Abstracts - Earli

SIG Invited SymposiumSocial and psychological perspectives on inclusion: some researchfindingsChair: Roger Säljö, Göteborg University, SwedenOrganiser: Eva Hjörne, Göteborg University, SwedenOrganiser: Geerdina van der Aalsvoort, Leiden University, NetherlandsDiscussant: Hugh Mehan, University of California, USAThe purpose of this symposium is to address issues of how diversity is understood, andaccommodated to in educational settings. A comprehensive school implies that the variation in thepopulation with respect to social background, cultural origin, language, perceived learning abilityand so on, will be visible in most classrooms. The explicit ambition of inclusion and having ‘aschool for all’ signals an expectation that it is possible to organize teaching and learning in theclassroom in manners that make it possible for all students to profit from the activities. However,research findings reveal an alarming result of an increasing number of pupils who find it difficultto reach the goals in school. This has resulted in increased demands for different compensatorysolutions with for example placement in special schools, in special teaching groups, or in someother special educational setting as a consequence. The intention of having a school for all, whentransformed into practice, results in fundamental dilemmas about inclusion and exclusion ofchildren with different kinds of abilities and backgrounds. Segregating solutions will not only haveconsequences for the idea of a having a school for all but, equally importantly, it will also have adecisive influence on children’s identity, learning and development. How educational institutionsdeal with diversity is one of the most important determinants of learning and development, but onewhich has received relatively little attention. In this symposium, the theme is explored with a focuson analysing how inclusion and potentials of learning are understood and dealt with in schools.The contributors relate their research findings to these issues and focus on the educationalstrategies practitioners consider relevant when organizing teaching and learning practices forchildren considered to be in need of special support.‘Self" and ‘other’ imposed withdrawing in social interactions at school: experiences of Portugesestudents in British schoolsGuida de Abreu, Oxford Brookes University, United KingdomHannah Lambert, Cambridge University, United KingdomThe process of migration involves the transition from being a full-member of communities ofpractice in the home country to being a novice or peripheral-participant in the host country. Toadapt successfully migrants have to engage in social interactions with members of the newcommunities. For young people social interactions with their new peers and teachers are offundamental importance. This presentation examines Portuguese students’ accounts regarding theirexperiences in adjusting to schooling in England to explore how different patterns of participationare constructed. Drawing on data from a project conducted between 2000 and 2003 withPortuguese students in British schools (England and Jersey) a range of situations where thestudents reported withdrawing from a particular form of participation (interaction) in their schoolare examined. Most students did not speak English when they arrived at their English school. Inaddition, life in the English school exposed the students to others’ constructions of their identities,often in ways they felt disruptive to their sense of self. Both types of experiences were associated– 582 –