Inclusion and equity in education: facilitators, barriers and innovations Vol. 21, No. 1 (January–June 2026)

CALL FOR PAPERS
Vol. 21, No. 1 (enero-junio de 2026)

Monographic Section

Inclusion and Equity in Education: Enablers, Barriers, and Innovations

Inclusión y equidad en la educación: facilitadores, barreras e innovaciones

Gues Editors:

Dra. Pilar Arnaiz Sánchez, Universidad de Murcia (España)
Dr. Salvador Alcaraz García, Universidad de Murcia (España)
Dra. Karina Andrea Muñoz Vilugrón, Universidad Austral de Chile (Chile)

Scope

Ensuring inclusive, equitable and high-quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all has become a goal that sets the global course for education throughout the 21st century, as set out in SDG 4 of the 2030 Agenda. This goal calls on states to strengthen the equity and inclusiveness of their education systems. This leads to the establishment of systemic policies, cultures and practices that transform educational institutions into places capable of removing the barriers that prevent all pupils from having equitable and participatory learning experiences in mainstream learning environments. Scientific research accumulated over recent decades has identified that, despite the considerable efforts currently being made, there remains an approach of separating or segregating certain pupils on the basis of ability, which undermines the equity and inclusiveness of education systems.

This issue of the journal Alteridad aims to encourage reflection on research and innovations aimed at creating schools in which all pupils are welcomed. To this end, this issue seeks to highlight the findings of inclusive research on the facilitators, barriers and innovations involved in shaping an equitable and inclusive education system. The contributions featured in this special issue aim to make a significant contribution to the development of a more equitable and inclusive education system.

Descriptors

This special issue of the journal will focus primarily on the following thematic areas, although these are intended merely as a guide and may be expanded upon through the proposals submitted.

Analysis of education policies that promote equity and inclusion within the education system.
Analysis of educational practices that ensure an inclusive, equitable and high-quality education.
Participation of pupils with disabilities in mainstream learning environments.
The role of different schooling arrangements for pupils within the education system.
Views from the educational community on transforming schools into more equitable and inclusive learning environments.
Processes of inclusion and exclusion within the education system.
Educational proposals and innovations that promote equity and enhance the inclusive capacity of the education system.

Questions

The following questions are proposed to encourage participation from the educational community, institutions, and researchers:

How can we strengthen the equity and inclusiveness of the education system?
What are the views of the education community on the equity and inclusiveness of the education system?
What are the factors that help or hinder an equitable and inclusive education?
What innovations are being proposed by the scientific community to achieve an equitable and inclusive education system?

About the Guest Editors

Dra. Pilar Arnaiz Sánchez, Universidad de Murcia (España), (parnaiz@um.es)

University of Murcia (Spain). Professor of Teaching Methodology and School Organisation and Director of the Research Group ‘Inclusive Education: a school for everyone’. She holds a Diploma in Primary and Secondary Education, a Bachelor’s degree in Pedagogy and a PhD in Philosophy and Educational Sciences. She teaches courses on inclusive education at undergraduate and postgraduate levels in the Faculty of Education at the aforementioned university. It is also worth noting her involvement in Master’s and PhD programmes at various universities in Europe, the United States and Latin America. Her research focuses on the study of processes of educational inclusion and exclusion, and on educational improvement aimed at achieving inclusive education.

Dr. Salvador Alcaraz García, Universidad de Murcia (España), (sag@um.es)

University of Murcia (Spain). Lecturer in the Department of Teaching Methodology and School Organisation at the Faculty of Education, University of Murcia. He holds a Diploma in Teaching, a Bachelor’s degree in Pedagogy and a PhD in Pedagogy from the University of Murcia. He is a member of the research group ‘Inclusive Education: School for All’ (E073-02). His research focuses on the study of processes of exclusion and inclusion in the educational sphere, and the design and development of educational proposals for inclusive education.

Dra. Karina Andrea Muñoz Vilugrón, Universidad Austral de Chile (Chile), (karina.munoz@uach.cl)

Academic and researcher at the Institute of Pedagogical Specialisms, Puerto Montt Campus, Universidad Austral de Chile. Coordinator of the Interdisciplinary Innovation Laboratory for Inclusive Education (LinE). She is a lecturer in Special Educational Needs, specialising in Hearing and Language. Specialist in Early Intervention, holder of a Master’s degree in Education and a PhD in Educational Sciences. She teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses relating to supporting diversity in the classroom. Her research focuses on inclusive education for deaf students, initial teacher training and supporting diversity in the classroom.

Submissions Guidelines

«Alteridad» primarily publishes empirical research results written in Spanish, English, or Portuguese; studies and selected literature reviews (state-of-the-art) are also accepted. For the Miscellaneous section, diverse contributions within the field of education are continuously peer-reviewed.

Articles must be submitted exclusively through the journal’s web portal. The submission process requires all authors to register, although only one author will be designated as the corresponding author. Two files must be submitted:

1. Article following Alteridad publication guidelines

2. Cover page and cover letter according to the provided template

Enlaces

Alteridad Journal Website
Author Registration
Publication Guidelines
Cover Page and Cover Letter
Pre-submission Checklist:

Important dates

Deadline for submitting articles: 30 de september 2025
Publication date of this edition: 1 January 2026