"You're Too Stupid, You're Out, Alright? So Much for Inclusion": Teachers' Patterns of Interpretation Regarding the Inclusion and Exclusion of Students at an Inclusive High School

Abstract

The inclusive education of students at the Gymnasium (German academic high school), which awards the highest educational degree, has been little researched to date. However, it is in the Gymnasium where the different logics of inclusion and selection collide with a school-specific intensity; thus, this research gap does not seem to be justified. In this article, I patterns of interpretation employed by teachers regarding inclusion and exclusion (EMMERICH & HORMEL, 2013) of students attending an inclusive Gymnasium. I utilize a methodological relation between pattern analysis (HOFFMANN, 2017) and grounded theory (STRAUSS & CORBIN, 1996 [1990]) in order to reconstruct profession-specific interpretations of teachers. Exemplary findings from two teachers show how they used academic achievement of students to justify and legitimize exclusions in the classroom. The low performance of students perceived as disadvantaged is explained in terms of their parents. The problem is thus placed outside the responsibility of the teachers themselves.