Ethical challenges in the inclusion of pupils with special needs in mainstream schools: A social ecological model perspective

Abstract

The inclusion of pupils with special needs in mainstream schools presents complex ethical dilemmas for educational staff, school leaders and families. This research explores these dilemmas through Bronfenbrenner's social ecological model in the context of Israel's 2018 inclusion reform, highlighting the interaction between schoolchildren and their environment across five subsystems. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 83 educators holding diverse school roles across Israel. Using grounded theory analysis, findings demonstrated that although ethical dilemmas appeared across all ecological systems, they were concentrated within the exosystem where organisational structures, resource limitations and policy implementation conditions constrained educators’ ability to enact inclusive practices. Two dominant categories of ethical dilemmas were identified: balancing inclusive participation with effective classroom functioning, and managing tensions between parental preferences and professional educational judgement. The research demonstrates that educators’ experiences are shaped by organisational structures, resource availability, leadership support and policy implementation processes. Findings contribute to the international literature on inclusive education by illustrating how ethical dilemmas are distributed across interconnected ecological systems and by highlighting the importance of systemic support for sustainable inclusion practices. The findings highlight the importance of systemic conditions and organisational support for translating inclusive education policies into sustainable practice.