Beyond the 'Dilemma of Difference': An Analysis of Stories from Experienced Teachers, about Their Inclusive Practice
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| Title: | Beyond the 'Dilemma of Difference': An Analysis of Stories from Experienced Teachers, about Their Inclusive Practice |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Tracy Edwards (ORCID |
| Source: | British Educational Research Journal. 2025 51(3):1421-1444. |
| Availability: | Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 24 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Experienced Teachers, Teacher Attitudes, Teaching Experience, Personal Narratives, Story Telling, Reflection, Inclusion, Educational Practices, Equal Education, Definitions, Program Implementation, Student Needs, Teacher Student Relationship, Classification |
| DOI: | 10.1002/berj.4129 |
| ISSN: | 0141-1926 1469-3518 |
| Abstract: | Efforts to strengthen inclusive practice in education have been found to be underpinned by encounters with dilemmas. In particular, much has been written about the 'dilemma of difference', which is the perceived tension between wanting to provide for individual needs in education and wanting to avoid stigmatising individuals by treating them differently to others, in order to do this. This article outlines a research study that worked with 42 'dilemma stories', from 19 experienced teachers. The majority of these stories (35) were crafted as part of a methodological approach which involved story-sharing dialogues with these teachers, transcription, and the (re)drafting of written narratives. Both phenomenography and hermeneutic phenomenology was applied to the analysis of the stories. This required an acceptance of the apparent ontological dissonance between the hermeneutic phenomenological preoccupation with the 'pre-reflective' and phenomenography's emphasis on conceptions. Through the analysis, a typology of 'four dilemmas of inclusive practice' was arrived at. This typology suggests that experienced teachers often look beyond the 'dilemma of difference' and find themselves in more nuanced predicaments, which are arguably less visible to policymakers and advisors. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1475564 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| Abstract: | Efforts to strengthen inclusive practice in education have been found to be underpinned by encounters with dilemmas. In particular, much has been written about the 'dilemma of difference', which is the perceived tension between wanting to provide for individual needs in education and wanting to avoid stigmatising individuals by treating them differently to others, in order to do this. This article outlines a research study that worked with 42 'dilemma stories', from 19 experienced teachers. The majority of these stories (35) were crafted as part of a methodological approach which involved story-sharing dialogues with these teachers, transcription, and the (re)drafting of written narratives. Both phenomenography and hermeneutic phenomenology was applied to the analysis of the stories. This required an acceptance of the apparent ontological dissonance between the hermeneutic phenomenological preoccupation with the 'pre-reflective' and phenomenography's emphasis on conceptions. Through the analysis, a typology of 'four dilemmas of inclusive practice' was arrived at. This typology suggests that experienced teachers often look beyond the 'dilemma of difference' and find themselves in more nuanced predicaments, which are arguably less visible to policymakers and advisors. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0141-1926 1469-3518 |
| DOI: | 10.1002/berj.4129 |
