Inkluzivno obrazovanje: pojmovno određenje, principi i karakteristike
Inclusive Education: Conceptual Definition, Principles And Characteristics

Summary/Abstract: The inclusive movement developed in the 1990s, based on a number of stud-ies that pointed out to inequality in education, critical theory of society and education, scientific research on individual differences, and documents on human and children’s rights. This paper provides an overview of different definitions of the concept of in-clusion, which differ to a large extent, consequently resulting in insufficient under-standing of this concept both in theory and in practice. Inclusion simultaneously refers to social and educational values, as well as to personal values of an individual. Inclu-sive education is discussed as a concept, movement, theory, philosophy, process, edu-cational practice, and educational policy. In a number of definitions, inclusive educa-tion is observed in the context of a wider concept of inclusion, while stressing that changes in schools cannot be viewed separately from changes occurring in society. Due to the development of the social model of education for children with special needs, inclusive education is analysed from the aspect of children’s rights and equal opportunities for all children. The majority of authors in this field study inclusive education in the context of comprehensive reforms of the educational system, empha-sising the necessity of creating a flexible and open system that would enable quality education for all children. The second part of the paper presents key principles of in-clusive education, which primarily focus on a more positive attitude towards children with special needs, with emphasis on a child’s personality as a whole and his/her pre-served potentials, and not only on the disability. There are no ready-made solutions in the process of creating inclusive education and it is impossible to develop a unique inclusive model that would be implemented with same success in different countries. The paper points out to key characteristics of the teaching process in inclusive educa-tion, such as: changing teachers’ implicit pedagogies, introducing a more flexible cur-riculum, using individualised approach, encouraging peer interaction, and enhancing quality cooperation between the school, parents, and the local community.

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