A School Diagnosis About Collaborative Work as an Indicator of Educational Inclusion

Abstract

The educational inclusion is an intervention philosophy that orients the school community to achieve the educational attention in all the student’s diversity. In Mexico, because of the international agreements that it’s been subscribed, the educational system is obligated to develop inclusive practices in all its schools. However, the actual actions are generally reduced to the integration of students with some kind of disability in the classrooms. This discretional use of educational inclusion is what motivated to make a diagnosis in a school located in the outer fringe in the city of Durango, Durango, Mexico. The objective of the diagnosis was to find out the inclusive practices that the school makes in relation to collaborative work, with the purpose of implement subsequently an intervention process that will contribute to strengthen the positive findings and areas for improvement in the school. The diagnosis was made with a qualitative method using a phenomenological observational type. The data were rescued using the non-participant observation technique and the depth interview. This process lasted a month, with daily attendance at the primary school hours. The material was organized in ten categories that were used in the diagnosis, intervention and the analysis of the results. In this article only the categories that correspond to the result of the diagnosis are presented. The information obtained was contrasted with the theoretical sources that supported and explained the findings, throwing as conclusions, the situation in which the school is located. The results show that the school doesn’t have enough elements to be consider as an inclusive institution. The communication is not efficient between the principal and the teachers; the lack of assertiveness in the principal has caused anxiety, mistrust and resentment. His type of leadership has led to create discomfort among the teachers weakening the collaborative work. The collaborative work is non-existent among teachers, students and parents because of the principal’s restrictions for the parent’s access into the school. The diagnosis provided the elements to develop an intervention process guided by the educational psychology using an action-research orientation.