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Research on inclusion in early childhood educational (ECE) settings points to the need for a deeper understanding of professionals' perceptions of the dilemmas and challenges situated in the varying contexts of these settings. Viewing inclusion as a complex phenomenon, this study uses the Deweyan theory of democracy as a lived experience to describe how professionals in three ECE settings understand the values of inclusion and democracy and how these values are enacted in their everyday practices of creating democratic communities. Three case studies were conducted, including individual interviews with head teachers, focus-group interviews with professionals and semi-structured observations in three ECE settings. The results show that the three settings present unique prerequisites and challenges for the building of democratic communities related to the varying views on inclusion and democracy. The understandings of values of inclusion and democracy and how these are enacted in the three ECE settings are discussed with regard to the possibilities and obstacles involved in the creation of democratic communities.

This overview, or review of reviews, synthesises the contributions of influential research on education of autistic pupils to a) characterise this research and b) analyse the potential of this research to further inclusive education. The 80 most-cited reviews in Web of Science targeting research on education of autistic pupils were analysed. From the standpoint of inclusive education, several shortcomings in the research field were identified: First, the reviews very seldom explicitly address inclusion. Second, when they do, inclusion is narrowly understood. Third, only about half of the reviews concerned regular education. Finally, most reviews report positive effects but provide limited knowledge about what methods are most useful for specific sets of pupils and in which situations. The majority explores how to reduce symptoms of autism and how to foster socio-communicative skills. The Inclusive Education Model (IEM) was developed to analyse how different types of research, including research not specifically addressing inclusion, provide different forms of knowledge about how to increase inclusive schooling. The findings are discussed in relation to needs for future research on inclusion and it is argued that the field would benefit from more explicit orientations towards inclusive education. The benefits and shortcomings of IEM are discussed

Syftet med denna systematiska forskningsöversikt var att sammanställa och analysera forskning i Norden rörande undervisningsmetoder i skolan för att utveckla funktionella kunskaper hos elever med intellektuell funktionsnedsättning (IF). Funktionella kunskaper innefattade kunskaper som underlättar inkludering i form av aktivt och självständigt demokratiskt deltagande i samhället. En systematisk sökning efter vetenskapliga artiklar inom området med fokus på elever i åldrarna 10–20 år gav 20 artiklar. Artiklarnas kunskapsbidrag analyserades med hjälp av den didaktiska triangelns hörnstenar (pedagogen, eleven och kunskapsinnehållet) och Systematic Mapping and Analysis of Research Topographies (SMART). Resultaten visade att forskning om pedagogen handlar om pedagogens förhållningssätt och beteende samt om användandet av pedagogiskt material. Forskning om eleven bidrar med kunskap om elevens självbild/självförtroende, självbestämmande, förmåga att hantera tid och individuella utvecklingsplaner. Forskning om kunskapsinnehållet handlar om utbildning inom olika skolämnen och om policydokument. En stor brist som identifierades var att det endast finns lite nordisk forskning. Artiklarna är sällan citerade. De bidrar främst med kunskap om ”vad som fungerar” och inte med kunskap inom ett kritiskt och ett hermeneutiskt teoretiskt perspektiv. Resultaten diskuteras i relation till hur forskning och utbildning kan utvecklas för att bidra till aktivt och självständigt demokratiskt deltagande för personer med IF.

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the importance of compilations of research being both systematic and reflective. The general point about the importance of reflection is illustrated by describing how a specific approach to compiling research, SMART (Systematic Mapping and Analysis of Research Topographies), has been used. SMART is based on a pragmatic perspective. This entails an openness to different scientific research traditions. The pragmatic starting point also means that compilations of research are linked to questions about how society and democracy can be developed. In this article, we describe how the approach has been used to compile research on 1) inclusion and 2) teaching, respectively. Finally, the article discusses 1) the importance of compilations of research being both systematic and reflective 2) the question of how we should understand the increasing number of research reviews in the field of education science and 3) implications of the reasoning in the article for policy and practice.

Concerning challenges with the social inclusion of children with special educational needs (SEN), it is imperative to evaluate teacher interventions that promote social inclusion. This study aimed to investigate the effects of cooperative learning (CL) intervention on social inclusion. In addition, it was investigated to what degree CL implementation affected the outcomes. Fifty-six teachers of 958 fifth-grade children were randomly selected to intervention and control groups upon recruitment to the study. The intervention teachers received training and coaching in CL and implemented this approach three to four times a week for 15 weeks. The results showed a significant but small effect of CL on children’s social acceptance, but no significant effect on children’s friendships and perceptions of classroom relationships. The degree of CL implementation had effect on children’s social acceptance, but the effect was not consistent across social acceptance measures as a friend or a groupmate. Thus, it can be concluded that CL, conducted with the length and intensity of this study, may not lead to substantial changes in the social inclusion of children with SEN. In future studies, more focus needs to be devoted to teacher implementation of the CL approach.

In the present study, a didactic perspective was used to examine collaborations and negotiations between preschools and habilitation centres concerning intensive behavioural interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders in inclusive settings in Swedish preschools. The didactic triangle was used as the theoretical tool to analyse information derived from a qualitative casestudy in two preschools exemplifying ‘high quality practice’. Direct content analysis was used to analyse data with a focus on the child, the pedagogue, and the subject. Data were collected through multiple sources during a 12-month period, including observations and interviews. A model of aspects of the collaboration between preschools, habilitation centres, and families was conceptualized based on the didactic triangle: the ‘pedagogue cornerstone’ encompassed competence, attitudes, and collaborations; the ‘child cornerstone’ encompassed learning in relation to specific goals; the ‘subject cornerstone’ encompassed both subjects shared with typically developing peers and subjects related to the specific challenges. In addition, the preschool principals were described as important. Different factors in relation to tensions and collaborations between organizations concerning inclusive education were elaborated. Implications for preschools, inter-organizational collaboration, and future research are discussed.

This study explored teachers’ perception of inclusion of students with special educational needs (SEN) in Swedish regular elementary schools. Semi-structured qualitative interviews with six teachers from different schools were used, and the interviews were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Two themes were arrived at: perception of inclusion and imitation of peers. These themes are presented and discussed in relation to implications for research and education. The results revealed barriers hindering children with SEN from learning by imitating. The findings emphasise that how inclusion is discussed in schools merits further attention and that education is inclusive only if it is seen as self-evident that all students should interact.