Chilean science teachers' conceptualisations of disability when teaching students with autism

Abstract

This study examines how Chilean secondary science teachers conceptualise disability when teaching students with autism in integrated classroom settings. Grounded in critical disability studies, the research employs a qualitative story‐completion method, using a fictional classroom scenario to prompt teachers to construct narratives that reveal underlying assumptions, discourses and practices regarding disability. Data were collected from 31 in‐service science teachers (18 female; 13 male) and analysed using thematic analysis. Three interrelated themes were constructed: (a) managing regulation—the production of the ‘calm and functional’ science classroom, where disability is framed through behavioural control and participation is contingent on alignment with normative expectations; (b) teachers' positionings—how teachers' pedagogical decisions and interactions actively shape students' experiences, positioning students with autism as subjects of coordination, differentiation and, at times, surveillance; and (c) disability as a model of inspiration—where students are identified as exceptional, with inclusion often tied to displays of excellence or symbolic value. Across these themes, disability emerged as conditional rather than inherent, with participation dependent on behavioural compliance, structured support or demonstrable achievement. The narrative‐based approach enabled access to implicit beliefs and socially circulating discourses that may remain less visible in direct questioning methods. The findings suggest that teachers' accounts point to how everyday practices respond to and construct disability within the classroom, often reinforcing social hierarchies within integrated settings. This study highlights the need to critically examine how disability is enacted in practice and calls for pedagogical approaches that support participation for students with autism.