Conceptions of inclusion and inclusive education: a critical examination of the perspectives and practices of teachers in Poland

This small-scale study details the development and execution of a system of inclusive education in 20th and 21st century in Poland. A detailed review of the literature and employment of in-depth semi-structured interviews aimed to establish how inclusion is defined and operationalised in Poland. In addition, the study sought to establish how the teachers' levels of professional development and personal attitudes towards inclusion were influencing the evolution of this important educational initiative. The data from the study detail that the concept of inclusion is not well known in Poland, and that integrative education still dominates educational thinking. The study provides data to suggest integration in Poland works well in the early stages of education, but that it struggles to provide for and integrate older children into the mainstream educational settings. The research concludes that Poland has taken an important but perhaps faltering step towards educating all children in the mainstream schools.