From Lived Experience to Theory: Developing the Equity and Justice Framework for Inclusive Teaching

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 1:45 pm - Gold 3
  In Roundtable Session: Access as Method: Adaptive, Embodied, and Disability-Centered Approaches to Qualitative Inquiry

Abstract

While numerous theories inform inclusive education, few are inductively generated from the contemporary practices and systemic challenges teachers face. This methodological paper details the development of the Equity and Justice Framework for Inclusive Teaching, a new model derived from a constructivist grounded theory study of four in-service elementary educators. The framework centers equity and justice as its core, integrating three dynamic constructs: (1) Professional Dispositions and Skills, (2) Systemic Influences, and (3) Relational Classroom Practices. By outlining the systematic process of moving from narrative data to a theoretical model, this paper offers a transferable framework for researchers and challenges the field to ground new theories in the complex, lived realities of educators.

Author

• Kristen Smigielski, University at Buffalo - SUNY / CELaRAI