Delving into colombian inclusion policies in ELT classrooms: A look from elementary teachers' voices

Abstract

Throughout the last years, the policy of inclusion in Colombia has been recognized, from the educational perspective, as the bases to reach a genuine inclusive process in the educational setting valuing the differences. Although several researchers have focused on Special Educational Needs (SEN) students as the core of the policy, not all of them have considered to listen to the voices of the ones who make sense of that policy: the teachers. This qualitative multiple case study seeked to reveal the voices of four Elementary teachers in regards to the policy of inclusion in ELT classrooms. In that sense, three deep interviews with each teacher were conducted and analyzed through the Grounded Theory approach. Some momentums that emerged from the analysis suggest that teachers find challenging the fact of including disabled children in ELT classrooms; additionally, they asked for qualification to teach these students, especially in English classes. Moreover, these teachers considered mandatory the parents’ commitment in the process of inclusion, requesting a regulation from the policy to this aspect.