Inclusive Learning Beyond Policy: Discursive and Pedagogical Realities in Selected Religious Primary Classrooms

Abstract

Inclusive education continues to expand globally as a moral and pedagogical commitment to equitable participation; however, many mainstream schools still struggle to translate inclusive policy into sustainable classroom practice, particularly in institutions that adopt inclusion without formally established support systems. Addressing this underexplored gap, the present study investigates the discursive and pedagogical realities of combined classrooms in a selected religious primary school where students with special needs and regular students learn together within the same instructional environment. Employing a qualitative descriptive case study design, the research involved the principal, classroom and subject teachers, and students across primary grade levels. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, structured classroom observations, and document analysis, and were analyzed thematically through triangulated coding procedures. The findings reveal that inclusive learning was implemented through adaptive yet predominantly reactive strategies, including simplified instruction, repetition, individualized guidance, flexible seating arrangements, and emotional support. Nevertheless, teachers continuously negotiated tensions between diverse learner needs and standardized curricular expectations, while institutional limitations, inconsistent early identification, linguistic barriers, and uneven parental engagement complicated classroom implementation. The study demonstrates that inclusion in this context operates as a hybrid and transitional practice in which educational access precedes systemic readiness. This study contributes to inclusive education scholarship by foregrounding the intersection of discourse, pedagogy, and institutional negotiation in non-formally inclusive religious schooling. More broadly, the findings underscore the urgency of language-sensitive pedagogy, structured teacher development, and integrated support systems to advance sustainable and context-responsive inclusive education.