Abstract:

The dimensions of equity and inclusion are essential for improving the quality of education and providing relevant opportunities for learners, as it is stipulated in National Education Law (1/2001).Those aspects are particularly important during online education as it was the case of the SARS-CoV-2 period when face to face education was suspended. Moreover, there was not implemented a national strategy for ensuring coherence in educational practices. In this context, the aim of our study was to investigate challenges, opportunities and practices on a sample of 369 pre-university teachers from Romania. We used a mixed-method approach in order to gain valuable insights regarding the experiences of teachers on creating inclusive settings and strategies in online environments. The results showed that online inclusive education effectiveness was strongly related to the support offered by parents, principals, counselors, suggesting that educational collaboration is a critical factor in improving equity and inclusion. Also, the capacity of teachers to overcome the challenges they faced, was strongly dependent by their psychological and pedagogical flexibility. Implication for psychological and pedagogical tools and for large-scale management interventions are discussed.

Keywords:

Inclusive education, equity, SARS-Cov-2, online teaching.