The Denotations of Inclusive Education with Reference to Educational Practise in the Czech Republic

This article is a contribution to the current discussion of inclusive education in the Czech Republic. The authors analyse the denotative meaning of the term “inclusive education“ and at the same time warn against its negative connotations, particularly in the concept of total inclusion.
Inclusive education is presented as a scientifically grounded approach to educational practice. In this context the article includes an appeal to those involved to take notice of the relevant empirical studies of the effects of inclusive education, and to abandon unsubstantiated myths. The authors compare the four most common myths about inclusive education with the results of foreign and Czech research studies.
In the conclusion the authors indicate the importance of the field of special education and point out the shifting boundaries of its application and definition.
Doc. PaedDr. Vanda Hájková, Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Education, Department of Special Pedagogy, M. D. Rettigové 4, 116 39 Praha 1, Czech Republic; e-mail: vanda.hajkova@pedf.cuni.cz
Doc. PhDr. Iva Strnadová, Ph.D., University of New South Wales, School of Education; University of Sydney, Faculty of Education and Social Work, Australia; e-mail: i.strnadova@unsw.edu.au.