Inclusive Education in Alberta Classrooms and Schools

Overview

Inclusion means every student is welcomed, can participate meaningfully, and can succeed with the supports they need. Equity requires coordinated action, inclusion depends on shared responsibility and collaboration across provincial, jurisdictional, school, and classroom levels, alongside students and families.

The Alberta Teachers’ Association, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Alberta, conducted a study to better understand the state of inclusive education in Alberta classrooms and schools. Data was collected from teachers and administrators to provide an update to previous data collected in 2014. 

Research method

This study used a mixed-methods research approach to capture the experiences of Alberta teachers and administrators: 

1. An online survey took place during the fall of 2019, in which participants were randomly selected from a sampling of active ATA membership (n = 180).
2. Six in-person focus groups, comprising a total of 48 people, took place during the spring and fall of 2019. Focus groups included members from across the province. Five focus groups were conducted in English and one in French. Notes from the French-language focus group were translated into English for the analysis. 

Participation in the study was voluntary, and teachers were free to skip questions or withdraw at any time until they clicked the submit button. The survey comprised scale questions as well as qualitative questions intended to gather more in-depth comments from respondents. Participation in the interviews and focus groups was also voluntary. 

Researchers from the University of Alberta collected and analyzed the data. Descriptive statistics for all scale questions were computed. Additionally, a thematic qualitative analysis was performed on open-ended responses. Where appropriate, comparisons were made between previous research on inclusion, the Report of the Blue Ribbon Panel on Inclusive Education in Alberta Schools (ATA 2014) and the results from this study.

Limitations

While these findings may be helpful in setting general directions and goals, some of the specific comments may not be applicable in other contexts. The size of the survey sample was adequate for identifying common themes and key findings. The data from 2019 is based on a smaller sample than that from 2014; one of the challenges this poses is that the potential for error from the 2019 data is higher than from that in 2014 (that is, there is less certainty about the results). However, the data from the survey and the focus groups was complementary.

Collaborators

• Melissa Purcell, executive staff officer, Indigenous Education
• University of Alberta researchers led by Jason Daniels, PhD