Addressing the Quality of Inclusive Education in the Context of Primary School in Spain: What Is the Perception of Families of Students with Functional Diversity?

Inclusive education continues to face significant challenges nowadays due to a lack of resources, specialized support, and teacher training. In the context of primary education in Europe, families of students with functional diversity express their concern about the lack of adequate responses to their needs. However, there are merely a few studies that delve into the reality of inclusion from the family perspective. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the perceptions of families of students with functional diversity in Extremadura (Spain), regarding the quality of the educational response offered by schools. For this purpose, the study sample consisted of 70 family members of students with functional diversity in this region. For data collection and analysis, a semi-structured interview was used, applying thematic analysis and chi-square statistical tests in order to explore significant differences in the perceptions gathered. The interviews were transcribed and the answers gathered were categorized. The results show that almost half of the families consider the information received about the disability and the progress of their relatives to be insufficient. Likewise, there is a low level of satisfaction with the support and resources provided by both associations and the public administration. Consequently, the need to strengthen effective communication between schools and families is highlighted as a fundamental pillar to advance toward true educational inclusion.