Overcoming Barriers: The Local and the Innovative Dimensions of Inclusive Socio-Educational Practices

Abstract

This paper discusses some results of a broader research, focusing on a set of eleven socio-educational practices aiming to overcome school failure and dropout, developed in Portugal, giving particular attention to the local and innovative dimensions. This research aims to understand the point of view of the several actors involved, about which factors, processes and relationships contribute the most to building such practices. Data was gathered through documental analysis and semi-structured interviews with those (institutionally) responsible for each practice under study, and was analysed using two instruments. From the point of view of the people responsible, the practices that contribute the most to overcoming school failure and dropout fall into one of four categories: Study Support (4 Practices), Student Grouping (3), Mediation (3) and Pedagogical Differentiation (1). Some practices mobilise resources; others interfere with learning and life contexts, in order to confront institutional, situational and dispositional barriers to participation and learning. Those practices seem to have an impact on school-family communication. Formal schooling, as well as the socio-cultural inclusion of youth from disadvantaged backgrounds, are seen as relevant; yet, we can observe a somewhat fragile involvement of families and communities in practices aimed at promoting their youth’s educational success.

Práticas socioeducativas inclusivas: concetualizações e tendências de produção científica no campo da educação

“…Decisores políticos, diretores, docentes e investigadores [29] Decisores políticos, diretores, docentes, estudantes e pais [30] Diretores [44] Diretores e docentes [26][31] [41] Diretores, docentes, estudantes e pais [2] Diretores, docentes e pais [43] Docentes Diretores, docentes e funcionários regionais de educação [33] Responsáveis institucionais [5] Sem participantes [7][9] [11][14] [45] Técnicos [47] Técnicos, pais e responsáveis institucionais [34] Fonte: Elaboração própria.…”

“…Ao discurso político-educacional sobre EI correspondeu, no campo das ciências da educação, a emergência de distintas linhas de investigação 5 sobre o tema (e.g., i) perspetiva histórica; ii) perspetiva crítica do modelo de escola e de ensino-aprendizagem; iii) políticas educativas de ascendente neoliberal; iv) relação entre políticas curriculares e EI e; v) indicadores sobre as mudanças geradas no terreno) que, contemplando pontos divergentes e outros complementares entre si, originaram diferentes concetualizações sobre o que é a EI (Abrantes, 2021). Neste sentido, Abrantes argumenta que "o próprio conceito de educação inclusiva e, sobretudo, a sua concretização são muito variáveis consoante os contextos" (p. 27), divergindo entre países e mesmo entre escolas (Booth;Ainscow, 2002;Rodrigues, 2006).…”

Promoting Academic Success and Social Inclusion in Non-Formal Education Contexts: The Case of a North-East Region of Portugal

“…The inclusive socio-educational practices imbued in the inclusive education philosophy [22][23][24] aim to develop processes to mitigate or overcome barriers to learning and participation [25] in order to promote academic success and social inclusion for all students [16]. From our perspective, we argue that these practices are situated actions that obtain meaning and feasibility in particular contexts, with specific structural aspects that shape their uniqueness [26], involving a commitment from all members of an educational community who share a common vision of the concept of inclusion, its implementation, and its configuration to meet the needs and diversity of all learners through cooperative planning and teaching [27].…”

“…In the Choices Project implemented in a rural municipality in the north-eastern part of Portugal in the 8EG (2021), 161 participants were involved, including 18 descendants of migrants, 18 from Roma communities, and 5 refugees. [16] emphasize the importance of inclusive socio-educational practices in overcoming barriers to learning in formal and non-formal educational settings such as the Choices Programme, arising from processes of promoting social inclusion and school success. Other contributions investigate successful socio-educational practices for preventing and/or overcoming school failure and dropout [17][18][19][20].…”

“…Other contributions investigate successful socio-educational practices for preventing and/or overcoming school failure and dropout [17][18][19][20]. We already know from previous research that inclusive socio-educational practices, within their limits and potentialities, come from public policy guidelines that, through the action of educational organisations in increasingly diverse and complex school contexts, constitute a response to social and school inequalities [16,21].…”