The aim of this article is to advance knowledge on how Swedish primary schools organise education and what strategies they deploy to ensure inclusion and attainment of newly arrived migrant students. The article is based on semi-structured interviews with 30 teachers and school administrators, and one-year of fieldwork undertaken in two…

This study examines the connection between studying in selective classes and students' alcohol use using data from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) from Finland. Linear probability models were used to investigate whether (1) studying in selective classes is associated with students' recent heavy episodic…

The generalisation of learning is one of the main elements to take into account when carrying out an educational intervention. This process involves certain difficulties for the population with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In this sense, the aim of the present study is to evaluate the process of generalisation of skills related to the social…

The aim of this paper was to investigate structural aspects of inclusion of immigrant students in Norwegian multicultural schools and, more specifically, their experiences of introductory classes and other segregated efforts. Due to their need for Norwegian language education, newly arrived immigrant students are not necessarily physically…

Although Nordic countries are committed to developing inclusive education, a gap often exists between policy, ideals, and the realisation of inclusion in practice. In Finnish schools, part-time special education is an important tool for promoting inclusive education in the three-tier system. In this study, our research questions were: (1) What…

The article explores the notions of children's intellectual 'ab/normality' that were conceptualised in the context of emerging special educational measures at the turn of the twentieth century and the concomitant notions of child development. From the mid-nineteenth century onwards, the medical classification of 'idiocy' provided the framework for…

Using an in-depth qualitative case study approach, this study examines parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as they tried to become involved in their children's education and establish home-school partnerships to better support their children's needs in an elementary school in Turkey. Specifically, we focused on the…

This paper focusses on the organisational responses of secondary schools to newly arrived migrant students. In Flanders (the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium), as in many other European regions, newly arrived students are placed in segregated classes that aim to prepare them for integration in mainstream education. Deriving from, on the one hand,…

The study analyses variations in school well-being, social inclusion, and academic self-concept in a population of Norwegian children born with a physical disability (N = 311). Overall, the children reported positive experiences regarding their social and emotional inclusion in school but tended to have a more negative experience of their academic…

Ireland's system of special education has undergone unprecedented change over the last three decades. Following major policy developments in the mid-2000s which emphasised inclusive education, there have been changes to special education school personnel and funding structures which seek to include greater numbers of students with disabilities in…

Many pupils with disabilities receive schooling in segregated contexts, such as special classes or special schools. Furthermore, the percentage of pupils educated in segregated settings has increased in many European countries. Studies suggest that there is high commitment to the general ideology of inclusive education among teachers in 'regular'…

This study aimed to explore how the perceptions held by pupil assistants (PAs) and teachers regarding their professions shaped the identities of PAs and teachers belonging to segregated special education units (SEUs), as well as pupils with neurodevelopmental diagnoses (NDs). A qualitative study consisting of semi-structured interviews and…

This article explores two aspects of special needs education (SNE) for pupils in compulsory schools in Finland and Norway, who according to official procedures, have been granted SNE. The two aspects are "educational settings" for the implementation of SNE and "formal competence" among those who implement the SNE to which the…

In this two-part study, high-ability students' experiences of need support, need satisfaction, and motivation in regular and pull-out classes were compared. Quantitative results from Study 1 indicated that high-ability students (N = 203) reported more satisfaction of their needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness and more favorable…

Family support is essential for academic success and the creation of resilient learners. Support is a complex and contested terrain that is variously described based on disparate philosophical lenses through which it is viewed. It cannot be denied that learners are bound to encounter several challenges during their educational expedition that…