Teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion are influenced by factors such as training and teaching experiences. However, there is no conclusive trend correlating specific factors with negative or positive attitudes. The aim of this study is to understand the reality of inclusion in schools in Extremadura, Spain, from the teachers’ point of view. To do so, a reliable and valid questionnaire was administered to a total of 106 teachers from more than 20 schools in Extremadura, followed by the subsequent categorization of more than 300 comments obtained from semi-structured interviews with 16 teachers. The results show that teachers value an inclusive philosophy in schools, especially in terms of values and policies. Teachers working in special schools had a moderately more positive perception of the degree of inclusion in their school, although there were hardly any significant differences compared to teachers in other types of schools, nor were there any significant differences according to teachers’ prior training. Finally, the importance of evaluation in the creation of plans to guarantee an improvement in the attention to diversity is assessed.

Atender y dar respuesta a la diversidad es uno de los ejes fundamentales de la educación inclusiva para garantizar el principio de equidad educativa; sin embargo, a pesar de su presencia en las aulas, en el momento actual quedan barreras por derribar impidiendo que el alumnado con necesidades específicas de apoyo educativo se beneficie de todo aquello que necesita para aprender. El presente estudio se sitúa en las etapas de Educación Infantil y Primaria, y centra su interés en conocer si se garantiza una inclusión educativa exitosa; para ello se pretende analizar la suficiencia y adecuación de los recursos, materiales y personales disponibles y explorar las demandas y necesidades de los docentes para atender, concretamente, al alumnado con necesidades educativas derivadas de su discapacidad. Metodológicamente se desarrolla un enfoque mixto, analizando respuestas abiertas de 32 entrevistas semiestructuradas realizadas a docentes de centros educativos extremeños. Los resultados manifiestan que la mayoría de los docentes afirman que al centro en el que desempeñan sus funciones acude alumnado con necesidades específicas de apoyo educativo y que las adaptaciones curriculares son el medio por el que se les ofrece respuesta educativa de manera habitual. Por otra parte, se observan dificultades en el desarrollo del proceso educativo tras la acción del COVID-19, así como una carencia de recursos personales frente a una amplia disponibilidad de recursos materiales. Hay que destacar que los docentes afirman escasas colaboraciones del centro educativo con agentes externos, pero que cuando se llevan a cabo resultan positivas para dar una respuesta educativa más eficiente. Palabras clave: Inclusión, necesidades específicas de apoyo educativo, recursos, formación del profesorado, Educación Primaria, Educación Infantil. Attending to and responding to diversity is one of the fundamental axes of inclusive education to guarantee the principle of educational equity. Despite the presence of students with special educational needs in classrooms, there currently exist barriers that need to be dismantled for these students to benefit from everything they need to learn. This study focuses on the Early Childhood and Primary Education stages, with a specific interest in determining the extent to which successful educational inclusion is guaranteed. To this end, it is intended to analyze the sufficiency and adequacy of the resources, materials and personnel available, while also exploring the demands and needs of teachers to attend, specifically, to students with special educational needs derived from their disabilities. Methodologically, a mixed approach is developed, involving the analysis of open responses from 32 semi-structured interviews conducted with teachers from schools in Extremadura. The results show that the majority of teachers affirm that the center in which they carry out their functions attends students with special educational needs and that curricular adaptations are the means by which these students receive regular educational support. In the same way, difficulties are observed in the development of the educational processes after the impact of COVID-19, as well as a shortage of personal resources in the face of a wide availability of material resources. It is noteworthy that teachers report limited collaborations between the educational center and external agents, but that when they are carried out, they are positive to contribute to a more efficient educational response. Keywords: Inclusion, specific educational support needs, resources, teacher training, Primary Education, Early Childhood Education.

La crisis derivada de la pandemia por COVID-19 ha provocado el cierre de los centros educativos, trasladando la enseñanza de la escuela a los hogares. La educación a distancia ha supuesto un reto para las familias que, en ocasiones, realizan un sobreesfuerzo para cumplir con las demandas escolares. Por ello, el principal objetivo de este estudio es explorar los factores concretos que dificultan la adaptación a la enseñanza no presencial de las familias del alumnado de Educación Primaria. Con el propósito de responder al objetivo señalado, se han ejecutado análisis estadísticos a partir de las respuestas de 236 familiares de alumnos de escuelas públicas de nuestro país a un cuestionario, creado y validado ad hoc, como sistema cuantitativo de obtención de datos. Por otra parte, se ha llevado a cabo un análisis cualitativo de más de 600 comentarios emitidos por los 236 familiares a una pregunta de tipo abierto. Los resultados reflejan que casi la mitad de las familias reconocen dificultades de adaptación a la enseñanza no presencial, existiendo falta de recursos, carencia de conocimientos y problemas organizativos que han generado sentimientos negativos. Estas dificultades se agravan en los hogares del alumnado con familiares desempleados durante el confinamiento. Finalmente, se refleja la necesidad de la activación de actuaciones que fomenten la comunicación, escuela y familia, y que disminuyan la brecha digital por condiciones sociofamiliares.

Inclusive education continues to face significant challenges nowadays due to a lack of resources, specialized support, and teacher training. In the context of primary education in Europe, families of students with functional diversity express their concern about the lack of adequate responses to their needs. However, there are merely a few studies that delve into the reality of inclusion from the family perspective. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the perceptions of families of students with functional diversity in Extremadura (Spain), regarding the quality of the educational response offered by schools. For this purpose, the study sample consisted of 70 family members of students with functional diversity in this region. For data collection and analysis, a semi-structured interview was used, applying thematic analysis and chi-square statistical tests in order to explore significant differences in the perceptions gathered. The interviews were transcribed and the answers gathered were categorized. The results show that almost half of the families consider the information received about the disability and the progress of their relatives to be insufficient. Likewise, there is a low level of satisfaction with the support and resources provided by both associations and the public administration. Consequently, the need to strengthen effective communication between schools and families is highlighted as a fundamental pillar to advance toward true educational inclusion.

This qualitative study explores teachers’ perceptions of inclusive education in Compulsory Secondary Education, Baccalauteate, and Vocational Education in Extremadura, Spain. Forty-seven in-service teachers participated through semi-structured interviews, selected using convenience and snowball sampling until theoretical saturation was reached. Data were manually transcribed, reviewed by two independent researchers, and analyzed with NVivo 14 using a mixed inductive–deductive coding approach. The findings reveal substantial gaps in teacher training for inclusion, particularly regarding the identification of students with specific educational support needs and the implementation of curricular adaptations. Teachers expressed concerns about the availability and limitations of resources: although some schools have specialists, they highlighted the lack of other professionals, insufficient materials, and structural barriers. They also showed positive attitudes toward continuing professional development but criticized its overly theoretical focus and limited transfer to school practice. Overall, the study underscores the urgent need for more practical and contextually grounded training, together with stronger institutional support, to foster effective inclusive practices in post-compulsory education, where significant shortcomings remain, particularly in their practical implementation within real educational settings.