Somby

Hege Merete Somby is Associate Professor of Education at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences. She has been involved in research projects both nationally and internationally in the field of inclusive education with a focus on special education and entrepreneurship in inclusive school settings.

Anna Frizzarin

Anna Frizzarin is a PhD student at the Faculty of Education of the Free University of Bolzano. Her research focuses on the social dimension of inclusion, with a particular interest in issues relating to students’ social participation in inclusive school settings.

Sofia Dal Zovo

Sofia Dal Zovo is an educational researcher and collaborator of the Free University of Bolzano. She is a Supervisor and Trainer about social-emotional health and mindfulness instructor for kids and teacher.