Abstract
In Australia, inclusive education is on the agenda of all state governments, with calls being made for genuine reform throughout all school systems. Despite the maintenance of segregated schools and classes for students with certain forms of special educational needs (SEN) or disability in some states and territories, the inclusion movement is supported by a growing assortment of legislation, policies, and guiding documents. As education in this country is primarily a state responsibility, the move towards inclusive schooling for students with SEN varies considerably according to local socio-political, historical, and geographical contexts. Given these circumstances, many mainstream teachers are experiencing difficulties in providing quality education for all students, including those with complex learning needs. A sco** review of the Australian literature related to inclusive education reveals that research to date has predominately focused on investigating teachers’ attitudes and beliefs about inclusion and their professional preparation for working in inclusive settings. Inquiries into effective inclusive pedagogies for classroom use are now emerging, albeit slowly. A case study of practices at a local urban primary (elementary) school illustrates current efforts being used to advance inclusive education in that setting. At the moment, several key challenges need to be overcome for students with SEN to be successful learners in Australian mainstream schools. Strong, collaborative commitment and action by governments are needed to drive the inclusive education agenda forward in this country.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abawi, L., & Oliver, M. (2013). Shared pedagogical understandings: Schoolwide inclusion practices supporting learner needs. Improving Schools, 16(2), 159–174.
Anderson, J., & Boyle, C. (2019). Looking in the mirror: Reflecting on 25 years of inclusive education in Australia. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 23, 796–810.
Archer, A. L., & Hughes, C. A. (2011). Explicit instruction. Guilford Press.
Arthur-Kelly, M., Sutherland, D., Lyons, G., Macfarlane, S., & Foreman, P. (2013). Reflections on enhancing pre-service teacher education programmes to support inclusion: Perspectives from New Zealand and Australia. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 28(2), 217–233.
Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS]. (2019). Disability, ageing and carers (p. 2018). Summary of findings. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/disability/disability-ageing-and-carers-australia-summary-findings/latest-release#children-with-disability
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA]. (2016). The Australian curriculum. https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/
Australian Government, Department of Education, Skills and Employment. (2005). The disability standards for education 2005. https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/disability_standards_for_education_2005_plus_guidance_notes_0.pdf
Australian Government, Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs. (2008). Melbourne declaration on educational goals for young Australians. http://www.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/national_declaration_on_the_educational_goals_for_young_australians.pdf
Australian Government. (1992). Disability Discrimination Act 1992. https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2018C00125
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership [AITSL]. (2011). Teacher registration in Australia. https://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/teach-documents/review-teacher-registration/teacher-registration-in-australia-2011.pdf
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership [AITSL]. (2012a). Australian charter for the professional learning of teachers and school leaders. https://www.aitsl.edu.au/tools-resources/resource/australian-charter-for-the-professional-learning-of-teachers-and-school-leaders
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership [AITSL]. (2012b). Australian teacher performance and development framework. https://www.aitsl.edu.au/tools-resources/resource/australian-teacher-performance-and-development-framework
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership [AITSL]. (2014). Australian professional standards for teachers. https://www.aitsl.edu.au/teach/standards
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership [AITSL]. (2018). Australian teacher performance and development framework (rev.). https://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/national-policy-framework/australian-teacher-performance-and-development-framework.pdf?sfvrsn=4a7fff3c_8
Beamish, W., Bryer, F., & Davies, M. (2006). Teacher reflections on co-teaching a unit of work. International Journal of Whole Schooling, 2(2), 3–9.
Bentley-Williams, R., Grima-Farrell, C., Long, J., & Laws, C. (2017). Collaborative partnership: Develo** pre-service teachers as inclusive practitioners to support students with disabilities. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 64, 270–282.
Berlach, R. G., & Chambers, D. J. (2011). Inclusivity imperatives and the Australian national curriculum. The Educational Forum, 75, 52–65.
Bourke, P. E. (2009). Professional development and teacher aides in inclusive education contexts: Where to from here? International Journal of Inclusive Education, 13, 817–827.
Boyle, C., Scriven, B., Durning, S., & Downes, C. (2011). Facilitating the learning of all students: The ‘professional positive’ of inclusive practice in Australian primary schools. Support for Learning, 26, 72–78.
Bristol, L. (2015). Leading-for-inclusion: Transforming action through teacher talk. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 19, 802–820.
Brown-Chidsey, R., & Bickford, R. (2016). Practical handbook of multi-tiered systems of support: Building academic and behavioural success in schools. Guildford Press.
Carrington, S., & Kimber, M. (2020). Ethical leadership for inclusive schools. Australian Educational Leader, 42(2), 10–14.
Carroll, A., Forlin, C., & Jobling, A. (2003). The impact of teacher training in special education on the attitudes of Australian preservice general educators towards people with disabilities. Teacher Education Quarterly, 30(3), 65–79.
Cologon, K. (2019). Towards inclusive education: A necessary process of transformation (Report). https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2019-10/apo-nid265286_1.pdf
Costello, S., & Boyle, C. (2013). Pre-service secondary teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 38(4), 129–143.
Cox, W. (2018). Update on Australian urban areas. https://www.newgeography.com/content/006155-australia
Daley, J., Wood, D., & Chivers, C. (2017). Regional patterns of Australia’s economy and population. Grattan Institute.
Dally, K. A., Ralston, M. M., Strnadová, I., Dempsey, I., Chambers, D., Foggett, J., … Duncan, J. (2019). Current issues and future directions in Australian special and inclusive education. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 44(8), 57–73.
Department of Education and Training, Victorian Government. (2019). High impact teaching strategies: Excellence in teaching and learning. https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/school/teachers/support/high-impact-teaching-strategies.pdf
Department of Education, New South Wales Government. (2020). Building collaborative practice: Staff collaboration. https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/high-potential-and-gifted-education/supporting-educators/collaborate
Department of Education, Northern Territory Government. (2019). Framework for inclusion 2019-29. https://education.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/662779/Framework-for-inclusion-brochure.pdf
Department of Education, Queensland Government. (2019). Whole school approach to differentiated teaching and learning. https://education.qld.gov.au/curriculums/Documents/school-approach-to-differentiated-teach-and-learn.pdf
Department of Education, Queensland Government. (2020). Every school succeeding: State schools improvement strategy 2021–2025. https://education.qld.gov.au/curriculums/Documents/state-schools-strategy.PDF
Department of Education, Queensland Government. (2021). Inclusive education policy. https://ppr.qed.qld.gov.au/attachment/inclusive-education-policy.pdf
Department of Education, Western Australian Government. (2009). Whole school approach. http://det.wa.edu.au/policies/detcms/policy-planning-and-accountability/policies-framework/definitions/whole-school-approach
Dickson, E. (2006). Disability standards for education and the obligation of reasonable adjustment. Australia & New Zealand Journal of Law and Education, 11(2), 23–42.
Finkelstein, S., Sharma, U., & Furlonger, B. (2021). The inclusive practices of classroom teachers: A sco** review and thematic analysis. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 25, 735–762.
Foreman, P. (2015) Social justice principles, the law and research as bases for inclusion: An update. https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/about/department/psdlitreview_Socialjusticeprinciples_thelaw_and_research.pdf
Forlin, C. (1995). Educators' beliefs about inclusive practices in Western Australia. British Journal of Special Education, 22(4), 179–185.
Forlin, C. (2001). Inclusion: Identifying potential stressors for regular class teachers. Educational Research, 43(3), 235–245.
Forlin, C. (2006). Inclusive education in Australia ten years after Salamanca. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 21(3), 265–277.
Forlin, C., & Chambers, D. (2011). Teacher preparation for inclusive education: Increasing knowledge but raising concerns. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 39(1), 17–32.
Forlin, C., & Chambers, D. (2017). Catering for diversity: Including learners with different abilities and needs in regular classrooms. In R. Maclean (Ed.), Life in schools and classrooms: Past, present, and future (pp. 555–571). Springer.
Forlin, C., Chambers, D., Loreman, T., Deppeler, J., & Sharma, U. (2013). Inclusive education for students with disability: A review of the best evidence in relation to theory and practice. Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth.
Forlin, C., Loreman, T., Sharma, U., & Earle, C. (2009). Demographic differences in changing pre-service teachers’ attitudes, sentiments and concerns about inclusive education. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 13, 195–209.
Friend, M., Cook, L., Hurley-Chamberlain, D., & Shamberger, C. (2010). Co-teaching: An illustration of the complexity of collaboration in special education. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 20, 9–27.
Garrad, T., Rayner, C., & Pedersen, S. (2019). Attitudes of Australian primary school teachers towards the inclusion of students with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 19(1), 58–67.
Gibbs, K., & Beamish, W. (2021). Conversations with Australian teachers and school leaders about using differentiated instruction in a mainstream secondary school. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 46(7), 97–113.
Gigante, J., & Gilmore, L. (2020). Australian preservice teachers’ attitudes and perceived efficacy for teaching in inclusive classrooms. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 24, 1568–1577.
Hardy, I., & Woodcock, S. (2015). Inclusive education policies: Discourses of difference, diversity, and deficit. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 19, 141–164.
Harper-Hill, K., Beamish, W., Hay, S., Whelan, M., Kerr, J., & Villalba, C. (2022). Teacher engagement in professional learning: What makes the difference to teacher practice? Studies in Continuing Education, 44(1), 105–118.
Hopkins, S. L., Round, P. N., & Barley, K. D. (2018). Preparing beginning teachers for inclusion: Designing and assessing supplementary fieldwork experiences. Teachers and Teaching, 24(8), 915–930.
Hoskin, J., Boyle, C., & Anderson, J. (2015). Inclusive education in pre-schools: Predictors of pre-service teacher attitudes in Australia. Teachers and Teaching, 21, 974–989.
Jarvis, J. M., Bell, M., & Sharp, K. (2016). Leadership for differentiation: An appreciative inquiry of how educational leadership shapes pedagogical change. Leading and Managing, 22(1), 75–91.
Jarvis, J. M., Pill, S. A., & Noble, A. G. (2017). Differentiated pedagogy to address learner diversity in secondary physical education. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 88(8), 46–54.
Lancaster, J., & Bain, A. (2010). The design of pre-service inclusive education courses and their effects on self-efficacy: A comparative study. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 38, 117–128.
Loreman, T., Sharma, U., & Forlin, C. (2013). Do pre-service teachers feel ready to teach in inclusive classrooms? A four country study of teaching self-efficacy. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 38(1), 27–44.
McGarrigle, L., Beamish, W., & Hay, S. (2021, early online). Measuring teacher efficacy to build capacity for implementing inclusive practices in an Australian primary school. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2020.1867657.
Monk, S., Mills, M., Renshaw, P., Geelan, D., Keddie, A., & Gowlett, C. (2013). Investigating 'moments' for student agency through a differentiated music curriculum. International Journal of Pedagogies and Learning, 8(3), 179–193.
Northern Territory Board of Studies. (2018). Curriculum, assessment, pedagogy and reporting T-12: A framework for quality education in Northern Territory schools. https://education.nt.gov.au/data/assets/pdf_file/0005/513419/T-12-CurriculumPedagogyAssessmentReportingFramework.pdf
Rice, D., & Zigmond, N. (2000). Co-teaching in secondary schools: Teacher reports of developments in Australian and American classrooms. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 15(4), 190–197.
Sharma, U., Forlin, C., & Loreman, T. (2007). What concerns pre-service teachers about inclusive education: An international viewpoint? KEDI Journal of Educational Policy, 4(2), 95–114.
Sharma, U., Loreman, T., & Forlin, C. (2012). Measuring teacher efficacy to implement inclusive practices. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 12(1), 12–21.
Sharp, K., Jarvis, J. M., & McMillan, J. M. (2020). Leadership for differentiated instruction: teachers' engagement with on-site professional learning at an Australian secondary school. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 24, 901–920.
Subban, P., Round, P., & Sharma, U. (2021). ‘I can because I think I can’: An investigation into Victorian secondary school teacher’s self-efficacy beliefs regarding the inclusion of students with disabilities. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 25, 348–361.
Taylor, A., Beamish, W., Tucker, M., Paynter, J., & Walker, S. (2021). Designing a model of practice for Australian teachers of young school-age children on the autism spectrum. Journal of International Special Needs Education, 24(1), 1–13.
Tümkaya, G. S., & Miller, S. (2020). The perceptions of pre and in-service teachers’ self-efficacy regarding inclusive practices: A systematised review. Elementary Education Online, 19(2), 1061–1077.
UNESCO. (1994). The Salamanca statement and framework for action on special needs education (Adopted at the World Conference on Special Needs Education: Access and Quality, Salamanca, Spain).
United Nations General Assembly. (1989). Convention on the rights of the child. https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6b38f0.html
Vaz, S., Wilson, N., Falkmer, M., Sim, A., Scott, M., Cordier, R., & Falkmer, T. (2015). Factors associated with primary school teachers' attitudes towards the inclusion of students with disabilities. PLoS One, 10(8), 1–12.
Westwood, P. (2015). Commonsense methods for children with special educational needs (7th ed.). Routledge.
Yoo, J., Heggart, K., & Burridge, N. (2019). Collaborative Coteaching (CCT): Practitioner learning through shared praxis. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 44(4), 65–77.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Beamish, W., Gibbs, K., Toomey, M., McGarrigle, L. (2022). Inclusive Education in Australia: An Unfolding Reform. In: Beamish, W., Yuen, M. (eds) The Inclusion for Students with Special Educational Needs across the Asia Pacific. Advancing Inclusive and Special Education in the Asia-Pacific. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-2221-3_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-2221-3_11
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-19-2220-6
Online ISBN: 978-981-19-2221-3
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)