The number of people with disabilities who study at university is rising. Previous studies have revealed that it is not enough simply to provide these students with access to university, it is also important to guarantee their retention and success. This article explores participants’ actions and their appraisals of their teaching practice in relation to disability in campus-based education. The study was conducted with 19 Spanish faculty members from the Health Sciences who were nominated by their students with disabilities for having contributed to their inclusion. We carried out a qualitative study based on individual, in-depth, semi-structured interviews. We analysed the data progressively, using a system of categories and codes. The results section outlines the actions taken by faculty members upon learning that they were going to be teaching a student with disabilities, analysing what specific measures they took in accordance with the type of disability in question, and what they found most rewarding and most difficult or unpleasant about their experience with these students in the classroom. The study concludes that the voices of these faculty members may encourage other colleagues to rethink their actions in the classroom and engage in more inclusive practices.
Este artículo tiene como propósito explorar las prácticas de veinticinco docentes de Educación Primaria que desarrollan una pedagogía inclusiva. En concreto, tratamos de responder a tres preguntas de investigación: 1) ¿Cuáles son los elementos didáctico-organizativos y las estrategias metodológicas y afectivas que pone en práctica un docente inclusivo? 2) ¿Cuáles son los roles del profesorado y del alumnado? 3) ¿Cuáles son los sistemas de evaluación y autoevaluación que emplea? La metodología ha sido cualitativa, con un diseño multicaso. La información ha sido recogida mediante una entrevista semi-estructurada y analizada con un sistema de categorías y códigos inductivo. Los resultados están organizados en tres temas: estrategias metodológicas y afectivas y otros elementos didácticos-organizativos; roles del profesorado y de los estudiantes; evaluación y autoevaluación. Entre los principales hallazgos cabe resaltar que los participantes emplean estrategias metodológicas variadas, activas y afectivas, el docente desempeña el rol de acompañante y el alumnado de protagonista, y realizan evaluación y autoevaluación auténticas. Las conclusiones dejan ver que estas acciones son oportunidades para continuar investigando sobre otras que den sentido a los procesos educativos.
This article presents the educational practices carried out by Spanish faculty members of Health Sciences to attend to student diversity. A total of 19 faculty members of this area of knowledge suggested by their disabled students participated in the study. Following a qualitative methodology, individual semi-structured interviews were used for the gathering of data. The collected data were analysed through an inductive system of categories and codes. The results show the learning resources that the participants employed to allow all students to make use of them, as well as the teaching methods and strategies that they applied to achieve the active participation and learning of every student. Moreover, the participants commented on the reasonable adjustments that they made when they had a disabled student in their classrooms. Finally, the results were compared to those of other analogous studies, highlighting the keys that could help other faculty members to develop more inclusive practices.
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