Equal is not enough? Current problems in inclusive education in the eyes of children

Abstract

The sociology of childhood opens up new perspectives on inclusive practices, as it considers children themselves as actors in their environment. The author aims at expanding this notion to children with special educational needs whose agency often goes unrecognized. At first, this article will clarify notions of inclusive education and special educational needs, and then analyze children's agency by using two case studies involving children with special educational needs in France and Germany. The qualitative research methodology (sociometric surveys and semi-directed interviews) gives priority to children's viewpoints with and without special educational needs. The two cases reveal how two children with special needs deal with risks of stigmatization and exclusionary practices in the inclusive setting. An important outcome of the study is that children are able to consider their own social status in the class, and that they adapt to challenges imposed on them by institutional structures and/or other persons. It also reveals that these children may contradict the adults' viewpoints on their inclusion. Research in inclusive education needs to recognize the children's perspective in order to improve the quality of inclusive practices in classrooms and in educational policies.