Education in The New Social Reality: a Resource for Inclusion

Abstract

The article outlines the impact of the war on education in Ukraine. It examines and analyzes current research and publications that reveal the state of study of the problem. The content of the concept of «social technologies» is revealed, in particular, the author's definition of this concept is proposed, namely: the author defines social technologies as a system of scientifically sound techniques, methods and means, the implementation of which allows achieving the desired state of functioning of a certain social sphere, including education. It is emphasized that the emergence of new numerous groups of «excluded» in Ukrainian society, namely, people who have experienced psychological, emotional and physical trauma of war, requires the intensification of the implementation of innovative pedagogical and social technologies, the implementation of which will help overcome barriers to social integration of representatives of these groups who are in a situation of exclusion. It is emphasized that the social technology that should ensure a successful exit from the state of social alienation is the technology of inclusion. The content of this technology, its mission and structure are considered. The expected results of its implementation are outlined, which include the formation of the necessary social conditions and motivation of the individual to build his own successful life strategy. The results of the empirical research conducted by the author are proposed, in particular, the data of interviews with pedagogical workers of the Odessa and Zhytomyr regions. The focus of these interviews was on the issues of implementing inclusion in the practical activities of general secondary and higher education institutions. It is demonstrated that the respondents generally understand the content and purpose of the inclusion technology. It is shown that this technology is implemented primarily for students who have serious health problems, disabilities or mental disorders. The advantages of using inclusion in the educational process as a factor of socialization are identified. The shortcomings in the process of implementing the specified technology are outlined: firstly, the low readiness of teachers and teacher assistants to work in an inclusive format; secondly, significant difficulties in creating a barrier-free environment due to lack of funding; thirdly, the biased attitude of parents of students towards joint learning. It was found that the surveyed educators, realizing the need for sensitive professional support for students traumatized by war, do not always implement the social technology of inclusion, which allows identifying barriers to an inclusive educational environment and creating conditions for overcoming them. It was noted that the insufficient level of awareness of respondents about inclusion, among other things, determines the low level of its implementation in the educational process. Recommendations for optimizing the inclusive educational process, in particular with groups of people who have experienced war trauma, are formulated.