Curriculum and the power to ex(in)clude disabled students

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to explore how the curriculum, as a tool for boundary maintenance and social control, may impact upon inclusion, given that the end-user of the curriculum is the teacher, who subjectively interprets and implements curriculum indicators and directions according to their perceptions. To this end, a qualitative study was conducted with interviews with 21 secondary education teachers, who discussed their interpretations of the curriculum and its impact upon inclusion, considering their role as the end-users of the curriculum and learning agents. The main findings were that exclusion in Cypriot schools may occur in two ways that are underpinned by the curriculum: firstly, disabled students are excluded because of being offered limited and less appropriate for their needs learning opportunities compared to non-disabled students. Secondly, the restrictions imposed by the curriculum do not encourage the development of critical thinking and inclusive attitude among students. Even though it was found that many teachers may succumb to the pressure and thereby decrease the opportunity for the inclusion of disabled children, some participants seem to resist the pressure, thus having the potential to become change agents, who try to distribute social justice and establish inclusion, despite curriculum restrictions.

KEYWORDS:

• Curriculum
• inclusive education
• disabled students
• teachers and teaching

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank all the participants that delightfully shared their experiences.

Disclosure statement

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

Notes

1 The study-thesis is available online at https://gnosis.library.ucy.ac.cy/handle/7/39209.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Eleni Damianidou

Dr. Eleni Damianidou is a Scientific Collaborator at the European University Cyprus, where she teaches modules related to inclusive education. She also works as a secondary education deputy headteacher. She holds a PhD in Education Studies and post-graduate degrees in Special and Inclusive Education, Adult Education, Educational Administration, Psychology of Work and Behavioural Management. Her research interests include special and inclusive education, home-school relationships, teacher training for inclusion and critical pedagogy. She is an active presenter in international conferences with papers on educational issues, which have been published in peer-reviewed journals.