From the idea of inclusion into practice in the Nordic countries: a qualitative literature review

The qualitative literature review includes 34 articles published in English-language, peer-reviewed journals to obtain a Nordic perspective on the status of the research on how the idea of inclusion implemented into practice is reflected in the literature from 2009 through 2019. Qualitative content analysis was conducted. In the analysis, we identified the characteristics of the studies, how inclusion and inclusive education were defined, and which themes concerning the idea of inclusion into practice that emerged from the review. Articles from five Nordic countries were found, Sweden with most of the publications. Almost twice as many of the sampled articles used qualitative methods as quantitative. Inclusion and inclusive education were seldom defined explicit, and the different way of understanding inclusion that emerges was human rights and democratic principles, placement of SEN-students, participation and belongingness, and high-quality learning for all students. Three themes was highlighted in the transformation of the idea into practice: Placement and the organisation of schooling, Teachers’ beliefs and attitudes, and Students’ and parents’ experiences. This literature review shows that few research studies have focused specific on how to transform the idea of inclusion into practice.