The quality of inclusive education in Italy: The view of teachers in training for inclusive education of pupils with special educational needs

The evaluation of the quality of the processes of educational and social inclusion of people with disabilities is considered a key element in the improvement of their living conditions. The research presented here is part of the analyses carried out in Italy and abroad on the identification of indicators and categories able to provide a representative picture of the processes of school inclusion by assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the system in local contexts. Assessing the quality of inclusive education is complex because the contextual aspects of educational interventions cannot be ignored. In a research-action approach, the study analyses the Italian situation in the regions of Lazio and Campania through the point of view of 291 specialized teachers or in the process of specialization in the support of pupils with special educational needs. Their evaluations, based on a scale from 1 (insufficient) to 5 (excellent), were obtained through a structured questionnaire that collects their opinions on cultural and educational aspects, on management, organisational and collaborative activities between teachers, school directors, local authorities and families, and finally on elements of a pedagogical and didactic nature necessary for quality school inclusion. The descriptive and inferential statistical analysis of the aggregate data sketches a school whose strength in terms of inclusion lies in pedagogical and didactic planning. On the other hand, collaborative aspects, especially synergies between schools and local authorities, are pointed out and hinder effective co-planning of different types of support. These results therefore argue in favour of a systematization of integrated networks of support services for all pupils with special educational needs. Regarding training, teachers generally have a negative view of in-service training, which should be deepened and extended to all categories of teachers. The article concludes on the need to promote the development and systematization of qualitative research and documentary collections on good practices of inclusive education in schools. (C) 2020 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS on behalf of Association ALTER.