Educational Inclusion as Action Research - An Interpretive Discourse (Hardcover)

'One of the most accessible features of the book is the incorporation of vignettes of real-life action research enquiries, and in some cases, drawing on the field notes an journals kept by the teachers themselves. There is much to welcome in this book! There is an engaging honesty of tone! an abiding sense of authenticity in the author's voice; this is writing which comes out of long professional experience of teaching pupils with learning difficulties and challenging behaviour, and equal experience of facilitating action research enquiries in her practice as a teacher educator' - "European Journal of Special Needs Education". In its detailed elaboration of action research as a basis for teacher professional development, this book locates inclusive practice in a discursive process that continually interprets its meaning while at the same time inevitably changes educational cultures.The book begins by linking government policy with social justice and inclusion issues and argues that inclusion is currently promoted via a democratic political process, which needs to be complemented at a professional level through the demonstration of democratic and inclusive procedures in the investigatory process itself. It argues for: action research as a means of implementing and evaluating inclusive practice in classrooms and schools; action research as an interpretive and discursive process; inclusion related to specific educational contexts; and, inclusion as responsive to change and improvement at any level. The book will appeal to postgraduate students, teachers and educational professionals who need a basis for developing inclusive practice.