Prácticas curriculares inclusivas para la discapacidad en la educación básica secundaria: representaciones sociales de los docentes en Bogotá, Colombia.

Abstract

This research is framed within the principles of the Salamanca Declaration (UNESCO, 1994a), the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN, 2006), and the 2030 Agenda (UNESCO, 2015) for sustainable development, which promote the right to inclusive, equitable, and quality education for all. To reflect these principles, the doctoral dissertation addressed the curriculum as a potential transformative element in the school setting: curricular practices implemented in educational institutions in Bogotá were analyzed, specifically seeking to understand how secondary school teachers configure inclusive curriculum practices (ICPs) that contribute to the care of students with disabilities from the perspective of teachers' social representations. The purpose is to identify conditions, tensions, and possibilities for transforming the curriculum and pedagogical practices toward adequate recognition, learning, and participation of this population. To achieve this objective, the study's methodological design was based on the interpretive paradigm with a qualitative approach, given its interest in understanding the contextual reality of inclusive curricular practices among the population under study. The theory of social representations was used as the basis for the analysis. From this perspective, public policies and curricular guidelines on inclusive education in Bogotá were analyzed, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with teachers and a focus group with support teachers. The results were triangulated to recognize teacher knowledge as a basis for strengthening inclusive curricular practices in the city. The research findings allowed us to recognize that IPCs constitute a fundamental pillar in the search for effective, reflective, and contextualized responses to the challenges of learning, participation, and development for students with disabilities. The results demonstrate the need to consolidate a flexible and diverse curriculum capable of integrating reasonable adjustments and differentiated pedagogical supports that respond to student subjectivity. From this perspective, strategies such as the coordination of co-teaching between classroom teachers and support teachers, the implementation of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Problem-Based Learning (PBL), and collaborative work stand out. According to the study's results, these strategies are aligned with the design and implementation of inclusive curricular practices, offering pedagogical frameworks that guide curriculum transformation toward more accessible, participatory, and contextualized models. Additionally, the research allowed teachers to be recognized as dynamic and reflective individuals, capable of redefining school reality through the mobilization of inclusive curricular practices. The findings show that reflection and action are key factors in curriculum transformation, enabling the creation of flexible and contextually relevant strategies. In this regard, elements that operate as barriers and facilitators in this process were identified: among the former, curricular rigidity, a lack of resources and specialized support, and limited teacher training in inclusive education stand out; Among the latter, collaboration, teamwork between classroom teachers and support teachers, and institutional support emerge. Therefore, teachers navigate between the ideals of curricular transformation and the real implementation conditions imposed by the context, demonstrating that addressing disabilities from an inclusive education perspective implies the construction of ethical, pedagogical, and attitudinal actions in the teaching process.