Examining the promotion of full participation through child advisory group in inclusive education

This study employs the participatory action research method to examine the process by which members of the Child Advisory Group (CAG) develop research skills, thereby expressing themselves and formulating recommendations for full participation in an inclusive environment. In this study, the term "diversity" is used to describe the range of differences among students, including those related to gender, religion, language, disability, and race. Thus, the participants of the study consisted of the members of the CAG who came together from primary school students who were exposed to discrimination and exclusion for different reasons, their peers and teachers. Research training was provided to CAG members. Participatory data techniques were used to reveal members' experiences and inclusive solution proposals, while aiming for members to gain research skills. The children provided recommendations for full participation in an inclusive educational setting, offering creative and distinctive suggestions informed by their personal experiences. In accordance with the requests of the members, the suggestions were presented to the teaching staff, and their opinions were duly considered. The findings revealed that the children were the subjects of the study, the researcher was reflective, the members made free decisions and the journey of changes in the learning environment together. Three main conclusions emerged from the findings: (1) It is essential to establish dialogue-based relationships with children in order to guarantee their full and active participation; (2) The blurring of authority enabled children to discover their own experiences and feel a sense of belonging to the group, while supporting them to find solutions to the problems they experienced; (3) A lack of consideration for the intricate connections between educators' theoretical understanding of children's rights and inclusive education, and their aspirations to uphold authority and maintain order, represents a significant barrier to child participation and inclusive education. The main conclusion of the study emphasizes the dialogue-based inclusive and democratic environment created through collaboration, in which children can fully participate in order to become subjects, make their own decisions and take action.