Promoting educational inclusion in teacher training through University Service-Learning dealing with functional diversity

Abstract

Inclusive education is not only a challenge but also a necessity in order to achieve a just society. Although the attention to functional diversity in the classroom has been improved, there are still many aspects to improve; and the educational reality and literature are pushing researchers to continue investigating in this sense. Initial teacher training is a critical stage in which educational experiences may influence through the development of learning, values and skills that facilitate attention to diversity in future teachers. This research aims at analyzing the implications that participating in a Service-Learning (SL) programme may come with regarding the building up of university students’ identity and personality. The participating sample (n = 123) is made up of the group-class of the compulsory subject “Fundamentals of Body Expression; Motor Games in Early Childhood Education”, within the Degree in Early Childhood Education of the Universitat Jaume I. This research has used a qualitative approach. The data collection instrument has been students’ reflective diaries. The results reinforce the state of the art, displaying a rebuilding of the students’ personal and teaching identity. In addition, they show that SL may be an adequate tool to promote learning, values and feelings that are essential to advance towards inclusive education.