Abstract:
Pre-recorded presentation link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KRawC3U_ToOver three decades, supranational organizations have argued for high quality in respect of human rights education for all students. The provision of equal opportunities for students’ access, presence and achievement in their local school has been a collective endeavour informed and enacted by activists, educators and researchers. Yet, in these recent challenging times, to move inclusion beyond individual practices and support a systemic change in students’ education, exploring the affordances of the field of architecture and interdisciplinary research is deemed critical. This presentation reports on the findings of a systematic literature review of studies using the terms inclus* (inclusion, inclusive, inclusivity, included) and architect*(architecture, architectures, architect) published from 2010 to 2020 in four databases (ERIC, ProQuest Art, Design & Architecture Collection, ProQuest Education Database and SCOPUS). Employing a reference manager, Covidence, to support blind reviewing the three authors/researchers screened 334 titles and abstracts, 33 full texts, and identified 12 studies that met the eligibility criteria of the systematic literature review (peer-reviewed, published in English, studies in an early childhood/primary/secondary school, employing the notions of architecture AND inclusion). This presentation will first delineate the two underpinning perceptions identified within the meta-analysis of studies: a spatial-oriented usage of architecture reflecting perceptions of inclusion as locational and physical placement of students with disabilities in schools; and a recent development of a broader understanding of architecture (employing both literal and figurative meanings) encompassing different elements in the education system that influence inclusive practices. Next, the implications of the meta-analysis will be presented. The fields of architecture and inclusive education have been both associated with access to open, democratic and free-barrier environments, and as such advocate for interdisciplinary collaboration. Drawing on the synergy between architecture and inclusive education as evidenced in educational research over the past decade, this presentation will foreground the potential of future educational studies conducted by interdisciplinary teams in the domain of inclusive education (e.g. architects, social researchers, educators) that could contribute to the development of a systemic and organizational paradigm including material, economic, socio-political, cultural and discursive elements in inclusive education drawn by multiplicity of perspectives in terms of participants and researchers.