Leadership as a Lever for Inclusion? A Multiple-Case Study Using Qualitative Comparative Analysis

• In Event: Moscone Center North Roundtable Session 4
  In Roundtable Session: Interrogating the Theoretical and Ethical Underpinnings of the Principalship

Abstract

Belgium ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2009, implying that Flanders aims to reduce the current segregated school system, which provokes some resistance from practitioners. This study uses qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), based on case study research in 20 Flemish schools, to identify (combinations of) leadership dimensions that are associated with willingness of school teams to include students with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream schools. The results reveal that schools in which leaders provide educational direction towards a more inclusive school system, and that engage in constructive problem talk and select and develop smart tools in favour of inclusive education, are more willing to include students with SEN.

Authors

• Aster Van Mieghem, University of Antwerp

• Karine Verschueren, KU Leuven

• Vincent Donche, University of Antwerp

• Elke Struyf, University of Antwerp