Mainstream teachers, collegial learning and inclusive education in Sweden

Abstract

While educational inclusion is national policy in many countries, good practice is slow to emerge. The study investigated mainstream teachers' orientation towards collegial learning while they participated in a national professionalization programme aimed at expanding schools' capacity for inclusive education in Sweden. Qualitative data collected from a total of 30 interviews and 60 observations from 30 schools who participated in the national professionalization programme were re‐analysed. Results suggest that teachers are both willing and feel able to strive for more inclusive education through collegial learning. However, the data also suggest that vague goals undermine effective use of collegial learning in schools and that national (or above school‐level) coordination of collegial learning practice is needed to achieve goals that are located beyond teachers' and their school's most immediate needs.