Participation in Inclusive Learning and Teaching Practices in Higher Education: A Qualitative Study of Academic Staff Identity and Change

This paper presents data collected as part of a
research project carried out at the University of the
West of Scotland, UK. The research explores
inclusive learning and teaching practices within the
context of Higher Education (HE). The paper
presents data collected using a qualitative, semistructured
interview approach with staff. Using
distributed socio-cultural explanations of learning
and development, the research seeks to develop our
understanding of the complex process of cultural
change within HE towards inclusive practices,
through an investigation of the proximal and distal
systems which serve to construct individual action
and identities, the relationships between those
systems, the valued practices of the community of
HE, and the barriers and enablers to participation in
that community.