to meet each other, to know and grow, and to have a good time
insights from swedish pupils with intellectual disabilities who participated in philosophical dialogues
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12957/childphilo.2025.89351Keywords:
philosophical dialogue, intellectual disability, thematic analysis, pupils’ perspectivesAbstract
This research project aims to answer the following questions: (1) What experiences do pupils with intellectual disabilities (ID) report after participating in education based on philosophical dialogue? and (2) How do these experiences relate to the needs of pupils with ID? To address these questions, an interview study was conducted with 12 pupils, aged 13 to 15 years, with primarily mild ID, attending the Swedish Compulsory School for Pupils with Intellectual Disabilities. The pupils participated in a small-scale intervention program consisting of 12 sessions of philosophical dialogues over 6 weeks, guided by two experienced facilitators. Toward the end of the program, the children took part in semi-structured interviews to share their experiences of the philosophical dialogues. The responses to these interviews were analyzed in relation to identified needs of pupils with ID, specifically the need for cognitively stimulating activities, communication and social skills, and decision-making skills. Thematic analysis of the data revealed the following themes: To meet each other, to know and grow, and to have a good time. The results indicate that philosophical dialogue holds promise in addressing the identified needs of pupils with ID. Notably, the role of humor in the children’s experiences during the philosophical dialogues was of particular interest.
Downloads
References
Arvio, M., & Bjelogrlic‐Laakso, N. (2021). Screening of dementia indicating signs in adults with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 34(6), 1463–1467. https://doi.org/10.1111/jar.12888
Bryman, A. (2008). Social research methods (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press.
Cassidy, C., Christie, D., Marwick, H., Deeney, L., McLean, G., & Rogers, K. (2017a). Fostering citizenship in marginalised children through participation in community of philosophical inquiry. Education, Citizenship and Social Justice, 13(2), 120–132. https://doi.org/10.1177/1746197917700151
Cassidy, C., Marwick, H., Deeney, L., & McLean, G. (2017b). Philosophy with children, self-regulation and engaged participation for children with emotional behavioural and social communication needs. Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632752.2017.1388654
Colom, R., Moriyón, F. G., Magro, C., & Morilla, E. (2014). The long-term impact of philosophy for children: A longitudinal study (Preliminary Results). Analytical Teaching and Philosophical Praxis, 35(1), 50–56.
Danielsson, H., Zottarel, V., Palmqvist, L., & Lanfranchi, S. (2015). The effectiveness of working memory training with individuals with intellectual disabilities - a meta-analytic review. Frontiers in Psychology, 17(6), 1230. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01230.
Djordjevic, M., Glumbić, N., & Memisevic, H. (2020). Socialization in adults with intellectual disability: The effects of gender, mental illness, setting type, and level of intellectual disability. Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 13(4), 364–383. https://doi.org/10.1080/19315864.2020.1815914
Gardelli, V., Backman, Y., Gardelli, Å., & Franklin, A. (2023). “You talk and try to think, together” – A case study of a student diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder participating in philosophical dialogues. childhood & philosophy, 19, 1–28. https://doi.org/10.12957/childphilo.2023.70493
Gorard, S., Siddiqui, N., & See, B. H. (2015). Philosophy for children (pp. 1–45). Education Endowment Foundation.
Gudelytė, U., Ruškus, J., & McCrea, K. T. (2024). “Help me to decide”: A study of human rights-based supported decision making with persons with intellectual disabilities. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000724
Göransson, K., & Klang, N. (2021). Lärares uppfattningar om skola och undervisning för
elever som läser enligt grund- och gymnasiesärskolans kursplaner. In K. Göransson, K. Szönyi & M. Tideman (Eds.), Utbildning och undervisning i särskolan – forskningsinsikter möter lärar- och eleverfarenheter (pp. 32–59). Natur & Kultur.
Kvale, S., & Brinkmann, S. (2009). Den kvalitativa forskningsintervjun (2nd ed.). Studentlitteratur.
Lee, J. Y., Patel, M., & Scior, K. (2023). Self‐esteem and its relationship with depression and anxiety in adults with intellectual disabilities: A systematic literature review. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 67(6), 499–518. https://doi.org/10.1111/jir.13025
Lewis, J. (2009). Redefining qualitative methods: Believability in the fifth moment. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 8(2), 1–15.
Lipman, M., Sharp, A. M., & Oscanyan, F. S. (1980). Philosophy in the classroom (2nd ed.). Temple University Press.
Mahoney, W., Blaskowitz, M., & Johnson, K. (2021). Occupational therapy-related assessments for adults with intellectual disability: A scoping review. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 75(3). https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2021.046342
Murphy, K., Wilkinson, I., Soter, A., Hennessey, M., & Alexander, J. (2009). Examining the effects of classroom discussion on students’ comprehension of text: A meta-analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 101(3), 740–764.
Ohlsson, R., & Sigge, K. (2013). Den barnsliga relativismen: intellektuell dygd eller lättja? Carlsson.
Pucci, V., La Face, A., Gasteiger‐Klicpera, B., & Mondini, S. (2024). Cognitive reserve proxies for individuals with intellectual developmental disability: A scoping review. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 37(2), e13204. https://doi.org/10.1111/jar.13204
Statistics Sweden. (2015). Valdeltagande bland personer med funktionsnedsättning. Statistikmyndigheten SCB. https://www.scb.se/hitta-statistik/statistik-efter-amne/demokrati/allmanna-val/allmanna-val-valdeltagandeundersokningen/pong/publikationer/valdeltagande-bland-personer-med-funktionsnedsattning/
Strömberg, C., & Gardelli, T. (2012, March). Cultural integration in philosophical dialogue. Paper presented at NERA 2012, the 40th Annual Congress of the Nordic Educational Research Association (NERA 2012), Copenhagen, Denmark.
Swedish Curriculum for the Schools of Pupils with ID. (2024). Skolverket. https://www.skolverket.se/getFile?file=13075
Swedish National Agency of Education (2023a). Elever i grundsärskolan: Läsåret 2022/23. https://www.skolverket.se/publikationer?id=11309
Swedish National Agency of Education. (2023b). Mottagande i anpassade grundskolan
och anpassade gymnasieskolan – Kommentarer till Skolverkets allmänna råd om mottagande i anpassade grundskolan och anpassade gymnasieskolan samt om urval till anpassade gymnasieskolans nationella program. https://www.skolverket.se/publikationer?id=12222
Swedish National Agency of Education. (2023c). Sysselsättning efter avslutad anpassad gymnasieskola – sysselsättning hösten 2020 och 2021. https://www.skolverket.se/publikationer?id=12281
Trickey, S., & Topping, K. J. (2004). Philosophy for children: A systematic review. Research Papers in Education, 19(3), 365–380. https://doi.org/10.1080/0267152042000248016
United Nations. (1989). The Convention on the Rights of the Child. https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-rights-child
United Nations. (1946). Article 26 of the UN declaration of human rights. https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights
United Nations. (2006). The Convention of the Rights of Persons With Disabilities: Article 12. https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities/article-12-equal-recognition-before-the-law.html
Vansieleghem, N., & Kennedy, D. (2011). What is philosophy for children, what is philosophy with children—After Matthew Lipman? Journal of Philosophy of Education, 45(2), 171–182. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9752.2011.00801.x
Walker, V. L., & Snell, M. E. (2013). Effects of augmentative and alternative communication on challenging behavior: A meta-analysis. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 29(2), 117–131. https://doi.org/10.3109/07434618.2013.785020
Williams, K., Jacoby, P., Whitehouse, A., Kim, R., Epstein, A., Murphy, N., Reid, S., Leonard, H., Reddihough, D., & Downs, J. (2021). Functioning, participation, and quality of life in children with intellectual disability: An observational study. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 63(1), 89–96. https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.14657
World Health Organization. (1993). The ICD-10 classification of mental and behavioural disorders. World Health Organization.
Yan, S., Walters, L. M., Wang, Z., & Wang, C. (2018). Meta-analysis of the effectiveness of philosophy for children programs on students’ cognitive outcomes. Analytic Teaching and Philosophical Praxis, 39(1), 13–33.
