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Intellectual Disability and School

Research project

Head of project

Anna Westin
Doctoral student
E-mail
Email

Project overview

Project period:

2020-09-01 2026-02-01

Participating departments and units at Umeå University

Department of Education

Research area

Education, Educational sciences

Project description

The Swedish school's portal section has for decades been "a school for everyone", but what has it meant in the 21st century? Does the free choice of school mean that all pupils are welcome in general school, including special school pupils, or does it aim at different school forms to be able to meet the pupil based on its conditions and needs? And how much influence does the pupil himself have in choosing school? In school, there is often talk of knowledge requirements and goal fulfillment, the student's knowledge is assessed. There is less talk about other educational goals such as social interaction, participation and belonging. One may wonder what it is like with the accessibility work in the school. What knowledge is there in Swedish schools regarding disabilities and what support do teachers have? The latter is something that school practitioners can provide answers to, while a sense of belonging is something that each individual student carries their truth of, and something only the students themselves can tell about. What would it mean for the school if students with intellectual disabilities told how they feel at school, or what makes them feel a sense of belonging in the classroom and at school? Gaining an insight into students' sense of belonging would help schools create knowledge about what is needed for a student to feel that they belong in school, and to tailor teaching and learning environments for students with intellectual disabilities - with this knowledge "A school for all" can be achieved in the long run.

With my research, I want to create knowledge and understanding of how children with intellectual disabilities experience life in school and how the learning environment can be arranged to meet especially students with intellectual disabilities.

Supervisors
Kim Wickman and Mikaela Nyroos

Latest update: 2021-03-11