Constructing Inclusive School Leadership: Finnish Principals’ Discourses about Bridging Ideals and Practice

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 7:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Reimagining the Possible: Re/Conceptualizing Leadership

Abstract

While many educational systems promote inclusive education, translating these ideals into practical applications remains a challenge. This study examines how Finnish principals construct meaning around inclusion and navigate tensions between ideological commitment and practical constraints. Using discourse theory, we analyzed six focus group interviews with 21 principals from comprehensive schools. Three competing hegemonic discourses emerged: justice and equality, individual needs, and pragmatic realism. In addition, the findings indicate that principals actively negotiate competing values while working to reconstruct teacher professional identities toward a collective responsibility for diverse learners. Despite firm equity commitments, principals struggle with gaps between inclusive values and exclusionary practices. This research contributes to understanding how educational equity is constructed through everyday leadership discourse, informing inclusive leadership development.

Authors

• Anita Hannele Jantunen, University of Helsinki

• Raisa Carpelan, University of Helsinki

• Anni Loukomies, University of Helsinki

• Tapio Juhani Lahtero, University of Helsinki

• Arto Juha Viljami Kallioniemi, University of Helsinki

• Kati Sormunen, University of Helsinki