Interrogating Knowledge Production About Inclusive Classrooms: Pathways to Equity in Education

• In Event: Interrogating Inclusion to “Re-mediate” Unjust Educational Spaces

Abstract

Objectives
Pursuing equity and inclusivity within and across educational systems necessitates a constant, critical analysis of what we know about the practice and conceptualization of inclusive education and inclusive classrooms. How inclusive education is taken up and used to legitimize various forms of education is problematic (Artiles & Kozleski, 2016; Kozleski 2020; Author, in press). The paper raises three critical questions:
1.In what ways does educational research produce knowledge and practices about inclusive classrooms?
2.To what degree do produced knowledge and practices center the notion of equity?
3.What paradigm shifts in education research and practice might be necessary to pursue equity-based inclusive classrooms?

Theoretical Framework
To critically examine produced knowledge about inclusive classrooms, the literature review employed decolonial theory (Maldonado-Torres, 2007; Tuck & Yang, 2012) and cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) (Engeström & Sannino, 2021; Rogoff, 2003) lenses. These theories are purposefully linked together in the review because inclusive education operates within larger cultural and historical contexts that define who and how benefits in education. Decolonial and cultural historical perspectives offer foundations and epistemic tools necessary to access knowledge production underpinning the meaning and practice of inclusive education and inclusive classrooms.

Methods
The systematic literature review used online and archive search strategies to identify relevant empirical studies. The search strategies were implemented across the ERIC and Google Scholar databases to ensure a comprehensive collection of literature. Keywords and phrases focused on inclusive classrooms and equity, inclusivity, intersectionality, and adjacent terms were used in various combinations to review relevant research. The analysis adopted CHAT and decolonial theories to code and analyze included empirical studies.

Data Sources
To be included for analysis, a study had to meet the following inclusion criteria: (a) published between 2013 and 2023 in a peer-reviewed journal in English; (b) was an empirical study; (c) described activity between and among students identified with dis/abilities, their peers, and teachers in K-12 classroom described as inclusive (public and/or private school settings in and outside the United States). 52 empirical studies met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed.

Results
The reviewed research perpetuated epistemic violence as it disregarded social, economic, political, and historical contexts and ignored their impacts on participating teachers and students. Practices and activities framed as inclusive were detached from local experiences and knowledge systems. Disability was conceptualized as a static demographic variable, regardless of its historical connection to other identity markers such as social class, race, gender, and language. Thus, a majority of studies produced knowledge and practices that contributed to a deficit-based positioning of students identified with dis/abilities, perpetuated social stratifications, accepted the status quo without scrutiny, neither embrace a moral commitment within research activities (Artiles, 2019; Skrtic, 1995).

Scholarly Significance
Systematic literature review enriches inclusive education discourse by interrogating knowledge production regarding inclusive classroom. By integrating CHAT and decolonial perspectives, the review embodied what Mignolo (2012) refers to as a “decolonial turn” in inclusive education research and practice. This approach resonates with the 2025 AERA Call to repair unjust education.

Authors

• Inna Stepaniuk, Simon Fraser University

• Suman Rath, Montclair State University

• Hadia Aslam, Simon Fraser University