Uppeldi og menntun - 01.06.2015, Síða 75

Uppeldi og menntUn/icelandic JoUrnal of edUcation 24(1) 2015 75
óLaFUR PáLL JóNSSON
MeNNTavíSiNdaSviði HáSkóLa íSLaNdS
Uppeldi og menntun
24. árgangur 1. hefti 2015
Learning spaces and inclusive practices
Hanna Ragnarsdóttir and Clea Schmidt (editors). (2014). Learning Spaces for
Social Justice: International Perspectives on Exemplary Practices from Preschool
to Secondary School. Sterling: Trentham Books. xv, 153 pages.
The book Learning Spaces for Social Justice: International Perspectives on Exemplary Prac-
tices from Preschool to Secondary School edited by Hanna Ragnarsdóttir and Clea Smith
contains eight case studies focusing on inclusive practices and special education in
various schools, ranging from preschool to secondary school, in both rural and urban
settings. The authors and the cases come from Iceland, Norway, Finland, Scotland
and Canada. This collection is valuable for both scholars and practitioners and from
reading the book one not only obtains an insight into committed practices in very
different educational settings but also develops a feel for the theoretical background
from which these researchers work. And although the authors have their individual
styles and use different methods, the book forms a pleasant and coherent whole.
What is the relevance of research like this?
A publication such as this is important for various groups and for different reasons. The
most obvious importance is that by compiling such case studies one brings together
data on exemplary practices which can set examples for others working in the field.
Thus, the book should be valuable to practitioners, students and scholars in the field
of inclusive education. But the usefulness of this collection extends beyond this prac-
tical purpose as it stands as an illustration of how theories are applied and theoretical
frameworks developed in the field of education research. Not all educational research
serves this twofold purpose, not even all good educational research. Some is simply
not tied to practical matters in a way that is accessible or informative to the ordinary
practitioner and, as a result, the findings are too abstract or confined to the labyrinth
of theoretical language to enable practitioners to derive guidance from it. But neither
does all good research connect the practical issues to the theoretical underpinnings in
a way that is likely to illuminate theoretical issues; some research is too weak in its
theoretical aspects though it might be informative or helpful for people working in the