An ethos or an afterthought? : an exploratory study into the educational inclusion of Gypsy/Travellers in a local authority

• Main Author: Ní Mhuircheartaigh, Caitríona
• Published: University College London (University of London) 2015
• Subjects: 371.9; Psychology and Human Development
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.679492

This study explored the educational inclusion of Gypsy/Travellers (G/Ts) in a Local Authority (LA). Using a qualitative design, underpinned by a transformative ethos, it employed unstructured interviews to gather the perspectives of Irish Traveller (IT) parents and School Staff (SS) on the barriers and opportunities for inclusive education (IE) in the local context. Thematic analysis carried out separately on both data sets revealed that similar topics were raised by both sets of participants, which can be understood within three overarching concepts (‘over-arching-concept’s); Discriminatory Attitudes, Achieving Education for All and Creating Welcoming Communities. However, critical differences between how similar issues were understood emerged. These related particularly to understandings of equality and equity and the responsibility for inclusion. These ‘over-arching-concept’s are discussed in relation to how they create a story of exclusion from, rather than inclusion in education for these communities. The study concludes that in order to redress the historical and ongoing discrimination and exclusion experienced by these communities, a positive action approach to developing policies and practices, which complements a more equitable understanding of IE among educational services in this context is needed. Implications for Educational Psychology (EP) practice to support the development of IE in targeted areas within Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) eco-systems are suggested.