Translating inclusion: a relational framework of inclusive education in international contexts

Despite shared international agreements defining inclusive education, the term remains contextualised within diverse worldwide contexts. This presented barriers to a team of researchers seeking to conduct international comparative studies involving this topic. Therefore, this team of interdisciplinary international researchers employed double-sided explorative techniques based on the work of Korsgaard, Larsen, and Wiberg (2020) to formulate an updated relational framework. Beginning with a social-biological axis, this update adds a flexible-systemic and relational-contextual axis to form a more complete framework with which to relationally position different international perceptions and systems influencing inclusive education. This resulting framework is not intended to serve as a measure of quality towards a singular goal of inclusive education, but rather it is intended to facilitate a non-judgemental, relational positioning of differing concepts and practices of inclusive education to contextualise comparative international understanding. Further, the framework is designed to aid in the observation and analysis of nuanced and multifaceted aspects of inclusive education in its diverse forms within and between diverse international contexts.