To the issue of inclusive higher education

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To the issue of inclusive higher education

Yanina Maryanko Yanina Maryanko,, PhD in Philology, Associate Professor, Head of the Department of Foreign Languages Odessa State Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture (Odesa, Ukraine) , Mariia Ohrenich Mariia Ohrenich,PhD in Pedagogy, Associate Professor at the Department of Foreign Languages Odessa State Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture (Odesa, Ukraine) , Svitlana Lazarchuk Svitlana Lazarchuk,Senior Lecturer at the Department of Foreign Languages Odessa State Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture (Odesa, Ukraine)

Abstract

The article is devoted to the problem of inclusive education in Ukraine. Changing the status of our country as a European Union member-state means a new vision of inclusive education and a change of the scientific community's attitude to the students with special needs. The inclusion process involves development and execution of such specific solutions that will allow everyone to equally participate in the academic and social life.

The authors consider two approaches to "special" students teaching, which are acceptable in the inclusive education implementation as a universal effective process; the inclusion ideology, where the professor has to be impartial, generally benevolent and friendly to all; give assessment and guidance to the educators who work with such higher education applicants, characterize their preparation, primarily psychological, to work in inclusive groups or courses as in addition to the professional one, as they experience deep psychological difficulties. The academic staff who work with "special" young students in inclusive groups are responsible for the physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual condition of those who study, so they must create all the possible means for the unimpeded knowledge skills and abilities acquisition by the students for their future vocational activity. inclusive education invalidity student

The issues of the inclusive education basis are raised in the work, as well as overall provisions of inclusive education as a modern socio-pedagogical phenomenon and the background for integration into the society, feedback technology, methodological and pedagogical support of "different" students, access to education for young people with disabilities; the inclusive education principles developed by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the experience of their implementation are studied too. The benefits of inclusive education for students with disabilities; social competence and communication skills of such people are discussed. The main directions of thought and pedagogical actions in the inclusive education situation are focused on current personality issues. According to the authors, the main task of an educator who works with young people with impaired needs is to deliver the information to the “special” listener, check their understanding the material building a compromise behavioural model convenient and acceptable for everyone.

Key words: inclusive education, youth with special needs, inclusive groups, professional activity, scientific community, academic life.

Анотація

До питання інклюзивної вищої освіти

Яніна Мар'янко, кандидат філологічних наук, доцент, завідувачка кафедри іноземних мов Одеської державної академії будівництва та архітектури (Одеса, Україна)

Марія Огреніч, кандидат педагогічних наук, доцент кафедри іноземних мов Одеської державної академії будівництва та архітектури (Одеса, Україна)

Світлана Лазарчук, старший викладач кафедри іноземних мов

Одеської державної академії будівництва та архітектури (Одеса, Україна)

Стаття присвячена проблемі інклюзивної освіти в Україні. Зміна статусу нашої країни - кандидат в члени ЄС - означає нове бачення цього питання та зміну ставлення науково-педагогічної спільноти до студентів із особливими потребами.

Процес інклюзії передбачає розробку та застосування таких конкретних рішень, які зможуть дозволити кожній людині рівноправно брати участь в академічному та суспільному житті. Автори розглядають два підходи, що склалися до викладання дисциплін «особливим» студентам, які прийнятні при впровадженні інклюзивної освіти як універсального ефективного процесу; ідеологію інклюзії, при якій викладач має бути неупередженим, однаково доброзичливим і прихильним до всіх; дають оцінку й настанови педпрацівникам, які працюють з такими здобувачами вищої освіти; характеризують їхню підготовку, насамперед, психологічну, до роботи в інклюзивних групах, так як, крім професійних, викладач відчуває глибокі психологічні труднощі. Педагог, який працює з «особливими» молодими людьми-студентами, що навчаються в інклюзивній групі, несе відповідальність за їх фізичний, інтелектуальний, емоційний та духовний стан, тому він має створювати усі мови для безперешкодного набуття студентами знань, умінь і навичок їхньої майбутньої професійної діяльності.

У роботі підіймаються питання основи інклюзивної освіти, вивчаються її загальні положення як сучасного соціально-педагогічного феномену та підгрунтя для інтеграції в соціумі, технології зворотнього зв'язку, психолого-педагогічний супровід «особливих» студентів, доступність навчання молодих людей із різними вадами; розглядаються принципи інклюзивної освіти, розроблені МОН України, та досвід їх упровадження; переваги інклюзивної освіти для студентів із обмеженими можливостями здоров'я; соціальна компетенція та навички комунікації людей з інвалідністю; основні напрямки думки та педагогічних дій у ситуації інклюзивної освіти; робиться фокус на актуальності проблеми розвитку особистості. На думку авторів, головне завдання педагога, який працює з молодими людьми-інвалідами, - донести інформацію, вислухати та зрозуміти думку «особливого», вибудовуючи компромісну модель поведінки.

Ключові слова: інклюзивна освіта, молодь із особливими потребами, інклюзивна група, професійна діяльність, наукова спільнота, академічне життя.

Introduction

The relevance of the problem. Ukraine's accession to the European educational area provides new approaches to the issues of inclusive education and the academic community's attitude to the students with special needs.

Inclusive education is when all students, regardless of any challenges they may have, are placed in age- appropriate general education classes that are in their own neighbourhood to receive high-quality instructions, interventions, and supports that enable them to meet success in the core curriculum (Corbet, 2019:53).

Analysis of recent research and publications. Many foreign and Ukrainian scholars have dealt with the notion of inclusive higher education. Thus, its basis was considered by I. Bilozerska,A.Kolupayeva, T. Sat, O. Taranchenko, M. Ainscow,B.Bennett, J. Blanden, S. Miles; general provisions of inclusive education were initiated by I. Vasylashko,I.Zholkovska, V. Zasenko, V. Marynych, J. Corbett,L.Dearden, M. Green, A. Hall, J. Kugelmass; feedback technology in inclusive education was the research interests field of I. Kohut, A. Koroteeva,N.Kulik, T Lorman, J. Langley, A. Lewis, K. Messiou, G. Quin; G. Tazarachev, O. Taranchenko, E. Tyutyunyk, G. Umanets, E. Pollard, M. Williams were interested in the problem of inclusive education accessibility; psychological and pedagogical support of "special" students was investigated by L. Rudenko,I.Semkina, V. Smirnova, L. Kharchenko, O. Shevnin, T. Degener, A.-M. Houghton, F. Lechner, B. Norwich and others.

In the modern cultural space, according to I.Kohut, there developed two approaches to the problem of inclusive education. The first one is based on the social model of understanding “the different” and protecting their rights including discrimination. The motto of this tendency can be called the idea of creating an inclusive society where there is always room for “another” despite the distinctions in cultural and semantic worlds and values. From the point of view of the social constructivism methodology, it allows to criticize the society, change it and actively influence the state policy. In general, within this treatment, cultural differences are perceived as a condition for further development and interaction. Because of the war, the social constructivism methodology introduction, the society itself and its institutions welcome the atypical, adequately including them in public functioning thereby contributing to their growth, evolution and self-expression on equal terms.

The second touch to inclusion studies the process of a human's appearance, formation and progress within a particular cultural landscape, their socialization and development of ideas and values inherent to the society. As a result of this phenomenon introduction, special psychology and pedagogy have emerged (for example, defectology, oligophrenic and typhlopedagogy). Within this approach, the issues related to the division into norm and pathology, ability and inability were discussed. This is about helping people with various limits, their possible correction in the adaptation within the modern educational system (Когут, 2017: 21).

In our opinion, these approaches are currently acceptable in the inclusive education implementation as a universal effective process that promotes community- based subjectivity, adaptation, socialization, and self-realization formation expanding the social and cognitive potential of disabled people.

The aim of the article is to investigate the general ideas of inclusive education and their implementation in Ukraine.

Presenting the main material

The educator, when introducing the inclusion ideology, is to be guided by high moral principles. He has to show humanity, tolerance, mercy, kindness, decency, patience, and respect for the “special” students, without losing the sense of moderation and self-control.

Professors working in inclusive groups should not forget that they are responsible for the learners' physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual health, so they contribute to a favorable microclimate for various knowledge acquisition. Any information is to be positive, not regarding the students. The educator has to be impartial, equally friendly and sympathetic to all, strengthening the self-esteem and faith in their own abilities, showing the improvement opportunities. Moreover, professors encourage their students' independence development, the desire to cooperate and help others. In assessing the learners' achievements, they should strive for objectivity and fairness without overestimating or underestimating artificially.

The educator is supposed to possess speech and communication culture, not to provoke scandals and not to offend anyone even if the opponent is not right. His main task is to listen and understand the idea of "a special", building a compromise behavioural model. In general, in the context of inclusive education, the ethical nature of him as a mentor or a senior mate is very important. He must combine words and deeds nobility, be devoted to his work and sincere with the learners.

The primary and most important step of higher education preparation for the inclusion process implementation is the stage of changing professional and moral attitudes of the academic staff (Map'aHKO, Orpemn, 2021:105). Analyzing the experience of teachers' training to imbed this idea in Ukraine, we can conclude that in addition to the professional ones they are experiencing deep psychological difficulties.

The problem of professors' psychological readiness to work in the inclusion conditions is relevant for domestic and foreign researches. According to J.Corbet, pedagogical competence is directly related to values and "in order for the idea of integration to really "work", it is necessary that it captures the minds of teachers, becomes a part of their professional thinking" (Corbet, 2019:54).

According to G.Quinn and T.Degener, psychological work with academicians shows that the main emotional barrier is the fear of the unknown and doing harm to others, negative attitudes and prejudices, professors' vocational insecurity, unwillingness to change, psychological unpreparedness to work with "special" students (Quinn, 2020: 565).

It is commonly believed that only a student can possess psychological problems. Inclusion proves that the educator himself has many issues of this kind as well. We can state that psychological readiness for professional activity is formed during the vocational training process being a condition for the professors' activity effectiveness.

We understand it as a complex psychological education, a combination of functional, operational and personal components. The structure analysis of the "psychological readiness for the activity" concept showed that some researchers (I.Cohut, J.Corbet, G.Quinn, M.Williams etc.) include various constituents into it, filling them with similar content, they are:

• motivation, which determines a positive attitude to pedagogical activity and its success;

• the required amount of special, cognitive and methodological knowledge;

• a certain level of pedagogical skills and a set of professionally significant personality traits.

The inner readiness for the professional activity in this case is characterized by the dynamics of changes in the motivational sphere and the worldview.

Considering the concept of "psychological readiness for inclusive education", M.Williams, E.Pollard etc. clarify some of its essential elements, they are:

• emotional acceptance of students with different types of developmental disorders (acceptance - rejection), which is determined by the degree of an educator's emotional difficulties;

• motivational attitudes;

• value-notional perception attitudes of “the different” which determine the inclusion idea understanding;

• personal readiness, embodied in the personal position, internal specification of an educator's activity (Williams, Pollard, 2017: 12 ).

Thus, we can summarize, that the educator's psychological readiness to implement the inclusive approach in education is understood as a complex, holistic, personal education which is a set of social, moral, psychological and professional qualities and abilities that allow a high level of motivation to ensure effective students' involvement into educational conditions.

During the survey conducted by the Inclusive Resource Centre held by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, it was found that professors possess a high level of emotional acceptance of students with motor disorders and less - if they have behavioural or emotional ones. The study clearly showed the progressive changes in the professors' psychological readiness as a result of systemic changes in education and training - from the formal position of passive disregard or forced inclusion to the active expression of personal attitudes to inclusion in education, a gradual vocational and personal limitations differentiation.

The model of the academic staff's training to work in an inclusive surrounding should contain substantive and organizational components. It is to be aimed at developing their specialized vocational competence, gaining the ability to solve some academic problems, namely:

• understand the inclusive education philosophy, know the psychological and pedagogical patterns and features connected with age and personal development of young people with disabilities, and be able to identify them;

• be ready to select the best ways to organize the inclusive education process, design the studying environment for joint learning of students with normal and impaired development;

• apply different pedagogical interaction methods between all the subjects of the correctional and educational process, be focused on value attitudes towards people with disabilities and inclusive education in general;

• create a reformative and developmental encirclement in an inclusive educational space and use the methodological resources to motivate all students' growth;

• carry out professional self-education based on joint training of young people with normal and impaired needs.

The organizational component is represented by the technology of professors' training to work in the inclusive education conditions and comprises the following stages: immersion into professional tasks, problems solving, goals setting, and their implementation, reflection on activities. The educators' preparation personification and their values towards people with disabilities formation is ensured through the humanitarian technologies use.

J.Corbet highlights the following principles of inclusive higher education: recognition of equal value for society of all students and professors; increasing the degree of students' participation in the cultural life of local educational institutions and, at the same time, reducing the level of university life isolation; restructuring the methodology so that it can fully meet the diverse needs of all the students living near the university; exemption from barriers to knowledge acquisition and complete participation in the university life for all, not just those with disabilities or special educational needs; analysis and study of attempts to get over obstacles and improve the universities accessibility for individual students; carrying out reforms and changes aimed at all university students' benefit; the difference between learners is the resource that contributes to the pedagogical process, not the hindrance that needs to be overcome; recognition of students' right to obtain higher education in the institutions located at the place of residence; enhancing the situation inside the university as a whole, both for students and staff; the universities role recognition not only in perfecting academic performance but also in social values development; elaboration of support and cooperation relationships between universities and local communities, acceptance that inclusion in education is one of the inclusion aspects in the society in general (Corbet, 2019: 57).

The inclusive education benefits for students with disabilities cannot be overlooked. Let's dwell on them in detail.

Young people with special needs show a higher level of social interaction with their healthy peers in an inclusive environment compared to those who are in specialized institutions as they are the social and communicative competence carriers inherent to this age.

Students with special needs have richer curricula. The result is improved skills and academic achievements. This becomes especially evident if professors purposefully support socialization and if the number of learners with special needs is in a natural proportion to the other students.

The social acceptance of such young people is getting better due to the inclusive education in small groups. Thus, students "step over" others' disabilities working together with them on common tasks.

In “special” groups or courses, friendship between young people with and without “limits” becomes easier. This is especially the case when students with disabilities attend a university located close to their place of residence and therefore have more opportunities to meet their peers outside. Professors or curators play a leading role in establishing and strengthening such relationships. “Special” students need special educational services. They have difficulties in perceiving, processing and using information. In many ways, this prevents them from adapting to the society.

In our opinion, the use of distance studying forms is effective when organizing inclusive teaching. They allow to provide the learners with a high-quality education regardless of the place of study, give an opportunity to communicate with peers online which stimulates the modern digital society adaptation. When learning with the help of an electronic device such young people also acquire professional skills that can further ensure their dignified existence and work.

In addition, distance learning contributes to the quality of students' training, the cognitive activity independence growth increasing this education type prestige among students and their parents. At the same time, knowledge acquisition individualization is carried out: each learner is engaged in a schedule convenient only for him or her and at a pace convenient particularly for them.

According to J.Corbet, inclusion is recognized as a more developed, humane and effective educational system not only for people with special needs but also for the healthy ones as it gives the right for education to everyone regardless of compliance or non-compliance with the educational system (Corbet, 2019:56). A personality that has his/her own educational trajectory is formed through respect and acceptance of everybody's individuality. Moreover, "special" students are in a team, they learn to interact with each other, build relationships with professors or tutors, creatively and unconventionally solve educational assignments.

It is possible to say that inclusive education expands personal capabilities of all students, helps to develop such qualities as humanity, tolerance, willingness to help. This is a fundamentally new system where students and educators are working on a common goal - affordable and decent education for all without exceptions. The only issue is to create the right pedagogical and methodological conditions.

In recent years, many educational, cultural and leisure institutions, as well as public organizations, have been trying to take measures to implement the eight principles of inclusive education, namely:

• a person's value depends on their abilities and achievements;

• a person is able to feel and think;

• everyone has the right to communicate and be heard;

• all people need each other;

• real education can be carried out only in real relationships;

• all people require their peers' support and friendship;

• everyone learns to make progress in what they can do rather than in what they cannot do;

• diversity enhances all aspects of life (G.Quinn, T.Degener, 2020:575-576].

Conclusions and prospects for further development. An inclusive approach involves understanding the different educational needs and providing services in accordance with them through the greater participation in the educational process. At higher educational establishments it provides a specific strategy for such students, namely:

• at all stages of study, integration into the university environment is carried out through joint lectures and practical classes or workshops in common or mixed groups;

• availability of all higher education levels: bachelor's, master's, postgraduate;

• training of intellectual workers, economically independent and able to make a contribution to the country development.

Specialized centres and university departments experts (including philosophers and sociologists) with the help of modern information technologies should develop methodological materials on inclusive education, based on the individual approach to each learner and student.

They are to include specially designed teaching methods and techniques as well as educational programmes and curricula; exclusive adapted textbooks, manuals and didactic literature; technical teaching means of individual and collective use. Assistants' help who provide and ensure the necessary technical aid, together with psychological and sociocultural support for extracurricular activities of disabled students, is also to be supplied. They have to be able to participate in individual and group remedial classes and be guaranteed a free access to the buildings and organizations engaged in such educational activities; be involved in sports sections and creative teams.

Thus we can conclude about the main directions of thought and pedagogical actions in the inclusive education situation, such as: respect to the students' personality regardless of their position, success, external portrait, team status, family, physical, and mental characteristics; reliance on the individual preferences, i.e. the educator is called to notice, see these benefits and announce them to everyone; the general identity acceptance, human dissimilarity (because not being like everyone else does not mean being bad).

In our opinion, the determining condition for the inclusive education system success is young people's adaptation to the environment. The result is a harmoniously developed personality that does not distance him/herself from the society and does not feel alienated but being capable of conducting independent and full life.

In the further research, we are planning to study the experience of teaching humanitarian disciplines to students with special needs in the world in general and in Ukraine in particular.

Список використаних джерел

1. Про вищу освіту: Закон України від 01.07.2014 р. No 1556-VII . URL: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/1556-18/ ed20140701#Text (дата звернення: 29.08.2022)

2. Україна. Інклюзія. ПорталІРЦ: вебсайт. URL: https://ircenter.gov.ua/(дата звернення: 03.09.2022.).

3. Когут. І. Загальні положення інклюзивної освіти як сучасного соціально-педагогічного феномену та підгрунтя для соціальної інтеграції спортсменів з інвалідністю. Теорія і методика фізичного виховання і спорту. 2017. Вип. 2. С. 20-26.

4. Мар'янко Я., Огреніч М. Сутність викладання англійської мови в аспірантурі. Наукові записки. Сер. Педагогічні науки. 2021. Вип. 201. С. 104-108.

5. Corbet J. Inclusive education and school culture. International Journal of Inclusive Education. 2019. Vol. 3, No. 1. P 53-61.

6. Quinn G., Degener T. Human Rights and Disability. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics , 2020. Vol. 38 (3), pp. 564 - 579.

7. Williams M., Pollard E., Langley J., Houghton A.-M., Zozimo J. Models of support for students with disabilities: Report to HEFCE UK Institute for Employment Studies. 2017. 134 р.

References

1. Pro vyshchu osvitu: Zakon Ukrainy vid 01.07.2014 r. No 1556-VII . URL: https://zakon.rada.gov. ua/laws/show/1556-18/ ed20140701#Text [On Higher Education: The Law of Ukraine] (data zvernennia: 29.08.2022) [in Ukrainian].

2. Ukraina. Inkliuziia. [Ukraine. Inclusion.] Portal IRTs:veb-sait. URL: https://ircenter.gov.ua/ [Ukraine. Inclusion. IRC Portal](data zvernennia: 03.09.2022.) [in Ukrainian].

3. Kohut I. Zahalni polozhennia inkliuzyvnoi osvity yak suchasnoho sotsialno-pedahohichnoho fenomenu ta pidhruntia dlia sotsialnoi intehratsii sportsmeniv z invalidnistiu. [ General provisions of inclusive education as a modern socio- pedagogical phenomenon and a basis for social integration of athletes with disabilities.] Teoriia i metodyka fizychnoho vykhovannia i sportu. 2017. Vyp. 2. S. 20-26 [in Ukrainian].

4. Marianko Ya., Ohrenich M. Sutnist vykladannia anhliiskoi movy v aspiranturi. [ The essence of the English language teaching at a post-graduate school] Naukovi zapysky. Ser. Pedahohichni nauky. 2021. Vyp. 201. S. 104-108 [in Ukrainian].

5. Corbet J. Inclusive education and school culture. International Journal of Inclusive Education. 2019. Vol. 3, No. 1. P. 53-61.

6. Quinn G., Degener T. Human Rights and Disability. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics , 2020. Vol. 38 (3), pp. 564 - 579.

7. Williams M., Pollard E., Langley J., Houghton A.-M., Zozimo J. Models of support for students with disabilities: Report to HEFCE UK Institute for Employment Studies. 2017. 134 p.

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