child en
A icle
Inclusi e Design in he Field o Educa ion om he Pa adigm o
Ea ly In e en ion
Ma ía-Luisa Bení ez-Lugo 1, Elena Pine o-Pin o 1,* , Fa ima Leon-La ios 2, Es he Ma ía Med ano-Sánchez 1,
Ma ia de-la-Casa-Almeida 1and Ca men Sua ez-Se ano 1


Ci a ion: Bení ez-Lugo, M.-L.;
Pine o-Pin o, E.; Leon-La ios, F.;
Med ano-Sánchez, E.M.;
de-la-Casa-Almeida, M.;
Sua ez-Se ano, C. Inclusi e Design
in he Field o Educa ion om he
Pa adigm o Ea ly In e en ion.
Child en 2021,8, 474. h ps://
doi.o g/10.3390/child en8060474
Academic Edi o : E ic Dea ing
Recei ed: 6 May 2021
Accep ed: 2 June 2021
Published: 4 June 2021
Publishe ’s No e: MDPI s ays neu al
wi h ega d o ju isdic ional claims in
published maps and ins i u ional a il-
ia ions.
Copy igh : © 2021 by he au ho s.
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Swi ze land.
This a icle is an open access a icle
dis ibu ed unde he e ms and
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A ibu ion (CC BY) license (h ps://
c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/
4.0/).
1Depa men o Physio he apy, Facul y o Nu sing, Physio he apy and Podia y, Uni e si y o Se ille,
41009 Se ille, Spain; [email p o ec ed] (M.-L.B.-L.); [email p o ec ed] (E.M.M.-S.);
[email p o ec ed] (M.d.-l.-C.-A.); [email p o ec ed] (C.S.-S.)
2Depa men o Nu sing, Facul y o Nu sing, Physio he apy and Podia y, Uni e si y o Se ille,
41009 Se ille, Spain; [email p o ec ed]
*Co espondence: epine [email p o ec ed]; Tel.: +34-954486503
Abs ac :
Inclusi e educa ion and ea ly in e en ion go hand in hand in he ea ly educa ional s ages
o each he maximum po en ial o he s uden body. The aim o his s udy was o analyze he
inclusi e p o ile o an educa ional cen e and assess he e ec i eness o an inclusi e ask (designed
o his s udy) in a g oup o s uden s o ea ly childhood educa ion. This analy ical, p ospec i e,
desc ip i e and longi udinal s udy was conduc ed om bo h quali a i e and quan i a i e app oaches.
F om he quali a i e app oach, an in e iew was ca ied ou wi h ea ly childhood educa ion eache s.
A o al o nine pa icipan s we e in e iewed. Thei mean age was 42.25
±
9.30 yea s, wi h a mean
expe ience o 14.25
±
9.25 yea s. The quan i a i e pa o he s udy was ca ied ou wi h 97 s uden s
o ea ly childhood educa ion. A e deli e ing a lea ning wo kshop abou awa eness o unc ional
di e si y, h ee a iables we e analyzed: s o y memo y, demons a ed emo ion, and game memo y.
The quali a i e s udy indica es ha i is necessa y o de elop coping s a egies, such as including
special educa ion asks in he class oom, p io o speci ic s a aining and p og amming in speci ic
aspec s o awa eness. Mo eo e , i is shown ha he pe cep ion o ea men among pee s is al eady
p esen a his educa ional s age. The quan i a i e s udy e eals ha he ask was exci ing and
mo i a ing o he s uden s, which p omo es lea ning and awa eness.
Keywo ds:
s uden s; lea ning ac i i ies; game-based lea ning; c ea i i y; inclusi e design; di e si y
1. In oduc ion
The numbe o people wi h unc ional di e si y unde 6 yea s o age is inc easing
conside ably. A ound 2.5 million people in Spain ha e a deg ee o disabili y who need
special a en ion, o which 108,570 a e mino s [
1
]. The espec i e in e en ions a ailable o
people wi h unc ional di e si y ha e e ol ed om o al exclusion om educa ional and
social se ices o hei cu en s a e, whe e he Spanish Educa ional legisla ion suppo s
ull inclusion in he amewo k o an educa ion o e e yone. In his con ex , he concep o
inclusi e educa ion es ablishes ha all educa ional cen e s mus be able o accommoda e
all s uden s. In his sense, he aim is o achie e a quali y educa ion in which inclusi e
schools p o ide child en wi h he oppo uni y o in e ac wi h each o he and expand
hei lea ning, since his con ex alues and espec s di e ences [
2
]; he e o e, i is a
s eng hening p ocess o each all s uden s, ocusing he in e en ions on he class oom and
de eloping he eaching-lea ning p ocess in a collabo a i e manne . A he in e na ional
le el, se e al au ho s suppo inclusion as an e ec i e idea h ough which he eaching,
lea ning, achie emen s, a i udes, and wellbeing o each s uden is impo an [
3
], p o iding
di e en scena ios and new oppo uni ies o people who may ha e educa ional di icul ies.
In his line, o he au ho s conside ha an inclusi e school in ea ly childhood educa ion,
Child en 2021,8, 474. h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/child en8060474 h ps://www.mdpi.com/jou nal/child en
Child en 2021,8, 474 2 o 10
wi h e ec i e leade ship, allows child en o eel capable o de eloping he basic skills o
li e [4].
Fu he mo e, we ame ea ly in e en ion wi hin he educa ional pe iod o he i s
and second cycles. Al hough ea ly in e en ion comp ises h ee essen ial sphe es, g ea e
a en ion is paid o hose in e en ions ocused on he child and he amily, dis ega ding
hose in e en ions ocused on he en i onmen . Thus, i is necessa y o de elop s a egies
wi hin he educa ional scope, wi h he double aim o aming he in e en ions wi hin he
en i onmen and ensu ing he inclusion o child en wi h unc ional di e si y o a isk o
diso de .
S udies abou educa ional inclusion can be classi ied in o h ee esea ch lines [5]:
- Inclusion and i s e ec s on s uden s, eache s, and amilies.
- Resea ch on eaching in inclusi e class ooms.
- Belie s, pe cep ions, and a i udes owa d inclusion.
A ou h esea ch line is he oice o s uden s [6], who a e he eal p o agonis s.
In addi ion o hese cla i ica ions, i is impo an o highligh ha he Eu opean Agency
o Special Needs and Inclusi e Educa ion [
7
], which is an independen and sel -go e ning
o ganiza ion, p oposed he a ainmen o an inclusi e school o e e yone. I is ime o
analyze he s a e o such a pu sui and suppo ac ions ha a ou i . I is impo an
o e alua e all he in o ma ion ha may be conside ed o collec ed o achie e e ec i e
inclusion, as well as sensi i i y and awa eness o unc ional di e si y.
In his sense, conside ing he ele ance o eache aining in inclusion and all he
ad an ages o de eloping inclusi e ac i i ies o all s uden s, he aim o he p esen s udy
was o analyze he inclusi e p o ile o an educa ional cen e in he ci y o Se ille, as well as
o assess he e icacy o an inclusi e ask (designed o his s udy) in a g oup o s uden s o
ea ly childhood educa ion.
2. Ma e ials and Me hods
This is an analy ical, p ospec i e, desc ip i e, and longi udinal s udy conduc ed om
bo h quali a i e and quan i a i e app oaches, which we e ocused on he eache s and
s uden s, espec i ely. We c ea ed a lis o educa ional cen e s in he ci y o Se ille ha
we e close o a eas o di e en cul u al and socioeconomic le el. The managemen eams
o hese educa ional cen e s we e in i ed ia e-mail o pa icipa e in his s udy. O all
he in i a ions, one cen e loca ed in he sou he n dis ic ag eed o pa icipa e. A e
a mee ing wi h he boa d o di ec o s and he amilies o he cen e , we ecei ed hei
in o med consen . W i en in o med consen was ob ained a e explaining he s udy. The
Ins i u ional Re iew Boa d o he Uni e si y Hospi al Vi gen Maca ena o he Uni e si y
o Se ille app o ed his esea ch. (15 Decembe 2019).
2.1. Cha ac e is ics o he Sample and Va iables
In he i s phase o he s udy, a semi-s uc u ed in e iew was conduc ed wi h he
eache s o he second cycle o ea ly childhood educa ion. This educa ional cycle was
selec ed o ame he s udy wi hin he pa adigm o ea ly in e en ion, es ablishing an
in e en ion om he en i onmen . The inclusion c i e ia es ablished ha he s uden s had
o be in he second cycle o ea ly childhood educa ion, i.e., aged 3–6 yea s, and ha e he
in o med consen o hei pa en s. On he o he hand, he s udy excluded s uden s who
missed he day in which he c ea i e ask was ca ied ou in he class oom, as well as hose
who had joined he cen e in he academic cou se in which he s udy was conduc ed.
To espond o he ques ion “wha ac i i ies a e ca ied ou in he educa ional cen e ?”,
a s uc u ed in e iew was designed o he quali a i e pa o he s udy (Table 1).
Child en 2021,8, 474 3 o 10
Table 1. Dimensions, indica o s, and indices o he semi- s uc u ed in e iew wi h he eache s (quali a i e s udy).
Dimension Indica o Index
Expe ience wi h child en wi h Special
Educa ional Needs
Numbe o u o ed child en who
p esen ed any disabili y
Pe cen age o child en in e ened in he
p o essional ca ee o he eache s
S a egies ca ied ou o he sake o
inclusion in he class oom
Numbe o s a egies ca ied ou in he
class oom
Numbe o in e en ions conduc ed pe
child and hei success
Deg ee o eache aining in ma e s o
inclusion and disabili y
Numbe o cou ses s udied in ma e s
o disabili y
Valua ion o aining cou ses and hei
ela ionship wi h in e en ion in
he class oom
Con en s o inclusion in he eaching
p og am o ea ly childhood educa ion
Numbe o eaching ac i i ies ca ied ou
Numbe o ac i i ies conduc ed in
ma e s o inclusion
Beha io o he child en owa d
classma es wi h SEN
Numbe o posi i e a i udes owa d
child en wi h SEN
Deg ee o empa hy o he child en
owa d o he child en wi h SEN and
explana ion o his beha io
Deg ee o impo ance o awa eness and
sensi iza ion ac i i ies in ma e s
o disabili y
Numbe o po en ial ad an ages o his
ype o ac i i ies o he class oom, he
amilies and socie y
Pe cen age o posi i e esponses owa ds
he impo ance o including hese ypes
o ac i i ies
Fo he quali a i e pa o he s udy, which was conduc ed wi h he eache s o he
educa ional cen e , a digi al eco de was used (Olympus VN-5500PC, Olympus, Tokio,
Japan). In addi ion o his, he signi ican sen ences said du ing he in e iews we e w i en
down in a diag am wi h he s uc u ed ques ions, highligh ing hose ela ed o aining in
unc ional di e si y, inclusion in he class oom o he bene i s o in e ening in child en
wi h special educa ional needs.
Fo he in e en ion wi h he s uden s, a c ea i e ask was designed o aise awa eness
and sensi ize hem o unc ional di e si y. This ask consis ed o he elling and in e p e a-
ion o he ale o “Ca lo a he Tu le” and pa icipa ion in a game in which he s uden s
had o o e come a challenge simula ing a physical, cogni i e, senso y, o speech disabili y.
In his s udy, we used an ex ensi e s a egy, applying a ques ionnai e six mon hs a e
he c ea i e ask was ca ied ou . Table 2shows he dimensions analyzed and he indices
included in he ques ionnai e adminis e ed o he s uden s.
Table 2. Dimensions, indica o s, and indices o he ques ionnai e ocused on he child en (quan i a i e).
Dimension Indica o Index
Deg ee o memo y o he ale used o
he ask
Numbe o key desc ip o s o he ale:
- Tu le
- Whi e o colo less
- She could no hide
- She was always ound
- F iends
- She was co e ed wi h lowe s
- She was co e ed wi h bu e lies
- She was ang y because she could no
play
- She was sad
- She could hide in he snow
- E e yone could play
Numbe o desc ip o s men ioned by he
child when asked abou he ale o Ca lo a
he Tu le.
F om 0 o 3 poin s →sligh memo y
F om 4 o 6 poin s →accep able memo y
F om 7 o 9 poin s →Ve y good memo y
F om 10 o 11 poin s →Op imal memo y
Child en 2021,8, 474 4 o 10
Table 2. Con .
Dimension Indica o Index
Deg ee o emo ion demons a ed wi h
he cha ac e s o he ale in
h ee dimensions
Exp ession shown when unco e ing he
box wi h he cha ac e s o he ale and he
p ops o he s o y
The acial exp ession o he s uden is
e alua ed when he box is unco e ed:
I he child smiles and seems a en i e,
e en ying o play wi h he cha ac e s →
Op imal empa hy (2 poin s)
I he exp ession o he child does no
change →1 poin
I he child is ang y o disgus ed →Low
empa hy (0 poin s)
Deg ee o memo y o he
boa d-and-dice game
Numbe o key desc ip o s o he
game used:
- Dice
- Colo ul boa d
- Eyes closed
- No speaking
- Fee o a ms oge he o any o he
di icul y
- Pic og ams
- Final puzzle
The numbe o desc ip o s men ioned by
he child is sco ed.
F om 0 o 2 poin s →sligh memo y
F om 3 o 5 poin s →Accep able memo y
Mo e han 5 poin s →op imal memo y
Sco e o s uden sa is ac ion wi h he
c ea i e ask
The s uden s we e asked o s a e, om 0 o
10 on a 10 cm ape, he deg ee o
sa is ac ion hey el wi h he ac i i y
Based on he s uden sa is ac ion:
F om 0 o 4.99 poin s →Unsa is ied wi h
he ask
F om 5 o 6.99 →Good sa is ac ion
F om 7 o 8.99→Conside able sa is ac ion
F om 9 o 10→Op imal sa is ac ion
Bo h lines o wo k include he ob ained esul s in a ma ix wi h coded indices and he
da a o all pa icipan s, which we e gua ded by he p incipal in es iga o , ollowing Law
15/1999 on Pe sonal Da a P o ec ion.
2.2. De elopmen o he C ea i e Task “Awa eness and Sensi iza ion o Func ional Di e si y”
The designed ask can be amed as an o dina y measu e o a end o he needs o
s uden s in he class oom [
8
], unde he label o a lea ning wo kshop. The ask was ca ied
ou in small g oups, ocusing on a speci ic opic, which, in his case, was awa eness and
sensi iza ion o unc ional di e si y, de eloping di e en asks ha concluded wi h an
ac i i y: sol ing a puzzle as a g oup. This ask was pe o med in g oups, wi h a maximum
o 25 s uden s pe g oup, and equi ed a compu e and a p ojec o o p esen he digi alized
ale o “Ca lo a he Tu le”, as well as a game boa d wi h di e en ma e ials (masks, pins,
balls, s e ognos ic bag, pic og ams, name o all he pa icipa ing child en in sign language,
sound puzzle, pieces o he inal puzzle, big die, and a box wi h he cha ac e s o he ale
and he di e en p ops). Figu e 1shows he designed ma e ials.
2.3. S a is ical Analysis, Da a O ganiza ion, and T iangula ion o he Me hodological
S a egies Used
The da a ob ained om he in e en ion conduc ed wi h he eache s we e analyzed
using he ATLAS-TI, e sion 7.5 (Scien i ic So wa e de elopmen GmbH, Be lin, Ge many)
whe eas hose ob ained om he in e en ion conduc ed wi h he s uden s we e o ganized
in an independen ma ix, using SPSS 18.0 s a is ical so wa e o Windows (SPSS, Chicago,
IL, USA). All s a is ical es s we e ca ied ou conside ing a con idence in e al o 95%
(
p< 0.05
). Fo he iangula ion o he da a, we used he esul s ob ained wi h he quali a i e
me hodology.
Child en 2021,8, 474 5 o 10
Figu e 1. Ma e ials and p ops o he c ea i e wo kshop.
3. Resul s
The a e age age o he nine eache s who made up he eam o ea ly childhood
educa o s was 42.25
±
9.30 yea s, wi h an a e age expe ience o 14.25
±
9.25 yea s. The
second phase o his design was ocused on he s uden s egis e ed in he second cycle
o ea ly childhood educa ion, whose pa en s signed he in o med consen , ob aining a
inal sample o 97 s uden s wi h an a e age age o 4.85
±
0.768 yea s, a sex p opo ion o
50.5% boys and 49.5% gi ls, and he ecogni ion o special educa ional need in 6.2% o he
sample, acco ding o he educa ional guidance eam. Figu e 2displays he lowcha o
he selec ion o s uden s o he second cycle o ea ly childhood educa ion and he c ea i e
ac i i y ca ied ou .
Figu e 2. Flowcha o he selec ion o pa icipan s and he c ea i e ac i i y ca ied ou .

Child en 2021,8, 474 6 o 10
3.1. Findings o he Quali a i e S udy: S udy on Teache s
Once he ex ual in e iews we e loaded in o ATLAS-TI, ou analy ical ca ego ies
we e ob ained, based on he ques ions asked in he semi-s uc u ed in e iew, ha can be
ound in Supplemen a y Annex S1:
- Coping s a egies: exis ing, desi able.
- P e ious eache aining and impo ance.
- Sensi izsa ion: opinion and epe cussion.
- Pe cep ion o he ea men among pee s and jus i ica ion.
3.2. Findings o he Quan i a i e S udy: S udy in Child en
Table 3shows he desc ip o s ob ained in he a iables analyzed h ough he c ea i e ask.
Table 3. Desc ip o s ob ained in he a iable analyzed.
Va iables Mean
(Maximum-Minimum) S anda d De ia ion
Deg ee o memo y o he ale 7.04 (12-0) 2.937
Deg ee o emo ion demons a ed 1.94 (2-1) 0.242
Deg ee o memo y o he game 3.45 (7-0) 1.581
Rega ding he deg ee o memo y, 60.8% o he s uden s had a good memo y o he
ale and o he ac i i y, whe eas 27.3% had an accep able memo y and 15.5% had a sligh
memo y. Wi h espec o he emo ion exp essed when he box wi h he cha ac e s o he
ale was unco e ed, 93.8% o he s uden s showed empa hy, making ges u es o ake he
p ops and in e p e he ac ions o he ale, and only 6.2% o he sample showed no eac ion.
Wi h ega d o he memo y o he game ha was played a e he ale, 59.8% o he sample
desc ibed he ac i i ies ha in ol ed simula ing isual, audi o y, mo o , o in ellec ual
di e si y, 11.4% could ecall up o he speci ic ask ha hey go om he die, and only
28.8% o he s uden s had a sligh memo y.
Rega ding he deg ee o sa is ac ion wi h he ac i i y, 88.7% o he s uden s sco ed 10
poin s, and only 1% sco ed less han 5 poin s (no sa is ac ion). Table 4shows he desc ip o s
ela ed o hese a iables. I is impo an o highligh ha 100% o he s uden s ag eed o
pa icipa e again i he ac i i y was e e epea ed.
Table 4. Sa is ac ion wi h he ac i i y.
Va iables Mean
(Maximum-Minimum) S anda d De ia ion
Deg ee o sa is ac ion 1 (1-1) 0.00
Would pa icipa e again 1 (1-1) 0.00
Sco e o he ac i i y 9.74 (10-3) 0.916004
Acco ding o he e iewed li e a u e [
9
], i is conside ed impo an o analyze he
possible di e ences be ween sexes in he deg ee o memo y o bo h he ale and he
subsequen game. The ob ained esul s show ha he le el o memo y o he ale in he
gi ls was signi ican ly highe wi h espec o he boys (
χ2
= 6.39; p= 0.041). On he o he
hand, he deg ee o memo y o he game did no show di e ences be ween sexes (
χ2
= 0.75;
p= 0.43). The las objec i e o his s udy was o analyze whe he he espec i e a iables
could be co ela ed wi h age, using Pea son’s co ela ion es . The deg ee o memo y o
he ale ob ained a alue o = 0.340 (p= 0.001), indica ing ha he deg ee o memo y
inc eases wi h age. On he o he hand, he deg ee o memo y o he game seems o dec ease
wi h he inc easing age o he s uden s, showing a signi ican co ela ion ( = 0.239; p=
0.05). Las ly, we analyzed he possible age- ela ed di e ences in he emo ion demons a ed
Child en 2021,8, 474 7 o 10
a e disco e ing he cha ac e s in he ale. In his case, we ob ained a alue o = 0.228
(p= 0.05), sugges ing ha emo ional indi e ence dec eases wi h inc easing age.
4. Discussion
4.1. Inclusi e Ac i i ies Pe o med in he Educa ional Cen e
In he “coping s a egies” ca ego y, he i s ac i i y highligh ed by he eache s o
his cen e was he adap a ion o ac i i ies o child en wi h educa ional needs wi hin he
class oom, using he inclusi e class oom only in cases o e y speci ic needs. This measu e
allows no malizing he cha ac e is ics o each child, wi h innocence and he in e en ion o
he u o in he class oom being he mos impo an suppo elemen s. This p io i y o
in e ening in he class oom is in line wi h he documen published by he speci ic agency
o special needs [
10
] and o he s udies [
11
], which s a e ha child en lea n be e h ough
daily expe iences and by in e ac ing wi h hei usual ca egi e s in day- o-day con ex s,
unde s anding ha , in he educa ional cen e , he bes s a egy in ol es he class oom and
hei classma es. In his case, he bene i s o wo king in na u al en i onmen s a e poin ed
ou [12].
O he au ho s ha e d awn he same conclusions, including he need o emo e he
suppo in lea ning when i is no longe equi ed [
9
]. In his sense, his cen e wo ks wi hin
he class oom, al hough i does no include indi idualized wo k h ough ou ines, which
is he bes in e en ion o an inclusi e app oach. The lack o ime and esou ces could be
he cause o such ou ines. In his ca ego y, i is highligh ed ha , al hough he p og ams o
he eache s did no speci ically include awa eness and sensi iza ion ac i i ies in ma e s o
unc ional di e si y, hey do ha e o he ac i i ies ha , in a ans e sal manne , p omo e
alues equi ed o empa hize wi h di e si y.
Rega ding he impo ance o eache aining in ca ying ou inclusi e s a egies, hese
eache s exp essed he same conce ns and wo ies as hose ound in he in e na ional
s udies conduc ed by he Eu opean Agency o he De elopmen o Special Needs and
Inclusi e Educa ion. Cu en ly, eache aining in ma e s o unc ional di e si y is no
con empla ed; howe e , i is ag eed ha eache s need con inuous aining in o de o ac
wi h c ea i i y and inclusion, which is in line wi h he documen o he Agency o he
De elopmen o Special Educa ion [
13
,
14
]. In u n, hese da a ep oduce he s udies o
o he au ho s [
13
], who conclude ha inclusi e class ooms a e hose in which he eache s
ha e g ea e aining in speci ic ma e s o special educa ion o simila [
9
]. The ac i i ies
poin ed ou by he eache s enable a di e se e alua ion, p o ide con inuous suppo , and
allow wo king among pee s, p omo ing he pe sonal and p o essional g ow h o all he
pa ies in ol ed in he eaching-lea ning p ocess [
4
]. A ecen s udy [
15
] pe o med in
Thailand highligh s he posi i e expe ience o eache s wi h inclusi e p ac ices, al hough i
also ga he s ba ie s such as wo k load, ime and he lack o esou ces.
Wi h espec o he ac i i ies o awa eness and sensi iza ion in ma e s o unc ional
di e si y, he pa icipan s a gued ha hese ypes o asks ha e a bene i ha can be
ex apola ed o he whole o socie y. In Ea ly Childhood Educa ion, i is ag eed ha
a en ion mus p e en and compensa e o all hose ci cums ances ha in luenced he
appea ance and de elopmen o ce ain di icul ies, unde s anding ha aising awa eness
abou unc ional di e si y can be included in his p emise [
16
]. Rega ding he ea men
among pee s, he in e iews showed ha child en wi hou unc ional di e si y welcome
hose wi h speci ic needs. The inna e goodness o child en, oge he wi h he educa ion
in alues gi en by he amily and s eng hened in he school, could be he cause o his
beha io . This inding suppo s he asse ion ound in se e al s udies [
17
–
19
] and in he
wo k ca ied ou by he Eu opean Agency o he De elopmen o Special Educa ion, which
main ains ha inclusi e schools bene i e e yone. Simila ly, i is s a ed ha he success
o inclusi e ac ions could be ela ed o he es ablishmen o alliances be ween sec o s ha
pa icipa e in inclusion [
20
]. This da um ein o ces he consolida ion o possible ag eemen s
be ween educa ional cen e s and o he ex e nal sec o s ha may suppo he needs p esen
in he class oom. Howe e , he deg ee o inclusion dec eases wi h he inc easing deg ee o
Child en 2021,8, 474 8 o 10
di e si y ecognized by he s uden s [
21
]. Likewise, o he s udies s a e ha he con ex s
may ac as bo h acili a o s and ba ie s [
22
]. In his sense, he beha io o he s uden s
could be explained by he bene i s o his ype o me hodology, such as in he social
ela ionships be ween pee s [
23
], as well as by all he ac o s ha could be ela ed o he
applica ion o asks. Thus, leade ship in s uden s and eache s is highligh ed as a key
elemen [
24
]. In his line, eache s should con ibu e as leade s o he ans o ma ion o
he class oom and he amily o change he nega i e a i udes ha he communi y may
ha e owa d unc ional di e si y; he e o e, he applica ion o ac i i ies simila o he one
p esen ed in his s udy can be included among he ins umen s o be implemen ed in he
class oom [25].
4.2. The C ea i e Task Designed and Ca ied Ou in he Educa ional Cen e
The sa is ac ion and sco e ob ained in he ac i i y conduc ed in his s udy was ex-
cellen , showing ha i was a mo i a ing ask o he s uden s and ha bo h mo i a ion
and emo ion a e he ue d i e s o any ype o lea ning [
26
]. In ac , in he educa ional
scope, mo i a ion is unde s ood as an in e nal p ocess ha ac i a es, di ec s, and main ains
beha io owa d a speci ic goal, in which biological, psychological, pe sonali y, social, and
cogni i e a iables pa icipa e. The child b ain is mo i a ed by e e y hing ha is pe cei ed
as new [
27
]. In his sense, i is unde s ood ha a di e en ask om hose p og ammed in
he con en s o he cou se could ha e ac i a ed he neu al s uc u es ha igge mo i a ion,
especially he igh p e on al co ex, which is ela ed o in insic mo i a ion and e hics
lea ning [
28
]. I seems ha wha s uden s eel is as impo an as wha hey lea n. This
s eng hens lea ning h ough ac i e lis ening, discussion, and he de elopmen o empa hy
and non- e bal communica ion [
29
]. Ac i i ies ha in ol e playing and achie ing goals
a e based on hese pilla s and a e essen ial o child en [30].
Wi h ega d o he lea ning ob ained a e ca ying ou he ask, he deg ee o memo y
o bo h he ale and he game was good, as well as he posi i e emo ion demons a ed by
he disco e y o he cha ac e s, despi e he young age o he s uden s and he ac ha he
ac i i y was only conduc ed once. Al hough simila expe iences ha e been documen ed,
he ime and equency a y wi h espec o ou ac i i y [
31
]. In his sense, we belie e
ha he in ol emen o mo i a ion and emo ion in he ask could ha e been undamen al,
as i ac i a ed he connec ions be ween he amygdalin sys em, he p e on al co ex, and
he hippocampus, which media e he mnesic p ocesses. Thus, i is s a ed ha childhood
is a pe iod o special in ensi y o decla a i e memo y, in ol ing a s a egic p ocess ha
includes he making o memo ies, hei op imal p oduc ion, and bene i ing om hem [
8
].
This implemen a ion is no always s able and depends on he impac o he ask; he e o e,
senso y-mo o expe iences a e suppo ed as p omo e s o lea ning in he age ange o
4–7 yea s, when he do sola e al co ex is ac i a ed in he ace o new asks and a en ion
is enhanced when accompanied by emo ional con en . These au ho s iden i ied o he
elemen s ha could in luence lea ning, such as pa en ing s yles, socioeconomic le el,
bilingualism, and cul u al con ex s [
32
]. These a iables become mode a o s o u u e
esea ch lines. Ano he inding o explain hese esul s is he in ol emen o mi o
neu ons, which allow ou b ains o co ela e ou own ac ions wi h hose o o he s and
make sense o hem. Mi o neu ons unde s and he in en ions, eelings and emo ions o
o he people [
32
]. In his sense, we can suppo he idea ha he con inuous ac i a ion o
hese neu ons h oughou he whole execu ion o he c ea i e ask, ega dless o whe he
o no he child was pe o ming he ac ion, could ha e consolida ed he lea ning in ended
in he ask and enabled he child o empa hize in e ms o unc ional di e si y. Howe e ,
i was obse ed ha he deg ee o memo y o he ale was g ea e in gi ls han in boys,
whe eas no di e ences we e ound in he memo y o he game be ween sexes. Playing
in ol es spa ial ac i i ies, and se e al s udies ha e speci ied ha spa ial memo y is g ea e
in boys han in gi ls, wi h a clea di e ence in his skill om he age o i e yea s [
33
].
This ac could explain why, gi en he a e age age o he sample, he e we e no signi ican
di e ences be ween he sexes. Rega ding he deg ee o memo y, simila indings show
Child en 2021,8, 474 9 o 10
ha gi ls ob ain be e esul s han boys in asks ha in ol e e bal memo y and lea ning,
immedia e memo y, and he eco e y and unde s anding o s o ies h ough ques ions and
in o ma ion p ocessing speed [32].
Rega ding age, se e al indings co obo a e ha lea ning inc eases wi h age, as is
shown in a s udy ha analyzed he co ela ion be ween episodic memo y and he olume
o ce ain s uc u es ha make up he hippocampus, showing di e ences in child en om
he age o 6 yea s wi h espec o hose o 4 yea s o age [
32
]. Mo eo e , i is known ha
wo king memo y, sho - e m memo y, selec i e a en ion, and p ocessing speed inc ease
wi h age [34], all o which a e ac i a ed in he ask pe o med in he p esen s udy.
In his s udy, he opinions o he eache s con i m ha eaching p ojec s do no include
asks ha speci ically ac on he awa eness abou unc ional di e si y, al hough he e
may be o he s, such as playing and coope a i e lea ning ac i i ies, which could p omo e
inclusion. Fu he mo e, con inuous eache aining, he in ol emen o amilies, he
alues p o ided by he educa ional cen e , ime, and esou ces seem o be undamen al
elemen s o inclusi e educa ion.
Likewise, he c ea i e ask designed o aise awa eness and sensi ize child en o
ma e s o unc ional di e si y was posi i ely alued by he s uden s and me he objec i es
se by he esea ch eam. The lea ning o his ask imp o ed wi h he inc easing age o he
child en, wi h he gi ls consolida ing he con en s o he s o y be e han he boys and
inding no di e ences be ween sexes in he es o he analyzed a iables. As u u e lines
o ou esea ch, i
´
s p oposed ha we ca y ou a mul icen e s udy, as well as design a
p og am ha combines he op imiza ion o de elopmen in child en wi h disabili ies and
emo ional educa ion, and o e i y i s e ec i eness and impac on inclusion.
5. Conclusions
T aining in unc ional di e si y and he de elopmen o c ea i e ac i i ies a e necessa y
o op imize inclusion. The use o play and emo ions as a basis o c ea i e asks op imizes
lea ning, awa eness, empa hy, and inclusion in child en wi h and wi hou disabili ies in
his educa ional cen e .
Supplemen a y Ma e ials:
The ollowing a e a ailable online a h ps://www.mdpi.com/a icle/10
.3390/child en8060474/s1. Annex S1—Semi-S uc u ed in e iew.
Au ho Con ibu ions:
Concep /idea/ esea ch design, M.-L.B.-L. and E.P.-P.; me hodology, E.M.M.-
S. and M.d.-l.-C.-A.; da a collec ion, E.P.-P., M.-L.B.-L., and F.L.-L.; in es iga ion, M.-L.B.-L. and
E.P.-P.; esou ces, F.L.-L. and E.P.-P.; da a cu a ion, C.S.-S., M.-L.B.-L., and E.P.-P.; w i ing—o iginal
d a p epa a ion, M.-L.B.-L., E.P.-P., and C.S.-S.; w i ing— e iew and edi ing, M.-L.B.-L., E.P.-P., and
F.L.-L.; isualiza ion, E.M.M.-S. and C.S.-S.; supe ision, M.d.-l.-C.-A. All au ho s ha e ead and
ag eed o he published e sion o he manusc ip .
Funding: This esea ch ecei ed no ex e nal unding.
Ins i u ional Re iew Boa d S a emen :
The s udy was conduc ed acco ding o he guidelines o he
Decla a ion o Helsinki, and app o ed by he Ins i u ional Re iew Boa d o Uni e si y Hospi al
Vi gen Maca ena o he Uni e si y o Se ille app o ed his e-sea ch. (15 Decembe 2019).
In o med Consen S a emen :
In o med consen was ob ained om all subjec s in ol ed in he
s udy. W i en in o med consen has been ob ained om he pa ien (s) o publish his pape .
Da a A ailabili y S a emen :
The da a ha suppo he epo ed esul s a e gua ded by he p incipal
esea che Ma ía-Luisa Bení ez-Lugo ([email p o ec ed]).
Con lic s o In e es : The au ho s decla e no con lic o in e es .
Re e ences
1. Lo enzo, J.; Ce ezo, M.; Alca az, S. Plan de A ención a la Di e sidad; Edi o ial: Mad id, Spain, 2015.
2. León-Gue e o, M. El Lide azgo pa a y en la Escuela Inclusi a. Educ. Siglo XXI 2012,30, 133–160.
3.
Lup on, J.; Jones, G. P ac icing Inclusion: A Sel -Re iew F amewo k o Inclusion and Special Educa ion Needs: A P ac ical Guide o
Schools; Council Publica ions: London, UK, 2002.