Higher education teachers’ understandings of and challenges for inclusion and inclusive learning environments: A systematic literature review

Abstract

Since the 1990s, there is a rise in attention to inclusion in education encompassing inclusion in Higher Education (HE), which is an important element of-/and leads to equity in society. HE-teachers are a key factor in improving inclusion in higher education, but little is known about 1) their understanding of inclusion, 2) the challenges they experience for establishing inclusion, and 3) how they characterize inclusive learning environments. In this study, these three aspects were explored using a systematic literature review. From the selected 36 peer-reviewed articles was concluded that even though there is a rise in attention to inclusion in HE in recent years, most attention is still on integrating students with disabilities in regular education instead of the newer broader definition of inclusion ‘for every student’. When HE-teachers’ understanding of inclusion was discussed, they more often had a positive attitude toward inclusion, but it is unclear what this attitude was against (and what is meant by positive/negative) due to the neglect of mentioned definitions of characteristics. HE-teachers’ challenges for inclusion in higher education are internal (lack of knowledge, skills, experience, and confidence) and institutional (lack of resources, support, information, and training). These findings demonstrate the necessity of cooperation between teachers and HE-institutions, in addition to the role of scholars in studying teachers' understanding of inclusion, to improve the inclusive learning environment of students in HE.