Inclusive research and inclusive education: why connecting them makes sense for teachers’ and learners’ democratic development of education

Following pushes from the disability movement(s) and increased interest in children and young people becoming involved in research concerning them, inclusive research is growing within and beyond education establishments. Yet this arena is alive with interesting and largely unanswered questions. This paper discusses some of them: What do inclusive research and inclusive education have in common? Where have the moves towards inclusive (participatory and emancipatory) research happened and why? How viable are the claims to the moral superiority of inclusive research? What kinds and quality of knowledge does inclusive research produce? Finally the question is addressed of what all this means for inclusive education, arguing that inclusive research has under-explored potential to reinvigorate inclusive education and provide new connections to democracy and social justice in education

Understanding quality in inclusive research: a process of dialogue

The case for research by and with (rather than on) people with learning disabilities has been successfully made. Calls for emancipatory research have drawn attention to the ways that research owned by disabled people can better tackle social oppression. For learning disabled people moves towards a productive rather than passive role in research have largely retained some involvement of non-disabled people. This paper reports on a study in England which brought together learning disabled researchers leading their own research, learning disabled and non-disabled researchers working in collaborative research partnerships, and academic researchers using participatory design or methods. We adopted Walmsely and Johnson’s (2003) concept of inclusive research to recognise the overlaps between emancipatory and participatory research and the need for research that matters to the people involved, represents their views, involves them in the research process, treats them with respect, and may improve their lives. The intention was to work together in a series of focus group discussions to take stock of what we had learned about doing inclusive research and to answer Walmsley and Johnson’s call to ‘grapple honestly’ with the challenges. This is necessary if quality in inclusive research is to be understood. In the paper I reflect on the research process and the resulting model of ways of researching together and guidance in the form of questions to ask ourselves: when judging the quality of inclusive research; when negotiating how to work together in inclusive research; and when using the case study materials the project generated

Inclusive research: where does it leave people with PMLD?

A journal article for a practitioner audience in special issue celebrating 25 years of sharing sharing information in support of people with profound and multiple learning disabilities. The paper is a reflection on the implications of developments in inclusive research for people with learning disabilities - particularly those with more profound and complex impairment. This reflection is explicitly informed by the data from the Quality and Capacity in Inclusive Research for People with Learning Disabilities study

Parents’ experiences of support: co-constructing their stories

This paper presents some of the findings of a study of parents’ experiences of support services for their young children with special needs, combined with an argument about the value of the process of co-structing the stories of those experiences. The study was conducted in England with six parents using an ethnographic case study approach with narrative analysis. The parents’ narratives, interwoven with the reflection of the researcher/ early years professional, illustrate that engaged listening offers a way forward for professionals and parents (as well as researchers) to understand each other as they participate in co-construction. The process elicits much of what each are fearful of telling or hearing and about the balance of fragility and resilience in their assumptions and relationships

Parents' choice of education for their young children: lessons for inclusive education

This paper reports on aspects of a small-scale, UK-based study that investigated local discourses and practices operating for young children within a global context of commitment to inclusion. The study focused on parents of young children identified as having special educational needs, who opted for a combination of both inclusive and special early years settings to ‘get the best of both worlds’ for their children (Nind, Flewitt & Johnston, 2005). The paper discusses the implications of the emerging themes for the development of inclusive education

Creative interactions with data: using visual and metaphorical devices in repeated focus groups

This article presents some of the emergent methods developed to fit a study of quality in inclusive research with people with learning disabilities. It addresses (i) the ways in which the methodology was a response to the need for constructive, transformative dialogue through useof repeated focus groups in a design interspersing dialogic and reflective spaces; and (ii) how stimulus materials for the focus groups involved imaginative and creative interactions with data. Particular innovations in the blending of narrative and thematic analyses and data generation and analysis processes are explored, specifically the creative use of metaphor as stimulus and the playful adaptation of I-poems from the Listening Guide approach as writing and performance. In reflecting on these methodological turns we also reflect on creativity as an interpretive lens. The paper is an invitation for further methodological dialogue and development

Is changing who leads research a methodological innovation?

Emancipatory research is controlled by the people who are usually the subjects of research and who are implicated by it, whether this be disabled people, older people, survivors of mental health services or other marginalised groups. While labelled differently child-led or user-led research involves this same change in who is in charge of the process of knowledge production. There is a notion of accountability to the people involved and others in their situation and of working towards tackling their social oppression. This paper explores what this change means for innovation in research methods. If, as many argue, this methodological turn is more about political philosophy than a set of techniques, then does it leave the techniques unchanged and does this constitute a methodological innovation? The paper draws on data from two recent research projects to examine this issue: an ESRC study of quality and capacity in inclusive research with people with learning disabilities and an NCRM study of methodological innovations in the social sciences including a case study of child-led research. By focusing on concepts and practices in tandem the paper illustrates some of the contradictions in an apparent paradigm shift. <br/

Learning as researchers and teachers: the development of a pedagogical culture for social science research methods

In light of calls to improve the capacity for social science research within UK higher education, this article explores the possibilities for an emerging pedagogy for research methods. A lack of pedagogical culture in this field has been identified by previous studies. In response, we examine pedagogical literature surrounding approaches for teaching and learning research methods that are evident in recent peer-reviewed literature. Deep reading of this literature (as opposed to systematic review) identifies different but generally complementary ways in which teachers of methods seek to elucidate aspects of the research process, provide hands-on experience and facilitate critical reflection. At a time when the advancement of research capacity is gaining prominence, both in the academy and in reference to the wider knowledge economy, this paper illustrates how teachers of methods are considering pedagogical questions and seeks to further stimulate debates in this area

The practical wisdom of inclusive research

The concept of inclusive research epitomizes the transformation away from research on people, to research with them. Applied particularly but not exclusively in the field of learning disabilities, the concept encapsulates the drive to involve people in the design and conduct of research about them, reach and represent their lived experience, respect them and value different ways of knowing. This paper discusses some of the challenges that UK inclusive researchers have shared in focus groups aimed at taking stock of this transformative movement and it shares how a local UK research collaboration between academics and people with learning disabilities has addressed some of these challenges. Inclusive research methods of generating and analyzing data are examined within the broader context of how research projects and partnerships are enacted. The paper concludes that doing research inclusively is gradually transforming through collective practical wisdom and praxis

The NCRM quick start guide to: teaching advanced research methods

Teaching advanced research methods presents a number of distinct pedagogic challenges - from diverse learner groups and the practicalities of handling data, to the challenge of structuring and sequencing course content within an intensive period. This guide is the result of NCRM research involving interviewing and observing teachers, learners and strategic developers of advanced competence in social science research methods. The guidance is based on evidence and collective wisdom pertaining to methods teaching specifically and it is intended to stimulate the development of good practice