Provision for pupils with special educational needs in Ireland has undergone considerable change and review in the first decade of the twenty-first century. In response to international demands for a more equitable education system that recognises diversity and considers how schools might address the needs of pupils who have been previously…

International organisations make ambitious attempts to improve education for students with special needs. The article indicates that such global ambitions are tempered by recent educational developments and by comparative research that underscores the importance of locality by showing the unique character and antecedents of educational practices,…

The deployment of increasing numbers of teacher assistants (TAs) to support students, especially those with disabilities or other special needs, presumably has been perpetuated with benevolent intentions meant to help both students and teachers. Given the contemporary emphasis on theoretically grounded and evidenced-based approaches in education,…

One of the major aims for the inclusion of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) within the mainstream classroom is to reduce prejudice and increase social interaction among children. Nevertheless, research has consistently shown that pupils with SEN remain less accepted by and may experience greater loneliness than their non-SEN peers. This…

There is a common opinion that mathematics is difficult for persons with Down syndrome, because of a weakness in numeracy and in abstract thinking. Since 1996, some single case studies have suggested that new opportunities in mathematics are possible for these students: some of them learned algebra and also learned to use equations in…

This study addresses the relationship between the acceptance of students with disabilities by their peers and their self-concept. Research shows that level of acceptance and self-concept are moderately related. Students with disabilities not accepted by their peers in regular classrooms thus run the risk of developing low self-concept. It is…

In line with current educational policy on inclusive education, the number of pupils with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) attending mainstream schools is increasing. However, concerns remain about their experiences in school. In particular, previous research has suggested that such pupils are at an increased risk of social exclusion. In light of…

Teachers play a decisive role in making inclusive education a reality. The particular case of inclusion in physical education (PE) poses a specific challenge to teaching practice. How PE teachers view inclusion may provide special insights into teachers' general attitudes toward inclusion and inclusive practices in the general school curriculum.…

This study investigated the opinions of general education teachers working in public elementary schools in Turkey regarding the inclusion of students with disabilities into their classrooms and their willingness also to include students with more severe learning disabilities. One hundred and ninety-four general education teachers completed the…

The concept of children and young people as researchers has started to gather momentum in response to changing perspectives on their status in society, recognition of their role as consumers and increased attention to children and young people's rights. There are early signs of a growing body of research studies undertaken by children and young…

This article investigated what the capability approach developed by Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum can contribute to the issue of inclusion as a new theoretical framework for special education. By posing the question: "What is the purpose of inclusion?", I have proposed to answer this query by investigating how the capability approach is able to…

The aim of this study is to review literature about parents' attitudes towards inclusive education. Special attention is paid to parents' attitudes and to the effect of these on the social participation of children with special needs in regular schools. A review of the literature resulted in 10 studies showing that the majority of parents hold…

This article draws on data gathered in a two-year English government-funded follow-up study of secondary school children who were permanently excluded from school and who did not return to mainstream settings. It reflects on recent debates concerning different forms of social exclusion and considers what forms of service provision might prevent…

The purpose of this study was to examine Greek mainstream secondary school teachers' perceptions of inclusive education and of having pupils with complex learning disabilities (cLD) in the classroom or school. Participants included 138 Greek mainstream secondary school teachers working in inclusive state schools in northern Greece. Findings…

Investigations of the post-16 outcomes for young people with a specific language impairment (SLI) are limited in scope. The current study extends our understanding of the young people's outcomes by examining the academic, employment and social outcomes of a cohort of pupils who attended a residential special school in the south east of England for…