Conference Agenda

Roma, Europe’s biggest ethnic minority, continue to face prejudice and social exclusion (European Commission, 2020). European Agency for Fundamental Human Rights (FRA, 2023) reports ongoing deprivation and discrimination in all the key areas, cautioning about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and inflation. While global challenges amplify the struggle Roma face in Europe, it could be argued that Roma continue to live in uncertainty irrespective of them. Similar to other European countries, research in Serbia indicates stigmatization, lower levels of employment, participation in preschool, school and higher education, lower academic achievements, higher absenteeism and risk of early school leaving, and segregation in education (Civil Rights Defenders, 2018; FRA, 2023; Jovanović et al., 2013; Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia & UNICEF, 2019). One of the priority areas of the Strategic Action Plan on Roma and Traveller Inclusion (2020-2025) is “supporting access to inclusive quality education and training” (European Commission, 2020). Britton (2014) emphasizes that quality education is crucial for oppressed minorities: without quality education, Roma are unable to change the circumstances they live in, fight discrimination and obtain other basic human rights.

Grounded in the theoretical framework of social justice education, this study emphasizes teachers as key actors in enhancing Roma students' learning opportunities and life chances. Inclusive education is related to “challenging the ways in which educational systems reproduce and perpetuate social inequalities” (Liasidou, 2012, p. 168). Aims to eliminate the oppression and marginalization of some groups of students are rooted in critical pedagogy (Giroux 1992; McLaren 1998, as cited in Liasidou, 2012). Teachers can have a crucial role in fostering trust between Roma students and schools and motivating them to participate (Bhopal, 2011, 468, as cited in Zachos, 2017). By choosing teaching and classroom management methods teachers either support or hinder students’ performances (Zachos, 2017). While critical pedagogy and social justice discourse are criticized for being abstract and neglecting learning goals, this study focuses on their practical aspects such as integrating students' personal experience into teaching, fostering critical thinking (Katz, 2014), empathy, activism (Burke & Collier, 2017), multiple perspectives and discussions, valuing diversity, and challenging the curriculum (Cochran‐Smith et al., 2009). Moreover, Cochran-Smith et al. (2009) argue that social justice teaching focuses on high achievements as a basis for challenging inequalities. This study also relies on the concept of teacher agency for social justice as defined by Pantić and Florian (2015). They combine the model of teacher agency (Pantić, 2015) with the framework for evidencing inclusive pedagogy in action (Florian & Spratt 2013), referring to teachers’ agency as their sense of purpose, competence, autonomy and reflexivity (Pantić & Florian, 2015, pp. 344–346). Teacher’s agency depends on micro, meso and macro level factors such as institutional structures and assumptions or teachers’ implicit beliefs (Pantić, 2021). Therefore, this study focuses on the role of the teacher in reducing inequalities for Roma pupils. The research questions are:

1) How do teachers view their role in promoting high achievements and social justice for Roma students?

2) How do teachers promote high achievements and social justice for Roma students through teaching, supporting relationships between students and collaboration with families?

3) How do other actors of the school community view the teacher’s role in promoting high achievements and social justice for Roma students?

4) What are the challenges and support mechanisms that teachers recognize in promoting high achievements and social justice for Roma children in Serbia?

As Lingard & Mills (2007, p. 234) warn, it is important not to be “too optimistic” nor “too pessimistic” about teachers' influence on social justice, but exploring different perspectives can help provide important insights into this potential.

Recently, Kazakhstan established a policy on inclusive education. By making adjustments to existing policies and introducing new ones, the country aims make the educational system inclusive with the goal of having 70% of all schools enrolled by the end of 2025 (Makoelle, 2020). The most recent developments in Kazakhstan indicate that inclusive education is still associated with special needs students and, as a result, only sometimes accommodates all forms of diversity. According to Zholtayeva et al. (2013, as cited in Makoelle, 2020), inclusive education in the Kazakh context entails integrating all students with special needs into the classroom, placing a focus on the use of a variety of methodologies and learning resources, as well as having school staff choose from a variety of approaches to the learning process.

Research on inclusive policies and practices implies that inclusive leadership poses a distinct challenge. In line with Ryan's (2006) perspective, inclusive leadership involves collaborative procedures that broaden the scope of leadership to address matters such as teacher involvement, the presence of administrators at different organizational levels, and engagement with the school community. Therefore, this research aims to explore the following questions:

• What leadership practices does the principal employ to promote inclusive education within the school?

• What obstacles does the principal encounter while fostering and guiding inclusive education initiatives?

• How does the principal support school staff and educators in adopting inclusive education principles in their classrooms?

This research seeks to study the actions of a school leader in Taldykorgan that promote inclusive education. Their views could provide insights into how the school administration, staff, teachers, and parents establish inclusive practices in their contexts. This study will examine school leader's overall views and understanding of inclusion, their specific strategies and the problems they experience while implementing inclusive education.

The study underscores the significance of inclusive education as a crucial factor for school improvement, with a school leader playing a pivotal role in expanding learning opportunities for all students. The research holds importance in multiple ways: Firstly, it advances inclusive education in Kazakhstan by highlighting successful practices that can be adopted by other school leaders to foster more inclusive school cultures, resulting in better student outcomes. Secondly, the study identifies leadership skills and strategies that can facilitate the development of effective leadership practices, benefiting policymakers and school leaders seeking to enhance their leadership capabilities. Lastly, the research offers evidence-based recommendations to inform policy decisions to enhance inclusive education in Kazakhstan, promoting inclusive schools' growth and practical leadership approaches. Given the limited research on leaders' perspectives in this domain, the study substantially contributes to the existing literature on inclusive education.

Even though 750 millions classify as vulnerable, vulnerable workers with generally lower levels of human capital, are scientifically understudied As a result of a literature review, vulnerability has been widely used in VET as a synonym for being disadvantaged, stereotyped, marginalized, or theorized and conceptualized loosely or not at all. The theoretical concept of vulnerability allows the link between VET and social justice, here conceptualized as educational equity, to be captured. The term vulnerability represents that oppression is structurally present in all systems, including workplace education. (Lopez-Fogues, 2016).

Vulnerability is not understood as only physically, but as relational vulnerable in the context of its social situatedness (Burghardt et al., 2019). This tries to capture individuals as well as groups as being part of bigger systems of power and hierarchies, which are being re-produced, re-negotiated and re-discussed in interpersonal relationships which leads to differing levels of vulnerability. Organizations and practices, such as VET, play a double role in a) constituting and b) depending on social infrastructure (Scheibmayr, 2023).

Limitations of certain groups, such as vulnerable workforce, are usually not considered when designing training (Carvajal Muñoz, 2022). If recognised as a concept in VET, it can be used as an anthropological category which inevitably brings the pedagogical obligation to avoid violation (Burghardt et al., 2019).

In order to conceptualize vulnerability in vocational education and training (VET) at both the individual and the organizational level, the question arises as to whether existing theories, focusing on work-based learning (WBL) theories, are applicable. The idea is to identify common conceptualizations and theorizations of vulnerability in VET in order to reconceptualize it's value as a tool for exploring the underlying social structure of organizational practice in VET, with a focus on WBL. Following the example of Corlett et al. (2019), vulnerability should be used here as an alternative, more humane idea of the individual learner in VET. This can offer an alternative way of seeing human limits and provide alternative discourses to the dominant neoliberal ones.

Student mobility has been constantly growing across the globe (Rizvi & Lingard, 2010). More and more students participate in short-term mobility programmes such as the ERASMUS+ exchange study programme, and the provision of English-taught programmes has been expanding. Following this global trend, Finland has also increased the number of English-taught programmes and courses across universities (Wächter & Maiworm, 2014) which led to a steadily increase of international degree students. Indicatively, in 2001 the number of international students in Finland was 6,877 and in two decades it tripled to 20,868 in 2020 (Finnish National Agency for Education, 2018, 2022a). These developments increased the cultural diversity inside higher education classrooms which subsequently raised the need to use flexible and culturally diverse teaching methods (Leask, 2009), as well as to implement inclusive approaches and responsive strategies (Larke, 2013). Furthermore, teachers are expected to consider students’ experiences and knowledge to construct new knowledge (Biggs & Tang, 2011) while students familiarise themselves with the new learning environment, have their own expectations (Stier, 2003) and points of reference (Hahl, 2016).

Forming culturally diverse groups has been shown to have a positive impact on students’ academic and sociocultural adaptation (Wang, 2012). Yet, group work between culturally diverse students does not ensure intercultural interaction (Moore & Hampton, 2015) as it can be affected by different communication styles, values, and approaches (Reid & Garson, 2017). Following the work of Reid and Garson (2017) this paper discusses how students’ experience group work in a culturally diverse environment in higher education. The research questions are: 1) What aspects of group work contribute most positively to students’ learning experiences in an intercultural setting? 2) What are the most common challenges faced by students in an intercultural group setting? 3) What strategies were most effective in overcoming those challenges?

The participants of this course were mainly exchange students in their bachelor’s level studies and a few students from the master’s degree programmes (international and Finnish students) who attended a course on Multicultural Education. The course’s participants were mainly from European countries (n=20) followed by Asian (n=16), African (n=1), and Central American countries (n=1). As a compulsory task for the course, the students were instructed to spend approximately 8 hours to read a case study (provided by the teacher), discuss it withing their group and then prepare a 20-minute presentation about it. Instructions about the focus of the presentation were also provided. The case studies were authored by the course book and were based on interviews with high school students. These case studies included the reflections of these high school students on their academic life, personal experiences, and their ties with their cultural background and family. In addition, each case study focuses on a significant theme relevant to the high school student profile such as immigration matters, language and cultural dynamics, stereotypes, identity etc. The goal of this activity was to engage in a critical analysis and discussion of the case study, exchange perspectives, develop teamwork abilities, create a presentation, and highlight effective strategies for teachers who teach in culturally diverse classrooms.