To download article. 

DOI: 10.15507/1991-9468.030.202602.328­345

UDC 004.9:81’255(574)

Multi-Subjective Assessment of the Inclusion Index of Educational Institutions in Belarus

Vera V. Khitruk
Dr.Sci. (Ped.), Professor, Director of the Institute of Inclusive Education, Belarusian State Pedagogical University named after Maxim Tank (18 Sovetskaya St., Minsk 220030, Republic of Belarus), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1722-3713, Scopus ID: 57225917005, Researcher ID: OAI-8812-2025, SPIN-code: 4177-8596, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Svetlana N. Feklistova
Dr.Sci. (Ped.), Professor, Professor of the Chair of Correctional and Developmental Technologies, Belarusian State Pedagogical University named after Maxim Tank (18 Sovetskaya St., Minsk 220030, Republic of Belarus), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0195-897X, SPIN-code: 9354-7489, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Elena A. Lemekh
Dr.Sci. (Ped.), Cand.Sci. (Psychol.), Professor, Professor of the Chair of Special Pedagogics, Belarusian State Pedagogical University named after Maxim Tank (18 Sovetskaya St., Minsk 220030, Republic of Belarus), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2634-7435, Scopus ID: 57225918526, Researcher ID: PVE-5720-2026, SPIN-code: 1702-1702, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Yuliya V. Strogaya
Deputy Director of the Institute of Inclusive Education, Belarusian State Pedagogical University named after Maxim Tank (18 Sovetskaya St., Minsk 220030, Republic of Belarus), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-0994-0038, Researcher ID: ODI-7254-2025, SPIN-code: 8071-3838, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Aleksander Z. Kutysh
Head of the Educational and Organizational Department of the Republican Center for the Development of Inclusive Education of the Institute of Inclusive Education, Belarusian State Pedagogical University named after Maxim Tank (18 Sovetskaya St., Minsk 220030, Republic of Belarus), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-5053-2742, Researcher ID: ODI-7157-2025, SPIN-code: 6939-4900, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract
Introduction. Long­term experience implementing integrated learning and education and ensuring the conditions for implementing the principle of inclusion in education have highlighted an important task for pedagogical science and educational practice: obtaining objective, reflective data on the content and outcomes of joint education for children with special needs and their typically developing peers, represented by different participants in the educational process. A clear deficit in scientific pedagogical knowledge is associated with the insufficient development of evidence­based criteria and tools for assessing the performance of educational systems and forecasting educational development. The objective of the study is to comprehensively assess the inclusiveness of the educational environment (inclusion index) in preschool and general secondary education institutions.
Materials and Methods. The study involved 53,092 individuals from 1,116 preschool and general secondary education institutions implementing various models of joint education for children with special needs and their typically developing peers. At each institution, the inclusion index was assessed by four groups of respondents (administration, teaching staff, parents of typically developing children, and parents of children with developmental disabilities). A custom­designed questionnaire was used, with questions reflecting the inclusion index markers, represented by a set of criteria and indicators. Mathematical and statistical data processing was performed using the Statistica version 10.0 statistical package (one­way analysis of variance (Tukey’s post­hoc test).
Results. Despite relatively high scores on the educational institution inclusion index, statistically significant differences were found in the marker assessments by different respondent groups. Moreover, the average score for the “Inclusive Practice” marker was statistically lower than the average scores for the “Inclusive Educational Environment” and “Inclusive Culture of Participants in the Educational Process” markers. The scores for all markers were statistically lower in the “parent (legal guardian) raising a typical child” respondent group than in the other three respondent groups. The aggregate scores for the educational institution inclusion index were determined from the perspective of each respondent group. Common “problem” areas were identified in the assessments of all respondent groups, requiring further study. The criteria for the markers with the lowest scores were determined.
Conclusion. The obtained results supplement pedagogical science with information on the functioning of educational systems and The factors determining their development, the specific subject positions of different participants in an inclusive educational environment, formed within the context of implementing the principle of inclusion in education, and the expansion of the arsenal of diagnostic tools for educational practice. This article will be useful for education managers, faculty at secondary and higher education institutions providing training for teachers, and students at pedagogical colleges and universities.

Keywords: principle of inclusion in education, inclusion index, multi­subject assessment, inclusion index markers, inclusive educational environment, inclusive culture of educational participants, inclusive practice

Funding: This article was prepared based on the results of the international technical assistance project “Inclusive Education: A Favourable Environment for Realizing Every Child’s Potential”, approved by Resolution No. 15 of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus dated March 21, 2022.

Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

For citation: Khitruk V.V., Feklistova S.N., Lemekh E.A., Strogaya Yu.V., Kutysh A.Z. Multi­Subjective Assessment of the Inclusion Index of Educational Institutions in Belarus. Integration of Education. 2026;30(2):328–345. https://doi.org/10.15507/1991­9468.26302.328­345

Authors’ contribution:
V. V. Khitruk – formulation of research goals and aims; acquisition of the financial support for the project; conducting a research and investigation process; development of methodology; management coordination responsibility for the research activity planning and execution; oversight for the research activity planning and execution; specifically writing the initial draft.
S. N. Feklistova – formulation of research goals and aims; acquisition of the financial support for the project; development of methodology; specifically critical review.
E. A. Lemekh – development of methodology; specifically critical review.
Yu. V. Strogaya – application of statistical, mathematical, computational to analyse study data; provision of study computing resource; specifically visualization. A. Z. Kutysh – provision of study computing resource; specifically visualization; programming, software development; designing computer programs.

Availability of data and materials. The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the authors on reasonable request.

All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

Submitted 17.08.2025;
revised 08.10.2025;
accepted 15.10.2025.

REFERENCES

PlumX

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.