What is meant by ‘community’ in different theoretical traditions? An analysis of influential educational research

ABSTRACT Research on inclusive education often derives from a broader understanding of inclusion, namely as a radical change in schooling. Within this strand of research, several authors in the field have envisioned this change to be materialised in the image of schools and classrooms as communities with various characteristics where differences are seen as resources. Nevertheless, the word ‘community’ can carry a variety of meanings, especially when used in the field of education in which multiple theoretical traditions co-exist. The aim of this paper is to provide an analysis of the meanings of the word ‘community’ throughout influential educational research and in relation to the different theoretical traditions that inform it. The meanings are analysed through a reading of the 50 most highly cited educational research papers in the database Web of Science that are concerned with communities in schools and classrooms. Through a thematic analysis of the definitions and descriptions of community in the sample, four metaphors were identified – community as Idealised-Home, Idealised-Academia, Idealised-Polis, and Power-Resisting Space. These meanings are discussed in relation to the theoretical traditions discerned and their implicit societal purposes. Moreover, implications of the review for research on inclusive education are discussed.