The conflict between inclusive education and the selection function of schools in the minds of French teachers

Positive attitudes among teachers toward inclusive education play an essential role in enabling students with special educational needs to participate in mainstream education. In this paper, we hypothesize that a conflict between the selection function of schools (i.e., the sorting of students into different academic pathways) and inclusive education makes it difficult for teachers to hold positive attitudes. Three studies (qualitative and quantitative) were conducted, providing support to this hypothesis. Overall, findings revealed that ideological barriers can hinder the implementation of inclusive education and raise new questions regarding the consequences of selection-predicated scholastic settings on students with special educational needs.