La educación inclusiva de la diversidad funcional en la ruralidad desde una perspectiva Vygotskiana

Abstract

Inclusive education constitutes a fundamental need within educational systems, especially in developing countries and in rural contexts, where social, cultural, and territorial conditions create particular and sometimes adverse situations that must be analyzed from different disciplinary perspectives. In this regard, psychology provides important elements for understanding human development, learning processes, and the influence of culture and history on social life. This perspective makes it possible to interpret how people develop within specific contexts and how these conditions influence educational processes. This research is conducted in the rural area of the department of Nariño, where the rural school becomes a setting for analyzing the dynamics of inclusive education. In this context, educational institutions face difficulties related to access, coverage, and the quality of educational services—issues that have been identified by the Colombian Ministry of National Education. These gaps are reflected in indicators such as school coverage, literacy levels, educational attainment, and school attendance, all of which reveal significant differences between rural and urban areas. These conditions directly affect inclusive education processes, particularly in relation to the support provided to students with functional diversity. Given this reality, there is a need to generate knowledge that allows for a better understanding of the dynamics of inclusive education in rural territories, taking into account their particular characteristics. In this sense, the school not only fulfills an educational role but also a social and community function, serving as a space for interaction and learning. For the purpose of this analysis, the concept of functional diversity is considered, recognizing different forms of human functioning within society and the school environment. From this perspective, inclusive education involves recognizing and valuing student diversity while promoting actions that ensure educational opportunities consistent with their characteristics and abilities. Within the Colombian regulatory framework, this perspective is supported by Decree 1421 of 2017, which highlights the importance of developing educational practices that encourage the participation of all students. Likewise, this research is supported by Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, which emphasizes that human development and learning processes are deeply influenced by social and cultural contexts. From this viewpoint, it becomes evident that many social structures have been built around an idea of normality, which can create barriers to inclusion. Therefore, analyzing inclusive education in rural contexts requires consideration of the cultural, social, and educational conditions that influence students’ development. Finally, the study adopts an interdisciplinary perspective that integrates contributions from psychology, pedagogy, sociology, and history in order to achieve a broader understanding of the relationship between education, culture, society, and inclusion within rural schools. This approach allows for reflection on the construction of educational environments that recognize and promote diversity.