This article presents new insights into the views of families regarding the educational opportunities for their children in special school settings. It reports on a study designed to capture the perspectives of families regarding the opportunities to consult and engage with teachers on the education of their child or children with disabilities…

Moral reasoning and theory of mind (ToM) are two distinct but related aspects of social cognition. While past research has clearly documented serious delays in ToM development for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) both cross-sectionally (e.g. Happe, 1995) and longitudinally (Peterson & Wellman, 2020) much less is known about the…

In this paper, a group of nine international scholars reflect on the collective responsibilities of stakeholders within inclusive educational settings. This reflection was prompted by the need to identify specific elements which would support intentional, collective responsibility to support authentic inclusion for all students. In order to…

Although most students experience relative success at school, there remains a population of educationally marginalised learners within educational settings, indicating that mainstream schools are challenged to appropriately meet the diverse needs of every student. Designed to support students on the cusp of school disengagement, alternative…

Evidence-based practices are backed up by research evidence. This means there is broad consensus from rigorously conducted evaluations that they work. Teachers, educators and policymakers need to determine how applicable education evidence is to their context when considering adopting new evidence-based practices. Research conducted in different…

The aim of the current study was to examine how decisions are made and who is involved in decision-making regarding provision of adjustments for students with special educational needs in Australian mainstream schools. A total of 107 stakeholders were interviewed across 22 schools. Participation in decision-making varied, with students the least…

This paper examines the mathematical experiences of students with additional and diverse needs in multi-year classes within the educational context of small regional South Australian (SA) schools. Qualitative research methods were used to collect data about how students communicate their mathematical thinking. Opportunities for students to…

The challenge of educating children with special educational needs in the same mainstream classroom settings as their peers has been recognised internationally. Research suggests mainstream teachers are inadequately prepared for inclusive education. Herein, we explored teachers' views on inclusive practice using a descriptive qualitative study…

This paper provides an outline of, and rationale for, an international research project that will identify commonalities and disparities in illegal school exclusionary practices in Australia and England. The aims here are to situate such practices within a global context and to map the events and processes through which children and young people,…

The successful inclusion of students with additional learning needs in regular classrooms represents a challenge for all teachers and especially those at the beginning of their careers. Despite the importance of successful inclusive practice, no studies have used objective measures to determine whether teacher preparation for inclusion covaries…

In performing the zombie game, children enact embodied literacies through movement, gesture, and sound, and through incorporating the materiality and the spatiality of the outdoor area. They communicate in many ways, both brutal and subtle, enacting their understandings with each other as well as with other adults. The repeated performance seems…

This article reveals the hybridised nature of principals' representations and enactment of the aims of national testing policy in relation to inclusion in Australia. The research utilises perspectives from 18 principals from schools serving communities in rural, regional and urban parts of New South Wales. Drawing upon Carol Bacchi's notion of…

Technological developments allow students to access visual information from digital devices as small as phones or as large as whiteboards. Education technology research and policy typically address the software product, yet little research has focused on optimal viewing parameters or the impact it has on student users. Students with light…

Background: A number of studies of the roles and responsibilities of teaching assistants have been conducted in Australian jurisdictions, but much of this research has been small-scale or geographically localised. Method: The present study was the largest survey conducted in Australia to date and involved a survey of 361 teaching assistants in New…

This Australian study examines whether and how technologies such as Artificially Intelligent (AI) toys in a home-based setting might socially and emotionally support children with diverse needs through play. Building on the concept of 'emotional capital', and employing a design-based research approach, parents during the COVID-19 lockdown periods…