Peer-reviewed article
Applicability of the model of inclusive education in early childhood education: a case study
Pille Nelis, Margus Pedaste, Carolina Šuman ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examines whether a theoretical model for inclusive education can work in practice within early childhood education settings in Estonia. Researchers found that while the model's overall structure was relevant, some features needed modification and others did not appear in practice. The study identified that clearer understanding of inclusion at institutional and state levels is needed, and that simply implementing inclusive education policies does not automatically increase inclusion or reduce exclusion.
Key points
- A theoretical model for inclusive education was tested in a practical early childhood education setting
- All levels and key characteristics of the model were found to be relevant in practice, though some features required modification
- Some model features, particularly those related to understanding inclusion philosophy, did not appear in practice
- A clearer understanding of inclusive education is needed at both institutional and state levels
- Implementation of inclusive education policies alone does not guarantee meaningful inclusion or reduced exclusion of all children
Limitations
This is a single case study from Estonia, so findings may not be generalisable to other countries or settings with different educational systems. The document does not provide detailed information about which specific features were modified or which children were involved in the study.
Abstract
Despite the development of policies and research supporting it, inclusion remains a challenge in contemporary education. We have developed a theoretical model for implementing inclusive education, thereby supporting early childhood education quality. It is necessary to establish the applicability of this model in order to apply it to improve the practices for adopting inclusive education. We conducted a case study, which showed that all levels and key characteristics of the theoretical model were also relevant in practice. However, as a result of the case study, the features describing the key characteristics were modified compared with the initial model. Additionally, the case study revealed that some of the features did not appear in practice. Those undetected features were mostly related to understanding the concept of inclusive education and the philosophy of inclusion. There appeared a need for a clearer understanding of inclusion on both the institutional and state level. The implementation of inclusive education does not in itself always increase inclusion or reduce exclusion. Therefore, when implementing inclusive education, it is necessary to think carefully about what is being done to allow all children to be meaningfully involved in the same classroom and by their teachers.