Beyond Culture as Group Traits

Abstract

The construct of culture has been largely invisible In the research and long-standing debates in the learning disabilities (LD) field, such as those pertaining to the definition of LD and how research knowledge is used in local settings. When used, the idea of culture tends to be defined as unrelated to LD and studied as restricted to individual/group traits. We challenge the culture-LD dichotomy and the limited conception of culture used in this knov^ledge base. For this purpose, v^e make the case for a cultural model of learning that can inform scholarship about the nature of LD, and we propose a culturebased model for the study of research knov^^ledge use in professional practices. Moreover, we offer a third perspective on culture to study the strategies that the LD research community might be using to demarcate and maintain a cultureless paradigm of LD. Our discussion offers potentially rich opportunities for a culturally minded and reflexive stance in the LD field that is urgently needed in our increasingly diverse society.

A Framework for Research in Transition: Identifying Important Areas and Intersections for Future Study

“…To date, a small number of transition studies (e.g., Povenmire-Kirk, Lindstrom, & Bullis, 2010; Rueda, Monzo, Shapiro, Gomez, & Blacher, 2005) have examined group differences, laying the important groundwork demonstrating that transition planning is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. Identifying and studying practices that include experiences, interactions, and activities, in addition to individual and group identities and affiliations (Artiles et al, 2011; Arzubiaga, Artiles, King, & Harris-Murri, 2008), is essential to understanding variation across and within groups of people.…”

‘SENitizing’ migrant children in inclusive settings: exploring the impact of the Salamanca Statement thinking in Italy and the United States

“…This paper examined the logical disjunctions within the Salamanca Statement and Framework for Actions on Special Needs Education, adopting an intersectional perspective on inclusion (Connor, Ferri & Annamma, 2016;Artiles, et al, 2011), which more authentically centres the voices of multiply-marginalised children. It presented data from two qualitative studies on the inclusion process of migrant children in Italian and U.S. public schools.…”

“…The Statement, in fact, reports that students with Special Educational Needs would be placed in common regular settings 'as far as possible' and only if this was not be detrimental for them and for the other non-disabled children (UNESCO, 1994, p.17) As the data presented in the paper highlight, most of the inclusive education structures in Italy and in the U.S. are still disabling multiply-marginalised students, putting them at increasing risk of micro-exclusion. We argue a possible way to address and overcome the limitations of the Salamanca Statement is by reorganizing its conceptual framework in light of an intersectional stance to inclusive education (Connor, Ferri & Annamma, 2016;Artiles, et al, 2011). Primarily, this will help educational stakeholders at the international level to shift from a deficit perception of individual difference toward an authentic transformative view of inclusion.…”

Standing Behind and Listening to Native Hawaiian Students in the Transition Process

“…Culture is at the core of all human activities (Artiles et al, 2011) and encompasses everyday practices such as discrete behaviors, traditions, habits, and customs (Morgan, 1998). In addition, culture is the process of reality construction that allows people to see and understand events, actions, objects, utterances, and situations in unique ways (Morgan, 1998).…”

“…These differences often create challenges for students from collectivist cultures who must learn to understand, adjust, and perhaps even forgo their own cultural beliefs as they maneuver their way through the U.S. educational system and transition to adult roles and responsibilities. SE research has often used the terms culture and diversity as synonyms for ethnicity thus distilling culture down to ethnic traits and assuming homogeneity within groups (Artiles et al, 2011;Trainor & Kim, 2013). One's cultural identity however, is made up of more than ethnic traits.…”