Research in Inclusive and Specialised Education (RISE)

A multidisciplinary team of researchers, consultants and professional educators located within the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work at Flinders University. RISE brings deep industry knowledge and research expertise related to all aspects of inclusive education. RISE is committed to strengthening inclusive classrooms, schools and communities where every child and young person can thrive.

Flinders University is one of Australia’s most experienced providers of education for specialist teachers and leaders working with students with disabilities, advanced abilities and special educational needs across a range of settings. Flinders University has a sustained track record of collaborating with industry partners and producing quality research with real-world impact.

RISE aims to produce and disseminate research that informs and enhances effective, inclusive education for diverse children and young people.

Find out more about the RISE team https://sites.flinders.edu.au/rise/home/staff/

 

Project Evaluation

RISE was commissioned by JFA Purple Orange in mid-2019 to conduct an independent evaluation of the Inclusive School Communities (ISC) Project, following several months of preliminary discussion and gathering of background information. 

The project evaluation employed a mixed-methods research design, with data collection and analysis occurring continuously from August 2019—September 2020. Data were collected in multiple ways, which enabled the triangulation of findings across data sources, participants and researchers. Together with prolonged time in the field, this approach strengthened the credibility of evaluation findings.

The mixed-methods research design enabled rich description of core project activities, opportunities for participants to provide feedback in multiple ways (including confidentially through the survey), comparison of perspectives from across participant groups, and the gathering of varied evidence in relation to each of the five evaluation questions.

The primary purpose of the program evaluation was to understand the nature and scope of any changes in attitudes, knowledge, capability, practices, policies, connections and partnerships related to inclusive practices that occurred as an outcome of the ISC project. In keeping with this purpose, the evaluation did not seek to document every project activity or to capture extensive feedback on each individual aspect of the project. Rather, the evaluation examined a substantial cross-section of activities and included a representative sample of participants. Findings are based on analysis of data in relation to the stated project goals and discussed in terms of the research literature on inclusive education, and emphasise those themes and examples that commonly emerged from the analysis.