Gregor Maxwell

Differentiating activity and participation of children and youth with disability in Sweden : a third qualifier in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health for Children and Youth?

ObjectiveThis article discusses the use of a third qualifier, subjective experience of involvement, as a supplement to the qualifiers of capacity and performance, to anchor activity and participation as separate endpoints on a continuum of actions. DesignEmpirical data from correlational studies were used for secondary analyses. The analyses were focused on the conceptual roots of the participation construct as indicated by the focus of policy documents, the support for a third qualifier as indicated by correlational data, differences between self-ratings and ratings by others in measuring subjective experience of involvement, and the empirical support for a split between activity and participation in different domains of the activity and participation component. ResultsParticipation seems to have two conceptual roots, one sociologic and one psychologic. The correlational pattern between the qualifiers of capacity, performance, and subjective experience of involvement indicates a possible split between activity and participation. Self-ratings of participation provide information not obtained through ratings by others, and later domains in the activities and participation component fit better with measures of experienced involvement than earlier domains did. ConclusionsThe results from secondary analyses provide preliminary support for the use of a third qualifier measuring subjective experience of involvement to facilitate the split between activity and participation in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, Children and Youth version, activity and participation domain.

Does thinking and doing the same thing amount to involved participation? Empirical explorations for finding a measure of intensity for a third ICF-CY qualifier

Background: Participation as involvement in a situation includes two dimensions; doing the activity and the experience of involvement. Objectives: The ICF-CY only measures doing using the capacity and performance qualifiers, a dimension measuring the experience is needed; a third qualifier. Hypothesis: The experienced involvement of pupils in school activities is higher when thinking and doing coincided. Methods: By comparing self-reported experiences of involvement of children, data about what children were thinking and doing during activities were gathered from 21 children with and 19 without disabilities in inclusive classrooms. Results: A relationship exists between an index of the subjective experience of involvement and whether children were thinking and doing the same things. Conclusion: This index can be constructed using measures of concentration, control, involvement, and motivation. Choice is influential, as knowledge about why an activity is undertaken affects involvement. Additionally, increased subjective experience of involvement gives better psychological health and well-being.

Participation and environmental aspects in education and the ICF and the ICF-CY: Findings from a systematic literature review

Background: This paper presents findings from a systematic review of the literature related to participation and the ICF/ICF-CY in educational research. Objectives: To analyse how and investigate the application of participation in educational research. Specifically, how participation is related to the environmental dimensions availability, accessibility, affordability, accommodability and acceptability. Methods: A systematic literature review using database keyword searches and refinement protocols using inclusion and exclusion criteria at abstract, full-text and extraction. Results: Four hundred and twenty-one initial works were found. Twenty-three met the inclusion criteria. Availability and accommodations are the most investigated dimensions. Operationalization of participation is not always consistent with definitions used. Conclusion: Research is developing a holistic approach to investigating participation as, although all papers reference at least one environmental dimension, only four of the 11 empirical works reviewed present a fully balanced approach when theorizing and operationalizing participation; hopefully this balanced approach will continue and influence educational policy and school practice.

How are conditions for participation expressed in education policy documents? A review of documents in Scotland and Sweden

This study approaches inclusive schools by looking at how conditions for participation are expressed for pupils with additional support needs in education policy documents in Sweden and Scotland. By using five dimensions of the environment – availability, accessibility, affordability, accommodability and acceptability – expressions of conditions for participation are explored in 41 documents. This is done in a vertical manner by analysing national laws, regional policy documents, and local‐level documents that directly influence classroom practices. A deductive content analysis approach using a protocol based on the five environmental dimensions is used to extract information and identify meaning units. In the meaning units, meaningful concepts are identified and linked to International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: Child and Youth (ICF‐CY) categories. These are used as reference points. It is suggested, from the documents analysed, that conditions for participation are easy to express as available, accessible opportunities, or affordability issues, but not as involvement experiences linked to accommodations made and acceptability issues within a context. Documents in Scotland and Sweden also have different foci in terms of conditions for participation.

A systematic literature review of the situation of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health-Children and Youth version in education: a useful tool or a flight of fancy?

ABSTRACTThis article presents the outcome of a systematic literature review exploring the applicability of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) and its Children and Youth version (ICF-CY) at various levels and in processes within the education systems in different countries. A systematic database search using selected search terms has been used. The selection of studies was then refined further using four protocols: inclusion and exclusion protocols at abstract and full text and extraction levels along with a quality protocol. Studies exploring the direct relationship between education and the ICF/ICF-CY were sought.As expected, the results show a strong presence of studies from English-speaking countries, namely from Europe and North America. The articles were mainly published in noneducational journals. The most used ICF/ICF-CY components are activity and participation, participation, and environmental factors. From the analysis of the papers included, the results show that the ICF/ICF-CY is currently used as a research tool, theoretical framework, and tool for implementing educational processes. The ICF/ICF-CY can provide a useful language to the education field where there is currently a lot of disparity in theoretical, praxis, and research issues. Although the systematic literature review does not report a high incidence of the use of the ICF/ICF-CY in education, the results show that the ICF/ICF-CY model and classification have potential to be applied in education systems.

Using Social Capital to Construct a Conceptual International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health Children and Youth Version–based Framework for Stronger Inclusive Education Policies in Europe

Inclusive education is part of social inclusion; therefore, social capital can be linked to an inclusive education policy and practice. This association is explored in this article, and a practical measure is proposed. Specifically, the World Health Organizations International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Children and Youth Version (ICF-CY) is proposed as the link between social capital and inclusive education. By mapping participation and trust indicators of social capital to the ICF-CY and by using the Matrix to Analyse Functioning in Education Systems (MAFES) to analyze the functioning of inclusive education policies and systems, a measure for stronger inclusive education policies is proposed. Such a tool can be used for policy planning and monitoring to ensure better inclusive education environments. In conclusion, combining enhanced social capital linked to stronger inclusive education policies, by using the ICF-CY, can lead to better health and well-being for all.

Inclusion through participation : understanding participation in the international classification of functioning, disability, and health as a methodological research tool for investigating inclusion

This paper investigates the use and validity of the International Classification of Functioning disability and health (ICF) as a common language for describing inclusive educational settings. There ...