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Abstract

This article proposes a comparative analysis of Decree-Laws No. 3/2008 and No. 54/2018, legal instruments that define the models for supporting inclusive education in Portugal. By linking national regulatory developments with data and recommendations from UNESCO’s monitoring reports (GEM Reports), this research assesses the structural and conceptual changes underlying Portuguese education policy. The research follows a qualitative approach, of an exploratory and interpretative nature, using comparative document analysis as the central method. The results reveal a transition from a model focused on categorizing students with special educational needs (SEN) to an approach focused on universally meeting the needs of all students. The Discussion and Conclusions and Recommendations highlight the need to strengthen teacher training, pedagogical leadership, and monitoring based on disaggregated data, as recommended by UNESCO.

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1009240
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Title
Rethinking School Inclusion: A Comparative Analysis of Decree-Laws No. 3/2008 and No. 54/2018 in Portugal Based on UNESCO Reports
Author
Morgado, Elsa Gabriel 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Pereira, Antonino 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Gouveia, Luís Borges 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Rodrigues João Bartolomeu 4 ; Levi, Leonido 5   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 Center for Studies in Education and Innovation (CI&DEI), Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal, Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal 
 School of Education, Center for Studies in Education and Innovation, Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal; [email protected] 
 Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Fernando Pessoa, Praça 9 de Abril, 349, Ramalde, 4249-004 Porto, Portugal; [email protected] 
 School of Human and Social Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal; [email protected] (J.B.R.); [email protected] (L.L.), Communication and Society Research Centre (CECS), University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal 
 School of Human and Social Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal; [email protected] (J.B.R.); [email protected] (L.L.), Center for Research in Arts Sciences and Technologies, Portuguese Catholic University, 4169-005 Porto, Portugal 
Publication title
Volume
15
Issue
12
First page
1612
Number of pages
15
Publication year
2025
Publication date
2025
Publisher
MDPI AG
Place of publication
Basel
Country of publication
Switzerland
Publication subject
e-ISSN
22277102
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
Document type
Journal Article
Publication history
 
 
Online publication date
2025-11-29
Milestone dates
2025-07-30 (Received); 2025-11-24 (Accepted)
Publication history
 
 
   First posting date
29 Nov 2025
ProQuest document ID
3286275171
Document URL
https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/rethinking-school-inclusion-comparative-analysis/docview/3286275171/se-2?accountid=208611
Copyright
© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.
Last updated
2025-12-24
Database
ProQuest One Academic