Title Promoter Affiliations Abstract "Realization of tailor-made education and more inclusive education: research into high-quality partnerships between mainstream and special education." "Sara Nijs" "Parenting and Special Education" "This research aims to gain insights into forms of cooperation between schools for special education and mainstream schools, in order to shape education together, to offer high-quality education pathways tailored to pupils’ needs and to facilitate a smoother transition from special education to mainstream education. To this end, we firstly analyse the careers of pupils making the transition from special to mainstream education within the same educational level. Secondly, we analyze characteristics, forms and practices of cooperation between mainstream and special schools. In addition to a detailed description of the forms of cooperation, we also wish to gain insights into processes, mechanisms and preconditions.  To achieve these goals, we set up a research project using (1) available administrative data collected by the Department of Education, (2) a large-scale survey (at all schools of special education in Flanders), (3) telephone interviews and (4) a case study. We opt for a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods. In this way, we obtain - in width - an overview of the school careers of pupils, existing forms of collaboration between school for special education and mainstream schools and their relationship with pupil and school variables. In addition, we obtain - in depth - an insight into the explanatory mechanisms of this relation, the experiences of the stakeholders involved and a more in-depth description of success and risk factors. The research results in a scientific research report, a scientifically based, practice-oriented inspiration guide for the development and design of collaboration between mainstream and special education schools, and scientifically based recommendations for policymakers." "Realizing customized and more inclusive education: research on high-quality cooperation between mainstream and special education schools." "Elke Struyf" "Didactica, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, EduBROn" "This research aims to gain insights into forms of cooperation between schools for special education and mainstream schools, in order to shape education together, to offer high-quality education pathways tailored to pupils' needs and to facilitate a smoother transition from special education to mainstream education. To this end, we firstly analyse the careers of pupils making the transition from special to mainstream education within the same educational level. Secondly, we analyze characteristics, forms and practices of cooperation between mainstream and special schools. In addition to a detailed description of the forms of cooperation, we also wish to gain insights into processes, mechanisms and preconditions. To achieve these goals, we set up a research project using (1) available administrative data collected by the Department of Education, (2) a large-scale survey (at all schools of special education in Flanders), (3) telephone interviews and (4) a case study. We opt for a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods. In this way, we obtain - in width - an overview of the school careers of pupils, existing forms of collaboration between school for special education and mainstream schools and their relationship with pupil and school variables. In addition, we obtain - in depth - an insight into the explanatory mechanisms of this relation, the experiences of the stakeholders involved and a more in-depth description of success and risk factors. The research results in a scientific research report, a scientifically based, practice-oriented inspiration guide for the development and design of collaboration between mainstream and special education schools, and scientifically based recommendations for policymakers." "What Makes Teaching Students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) Special? An Examination of Effective SEN Teaching and Contingency Effects in Inclusive and Special Education Settings in Flanders." "Sara Nijs" "Educational Effectiveness and Evaluation, Parenting and Special Education" "Effective teaching is widely recognized as a central factor contributing to students’ learning and development. While most teacher effectiveness models adopt a one-size-fits-all approach to effective teaching, recent studies have endorsed the importance of contingency effects: effective teaching can look different depending on the specific classroom context, i.e., the group of learners to whom teachers teach and the classroom setting in which they teach. Consequently, it is crucial to take these two factors into account when examining effective teaching. This doctoral project, therefore, targets a very specific group of learners who have somewhat been neglected in teacher effectiveness research today, namely students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) and more specifically, students with high-incidence disabilities (i.e., students with an identified learning disability, mild intellectual disability and/or autism spectrum disorder). Moreover, this project takes into account the specific classroom setting in which students with SEN are taught: inclusive classrooms, special education classrooms and, to some extent, intermediate placement options. Throughout the project the focus lies on reading-related outcomes of students with SEN, a subject considered as a crucial educational goal that contributes to the academic success and development of all students. The doctoral project has a twofold main aim. First, the project aims to conceptualize effective teaching for students with SEN in general. Second, contingency effects in effective SEN teaching are examined by focusing on differences and similarities between teachers’ use of effective teaching behaviors in various classroom settings of students with SEN. To achieve this twofold goal, four studies will be conducted. First, a scoping review is conducted to conceptualize effective SEN teaching from a scientific perspective and explore possible contingency effects. Second, a qualitative study is conducted using semi-structured interviews to identify and compare inclusive and special teachers’ knowledge of effective teaching behaviors for students with SEN. Third, a mixed-method study will be conducted. The aim of the quantitative part of this study is to observe teachers’ actual use of effective teaching behaviors in their classroom practice and to compare inclusive and special teachers in this respect. In the qualitative part of this study, a selection of highly effective inclusive and special teachers will be interviewed to understand teachers’ motives for (not) using certain teaching behaviors in their specific classroom context. Fourth, a multiple case study, in which four teachers will participate in an effective teaching intervention, explores how and why the impact of the intervention on teachers’ effective teaching behavior may differ depending on their classroom context." "Province of East Flanders subsidy: 'from inclusive education to an inclusive labor market'" "geen abstract" "Creating excellent inclusive online and offline learning environments in higher education" "Elke EMMERS" "UHasselt Research on Innovative and Society-engaged Education" "Achieving academic success in higher education is important, especially for countries driven by a knowledge economy. Expectations of better job opportunities, less risk of depression and greater economic prosperity mean that the number of students is increasing worldwide. The lecture halls are becoming increasingly visibly and invisibly more diverse. Inclusive higher education is the answer that the Higher Education Support Model, since 2017, offers in Flanders. In practice, the recommended two-track policy results in the implementation of 'reasonable adjustments' that do not go beyond granting equal access to vulnerable students. However, this approach has proved to be no guarantee of an equal outflow. However, providing broad basic care in learning environments is more ambitious. Stakeholders often know 'what' is happening and 'how' it is happening. However, to give every chance to a sustainable, supported inclusive practice -based on common values and beliefsknowledge of each other's 'why' is crucial. This study explores the 'why' of inclusive highereducation in the online and offline learning community at Hasselt University among various stakeholders using a qualitative research method.Now that the digital divide has exposed inequalities, it is being investigated whether the previously formulated definitions hold up and what this means for the academic and social integration of(vulnerable) students. From previous research we already know the thresholds and success experiences of (vulnerable) students in the current diverse (digital) learning environment. In a systematic review, instruments are brought together that have previously been validated to scan learning environments - with a focus on broad basic care and as little stigmatising'reasonable accommodation' as possible - for their inclusiveness. The aim is to bring them together in one tool that facilitates teachers and students to screen their learning environment for their degree of inclusiveness. The model for broad basic care 'Universal Design for Learning' (UDL) can serve as a basis for this instrument. The aim of this study is to empower teachers in developing powerful inclusive online and offline learning environments. These are learning settings in which not only the 'average' student but 'all' students achieve effective learning: both the student who asks for more challenge and the student who is most challenged in his/her/their learning. In an action research, teachers and students get to work co-creatively with broad basic care and the detailed instrument while transforming their learning environments. After this intervention, the revised lessons are given. A quantitative pre- and post-measurement of teachers charts their 'growth'. Existing validated instruments can be used to measure attitudes and competence perception. Lesson observations and individual interviews delve deeper into the process that teachers go through. At the same time, this study is also critical of models such as 'UDL' that claim to be successful and remove barriers for 'all' students. Students with and without special vulnerabilities will be questioned about this in a qualitative research method after following the revised lessons." "Building Capacity for Inclusive Education in Digital Envrionments: e-Include" "UHasselt Research on Innovative and Society-engaged Education, Educational Policy and Quality Assurance, School of Educational Studies, Educational Coordination and Student affairs" "In this project, we develop a research-based inclusive excellence toolkit, consisting of separate building blocks for teachers to develop inclusive online education that is tailored to specific phases, aspects, and contexts of inclusion." "Meeting difference in the regular classroom: Participatory research with children with a disability and their peers in inclusive primary education" "Geert Van Hove" "Department of Special Needs Education" "Study 1 investigates the way 20 disabled children experience their daily educational (ableist) practices. Study 2 analyses the perspectives of 30 non-disabled peers in inclusive education, focusing on meanings of ‘an inclusive educational setting’ and ‘difference’. Study 3 aims at implications regarding ethical and participatory research with children. During study 4 (non- )disabled pupils create an accessible book containing their perspectives." "A roadmap by which teacher and healthcare professional-in-training set out on a path to more effective and inclusive education through complementary co-teaching" "Lies Lockefeer" "Research Centre for Learning in Diversity" "From the Research Centre for Learning in Diversity, a pilot project was set up called: ""Complementary co-teaching between a teacher and a care professional in training: a living lab in a Ghent elementary school."" Herein, through a participatory action research project, complementary co-teaching between a care professional in training and a teacher was experimented with, with the aim of achieving more effective and inclusive education. This research exposes the added value of a healthcare professional-in-training as a co-teacher within a classroom context, but also presents a number of challenges. First, we saw that it took a long time for a healthcare professional-in-training to fill a role as a co-teacher on the classroom floor. Second, teachers reported looking for a co-teacher to support both cognitive and social-emotional skills of students. However, care professionals in training are still searching for which evidence-informed actions are appropriate and effective within a specific context. Third, it was noted that although the actions taken by the care professional in training inspired the teacher, they were not yet (too) structurally embedded in classroom practice. The departure of the care professional in training due to the end of the internship period implied that the actions disappeared or were used only sporadically. To respond to these challenges, we developed a ""route planner.This route planner is a working tool that consists of 9 assignments that teachers and healthcare professionals in training who are in front of the classroom together through complementary co-teaching set out on during their collaboration period.This route planner focuses both on the preconditions of co-teaching and on how to work with a class group in an action-oriented way.Through the research project 'On the road together' we want to explore the way in which this route planner facilitates the interpretation of the role of a healthcare professional in training who is a co-teacher in a classroom. The departure of the healthcare professional in training due to the end of the internship period implied that the actions disappeared or were used only sporadically. To respond to these challenges, we developed a ""route planner.This route planner is a working tool that consists of 9 assignments that teachers and healthcare professionals in training who are in front of the classroom together through complementary co-teaching set out on during their collaboration period.This route planner focuses both on the preconditions of co-teaching and on how to work with a class group in an action-oriented way. Through the research project 'On the road together' we want to examine how this route planner facilitates the role of a healthcare professional in training as a co-teacher in a classroom. On the other hand, we want to examine what impact this route planner has on teacher skills for effective teaching and whether that impact is sustainable." "Multicultural Classrooms: Inclusive Learning and Teaching in Higher Education" "David Van Bunder" "Research Centre for Learning in Diversity, Universidad San Jorge, Yıldız Technical University, Yaşar University, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Transilvania University of Brasov, Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, Izmir Katip Çelebi University" "Rapid changes in the world are affecting the economy and education system. Thanks to exchange programs such as Erasmus and Mevlana (Turkey), the number of foreign students in higher education is increasing rapidly. In addition, government grants online education courses offered by universities and also the increase in the number of refugees and asylum seekers are other factors increasing the number of foreign students of different religions languages cultures and ethnicities. To deal with this situation and effectively provide quality inclusive and multicultural education, the most important actors in universities are the ""teachers."" In this context, the project aims to develop the skills and competencies of academic staff to work in a multicultural and multilingual environment. To achieve this goal, the project will: 1) Develop an innovative curriculum and methodology for in-service training of higher education teachers on the management of multicultural classrooms 2) Develop innovative teaching materials to improve the multicultural dimension of the teaching process 3) With the short-term staff training that will be implemented, teachers will be encouraged to develop their skills for managing multicultural classrooms." "Dealing with difficult behaviour in inclusive education environments" "Elisabeth De Schauwer" "Department of Special Needs Education" "We see that education professionals do have an eye for pupils with difficult behaviour, but in education it is often difficult to deal with this (Onderwijsraad, 2010). We aim to adopt a socio-ecological perspective on behaviour and assume that behaviour arises in relation and never in isolation (Roorda, Koomen, Split & Oort, 2011; Furrer & Skinner, 2003). It emerges in interaction with the environment. Several methods that focus on the prevention of difficult-to-handle behaviour emphasise attention to appropriate behaviour. It is important to make pupils feel safe and comfortable in the classroom, giving them the space to come to learning (Rey, Smith, Yoon, Somers & Barnett, 2007). Everything starts with experiencing positive relationships. It is at the heart of behaviour management and it is something everyone can work on. Dealing with difficult-to-handle behaviour is not something teachers do alone and it succeeds better when the interventions are school-wide. That way, the pupil is supported always and by everyone (Goei & Kleijnen, 2009)."