Conference Agenda

Wellbeing in education has gained increasing attention in recent years as a vital factor in the overall success and happiness of all students (Spratt, 2017; Norwich, Moore, Stentiford, & Hall, 2021). Wellbeing for children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is equally important as it is for other children´s overall development and quality of life. Children with ADHD often need specialized support services to meet their unique needs and experience holistic wellbeing. Psychological and educational counseling, hereafter termed ‘support services’ are labeled and organized differently in various countries. Albeit the various labeling and organizations, the main objective of support systems globally is to help schools and teachers to develop supportive and inclusive learning environments for all children with a distinctive focus on children with special needs. The study aims to offer a review of how support services understand, perceive, and approach the concept of wellbeing. There are different reasons why a focus on wellbeing in relation to support services is important. First, children with special needs are globally known to suffer from lower levels of wellbeing compared to the general student population (Moreira. et al., 2015). Second, support services are also increasingly expected to help schools develop inclusive learning environments for all learners. So, there is a need to investigate how support services perceive and approach the concept of wellbeing in their work. This study seeks to contribute by providing a comprehensive, systemic, and unbiased overview of the current state of knowledge on the topic. Further, the study contributes to identifying gaps in the literature that may inform future research.

Theoretical framework: Holistic and comprehensive wellbeing

well-being is a complex construct (Ryan and Deci, 2017). Although the meaning of wellbeing has not been adequately worked out in education (Dodge, Daly, Huyton, & Sanders, 2012)., and there is little consensus on the definition of wellbeing (Hooker et al., 2020), wellbeing theories do generally agree that wellbeing is multidimensional with the number of wellbeing dimensions ranging from 3 to 12 (Roscoe, 2009). The consistency that exists in describing the nature of wellbeing in most of the models and definitions, presents common threads. First, most authors base their definition on WHO´s definition that wellbeing is not merely the absence of sickness and infirmity (Roscoe, 2009). Second, according to Roscoe, wellbeing is described as multidimensional in terms of various factors that interact in a complex, integrated and synergistic fashion. Each dimension is integral to the whole and no one dimension operates independently. They are eight dimensions that are reviewed by major theories so far (Hooker et al., 2020). They are social, physical, psychological, intellectual, spiritual, emotional, environmental, and financial (Roscoe, 2009; Adams et al, 2000; Linton, et al., 2016; Hooker, et al., 2020; Montoya, et al., 2021). Holistic and comprehensive wellbeing approach allows students to maintain a level of psychological balance that impacts their physical, social, emotional, and spiritual dimensions. A focus on strengths and personal responsibility rather than dependence or problems and a belief in the capacity to exert personal control in managing total needs. The notion of holistic and comprehensive wellbeing approach is distinct due to its focus on students’ interests, skills, strengths, abilities, and potential to achieve personal goals (Hargreaves, & Shirley, 2021). This approach engenders a positive attitude rather than focusing only on problems and issues. This perspective sparks internal motivation and strengthens an optimistic attitude. This approach offers a holistic framework in which to view a child as a whole being (physical, emotional, social, intellectual, environmental, psychological, cultural, and spiritual dimensions). This approach capitalizes on strengths, abilities, and personal aspirations to take on and fulfill meaningful roles in their learning and development.

An inclusive and equitable education is at the core of democratic societies. Over the past decades, the educational landscape has been reshaped by numerous societal changes, with the most recent pandemic highlighting educational inequalities for disadvantaged students in unprecedented ways. Mid-way through the Global Goals 2030 agenda, ensuring inclusive and equitable education for all (SGD#4) is still pivotal for promoting social democracy.  

Traditionally, research in inclusive education has addressed diversity and equality from multiple stances, with a particular interest in the school contexts and the way that teachers respond to the increasingly diverse student population. Teachers’ attitudes have been identified as one of the main elements to create an inclusive environment within mainstream school settings (EADSNE, 2010) and research on this topic is one of most prolific in the field of inclusive education (Hernández-Torrano et al., 2020).  Attitudes have been defined by Eagly and Chaiken as “a psychological tendency that is expressed by evaluating a particular entity with some degree of favour or disfavour” (1993, p.1). In the school context, teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education can determine the level of inclusive practice in the classroom, where positive attitudes correspond to a higher level of inclusion for all learners (Avradimis & Norwich, 2002).

Over the past two decades, several reviews of the literature on teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion have provided an overview of the factors influencing educational practice (Guillemot et al., 2022). However, since 2002 (i.e., since the publication of the literature review conducted by Avramidis and Norwich), reviews published in this field have not adopted systematic methods or have solely focused on synthesising one type of research method design. For example, Van Steen and Wilson (2020) quantitatively summarised the individual and cultural predictors that influenced teachers’ attitudes, whereas Ewing et al. (2018) systematically reviewed the questionnaires used to explore teachers’ attitudes vis-á-vis inclusive education.

In the context of inclusive education, a mixed methods approach to investigate teachers’ attitudes, albeit limited to physical education, has been used to comprehensively synthesise empirical research evidence (Tarantino et al., 2022) and results offered an extensive view on physical education teachers’ attitude towards inclusive education. As researchers encourage the employment of mixed-methods systematic reviews to produce evidence synthesis of direct relevance to policy makers and practitioners (Pearson et al., 2015; Stern et al., 2020), this paper presents the first mixed-methods systematic review of the literature on teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education.

The aim of this review is to comprehensively synthesise quantitative and qualitative research evidence on teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education in mainstream primary and secondary schools published over the past two decades. The primary objective is to identify what influences teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education in mainstream schools. Illustrating evidence from qualitative and quantitative research designs will provide corroborating evidence for stakeholders, policy makers, and teachers educators.

Setting to be the most up-to-date comprehensive review of the literature on teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education in mainstream primary and secondary schools, this paper will offer a valuable contribution to the conference and will inform researchers and policy makers working in the field of inclusive education highlighting the implications for inclusive educational practice.