SDG4 – Quality Education

Concepts of Inclusivity and Quality Education

Therese Ferguson, Dzintra Iliško, Carmel Roofe, Susan Hill,
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 CHAPTER 4

CONCEPTS OF INCLUSIVITY AND

QUALITY EDUCATION
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Quality education itself is a very contested and multifaceted

term that needs to be seen via a framework of a complex,
evolving and adaptive system shaped by the particular polit-
ical, economic, social and cultural context of each country in
a balanced and integrated way. Metaphors are important and
useful here for a deeper understanding of such a complex
phenomenon as quality education. The definition of the term
requires an openness for change, as new understandings are
constantly evolving due to emerging new knowledge and sub-
sequent educational challenges. This is important not only to
lock the term in an accurate definition rather than to view it
as a static frame, but also to open up responses to a broader
understanding by constantly adapting the content and meth-
odology to the new demands of a changing and complex
world.
Typically, quality assurance is related to the demands of
external evaluators, performance, control and accountability.
Epistemological changes in the society require the system to
relate quality education to various needs and ambitious

39
 40 SDG4 Quality Education

alliances between multiple stakeholders that are open for dia-

logue and negotiations (Salter & Tapper, 2000). Nikel and
Lowe (2010) provide syntheses of research by indicating the
following dimensions of quality education: effectiveness,
equity, relevance, flexibility and sustainability. Laurie,
Nonoyama-Tarumi, McKeown and Hopkins (2016) argue
that the sustainability dimension of quality education needs
to focus on a number of aspects, for example: how education
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improves purposes and outcomes; how Education for

Sustainable Development (ESD) enriches curriculum develop-
ment and how it can strengthen partnerships among multiple
stakeholders, thereby promoting innovations.
Improvements need to focus on all aspects of quality edu-
cation, including the approaches, the processes and the out-
comes of the educational process. New pedagogical models
need to evolve in a nonlinear dynamic way, and modelling
needs to be linked to other subsystems by considering each
system’s dynamics. Quality education needs to be seen as a
transformational force for whole child development, linked
to other systems such as family, community and a society.
The basic dimensions of quality education centre on the
content and the process of implementing quality education
and its outcomes. The content centres on acquisition of basic
skills in the areas of literacy, maths and life skills, as reflected
in current curricula. Particular emphasis is on Agenda 2030
(UN, 2015) focussing on acquiring knowledge, skills and
values in relation to sustainable development, which include
sustainable lifestyles, gender equality, global citizenship and
appreciation of cultural diversity. The sustainability peda-
gogies encouraged by the current Global Action Programme
on ESD are participatory and child-centred approaches
towards the acquisition of relevant content that has an accur-
ate focus on the holistic development of each child.
Outcomes are oriented towards developing students’
 Concepts of Inclusivity and Quality Education 41

competencies where they have opportunities for deeper and

more personalised learning, more individualised support,
greater autonomy, flexibility and greater personal responsibil-
ity over their learning outcomes. Bransford, Brown, and
Cocking (2000) emphasise that a competency-based
approach requires us to view students as adaptive experts
who are able to apply knowledge in new situations.
Crawford, Schlager, Toyama, Riel, and Vahey (2005) explain
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that, rather than assuming that their problem definition is

correct, pupils draw on their knowledge in the light of situ-
ational factors or unique aspects of a case and formulate their
theory of the situation which they test in the given context.
Uncertainty and some complexity in a present situation
require involvement of multiple stakeholders in a dialogue for
better understanding of indicators of quality education
(Harvey & Stensker, 2008). Due to its complex nature, qual-
ity education needs high-performance indicators and rigorous
assessment. It requires a high-end culture that fosters commu-
nication, exchange and continued dialogue in order to
improve quality indicators. This requires a holistic under-
standing of such a culture continually based on trust and
involvement of multiple stakeholders. Rather than linking
quality education to external quality demands, it requires
engagement of various stakeholders in a dialogue over the
negotiation of major concepts and outcomes of a carefully
discerned agenda. Quality culture involves a dialogue
between the students, administration and the staff members.
Parallel to the need of a quality culture, the European
University Association (2014) refers also to the other dimen-
sion of quality assurance: values, beliefs and expectations
aimed at and based on such quality. This involves flexibility,
participation, hopes and emotions. Last but not the least
important aspect of quality education refers to standards,
responsibilities of individuals and services.
 42 SDG4 Quality Education

4.1. INCLUSIVE EDUCATION AS A SDG GOAL

The term inclusion has been discussed over 30 years within

European societal theory aimed at the inclusion of groups of
people at the margins of the society (Terzi, 2014).
Practitioners and academics in Latvia joined in this discussion
in the early 1990s. The 1994 Salamanca Statement estab-
lishes a clear relationship between inclusive education and an
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inclusive society by stressing the need to combat discrimin-

atory attitudes, thus achieving the aim of education for all
(UNESCO, 1994).
Typologies and models of inclusion have been discussed
worldwide and shaped in diverse formats such as: concern
with special education; response to exclusions; inclusion of
all vulnerable groups; and school for all. There is a trend of
thought working towards more effective responses for all
children within a general educational system (Ainscow &
Cesar, 2006).
Inclusion should be seen as a process whereby children’s
differences are valued and celebrated as opposed to ridiculed
or utilised to render them as outsiders. Inclusion should be
seen as ‘a continual and fluid process in which all children
have strengths, interests and needs that must be addressed in
order to be included’ (Mackenzie, Cologon, & Fenech, 2016,
p. 8). Norwich (2013) emphasises the values of difference,
commonality, participation, and choice, as constitutive ele-
ments of inclusion. According to Norwich, there are no uni-
versal solutions for building inclusive practice; rather, she
talks about a ‘plural values dimension’ (p. 155).
There is also an emphasis on shaping more inclusive
research in terms of epistemic diversity where the research
questions need to be formulated in such a way to discover
people’s plausible, multidimensional everyday realities and to
restore missing perspectives (Nind, 2014; Robertson, 2013),
 Concepts of Inclusivity and Quality Education 43

where every child is seen as an active meaning-maker capable

of co-constructing knowledge (Nind, 2014).
Inclusive education is seen as a priority in a number of
documents aimed at equipping all students with the skills
necessary to achieve their full potential. The UNESCO’s
(2005b) vision on inclusion means responding positively to
pupils’ diversity and seeing individual differences not as a
problem but as a resource. Inclusive schools are the best way
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to combat discrimination and to achieve the vision of educa-

tion for all (UNESCO, 1994). The notion of education for all
includes exercising greater flexibility and transformability
when encountering the diverse needs of pupils, consequently
promoting teamwork. A culture of inclusive schooling is
based on inclusive values and the implementation of these
practices in both school policy and practice. This means flexi-
bility in learning arrangements and changes in teachers’ roles.
In terms of quality and sustainability of education, SDG Four
questions whether current education fosters social inclusion
by enabling the holistic development of every child, and
whether it promotes tolerance and respect for diversity. This
is therefore a question whereby reorienting education must
progress towards sustainable education. Schools need to con-
tribute to the social inclusion of all children.
The UNESCO (1990, 2005b) action for ensuring inclusive
quality education involves holistic approaches to education
by ensuring that all marginal groups are included and devel-
oping the capacity of leaders to support diverse strategies for
inclusive education. This will happen by responding to the
concerns of those who are marginalised. Inclusive pedagogy
is a dialogue-driven and multimodal learning process that
engages all pupils in a dynamic and open-minded collabor-
ation. All efforts should be based around the recognition that
every child’s competencies must be recognised and developed.
Empowerment strategies involve every child in a decision-
 44 SDG4 Quality Education

making process by removing obstacles to the full participa-

tion of each child and developing competencies for construct-
ing their own lives (Forlin, 2010; Spratt & Florian, 2015).
This means that students are not expected to achieve the
same results in a one-size fits all model, but each is expected
to achieve his/her full potential. Teacher training institutions
play a huge role in developing teachers’ competencies for
building inclusive pedagogy: by using learning-effective teach-
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ing approaches to work in heterogeneous classes; by building

skills of collaboration and teamwork and by continuous pro-
fessional development for teachers. Educators need to critic-
ally re-examine assumptions that hinder their commitment to
inclusive teaching. Watkins and Donnelly (2012) point to the
core values underpinning inclusive education: value put on
learners’ diversity; support of all learners by the use of teach-
ing approaches and pedagogies that are relevant in heteroge-
neous classes; building closer cooperation with families and
other stakeholders and fostering continuous professional
development by engaging teachers in reorienting their frames
of reference towards inclusion.
Quality education refers to the content, ways of delivering
that content, and the outcomes of this education. This is an
open and dynamic process of continued improvement of all
those components by evoking openness, reflexivity and cre-
ativity of all parties involved dispelling all the clichés and
stereotypes. This requires redesigning education around
actual student learning. By considering the demands of such a
rapidly changing world, pupils need to expand their compe-
tencies in core subject areas along with problem-solving skills
and life skills, thus strengthening their capacity to transfer
those skills and attitudes to the solving of real-world issues.
Sustainability serves as an umbrella for a competency-
based educational curriculum by developing pupils’ knowl-
edge, skills and values related to sustainable lifestyles in
 Concepts of Inclusivity and Quality Education 45

educating informed citizens who will contribute to the well-

being of our planet.
The goal of quality education is still to be achieved, but
the characteristics that need to drive our educational system
towards more equal, inclusive and competency-based edu-
cation are outlined. A close examination of stigmatising
structures and practices drives us to invite practitioners and
policymakers to engage in a reflexive dialogue to improve their
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work, guided by inclusive values. This also requires changes in

teachers’ perspectives and roles, from didactic instruction to
mentoring, thereby recognising student diversity in terms of
gender, age, language and individual experience.
The legal educational framework is sufficient, but the
research reveals ambivalent approaches, attitudes and ten-
sions at the psychological level. There are many cases of good
practice in successful private and pilot schools that have pio-
neered implementation of a competency-based curriculum in
schools, but there is a lack of fundamental and applied
research that could provide evidence-based recommendations
for current practitioners.
Inclusive education is a complex issue that requires us to
view a child as a whole personality. It also requires the use of
inclusive pedagogies based on: (1) the use of multiple teach-
ing methods, allowing a space for a variety of ways to con-
struct knowledge; (2) multiple ways of expression of that
knowledge and (3) multiple modes of pupil engagement that
motivate them to learn (McGuire, Scott, & Shaw, 2006).
Inclusive education is, therefore, an ongoing societal reform
towards social justice and societal sustainability.

4.2. ECO-JUSTICE

Inclusivity closely relates to the concept of eco-justice. Gibson

(2004) suggests that eco-justice be viewed both as a journey
 46 SDG4 Quality Education

and a destination, based on such values as solidarity, sustain-

ability and the participation of all involved actors, without
leaving anyone behind. This journey requires learning new
ways of looking at the world, new ways of sensing and new
ways of living (Bowers, 2001).
Eco-justice itself is a holistic notion that fosters ecological
sustainability as a part of social and economic eco-justice.
Eco-justice is relational and contextual; it is an ethical task
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for an individual to make a decision with respect to biotic

and cultural diversity. Solidarity with all those who are
excluded leads towards building a just and inclusive commu-
nity that respects and cares for all individuals while showing
responsibility to future generations. Alternative future envi-
sioning rests on such values as socially appropriate policies
and democratic decision-making processes (Gibson, 2004).
Eco-justice claims equal good for all people.
An eco-justice approach requires educators to ask deep
questions about the ultimate purpose of education and to use
their imaginations to visualise the world in which we/they
wish to live. The approach requires an alignment with ethical
commitments to building an inclusive society. Dewey (1976)
talks about a democratic way of thinking about differences,
not in terms of hierarchies but through a lens of incompar-
ability. Moral equality avoids using one standard for all.
Therefore, teaching in the inclusive classroom is a challenging
task and requires new and diverse forms of pedagogical
knowledge and new skills.

4.3. HUMAN CAPABILITIES APPROACH

The inclusive approach is more frequently discussed than the

capability approach. It has been a powerful conceptual
framework for discussing the issue of justice, an inclusive
 Concepts of Inclusivity and Quality Education 47

society and well-being (Elson, Fukuda Parr, & Vizard, 2014).

The capability approach, in its complexity, begins with the
question: What are people able to do and what opportunities
are available to them? Capability puts an emphasis on the
needs and aspirations of individuals, their ability to plan their
future and to achieve their fullest potential (Hoffmann &
Adams, 2005). Among the indicators of resilience are auto-
nomy, a sense of purpose, problem solving and other skills.
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Access to education for all students enhances capability.

Hoffmann and Adams (2005) argue that quality education
should lead to learning outcomes such as the capability to
think creatively and critically, to solve problems and commu-
nicate with others. Nussbaum (2006) argues that this list of
capabilities does not need expanding; rather, moral doctrines
need to be formulated that inspire responsible behaviour. He
relates problem-solving skills, autonomy, a sense of purpose
and social ability with characteristics and abilities identified
as resilience among young people.
A number of international documents have a clear focus
on the human right to fully develop mental and physical abil-
ities; for example, the UNESCO (2000) Dakar Framework
for Action places an emphasis on quality education. The cap-
ability approach is closely related to Goal Three of the Dakar
Framework for Action (UNESCO, 2000). National educa-
tional policy and frameworks also address the Human
Capability Approach and highlight the move from teaching
to reorienting the curriculum towards sustainability and the
development of life skills.
The notion of capabilities is referred to as a freedom
people enjoy which gives their lives value. This involves free
choice and agency, and a worthwhile and flourishing life
lived with human dignity. Academics have attempted to
contextualise this approach within the lives of real people
by creating possibilities of meaningful interventions by
 48 SDG4 Quality Education

policymakers in their lives. Nussbaum (2011) views the

capability approach as the counter theory that tackles injus-
tices; she argues that wise political interventions can improve
the quality of real people’s lives. Supporters of a capability
approach further argue that the most important elements of
quality of life, such as health, bodily integrity and education,
cannot be measured by simple metrics; rather, they require a
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plurality of measurements and non-reducibility (Nussbaum,

2011).