A utilização da grounded theory em estudos sobre educação inclusiva

In the last decades, the debate about inclusive education has gained prominence in educational research. Grounded theory is a particularly useful methodology in this scope as it can contribute to theory construction about the experiences of inclusion in multiple contexts, enhancing the empowering character of models and theories aimed at audiences at greater risk of exclusion. In this exploratory work, we intend to explore how grounded theory has been used in inclusive education research, identifying the main dimensions studied and methodological options adopted. Data collection was carried out in the Education Resources Information Center database, using the keywords “Grounded theory AND Inclusive education”, and 12 relevant articles were identified for analysis. There was some diversity of dimensions explored, namely related to policies, teachers’ professional identity and children and youth’ participation in different educational contexts. From a methodological point of view, the studies identified seem to use grounded theory with a greater focus on coding procedures. We conclude that there is a need and advantages for further improvement in the use of grounded theory for building theory in inclusive education.