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Incluir na (Uni)Diversidade
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Resumo(s)
A inclusão é um dos temas centrais da atualidade em todos os domínios da atividade
humana e o da educação não é exceção. Assim, se a nível político a educação inclusiva
tem sido identificada como um dos princípios basilares da ação das instituições de
ensino, enquanto direito de todos e de cada um a uma educação de qualidade, nas
escolas e nos estabelecimentos de ensino superior em particular, tende a ser vista como
um desafio exigente, que impõe mudanças significativas a nível organizacional, à ação
dos seus agentes e a toda a comunidade educativa. De facto, a inclusão dos estudantes
em geral e dos estudantes com Necessidades Específicas (NE) no Ensino Superior (ES)
não tem sido consensual e o seu acesso, participação e sucesso académico encontram
diversos constrangimentos que urge analisar e a que é necessário responder de forma a
guiar as mudanças institucionais e levar à assunção das responsabilidades que o ES tem
para com o desenvolvimento social. O presente trabalho, partindo da questão de
investigação “Como é que a instituição de ensino superior em estudo promove o seu
compromisso com uma educação inclusiva?”, analisa as perceções dos intervenientes
numa instituição de ensino superior (IES), localizada no centro/interior do país, sobre
as respostas educativas que esta oferece e identifica os desafios que a instituição terá de
enfrentar no cumprimento do desígnio da inclusão. Para tal, optou-se por uma
investigação de cariz qualitativo através da implementação de um estudo de caso que
procurou identificar os principais constrangimentos e potencialidades desta
comunidade educativa nos domínios organizacionais, pedagógicos e atitudinais. A
recolha dos dados envolveu a realização de entrevistas semiestruturadas a oito
estudantes e de dois grupos focais com treze docentes. A análise da informação foi
realizada através da técnica de análise de conteúdo, com o auxílio do software WebQDA.
Tendo como referência aqueles testemunhos, pôde-se concluir que a ausência de
mecanismos institucionais sólidos de comunicação e colaboração entre as escolas
secundárias e a IES em estudo compromete a equidade no acesso dos estudantes com
NE ao ES. Ficou evidente que a transição entre aqueles níveis de ensino continua a ser
encarada, em grande medida, como uma responsabilidade individual dos estudantes e
das suas famílias, comprometendo a criação atempada de planos de apoio pedagógico
individualizados e o ajustamento dos contextos de aprendizagem. No que diz respeito à
implementação de medidas inclusivas que proporcionem a permanência dos estudantes
com NE na IES em análise, constatámos que o apoio específico aos mesmos é
manifestamente insuficiente e caracteriza-se por práticas informais e pontuais. O
estudante com NE não se sente verdadeiramente incluído, seja por não encontrar condições organizacionais que permitam aceder a serviços de apoio ou a ambientes
promotores da sua autonomia e autodeterminação, seja por se sentir estigmatizado, seja
ainda por respostas pedagógicas discriminatórias e excludentes. A acessibilidade ao
currículo, tal como é atualmente assegurada na IES em análise, mostra-se limitada,
pouco estruturada e insuficiente para garantir a equidade e o sucesso académico dos
estudantes. De salientar que tanto os estudantes como os docentes entrevistados no
estudo apontam a ausência de políticas públicas como um dos maiores entraves à
inclusão. Os docentes referem ainda a falta de orientação institucional e a inexistência
de estratégias concertadas que lhes permitam agir de forma sistemática.
O estudo de caso analisado evidencia, pois, a presença de barreiras nos planos sistémico,
contextual, institucional e individual, refletindo a necessidade da IES em estudo encarar
a inclusão dos seus estudantes como uma construção coletiva e multidimensional
ultrapassando abordagens fragmentadas ou lineares. Promover a inclusão implica
reconhecer a interdependência entre a singularidade de cada estudante e o contexto,
entre o individual e o institucional, entre o biológico, o social e o cultural. Com base
nesta premissa, propõe-se um modelo explicativo da inclusão no ES, que
sistematiza os dados recolhidos e evidencia a articulação entre as dimensões referidas.
O modelo apresenta uma leitura integrada da inclusão como fenómeno dinâmico,
relacional e sistémico, sustentado em princípios da complexidade e da abordagem
sociocultural, que permitem ultrapassar visões normativas ou dicotómicas da diferença.
Inclusion is one of the central issues of our time across all areas of human activity, and education is no exception. Thus, while at the political level inclusive education has been identified as one of the fundamental principles guiding the action of educational institutions — as a right of everyone to a quality education — in schools and particularly in higher education institutions, it tends to be seen as a demanding challenge. It requires significant changes at the organizational level, in the actions of its agents, and across the entire educational community. In fact, the inclusion of students in general, and of students with Special Needs (SN) in Higher Education (HE) in particular, has not been consensual. Their access, participation, and academic success face several constraints that must be analyzed and addressed to guide institutional change and ensure that HE fulfills its social development responsibilities. Guided by the research question, “How does the higher education institution under study promote its commitment to inclusive education?”, this study analyzes the perceptions of stakeholders at a higher education institution (HEI) located in the central/interior region of the country regarding the educational responses offered by the institution. It also seeks to identify the challenges the institution must face in fulfilling the goal of inclusion. To this end, a qualitative research approach was adopted through the implementation of a case study, aiming to identify the main constraints and strengths of this educational community in the organizational, pedagogical, and attitudinal domains. Data collection involved conducting semi-structured interviews with eight students and two focus groups with thirteen teachers. Data analysis was carried out using content analysis, with the support of WebQDA software. Based on those testimonies, it can be concluded that the absence of solid institutional mechanisms for communication and collaboration between secondary schools and the HEI under study undermines equity in the access of students with SN to higher education. It became clear that the transition between these levels of education continues to be seen, to a great extent, as the individual responsibility of students and their families. This compromises the timely creation of individualized pedagogical support plans and the adjustment of learning contexts. Regarding the implementation of inclusive measures that support the retention of students with SN in the HEI analyzed, it was found that the specific support provided to them is manifestly insufficient and characterized by informal and occasional practices. Students with SN do not feel truly included — either because they do not find organizational conditions that allow access to support services or environments that foster autonomy and self determination, or because they feel stigmatized, or because of discriminatory and exclusionary pedagogical practices. Curricular accessibility, as currently ensured at the HEI analyzed, is limited, poorly structured, and insufficient to guarantee equity and academic success. It is worth noting that both the students and the teachers interviewed in the study identified the lack of public policies as one of the main barriers to inclusion. Teachers also mentioned the absence of institutional guidance and the lack of coordinated strategies that would allow them to act systematically. The analyzed case study thus reveals the presence of barriers at systemic, contextual, institutional, and individual levels, reflecting the need for the HEI under study to approach student inclusion as a collective and multidimensional process, rather than through fragmented or linear approaches. Promoting inclusion entails recognising the interdependence between the uniqueness of each student and the context, between the personal and the institutional, and between the biological, social, and cultural dimensions. Based on this premise, an explanatory model of inclusion in higher education is proposed, systematizing the collected data and highlighting the interaction among the aforementioned dimensions. The model presents an integrated interpretation of inclusion as a dynamic, relational, and systemic phenomenon, grounded in principles of complexity and the sociocultural approach, allowing for the overcoming of normative or dichotomous views of difference.
Inclusion is one of the central issues of our time across all areas of human activity, and education is no exception. Thus, while at the political level inclusive education has been identified as one of the fundamental principles guiding the action of educational institutions — as a right of everyone to a quality education — in schools and particularly in higher education institutions, it tends to be seen as a demanding challenge. It requires significant changes at the organizational level, in the actions of its agents, and across the entire educational community. In fact, the inclusion of students in general, and of students with Special Needs (SN) in Higher Education (HE) in particular, has not been consensual. Their access, participation, and academic success face several constraints that must be analyzed and addressed to guide institutional change and ensure that HE fulfills its social development responsibilities. Guided by the research question, “How does the higher education institution under study promote its commitment to inclusive education?”, this study analyzes the perceptions of stakeholders at a higher education institution (HEI) located in the central/interior region of the country regarding the educational responses offered by the institution. It also seeks to identify the challenges the institution must face in fulfilling the goal of inclusion. To this end, a qualitative research approach was adopted through the implementation of a case study, aiming to identify the main constraints and strengths of this educational community in the organizational, pedagogical, and attitudinal domains. Data collection involved conducting semi-structured interviews with eight students and two focus groups with thirteen teachers. Data analysis was carried out using content analysis, with the support of WebQDA software. Based on those testimonies, it can be concluded that the absence of solid institutional mechanisms for communication and collaboration between secondary schools and the HEI under study undermines equity in the access of students with SN to higher education. It became clear that the transition between these levels of education continues to be seen, to a great extent, as the individual responsibility of students and their families. This compromises the timely creation of individualized pedagogical support plans and the adjustment of learning contexts. Regarding the implementation of inclusive measures that support the retention of students with SN in the HEI analyzed, it was found that the specific support provided to them is manifestly insufficient and characterized by informal and occasional practices. Students with SN do not feel truly included — either because they do not find organizational conditions that allow access to support services or environments that foster autonomy and self determination, or because they feel stigmatized, or because of discriminatory and exclusionary pedagogical practices. Curricular accessibility, as currently ensured at the HEI analyzed, is limited, poorly structured, and insufficient to guarantee equity and academic success. It is worth noting that both the students and the teachers interviewed in the study identified the lack of public policies as one of the main barriers to inclusion. Teachers also mentioned the absence of institutional guidance and the lack of coordinated strategies that would allow them to act systematically. The analyzed case study thus reveals the presence of barriers at systemic, contextual, institutional, and individual levels, reflecting the need for the HEI under study to approach student inclusion as a collective and multidimensional process, rather than through fragmented or linear approaches. Promoting inclusion entails recognising the interdependence between the uniqueness of each student and the context, between the personal and the institutional, and between the biological, social, and cultural dimensions. Based on this premise, an explanatory model of inclusion in higher education is proposed, systematizing the collected data and highlighting the interaction among the aforementioned dimensions. The model presents an integrated interpretation of inclusion as a dynamic, relational, and systemic phenomenon, grounded in principles of complexity and the sociocultural approach, allowing for the overcoming of normative or dichotomous views of difference.
Descrição
Palavras-chave
Inclusão Equidade Educação inclusiva Necessidades específicas Ensino Superior Instituições de ensino superior Inclusion Equity Inclusive Education Special Needs Higher Education Higher Education Institutions