Transcript PowerPoint

Equity, Justice, and
Perceptions of Fairness
Novice Teachers’ Conceptions of Fairness
in Inclusion Classrooms
Ruth A. Wiebe Berry (2008)
By Cynthia J. Spence
Description of Study
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Qualitative
Interpretivist Approach investigating the
nature of teachers’ views regarding
“fairness.”
Data set: 185 text units (journals) written
by 47 participants (general education
graduate students enrolled in six sections
of a special education survey course).
General Education Teachers and
Students With Disabilities
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Teachers’ attitudes predict teachers’
behavior.
Teachers’ beliefs about fairness influence
their beliefs about inclusion.
Teachers act in subtle, and not so subtle
ways in reaction to their views regarding
distributive justice, procedural Justice, and
interactional Justice.
Distributive Justice
Definition: The distribution of limited resources and capital. Common opinion holds that
every individual should receive “their fair share”
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Inclusion of students with disabilities in
general education classrooms is unfair to
typically achieving students.
Inclusion makes unfair demands on
general education teachers.
“Fairness has been defined as the belief that it is morally
wrong, in itself, to treat individuals differently without
providing relevant reasons for so doing.”
R. Barrow. (2001) Inclusion vs. fairness. Journal of Moral
Education, 30, 235-242
Distributive Justice
and Needs Based Principles
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Needs-based principles of distributive
justice are appropriate when the
orientation is caring, and the well-being of
individuals is of chief concern.
An appropriate education for children with
disabilities (required by US federal law)
need not be the best possible education.
“Whereas Adam’s theory advocated the use of an equity rule to
determine fairness, several other allocation rules have also been
identified, such as equality and need” (Colquitt, 2001. p. 426).
Distributive Justice
and Needs Based Principles
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“Fairness,” with respect to inclusion
means that all students receive the
supports or instruction they need to
achieve academically, not that all students
receive the same supports or instruction.
Distributive Justice
and Needs Based Principles
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Problems arise when resources are scarce.
Some general education teachers may feel that
the expectation to meet the educational needs
of students with disabilities, in addition to those
of typically achieving students, is excessive.
General education teachers must possess the
beliefs, attitudes, skills, and dispositions that will
enable them to be confident, effective teachers
of students with widely varying abilities and
achievement levels, including students with
educational disabilities.
Procedural Justice
Procedural justice refers to the idea of fairness in the processes that resolve disputes and allocate resources
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Provide teacher education programs to
help teachers develop positive attitudes
and dispositions necessary for teaching in
inclusive contexts.
Reframe the situation as a “team effort.”
Provide teachers with information about
and contact with students with disabilities.
Give teachers an opportunity to be heard
before a decision is made.
“Ensure that the opinions of various groups
affected by the decision have been taken
into account” (Colquitt, 2001. p. 426).
Interactional Justice
Interpersonal Justice: Reflects the degree to which people are treated with politeness, dignity,
and respect by authorities.
Informational Justice: Focuses on the explanations provided to people that convey information
about why procedures were used in a certain way.
(Colquitt, 2001, p. 427)
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Focus on student similarities rather than
differences.
Teachers should feel supported by their
administration.
Colleagues should support one another
for being knowledgeable and effective
teachers.
Ruth A. Wiebe Berry
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Academic Title: Assistant Professor
Department: Graduate School of Education
Department Website: http://www.gse.buffalo.edu/
Institution: University at Buffalo, The State University of New
York
Berry, R. W. (2006) Inclusion, Power, and Community: Teachers and
Students Interpret the Language of Community in an Inclusion
Classroom American Educational Research Journal, Vol. 43, No. 3,
489-529.
Berry, R. W. (2006) Beyond Strategies: Teacher Beliefs and Writing
Instruction in Two Primary Inclusion Classrooms Journal of Learning
Disabilities, Vol. 39, No. 1, 11-24