Attention to Diversity in Compulsory Secondary Education

Abstract

The attention to pupil diversity is still considered one of the main issues to solve in the current educational system. The objective of the study was to establish and analyze the differences between the knowledge and the use of ordinary and extraordinary measures in the attention to diversity from the point of view of compulsory secondary education teachers. A descriptive study was performed with a quantitative methodology, making use of a 452-teacher sample (Mean: 47, Standard Deviation: 8.42) using a survey. The results show a better understanding and frequency of use of the ordinary measures compared to the extraordinary ones. Results also maintain that among the most used we found the adequacy of the didactic planning as well as the support of the therapeutic pedagogy and language and auditory specialist. Moreover, the analysis reveals that the CMOEAD (ordinary and extraordinary measures for the attention to diversity) survey possesses psychometric properties which support its use in further studies. In conclusion, a better knowledge and use of ordinary and extraordinary measures in attention to diversity enables a forward leap in the quality and equity for pupils.

A Descriptive Study of Specialist and Non-Specialist Teachers’ Preparation towards Educational Inclusion

“…Inclusive education has become one of the major challenges for the educational systems, schools, teachers, and society [ 1 ]. Attention must be paid to diversity in order to face the growth of increasingly heterogeneous groups of pupils, and new responsibilities need to be incorporated into teaching tasks [ 2 ]. Educational institutions need to transform and adapt their educational programs to face this changing need.…”

“…The Department of Education and University Planning [ 5 ] defines educational attention to diversity as a set of ordinary and extraordinary measures which aim to adapt the educational response to the students’ characteristics, including their potential, learning rhythm and style, interests, social and cultural factors. Thus, teachers must design actions, adapt resources and the scholarly environment, rethinking the educational response and addressing individual differences [ 2 ]. Therefore, the opportunity for transformation and change towards attention to diversity cannot occur if quality education is not provided to all students [ 2 ], and teachers should be active in this process [ 6 ].…”

“…Thus, teachers must design actions, adapt resources and the scholarly environment, rethinking the educational response and addressing individual differences [ 2 ]. Therefore, the opportunity for transformation and change towards attention to diversity cannot occur if quality education is not provided to all students [ 2 ], and teachers should be active in this process [ 6 ]. Muntaner [ 7 ] affirms that support models must be based on dialogue, reflection and the consequence of a climate of trust and joint work, actively participating in the educational culture, and being presented from a collaborative perspective, providing experience and specific preparation.…”