Special Education and Meritocratic Inclusion

Abstract

In this theoretical article we present our hypothesis on the incompatibility of the inclusive education policy toward students with special educational needs with the meritocratic principle of education. If considering and recognizing the needs of these students is necessary to achieve a successful inclusive environment, we propose that this goal cannot be achieved within current educational systems driven by a meritocratic ideology. We base our rationale on social psychology theories such as system justification and backlash to argue that such incompatibility is particularly visible during the evaluation process. Finally, if we provide some incentives toward greater inclusion while considering the diverse contradictions such inclusivity generates, we also invite researchers to further empirically examine these contradictions in order to guide policy makers within their choices.

French teachers' intentions to use accommodated materials in learning and assessment

“…This finding leads us to suggest that the meritocratic function of the education system may be a significant barrier to the implementation of inclusive practices (see also Batruch et al, 2019; Darnon et al, 2018; Khamzina et al, 2021). Accordingly, we propose that increases in financial and human resources that are not accompanied by a shift in mindset among key actors, and changes in how the functional purpose of education is viewed, are prone to inefficiency in enabling every student to enjoy their right to education (Darnon et al, 2018; Stanczak et al, 2023).…”

“…based on what we suggest is an incompatibility between inclusive education and selection (Barton & Slee, 1999;Benjamin, 2002;Khamzina et al, 2021;Stanczak et al, 2023), wee proposed that teachers' intentions to use special needs accommodated instruction materials would be comparatively reduced when they were asked to normatively assess a student with special education needs, than when prompted to teach him or her. The results presented confirmed our expectations by showing differences in the intentions to use accommodated materials based on whether teachers were working with instruction or assessment.…”

“…By perpetuating inequalities, it has been argued that the selection function is also incompatible with inclusive education policy. Indeed, Stanczak and colleagues recently proposed that a contradiction exists between the principles of selection and inclusion (Stanczak et al, 2023; see also Benjamin, 2002). More precisely, the contradiction lies in the difficulty to reconcile the full participation of students with special education needs with the competitive nature of schools (Benjamin, 2002; see also Lloyd, 2008).…”

“…In addition, teacher intentions to use inclusive pedagogies were examined as a function of the education phase (learning versus assessment of the acquired skill of special education needs students). Building on our assumption of the incompatibility of selection function and inclusive education policy (Barton & Slee, 1999; Khamzina et al, 2021; Stanczak et al, 2023), our second hypothesis builds on the idea that teacher intentions to use accommodated materials are comparatively reduced when teachers are asked to assess a student with special education rather than instruct . Our third and final hypothesis draws on a consideration of both hypotheses 1b and 2; namely, that the discrepancy outlined in hypothesis 1b is comparatively greater when students with autistic syndrome disorder are assessed rather than taught .…”

Inclusive classroom climate development as the cornerstone of inclusive school building: review and perspectives

“…For example, special accommodations targeted at SEN can at times be seen as an unfair use of resources by mainstream students-especially those experiencing academic difficulty, their parents and even teachers. In such circumstances, even more discrimination may result, if SEN students are perceived as a threat to mainstream students' development and to values of meritocracy (for reviews, Iyer, 2022;Stanczak et al, 2023). Similarly, if achievement is defined in terms of superiority over others in the classroom (i.e., normative comparison), special accommodations can result in SEN students again being seen as a threat to mainstream students' achievements.…”