Discourses on bad children and bad schools

Area of Science:

• Special Education
• Discourse Analysis
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Notions of difference and difficulty in special education research and practice have had unhelpful influences.
• The scholar-practitioner role is crucial in re-evaluating these understandings.
• The discourse of objectivity in science can obscure the inherent political nature of empirical questions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically analyze the discourse surrounding difference and difficulty in special education.
• To explore the interplay between politics and empirical questions in scientific inquiry.
• To challenge the individualistic framing of difficulty in special education.

Main Methods:

• Discourse analysis of knowledge production in special education.
• Examination of the theoretical context of special education.
• Critical review of scientific objectivity in educational research.

Main Results:

• Current discourse often leads to unhelpful influences on special education research and practice.
• A belief in scientific objectivity can mask the costs associated with research methods.
• Difficulty is frequently construed as an individual problem, affecting both children and schools.

Conclusions:

• Revisiting the discourse on difference and difficulty is essential for advancing special education.
• Recognizing the political dimensions of research is vital for ethical practice.
• Shifting from individualistic explanations of difficulty requires a deeper theoretical and practical re-evaluation.