Inclusive education as a grand challenge: contributions of the social norm theory

Jana Vyrastekova and Annemiek Schilpzand

Chapter 3 in Methodology to Address Grand Challenges, 2026, pp 43-60 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: We explore inclusive education as a grand challenge, emphasizing the gap between policy goals and education practice. Research so far has mostly focused on individual teacher attitudes, which fail to predict the adoption of inclusive practices. The authors introduce social norm theory to highlight the role of shared professional beliefs and expectations in shaping behavior. A pilot study with Dutch teachers revealed that frequent workplace discussions about inclusion correlate with more optimistic perceptions of colleagues’ attitudes and reduce uncertainty at schools. These findings suggest that inclusive education should be understood as a professional social norm, not merely an individual belief. This chapter calls for new, less exclusionary measures of teacher attitudes and recommends a shift toward inclusive education training at a school level, working towards shared definitions of inclusion. Social norm theory offers a promising framework for designing interventions that support educators in transforming inclusive education from policy into everyday practice.

Keywords: Inclusive Education; Teacher Attitudes; Social Norm Theory; Professional Norms; Educational Reform (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035314300
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